The Curse of the Ice Serpent (2 page)

‘Who is Tomasz?’ Dakkar cut in before the conversation left him far behind.

‘Another brother.’ Oginski nodded at Borys. ‘His identical twin. They were always at each other’s throats and yet united against the rest of the world. Believe me, Dakkar, these two are more deadly than the rest of the Oginski clan put together. And more dishonest.’

Borys gripped the arms of his chair and angry red spots flamed in his cheeks. ‘So only
you
are capable of changing? Only
you
can be redeemed?’ he spat. ‘The great Franciszek Oginski can become a saint but his brothers remain devils?’

‘Are you saying you’ve abandoned the Cryptos mission?’ Oginski sneered.

‘Did you not see the Cryptos balloon chasing me?’ Borys said, half rising in his seat. ‘They would have killed me but for these youngsters here!’

‘The last two Oginski brothers we’ve met weren’t so eager to make friends,’ Georgia said, her arms folded. She had been silent up to now, watching Borys’s every move.

‘And those brothers –
our
brothers – have ended up dead at your hands,’ Borys said, waving an accusing finger at Dakkar, Georgia and Oginski. ‘Aren’t you tired of the bloodshed? Can’t all this end?’

‘We didn’t seek them out,’ Dakkar said crossly. ‘It was they who tried to kill us. If they’d left us alone … If they’d lived in peace …’

Borys slapped the arm of his chair. ‘Exactly!’ he said. ‘That is all
I
want to do but it seems some of us
have other ideas.’ He looked hard at Oginski, who lowered his gaze to his drink.

‘Maybe you do.’ Oginski sounded unimpressed. ‘Who was trying to shoot you down?’

‘Tomasz’s guards.’ Borys’s voice was barely a whisper.

Dakkar looked at to his mentor. ‘So what’s new?’ he said. ‘Didn’t Oginski just say that you hate each other?’

‘Yes, but this time it’s different. Tomasz has become even more power-crazed,’ Borys said. ‘He’s planning something terrible. I managed to stall his plan and fled but he chased me.’

‘What is he planning?’ Dakkar asked. His mouth felt dry as he spoke.

‘He’s going to harness the Heart of Vulcan,’ Borys replied, looking pale now.

‘And what in the world is that?’ Georgia said, narrowing her eyes.

‘A Thermolith,’ Borys said, jumping up and striding over to the fire. ‘I believe you have possession of the Eye of Neptune, a Voltalith, a fragment of rock from the stars that crackles with electrical energy?’

Dakkar swallowed hard. It was true that they had such a thing. Dakkar had been forced to retrieve it from the ocean bed by another Oginski brother only last year. The Voltalith was used to power the
Nautilus
. Dakkar tried not to give anything away but Borys stared at him as he spoke, a slight smile playing round his lips.

‘We know everything, boy,’ Borys said. ‘You think the Brothers Oginski don’t communicate with each other?’

‘The Heart of Vulcan is a similar rock fragment but it generates huge amounts of heat and never cools,’ Oginski cut in. ‘I’d heard tell of it but thought it just a myth until now.’

‘The Heart of Vulcan exists all right,’ Borys said, the wine glass shaking in his hand. ‘A seething, glowing ball of energy!’

‘Think how many hot-air balloons you could power with just a fragment of it,’ Georgia whispered.

‘Or how many steam engines without the need for tons of coal,’ Dakkar added. ‘If you broke it up, it could drive a fleet of steam ships …’

‘We had the Heart of Vulcan in our grasp,’ Borys continued, a glint in his eye. ‘But what Tomasz was planning filled me with dread. I am sick of slaughter and destruction.’

‘Was Tomasz going to use it to power a weapon?’ Dakkar said.

‘He has already built a huge fortress that can fly using many hot-air balloons.’ Borys shook his head. ‘Imagine being able to sail above each major city of the world – you could drop bombs, rain fire and destruction down on them without anyone being able to fight back. Cities would be reduced to rubble, their populations brought to their knees. Tomasz would become invincible, unstop­pable. Put simply, he would rule the world from the skies.’

‘That’s awful,’ Georgia gasped. ‘Nobody could touch him. Armies and navies would be powerless.’

‘I had to stop him,’ Borys said, tears glistening in his eyes.

