The Mad Voyage of Prince Malock (47 page)

“I care not what you choose to do to her,” said
Kano. “Insofar as harming her harms Malock, however, then I must
step in.”

Malock looked brave, standing there in front of
Vashnas like that, but Kinker noticed the slightest tremble in the
prince's demeanor. No wonder; if Kinker had stood up to any gods,
he, too, would have been trembling in his boots. Vashnas looked
both astonished and grateful at Malock's actions.

Kano turned away from Tinkar, who looked like he
wanted to murder her, and said to Malock, “With that out of the
way, I do believe it is time we discussed the reason I summoned you
here in the first place.”

Malock looked up her eagerly, though he still stood
in front of Vashnas. “I am all ears, my goddess.”

“Of course, the reason you are here has to do with
why I asked Messenger-and-Punisher to allow Kinker inside, too,”
said Kano. “I am sure you were wondering about that.”

Malock glanced at Kinker before saying, “Yes, I
was.”

Kano put her hands together, looking more than a bit
excited. “You see, Malock, I summoned you here for a very specific
reason: To deliver Kinker here, a task that I must say you
completed admirably well.”

It was amazing how quickly Malock's expression
changed from excitement to disbelief. “Excuse me, Kano, I don't
believe I heard you right. Did you say—“

“That you were supposed to deliver Kinker to me,
yes,” said Kano, nodding. “You heard right.”

Malock and Vashnas looked at Kinker in disbelief as
the old fisherman said, “Me? But why would you want me?”

“That's the same question I was going to ask,” said
Malock, before Kano could speak. “Forgive me for impudence, my
goddess, but I was under the impression that you had summoned
me
for a reason, that you were going to reward me with
something.”

Kano tilted her head, as if puzzled. “Why would I
ever reward you? You have done nothing to deserve any reward.
Admittedly, you are the first mortal in many years to reach World's
End alive, but that is mostly due to my protective aura and
luck.”

“But ...” Malock looked like he had just been told
that his favorite kitten had died. “Why did you summon me at all?
Couldn't you have ordered Messenger-and-Punisher to bring Kinker to
you instead?”

Kano put the tips of her fingers together, as if
deep in thought. “Messenger-and-Punisher is not really a very good
transporter. Mortals who are taken by him to anywhere—even if it's
only a very short trip—usually come out of it little more than
gibbering lunatics. I wanted Kinker to be sane, so I decided that
having you bring him to me would make more sense.”

Malock looked like his brain was working overtime,
as if trying to comprehend what he was hearing. “But ... I ... what
...”

Kano turned to Kinker and smiled at him. “The point
is, you have made it here, alive and in one piece. And that,
Kinker, my loyal follower, is an accomplishment.”

“This is an honor, Kano,” said Kinker, when he
finally found his tongue. “To be chosen by you—“

“What makes Kinker so special?” Malock snapped, his
voice higher than normal for some reason. “I am sorry for the tone,
Kano, but Kinker is ... I mean, he's just a fisherman from a
backwater island in the middle of nowhere. Why did I have to
deliver him? Why did I have to risk life and limb just to play
delivery boy?”

Tinkar smirked, probably enjoying the mental anguish
that Malock was experiencing right now. Kano, on the other hand,
looked amused at Malock's questions.

“Because of your nature,” said Kano. “You are
stubborn and driven. Considering the dangerous nature of the
southern seas, I considered those values to be highly important. I
believed that a man like you would reach World's End eventually,
even if it you lost your ship, which as I recall nearly happened
more than once.”

Malock ran a hand through his hair in sheer agony.
“You mean this entire time I ... I ... then why didn't you make
Kinker a Chosen One?”

Kano raised an eyebrow. “You mean you failed to
notice how he was one of the few members of your crew to survive my
younger brother's misguided attack on your ship back on Stalf? I
suppose I shouldn't have expected you mortals to know, considering
how blind you are to the aura Chosen Ones give off, but I would
have thought it obvious much the same. How else could he have
survived murder season around the seas of Destan?”

Malock was briefly at a loss for words. He opened
and closed his mouth several times, looked at Kinker helplessly,
and then drooped his shoulders. He looked down at his feet as
Vashnas placed a hand on his shoulder.

