The Navigator, page 26
Rho picked up his sword and sheathed it. The steel rang as it scraped against his scabbard.
"My horde has work to do here. Mann still needs help readying the Yong Fleet. I cannot leave that responsibility to Swei or Malakai. Their hordes are too small, and the Fleet is dangerously weak. You need to think beyond Petal's needs. There are many things more important than chasing the dreams of a child."
"You wouldn't need your whole horde - just an escort for us - so King Hanno won't murder your daughter."
"And what would I have to gain from this fool's errand?"
"Petal!" Quill nearly shouted. "Don't you want her back? Doesn't she mean anything to you? You wanted her forgiveness – now you'll leave her to die?"
"Watch your tongue. Petal means much to me - but she's not the center of my universe. In truth, she's brought me little but bad luck. I was a happier man before I found her."
"How can you say that? She should be the center of your universe." Quill began to tear up. "She deserves a father who loves her and will be there for her, not a man who will abandon her - again."
Rho watched a tear trickle down Quill's cheek. It glistened in the sun.
"You feel her pain that acutely?"
"No." Quill wiped her face. "My father abandoned me. He shunned me after I was blacklisted. That's why I came out to the sea – because I had no one left on land. And that's the situation Petal's in now. Her father is abandoning her. Knowing that you'd do that to her - that kills me. It's terrible."
"I'm sorry you've lost your father, but unlike you, I doubt Petal wants a father. Do you really believe she'd forgive me if I took her to Syracuse? Would you?"
"I hope so. I know she'd be grateful to you."
"The gratitude of a child is fleeting."
"What do you want from her? She's a child! All she can give you is her love. Don't you want to make up for what you've done?"
Rho stood silent for a moment, staring off at his horde. "And what do you get out of this, Hesperian? Will getting Petal to Syracuse stop the S.S.S. from hunting you? Do you really think it will bring her sister back? Are you prepared to sail down to the pole with her?"
"I don't see how this could bring back Junk, but I have nothing else to do. I'm a homeless fugitive. I can spend the rest of my life - however short that is - broke and on the run or I can try and do something. . .And don't you think it's odd how you found her all alone in the Dead Ocean? She remembers nothing about that time besides her visions. Maybe if I help her follow them, it will help her discover herself. And that's another thing I want to do. Help her grow."
"Then you have little to lose and much to gain from chasing Petal's dreams. My situation is the opposite."
"No. It's not." Quill's voice cracked. "You have more to gain than me. You can win back your daughter."
Syracuse
- 46-
The island of Syracuse loomed over the bow of the Typhoon. Its smoky shores crackled with gunfire. A few hours ago, a division of marines from Delos had attempted an amphibious landing. Now, the surviving marines were languishing on the beach, hiding behind a vast array of obstacles and fortifications that Syracuse's defenders had erected to thwart the invasion.
Lhan could see the Delphic marines in-between each set of waves, as the Typhoon rose and fell with the sea. The marines were little dots on the shore, cowering from a never-ending wall of incoming fire.
King Hanno's palace citadel took up a tenth of Syracuse. Its towering, yellow stone walls came right up to the shoreline. The looming ramparts and jagged parapets that lined the palace made it look like a castle. Delos's navy had made a large hole in one of the fortress's outer walls. That breach was the site of the failed invasion.
Currently, King Hanno's men were entrenched behind the fallen wall, dug deeply into the rubble pile. They had pre-sighted machine guns aimed at the beach. Behind them were teams of mortars. High up on the intact sections of the palace ramparts were scattered spotters and snipers.
Lhan watched Hanno's machine gunners sweep the gore-spattered beach over and over again. The machine guns sounded like a hellish saw. Hot streams of lead poured out from the guns in orange and white streaks that clanked against the star-shaped beach obstacles. Every now and then a mortar shell would fall on the bogged-down marines, causing a section of their line to disappear into a cloud of sand, smoke, and blood spatter.
"Stunning isn't it?" Kodzick walked up behind Lhan.
Kodzick was a frail older man with all the personable warmth of a spider. He was Hanno's Prime Minister, the King's most trusted confidant.
"Stunning?"
"Delos's utter stupidity. They sent an entire division ashore with inadequate naval support. We were able to fortify the breach in our outer wall and chase their navy away within hours. Now look at them. There are three hundred men stranded on that strip of beach and they will be shown no mercy."
Lhan winced. He wanted to reach over and choke Kodzick, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle. He'd never seen something so horrendous. The shrieks and animal wails of the doomed marines carried over the waves and gunfire.
Lhan had no idea what he was doing on the deck of the Typhoon watching this horror. Quill said they were going to meet Giovanni the Navigator, a man with a reputation so grand, Lhan thought he was just a legend. Quill said that Giovanni would help Petal reach the southern pole - the hidden land - where Petal could rediscover her past and her sister.
