Mariah Mundi and the Ghost Diamonds (27 page)

‘Expect, no. Demand, yes,’ Zogel replied. ‘I have the girl, and if I am not back on the harbour side then she’ll be cast into the sea.’ He shrugged and went on. ‘Even if you did arrest me I would be out by the morning. What I did was a military action against an enemy state. They were combatants of war, Commissioner.’

‘Let him go,’ Charity shouted, his words echoing through the church.

‘At last – a man with sense,’ Zogel quipped as the armed guards stepped aside. ‘Sometimes there are no happy endings.’

‘We can’t just let the man go,’ said Commissioner Ritchie. ‘He murdered people. I heard his confession.’

‘He’s right, Commissioner,’ said Titus Salt as he got to his feet. ‘He would be out by the morning. Zogel is a diplomat of the Americas. No court in the land could convict him.’

‘I’ll take my carriage through Paradise and be gone from you. If you stop me, my men have orders to bombard the town and turn it to rubble,’ said Zogel, his hands trembling.

Charity looked at Mariah and caught his eye. Mariah nodded, as if he knew what was to be done.

The police officers, Commissioner and agents of the Bureau stepped back and allowed Zogel to leave unhindered. His men picked up their guns and followed on. They were all silent and looked on as if at the departing of a funeral procession.

‘You’ll just let him go?’ Black asked in his clear voice.

‘Wait until you hear the wheels turn,’ said Charity. ‘Ready, Mariah? You know where they have Sacha?’

Mariah nodded and went to the door. He looked outside. ‘The carriage has gone,’ he said.

‘Isambard,’ Charity said without delay, ‘I will meet you in the theatre of the Prince Regent within the hour. Take the Commissioner and three men. Once I have dealt with Zogel we have another rat to catch and Mariah will be the bait.’

Before anyone could reply, Mariah and Charity had run from the church. Taking the path through the charnel ground, they were soon running through the narrow lanes of the town towards the harbour.

T
HE
horde of people that crowded against the railings of the harbour to look at the strange craft moored by the wall was several men deep. Others watched the waves breaking over the bows of the
Irenzee
in the bay. A wind blew spirals of sand along the promenade but still the babbling crowd looked on. Word had spread quickly of a boat in the harbour that could sail underwater. It was like a gigantic frog with goggle eyes and a brass mouth that could swallow eight men at a time.

Two hours earlier, the craft had appeared before three old fishermen. At first they had seen a strange green light under the rising tide and then, just as they thought the Kraken was about to appear, the submersible had broken the surface. Those who had come in the craft had left quickly. They were ushered through a small door into the fish shed, and then a darkened carriage had been driven along the promenade and up Paradise Hill.

Now everyone waited. As Charity and Mariah pushed their way through the crowd the door to the fish shed opened slightly and the uniformed figure of one of Zogel’s guards looked out.

‘Is that the place?’ asked Charity as he held the scarf to his face so he couldn’t be recognised.

‘It was in there, by the nets, a small room – that’s where they took her,’ Mariah replied as he pushed a fat woman with a monkey face out of the way.

‘And her father?’ Charity asked as the woman squabbled, not wanting to let them by.

Just as Mariah was about to speak, the door opened again. The guard peered at the crowd as if he waited for someone.

‘He’s looking for Zogel. We must have got here first,’ Mariah said as they broke through the mob into an open space near the door. ‘What shall we do?’

‘We attack, Mariah – we have been on the run for too long,’ Charity said as he saw the paleness of Mariah’s face. ‘Leave the guards to me – you find Sacha. If we get separated, head for the Prince Regent and find Isambard Black.’

The door opened slightly. In the darkness, Mariah saw the rim of the guard’s hat. Before the man could move an inch, Charity had jumped against the door. There was a dull thud, and the guard slumped to the floor. Charity pushed on the door as he took the pistol from his coat and stormed inside.

Just as Mariah followed, another guard leapt on Charity, pulling him backwards. Mariah didn’t know what to do as the man struggled to get the pistol from Charity’s hand. The gun fired three times in the air. The bullets ricocheted from the roof and around the baiting shed with its long tables and stink of fish. To his right was a pile of broken crab pots. Mariah took a long disregarded weight and struck the man across the back.

‘Tie him, quickly,’ Charity said as Mariah took a length of twine from a broken pot and wrapped it around the man’s legs and hands.

The guard moaned as the twine was pulled tighter until he couldn’t move. Mariah stuffed a length of rag into his mouth to stop him from speaking.

‘It’s this way,’ he said to Charity, who took three bullets from
his pocket and reloaded the pistol. ‘There’s a room by a staircase – they took them there.’

They sneaked quietly across the stone floor of the fish shed. The wind howled outside and the sea broke across the harbour wall. In the corner of the shed was a weighing house. It was a peculiar small shed within the shed. A metal chimney came from the roof and a fire burnt within. The shed was lit by an oil lamp that cast the shadow of the faded net curtains across the ground outside.

