The Scrolls of Gideon

by Sonya Bateman

  “An unspecified favor, at a time and place of her choosing.” Taeral gave me a dark look. “And you believe this will end well for you? After all, it worked out so well the last time.”

  Abe looked from him to me. “What last time, exactly?”

  “This is different. This time I didn’t promise,” I said, glaring right back at Taeral. I hadn’t really filled Abe in on the details of what happened when I was involuntarily recruited to help the Duchenes in Louisiana.

  Abe was not about to be convinced — though admittedly, my arguments weren’t very convincing. “So you basically wrote this woman a blank check for anything,” he said. “What happens if she cashes it, and you can’t cover the price? This is starting to sound like a deal with the devil, Gideon.”

  Before I could trot out any more vague platitudes, the doorbell rang. Everyone looked at each other. Grygg, our resident golem, had stationed himself in the huge foyer. No matter where we stayed, he insisted on guarding the entrance. Still, any one of us could get to the door from here faster than Grygg could from ten feet away.

  “I’ll get it,” I said, already starting to stand. I was hoping it was Calla Frost. I’d invited her for dinner earlier, but she said she wasn’t sure. She still wasn’t comfortable around Taeral and Sadie since what happened in Maine. But even it if wasn’t her, I’d take any reason to dismiss myself from answering more questions.

  I’d gotten maybe three steps when a female voice said from the general direction of the entrance, “Ah, so they did bring you along. I still have an opening for a pool boy, you know. How about it?”

  Definitely not Calla.

  “Speak of the devil,” I said in response to Abe’s frown. “Here she is now.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Sadie blinked a few times. “Pool boy?”

  “Yeah. She’s really interested in Grygg,” I said. And by interested, I meant she’d tried to buy the golem from me when she came to the Castle. And then she’d seemed offended when I said he was my friend, not my possession. But just now, I could hear him telling her in his own ponderous, grating way to go to hell. “Okay, listen. I don’t know why she’s here, but if it’s about—”

  “That favor you owe me? In fact, that is why I’m here.”

  And there she was, in the archway between the dining room and the living room. Lady Tethys. A long cool woman in a black dress — though that was where the resemblance to The Hollies song ended. She was fifty-something, all flat lines and angles with a mile of bracelets on each arm, two or three rings per finger, a few dozen pendants and beaded necklaces, and a fortune teller-style scarf wrapped around her head. Every inch the rich, flaky nutcase Abe described her as.

  Except her eyes. They were dark, serious, and absolute.

  Abe was neither impressed, nor intimidated. “Listen, lady,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of scam you’re trying to pull here, but—”

  “Relax, Captain Strauss. There is no scam involved in any of this.”

  Abe narrowed his eyes. “I don’t remember introducing myself to you.”

  “You didn’t.” Without further elaboration, Lady Tethys swept into the room and circled the table to hand me a large clasp envelope. “All the details are in here,” she said. “You’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

  Just like the first time I met her, I took the envelope automatically. The one before this contained a deed and keys to the house. “Er. Leave for where?” I said.

  The look she gave me seemed to ask how many times I’d been dropped on the head as a child. “The Hudson Valley Shelf, of course.”

  “Oh, right. Of course,” I said. “Except I don’t know where or what the hell that is, or why I’m going there.”

  A slight frown furrowed Lady Tethys’ brow. “Oh, my. I haven’t told you what I want you to do, have I?”

  “No. You haven’t.”

  “What you want does not matter.” Taeral, who’d been watching the exchange with his trademark fiery glare, stood suddenly. “My brother will not be performing any favors for you, witch.”

  “Hold on. You mean witch, like witch?” Sadie said. “As in the magic-using kind?”

  Lady Tethys gave a brief sigh. “Now, I’m not exactly a witch,” she said. “Like I explained to Gideon, I’m more of a historian—”

  “I’ve no faith in the assurances of witches,” Taeral cut in.

  “Yes, yes. I’m well aware of your prejudices, Lord Taeral.”

  “Do not call me that.”

  “Seriously, she’s an actual witch?” Abe said. “I think I’m with tall, dark and angry, there. He’s not doing shit for you.”

