The Moon Child

by Cate Cain

  The woman’s single eye narrowed as she regarded them. “Come out. I want to see you clearly.” The boys shuffled out from behind the stack. Cleo followed them a little way, making a high-pitched keening noise.

  Jem could actually feel the woman’s eye flickering over his face as she stared intently at him.

  After a moment she nodded. “You will both follow me, and bring the animal.”

  Madame de Chouette turned and stalked down the deck. Jem shot a glance at Tolly. His friend shook his head and held out his palms. Jem felt cold as he realised Tolly hadn’t spoken into his mind. He paused, waiting for something, but there was only silence.

  When she was just a few yards from the Medusa doorway the woman stopped, but didn’t turn round.

  “I said follow.” Her voice sliced through the night.

  Jem went first and Tolly bent to scoop Cleo into his arms. She was trembling and tried to hide her face in the folds of his cloak. Beneath his grimy shirt, jerkin and cloak, Jem felt his back prickle with sweat, although his breath misted the freezing air. The great shadow on the sail – had that been her? He thought of Pocket plucked from the lookout and torn apart by the hungry merfolk below. Did the same hideous fate await them now?

  He stared frantically about. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, and no one else on deck.

  The woman didn’t turn immediately as the boys approached. Instead she stood with her back to them, staring up at the Medusa mask.

  Jem thought he heard her whispering words he didn’t understand – maybe she was speaking to herself in French, he thought. She dipped her head forward and spun round to face them, her cloak swirling about, spreading to rest around her hidden feet like a pool of oil.

  She reached out to Jem and took his chin in her gloved hand. The damson leather was heavily embroidered and soft, but Jem felt bony fingers beneath like iron pincers. She tipped back his head so that it caught more of the weak lamplight. Jem flinched, but not in pain. A horribly familiar fragrance filled his nostrils – a sickly, flower-sweet scent masking something bitter and putrid. It was the scent he’d smelled on Duchess Mary when Cazalon had bewitched her with mummia – and the rotting smell of the count himself.

  “No!” He jerked his head and tried to free himself, but the woman slipped her hand down to his throat and held him so tightly that he struggled to breathe.

  “I merely want to look at you, boy.” Her slanting golden eye glinted in the lamplight and she smiled broadly, her perfect lips parting, revealing a mouth full of small, even, yellow teeth. Close to, although her pale face was beautiful, Jem thought it seemed like a painted mask covering something quite different.

  “You would be handsome, if you were not so unclean.”

  Jem recoiled from her musty breath. Her fingers caught on the chain around his neck and she started to twist it. He could feel the metal cutting into his skin and he scrabbled at his collar to free himself, but she was unnaturally strong and her grip tightened.

  Jem heard her give a little involuntary cry. Immediately she dropped the chain and released him. Her eye flicked to the medal, but he took a step back and tucked it quickly back into his shirt. Cleo made a whickering sound and the woman turned her attention to Tolly. “Et l’Africain? Another fine specimen.” Cleo moaned and burrowed deeper into Tolly’s arms. The woman stared at her. “Un singe?.” It sounded like a hiss.

  The jewels sewn into a star shape on her eye-patch glittered. “Captain Trevanion has been most remiss. You were not shown to me at the beginning of this voyage with the rest of the crew. I wonder why that can be? Perhaps you are stowaways, non?” She smiled and the red paint on her lips crackled into spider legs around her mouth. “And yet there is something very familiar about you. I wonder …” She brought her gloved hands together as if she was about to pray.

  The smile disappeared and her golden eye hardened. “Let me see … I think we have met before, my young friends.” Her gloved hand suddenly darted towards Cleo. She snatched her from Tolly’s arms, dangling her in mid-air by one of her back legs. Cleo, her eyes huge, clawed at the air and made a pitiful squeaking noise. Tolly grabbed at her but the woman took a step back. “Oh yes, I have seen you and this little —”

  “That is impossible, Madame.” Captain Trevanion stepped from the shadows beneath the steps. Behind him was the tall, dark shape of Mingan. The strange man’s nostrils flared as he caught sight of Cleo flailing from Madame de Chouette’s fist. Jem let out a long, shuddering gasp. For the last minute he had forgotten to breathe.

