Hunt for the Pyxis

by Zoë Ferraris

  When she saw Dad’s binoculars broken in half, Emma snapped.

  “This is all because of the stupid Pyxis!” she said. “What’s the stupid Queen going to do with it, anyway?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Herbie said. “Maybe just have ultimate power over the galaxy. I really don’t think we should be worried too much.”

  “It’s not funny!”

  Herbie looked at her as if she’d lost her mind, then said very carefully, “Your mom thought the Queen was greedy and cruel. She gave up a lot to keep the Pyxis away from her.”

  “I know,” Emma squeaked, her anger abruptly turning back to despair. She could vividly remember how defiant Mom was when Dr. Vermek forced the grisslin up her nose. Mom had proved herself willing to give up anything—her own safety, maybe even her own life—to keep the Pyxis out of the wrong hands. Emma could never betray that. The very thought of it brought tears to her eyes, and her lip began to tremble. “But I have to get her back, and the only way I can is to fix the Markab.”

  Herbie looked grim. “We’re going to get it fixed, just like we did last time.”

  “But it’s going to take too long,” she said. “And you heard that guy in the infirmary—they’re using all the extra wood to repair the Argh.”

  “Yeah,” Herbie said quietly.

  A few minutes later, the dinner bell rang. Herbie coaxed Emma out of the boat. She followed him to the dining hall, wiping angry tears from her cheeks. They ate in glum silence. The room was only half-full, and all that was on their plates was a strip of dried fish and a slice of stale tack. Herbie offered his to Emma, but she declined.

  After dinner, Emma wanted to go back to her room, but Herbie said it would be better to stay on the Argh’s upper levels, preferably near one of the life rafts.

  “Things could get all Titanic,” he said. “We’d better wait until they repair the hull.”

  Emma was beginning to feel resigned and helpless, so she followed him topside. Most of the Arghs were huddled in their own corners on the deck. The Strand around them was unusually quiet. Without her mainmast, the Argh was slower than ever, and the wind that had pushed them away from Rigel had now dwindled to a teasing whisper.

  A few lights were on in the command room and they could hear the murmurs of conversation. Curious, Herbie went closer. Emma followed him onto the gallery deck and up the stairs.

  The command room door was shut, so they stood for a moment, staring nervously at the carved lion on the giant oak door.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t bother them,” Emma said.

  That moment, the captain emerged, nearly running them down. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “Garton. Yee. Glad you’re on your feet. I was just coming to get you. We need to discuss what to do about your boat. We might need some of your wood.”

  This made Emma’s throat tight. Numbly, they followed Lovesey into the command room.

  The bridge was dark except for a pair of lanterns flickering over the large wooden table in the center of the room. Mouncey was seated there, studying a chaos of maps. Someone had tidied up, and most of the maps were back in their cubbies.

  No sooner had Herbie and Emma walked in than Nisba arrived with Laika and Santher on her heels, and Nelson bobbing anxiously beside them. Lovesey looked a bit discomposed as he shut the door and asked for an update.

  In short order they learned that the infirmary was out of medicine and bandages, and that the kitchen was down to its last sack of dried fish and a single barrel of water. The hole in the hull had not been fully repaired, since part of it was below the waterline. The ship’s Pisces scales were not enough to protect it from the dangerous Eridanean water that was sloshing in. And although the birds had not been in the aerie when the mast had tumbled over the side, Laika was still upset.

  “Two of them came back,” she said, eyes glistening with tears. “Kipple and Corsar. Corsar’s the eagle. I sent him behind to keep an eye out for navy ships. The navy hasn’t come after us yet.”

  Mouncey looked perplexed. “That’s odd,” he said.

  “Not really,” Lovesey remarked. “They’re just as afraid of these waters as we are.”

  “Then we should pull up behind one of these islands,” Laika said. “We can hide the Argh and wait for the rest of the birds to come back.”

  “Just because we haven’t spotted the navy yet doesn’t mean they’re not coming,” Mouncey replied. “If we stop, we’ll be sitting ducks.”

