The Eye of Neptune (9 page)

‘I found you,’ Blizzard said, a slight smile twisting the unscarred half of his face. ‘There’s not much gossip that doesn’t reach my ears and the fisherfolk of the village were very chatty. Someone else did too, by the sound of it. Could it have been your father?’

‘My own father who kidnapped Oginski and murdered Mrs Evans?’ Dakkar spluttered. ‘Why would he do that when he could just tell Oginski to send me home?’

Blizzard gave another lopsided smile. He looked sad. ‘Maybe he couldn’t. Oginski is a law unto himself – you know that. What if your father couldn’t get you back?’

‘Oginski would never do that,’ Dakkar said, horrified. ‘He’d never hold me against my will. Maybe my father put out the reward to confuse his enemies!’

Blizzard nodded his head slowly, but whether he was agreeing Dakkar couldn’t tell.

Dakkar stamped down the steps from the quarterdeck.
I should be pleased
, he thought.
If I can find Fulton, then maybe I’ll have a clue as to who took Oginski
. But the conversation about the reward nagged at him.

The next few days saw Dakkar on light duties – Finch and Blizzard made sure of that. Dakkar kept out of the way of Slater, who glowered at him whenever they crossed paths.

Finally, one evening, the lookout shouted and Dakkar ran forward to see a distant strip of grey on the horizon.

‘Americay!’ Finch laughed. ‘We’ll have to be careful, mind – there’ll be patrols back and forth, and if anyone spots us from shore they’ll sound the alarm.’

Dakkar stared at the indistinct mass in the distance. His stomach twisted and he felt like telling Blizzard that he’d changed his mind. What if Fulton didn’t know anything? What if he were caught and hanged as a spy?

‘You don’t have to go, y’know,’ Finch said, giving Dakkar a sidelong glance. ‘I don’t reckon Blizzard would be for seein’ yer hang when we get back to England.’

‘No,’ Dakkar muttered, shaking his head. ‘If there’s a chance of finding Oginski, then I must take it.’

‘Ship to starboard!’ cried the lookout, sending Finch and Dakkar scurrying over to the other side of the ship.

‘Look lively, men!’ Blizzard bellowed from the quarterdeck. He limped over to starboard and pulled open his telescope.

Sailors ran to and fro. Some hurried to the cannon that lined the deck; others scrambled down below.

‘Is she American?’ Dakkar asked, clambering up the steps to Blizzard.

‘Hard to tell, lad,’ Blizzard murmured. ‘I can’t make out her colours yet but we can’t be too careful. We must get ready for a fight.’

‘I’ll need a weapon then,’ Dakkar said, narrowing his eyes at the horizon.

‘Of course – I didn’t expect you to be cowering in the hold, Prince!’ Blizzard laughed, and patted Dakkar on the back. ‘Go with Finch and choose your weapons.’

‘Come with me, lad,’ Finch said, grinning.

Dakkar followed Finch down to the main deck, where marines were giving out swords, pistols and powder.

‘Arm the pirates too,’ Blizzard called over the crowd. ‘They’ll fight for their lives as well as any.’

Soon, Dakkar stood among the anxious mob, their swords clinking, lead balls rattling down musket barrels.

‘What’s the situation, lookout?’ Blizzard called up to the man on top of the mast.

‘She doesn’t seem to be paying us much attention, sir,’ the lookout cried back. ‘She’s got her stern to us. Travelling away, she is, sir!’

Dakkar squinted at the distant speck. In the dying twilight it was hard to tell, but he thought it was getting smaller.

Silence fell over the crew as they stood on the deck, willing the ship to vanish over the horizon. Finally, Blizzard snapped his telescope shut.

‘Stand down, men,’ he shouted. ‘It looks like we struck lucky today!’

A relieved murmur spread among the sailors but Dakkar frowned and laid a hand on Finch’s arm.

‘What’s that noise?’ Dakkar said.

‘What noise?’ Finch replied, looking puzzled. ‘Can’t hear anything, lad.’

The noise felt familiar to Dakkar. A clicking and whining sound.

