No, Kinker did not, but he never got a chance to say that. Vashnas's grip tightened around his neck and a second later, all Kinker saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled ... was nothing.
-
“No!” Malock shouted as Vashnas pushed Kinker's corpse forward. “Vashnas, how could you—?”
He never got a chance to finish his sentence because Kano immediately leaped down from her throne. She landed with a splash right in front of Vashnas, where Kinker had stood, and thrust her watery arm into Vashnas's mouth. The aquarian writhed and struggled to get away, but she appeared rooted to the floor as Kano spoke.
“I know how much you like water, aquarian,” Kano growled in a voice that was far more dangerous than the waves around Destan during murder season. “Let's see how you do without it.”
Vashnas's eyes widened, but she never got the chance to respond. Her entire body dried up, like a fish left out in the sun for too long, and Kano pushed it over. Vashnas's dried body smashed into pieces when it hit the floor, leaving behind only her clothes.
Malock stood still. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't even sure what to think. He just looked at Kinker's body and then at the remains of Vashnas's shattered corpse and his entire mind felt like it was going to implode, which given the circumstances did not seem entirely unreasonable.
Tinkar jumped down from the thrones, too, and landed not far from Malock. He looked at Vashnas's clothes with a sad expression. “I always suspected her fate would not be a good one. And it looks like I was right.”
“What about Kinker?” Malock said. He said the words, but it felt like someone else was saying them. “Can you bring him back to life?”
Kano shook her head. “I am sorry, Malock, but we cannot. Even we gods are unable to revive the dead.”
“We could get the God of Puppetry to reanimate his corpse,” Tinkar offered. “Of course, that would make his body a puppet, but if you don't mind—“
Without thinking, Malock walked up to Tinkar, even as the god was speaking, and with all of his might slapped the God of Fate in the face.
That turned out to be a huge mistake. Tinkar's face felt like iron and when Malock's hand met it, he heard the bones in his hand snap, the sound echoing throughout the throne room like a gun shot. He cursed loudly and held his now-broken hand as Tinkar looked at him with astonishment and anger.
“Did you just slap me?” said Tinkar.
Malock looked up from his broken hand, met the god's eyes, and nodded. “I did.”
“For what reason?” said Tinkar. “I didn't hurt you.”
Malock could not believe what he was hearing. “Did you not hear the laundry list of crimes I accused you of earlier? Or are you just deaf and dumb?”
“Put that way, I do sound like a terrible being,” said Tinkar. “But you should really be blaming Kano for all of this. She was the one who summoned you, after all, and it was Messenger-and-Punisher, working under her orders, who took the wrong guy. And she also, may I add, murdered Vashnas in cold blood.”
Malock looked over at Kano. She was walking over to them, almost casually, as if she murdered aquarian women every day.
“I did what I had to do, Malock,” said Kano, her tone cold. “Murdering a potential godling is a terrible offense. It is a slap in the face to the Powers themselves. Death was the only suitable punishment for such a crime.”
Tears burned Malock's eyes as he said, “Was that so? You mean you couldn't have just locked her up or something?”
“Prisons can be broken out of,” said Kano. “That is why we have none on World's End. I know how much you loved her, but—“
“But nothing,” Malock said. “You gods ... I don't care how this sounds, but I think all of you—northern and southern—are nothing but sick psychos who aren't worthy of any form of worship or praise. Not a single one of you.”
The tension in the room was so thick that Malock could feel it. Both Kano and Tinkar looked equally enraged and for the first time he could understand how they were related. The way their mouths twisted, the way they stood ... the family resemblance was obvious. And Malock knew that every minute they wasted standing there was another minute he was allowed to live.
Finally, Kano said, “Get out.”
“What?” said Malock.
Kano pointed at the double doors. “I said, get out.”
“You mean you aren't going to smite me?” said Malock.
“Trust me, mortal, we would love to do that,” said Tinkar. “But you are still under Kano's protection and for once your death would do nothing to help us. Just get out.”
Malock glanced at Kinker's and Vashnas's bodies. “But Kinker and Vashnas—“
“Out,” Kano said in her firmest voice.
This time, Malock didn't argue. Still gripping his broken hand, he made his way out of the room as quickly as he could. He didn't even look over his shoulder as he left, knowing as he did that the two gods might reconsider their decision if he showed any signs of hesitation or reluctance.
That was also why he kept his head down. He didn't want them to see the tears streaming down his face.
***
Chapter Twenty-Four
Upon exiting the Temple, Malock was immediately greeted by Banika, Jenur, and the entire crew of the Iron Wind. He was almost taken by surprise at their appearance, having forgotten that they were awaiting him outside. Messenger was nowhere to be seen, although the putrid scent of his ooze hung in the air like a noxious gas.
“Captain,” said Banika, stepping forward with Jenur by her side. “What happened to you hand? And where are Vashnas and Kinker?”
