by Nick Baker
‘What did you do?’
‘I opened the door and came face to face with a very unsavoury looking man.’
‘What did he want?’
‘He was very aggressive and told us we were trespassing. He ordered us to clear off in no uncertain terms.’
‘And did you?’
‘You know me, Lily. I just laughed. I told him we’d been moored up for months without harming anyone or anything. I also told him that I couldn’t possibly see how a canal could be on private land.’
‘What happened?’
‘He just got angry and told us we were no more than common criminals. He issued us with an ultimatum: either clear off or face the consequences.’
‘What did you do? I can’t imagine you letting someone intimidate you like that.’
‘Under normal circumstances you’d be right, but when he pulled a gun on me, it didn’t really leave me with much choice.’
‘What!’ said Lily aghast.
‘I’m afraid so, Lily. He pointed it right at me, and I certainly didn’t feel compelled to argue. Whether he’d have used it, I don’t know, but I didn’t want to find out.’
‘So what happened?’
‘I told him we didn’t want any trouble and I agreed to do as he said. He told us that he wouldn’t leave until we’d gone. We had no choice.’
‘Yes, I can see that,’ said Lily, nodding her head in earnest.
‘It didn’t take long to pack up, and we were ready within the hour, but while we gathered up our belongings, Seoc and I had the chance to talk.’
‘Planning something, no doubt.’
‘Aye. We’d both already come to the same conclusion. There was something strange about this man, and his story didn’t add up. Don’t forget we’ve been moored on that stretch of the canal for the best part of six months and we’ve never seen sight nor sound of anyone like that before. It just seemed odd for him to show up like that and start behaving in such a threatening manner.
‘We decided that we wouldn’t just take off as he suggested. We agreed that, once we were out of sight, I’d take the boat and hide it safely downstream while Seoc doubled back to follow the man and find out what he was up to.
‘Once I’d found a decent spot for the boat, I went back to meet Seoc. That’s when it all started to get interesting.’
‘Why?’ enquired Lily, eyeing Aedh inquisitively.
‘Seoc didn’t have to follow him very far. The man led him directly back to your house!’
‘No!’ gasped Lily in astonishment.
‘The man was stationed in a hideaway with a direct view of the back of the house. By the way he was set up, Seoc reckoned he must have had the place under surveillance for at least a couple of days. From time to time, the man made forays around the house to look at it from different angles as if he was waiting for something.
‘After watching him for several hours, Seoc came back to rendezvous with me at the canal. We decided that we’d try and get word to you, but that was when events overtook us.’
‘Why? What happened?’
‘I think you probably know the rest. We headed back to the house, but as we sneaked towards the garden, we realised something was already going on. Fortunately, we saw you coming before you saw us, and we guessed, correctly as it turned out, that the man was following you. We returned to the canal assuming you were on your way to visit us. Seoc had the presence of mind to drop a marble he’d won from you. He knew you’d realise it was a sign that all was not well. We couldn’t chance intercepting you there and then, particularly as the man was armed. That’s why we decided to wait until it was dark before we put our plan into action. I think that just about brings us up to date.’
‘That explains the snapping twig. I thought someone was following me. What does this man look like?’
‘Swarthy features, possibly Mediterranean. In his fifties, I would hazard. Deep-set, cold eyes, and a nasty, livid scar across his cheek that looks like it may have been recent. Also, he hadn’t shaved for a few days,’ Aedh added as an afterthought.
‘Doesn’t ring any bells,’ said Lily, shaking her head. ‘You say he hadn’t shaved … that would support Seoc’s view that he’d been watching the house for a few days. What do you think he was after?’
‘I don’t know, but the fact that he set off after you seems to suggest that it has something to do with you.’
‘What on earth could he possibly want with me?’
‘I’m not sure, but maybe Seoc can tell us. He’ll be back any minute.’
‘How can you possibly know where Seoc is?’ said Lily with a combination of excitement and astonishment.
‘Did you hear that owl hoot again a moment ago?’
‘Er, yes, I think so.’