  Laika frowned. “Why haven’t we found any pirates yet?”

  “Not with the pirates again!” Mouncey moaned.

  An awkward silence filled the room.

  “Our first concern right now is what’s going to happen to the ship,” Lovesey said.

  “Because of the waters, sir?” Santher said.

  “Yes. The hole in the hull is not our biggest problem.” Seeing Emma’s and Herbie’s confusion, Lovesey explained, “The memory seas give things strange properties. Like scuppers. They’re soaked in memory water: it’s what makes them work. Memory water is great for nets and smaller things, but when something big like the Argh gets sopped…”

  As if she had heard his remark, the ship beneath them gave a monstrous groan. Then she rumbled like thunder before giving an earthquake-like jolt. It was as if the ship had just stretched out her neck.

  “You mean,” Herbie said, “the ship is coming alive?”

  No one could sleep that night. The Arghs were terrified that the ship would sink and they’d drown in the deadly waters of Eridanus. They were just as scared that the ship would come alive, now that it had taken on so much memory water. They’d heard stories about what happened when ships came to life, in particular how they always seemed to turn on their crew and start killing people. A dropped ceiling, a quick toss out a window…who knew what the Argh would do?

  When the crab watch began, news spread that the largest hole had been mostly sealed. There was some question whether the repairs would hold, but for now, the ship wasn’t taking in any new water. Lovesey made all the Arghs go to their rooms to sleep.

  Lying in bed, Emma couldn’t sleep. She kept reliving the horror of the Arghs being hit by shrapnel and scuppers and cannon fire. She imagined the ship sinking with more than a hundred souls on board, all of them screaming for rescue. Visions flashed through her mind of Mom being thrown into the memory seas and drowning, of Mom being shoved into a dank, dark cell. When Emma remembered the way Mom thrashed when the nasty little grisslin had climbed into her nose, her heart wrenched open with the most exquisite pain. As the visions grew stronger, she even began to hear voices. They might have been from a dream.

  “She died here, she did.”

  “Evil people enjoy lying. It’s what they do.”

  “Halifax was a liar, and a very good one.”

  She tried ignoring them, but they wouldn’t go away, so she pressed her hands to her ears, buried her face beneath the pillow, and began humming to herself. It worked for a while, and she fell into a restless sleep….

  She woke a few hours later to a terrific roar. She scrambled out of bed and met Herbie in the hallway. The noise sounded again—the angry roar of a lion. They rushed topside and saw Arghs gathered at the bow.

  Pushing through the crowd, Emma and Herbie stuck their heads through the railing and saw that the lion on the bowsprit was moving. The great wooden creature had come alive in the night. He was still attached to the bow but squirming uncomfortably to get free, growling and lashing out with his paws. One swipe over his head sent the Arghs scrambling backward in a panic.

  Behind them, the captain’s voice called for attention.

  “Arghs!” he boomed. “It’s time I called a general announcement. And give me my hat.” Mouncey hurried to assist.

  Even though it was the dark of night, the water around them gave off a greenish glow. There was very little wind, and the Argh inched along, stirring nothing but the occasional cry of a gull or the splash of an eel. Once the crew had assembled, Lovesey spoke.

>   “As most of you know,” he said, “the memory seas are deadly. While we are here, you must treat the water like poison and keep on board at all costs. If something falls overboard, it will be left behind. No exceptions.”

  The Arghs stood listening with grim faces.

  “If it rains,” Lovesey went on, “I expect everyone to go below and stay there until it stops. The rain won’t hurt you unless you stay in it for longer than a few hours, but we’re not taking any chances. Because of water contamination, no one is allowed on the lowest two decks.”

  “What about food?” someone asked.

  “I’m sorry to say that we’ll be on dried-fish rations until we can find a food source,” Lovesey said. “As you might have guessed, we can’t eat the fish from these waters either. You’ve handled yourselves very bravely these past few days, and I need you to keep doing so.