Lhan didn't believe any of that nonsense. He doubted Quill believed it either. But it seemed to Lhan that Quill would stick with Petal no matter where she went or what she did.
Quill would always follow.
Rho emerged from the port hatch and stared off at the island. "How many assaults has Delos mounted against your King?"
"Too many to count," Kodzick quipped. "They all end in slaughter. Their leaders are hauled back to Delos for trial by the Assembly. The Assembly executed their last six generals for failed invasions of our shores. That is what happens when you submit to mob rule."
"If your forces were to fail, would your King show mercy?"
"Ah, but we shall not fail. We are the stronger island."
A mortar shell landed directly on a patch of beach obstacles. Lhan couldn't see the resulting bloodbath as it was hidden by a tall wave that veiled the entire island. The hidden shell splintered the obstacles into a rain of shrapnel that tore through the beach. The shrieks of the newly wounded carried over the lap of the ocean.
Petal and Quill walked out onto the deck.
"Petal." Rho smiled to her as she wobbled forward. "A week's voyage and I haven't seen you for more than a moment. Where have you been hiding all this time?"
"I've been exploring the ship."
"This whole time?"
"It's a big ship. And I've been with Quill. She's been teaching me how to read and write - better."
"Well, when this is over, perhaps she should consider becoming a humble tutor, instead of an intrepid navigator."
Quill ignored Rho and walked up to Lhan. She stared out at the battle.
"That's Syracuse?"
"Yes," Kodzick beamed. "One of the most orderly, civilized, and developed islands in the Southern Ocean."
"Ah yes, a paradise." Rho chuckled. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Another mortar round fell on the beach, right on top of the marines' line. The resulting cloud of gore made Quill sick. She turned away from the slaughter.
"You must be the princess who wants to grace our shores. The little one with the mark upon her." Kodzick went to touch Petal's facial tattoo.
Petal jumped away from Kodzick's touch as if he was death itself.
"I want to see Giovanni the Navigator."
"Of course. Our gracious King has agreed to your request. After this rabble has been removed from the beach, and I'm allowed to speak with the S.S.S. defector, one of my King's ships will ferry you ashore."
"You can speak with Wyman as soon as Petal's transport arrives. And you will be allowed to return to Syracuse once Petal is back aboard the Typhoon," Rho added.
"Yes, yes. I apologize for the delay in our exchange, but we had no idea that Delos would choose this particular day to vent its aggression."
"Why are you fighting?" Petal asked.
"Well." Kodzick went to put his hands on Petal's shoulders but Quill yanked her away. "The people of Delos take issue with our King. They call him a 'tyrant'. Really, it is Delos's democracy that is the true tyranny. There is no viler or more heartless form of government." Kodzick turned to Quill. "You must understand the value of unity - coming from the P.R.K.. Our King developed much of his state ideology from studying the speeches of your leader, Chairman Manheim."
Quill felt a chill creep up her spine. "How wonderful."
"But why are you fighting?"
Rho answered for Kodzick. "Delos is at war with Syracuse because King Hanno has been seizing their ships and impressing their merchant sailors."
"Lies," Kodzick hissed. "Lies spread by the frenzied, disorganized mob that is Delos. Look at how little they care for the lives of their own people. They've left their conscripts to drown in their own blood with no chance of withdrawal or rescue."
"Then why don't you let them surrender? Your King takes no prisoners."
Petal stared out at the coast. The surf ran red with the blood of the fallen.
"A message must be sent," Kodzick stewed. "All must know what happens to those who bring war to our shores."
Petal listened to the cries of the marines. They made her nauseous.
"I'm going back below deck."
Rho overheard her. "Petal, I will send for you when King Hanno's ship arrives. Atalai will accompany you ashore. Prepare yourself my daughter. It won't be long now."
***
Quill sprawled out in bed. Her cabin on the Typhoon was cramped and dark, but the ship was large enough that she only had to share it with Petal. The room remained unfurnished besides two bunk beds and a little dresser that lay against the far wall. Inside the dresser were several blue and gray nomad dresses, a mirrored whalebone brush and comb, and a gift of sorts from Lhan - a box of nomad jewelry.
Quill had taken a seashell-strung bracelet from the jewelry box. She was now playing with it, bunching it up and twirling it around her wrist to try and rid herself of nervous energy.
After being lost at sea and treading for what seemed like days, Quill thought she'd been 'cured' of her panic attacks. She hadn't experienced their tell-tale symptoms – tingly skin, shortness of breath, paranoia, tunnel vision – since washing up on Smaaland. This was unusual, as they used to haunt her every few days unless she self-medicated.
Panic attacks had dogged Quill her entire life, until she met Petal. During their time together, her panics had stopped. Quill wasn't sure why that was the case; her life hadn't gotten any less stressful. But after a while she figured it was because she was worrying about someone else's life for a change, instead of obsessing over her own. All of her anxiety and perpetual self-doubt had sublimated into a fawning concern over Petal.