‘It was Seoc. Listen, that’ll be him now.’
Just then, Lily caught the sound of the bulrushes parting, and moments later, Seoc’s beaming face appeared at the galley door.
‘Ah … you both … made it!’ Seoc called out gleefully amidst great heaving breaths.
‘Looks like you’re out of shape, little brother. Look at the colour of your face!’ said Aedh, obviously pleased to see him. Aedh draped an arm around his brother’s shoulder and pushed the bolts across the door to lock it securely behind him.
‘What happened?’ said Lily.
‘Led him right round the houses, I did. We won’t be seeing him again before the crack of sparrows,’ said Seoc jovially. ‘Now, what about some nettle beer?’
‘Come on, Seoc. Tell us what really happened. I’ll get you a hot drink; now’s not the time for beer.’
‘You’re such a bore,’ replied Seoc, pulling a face behind his brother’s back as Aedh filled the kettle. ‘Very well then, keep your pants on. Sit down, and I’ll tell you.’
When the three friends were comfortably seated around the table with mugs of steaming cocoa in hand, Seoc began to recount his tale.
‘I managed to nip in between Lily and that old fool following her,’ he said, revelling in their rapt attention. ‘It wasn’t very difficult to lead him astray once it got dark; he wasn’t very good at tracking, if truth be told.
‘I led him to a derelict worksite a couple of miles from here. I’ve been there a few times, and I know the place like the back of my hand. It’s a bit of a death trap if you don’t know your way round. There’s all sorts of rubbish ’n stuff scattered all over the place.’
‘The kind of place you have a habit of exploring,’ said Aedh, smirking at his brother.
Seoc returned the gesture. ‘I led him towards an old shaft of sorts, and before he knew where he was, he’d stumbled right into it!’ he said triumphantly.
Lily frowned. ‘Was he hurt?’
‘I’m surprised you’re bothered, Lily. I suspect this man meant you harm, so I wouldn’t worry about him, if I were you,’ replied Seoc dismissively.
Aedh cast his brother a reproachful look.
‘Keep yer hair on, you two. He didn’t fall very far; ’bout ten feet or so, I would hazard. Heard him moaning but I didn’t hang around to offer him a hand out,’ he added sarcastically. ‘Don’t think he’ll be troubling us again this evening, though.’
‘That’s good,’ said Aedh. ‘Well done, Seoc, you did a grand job.’
‘Did you hear that, Lily? Rare praise indeed, eh bruv?’
They all laughed before Lily downed the dregs of her cocoa and felt the last vestiges of her earlier anxiety dissipate.
‘So, Lily, were you coming down to see us when that idiot set off after you?’ said Seoc.
Aedh cast his brother a reproachful look. ‘Maybe we should discuss this in the morning,’ he said, butting in before Lily could reply.
‘No, it’s all right, Aedh. You both deserve an explanation. It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me. The truth is …’ said Lily, hesitating, ‘well, the truth is, I’ve run away from home!’
The cabin remained silent for a few moments before Aedh spoke. ‘You�
��re welcome to stay with us for as long as you like,’ he said as Seoc beamed at Lily over his brother’s shoulder.
‘Why did you—?’ began Seoc, but Aedh thrust a hand unceremoniously over his brother’s mouth, blurring the words into an unintelligible splutter.
‘I’m sure Lily doesn’t want to talk about it at the moment, Seoc,’ Aedh said, still holding a hand firmly over his brother’s mouth. ‘There’ll be plenty of time to discuss this once we’re underway tomorrow. I think we should aim to be off at first light. I don’t want to risk anyone finding us here. The boat’s reasonably well hidden, but if someone really wants to find us, I don’t think they’ll have much trouble during daylight. Come on,’ he said, finally releasing his grip on Seoc’s mouth. ‘It’s time to get some sleep. We need to be up early tomorrow. Seoc, why don’t you take Lily to the prow? She can have the bunk there. Oh, and Seoc, no more questions!’
Seoc glared at Aedh, and as he ushered Lily through the bulkhead to the sleeping area, he whispered to her out of his brother’s earshot, ‘I do have one question, Lily.’