  “Also, you may have noticed that our bow figure has awakened,” Lovesey went on. “For that reason, I’d like everyone to stay away from the bow.”

  Laika was wringing her hands. “Yes, Leashingwell?” Lovesey asked.

  “I’m sorry, sir. I sent Kipple forward to scout for pirates, and now I’m afraid he won’t come back, what with the lion roaring and all. Do you think we could do something to make him a bit…quieter?”

  Lovesey reflected. “I’m afraid that lions are rather loud when they’re hungry. Perhaps we should feed him.”

  “But we don’t have enough food for ourselves,” someone said miserably.

  “Yes,” Lovesey said. “Well, bow lions don’t eat human food, do they?” He walked toward the bow and peered over curiously. “I suspect he only eats monkeys and children.”

  A few of the younger Arghs looked startled.

  “But since we’re not going to give him any of those yet,” Lovesey said, “why don’t we give him some sawdust instead? That should fill his stomach.”

  Herbie made a disgusted face.

  “Yee, do you have something to say to that?”

  “No, sir,” Herbie replied.

  “Mouncey, gather a group to get some food for our lion. And, Leashingwell, since you’re so good with animals, would you please come up with a name for our newest Argh?” He motioned to the bow with a wave. And with that, he left.

  Silence fell. The lion had stopped roaring. They walked to the railing and peered over at him. Like an unhappy baby, he hung there, frowning.

  “I think we should call him Crowler,” Laika whispered. “Because all he does is crowl.”

  “Crowl?” Herbie asked.

  She made a long HA-WOOOOOO sound, and the lion crowled again.

  Suddenly they heard a faint splash and looked up. A black silhouette was emerging from the blanket of fog ahead. It was a small rowboat.

  “Quiet,” Laika whispered. They all crouched behind the railing.

  There was no one in the boat, but the oars were rowing rhythmically, rising and falling like the legs of some grotesque insect.

  Emma’s heart was pounding. She heard more splashing and turned to see three more rowboats approaching from the side, all of them empty.

  “Oh no,” Herbie squeaked. “They’re alive!”

  The lion crowled again, and the rowboats came closer.

  Emma leaned carefully over the bow railing. “I think they’re trying to communicate with Crowler.”

  “You mean, they’re swarming?” Herbie shuddered.

  They did seem to be drawn to the noise, and when Crowler stopped moaning, the rowboats lost interest and sailed back into the fog.

  Emma and Herbie weren’t tired anymore, so they went to the Markab’s side and sat down. Herbie was strangely quiet.

  Emma regarded the bandages on his arms. He had twice as many as she did, although perhaps that was because he had insisted that the nurses cover every single scratch.

  “I’m sorry you got bit by all those bugs too,” she said.

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “Captain Gent can suck it. But listen, when I was lying in bed, I was thinking about everything that happened since we left Earth. Mostly my parents, like they have no idea what happened to me. They probably think I was kidnapped.”

  “You kind of were.”

  “Totally. But I started wondering what happened to Caz and Laine, and I came up with a weird theory.” He sat up now. “Remember when Gent was talking to the Queen and she looked all guilty?”

  “Yeah,” Emma said. “But don’t you think that’s because she’s, like, a total loser?”

  “Yeah. But I was thinking: Gent captured Caz and Laine, so she must have captured the fake Pyxis too.”

  Emma sat up. “You’re right. I forgot about that!”

  “If it’s true,” Herbie said, “then Gent has had the fake Pyxis this whole time, and she probably thinks she has the real one. I mean—think about it—the Queen called a whole meeting for every system just to ask them to help her find the Pyxis, and Gent strolls right in and doesn’t give it up.”

  “She’s going to use it herself!” Emma said.

  “But she can’t,” Herbie said. “Because it’s a fake.”

  Emma’s eyes opened wide. “Herbie, this gives me an idea.”

  “What?”

  “We have to contact Gent.”

  He snorted. “And say what—we have the real Pyxis?”

  “No. We’re going to tell her that we know she has the Pyxis, and we’re going to tell the Queen about it unless she gives me my mom back.”