But, as Quill lay in bed now, she could feel a panic attack rising up inside her. Her whole body was tightening, like a snake wrapping itself into a coil, ready to strike. Her cheeks felt flush and her peripheral vision was dotted with specks of yellow. The horrific shores of Syracuse had re-awoken the beast inside of Quill. She could feel it panting and heaving. She couldn't think about Petal anymore. All she could think about was herself. She felt like she was being swallowed whole, like she was drowning.
"Quill?"
Petal was standing in the doorway.
"Huh - hey. Hi." Quill looked up. "Are they ready for us? Are we going ashore?"
"I haven't heard anything."
"Oh. . . well, do you want to lie down or something?"
"I wanted to ask you for a favor." Petal hesitated. "It's kind of weird."
"What is it?"
"Would you. . .can you cut my hair?"
"Sure – yeah, I can do that. Come in."
Petal scurried inside the cabin. Before Quill could shut the door, she handed her a pair of scissors.
"Let me get a sheet." Quill buzzed around the room, looking for something Petal's snipped hair could fall onto. She snatched the whalebone comb up from the dresser. "Just to warn you, I've never cut someone's hair before."
Petal's hair had grown a few inches since she and Quill met. Now it went past her ears. She played with it, wrapping it around her fingers.
"As long as you can cut straight, it doesn't matter."
"Okay. How do you want me to cut it?"
"Just make it short. It's easier for me to take care of."
"Are you sure you don't want to keep it long?" Quill pulled the comb through Petal's hair. She admired its length and vibrant color. "This length looks good on you. You could let it grow out even longer."
"It gets too dirty, and stuff gets caught in it when it's long. I like my hair short. Junk was the one who liked her hair long."
Quill ran the comb through Petal's hair over and over again, trying to get rid of all the tangles.
"You haven't talked about Junk in a while. You've never really described her to me. What's she like?"
"Junk was - is really girly. She liked braiding her hair and painting her face up. She used to love birds, especially gulls. She always wanted to turn into one - to fly."
Quill made her first snip. "What does she look like?"
"Skinny. She's really skinny and small. Her eyes and hair are brown. She used to have a pony tail. She has really white skin and a squeaky voice. Everything else. . . it's hard to picture now. I - I never got to say goodbye to her. The last time I saw her I was really mean to her."
"I'm sure she's forgotten about that, and you couldn't have known you were going to lose her." Quill focused on making a straight cut. "You miss her a lot right now, don't you?"
"Uh-huh." Petal tried not to move. The scissors were next to her eyeball. "It's like - like I'm missing a part of me. When I'm alone, I can feel Junk. I can feel her next to me, but when I look, she's not there. I think a part of her is still inside my head. But now it's fading."
"I know what you mean. It was like that for me right after I left my family. Some mornings, when I was lying in bed, I could hear my mother calling for me to get ready."
"Do you think I'll ever find her?"
"Junk?"
Petal nodded.
"Yeah. I hope so." Quill tossed Petal's hair back. "That's why we came here, right?"
"I don't mean that. I'm not going to give up. Ever. I wonder if you think we'll find Junk."
"I don't know. How could I?"
"Then why did you and Lhan come with me? Why did you get Rho to take me here?"
Quill put the scissors down.
"Lhan came along because he wanted to and because of me, I'm guessing. Rho wanted to show he's sorry and that he still loves you-"
"What about you? Why have you stayed with me? I'm curious - not ungrateful."
"Because. . .I love you." Quill tried to gauge Petal's reaction to the word, but she was a blank. "I want to see you happy. I want you to find yourself and your sister. And I don't want you to be alone. And I don't want to be alone either."
"You're lonely?"
"I've been alone since I left Kudu. Being with you has helped a lot. You've been my life preserver."
"Are you afraid?"
Quill ran her fingers through Petal's hair, checking to see if it was an even length.
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of going ashore. Meeting Hanno."
"I'm terrified. Aren't you? Everyone says he's the devil."
"No. I'm not afraid. We'll be okay. I know it."
"How do you know?" Quill flipped the comb around, showing Petal the mirror on its backside. "Is that what your visions told you?"
"You don't believe in my visions, do you? You think I'm making them up."
"No." Quill continued to hold the mirror up to Petal's eyes. "I don't believe in much, but I believe in you. You followed me and I'm following you now."
Petal grimaced at her reflection. Quill had cut her hair into a bob. Its childish cuteness annoyed her.
"Well, what do you think?"
"I like it. . .but could you make it. . .raggedy-er?"
- 47-
The landing craft chugged toward Syracuse's macabre shoreline. Quill, Petal, Lhan, Atalai, and two Syracusian soldiers were huddled inside the craft, being jostled back and forth by each passing breaker. The Typhoon, which had once loomed over the little boat, was now too far away to see. The landing craft was alone in the rough water.