‘What’s that?’ she replied with a frown.
‘Can I have my marble back?’ he said with a beaming grin.
24
THE STONE OF MADNESS
The Baobab Tree
ABEL STRANGE LOOKED UP at the sign swinging lazily above his head and squinted. The poorly-lit, cobbled alley made the sign difficult to see, and he could barely make out the silhouette of an odd-looking tree with a tall trunk and sparse foliage set against the backdrop of a barren landscape. The Baobab Tree. How strangely incongruent to name a pub after a tree of the African savannah, particularly in such an insalubrious part of town, he observed, but at least he was in the right place. He pushed on the heavy wooden door and made his way into the tavern’s gloomy interior.
Strange’s thick-lensed glasses misted over the moment he edged into the densely packed room. He removed the spectacles to wipe away the condensation but then struggled to discern the blurred outline of the person standing in front of him. He replaced the glasses, and immediately, the inhospitable features of a harsh-looking woman came sharply into focus from the other side of the bar.
‘Yes?’ she demanded.
‘I, er, am looking for …’ he spluttered.
Before he could finish, the woman held up a hand and pointed towards a dimly lit cubicle in the corner of the room. ‘’E’s over there. Now, what you be drinkin’?’ she said, scowling.
Strange ordered a half pint of beer, much to the woman’s disgust. She turned her back on him and filled a glass from an oaken cask, and when she thrust the tankard down on the bar, half of the contents slopped over the side. She stared intently at Strange, challenging him to complain, but he looked demurely away. He paid the woman an over-inflated price for the cloudy ale and made off in the direction she had indicated.
Strange squeezed into the space between an old wooden bench and a small square table, but in the murky light, he had to squint to discern who was sitting opposite. It was a man he was both expecting and dreading to see in equal measure. Josef Frankl sat smiling grotesquely back at him, a small, empty glass and a bottle of cheap whisky inches from his hand.
‘This is about the best this place could manage,’ Frankl said, gesturing with a nod in the direction of the bottle.
As Strange settled down on the bench, he realised with a start that a second man was seated at the far end of the table hidden in a small alcove, his face obscured by shadow. From where Strange was sitting, he could not get a clear view of the man’s face, but he could tell from the silhouette of straggly, unkempt hair that the man nodding amicably in his direction was Liquid Lex.
Strange smiled at Lex then regarded Frankl uneasily. ‘I was worried you hadn’t, er, made it, Josef.’
Frankl raised his eyebrows. ‘You didn’t seriously think that I’d drowned in the sewers, did you? If I was going to die, I think I’d have chosen somewhere a little more fitting, don’t you?’ he said animatedly.
As Frankl spoke, a small gob of spittle escaped from beyond the confines of his megalithic teeth. Strange flinched involuntarily as the projectile flew towards him, but to his relief, it passed him by and landed harmlessly on the wall behind. ‘I … er … we … er, all did, yes,’ he replied unconvincingly, casting a glance in Lex’s direction for support.
‘Well, I hope you weren’t disappointed,’ replied Frankl with a mocking smile.
‘I’m well aware of your, er, abilities, Josef, but I feared for your safety. With the force of the, er, water, it seemed impossible that anyone could survive … even you,’ he added as an afterthought.
‘I’m disappointed you should doubt my talents, Abel, but nevertheless, here I am,’ replied Frankl with an extravagant flourish of his arms.
‘As I assumed when the black pearl arrived at the Academy this morning. I did not doubt who’d sent it, but for the sake of, er, completion, tell me, Josef, how did you escape?’
‘Now that is a question! Lex has been very patient waiting for you to arrive, and now that you’re both here, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.’
Frankl refilled his glass and took a slug of cheap liquor. ‘It was rather unfortunate that our meeting in Wren’s Cache was curtailed. It was just as well we’d almost finished our conversation, although there were a few outstanding issues to discuss. I’ll come on to those presently, but first, let me explain how I escaped.’
Strange nodded unenthusiastically.
