The navigator, p.30
The Navigator, page 30
"Tha - that's amazing," Petal stuttered. "Tha - thank you."
"Uhhhh." Atalai stood up, once again. "We thank Your Majesty for his most gracious offer, but we have come here merely to speak with Giovanni. We must humbly decline the-"
"What?" Petal shot back to her feet. "No – no. I don't want to decline. I want to go. I have to go. Thank you. I'll take it. I'll do it."
"Petal." Quill grabbed Petal's hand and tried to pull her down into her chair. "We have to talk about this later, okay? We can't agree to this right now."
"No! I want to go! I have to do this!"
"It's okay." The King chuckled. "I realize none of you expected this when you came to my island, and I'm sure that Khan Rho would like to discuss this further with his daughter. You needn't decide anything at the moment. For now, just feast and enjoy the atmosphere. Once you have eaten your fill, I will take you to see Giovanni. Ask him whatever you wish. Once you are done, you may sail back to Khan Rho and inform him of my offer."
Petal was ecstatic. "Thank you! Thank you so, so much."
"And now." King Hanno plucked another champagne glass off the table. "Another toast, please."
All of the nobles robotically raised their glasses.
"To Khan Rho's daughter – Princess Petal. We wish her the best of luck in her journey. May she find the hidden land and her lost sister in turn."
Everyone clanked their glasses together.
Once Hanno finished his toast, he returned to his seat. He and the other Syracusians began eating.
Quill couldn't have another bite. She felt sick with renewed worry.
- 50 -
"You can't just agree to this without thinking it through!"
Quill's face was sticky with sweat and her mind was still fried from insomnia. She and Petal were standing at the very top of a spiral staircase that wound around the interior of the palace keep, up to Giovanni's private quarters. Atalai was a few dozen steps below, waiting at Giovanni's door with Ptolem. King Hanno was due to join them at any moment.
"I have thought this over and it's perfect. I need to get to the hidden land and no one else is going to take me. King Hanno will give me a ship, a crew, and Giovanni. What more could I ask for? It's exactly what I need to get Junk back."
"That's just it. Why do you think King Hanno is willing to give you those things? Either he wants something from you or he's tricking you."
"What could he want from me? I don't have anything."
"Then maybe he wants you. You'd be sailing on his ship with a crew loyal to him. You'll be under his control. The moment you step onto that ship, you'll be nothing more than King Hanno's prisoner!"
Petal folded her arms. "According to you we're King Hanno's prisoners now. So what's the difference?"
"Right now we can still leave Syracuse to go back to Rho. Once you step onto King Hanno's ship there'll be no turning back. He'll own you the whole voyage."
"There's no turning back for me anyway. I'm going to the hidden land. That's my fate. If King Hanno takes me there, I'm fine being his prisoner."
"If you do get there, do you think he'll let you leave? Don't you think he wants something in return? He didn't become a tyrant by being selfless. Do you really think that once this is over, he'll just let you sail away with Junk?"
"He wants me to reach the hidden land. Why he wants me there, I don't know – but unlike you or Rho - he's willing to take me there."
Lhan leaned around the corner and waved for Quill and Petal to come down.
"Think about this, Petal. There's got to be another way to get there. A better way. Give me some time to think of it."
The girls slowly walked down to Giovanni's study where Atalai, the King, and Ptolem were waiting.
The door to Giovanni's room was nondescript. A giant piece of wood and steel. At the center was an iron knocker and beside it, a large padlock. King Hanno reached into his robe and pulled out a golden key.
"I had a messenger inform Giovanni of my plans and of your arrival. He knows your purpose in seeing him, but I warn you that he hasn't left his study for quite some time. His mannerisms and speech may seem a bit. . .awkward."
The King nudged the door open.
Giovanni's quarters looked like an antediluvian library. He had two entire floors to himself. The top floor was more of a loft – a set of banistered walkways and terraces with chairs for reading. The bottom floor was a spacious study with a thick blue carpet dotted with golden stars. A gilded, spiral staircase connected the two floors near the center. Along the back wall was a giant bookcase that ran from the floor to the second story ceiling. The bookcase was crammed with old globes, polished artifacts, and ancient, leather-bound tomes. In front of it sat a wooden, apothecary desk stuffed with stacks of yellowed papers. Behind that, to the left of the bookcase, was a set of floor-to-ceiling windows that gave Giovanni a stunning view of Syracuse and the Southern Ocean.
Gaveovelli Giovanni was sitting at his desk. He was an old man, nearing seventy, with wispy white hair and bushy eyebrows. His face looked gnarled, yet still friendly.
"Good afternoon my great guest, Giovanni. These are the visitors who wish to speak with you."
Giovanni delicately stood up from his chair. His pale arms were thin and spindly. He grabbed a cane and slowly tapped his way over to King Hanno and the others.