The whole ship shuddered and the crew fell silent again. A hideous creaking groan rattled through the ship’s timbers and suddenly the deck began to tilt.

Men scurried out of the hatches below, soaking wet, their eyes wide in terror.

‘We’ve hit something, cap’n!’ yelled one of the men. ‘We’re going down!’

The whole deck flew into chaos. Men scrambled to get the lifeboats down as the deck tilted even more. The port side of the ship began to vanish into the water.

‘Come on, Dakkar,’ Finch cried, clambering into a rowing boat.

But Dakkar could see a familiar shape moving down below in the water. And what
was
that sound?

Something hard punched him in the back and Dakkar spun round to see Slater’s manic face above him.

‘Nothing but bad luck, that’s what you are!’ Slater screamed, bringing his foot down hard on to Dakkar’s chest.

Dakkar windmilled his arms but he couldn’t stop himself stumbling backward across the slippery deck and he plunged headlong into the icy cold water.

Chapter Ten

Evil Twin?

Darkness had fallen completely now and the chill of the sea seeped into Dakkar’s bones, numbing him. He shivered, treading water and listening for any clue as to where the lifeboats had gone. They had circled, the men rowing and Blizzard calling out names, but Dakkar’s voice was nothing more than a hoarse croak. Every now and then, he heard shouts but they seemed increasingly distant. Here and there spars of wood drifted around in the eddying current left by the sinking ship. Dakkar grabbed one of these for support and rested against it.

I can’t stay here for ever
, he thought, his teeth chattering with the cold.
But which way to swim? I could end up swimming even further out to sea until I’m exhausted and . . .
He tried not to think what would happen when he ran out of energy.

He slumped over the rocking spar of wood and closed his eyes. The cold gnawed at him, making him ache all over.
Maybe I should just slip beneath the surface – swim to the bottom and join the fish. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Oginski. Perhaps I’d see Mrs Evans again.

Tears stung his eyes as he thought of Oginski, of his parents at home not knowing that he was going to die. Dakkar blinked and stared down into the water. Deep beneath him a yellow light glimmered. It was moving!

Dakkar watched in amazement as the light grew closer. A cloud of silver bubbles boiled to the surface. He could see the black outline of a craft.
But the
Makara
sank
, he thought.
I saw it myself. There’s no way she could return to the surface
.

The outline grew bigger. Dakkar’s vision began to blur with the cold. In what seemed like a dream, light flooded the sea around him and he thought he could make out the shape of the
Makara
– only bigger, more streamlined. He kicked his legs, desperate to get some life back into them and to fend off unconsciousness.

With a hiss and a splash, the
Makara
bounced out of the depths and rocked on the surface.

It’s a sea monster and it’ll swallow me whole
, Dakkar thought wearily.

A round hatch opened at the front of the craft and Dakkar was aware of a human outline and the golden light from inside flashing on glass lenses. But the cold and fatigue finally took their toll. Gradually he slipped off the beam that had kept him afloat and into the welcoming waves.

‘Wake up!’

Something struck him hard across the face.

‘
Wake up
, boy, or do I have to smack you again?’ a voice snapped at him.

Dakkar’s cheek stung. His clothes were still sodden with seawater and his black hair clung to his face. He opened his eyes and stared around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Except somehow he recognised exactly where he was.

He could see the wooden walls of the
Makara
’s lower cabin, the brass levers, wheels and handles. Fish drifted past huge portholes set into the polished sides of what could only be the
Makara
. Only it wasn’t the
Makara
. It was too big.

A girl squatted in front of him. Freckles peppered her nose and cheeks. Her red, curly hair was tied in a wild ponytail, the fringe scraped back by a pair of goggles acting like a headband. She stared at him with sharp emerald eyes. Her long blue dress reminded Dakkar of the ladies bathing in the sea at Lyme Regis. But his eyes didn’t linger on the girl for long. Instead, he blinked at the scene behind her.

Dakkar tried to sit up, only to find himself bound to the seat. ‘What happened?’ he groaned. ‘And who are you?’