‘What did you do?’ Oginski said, watching Borys closely.

‘He needed the Thermolith to power his creation,’ Borys said. ‘I took it and hid it in an ice cave in Greenland then fled for my life. But Tomasz will be searching for it, believe me.’

‘That’s why the Cryptos Guard weren’t shooting directly at you,’ Georgia said slowly. ‘Tomasz wants you alive.’

‘Tomasz never was the smartest of the two of you,’ Oginski snorted. ‘You always had the brains, Borys. Tomasz couldn’t find his own shoelaces without your help.’

Borys’s cheeks coloured red and he glared at Oginski. ‘Tomasz is still our brother,’ he said. ‘To underestimate him would be a grave mistake.’

‘He’s right. Sooner or later Tomasz will work out where the Heart of Vulcan is,’ Dakkar said in a low voice.

‘If we can get the Heart of Vulcan before he does,’ Borys said, pouncing on Dakkar’s eagerness, ‘then think of the chaos and suffering we can avoid.’

‘We’ve
got
to find it before he does!’ Dakkar said, looking towards Oginski.

The big man held up his hand. ‘You are impetuous, my boy,’ Oginski said. ‘We don’t know how close Tomasz is to finding the Thermolith.’ Oginski gave Borys an icy stare.

‘We don’t even know if he
is
looking for it.’

Borys shook his head. ‘Ever the stubborn mule, Frank,’ he said. ‘You think I arranged for Tomasz’s men to shoot at me? You think I set fire to my own balloon, right on the edge of a cliff, so that you’d believe me? You think I’d try such a stupid gamble, just to win your confidence?’

Oginski stared back at them, twirling the glass in his fingers.

‘One thing you
do
know about me, Frank, is that I’m not stupid,’ Borys said, glaring at his brother. ‘I don’t do stupid things. I don’t take risks.’

‘Nevertheless, we are not going charging off to Greenland on some fool’s errand because Tomasz
might
be looking for trouble,’ Oginski said, putting his drink down. ‘I need time to think.’ He stalked out of the room and slammed the door behind him, making Gweek squawk.

Borys turned to Dakkar and Georgia. ‘I fear we don’t have the luxury of time.’

CHAPTER THREE

A DECISION

The heavy wooden workbench that ran the length of one wall in Dakkar’s workshop creaked as Georgia settled herself on to it. Oginski had given Dakkar this room to practise building all kinds of mechanical marvels and Dakkar treated it as a haven too. Cogs and springs littered the work surfaces and plans jostled for space on the walls. Strange white hieroglyphs covered the chalkboard that stood in the corner next to a couple of ragged armchairs.

‘Do you think we can trust him?’ Georgia said, twirling a spring between her fingers. ‘What he said was right. If Oginski can change his ways, so can Borys. And why shouldn’t he want to?’

‘I don’t know,’ Dakkar replied, leaning heavily on the bench. ‘Oginski seems adamant. He’s spent the last two nights guarding Borys’s room. He wouldn’t do that unless he had good reason. He looks terrible.’

‘He’s still recovering from his encounter with Napoléon’s guards,’ Georgia said, nodding. Oginski had received near fatal wounds when they fled from Elba, pursued by the Emperor Napoléon’s toughest soldiers.

‘What if we sent word to Cutter?’ Dakkar said, lifting his head. ‘They could come and keep an eye on Borys.’

Cutter and his men were Cryptos Red Faction, elite guards who fought with Oginski before he turned away from the organisation. Each member of the Red Faction owed Oginski his life and had sworn to serve him. Since Oginski had reformed, they had kept their distance, living in a cove along the coast and hoping he would return to the fold. But Cutter’s men were loyal to Cryptos too and this made any involvement with them complicated.

‘I don’t think we need to keep an eye on
Borys,’ Georgia said, throwing the spring back on to the bench. ‘We need to persuade Oginski to find this Thermolith before Tomasz does!’

A slight cough made Dakkar and Georgia turn. Borys stood at the door, peering in. Dakkar looked over his shoulder, expecting Oginski to be shadowing him.

‘Your mentor is asleep on his chair outside my room,’ he said, as if reading Dakkar’s mind. ‘It seemed a shame to wake him. Can I come in?’

Dakkar looked at Georgia and then nodded. ‘He’ll be furious when he finds you’ve sneaked out of the room,’ Dakkar said. ‘What do you want?’