  Okay, this was getting ridiculous.

  “Everybody needs to shut up,” I said. “Now.”

  The silence was strained and temporary, but I talked into it anyway. “First of all, people, I’m a grownup. Remember? I’m well past the stage where I need anyone’s permission to do anything.” I glowered at Taeral when I said it. Telling my brother to shove it was one thing, but I still felt guilty contradicting the only real father figure in my life. So I just wouldn’t look at Abe yet. “Second, how about letting me find out what she actually wants, before you assume she’s trying to send me to my death?”

  “Thank you.” Tethys somehow drew herself taller. “It’s quite simple, really,” she said. “I need you to bring me Sir Livingston Cromwell, so I can ask him a few questions.”

  I frowned. “Is Sir Livingston going to come willingly? Because I’m not into kidnapping.”

  “Well, I doubt he’ll put up much of a fight. He’s been dead for four hundred years.”

  “Oh. Okay, so where—”

  “It’s settled, then,” Lady Tethys said brightly. “You’ll meet the ship tomorrow morning at ten, at the Port Chester Marina.”

  “Ship?” I said. “Where exactly is the dead guy?”

  “At the bottom of the ocean, of course. With the shipwreck.”

  “Hold on, now.” I didn’t need to look at Taeral to feel him getting angrier. “This really doesn’t sound that simple. I mean, if you just need me to talk to the dead guy, why not send someone who can actually get to the bottom of the ocean to pick him up and bring him here? I’m not exactly seaworthy.”

  Lady Tethys huffed a breath. “Don’t you think I would’ve done that already if I could?” she said. “You’ll have to go out with the ship, so you can get it through the magical barrier.”

  “Absolutely not,” Taeral said. “If a barrier’s been placed around this shipwreck, it’s with good reason. And you’ll not send him to be cursed, or worse, simply to retrieve the body of some long-dead human who cannot possibly be of any value.”

  Tethys rolled her eyes at him. “Must you be so dramatic? I’m quite sure Gideon can handle a simple unmaking spell.”

  “Some things should not be unmade,” Taeral said in a flat tone.

  “It doesn’t matter, anyway,” I cut in. “Even if I got through this barrier thing, I can’t get to the dead guy. I’m a Fae, not a mermaid.”

  “Gideon, dear. You won’t need to dive to the shipwreck. In fact, you don’t have to go into the water at all.” She made an irritated gesture. “You have a golem.”

  “So what, you want me to send Grygg to the bottom of the ocean?”

  “Yes,” she said. “But don’t worry. It won’t harm him in the least.”

  I guessed it probably wouldn’t. Grygg was basically a living statue. He didn’t eat, didn’t breathe — didn’t do much of anything, really, except guard the place. I’d offered him a room of his own so he didn’t have to stand by the entryway all the time, but he hadn’t taken me up on it. He liked his self-imposed job.

  Lady Tethys arched an eyebrow. “Do we have a deal, then?”

  I held a hand out in Taeral’s general direction before he could answer for me. “All I have to do is bring this dead guy back and talk to him, right?” I said. “I don’t have to sail a boat or pull off anything crazy.”

  “It’s a ship, and yes.
That’s it.”

  “And then the house is mine. Free and clear.”

  She nodded. “The house, and the salvage.”

  “What salvage?”

  A smile crept across her face. “Sir Cromwell was a very rich man, and all his treasure went down with him,” she said. “You can keep anything you find.”

  This actually didn’t sound too bad, and finding a bunch of treasure wouldn’t hurt either. It wasn’t like I was raking it in as a body mover or anything. “All right,” I finally said. “If Grygg agrees — because he’s my friend, not my servant — then I’ll do it.”

  “We will do it.” Taeral wasn’t furious any more, but his cold, flat stare said he wasn’t exactly happy. “You will not rush off alone again, Gideon. If you must take on this ridiculous quest, then Sadie and I are going with you.”

  “Uh. Wolves and ocean don’t mix so well,” Sadie muttered. “But yeah. We’re going too.”

  “You’d best tell your ship to expect two further passengers, Ms. Tethys,” Taeral said.

