Interzone Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine #226 (3 page)

"May I help you, Miss Tolester?” the older constable, a giant man named Samuels, asked. Constable Samuels had never liked Amber because he was named on her body, even though he wasn't a sailor.

"I want to see David Sahr."

Samuels glanced at the other constable, who was Billy Martin, the boy she'd had a crush on back in school. They'd even sneaked a kiss once during a family beach trip. But then Amber's parents died and Billy—along with the rest of Windspur—learned what the names on her body meant. Since then, Billy hadn't given her more than a passing glance.

"Why would you wish to see our dear Mr Sahr?” Constable Samuels asked.

"One of the
Simply
's sailors said Sahr was speaking my name when they found him."

Constable Samuels’ mouth opened in shock. “Wait. Is Sahr named on your skin?"

"Yes."

Billy grabbed Samuels’ arm. “Does that mean he'll escape us?” Billy asked. “How can he die at sea when he's to hang?"

Constable Samuels shook his head, unsure himself.

"What did he do?” Amber asked.

"He's a wrecker,” Samuels said. “The Receiver of Wrecks has a warrant on him for setting up false lights along rocky coasts and luring ships to their doom. There's also rumor he's into piracy, but we've no evidence of that. But wrecking's enough to hang for. Of course, if he's to die at sea, I don't know what that means about him taking to a rope anytime soon."

"Maybe it means he's innocent,” Amber suggested.

Samuels laughed, obviously not believing that, and told Amber she couldn't see Mr Sahr. Amber tried to catch Billy's eye, but he refused to look at her. Angry and dejected, she pushed Billy away and stormed out of the hospital.

After leaving the hospital, Amber visited Richard Beard, a long-time friend of her parents who ran a photography studio only a few blocks from Amber's store. When she showed Beard the daguerreotype, he was instantly fascinated.

"A fine specimen,” he said, shifting the silver-backed glass frame in his hands. “Macabre, but a fine specimen."

"Really? The hanged man's face is blurry."

Richard Beard shook his head and led Amber to the back wall of his studio. Hundred of photographs hung there—a mix of daguerreotypes, tintypes, and the new albumen prints, which had become trendy of late because their small
carte de viste
prints were so cheap. Almost all the photos were of sailors and their wives and girlfriends, and many of the sailors’ portraits were framed in black.

"The problem with daguerreotypes is exposures take almost a minute,” Beard said. “Creating a picture outside is dicey, more so on a ship. The fact that only the man's face blurred indicates either extreme luck or skill on the photographer's part. For myself, I only use the
daguerre
process for landscapes or studio portraits—and for portraits, I require a back brace to hold the subject still."

"Then why take a picture that way?"

"Well, a properly sealed daguerreotype can last forever, which is more than I can say about those little
carte de viste
prints everyone wants these days."

Before Amber left, she asked if it was possible to manipulate a daguerreotype's image. Richard Beard again glanced at the daguerreotype, obviously seeing that Amber's skin was free of the names. He shook his head.

"The image is too delicate. That's why we seal them in glass—the faintest touch destroys them."

Amber thanked the man and returned to her shop, still brooding over both the daguerreotype and David Sahr.

For the next few days Amber tried over and over to see David Sahr, only to have Samuels and Billy continually stop her. From the hospital nurses Amber learned that Sahr was in a fever-induced delirium, but expected to recover. Of course, he would then hang for his crimes. But as the nurses said, that was a matter between Sahr and his God, not them.

Amber also learned more about this David Sahr. His ancestors had lived in Windspur for hundreds of years, always working as sailors. When Sahr was ten, his father died at sea. Shortly after, Sahr and his mother moved away. In the four decades since, no one in Windspur heard anything about Sahr until reports reached constables that he was wrecking ships.

On the fifth day after the
Simply
reached port, the winds picked up, the barometer fell, and a light rain pattered across the roof tiles. By evening the winds howled as fat drops of rain rapped on the windows.

Amber was undressing for bed when two names began burning in red fire across her breasts—Constable Samuels and Billy. Amber ran to her balcony window and stared at the harbor. Because of the building storm, most ships had come in early. Why would Samuels and Billy try to sail on a night like this? Uncertain, but wanting to warn the two men, Amber grabbed her rain coat and ran to the harbor.