  “This boy,” Trevanion gestured at Jem, “is the son of an old family friend. I have promised his mother that I will introduce him to life at sea – him and his companion.”

  “Really?” Madame de Chouette stretched out her arm to one side and released Cleo. Mingan pounced forward to catch her in his cupped hands – saving her from cracking open her skull on the deck. It happened so fast that Jem hardly saw him move.

  Cleo steadied herself in the man’s large hands, looping her tail around his tattooed arm and turning to stare up at the woman. Jem saw the fur on Cleo’s chest ripple as her heart beat double-time.

  “Your own … pet has a way with animals, I see, Trevanion.” She smiled again, but there was no warmth in her words. “I thought I’d made it clear that every member of crew should be shown to me. Why did you not introduce these boys with the rest of the men?”

  Trevanion glanced at Jem and rubbed a hand across his forehead, pushing his ragged grey wig back. A line of fair stubble at the front of his head appeared. He looked like a man who hadn’t slept in days. “There wasn’t time, Madame. They arrived later than expected. And since then with so many other … concerns to attend to on board, I simply forgot to bring them to your attention. I hope you will forgive me. I can vouch for them both. I assure you.”

  “Indeed?” Madame de Chouette’s metallic voice was cool.

  “They are from a good house. I knew this boy’s uncle – a man of title.” Jem noticed Trevanion avoided looking at the woman directly as he spoke.

  “Is that so?” Madame de Chouette nodded and held her head to one side. Jem became very aware of a peculiar silence around them. It felt as if the Fortuna was skimming or, more accurately, flying above the waves. The rocking and plunging had stopped and the ship was as steady as a table, but there was now a dizzying sense of driving, tumultuous speed that pulled at the pit of his stomach.

  Jem saw the captain glance up at the stars and tighten his hand beneath the lace of his shirt cuffs. Trevanion felt it too.

  Madame de Chouette didn’t speak for several seconds. Jem became very aware of the odd ticking sound measuring the silence between them. She nodded again and he couldn’t tell if she was listening to something or assessing the captain’s words. At last she grinned broadly, revealing her tiny, ochre teeth once more.

  “Well then, as it seems I have gentle company on board, perhaps it would be fitting to invite you and these boys to dine with me tomorrow. I think it is time we all became better acquainted. It will do you good, Captain, to spend time away from your maps and star charts – Mr Valentine too. Bring him. We will dine in style in my … chamber. Perhaps these fine boys and this … charming little creature will divert us all, non?”

  Cleo bared her teeth and made a low throaty noise that sounded like a growl. Mingan ran a long finger down her back and she quietened. A look of confusion crossed Tolly’s face.

  Trevanion bowed his head. “As you wish, Madame. I will have something prepared.”

  “That will not be necessary. I will provide our feast. It will be my pleasure. Let me … surprise you.” Madame de Chouette smiled again.

  Trevanion looked up and frowned. “But surely you cannot …”

  “That is all. I bid you good night.” She brushed past him to the steps.

  “Wait, Madame!”

  “Yes?” She paused.

  “I … I believe that it would be good for your nephew to have boys of his own quality to sp
eak to. He has been shut in your cabin for days now.”

  Madame de Chouette’s golden eye glinted. “He is an invalid, Captain, as I explained. That is why he cannot go on deck or mix with the crew.”

  “But surely it would be beneficial for him?” The captain sounded determined. “He cannot be more than a couple of years older than these two?”

  “He is fifteen, as you say, but weak. The crossing is hard enough for him without further … disturbance.”

  Jem’s mind reeled as he took in the conversation. The woman wasn’t alone on the boat, there were two passengers. Something he’d overheard Spider say flashed into his mind. “They came aboard in the early hours and went straight to the cabin … Master Grimscale says we’re not to speak to them at any time.”

  It was the snatch of conversation they’d caught just before the hold was sealed, trapping them on the boat. No wonder neither of them had marked it. They were too concerned about how to escape. But of course, it was obvious – Madame de Chouette didn’t have a nephew on board. Ann was the other passenger! She had to be. His heart thumping, Jem glanced at Tolly, whose brown eyes were dancing with hope.

