The Finger of God: a Thalassia novel

by Patrick McClafferty

  Overhead the rings of Thalassia turned and glittered, while beneath them the continent of Pangea just came into view.

  Chapter 14

  Captain Dolores Isenhart looked up from the paperwork on her desk. “Come.” She said to the closed door. It swung open and her daughter and Hedric stepped in.

  “Hi, Mom.” The dark haired Alexandra plopped unceremoniously onto the bed, while Hedric sat in the single chair with a little more decorum.

  Dolores looked at the two. In some unidentifiable way, her daughter had lost some of her little-girl feel, and the young man some of the little-boy. With a mother’s sure instinct, she knew in a heartbeat what had occurred since she’d seen them last. One of her eyebrows rose a scant millimeter. “Did you have a good time?” The blushes on both sets of cheeks confirmed her guess.

  “Yes, we did.” Lexi murmured, a secret smile playing with her lips.

  “Medin told us that we should consider the moon our home.” Hedric said, somewhat hesitantly. “I was—surprised.”

  “Why?” Captain Isenhart asked, watching the young man carefully.

  “I just never thought we’d actually get invited to live there. It was kind of a dream come true.”

  She sighed. The children really were growing up. “Well, you’d better get your things ready. We leave this afternoon. The new harpoon guns have been installed, and we have dozens of spare harpoons, just in case. I’m afraid of what we’ll find in New Boston, when we get there.”

  Hedric stood up. “Then I’d better see to the engines. I’ve skipped a whole day, and who knows what Doander has let slide.”

  “Get out of here, you perfectionist.” The Captain laughed. “Go see to your precious engine. I want to speak with my daughter for a bit.”

  He grinned impudently. “Aye, Captain.” And closed the door behind him.

  The air was cooler now. The miles they had traveled north since New Orleans had made a difference. And the river, for all its vast size, was empty. Not a fish jumped nor bird flew in the hazy overcast air.

  “Tad!” Doander was tapping him on the shoulder, trying to get his attention. Hedric set his wrench down and wiped the sweat from his face. “Tad, the sailors on deck say that there’s a strange ship heading for us. They say she looks like one of those new propeller jobs, like the one you chartered in Dimsdale.”

  “Hmmm.” Hedric set his oily rag down on a bench. “I’d like to see that. Finish tightening the bolts on the filter I just installed, and that will finish it. I’ll be back soon.”

  Doander looked crestfallen. “All right.”

  Hedric gave the younger man a grin, as he headed for the door. On deck the approaching ship was clearly visible now, and unless he was completely mistaken, it was the Dolphin.

  “What’s SHE doing this far south?” Hedric jumped. Captain Isenhart had come up silently behind him, again.

  “Look at her railing!” Hedric pointed. A ten foot section of the railing on the starboard bow was missing, as was a sizeable chunk of the wheelhouse. It looked, for all the world, like something had taken a great bite out of the boat. The cannons mounted at both bow and stern looked soot-covered and well used.

  “When did they get cannons?” Dolores sounded shocked. “I think you and I had better go aboard alone. What we might see and hear would probably alarm the crew.”

  Captain Lesperance, of the steamship Dolphin limped out of the wheelhouse and held his hand out to Captain Isenhart.

  “It is good to see you again, Captain. You look well. We have been looking for you.”

  Dolores frowned. “You don’t look good, and neither does your ship. Why were you looking for us? Everyone in New Boston knew that we were headed south to New Orleans. I didn’t make our destination secret.”

  Lesperance leaned heavily against a curved ventilator and wiped his sweating face. His hand was shaking and the light breeze blowing across the deck of the shattered boat smelled of dried blood. “Things have changed since you left. Dimsdale has been destroyed and New Boston is a city under siege. The Dolphin and three or four other fast steamships managed to rescue a few hundred people from Dimsdale, before the monsters swarmed the whole island of Devon under.” His bloodshot eyes were haunted. “It was horrible. Nobody had a chance. We had to fight our way across Blight Lake to the River Styx.” He waved at the railing and wheelhouse. “We were lucky. One of the other ships, captained by a good friend of mine, was torn apart and sunk by the monsters. A Colonel Benjamin Harrison of the National Guard in New Boston sent me for you. I don’t understand it, but he said that if anyone could produce another miracle, it was you, and your crew. Do you understand what he meant?”

