The Blue Moon - 12. Chapter 12

Josel
Boghead, Andiol Empire

Josel was starting to feel that the dull life on board was not for him. He was plagued by constant inactivity, interrupted only by meals or occasional watches in the cargo hold.

The steep cliffs and the Gusty Mountains looming in the distance had been left behind. After that the landscape had become more serene. The flow of the Frothy had slowed down and the banks had flattened out. In its shallows, both shore plants and waterfowl were thriving. The dark coniferous forests had given way to lighter mixed woodland, and then the woods had thinned out into coastal meadows and crop fields. In the farming villages along the river, children had shouted cheerful greetings as the ship passed by.

Twice, Timos Soldeimon had anchored his paddle steamer in a sheltered river bend, so that the crew could clean themselves in its cool waters. On both occasions, Melgy and Marl had washed together after the others, revealing the nature of their relationship.

Josel and Zdain had also stripped naked with the rest of the crew and descended by rope ladder into the refreshing embrace of the river. Some of the sailors could not swim at all, and were only able to float on the barrels thrown into the water. Of course, Josel and Zdain had splashed around for so long that Timos had finally ordered them out of the water.

Josel had grown to like Princess's eccentric captain during the voyage. After all, Timos was the only adult who bothered to chat with the boys on his own initiative. One conversation with Timos in particular had stuck in Josel's mind. That was when he and Zdain had been invited to visit the ship's bridge.

"I'm sure you recognise the wheel, but these other devices are probably more foreign to you," explained Timos Soldeimon.

As he turned the wheel, he began to show the boys the gear that controls the engines and the principles of the sextant and chronometer. First Mate Thombs smiled alongside and did not seem to mind the young guests on the bridge. He even offered to show Josel and Zdain how to blow the ship's whistle and release excess steam from the pipe.

"You are lucky to be travelling on such a modern ship. Princess may not be the fastest in the world, but she's certainly stable and reliable," said big Thombs, tapping the barometer on the bridge wall in appreciation.

"I have to remind Grandpa Jackdaw of this. Maybe he would pay me more," Timos joked, giving Josel the opportunity to ask a question.

"How did you meet Zal?" he asked.

Zdain nodded encouragingly beside him. Together they had planned to find out more about what Zal's party was up to. The talkative captain was the easiest person to get started with.

Timos Soldeimon pursed his lower lip and looked thoughtful. He was wondering what he dared to say, Josel understood and didn't want to rush. This was the story he wanted to hear.

"Actually, it was my father Sinsbar who introduced me to Zal," Timos began. "He was a sea captain and a renowned explorer, as I believe I told you, Charmer. Familiar with storms and big waves - just the sort of man Zaltarim Fizol and his comrades needed for their perilous journey to Darkuria."

The boys pricked up their ears, waiting for the captain to continue. To Darkuria? That's awfully far away. At school, Josel did not learn much about this distant continent in the southern hemisphere. Andiol had no trade relations with Darkuria, and the locals did not like visitors from overseas. So Josel's teacher had explained, adding: "They live their lives over there, we live ours here. That's how it should be."

"Yes," continued Timos Soldeimon. "I was just a beardless kid at the time and couldn't go. In the end, Zal didn't join the voyage either. Instead a group of seven, called the Seven Companions, sailed to Darkuria on my father's boat. Marl Gaidok was one of those daredevils. The others... most of them are dead now."

"What happened?" Josel asked in a hoarse voice. He couldn't remember ever hearing about Marl's adventures in Darkuria. Not even a single story in the Troubadour Kharl books was set there.

Timos spoke almost in a whisper. "A lot happened there. Bad things... They faced the dreaders and fought them to the death. That's when we found out those monsters were back. Just as the old legends predicted."

Josel shivered. There was no way he could ever forget the encounter at the edge of the Veilwood.

Timos looked troubled. He turned back to the control equipment. "Boys, I won't blab more, Zal wouldn't like it. Let's talk about something else. Did I forget to tell you about the chronometer..."