“But that doesn't explain why you wanted me,
though,” said Kinker. “I mean, I am honored to have been chosen by
you, Kano, but why would you want me? Especially after what I did
back on Destan. I would think you would have wanted to punish me
for my crimes.”

“You committed crimes?” said Vashnas, looking at him
in surprise. “I always thought you were too good for that.”

Kano regarded Kinker with confusion. “It was just a
mortal boy, Kinker. Hardly a precious life. No, what you did or
didn't do back on Destan is—“

“Just a mortal boy?” Kinker interrupted, despite
himself. “My goddess, I was forced to murder the boy in cold blood.
Surely that must mean I am deserving of some kind of
punishment.”

Again, Kano looked confused, almost as if Kinker was
speaking a language she didn't understand. “But it's true. Who
cares about the life of a puny mortal infant? He likely would not
have gone on to do great things. Right, Tinkar?”

Tinkar grunted. “It's true. The boy was fated to die
at your hands, Kinker, since his birth. Besides, we gods have
killed far more mortals than just a boy. It's not like a forced
murder disqualifies you from godhood.”

Kinker blinked. “But I—wait, did you say
godhood?”

Kano smiled and said, “Ah, I'm glad to see that
you're catching on. Yes, Kinker, the reason—the whole reason—I
summoned Prince Malock to deliver you here is to ascend you into
godhood, as is your rightful destiny.”

Kinker's heart stopped. He was sure of it. It had
to. He looked into Kano's eyes, wondering if she was joking, but
she looked completely serious. Tinkar looked just as serious, if a
bit grumpy. Malock and Vashnas looked as shocked as he felt; in
fact, Malock looked totally floored.

“Me?” said Kinker in a weak voice. “Ascend to ...
godhood?”

“Yes,” said Kano. “Lucky you. Very few mortals have
ever been fated to join our ranks. The last one was my lovely wife
Niham, who ascended six hundred years ago to this day.”

Tinkar grunted. “I still hold that
that
particular ascension was a mistake.”

“Only because you wanted to kill her for not
groveling at your feet as a mortal,” Kano pointed out. “But I
digress.”

Kinker raised a hand. “But ... why me? I am not
special. I am not a prince, like Malock. I am not a priest or a
rich man. I am actually quite poor. The only real skills I have are
my fishing skills, but I don't think being a good fisherman means I
am qualified for godhood.”

Tinkar laughed. “You think we chose you? Hardly. We
gods are so jealous of our status, we'd never choose any mortal to
join our ranks if we could help it. Niham was a freak exception.
No, when you were born, I saw in your future that you were going to
become one of us someday.”

“But that doesn't make any sense,” said Kinker.
“Someone had to choose me, right? I mean ... right?”

“Likely the Powers did,” said Kano. “The Powers set
the destiny of every mortal under the sun. I imagine that at the
beginning of time, they set your destiny so that you would become a
god one day. And that day, I am happy to say, has finally
come.”

“I still don't understand,” said Kinker. “Don't you
already have enough gods? I saw the statues back in the lobby.
There are hundreds of you guys, maybe even thousands. What domain
could I possibly control, were I to become a god?”

Kano smiled, a rather sad one. “A small one, I
imagine. We don't have a God of Fishermen yet. Considering that
that is what you specialize in, we speculate that that is supposed
to be your domain.”

“Wouldn't Tinkar know what I'm supposed to do as a
god?” said Kinker, pointing at the God of Fate. “I mean, he knows
the fates of all mortals, doesn't he?”

“I do,” said Tinkar. “Except for yours. Before Kano
chose you, I saw up to the moment of your ascension. Beyond that,
my powers fail me because I cannot see the fates of my fellow
gods.”

He sounded sore about that particular limitation on
his powers.

“This is all hard to take at once,” said Kinker,
putting his hands on his head. “I mean, all of it just seems
so—“

“No!”

Everyone turned to look at Malock, who had shouted.
His eyes bulged, his fingers twisted strangely in his hands, and he
was breathing heavily.

“No, no, no, no!” Malock boomed, his voice so loud
that even the two gods seemed to cringe at the noise. “This can't
be true. Can't be. Just can't.”

“What do you have your pants in a twist for?” said
Tinkar in disgust. “Are you going insane? Because if you are, this
Temple is no place for that.”

Malock pointed one shaking finger at Kinker and
said, “Him. That old fool.”