Malock didn't look them in the eyes as he said, “They're ... gone.”
Jenur peered at him closely and said, “Gone? What do you mean? It's not like they won a free all-expenses paid tour of the city, right?”
Malock looked up at them both, not bothering to hide the tears running down the sad of his face, and said, “Dead. They're both dead.”
Banika was as silent and still as usual, but somehow Malock sensed that this was different from before. And he realized what was so different: She was in shock, expressing it in the only way she knew how.
Jenur, however, was far more expressive. She actually grabbed Malock by the collar of his shirt and said, “Impossible. You're joking.”
“I wish I was, but I'm not,” Malock said. “Both of them are dead.”
Jenur let go of his collar and staggered back, like she had been slapped in the face. “But Kinker can't be dead. He's too tough for that.”
“How did it happen?” Banika asked, her voice cracking through her usual calm tone. “Who killed them?”
Malock gave them a condensed version of the events that happened in the throne room. The rest of the crew was also listening and by the time he finished, he saw tears in the eyes of almost every sailor. He hadn't realized until today just how much the rest of the crew had valued Kinker and even Vashnas. It made him feel even worse about complaining about Kinker's destiny earlier.
Jenur glared at the Temple gates, which had shut when Malock exited, and said, “That damned bitch. If she was still alive, I'd take my knife and jab it straight up her—“
“Don't,” said Malock. “Just ... don't.”
Jenur sighed. “You're right. It's just ... how could she do that? How could she murder Kinker in cold blood? And where is Kinker's body? Why didn't you take it with you?”
“Kano and Tinkar didn't let me,” said Malock. “They told me to leave. They gave me no choice.”
Jenur looked up at the Temple. “I'm getting in and getting his body. I don't care if that means I have to fight a couple of gods to do it.”
Malock had a brief mental vision of Jenur being drained of all of her fluids, just like Vashnas, and he said, “Wait, Jenur, don't—“
The gates cracked open again and Kinker's body was tossed out. It landed in an awkward position at Malock's feet, causing the prince to step back involuntarily. He did not see who
had tossed out Kinker's body to them, but he understood that whoever it was, they cared little for the corpse of a mortal man.
Jenur immediately bent down over Kinker's corpse. It took Malock a moment to realize that she was crying, actually crying, which now that he thought about it was highly unusual for her. He had always thought of her as being tough, as being stronger than most people, but maybe she really was just like everyone else.
The rest of the crew gathered around to see Kinker's corpse. Despite the tears and sorrowful expressions on the face of every sailor, no one else went to touch Kinker's corpse, as Jenur was doing. And Malock understood. He understood that far too well, especially when he thought about Vashnas.
Because they couldn't stand there forever, the crew had to figure out a way to move Kinker's body out of the city and back onto the ship. Malock had made the decision that they would have to head back home now, because they had finally reached World's End and done what they had come here to do. No one protested, but a few sailors did seem to be a little reluctant to leave such a beautiful city so soon (although in Malock's eyes the city no longer looked as beautiful as it once did).
Banika, as cool and collected as she ever was, turned up with a stretcher that she claimed to have bought from a katabans salesman. How she had managed to buy it when they had no money and none of them could speak the language of the katabans, Malock didn't know, but he knew Banika had her ways of doing things and he didn't always know how she did it. At least no one was trying to get them, so he supposed that she didn't steal it at least.
However she got it, the stretcher allowed the crew to move Kinker's body with far less trouble than they ordinarily would have. Malock led the procession out of the city, remembering the exact route that they had used to find the Temple of the Gods. He remembered it only because Vashnas had shown him it when they were walking and he was trying to savor every last memory he had of her, now that she was gone.
As before, the katabans moved out of the way, making room for the crew to pass through with little difficulty. Also as before, most of the katabans watched the mortals hauling Kinker's corpse out of the city. Malock didn't know what the katabans were thinking or if they knew why Kinker was dead. All he knew was that he was glad they weren't bothering him and the others. Maybe they were still under orders by Kano or Tinkar not to.
Soon the procession reached the gates, which they passed through, and not long after that, the Iron Wind came into view again. It looked as battered and beaten as ever and Malock didn't think it would be able to make the journey back north, especially now that he was unsure if they had the protection of Kano anymore.
Yet the Iron Wind was not alone. Berthed next to it was a gigantic hulk of a ship, completely black and apparently made entirely of metal. It looked completely different from any ship Malock had seen; in fact, he wasn't even sure it could sail because it didn't have any sails, at least from what he could see. Amid the ship's smokestacks was a gray flag that fluttered in the wind, too high up for Malock to make out its precise design.
“Oh great,” said Jenur as the procession stopped at the edge of the jungle. “What the hell is that?”
“Not sure,” said Malock. “Could be a trap.”
“Should we wait here, then, Captain?” said Banika.
Malock shook his head. “We have to go back to the ship eventually. I mean, it's not like we have very much left to lose, right? Let's just go down to the beach and see who it is.”