  Dolores looked at Hedric. “I think I do.” She let her hand rest on his shoulder. “So, Captain Lesperance, let’s set your ship to rights, and then head back to New Boston. We have a battle to win.”

  The tired man looked at her, his mouth hanging open. He shut it with a visible effort. “I see why Colonel Harrison sent for you.” He chuckled. “He mentioned something about your indomitable spirit. He was right.” He pushed himself upright. “If you could send over your carpenter to help us, I would appreciate it. Our own carpenter, Mister Jackson, was carried away with the starboard railing.”

  “I’ll send carpenters and lumber over immediately, Captain. Do you need anything else?”

  Lesperance sighed. “My navigator and chief engineer were also killed. Do you have anyone you could spare?”

  Hedric touched Captain Isenhart’s arm this time. “We’ll go, Captain.” Hedric replied. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that Lexi was listening to every word he said or heard. Dolores Isenhart shut her eyes, and Hedric could sense her worry. “We’ll be fine all the way to New Boston. Just make sure that we have at least one good gunner aboard.” He gave her his best impertinent grin, although he didn’t much feel like smiling.

  The crew of the Golden Fleece never even noticed that Hedric and Alexandra boarded the Dolphin but never returned to the Fleece. But they did notice when Captain Isenhart kissed both Alexandra and Hedric goodbye. As the ships separated, Hedric and Lexi stood at the repaired starboard rail, watching in silence. With his arm about her slim waist, Hedric could feel her tremble.

  The better armed Golden Fleece went first, with the Dolphin starboard and slightly astern of the other boat. The first attack came three days after the boats had met. The shouts of the sailors woke Hedric, and barefooted he scrambled up on deck, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He knew Lexi was there even before she spoke.

  “What’s happening?”

  She pointed. “Something in the water, heading for the Fleece. There!” A sharp vee of ripples reflected in the glittering Thalassian rings, headed for the Golden Fleece. Already the two young people could see the harpoon guns on the bow and stern get readied. On the bow of the Dolphin the borrowed gunner from the Fleece prepared his own cannon.

  Captain Lesperance limped up behind them. “What is it?”

  Hedric didn’t take his eyes from the ripples. “Something in the water. Probably one of the big critters. The Fleece is preparing to engage.”

  “Shouldn’t we run? We were able to outrun most of the monsters back in Blight Lake.”

  Lexi’s voice was flat. “This isn’t Blight Lake. Here we defend each other.” As if to emphasize the point, there was a clunk from the bow of the Dolphin as the gunner rammed the small cannonball home, and swung the gun toward the approaching creature.

  “But…” Whatever Captain Lesperance had been about to say was lost as the Golden Fleece fired both of her harpoon guns. The ripples stopped abruptly, and something broke the surface of the river, amidst a forest of waving black tentacles. The humped black body opened a beaked mouth—and screamed! The gunner on the bow of the Dolphin fired, the crash of the small gun all but deafening those on deck while a sulfurous yellow cloud of smoke threatened to blind them. Hedric saw the shot punch a hole straight through the side of the tentacled monster. The thing i
n the water lurched sideways under the impact, and screamed all the louder.

  Two more shots rang out from the Fleece, and those on deck watched the harpoons fly with deadly accuracy, sinking deep into the thing. The bow gun on the Dolphin spoke one more time, punching a hole a slim hand’s breadth from the first. The beast in the water convulsed one last time, and was still.

  A small cloud of flying objects hovered over the drifting dead monster. “What the blazes are those?” Captain Lesperance pointed. Hedric sighed, while Lexi giggled.

  “Those, Captain, are fairies. They serve as our scouts when we’re closer to shore.”

  “Fairies?” Lesperance scoffed. “I don’t believe in fairies.”

  Hedric cupped his hands over his mouth. “Liriope!” He called out, as loudly as he could. One of the small forms broke away from the others, and streaked toward the Dolphin. Liriope circled him once and then landed on his shoulder.