* * *

That was all Josel and Zdain had got out of those old events that none of the adults wanted to talk about. Josel had also tried to pry information from Plinkinenkak on his watch, but she had not proved useful. She had either slept or insulted Zal and Ragart without revealing any more secrets.

Josel could not bear to look either of them in the eye. What if Zal and Ragart were criminals, as Plinkinenkak insisted? Then every moment in their company would be dangerous, and a single careless sentence or gesture could be fatal.

So far, there was no better option than to stay with Zal's party all the way to Five Hills and hope that Josel's father would be there to meet them. According to Zal this was a distinct possibility, but Josel did not believe anything the old man said anymore.

The only person he really trusted on board was Zdain. Even though they had a lot of fun together at times, something seemed off. Zdain did laugh at Josel's jokes, but at the same time he was somewhere else. But Josel could not figure out what was wrong. He dared not ask, so the only alternative was to wait, hoping Zdain would tell him.

* * *

The paddle steamer ploughing the river was not at full speed, but was rattling slowly through the surf. There was no hurry now, with the ship's destination already looming on the horizon. Timos Soldeimon was content to steer Princess slowly towards the port of Boghead, giving the passengers a chance to say goodbye to the ship they had come to know.

Josel raised a hand to his forehead to shade from the sun and stared at Boghead, its buildings growing larger in his eyes. He would certainly miss the cheerful antics of Timos Soldeimon, but otherwise Josel was glad to be back on solid ground.

"It's not much of a place. There's not even a proper market square," Ragart pointed as he strolled along the deck.

Ignoring him, Josel grabbed the nearest rope and hopped onto the rail. It was best to make the most of the end of a long voyage - even if it meant a little trickery.

As both Zdain and Melgy happened to be watching, Josel stopped at nothing. He raised one foot in the air and swung from side to side as the ship bumped against the waves.

Zdain shook his head, a small smile on his lips, but Melgy's hands were clenched menacingly on her hips. "Get down!" the woman shouted.

Josel pretended not to have heard. He grinned at Zdain and continued to balance on the narrow rail, supported only by the rope. The wind ruffled his hair, the sun of Andiol shone and the air smelled of summer. For a moment, Josel Sandkan's world was free of the faceless, dreaders or anything else dark and oppressive.

It wasn't long before Princess was at the pier. A number of sailors jumped nimbly from the ship to the quay and began to connect the mooring ropes to the poles. The dock did not look like much, but it was bigger than any of the village harbours they had passed in the last few days.

Josel hopped from the railing back onto the deck and waited impatiently for Zdain to come ashore. Unfortunately, Monteilon was once again in no mood for conversation and was not amused when Josel pretended to playfully push him into the water. Josel decided not to tease Zdain any further this time and let him sort out his thoughts in peace.

"Zal, I would like to come with you," Josel heard Timos Soldeimon say and crept closer.

"I know that," Zal said, standing next to the captain, and continued: "Don't give up hope. One day we'll find a way to bring you back to dry land."

"I wish I could believe you, but I fear I am doomed to sail these waters until the claw of death drags me beneath the surface for the last time." Timos sighed heavily and hung his head in misery.

Josel tried to pretend to be inconspicuous, but failed to hide from Zal's hawkish gaze. "Josel, don't you have something to do? Go help the sailors carry our gear to the dock."

"I was just going," Josel replied.

"You're being too hard on him, Zal," Timos intervened. "Let the sailors toil for their wages. As far as I'm concerned, Charmer can enjoy his last moments on the deck of this fine ship."

Zal scowled, but did not argue. So Josel watched as First Mate Thombs, with the help of a few sailors, hoisted the luggage into a pile on the quay.

Then it was time to go. Timos Soldeimon offered Josel a place as Princess's messboy. Josel politely declined the honour and waved goodbye with a smile.

Plinkinenkak was brought out of the hold. The dark woman squinted her eyes in the sunlight, looking quite harmless when bound tightly. She had not lost an ounce of her insolence, and at the first opportunity she kicked Thombs in the ankle and spat on the deck of Princess.

