The Mad Voyage of Prince Malock (38 page)

Her description was accurate. Directly ahead of them
was a huge, open tunnel, easily tall enough and wide enough to
allow the entirety of the
Iron Wind
to pass through with
little problem. That itself was strange, but stranger still was the
sound of a massive waterfall that could be heard just beyond the
tunnel. Vashnas reported that the sea ended at the tunnel and began
on the other side of a huge gap that they could not sail around
even if they changed course.

It appeared that their only course of action was to
go through the tunnel. This time, Vashnas didn't even tell them
what they could expect. Kinker didn't know if it was because she
honestly didn't know what was in the tunnel or if she simply did
not trust her own memory or what. All he knew was that the
peaceful, happy atmosphere that had been gradually building up over
the past week was just as gradually fading the closer they got to
the tunnel.

One thing they did know for sure about the tunnel
was that it sloped. How far down it went, no one knew for sure, but
Vashnas reported seeing the other end of the tunnel opening on the
other side of the ocean, so they at least knew there was an exit. A
lot of sailors tried to suggest alternative ways around it, but
Vashnas confirmed that the gap in the sea stretched for miles in
every direction with no end in sight, so it would simply be more
practical to go through the tunnel. This did not reassure them
much.

Nonetheless, the crew worked hard to secure the
supplies. Because the tunnel sloped, they had to secure the
supplies to make sure that nothing would fall over or break or
spill out in the hold. Malock also gave them orders to stay below
deck until the tunnel leveled out, as he didn't want to lose any
members of his crew for no reason. As usual, Malock remained within
his stateroom, along with Banika and Vashnas, while the rest of the
crew went below deck.

The hold was far less crowded than it had been the
first time the crew had been forced to stay below deck.
Nonetheless, the hold still smelled of damp wood, the unwashed
bodies of the human and aquarian sailors (the Mechanical Goddess,
Kinker realized, had failed to supply them with any soap or
personal cleaning supplies), and it was almost completely dark,
save for the lamps that a few members of the crew had managed to
light. Shadows cast by the lamps danced along the walls as the ship
swayed.

Kinker and Jenur sat near the end of the hold, away
from the door. They had just finished tying down the cargo and were
now sitting among the rest of the crew who were all speculating
about what was in the tunnel. Kinker listened to theories ranging
from yet another god to some sort of sea monster that made the
tunnel its den and everything in between. He personally wondered
how they would defend the ship once they entered the tunnel, as the
tunnel probably didn't have any light in it.

Without warning, the entire ship inclined down
sharply. The ship's sudden movement threw Kinker and Jenur to the
floor along with the others, including those who held the lamps.
The lamps went out, too, plunging the entire hold into
darkness.

Additionally, the ship was starting to pick up
speed. Kinker heard the rushing of the water above the creaking of
wood and the occasional shouts from the other sailors. All he knew
was that they must be going down, down into the tunnel's depths,
and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Luckily, however, they had tied down the cargo well
because Kinker did not hear any of the crates fall over. They did
lurch with the ship, however, and some of the sailors voiced their
uncertainty about the ropes, but they thankfully held. Some of the
sailors scrambled to find lights and in a minute a lamp was turned
back on, held by Gino, although the light was too weak to
illuminate the entire hold.

Just as Kinker was getting used to the downward
trajectory of the
Iron Wind
, the ship jerked to a stop and
he was thrown forward. He slammed into the wall of the hold and
around him he could hear the other sailors cursing and yelling.
Jenur nearby was cursing so badly that Kinker was surprised at her
language, as her rather extensive knowledge of curse words included
more than a few he had never heard before.

“Ow,” said Kinker, rubbing his head as he turned
around. “What stopped us?”

“We didn't stop,” said Jenur's voice from somewhere
within the darkness. “The ship is still in motion. Can you feel
it?”

Kinker stopped talking and listened to the floor.
Yes, now that Jenur mentioned it, he could feel the subtle movement
of the ship beneath their feet. It was slow, almost imperceptible,
but there was no denying that it was still in motion.