‘When I saw the water heading our way, I cannot deny that I feared for our fate. The memory of Club still lingers, after all, eh, Lex? Fortunately, I was never so vain as to wear a toupee,’ he said, patting his bald head.
A palpable silence followed Frankl’s pitiful joke, yet he continued his narration undeterred. ‘I knew I could never keep up with Aurelia once she’d disappeared into the tunnel,’ he said proudly, resting a hand on his corpulent belly that spilled over his trousers. ‘I had little choice but to use my singular skills to extricate myself from the deluge. Though I say it myself, my solution was far more elegant than fleeing like a bunch of sewer rats.’
The men ignored the slur and waited expectantly for Frankl to continue.
‘It wasn’t easy raising such power with millions of tons of water bearing down on me, but rather than take flight, I summoned a source of plasma to protect myself by fashioning it into a bubble to act as a shield.’
Strange felt his stomach lurch. He had heard of alchemists performing such feats before but never anything of this magnitude. Students undergoing the rigours of alchemical training at the Academy were inevitably taught defensive spells, but something of this complexity was beyond the capabilities of even the most talented tutor. Plasma could be contained within an electromagnetic field and used as a buffer, but to use it in this fashion was a different matter entirely.
‘What are you talking about?’ said Lex, looking nonplussed.
‘Plasma is a gas of ionised, free electrons,’ Strange explained. ‘At exceedingly high temperatures, it’s viscosity is so great, no other matter can pass through it. The ability to produce and contain such a force is unheralded and has only ever been used to repulse a projectile such as a sword thrust or bullet. It’s unheard of for anyone to effect control over power of this nature for a prolonged period, yet that is what was necessary for Josef to protect himself,’ Strange extolled, suddenly regarding Frankl in a new light.
‘I couldn’t have explained it better myself, Abel, and it’s heartening to see you’re impressed. I’d like to say it was nothing, but as you well know, it was indeed a momentous achievement.’
‘So how did you get away from Wren’s Cache?’ Strange enquired.
‘Contained within my protective shell, I rode the wave, buffeted by the tunnel walls on my perilous journey to the river. It was difficult to concentrate for so long, but with certain death at every turn, it sustained me while I was carried like a ball on the waterspout of a whale. When I neared the
Fleet, I glimpsed three figures scurrying upriver as I emerged from the tunnel. The flood took me in the opposite direction with the rest of the flotsam, and soon enough, I found myself dumped unceremoniously into the river,’ Frankl said theatrically, revelling in the rapt attention of a starstruck audience.
‘Utterly exhausted, my power faltered and I tumbled headfirst into the river, or rather, I should say mud as it was low water. I eventually emerged from that pit of filth covered from head to toe in cloying muck and stumbled up the embankment looking like a clay golem. Fortunately, there were few onlookers at that early hour apart from a ragtag bunch of ne’er-do-wells and vagabonds, who turned and ran at the alien vision they saw approaching.’
Nothing usual in that then, Strange thought as he surveyed the hideous bulk of the man seated opposite.
‘Three days it was before I managed to eradicate the last traces of that infernal mud, not to mention the bruises from the battering I took in the fall.’
‘Ah, yes, Josef, but look at what you, er, achieved,’ said Strange, fighting to contain his admiration for a man he had always loathed.
‘Yes,’ added Lex, nodding hesitantly, as if he was not entirely sure that what he was hearing was the whole truth.
‘Indeed, my friends, indeed,’ replied Frankl. ‘I know, of course, that you all made it safely back; but what of your actions since?’ he added, allowing his effusive mood to evaporate into one of threatening malevolence.
Strange looked flustered. ‘I … well, er … we didn’t know what to do. We waited for news of you.’
‘You mean you waited for my bloated body to turn up on the Isle of Dogs,’ said Frankl darkly.
‘No!’ cried Strange loud enough to be heard above the hubbub coming from the bar. A group of unsavoury looking men turned round to see what all the fuss was about but quickly lost interest and returned to the pressing engagement of supping their ale.