Mariah peered through the dirty window. Sacha and her father sat by the fire. He could see no one else in the room.

‘Alone,’ he whispered to Charity, who crawled to the door like a giant cat.

Mariah slipped the bolt that had kept them locked inside. He opened the door slowly as Charity kept guard. Sacha smiled as she saw his face.

‘Zogel was going to leave us here and tell Walpole where we were,’ Sacha said as she reached out for Mariah’s hand.

‘Where is Lucius?’ Mariah asked.

‘He went back to the submersible ten minutes ago,’ she replied.

‘Then we have no time,’ Mariah said as he looked at her, wishing he could say that which he had wanted for so long.

‘Go to the coastguard,’ Charity said to Sacha’s father, who sat shame-faced looking into the flames. ‘Redeem yourself for what you have done. Tell them that the
Irenzee
must not be allowed to leave the bay.’

The man turned and gave a frail half smile as if the will of life had drained from him.

‘He told me he would bombard the town if I didn’t allow the
Irenzee
to leave,’ he replied wearily.

‘We shall see,’ said Charity. ‘Sacha. I need your help – will you come with us?’ Sacha smiled at the note of sympathy of
Charity’s words. ‘Go with Mariah. Walpole will be in Athol House. Make sure they see you and run to the Prince Regent. Isambard Black will be in the theatre. He will know what to do. I shall go for Zogel and the Ghost Diamonds.’

They saw Charity turn and approach the door of the weighing shed. The shadow he cast crossed the floor and for an instant flickered on the dirty net curtains. Outside, Mariah saw out of the corner of his eye something move. It was small, compact and glinted in the light from the window. Then, as if it had been a dream, it vanished. Charity noticed the look on his face.

‘What was it?’ he asked, worried for the boy.

‘I don’t know. I think I saw something move. I can’t be sure,’ Mariah said as he drew closer to the window and peered into the shadows.

Sacha pressed close to him. Not so much to look as to be near.

The shadow came again, followed by the glint of light. This time it was further away, by the long flight of wooden steps that led to a gantry for drying fishnets.

‘There is something out there,’ Mariah said, sure he had seen a creature move in the darkness.

Charity cocked the pistol and pushed against the door. Mariah kept watch.

‘It’s by the wall, coming closer,’ he said as a loud hissing noise began to billow from outside.

Just as Charity pushed the door open there was a smell of kerosene. It sprayed against the window of the shed and dripped from the roof.

‘Run!’ shouted Mariah as he pushed Sacha through the door and into the outer shed, followed by Charity and Sacha’s father.

There was a sudden burst of light from under the wooden stairs. A surge of bright blue fire spurted through the air towards them. The weighing shed exploded as it ignited in red flames.

Mariah could see a creature coming towards them. It was the size of an ape. From what seemed to be its mouth it dripped fire. It had what appeared to be one large glass eye in the centre of a head that looked as though it were made of metal.

Charity fired at the creature. The bullet bounced off its head as it were made of steel. There was a wheezing noise as if it were gasping for breath. Then the dribbles of fire came again. Kerosene spurted from its mouth and suddenly exploded in a shaft of fire. The flames shot above their heads.

‘What is it?’ Sacha cried as the creature came closer.

‘It’s … It’s a fire-starter – a weapon, made by Zogel,’ Charity cried as he shot again. ‘Bulletproof,’ he shouted as they all ran from the fire demon.

‘I think it’s Lucius – he went back to the submersible,’ Mariah bawled above the wheezing of the flamethrower.

An inferno began to engulf the building as smoke filled the fish shed. In the light of the encroaching fire, Mariah could see Lucius clearly as he got closer. The flames came like breath from a head that was made from a brass diving helmet. Upon the fire-starter’s back was a large shell-like tank with a thin tube connecting to the helmet. Beneath was a suit of thick golden material that was wrinkled about the arms, and on its feet were black leather boots that steamed as he walked.

‘We’ll have to get outside,’ Mariah said as they ran towards the door.

Charity and Sacha’s father grabbed hold of the guard and dragged him outside. Already the crowd had moved away from the burning building. As Charity stepped from the building he was recognised. Angry voices were raised up in alarm.

‘That’s him – the murderer!’ screamed a man so fat that he looked as if he had eaten the food of many men. The mob began to holler and bawl for Charity to be arrested.

Mariah and Sacha came out of the building and into the
night. The fat man made a grab for Charity and just as Mariah pushed him away the crowd began to scream. They pointed to the doorway in terror as if they looked upon the devil.

There, in the shadow of the flaming building, was the fire-starter. It stood like a dwarfed dragon gasping for breath. It sighed deeply. Mariah noticed that its hand pulled the handle of what appeared to be a pump.