A sudden flash of light caused Kinker to raise his
hands to cover his eyes. When his eyes adjusted, he lowered his
hands and saw that it was Gino who held the lamp. In the weak light
of the lamp, his unhappy expression looked like something straight
from Kinker's nightmares.

“The tunnel has probably leveled out,” said Gino.
“But we still don't know what is on the outside.”

“Someone should go and check,” said Jenur, standing
up and dusting off her shirt sleeves. “Anyone volunteered?”

“No,” said Gino. “Remember the Captain's orders.
We're to stay below deck for the entirety of the time spent in the
tunnel, except in emergencies.”

“That's bull,” said Jenur. “I want to know what's
out there and I'm going to take a look.”

Kinker rested a hand on Jenur's shoulder. “Jenur, I
think you should stay here. It might be too dangerous out there for
a girl your age.”

Jenur shrugged off Kinker's hand. “Kinks, I'm going
to be fine. You know I can look after myself.”

“Be that as it may, having more help is never a bad
thing,” said Kinker. “May I at least come with you? The more backup
the better, if I do say so myself.”

“Fine,” said Jenur. “Gino, give me that lamp. I need
to see where I am going if I'm going to go out there.”

Gino didn't look like he agreed with that at all,
but he nonetheless handed the lamp to Jenur. “Be careful out there.
It could be dangerous.”

Jenur smirked. “Gino, after almost getting eaten
alive by three gods, danger doesn't frighten me anymore.”

Gino shrugged and stepped aside. “As you wish.”

-

Malock rubbed his belly as Banika mopped up the
contents of his stomach that he had unfortunately hurled when the
ship went downhill fast. He had had enough sense in his head to
barf all over the floor, rather than on his desk, but it was still
messy and Malock still felt rather sick. It didn't help that the
stateroom was almost pitch black now, thanks to the tunnel's
complete lack of light, although Vashnas had been smart enough to
bring a lamp with her before they entered the tunnel.

“I am so sorry,” said Malock, contorting his mouth
due to the taste of barf still in it. “I didn't realize I'd hurl
like that when we'd start going down.”

“Not a problem, sir,” said Banika, swishing her mob
back and forth across the floor. “Compared to what I've had to
clean up before, this is nothing.”

Malock nodded and glanced out the window, seeing
only complete and utter darkness. He could hear the sound of
running water outside, heard the creaking of the ship underneath
his feet, but beyond that the tunnel was utterly silent, making him
wonder if there was anything inside the tunnel at all.

He turned to Vashnas. She was sitting on the sofa,
as usual, her hands folded behind her head and her legs crossed.
She looked utterly bored at the proceedings and seemed to be on the
verge of falling asleep.

Malock normally would have considered that cute, but
right now she just looked insubordinate. “All right, Vash. Now that
we're in the tunnel, what can we expect to run into?”

Vashnas yawned and said, “I don't know.”

“Excuse me?” said Malock. “You're supposed to be the
expert on the southern seas. Surely you must know what lives in
this tunnel.”

Vashnas yawned again, this time in a rather
irritating fashion, and said, “I don't know every aspect of the
southern seas, Mal. Last time I was here, I didn't even enter this
tunnel. I thought it would be too dangerous, especially since I
didn't have a ship.”

“I thought you said you went to World's End,” said
Malock. “Didn't you tell me that at the beginning of the
voyage?”

Vashnas shrugged. “I thought I said I
almost
got to World's End. Didn't I?”

Malock slapped his face. He didn't know why Vashnas
was being so obstinate, but he decided that interrogating her about
it would be a waste of time.

Instead, he said, “Then I suppose the next thing to
do would be to go out to the deck and see what is out there
myself.”

To his satisfaction, Vashnas actually sat up and
looked at him in alarm. “Mal, are you sure about that? I mean, of
course as Captain of the ship you have every right to, but you
don't know what's out there and—“

“And what?” said Malock. “It is true that there
could be many hidden dangers out there, monsters waiting to attack,
gods waiting to eat us, maybe another band of pirates. But
remember, I have Kano's approval. I doubt anything can kill me,
even if it wanted to. Logically, I am therefore the best choice to
explore an unknown, potentially lethal place.”