She found the harbor deserted, even the night watchman having retreated in the face of the storm. The ships jumped and splashed alongside the slick docks. Beyond the edge of the harbor Amber saw massive waves crashing on the breakwater.

Then she heard a gunshot.

Amber crept warily toward the sound and found Constable Samuels and David Sahr wrestling on the main pier beside a mid-sized cutter. Samuels had the size advantage and straddled Sahr, pounding the sailor's head over and over with his large fists. Unsure what to do, Amber stepped back and tripped over a body—Billy—sprawled beside a fish cleaning table. He reached for her as blood poured from a gunshot wound to his head. Amber pressed her hand over the wound. Billy gripped her arm for a second before passing out.

Amber looked up to see Constable Samuels tying Sahr's hands with rope, the peaceful face Sahr had shown while unconscious replaced with lines of hate and rage.

"How's Billy?” Constable Samuels yelled over the wind.

"Still breathing,” she said. “I think the bullet only grazed his skull."

Samuels finished tying Sahr's hand together, kicked the captive man, and picked up a fallen eight-barrel pepper-box pistol. Keeping the pistol pointed at Sahr, Samuels walked over to examine his wounded partner. Suddenly, a large wave slammed into the pier, knocking Amber and Samuels over and washing Billy into the waters below. Amber scrambled to the edge of the pier and grabbed Billy's shirt just as he went under. She felt his name burning white hot on her skin as the sea screamed to take him from her.

Amber yelled for Samuels to help, but when she glanced back she saw Sahr had used the confusion to fight back. The wrecker straddled the constable, Sahr's bound hands slamming Samuels head into a piling. The constable moaned as Sahr shoved him into the surging waters below, causing Samuel's name to spark fire through Amber's shirt and raincoat. But she ignored the pain, desperate not to lose her grip on Billy.

"Help me,” she yelled at Sahr. “I can't pull him up by myself."

Sahr glanced down at the waves beneath the pier and shook his head. He picked up Samuels’ pistol, holding it between his still-bound hands. He told Amber to let go of Billy and come with him.

"What?"

"We're fated to be together. Let go of him."

Amber glared at Sahr. “No."

Sahr shook his head angrily and pointed the pistol at Amber. She glanced at Billy, who was now awake from the shock of the surging sea. He stared in fear and pawed at the pier, too weak to pull himself up. She didn't need to feel Billy's burning name to know he was begging her not to let him die.

"Last chance,” Sahr said.

"No."

To Amber's surprise, Sahr didn't pull the trigger. Instead, he smiled before hitting her across the head with the pistol butt.

Amber drifted in and out of consciousness, unsure if she was dreaming or awake. She dimly remembered Sahr jumping into a small cutter tied to the dock and sailing into the gale force winds. She remembered Samuels’ name burning deep into her body as the constable drowned. But where she expected to feel the fire of Billy's death, she instead felt a gentle kiss like the one they'd shared so long ago during their ill-fated beach trip.

She cried at the memory, wishing she hadn't gone on that damned trip. A week earlier she'd turned sixteen and discovered her body crawling with names—including those of her parents. But instead of telling anyone, she'd covered herself in long robes and stayed in her room, pretending to be sick.

Her parents worried about her, but Amber was too ashamed to tell them the truth, fearing they'd think her possessed by some devil. Then one morning her mother knocked on her bedroom door.

"Honey,” her mother said with a conspirator's smirk. “Billy's downstairs. He and his mother have invited us on a beach trip."

Amber knew her mother had set this up, but she didn't want to turn Billy down. She was also amazed her mother was willing to go to the beach. Amber's mom had always been deathly afraid of water.

So Amber and her parents joined the Martins at the beach. Amber wore her longest swimming dress, full-length sleeves and gloves, and so much body powder she continually fought back sneezes. They ate a picnic lunch, searched for seashells, and had a wonderful time. Amber even overheard Mrs Martin say how impressed she was with Amber for being so modestly dressed.