"This is Atalai." King Hanno pointed to him, as he was the first to step inside. "He is a top lieutenant of the Southern Sand Tiger Horde. One of Khan Rho's most trusted officers."
"It's an honor." Atalai extended his hand to Giovanni.
"Nice to meet you."
"And this is Quill." King Hanno waved her forward. "She is a navigator from the P.R.K. She trained at Nhan Zhe Academy under your understudy – Qutub."
Quill eagerly darted forward to shake the legendary man's hand. She knelt down before him.
"It's - it's amazing to be able to meet you in person."
"Nhan Zhe, eh?" Giovanni gave Quill a warm smile. "How is Qutub doing in my old chair?"
"Very well. He told us about you all the time. You – you're like my idol. I've read every one of your books – On Mare, On Navii, On Navigium."
"Don't waste your life reading books. Take it from someone who's been caged up with nothing but books for a long time - you can get all that knowledge from going out and exploring Ea."
"And this is Quill's suitor – Lhan."
Lhan blushed. He glanced at Quill to see her reaction.
"Pleased to meet you. You're a legend where I come from."
Giovanni put his frail, little stub of a hand into Lhan's. "And where is that?"
"Sol."
"Ah, the Island of the Sun. A beautiful place. I haven't been there since I was your age."
"And this is Petal. Khan Rho's daughter."
Petal had been hidden behind Lhan's broad body. She was still standing in the narrow doorway. She took a step inside the study.
"Oh my! This? This is her?" Giovanni held his hand out so it brushed against Petal's cheek. "I did not expect her to look so. . ."
"I'm Petal." She grabbed Giovanni's tiny hand and shook it.
Giovanni grabbed Petal's hand with both of his. He then shakily knelt down on the carpet in front of her, bowing his wrinkled head.
"I - I am humbled, truly humbled by your presence. I don't know what to say. I've spent my whole life in search of. . .I am so, so honored to meet you."
Quill cocked her head, confused as to why Giovanni of all people would be bowing to Petal.
"It was Princess Petal, who wished to speak with you." King Hanno interrupted Giovanni's homage "She is the one who wishes to sail to the hidden continent."
"Of course! Of course!" Giovanni slowly stood up. "Come!"
Across the top of Giovanni's desk lay a faded nautical map. All of the visitors gathered around it while Giovanni fetched a long pointer from his bookcase.
"Is that it?"
Petal pointed to a little half circle of land on the map that lay near Ea's southern pole. The caption under it read 'Terra Australis Incognita.'
"Yes, yes." Giovanni smacked the silver pointer down on the hidden continent. The pointer was made to look like a human arm. Its tiny index finger quivered just above the pole. "This map was drawn before the Flood. See the elevation of the continent? Near the pole it was nearly 2,000 feet above sea level. Ea's sea level only rose half that height from the Flood. A large portion of the continent should still be above water."
"It wouldn't be that large." Atalai studied the little strip of supposed land. "Only thirty miles across."
"About half the size of Mann," King Hanno agreed.
"Its size would be doubled during the winter by a surrounding ice sheet. That is why any expedition that hopes to reach the hidden land must arrive there during summer. During winter, the hidden land will be surrounded by miles and miles of sea ice, and the land will be in perpetual darkness. During summertime, the ice recedes all the way back to the hidden land's shores, and the sun will never set over the horizon."
"Permanent daylight?" Lhan scratched his head. "How is that possible?"
"It's the latitude," Quill chimed. "It's so extreme that in the summer the sun never sets, and in the winter the sun never rises. It gets three whole months of light and three months of darkness."
"Creepy. Like heaven and hell all in one."
"You've been to the hidden land?" Petal asked.
"Yes, yes. My expedition reached the shores of the hidden land, but the land was veiled by a thick fog when we arrived. Every time we tried to sail ashore, a gale would pick up, and we'd have to abandon our attempt. We spent almost two weeks languishing just off the coast of the hidden land but still unable to see it. We were running out of supplies, the seasons were beginning to change, and my crew lost their morale, claiming the land was cursed. They demanded we leave and eventually I gave in. I regret that decision daily."
"What did you want to find there? What is there?"
"Amazing things. Unimaginable things. Things I could not dream of. . .but what do you seek in the hidden land?"
"My sister."
"There's another one of you?" Giovanni trembled. "Incredible!"
"I have offered the Princess my private windjammer, a crew, and three months supplies." King Hanno put his knuckles on the desk. "With that, can you once again reach the hidden continent?"
"Only if we leave soon. It will take months to get there and winter is coming. We must arrive before the pack ice. . .and if you hope to salvage what lies there we will need several weeks to haul everything aboard your vessel."
"What's there to salvage at the South Pole?" Quill looked to Giovanni, baffled.