Vashnas put her hand on the back of her neck and
glanced out the window. She was clearly trying to come up with a
counterargument, but evidently could not come up with any. “Oh, all
right. But it's just so dark ...”

“You don't need to come with me,” said Malock,
holding his hand out for the lamp. “You and Banika can wait here,
if you wish, while I explore the tunnel or what little I will be
able to see anyway.”

Vashnas bit her lower lip, but nonetheless gave him
the lamp. “Just be careful out there, all right?”

“I will,” said Malock. “I'll be back soon.”

-

Emerging out of the ship's hatch, Kinker was struck
by how immensely dark the tunnel was. True, Jenur carried a lamp
with her, but somehow it seemed dim and insubstantial in comparison
to the utter blackness of the tunnel. The light extended only a few
feet in either direction, showing them nothing but darkness beyond
their little circle.

The air was damp, much more so than normal. It was
the kind of dampness that one experienced in caves that had water
and it smelled that way, too. Yet it was a refreshing smell, far
better than the stink of the
Iron Wind
, and Kinker breathed
it in deeply, a refreshing change from the cramped hold.

Jenur raised her lamp and squinted, as if trying to
develop night vision. “Can you see anything, Kinks? 'Cause all I
see is darkness.”

Kinker shook his head as he kicked the hatch closed.
“My eyesight isn't as good as yours, so I see the same.”

Just then, another light shone from the quarterdeck.
They both jumped until the light was revealed to be Malock,
carrying his own lamp. He walked over to them, looking both curious
and annoyed. And though his light added to theirs, the darkness
still felt overpowering.

“Kinker? Jenur?” said Malock, stopping a few feet
from them. “What are you two doing out here? I ordered the
whole
crew to be below deck. Not just a few.”

“We got bored,” Jenur said. “We wanted to see what
the tunnel was like.”

“That is the worst excuse for disobeying my orders
that I've ever heard,” said Malock. “And believe me when I say that
I've heard plenty of bad excuses on this voyage. So—“

A subtle shift in the atmosphere of the tunnel
caused Kinker to raise his hand. Malock, frowning in annoyance,
said, “What?”

“Don't you feel that?” said Kinker, speaking in a
hush for reasons even he did not understand.

“Feel what?” said Jenur.

“Someone is watching us,” said Kinker, his eyes
darting back and forth. “I don't know who, but someone is.”

Malock cocked his head. “Kinker, you're speaking
nonsense. I sense nothing. We are alone in here.”

“Alone indeed,” said a voice that belonged to none
of them, that seemed to come from the darkness itself. “Alone in
the dark, alone in the world, alone on this very ship. Alone-ness,
it would seem, is an inherent aspect of the mortal condition.”

Malock, Jenur, and Kinker all looked around, waving
their lamps this way and that, trying to spot the source of the
voice, but it was impossible. The darkness was too absolute and
their lamps were too weak. It was like sticking a light inside a
thick layer of mud; in fact, Kinker wondered if the darkness was
mud or solid in some way. It felt that way, at least.

“Who's there?” said Malock, his voice trembling with
fear. “Show yourself.”

“I don't think you would like that,” said the voice.
“I don't think you would like that at all. My appearance is not one
you mortals would appreciate it; besides, isn't it funner to
speculate about what I may look like? Use your imagination, use
your creativity, or call on your history to tell you what I may
look like.”

“Sounds like someone is fond of spouting nonsense,”
said Jenur. “We're really not in the mood to solve riddles.”

“Good point,” said the voice. “I've never been a fan
of my sister and her riddles, either. Nor have my other siblings,
for that matter. Very well. I will show you who I am, how I look,
but if you hate my appearance, then that is your prerogative.”

A loud slapping sound echoed off the tunnel's walls,
the sound of something soft and slimy landing on the deck. Yet
nothing appeared in their circle of light, causing Kinker to think
that the voice had lied to them when a bright light shone, near the
mainmast, so bright and so sudden that it caused Kinker to cover
his eyes again to avoid losing his vision.

When the light faded, Kinker lowered his hands and
was astonished by what he saw.