‘It’s pressurising the tank,’ Charity shouted as he pulled the bound guard to the safety of the harbour side. ‘Get out of the way.’

The crowd began to panic. Hundreds of people started to scream as the fire-starter stepped from the building. The noise from the tank on its back began to get louder. It seethed and hissed as it took each step.

In the cold night air it sounded like the whirring of a parlour fan. It sizzled as it was showered with water from the breaking waves. Steam burst from the hot metal. There was a rush of air. Kerosene fired from its mouth and then exploded in flame.

The fire-starter walked towards the crowd. It appeared to be searching for Charity. If anyone came close it spurted short bursts of fire to push them back. The dark night and the black storm clouds were made as day by the gusts of flame.

Soon all the people were running. They screamed in panic as the blaze that engulfed the fish shed grew higher. Mariah and Sacha hid by the lifeboat house, the waves rolling across the stone landing and about their feet. They could see Charity outside the Golden Kipper goading the fire-starter to follow, always just out of reach of the flames. Sacha’s father was nowhere to be seen.

‘He’s not there,’ Sacha screamed as she broke cover and ran towards the harbour. Lucius turned slowly, the reflection of the fire flickering in the glass of his brass helmet. He seethed small droplets of fire as he looked at her running towards him.

The gurgling noise came again as the kerosene tank repressurised. Mariah saw Lucius force the handle frantically. The nozzle on the front of the helmet was re-lit as tiny jets of fuel shot through. He took aim at Sacha.

Mariah looked about him as the waves broke into his hiding place. There on the wall in a glass case was a fire-axe. Without thinking, Mariah smashed the glass with his elbow and pulled the axe from its mantle. He could hear Charity shouting to him.

‘Do it, Mariah! Do it now!’ His voice faded in the wind.

Mariah grabbed the axe just as Charity fired at Lucius. The bullet struck the back of the helmet with such a force that it knocked the dwarf from his feet. Slowly a pool of kerosene issued about him. Charity fired again. The bullet struck the same place to the inch.

The dwarf got to his feet and turned as Mariah set off to run across the pier. All seemed to go slowly. He could feel the blood pumping through his head as his heart beat faster. The sound of the wind and waves faded as he ran. He clutched the axe in his hands and raised it above his head.

Mariah could see no one but Lucius, Sacha and Charity. The screaming of the crowd was no more. In his mind he was alone as the seconds ticked slowly by. Pools of water splashed about him with each footstep. The dwarf got to his feet and turned towards Charity. The wheezing started again as the tank refilled under pressure. Suddenly the kerosene shot towards Charity, splattering the ground beneath his feet. The flame followed like a lightning bolt about to strike. Charity dived towards the harbour just as the fireball exploded.

Mariah ran down on Lucius. As he came upon him, the axe fell with all the force of his arms. It smashed the bottom of the tank. A small hole burst open. Mariah swung again and struck a blow to the helmet. The iron-wired tube severed. There was the sound of hell. It roared like a fire demon.

Lucius looked down as Mariah stepped back. The tiniest droplet of fire fell from the siphon. For a moment, Lucius looked Mariah eye to eye. Mariah saw the dwarf smile as if he knew what was to come. Lucius held out his hand as all about him was consumed in fire.

Suddenly a jet of flame shot out from the pressurised tank. Lucius shook for a moment before abruptly being propelled into the air like a rocket. Mariah looked up as he flew higher and higher as if he would never stop.

No one could hear his screams as they were drowned by the roaring of the sea. Lucius went skyward faster than any man had gone before. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, he was gone. A bright and blinding explosion rocked the promenade and shook the windows of the Golden Kipper. It broke the sky, brighter than the midday sun. The rumbling surged for mile upon mile like heavy thunder and the earth shook. The crowds of fleeing people looked up and gasped with amazement at the beauty of the explosion.

A crescendo of sparks fell to the ground like falling diamonds. Far out to sea the remnants of the fire-starter were scattered to the wind. Lucius was no more.

‘I told you never to play with fire, Mariah,’ Charity said as he brushed the wet sand from his coat.

‘He would have killed Sacha,’ Mariah replied as he dropped the axe from his shaking hands.

‘You did well – saved more than just Sacha,’ Charity said.

In the mayhem they were suddenly aware of the slamming of a carriage door.

‘Where is he? Where is he?’ asked Zogel frantically as he stepped from his carriage that had been hemmed in by the crowds.

‘Who do you seek, Zogel?’ Mariah asked before anyone else.

‘I see you have escaped and I take it my companion is dead,’
Zogel said in a melancholy way as he looked about, not sure what to do next.

‘I will take the diamonds,’ Charity replied as he pointed the gun at Zogel. ‘I will exchange them for
your
life.’

‘Very well, my dear friend. The Bureau of Antiquities wins again. As soon as I am at sea I will have the
Irenzee
bombard the town.’