  “Hi, Tad.” Hedric had had a long talk with the fairies before he left the Fleece, and he’d explained patiently that the only ones who knew him as Hedric Schwendau on his boat were Lexi, her mother and the doctor. To everyone else he was still Tad Swimming. Dawn found his discomfiture vastly amusing, and tried to insist that he use his real name, but he was stubborn. “Good fight! You really kicked that monster’s butt.”

  Hedric chuckled at her unbridled enthusiasm. “Liriope, I would like you to meet Mister Lesperance, captain of the Dolphin.”

  “Hi, Captain.” She chirped brightly. “You have a nice boat.”

  “Ah…” Lesperance replied, his eyes popping out of his head.

  Liriope turned to Hedric, her hands on her hips, and her shining wings a blur. “What’s the matter with him?”

  “Shy, I think.” Behind him Hedric could hear Lexi making little gasping noises of mirth. Out over the water far behind the boats came a distant scream, followed by another, more to the side this time. Hedric addressed Liriope, “I want you to tell the others to head back to the boat, and tell Captain Isenhart to cut the harpoon lines and get the hell out of there. We’ll be right behind her.”

  The fairy did a little loop in the air. “This is exciting.” She swept down and planted a little kiss on Hedric’s ear. “Bye lover.” She turned slightly. “Bye, Captain.”

  “Grkkk…” Captain Lesperance replied, his mouth hanging open. He shut his mouth and swallowed, his eyes following the flight of the small creature. “Lover?”

  Hedric gave the man a sour look. “It’s complicated.” Alexandra was wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

  Twice more, huge red beetles, the length of the Dolphin tried to attack one or both of the ships. In both cases the attacks were beaten off, although the last attack left the Golden Fleece limping with damage to her port side-wheel. It was in that sorry condition that they finally reached the sheltered harbor of New Boston.

  Anything that could float was being loaded with refugees. Hedric watched in dismay, as a small single masted fishing boat struggled out of the harbor, turning south down the Mississippi. Piles of household goods were lashed to the deck, and the waterline was mere inches below the gunwale.

  “They’re all going to die.” Captain Isenhart sounded depressed. Hedric and Lexi had departed the Dolphin as soon as the two ships tied up at the quay. Returning to the musty, worn Golden Fleece had never felt so good.

  Hedric looked about the harbor. “You’re right, Dolores. They’re all going to die. It took two armed boats to fight our way to New Boston, and still we were battered. How many have tried to leave?”

  “Ten thousand. A fifth of our population.” A deep voice said behind him. He heard Dolores gasp.

  “Benjamin!” She spun around, eyes wide, her hand going to her mouth.

  “Hello, Dory.” The big man said softly. “I’m glad you’re here and at the same time I wish you were far far away.” His eyes shifted slightly. “Hello, Hedric.” He grinned. “Still growing, I see.”

  The young man gave an exaggerated shrug. “Nothing else to do at my age. Everything is just so boring.” He winked at the big man, and Benjamin laughed.

  “I know that it’s not fair, but seeing you here gives me a little hope. Is Alexandra with you?”

  Hedric laughed. “She’s standing right behind you, Colonel.”

  The big man winced. “Please. I think we’ve come too far for that. Call me Benjamin or Ben, if you will. I’d like that. In return I won’t call you Chief Engineer.” He turned and winked at Lexi. “Or Navigator Smith.”

  “You have a deal.” Lexi and Hedric said in perfect unison.

  The man’s shoulders seemed to sag. “We need to talk, all of us. Today. I know you’ve just docked, Dory, and have cargo to unload, and repairs to make on your ship. I’ll have a coach pick you all up at a couple of hours till sundown. We can have dinner at my estate and then talk shop for a while. I’d prefer just to have a quiet dinner and evening, but I can’t afford the time. I’m sorry.”

  “I understand perfectly, Ben.” Dolores said gently, laying a hand on his arm. “Do we dress?”

  “Oh hells no.” The colonel laughed. “Wear what you have on.” He looked at Hedric’s greasy coveralls and frowned. “Not you. Change. You’ll ruin the furniture like that.”

  “Awww, Dad, do I have to?” Hedric whined in his best little-boy voice, and then laughed. “Of course, Benjamin.” He glanced at Lexi and quietly took her elbow. “We have things to do. By the way; we’ll be bringing seven friends to dinner. Just leave two places open, and set out a bowl of cream and one of honey.” He winked and turned away.