‘Ingenious,’ Borys said, stepping into the workshop and picking up a clockwork model of a dog. ‘You are a clever young man.’

‘I have a good teacher,’ Dakkar said, reaching out and grabbing the toy. ‘Please be careful. It’s … delicate.’

‘Explosive, more like.’ Borys chuckled. ‘How far does it walk before it goes off?’

‘A few feet,’ Dakkar muttered. He could feel his face reddening. ‘It gives off a loud bang, a flash of light and releases a thick cloud of smoke. To cover a retreat.’

‘It seems a waste to put so much effort into making something that does so little damage.’ Borys gave a sly smile and gently took the toy back, squinting at it. ‘But you work on … bigger projects with my brother too?’

‘Maybe.’ Dakkar shrugged.

‘You seem mighty interested in Oginski’s inventions,’ Georgia said, folding her arms.

‘Tomasz will find the Heart of Vulcan, my dear,’ Borys said, his face suddenly serious. ‘He will find it and he will use it to conquer the world. If we’re going to get it before him, we’ll need all of Dakkar’s ingenuity – and yours,
of course. Oh, yes, Georgia Fulton, I’m fully aware of your famous uncle, Robert Fulton, and his part in the invention of the submarine called the
Nautilus
.’

‘Robert Fulton’s
Nautilus
was a mere toy,’ Dakkar said. ‘He tried selling it to Napoléon years ago but it didn’t impress the emperor.’

‘Don’t play games with me. I’m not talking about the prototype,’ Borys said, throwing up his arms in mock despair. ‘I’m talking about the craft he perfected with Oginski. The one that works. The one that my brother Kazmer made them build before he died.’

Georgia and Dakkar stood in silence but couldn’t help glancing at one another.

‘If we’re going to get to Greenland then the
Nautilus
is our best chance,’ Borys said, his voice low. ‘But she will need some modification – the waters there are cold and icy. I only want to help.’

‘Even if we did want to help you,’ Dakkar said, ‘I won’t go against Oginski. He’s like a father to me. It’s him you have to persuade.’

Borys shook his head. ‘Tomasz must be stopped,’ he said. ‘If Oginski doesn’t see this, we’re all doomed.’

‘So this is how you repay my hospitality, Borys?’ Oginski said, his large frame filling the doorway. ‘You sneak off while I’m asleep and try to turn Dakkar and Georgia against me.’

‘I was merely trying to persuade them that doing nothing is madness,’ Borys growled back. ‘And they are totally devoted to you.’ He gave a slight smile.

‘I would trust either of them with my life,’ Oginski said, his stern features softening.

‘He does have a point, Oginski,’ Dakkar said. ‘The Heart of Vulcan is out there and Tomasz won’t rest until he’s found it. We
must
retrieve it before he does.’

Oginski raised a hand. ‘Enough,’ he said. ‘Borys, I’d be obliged if you returned to your room. I need to talk to Dakkar and Georgia.’

Borys inclined his head. ‘As you wish, my brother,’ he said and sauntered out through the door, making Oginski step back for him.

‘Oginski, believe me, we wouldn’t have gone against you –’ Dakkar began.

‘We must find this Thermolith though,’ Georgia cut in.

Oginski held up his hand again. ‘Calm yourselves,’ he said. ‘I’ve thought long and hard and I can see that you’re right. We can’t ignore this. And as much as I have my reservations about my brother, I agree that we must give him the benefit of the doubt.’

‘Yes!’ Dakkar hissed, clenching his fists. He hated to admit it but the prospect of another adventure sent a thrill of excitement up his spine. Georgia beamed over at him too.

‘But we must prepare properly,’ Oginski said, labouring each word to press home the message to Dakkar. ‘We can’t just go waltzing off to Greenland in the
Nautilus
. Adjustments must be made to her.’

Dakkar’s heart thumped in his chest. ‘Borys said that he would help. We can get any modifications done in no time if we start now.’

‘Ah, the enthusiasm of youth,’ Oginski muttered, shaking his head and smiling. Dakkar thought he looked older at that moment, his hair greyer and the lines on his face somehow deeper.

‘Are you all right, Oginski?’ Dakkar asked, frowning anxiously at his mentor.