So the procession started again, heading down to the dock. The gigantic metal ship was berthed on the other side of the dock, but it wasn't until they were on the dock themselves that a familiar female voice shouted, “Hey!”
Malock looked up in time to see Hanarova standing at the bulwarks of the other ship. On the ship's starboard were written the words Clockwork Heart, which he thought was the name of the ship. That didn't tell him what Hanarova was doing there, though.
She climbed onto the bulwarks of the Clockwork Heart and landed on the deck with ease. Malock gestured for the rest of his crew to take Kinker's corpse up to the ship even as she approached him with a smile on her face. It was an amused smile, though, and slightly incredulous, as if she could not believe that she was seeing them.
“I see you made it to World's End in one piece,” said Hanarova in an overly sweet voice. “Good job. I thought for sure the Historic God would have killed you, but I guess he wasn't very hungry.”
Malock regarded Hana with distaste. “Kinker's dead.”
Hana didn't even blink at that. “Who?”
“A member of my crew,” said Malock. “Vashnas is also dead.”
“Oh, I know who that is,” said Hana. “I am sorry to hear about that. Anything I can do for you?”
“Tell your mistress that she's an evil bitch who I hope suffers from rust on a regular basis,” Malock said.
Hana quirked an eyebrow. “Tell her that yourself.”
“How, pray tell, am I supposed to do that?” said Malock.
“She's right here,” said Hana, gesturing at the Clockwork Heart with her head.
Malock looked at the giant ship. “She's inside the ship?”
“She is the ship,” said Hana. “I told you about our ship, didn't I? She decided to come here in order to find out how successful your voyage was.”
Smoke blew out of the Clockwork Heart's massive smokestacks, which Malock could only assume was the Mechanical Goddess's way of confirming Hana's words.
“It was an absolute disaster,” said Malock. “A mistake from the start. Not helped in the least by your conniving mistress, who lied to Vashnas and caused us great misery in the end. And I know that you knew all about it.”
Hana shrugged. “So what if I did? You think I care? The Mechanical Goddess has had me do all kinds of horrible things over the years. Besides, based on the rumors I heard, it was Kano who killed Vashnas, not my mistress. So who are you really angry at?”
Malock wanted to say, 'Everyone,' which would have been the truth. He was angry at Kano, Tinkar, the Mechanical Goddess, Hana, and everyone else who had ever caused him or the rest of the crew grief on their voyage. He wished that he himself was a god so he could teach them a lesson for causing so much grief and sorrow.
Instead, Malock said, “It doesn't matter. We're going home now.”
Hana glanced at the Iron Wind. “She doesn't look like a very good seagoing vessel.”
“She will have to do,” said Malock. “We don't have the time or money to get her fixed.”
“You know,” said Hana, looking at the Clockwork Heart, “we do have some repair equipment on board. If you want—“
“I want nothing to do with you or your mistress,” said Malock. “And I mean nothing. Do you understand that?”
Hana raised her hands defensively. “Sorry. I was just being friendly.”
Malock laughed hollowly. “After all I've been through, you have the audacity—the sheer audacity—to assume I give a damn about what you were trying to be. I don't. I really don't.”
Hana shrugged. “Your loss. How do you plan to get home when your ship looks like she'll sink as soon as she gets too full of water?”
“I said we will manage,” said Malock. He looked and noticed that most of his crew was now on board the ship. “I have to go. It was horrible seeing you.”
“Same here,” Hana muttered as Malock walked past her.
Malock made his way up the ramp with little trouble, where Banika met him at the top.
“Kinker's corpse was placed inside the medical room,” said Banika, following Malock to the door of his stateroom. “Ranof is currently preparing his body for burial.”
Malock put his hand on the doorknob of his stateroom and looked at her in annoyance. “And? What do you want me to say?”
“We are currently awaiting your decision as to what should be done with Kinker's body,” said Banika. “We can either take him home or dump his body into the sea.”
Malock almost said, 'Dump
him into the sea,' but then he remembered Kano killing Vashnas and he said instead, “We'll drop off his body on Destan on the way back. Maybe we'll even stop for repairs there.”
Banika, as usual, showed no particular signs of emotion at his orders. “I shall inform Ranof and the rest of the crew about your decision.”
Malock was already inside his stateroom before Banika finished speaking. He slammed the door shut behind himself and slouched over to his desk. He didn't dare look at the sofa, not wanting to spark all of the memories he had of sleeping with Vashnas on it.
He sat down in his chair behind the desk and lowered his face into his hands. And he cried once more.
***
Continued in:
The Return of Prince Malock
Book Two in the Prince Malock World
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Acknowledgements
I want to thank my uncle, James Wilhite, for his help in preparing this manuscript for publication. I would also like to thank the rest of my family for supporting me while I wrote this novel. You guys rock.
***
About the Author
The Mad Voyage of Prince Malock Page 36