In response, one of the sailors slapped the woman on the cheek. Plinkinenkak swore like a fishwife and was thrown to the dock.

"Don't ever come back, you disgusting little creep," said the man who had slapped her.

Some of the sailors had offered to help with the luggage. At Zal's signal, the whole group started walking along the quay towards the row of houses. Zal led the way, with Marl and Ragart pushing Plinkinenkak forward. Josel came alongside Zdain, looking around as they walked.

Boghead looked rather unremarkable, and to call it a town would have been an exaggeration. The houses were low, no more than two storeys high, and there were not many vessels in the harbour apart from Princess. Timos Soldeimon could hardly sell his cargo in such a quiet market.

When they reached the harbour square, Zal stopped suddenly and looked up at the sky. An annoyed frown creased the old man's furrowed brow and he exchanged a few whispers with Ragart. Then Zal told the sailors they could put down their luggage there. The sailors shrugged their shoulders, but seemed happy to drop their loads.

Then they waited. It felt silly to stand in the middle of the street and be stared at by locals. Josel put his hands in his pockets and tried to slip away, but was stopped by Melgy's refusal. Ragart laughed and Josel gave the merchant his angriest glare.

There was nothing to see. A dock worker was carrying a bundle of ropes on his shoulders and a fisherman was sorting out a tangled net. People came and went, but no one seemed particularly interesting. Even the food was nothing more than a dream, as Melgy, as grumpy as ever, blatantly chased away the first hawker who tried to sell hot pies. After that, no one else dared to bother them, which made Josel's stomach rumble with hunger.

Another quarter of an hour passed in boredom. Just as Josel was totally fed up with waiting, a sharp rasping sound came from the sky. Above them soared a large, dark bird that could only be Zal's winged pet, Krahh.

"So close? Very good," Zal said to the bird as it landed on his shoulders to perch.

It was only now that Josel had a chance to get a closer look at the animal. It had jet-black bird's eyes that glinted as it turned its head alertly. Its plumage was charcoal and it looked very much like a rook or a smallish raven.

Then Krahh flapped its wings again and quickly disappeared into the sky. Josel watched the bird fly away, hoping that their wait on the dock would soon be over.

It did not take long, when Krahh reappeared above them. Zal's eyes were fixed the harbour road, where a group of several riders were approaching.

There were four of them, three men and one woman. The leader of the group dismounted gracefully in front of Zal and greeted him. The man was in his mid-thirties, with brown hair and a narrow face. His body was slender, but clearly athletic.

"Lugas Bahrall, at your service," the man introduced himself, nodding to everyone. Josel mumbled a greeting along with the others.

The man continued in a clear voice: "I have been ordered to escort you safely to Five Hills. Depending on our speed, we will be there tomorrow evening or the following morning." His accent was different from the one of Paidos, but Josel could not tell where in the Empire he was from.

"We have a prisoner with us," Zal announced, and Ragart pushed Plinkinenkak in front of Lugas Bahrall.

"Dwarf," Bahrall said in a matter-of-fact tone, and then added: "We will tie the prisoner to the horse. Most of your luggage can follow in the courier wagons. That way we'll have a faster journey."

After Zal had given his approval, Bahrall turned to his companions. "Pertus, Neddo, find a horse dealer. A horse for each of them, except the dwarf. Also buy saddlebags for the essentials. Seleste, find the courier's office and tell the staff to fetch the rest of their luggage."

Swift orders led to swift action. The two men and a woman called Seleste turned their horses and set off to carry out their tasks. Next, Lugas Bahrall turned to Plinkinenkak. He said nothing, but tapped the pistol holster hanging from his belt.

Once the horses were bought and most of the luggage was loaded onto the mule-drawn carts of the courier office, it was time to mount. Josel had last been in the saddle the night the dreader had killed Curtus. A sickening feeling squeezed his throat before Josel banished it to the deepest recesses of his mind, where the memory of his mother resided.