“Fool?” said Kano, sounding genuinely surprised.
“Malock, I thought you liked Kinker. Considered him a friend, even.
Why do you insult him so?”

Malock pulled his hair, almost ripping it from their
roots, looking utterly insane. “It just doesn't make any sense. It
makes no sense at all.
I
was chosen. I am Prince Tojas
Malock, Crown Prince of Carnag, Son of King Halock and Queen
Markinia, Captain of the
Iron Wind
, Chosen One of Kano, and
a thousand other titles that I could list. I should be the one
ascending to godhood. I should.”

Tinkar chuckled. “Sorry, mortal. We didn't make the
rules. The Powers did. If you have a problem, bring up with them
... if you can survive the Void, that is.”

“Shut up,” Malock said, pointing at Tinkar. “Shut
up, you evil, malicious, conniving son of a bitch. You've done
nothing but make my voyage a living hell right from the start.
You've killed off most of my crew, sunk my fleet, tried to have one
of your followers kill me and Vash, all because of some grudge you
have against Kano. Did you somehow manipulate fate so I wouldn't be
chosen to become a god? Is that it, Tinkar? Is that it?”

Tinkar stood up from his throne again; this time,
Kinker doubted he would return to his throne. “Did you just tell
me, a god, to shut up? You mortals are truly arrogant. I always
considered it amusing how you would give yourself 'royal' titles
and prance around acting like that meant anything, but until now I
never understood just how arrogant mortals like you really
are.”

“I am not arrogant,” said Malock. “I am only
pointing out the truth. I should be the one ascending to godhood.
My family was chosen by Grinf himself to rule Carnag. Kinker is
just an uneducated peasant from an island that doesn't even have a
king. This is unacceptable.”

“Oh, so you're pulling out the ‘divine right of
kings’ card now?” said Tinkar with a smirk. “Right. Even we
northern gods know better than to declare certain mortals rulers
over others. Most likely, Grinf didn't do that sort of thing. It
wouldn't be just and we all know just how obsessed my twin brother
is with justice.”

The way Malock looked now reminded Kinker of someone
he had seen back on Destan some years back. It had been during
murder season, when the seas around Destan were at their most
dangerous. A certain rich man, not a priest but married to one, had
left out his magnificent houseboat that he had bought from a
northern company that built houseboats. When the morning came, the
magnificent houseboat had been reduced to nothing more than scraps
of wood on the water. The way the rich man had looked when he saw
it reminded Kinker of how Malock looked now.

“So ...” Malock's hands shook. “You mean there's
nothing special about me. Or my family.”

“Nothing at all, mortal,” said Tinkar in a gleeful
voice. “The Powers love to mess with our expectations. 'The first
will be last and the last will be first,' as the old saying
goes.”

Malock fell to his hands and knees. He looked like
someone had punched him out.

“I am glad we have that out of the way,” said Kano.
“I am sorry, Malock, but it is true. Your destiny is not to become
a god. You will simply remain a mortal.”

Kinker felt sorry for Malock, but before he could go
over and comfort the prince (despite Malock's rantings against
him), Vashnas moved. She ran over to Kinker, moving much faster
than Kinker could follow, and grabbed him with two powerful, slimy
hands. She immediately pulled him in front of her, with his back to
her, one hand twisting his right arm behind him, the other wrapped
tightly around his neck, almost constricting his windpipes.

“Vashnas!” said Kano. Like Tinkar, she stood up,
too. “What are you doing to Kinker? Let go of him now.”

“No,” said Vashnas behind Kinker. “I may be unable
to kill Tinkar thanks to his godly nature, but Kinker isn't yet a
god. Therefore, I am at perfect liberty to kill him.”

Malock had gotten back to his feet now and was
looking at Vashnas in horror. “Kill him? But why? Kinker didn't do
anything to you.”

Vashnas snorted. “Maybe not, but I saw how much
anguish his destiny has caused you. The gods raised your
expectations, making you think you would receive the most beautiful
prize imaginable, and then pulled the carpet out from underneath
your feet. Because I still love you, Malock, I can't stand by and
let you suffer while Kinker gets an undeserved prize.”

“But you don't need to kill him,” said Malock. “I
know I was ranting and raving earlier and yes I am still jealous,
but I would never wish death upon Kinker. This isn't right.”