"Who knows what wonders lie there," King Hanno answered for him. "I've read some accounts that claim an air base was constructed near the South Pole just before the Flood. Perhaps some of it is still intact. Think of all of the high tech equipment that may have survived the deluge. Some say the trells land there to refuel and resupply. Perhaps you could immobilize one when it comes down for a landing. Some even say that the Khoi live there in a frozen, glittering city that rivals Amanahora.
Petal had heard that name before but couldn't place it.
"What's Amanahora?"
"A city on the bottom of the sea." Atalai said gravely. "Khoiano Amanahora. City of the Khoi. After the Khoi came down from the sky, they settled in the sea. Now that is where they live - on the bottom of the ocean - where they judge the dead and keep lost souls company."
"Whatever you find on the hidden land shall become the property of Syracuse." King Hanno clapped his hands together. "The Princess shall unlock the hidden land's wonders for us, and with them, we shall be the envy of Delos and the Isle of Mann. We shall be the envy of Kudu!"
"She hasn't agreed to your offer yet. We need to discuss your idea with my Khan."
"Yes, I have. I'm not Rho's slave. I can make my own decisions. I will go on King Hanno's ship as long as Giovanni comes with me." Petal gently latched onto his hand. "Will you sail to the hidden land with me? Will you guide me there?"
Giovanni turned to King Hanno. Hanno nodded.
"It would be an honor to take you to the hidden land. I will do everything that is required. Having spent most of my life in search of the unexplored, I can think of no better way to spend my twilight."
"Then it's settled. You may all return to Khan Rho's flagship immediately. My men shall ready the Polar Wanderer for her maiden voyage. Prime Minister Kodzick shall lead the expedition and be in charge of its crew. In three days you shall set sail - bound for the hidden continent!"
The Lost Fleet
- 51 -
Quill, Petal, Lhan, and Atalai huddled together in the open dinghy. The giant Typhoon loomed several hundred feet ahead of them. Its gigantic, armored hull looked intimidating, towering over their little craft. The juggernaut's deck guns alone were the size of their entire vessel.
Quill gazed up at the Typhoon for a few minutes, entranced by its sheer mass. Although the ship was built to look menacing, she found the sight of it comforting after being held hostage in Syracuse. She turned around to try and see if she could still make out the evil little island. It looked like just a few glowing dots strung across the bottom of the low-lying clouds.
A light rain drizzled down from the sky. The cool wind that accompanied it made everyone shiver.
"Are you okay?" Quill nudged Petal's foot. She'd been quiet the entire trip back, staring off into nothing.
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About what?"
"Not really thinking, I guess. I'm preparing myself."
"You don't have to do this King Hanno's way. It's too dangerous."
"There is no safe way to the hidden land."
"Then why go there?" Lhan leaned forward.
"To rescue my sister."
"But she's not there. Quill told me she was taken to Baffin Island. This whole thing with the hidden land is a fantasy."
Quill winced. "Be quiet, Lhan."
"Why?" Lhan turned to Atalai. "Am I the only one here who's not gone crazy?"
"Perhaps. We shall see what my Khan thinks of this."
A pair of deckhands on the Typhoon cast a long, knotted rope down from the side of the ship. It dangled a few feet above the little dinghy, and then dipped into the water.
Quill and the others climbed, hand-over-hand, up the long hemp rope, onto the Typhoon.
The Typhoon's main deck looked strangely empty. Only six nomad sailors were topside, ready to meet the returning shore party. Instead of greeting Quill and the others, or helping them climb aboard, the nomad crewmen on deck stared at them blankly.
Quill smiled at the crewmen. They refused to acknowledge her warmth. When she'd been on the Typhoon before, its crewmen had been pleasant, if not entirely trusting. They'd avoided chatting with Quill, but they at least smiled to her when she passed by. Anytime she arrived or departed from the massive ship, its crew had treated her like an honored guest – respectfully and cordially.
The crewmen who were staring at her now were anything but cordial. They were glaring at her and Petal as they lingered in place, seemingly trying to push them over the side of the ship with their icy reception.
"Is something wrong?"
"The Khan needs to see you immediately. I will take you to his chambers."
"Great. We have a lot to talk about."
"That you do. This way."
Once Quill and the others entered the massive ship, Atalai took the lead, guiding them forward. He was able to snake his way across the labyrinthine inner hallways of the Typhoon by memory. As he and the others ventured deeper inside, several side hatches popped open. Armored nomads darted out of the hatches and trailed behind Quill in a long, martial procession.
Khan Rho was inside his chambers, pacing around the cabin while shouting at a trio of nomad captains who were lined up before him. The captains meekly stared down at the floorboards, withering under his reprimand.
Quill scurried up next to Atalai to get a glimpse of the Khan. One of the armored nomads who had followed her, shoved her aside, and jostled his way into the cabin.
"My Khan! The shore party has returned - and so has the traitor!"
Rho whipped around at the announcement.
"Good. Seize her!"
The nomads in the companionway descended on Quill. They shoved her up against the wall and grabbed her wrists.