He took the bridle given to him by the horse dealer's assistant and looked at his horse. It was a gray mare called Hopper. Josel silently hoped that the name had nothing to do with the horse's running tendencies. He certainly did not want to reveal to everyone how bad a rider he was. Unfortunately, Zdain probably already knew that.

Ragart, his rifle strapped to his back, looked murderously at the tied Plinkinenkak and pleadingly at Zal. "Why me? Why can't either of the boys take the dwarf on his horse? They're much lighter than me or Marl."

"I want to make sure that Little Girl doesn't run away," Zal announced in a voice that told the objections were futile.

"Marl gets the first turn," Ragart snapped, casting ominous glances in Plinkinenkak's direction. Judging by them, the small woman's ride was going to be a miserable one.

* * *

The dust was swirling as the horses' hooves beat rhythmically against the ground. A rural landscape of fields and pastures spread out on both sides of the road. Sometimes they encountered wooded vistas until, around a bend, a new farmhouse and its patch of fields appeared.

There was a sense of excitement in the journey - after being stranded on the ship, Josel felt like he was finally moving forward on his own. Josel might even have enjoyed the ride if he had not had to use all his energy to stay on the back of Hopper.

"The boy needs more practice," Ragart commented. This drew a harsh curse from Josel, to which the merchant laughed, his barrel-like belly shaking.

Zal and Lugas Bahrall, riding in front, were engaged in a lively conversation that Josel would have liked to eavesdrop on. He caught a word here and there, but the clatter of the horses' hooves and Melgy, deliberately blocking the road, prevented him from getting within earshot.

Not in the mood for a chat with jeering Ragart, Josel was left without anyone to talk to. Every time he turned to Zdain, he witnessed the same sight: the boy stared blankly ahead, not even blinking as Josel rode up beside him. There was something very disturbing about it.

* * *

The evening was already growing dusky when they finally stopped in front of an inn. It was called The Maiden's Tear, which Ragart greeted with a suggestive joke that amused no one.

Perhaps annoyed by this, he threw Plinkinenkak, bound by her hands, from the saddle to the ground. When she cursed and moaned in pain, the merchant just grimaced.

Like a brutal murderer, Josel thought. Maybe Plinkinenkak had not been talking nonsense, but Ragart had really killed those girls.

Looking at Zdain, Josel was surprised. Although Plinkinenkak was writhing on the ground, the boy's face showed no empathy. Once again, Josel felt he didn't really know his friend.

They left their horses with the stable boys and entered the inn under the guidance of Lugas Bahrall. Not accustomed to riding, every muscle in Josel's body was tense. After the idleness of the past few days, the fatigue felt good.

Marl dragged wriggling Plinkinenkak behind him, which drew quizzical looks from the other guests. Even if the innkeeper who received them had intended to protest against the bound Southlander, Lugas Bahrall's banknotes were enough to appease him.

The innkeeper quickly handed them the keys to the rooms on the second floor. Plinkinenkak, for once, knew better not to resist and allowed grim-faced Marl to lead her up the stairs. Josel was grateful to share a room with Zdain. He could not bear to look at Ragart's chubby, murderous face any longer.

Josel and Zdain washed up in the bathroom along the corridor and put on a change of clothes donated by Timos Soldeimon, which fit reasonably well. Then they went downstairs to the dining room for a meal.

The food was not very tasty, but it was sufficient to satisfy the hunger. Melgy had given them coins, but had been so stingy that there was not enough for a single pint of beer. It did not matter that night. Josel had no desire to drink, he was tired from riding. Besides, Zdain was still not much of a talker.

When they returned to the room, Josel decided to find out why.

"What's wrong with you? You're not yourself," he said to Zdain, who was sitting on the opposite bed.

"I don't know what you mean," the boy murmured, seemingly embarrassed.

"Is it to do with Plinkinenkak? I saw the way you looked at her. What's going on?"

"I can't talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Stop it already!" Zdain cried, pressing his palms to his face in misery.