  “So—the snitch strategy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But you know she’s going to laugh at you. Why would she believe you?”

  “We tell Gent that I was the one who activated the Pyxis. And if she doesn’t give my mom back, I’ll activate it while she still has it, and the Queen will find out exactly where it is.”

  Herbie looked surprised. “Okay, I take that back. That’s a smoking gun, cowgirl. But you have to be holding the Pyxis to activate it.”

  “Gent probably doesn’t know that. Only my mom knew that.”

  Herbie narrowed his eyes appreciatively. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “This is not a bad plan.”

  She smiled. “There’s just one problem. How do we talk to Gent?”

  “That’s obvious.” Herbie blinked at her. “Nisba!”

  She let out a yelp and punched his arm gleefully. “You rock it, cowboy!”

  They found Nisba in the kitchen. She was standing at a counter, chopping the last of the dried-out bread. There were no monkeys and none of the typical activity they’d seen before, just Nisba angrily bludgeoning sea biscuits.

  When she saw them, she stopped her knife in midair. “I know why you’re here,” she said, “and I don’t have any information about your mother.”

  Emma strode up to her. “That’s okay,” she said. “We need to know where your sister is.”

  Slowly, Nisba lowered her knife and said, “She’s on her ship. Why?”

  “Where’s her ship?”

  “Why are you—?”

  “Just tell me. Please? I want to know where her ship is headed.”

  “She’s coming here,” Nisba said.

  “Eridanus? Why?” Herbie asked.

  “To chase us, I presume. I didn’t look too deeply into the subject! Now, what is this about?”

  Emma glanced at Herbie for support. “I know this might be too much to ask, but…I really, really need to talk to your sister.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I want to give myself up in exchange for my mother.”

  Nisba snorted and turned to face them, crossing her arms. “Why do you think I would let you do that?”

  “Because your sister needs me. She has the Pyxis. But she can’t activate it. And I can. My mom taught me how.”

  Nisba fell silent.

  “You don’t believe me?” Emma asked.

  “I do believe you, and that’s the problem. You shouldn’t have told me that. Now my sister can access that information.” Nisba took a d
eep breath and leaned against the counter. “I’ve known for a while now that my sister is frustrated because she can’t start the Pyxis. But she shouldn’t have it. And if she does figure out how to activate it, she’ll be just as dangerous as the Queen. Maybe more so.” Nisba looked at her kindly. “I’m sorry, Emma. I know your mother is dying. But this was something she was willing to die for. She would do anything—including dying—to keep the Pyxis away from the Queen and from people like my sister.”

  “But Gent’s never going to start the Pyxis,” Emma said quickly.

  “How do you know that?”

  “I can’t tell you,” Emma said, biting her lip, “because then your sister will know. You just have to trust me—she’ll never be able to start it without me.”

  Nisba reflected on this. “You’re right,” she said with a sigh. “I shouldn’t know anything. My sister will find out. I don’t know how, but she does every time.”

  “Then will you help us?” Emma asked. “We just need to find some way to talk to her.”

  “No,” she said. “I’m sorry, Emma. I’m with your mom on this one. I can’t let you get close to my sister if you know how to activate it. She can never find out.”

  “I won’t tell her,” Emma said. “I promise that. I’m going to tell your sister that I know how to activate the Pyxis, and if she doesn’t give my mom back, I’ll activate it while she has it.”

  Nisba considered this. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “If I activate it, the whole navy will go after your sister,” Emma said.

  “But how are you going to get your mom back?” Nisba asked. “You’re going to have to meet with my sister.”

  “I know,” Emma said. “But I can do that. I have to do it. This may be the last chance I’ll ever have to save my mom’s life. She’s dying.”

  Nisba studied her, and slowly a look of resignation came over her face. “I guess it doesn’t matter,” she muttered. “My sister is coming for us. She’s going to find you soon enough anyway.” Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself off the counter. “All right, I’ll help you. But we’d better act fast,” she said.