As the sun neared the horizon, Amber's father walked up to his waist in the surf. He teased Amber's mother, asking her to join him, but she merely shook her head and laughed nervously as Mrs Martin stood beside her. With their parents distracted, Billy reached for Amber's gloved hand and kissed her on the cheek. Amber blushed and turned her lips to Billy, but before they could kiss again Amber's mother screamed.

She turned to see her father struggling in the surf against a powerful rip current which hadn't been there moments before. He'd already been pulled a dozen yards out to sea. Amber started to run toward him, but suddenly doubled over as pain burned her body. When she looked up, she saw her mother—despite her fear of the water—running into the sea. When she reached Amber's father, the burning on Amber's skin lessened for a moment. But then they both disappeared beneath the waves and their names burned through Amber's clothes, scorching both her body and soul.

When the pain finally stopped, Amber looked up to see Billy and his mother staring at her in shock, their eyes reading the letters now singed across Amber's clothes. Billy reached for her, but his mother stopped him and, Amber noticed, Billy didn't resist very hard. And when Billy's mother asked if her son's name was also on Amber's body, all Amber could do was nod.

A fisherman found her parents’ bodies the next day, their arms locked in a stiff hug. Amber cried for months over that beach trip, wishing she'd ignored Billy and told her parents about the names. Wishing she'd known beforehand what the names meant.

Wishing she could be as brave as her mother.

Amber dreamed all through the storm and woke the next morning in the hospital, warm sunlight flooding her room and the curtains rippling to the gentle sea breeze. Two doctors and a nurse stood beside her, fussing over the lump on her head as if it was the most important wound they'd ever attended.

Amber soon learned why they were so concerned—she was a hero. Several townsfolk had heard the gunshots. When they reached the pier, they found Amber lying unconscious beside Billy. They also saw Sahr sailing away, his tiny cutter tacking left and right directly into the wind.

Even though the doctors told Amber to stay in bed, she couldn't sit still when she heard Billy was alive. She pushed everyone out of her room and closed the door, searching her body for Billy's name. It was gone! She'd changed his fate!

That afternoon, Amber visited Billy in his hospital room. Billy's head was bandaged, but the bullet had simply grazed his head and the doctors said he should recover. Billy smiled weakly and thanked her. Amber wasn't sure how she'd managed to pull Billy out of the water after Sahr hit her in the head, but she was glad he'd survived. Feeling daring, she reached out to hold Billy's hand.

Because she wore a hospital gown, the sailors’ names crawled down her bare arms and mingled around their interlocked hands. But Billy merely smiled and pretended not to notice.

Amber soon recovered enough to leave the hospital. To her surprise, a large crowd greeted her outside her dry goods store. Several women who'd lost husbands and sons to the sea hugged her—including the old woman who'd spit at her a few weeks back. Amber stammered her thanks and tried not to look shocked.

In the weeks that followed, people continued to treat her with, if not outright kindness, at least courtesy. While shoppers at her dry goods store still stared at the few bits of flesh Amber couldn't keep covered, no one glared with hostility. Everyone knew Amber had saved Billy's life. Better yet, Mrs Andercoust confirmed that Billy's name was no longer on Amber's skin, giving hope to the families of other named sailors that perhaps they too could dodge fate.

When Billy was released from the hospital, Amber walked him home. They talked of little things—how nice the breeze felt, how the clouds scudded so quietly across the sky. When they reached Billy's home he kissed her gently on the cheek.

Amber walked in a happy daze all the way back to her shop.

Soon Amber began seeing Billy Martin on a regular basis. Amber still didn't care for Billy's mother—she'd never forgotten the hatred on the woman's face when she learned Billy's name was on Amber's skin. However, Billy's mother now acted like Amber was the finest lady on earth and invited Amber to every Sunday dinner. Afterward Amber and Billy took long walks along the harbor, where sailors waved at the young couple.

During one of their walks they stopped at an ice lolly vendor. As they sat on a park bench eating bites of cherry ice, Billy asked Amber what she wanted to do with her life.

"I want to spend the rest of my life in a dry goods store,” she said sarcastically.

Billy laughed. “Seriously,” he said.

Amber smiled. “I'm not sure. All I've ever truly wanted is for the names to leave my body.” She held up her hand so he could see the names flowing around her fingers. For a moment, Amber was afraid she'd been too honest. “What about you?” she quickly asked.