  “You’re getting very good at that.” Lexi whispered into his ear as they progressed below decks.

  “Do you mean manipulating people, or setting up your mom and Ben?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “I had good teachers: Selene, Rhiannon, my Uncle Padraig, Colonel Harrison, your mom.” He gave her a searching look. “You.”

  “Me?” Her voice rose in surprise.

  “You. You certainly wrapped me around your finger quite well.”

  Lexi gave him a throaty, wicked little chuckle. “I have to admit it, that was the result of both my mom and me.” Her dark eyes became serious. “She just wanted to make sure that I was happy, when I finally knew what I wanted.”

  “And are you happy?” By way of an answer she reached out, with more than just her hands, and flowed into him. For a moment they were absolutely one. One mind, one heart, and if anyone had cared to look, one glowing pulsing body that had no specific shape. The foursome had returned. In a moment the glowing form split in two, and slowly resolved into Hedric and Lexi. Each reached out, involuntarily, to reestablish the link but then withdrew.

  “I never knew.” They both said simultaneously. “My love.”

  Dinner was definitely low key. A single girl in a rather severe black dress served dinner, while Benjamin poured the wine. The fairies had been a surprise, arriving as the dinner was being served, all clothed in short green dresses that came to just above their tiny dimpled knees. Hedric thought it an odd coincidence that the dress that Lexi wore, the same one she’d had on at the Thanksgiving Day celebration, was the same style color and cut as the dresses of the fairies. Even her shoes were the same.

  Liriope flew directly to Hedric’s shoulder, and gave him a quick kiss, before resuming her position with the rest of the Titanian unit. Benjamin looked stunned at first when the small flying troop entered the room, but he concealed it well. The serving girl, on the other hand, dissolved into squeals of laughter, and finally had to be replaced by a more sober matron who just glared at the small flying intruders.

  Soon enough dinner was over, and Colonel Harrison escorted them into a rather spacious office. A large heavy wooden table sat in the center of the room, and around the walls maps had been attached, showing the area of Pangea from several hundred leagues west of the Mississippi to just past the Finger of God, with New Boston standing clearly at the center of the map.

  Sitt
ing on an overturned coffee mug at the edge of the table was someone they knew.

  “Red!” Hedric exclaimed, rushing forward, just ahead of Lexi. The small creature, one of its four arms in a sling and a bandage around his head, looked up.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” His dull wings fluttered limply. “I never thought I’d see your sorry ass again. You saved us all from the plague but ye left too damn soon. All the friggin D’Tril have had to leave their villages and flee north. We’re freezing our asses off, y’hear? Whadday ya gonna do about it?” He glared at Hedric.

  “I’m going to go over there and light a fire under your sorry ass is what I’m going to do.” Hedric replied with a growl.

  Red slapped his thigh, laughing. “That’s my boy.”

  “So are things really as bad as you implied?”

  Red sighed and his wings drooped. “Worse, actually. Most of the tribes can stay ahead of the monsters, but it’s tough on us. We can only run so far.”

  “How about the rest. How are they?”

  “Oh, Blue is here in town somewhere, drinking I think. I lost the toss and had to come to the meeting.”

  “My heart bleeds.” The young man grinned. “Ladies, you can come in, now.”

  The seven fairies flew in, in perfect formation, and set down at the other end of the table.

  “Holy shit!” Red exclaimed, sitting up straight. “You brought fairies. Damn! You musta brought the seven most beautiful ones too.” His dull wings were appreciably brighter now.

  “Colonel Harrison, Benjamin, you were going to tell us the state of affairs here in New Boston.”

  Ben, who had been staring with a bemused expression at the small flying creatures dragged a heavy chair up to the table. “It’s like this. Every day more monsters attack and more people are killed. People are trying to evacuate by boat, but you and I know they won’t make it. Our orphanages are filled to overflowing. The city is dying. If New Boston dies, Pangea is lost. This one.” He nodded to Red. “Showed up two days ago. Another one called Blue showed up yesterday. They seemed to know you.” Ben looked down at the map and seemed to crumble. “My Guard forces can hold out for a couple of weeks. That’s all.” He turned a stricken gaze to Hedric. “What can you do?”