‘I’ll ask the questions here, boy,’ the girl growled, an American accent giving her voice a nasal twang. ‘Now where’s my uncle?’

‘Your uncle?’ Dakkar spluttered. ‘How would I know where he is? I don’t even know who you are!’

‘Don’t make me slug you again!’ she snarled, raising an arm. ‘You were on that British ship. Now where’s Robert Fulton?’

‘Fulton?’ Dakkar felt the blood drain from his face. ‘What d’you mean, where’s Fulton?’

The girl swung her hand, stinging Dakkar’s cheek. His eyes watered and he glowered at her.

‘I said, I’ll ask the questions,’ she hissed. ‘My uncle went for his usual constitutional walk in the evening, then I saw him being grabbed and dragged towards the sea.’

Dakkar noticed a purple bruise on the girl’s temple. ‘And you tried to stop them,’ he guessed. ‘Only they were too strong.’

‘Too strong? Hah!’ she said, folding her arms. ‘One of them snuck up behind me and knocked me senseless. When I came to, I saw your ship on the horizon and launched the
L
–’ She closed her mouth suddenly, swallowing her words and blushing slightly as if she’d said too much.

‘This submersible,’ Dakkar finished, unable to stifle a grin at her shock.

‘How do you know that?’ she gasped. ‘You must be a spy. You
have
got my uncle.’ She launched forward, almost sitting in Dakkar’s lap, and started to bang his head against the back of the seat. ‘Give him back, you good-for-nothing savage!’ The craft rocked and tipped with the violence of her attack.

‘I’m not a savage,’ Dakkar yelled through gritted teeth. ‘I’m not a spy either. Just stop and let me explain!’

Panting, the girl backed off and stared at him through narrow eyes. ‘Go ahead then,’ she murmured.

‘My name is Prince Dakkar,’ he said, catching his breath, ‘son of the Rajah of Bundelkhand, in the province of –’

‘I don’t have much time for princes,’ the girl snapped, raising her fist. ‘We got rid of one king and don’t need another.’

‘I was staying with Count Oginski,’ Dakkar added quickly.

‘Oginski?’ the girl repeated. ‘I’ve often heard Uncle talk of him but I thought he was Uncle’s friend.’ She froze and her face flushed again. ‘Wait a minute. You mean Oginski betrayed my uncle?’ She leaned towards him, fists clenched.

‘No, no!’ Dakkar yelled hurriedly. ‘Oginski has been taken too.’ Dakkar’s voice fell and tears stung his eyes again. ‘They came in the night, killed Mrs Evans, our housekeeper. Oginski was working on a craft just like this one. He shared his notes with Fulton.’ He gave a slight gasp as the realisation dawned on him. ‘Your uncle must have been making a submersible at the same time as Oginski,’ he said slowly. ‘While your uncle built a sub on this side of the ocean, Oginski built one in England. They were building the subs and exchanging advice with each other but first Oginski was kidnapped and now your uncle.’

‘A likely story,’ the girl snorted. ‘Why would my uncle share his ideas with this Count Oginski?’

‘Think about it – you said yourself that they’re friends,’ Dakkar replied. ‘They’re the greatest engineering minds in the world, so of course they would collaborate.’

‘I don’t trust you,
your highness
,’ the girl said, jabbing Dakkar with her index finger. ‘If your precious Oginski is missing, then what are you doing here with the Brits, kidnapping my uncle?’

Dakkar gave an exasperated groan. ‘
I
didn’t kidnap your uncle! I thought the “Brits” on that ship had kidnapped Oginski so I went after them in
my
submersible – I called her the
Makara
.’

The girl sat quietly for a moment, chewing her lip. Dakkar could tell she wasn’t convinced.

‘So how come you were on board the
Palaemon
?’ she demanded. ‘And not in your . . .
Marraka
?’

‘
Makara
,’ Dakkar corrected, his face burning as he remembered how he lost her. ‘I attacked a pirate ship and got caught in the wreckage. The sub sank and they rescued me.’

‘You got caught,’ she said, pulling a disapproving face at Dakkar. ‘At least I can use the
Liberty
to good effect!’