  Although the link between them was broken, he could tell his friend was thinking exactly the same thing. Cleo chirruped and wriggled in Mingan’s hands. Trevanion looked at her and cleared his throat.

  “As you know, my own daughter is an invalid, Madame. The company of those of her own age always lifts her spirits and I believe a little creature like this could do nothing but good. Besides, I would like to meet your nephew properly. It is important for a captain to know his charges.”

  Madame de Chouette pursed her lips. The red paint puckered into a little twisted rose bud. She jerked her head to one side, closed her eye and once again seemed to listen to a silent voice.

  “Very well. It will be as you wish, Captain.” Her eyelid flicked open and the peculiar golden iris bored directly into Jem’s face. “But I fear you will find him poor company. So, it is agreed. You and Master Valentine will accompany these boys and this … animal,” she almost seemed to spit the last word, “at my table.” Trevanion bowed, and she continued. “You will ensure that the man Grimscale works them well tomorrow. I would have them dine with an appetite.”

  With that, she stomped up the stairs and threw back the door to the cabin beyond the Medusa mask. Jem caught a rush of heat and a flash of glinting thread from a tapestry inside and then the door slammed shut behind her.

  Mingan handed Cleo back to Tolly and turned to the captain. He made a swift chopping motion and moved his hand like a fish. He shook his great shaggy head and the bones in his hair clacked together. He pointed at the moon and held up six fingers.

  “No, I don’t understand either, old friend.” Trevanion visibly shivered and pulled the sides of his long braided frock coat together. “There is nothing natural about this blighted voyage. But I promise you this: I will do everything in my power to keep everyone safe – as many of us as possible. You will see your home and your people again.”

  He turned to Jem and Tolly. “Mingan here came to fetch me out on deck when he saw Madame with you. If I had not intervened she —’

  “She would have killed us – just like the others!” Jem’s urgent voice came out louder than he intended. He lowered his words to a whisper. “We’ve seen her push bodies into the sea, haven’t we, Tolly? The missing crewmen – they haven’t been accidents at all. And tonight Pocket was thrown out of the cradle and we saw …”

  Trevanion raised a hand to silence him. He turned swiftly to scan the doorway to the cabin and glanced at Mingan. The tall, silent man inclined his head.

  “Come.” The captain walked towards the prow of the ship and they followed.

  He stood facing the open sea, the waves ahead flecked with points of starlight. Once again Jem was aware of the flying motion of the Fortuna. The ship was unnaturally smooth and steady as it glided above the waves. Jem felt his stomach knot as he realised that every time Madame made a sacrifice to the merfolk, the Fortuna moved faster and smoother than before.

  Mingan held up three fingers now. He moved it to his neck and made a swiping gesture.

  “Three men gone?” Trevanion raised the heels of his hands to his forehead. He clenched his fists, tore off the wig and cast it into the sea. The grey curls spread like foam for a second or two before disappearing suddenly as if snatched by invisible hands?

  Trevanion was quiet for a moment and then he spoke in a cracked voice. “My fault, it’s all my fault. I should never have agreed to take charge of this vessel. I have made a terrible error and I have put many lives in danger.” Mingan caught his arm, but the captain shook him off. “It’s no good, old friend. You cannot deny it. Once I thought I would pay anything to cure my daughter, but this price is too much. I have been a fool.” He turned to Jem. “Young Pocket, you say?”

  Jem nodded. “He was aloft in the lookout and then we saw … I don’t know what exactly … but he plummeted into the sea and … we heard him scream. It was the most terrible sound, but we couldn’t do anything.”

  Tolly stepped forward. “There are things in the water. She – Madame, I mean – she feeds them human flesh and afterwards they … pull the boat. Those incredible bursts of speed – it’s the merfolk. We’re not making it up.”

  Trevanion stared at Tolly’s earnest face. He shook his head. “Before this voyage I would not have believed such stories, but now …” He looked at Mingan. “You have felt it all along?”

  The tall man nodded.