  I thought she’d correct him on the lady thing, but she didn’t. She only smiled, and said, “I already have.”

  That pissed Taeral off all over again.

  “Now, hold on a minute.” Abe pushed back abruptly from the table. “This is a load of bullshit if I ever heard one. Besides the magic barrier crap, whatever that is, you expect anybody to buy that you’re just giving Gideon a house and a ship full of treasure? And all you want is some old bones. Yeah, right. What’s the catch?”

  Lady Tethys shook her head. “I already have more treasure than I know what to do with, Captain Strauss. As you well know from your investigation.” She gave him a pointed look. “The information that I stand to gain by communicating with Sir Cromwell is far more valuable than this house, or anything that was on his ship.”

  “Uh-huh. So what, this guy knew how to cure cancer or something?”

  “Abe does have a point,” I said. “What do you want to ask him?”

  She sighed again. “If you must know, Sir Livingston Cromwell is my ancestor,” she said. “Large portions of my family history and heritage went down with him, and I’d like that knowledge restored.” She gave a small shrug. “As I said, the information is priceless. But only to me.”

  “I still call bullshit,” Abe grumbled.

  Some of the tension in me eased. That was Abe-speak for ‘I guess it’s okay, but that doesn’t mean I like it.’

  “Okay, then,” I said. “We have a deal.”

  CHAPTER 4

  The so-called guest parking lot at the Port Chester Marina was supposed to cost forty bucks a day, or you could pay a ‘low’ weekly rate of two hundred dollars. But when I told the booth attendant who I was a guest of, he said there was no charge and waved me through with a strangely uncomfortable look on his face. Maybe Tethys scared him.

  That wouldn’t surprise me. If nothing else, the lady was intimidating.

  There weren’t many vehicles in the guest parking lot. No wonder, since their rates were criminal — even for New York. I pulled my van into a spot along the chain link fence at the back of the lot, a few spaces from a gate with a sign reading THIS WAY TO DOCKS, and killed the engine. “Well, at least we’re on time,” I said.

  Taeral grunted from the passenger seat. “I meant what I said, Gideon. If there is the slightest hint of true danger—”

  “Yeah, we’re turning back. I got it.” I twisted to look in the back of the van, where Sadie was perched on one of the side-facing bench seats and Grygg had managed to sit on the floor. “Doing okay, big guy?”

  “Fine,” the golem said.

  I nodded. Honestly, I’d half expected him to refuse to come along, and I would’ve had no problem turning Lady Tethys down if he had. It still bothered me that she thought I owned him. But Grygg had agreed, on one condition: that we found someone to keep an eye on Eli.

  That honor had fallen to Abe. So if I didn’t hurry back, he’d probably kick my ass.

  Everyone piled out. It took Grygg the longest, and the van jumped up six inches with an alarming sproing sound when the golem cleared the back door. I’d never asked how much he weighed, but it had to be four hundred pounds easy. Maybe five hundred. The guy was seven feet tall, five feet wide, and literally made from stone.

  “All right,” I said, leading the way toward the gate as I took out the envelope Tethys had given me. “The captain’s name is Alex Walsh, and the ship is called the Foxtrot Uniform. Let me know if you spot it.”

  “Eff you,” Grygg said.

  I blinked and looked back at him. “Excuse me?”

  “Eff you,” he repeated, and almost smiled. “Military call letters. Foxtrot Uniform. F-U.”

  I couldn’t help laughing — and wondering why Grygg knew military call letters, though I wouldn’t mention that. “Great. We’re going on a ship called the Fuck You.”

  “This is not encouraging news,” Taeral muttered.

  “Relax.” Sadie nudged him and took his hand. The real one, not the metal one. “Maybe it’s just because this Walsh guy has a good sense of humor.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Guys, it’s gonna be fine.” I opened the gate and stood back to let them through. Whatever happened out there, it’d be worth it, because we’d finally have a home. Free and clear. And we might even have treasure to go along with it, although I wasn’t counting on that. I didn’t believe my luck would ever extend to finding a sunken ship full of riches that I’d get to keep.

  It would be enough to have a place of my own, for the first time in my life.