  Trevanion’s face was ashen in the starlight. “The boy Pocket, he was just eleven years old. I am responsible for his death and for the others too —’

  “No, you’re not. She is!” Jem cut in, but the captain just stared blankly at the glinting sea.

  “Well, I promise you this, no one else will be lost before we make land. I swear on my honour and on my life.” His hand tightened on the rail. There was a crackling sound and Jem saw a faint greenish glow play around the outline of Trevanion’s knuckles.

  Jem glanced uncertainly at Tolly. “We’ll be at sea for weeks yet, sir. How will you make sure that —’

  He stopped mid-sentence as the captain began to laugh bitterly. “Weeks, you say? I am afraid you are sadly mistaken. The Fortuna is making such good speed,” he gave the words a hollow emphasis, “that I very much doubt it will be much more than a week before we sight land. Six days, that’s what you think, isn’t it, Mingan?”

  The tall man inclined his head and the skullthreaded plaits fell forward.

  Trevanion swung round, the dark pits beneath his eyes giving his face the look of a haunted man. “It is true – I almost wish it were not. We have checked the charts over and over again, but the stars never lie. We cannot be here already, yet we are. We should have met storms and navigated a passage through the ice islands and yet every day has dawned bright and the sea has been clear. This is a demon’s vessel. I rue the day I agreed to be its captain. I am a cursed man.”

  He looked at Jem and stopped himself. “You boys will be ready to dine with Madame at six bells tomorrow. Remember the story we have agreed. Say nothing more. It will be better that way. I will protect you as best I can. Now you go below, and you back to your canvas foxhole, and get some rest.” Jem saw Tolly start as Trevanion smiled weakly. “Oh yes, boy, I know where you’ve been sleeping. Mingan here has been keeping an eye on both of you.”

  He turned to the tall man. “Come with me, I want you to look at the charts too. Perhaps you can make some sense of this journey, for I cannot.” The two men started back down the deck, their heads bowed together.

  “It has to be Ann!” Tolly spoke in a rush of excitement once the two men disappeared into the shadows at the stern. “When we first came aboard, Jem – before all my … powers disappeared – do you remember I saw a room through Ann’s eyes? It was the last real connection I made with her. She was frightened by something. She couldn’t look – she turned to a window and there was
water there. She didn’t know who she was.” Tolly’s eyes gleamed. “But I think we do now!”

  “And tomorrow we’ll know for certain.” Jem pushed a knot of salt-stiffened hair from his eyes. Master Jalbert’s words came into his head again. “Never drop your guard.” He reached across to stroke Cleo’s nose – the little monkey was curled in Tolly’s arms. “But we must be careful. That woman is …” He bit his lip and looked up to the empty lookout.

  Tolly finished the sentence for him. “… is like Count Cazalon?”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “That’s it. Just one more and we’ll have you nice and ready for her.” Jem gasped for breath as Grimscale thrust his head into the bucket of seawater for a fourth time. He felt shards of broken ice scrape across the skin of his face and struggled as Grimscale held his head down.

  Just when Jem thought his lungs would burst, the man’s thick fingers loosened from the back of his neck. He scrambled to his feet, the salt burning his eyes.

  Grimscale rubbed his meaty hands together. His fat grey tongue emerged to lick the corner of his lips. “It’s your friend’s turn next – and maybe I’ll have a go at the monkey too. Filthy creatures, they are.”

  Grimscale caught Tolly roughly by the collar and forced him to kneel. “Come on, I haven’t got all day. Let’s shine you up for Madame.”

  “Leave them be, why don’t you?” one of the older crewman shouted from across the deck. “They’re just lads. Would you want to eat at her table? I wouldn’t. Not for all the roast beef back home.”

  Grimscale ignored him. He was clearly furious that Jem and Tolly were being singled out. All day he’d set them the most difficult and painful tasks. Jem’s fingers were raw from scrubbing and from sewing tears in the sails with a thick bone needle. The skin of both his hands was chapped and scaly from the cold and his right palm still stung after the encounter with the mirror. His back ached too. Tolly had been sent to the topmost masts of the ship to unfurl the largest sails alongside Spider. The skinny boy had almost had to do the work of two up there, because of the damage to Tolly’s fingers.