  Beyond the gate, a meandering stone walkway led down a gentle, sandy incline to the shore where the boats were docked. It wasn’t a huge marina — there were maybe thirty to forty slips, a single row that stretched for about a quarter-mile — but every slip was occupied. Most of them were sailboats or yachts, with a few pontoons and larger fishing boats sprinkled in.

  We moved slow, keeping pace with Grygg, and eventually got close enough to start reading the names on the boats. There was the Rainbow Ryder, the Rock Bottom, the Mine Two, Ship for Brains, the After You. A small sailboat called the Flying Squirrel, a midsized skiff that proclaimed itself Gilligan’s Island.

  After a few minutes, Sadie groaned and pointed. “Oh, God. Please tell me that’s not it.”

  I followed her gesture. In the last slip to the right was a massive pile of rust that looked held together with spit and prayers. Some kind of fishing boat with complex rigging for sails and nets. And on the hull, a painted cartoon fox wearing a bomber jacket and beret.

  The Foxtrot Uniform somehow managed to look even less seaworthy than me. I’d probably have better luck trying to swim across the Atlantic.

  I shook my head and let out a sigh. “Well, let’s get down there,” I said. “Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks.”

  “That is highly unlikely,” Taeral said.

  I agreed, but I wasn’t going to say it out loud. So I headed for the ship.

  Just as I set foot on the dock alongside it with the rest of them close behind me, a figure vaulted over the railing of the Foxtrot at the far end of the dock and started rapidly toward me. When the shape got close enough, I made out a woman with dark cropped hair in a long, navy blue slicker. She carried a two-way radio handset in one hand, and she was smiling — but for some reason I wasn’t reading much friendliness into that expression.

  “Gideon Black and … friends, I take it?” the woman said as she stopped in front of me and leaned aside slightly to look at the others.

  “Yes,” I said. “We’re looking for Captain Alex Walsh. Is this his ship?”

  Her smile flickered for just an instant, but it remained brittle. “This ship does belong to Captain Walsh,” she said. “And he happens to be me.”

  CHAPTER 5

  “You’re Alex Walsh?” I said about five seconds before I realized what a stupid thing that was to say.

  She didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, she
lifted the radio handset and spoke into it. “Junkyard, you there?” she said. “Round up the crew and get everyone on deck. Our passengers are here.”

  “Be right there, Captain,” came the crackling reply.

  “And remember what I told you.” She clicked off without waiting for a response from Junkyard, whoever that was, and clipped the unit onto her waistband.

  I frowned. “What did you tell him?”

  “We’ll worry about that later,” she said, and then folded her arms. “I take it Aunt Regina didn’t tell you anything about me.”

  “Aunt who?”

  The captain shook her head. “Still calling herself Lady Tethys, is she?”

  “Hold on,” I said. “Tethys is your aunt?”

  “That is not surprising, considering this woman is a witch as well.”

  I hadn’t even heard Taeral and Sadie come up, until Taeral spoke in that cold tone. I shot him a look, and said, “Captain Alex Walsh, this is my brother Taeral and my friend Sadie.”

  “I know.” Her voice was just as cold as Taeral’s.

  “Er. Okay, then. I guess—”

  “No,” Taeral said.

  I stared at him. “No, what?”

  “We are not boarding a ship with that witch.”

  Captain Walsh flashed a sneer. “Fine with me,” she said. “My aunt’s not big on details, but she did say that we only need Gideon.”

  “Do you two know each other or something?” I said, looking from Alex to Taeral. “Because this seems pretty damned uncalled for if you’ve just met.”

  “What is there to know? She is a witch,” Taeral said. “Gideon, we are leaving. Now.”

  Alex opened her mouth, probably to agree with him, when her eyes got wide as she focused on something past me. “Holy hell, what is that thing?” she said.

  Since there were only four of us, I knew who she had to mean. “He is Grygg,” I said. “And he’s a golem, not a thing.”

  “Shit. I thought Regina was just…” Alex let out a long breath and lowered her arms. “I guess this really is the only way,” she said. “Come on, then. The sooner we head out, the sooner you can get off my ship.”