A small voice in Josel's head whispered that there was no point in pushing any further; Zdain would not open up about his troubles. After a moment he said: "I'm just trying to help."

Zdain lifted his face from his hands and replied in a cracked voice: "I know, I'm sorry."

Soon afterwards, they quietly settled down for the night.

* * *

The rising sun was just peeking over the horizon as the journey continued. It was going to be a long long day on horseback as Zal was determined to reach Five Hills by the evening.

During a break, Josel found himself face to face with Lugas Bahrall and asked him about his father.

"Andreuz Sandkan?" Lugas jogged his memory. "Sorry, I can't remember the name. But Castle Cache is a huge place. People come and go."

A wave of sorrow swept over Josel. What if Dad couldn't be found in Five Hills? What if... He had to think of something else. "Please, tell me more about that castle."

Lugas glanced sideways, but the road was quiet. "I can tell you - with Zal's permission, of course. Castle Cache is the headquarters of the Blue Moon in Five Hills. A large, heavily guarded fortress in the middle of the town."

"I thought the Blue Moon tried to operate in secret," Zdain interjected, listening in the conversation.

"Good point," Lugas praised, and continued with pride in his voice. "Castle Cache is both a public and a secret place. You see, it also serves as the palace of the Imperial Governor of Five Hills province. To most people, the building is just a boring office. To us, it's a secret headquarters. The governor is one of our men - actually they have been our men for centuries. He is first and foremost loyal to the Blue Moon and only secondarily to the Emperor. Naturally, the town's most important officials are also the Blue Moon's confidants. With only confidants around, the secret is kept. It has endured for centuries. There is no other place in the world as great as Five Hills, you'll see."

Josel wasn't quite sure whether to believe Lugas' exaggeration. Instead, he decided to find out the answer to a question that had been nagging at him for some time. "The name Blue Moon, where does it come from?"

Lugas chuckled. "You really are full of questions. But I can't answer that one - nobody can. The organization has always been the Blue Moon; the background of the name is buried in the mists of history."

There was silence for a while. "What is your position in Five Hills?" Josel asked.

"I am the commander of the governor's bodyguards," Lugas said, showing the coat of arms of the town of Five Hills embroidered on the shirt under his jacket, where a stylised stork was pecking a fish out of the water with its beak.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to ride through a village. Practically all of its inhabitants are shadow walkers. We'll have to tie the dwarf's mouth shut so she doesn't try to attract the villagers' attention." With that, Lugas Bahrall strode over to Ragart, who was guarding Plinkinenkak, and instructed him to silence the woman.

It wasn't long before the village appeared from behind the hill and the dogs barked at the approaching riders. Josel tightened the reins and prepared for the worst.

Fields and farmhouses dotted the landscape. Men tilling the soil leaned on their pitchforks, small children waved to the riders and an old man selling vegetables on the roadside loudly asked the visitors to stop at his table.

The village and its people seemed quite ordinary - you would never know they were shadow walkers. Not if Josel had not noticed the emblems of the Shadow Cross painted on the doorways of every house.

Josel felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked at the image of a cross, behind which loomed a much larger and darker cross-shaped shadow. It brought back memories of the last night in Paidos. That night, everything solid in Josel's life had crumbled, and nothing could ever be the same again.

* * *

After that, the journey was uneventful. They stopped in a village for a quick meal, but soon Lugas and Zal hurried the group on their way again. The pace had to be kept up to reach Five Hills before sunset.

Josel did not mind the rush. He found it easier to ride and no longer wobbled in the saddle like at the start. This was mainly due to calm Hopper. At every stop Josel made sure the horse had enough water and oats.

The closer they got to Five Hills, the more excited Josel became. Apart from seeing his father, nothing else mattered. It was impossible to concentrate on looking at the scenery. At the same time, he tried to remind himself not to hope too much.

The fellow travellers seemed expectant as well. Melgy kept fiddling with the hem of her jacket. Josel knew that there was a pistol tucked away underneath it. Also Ragart's rifle, strapped to his back, remained loaded just in case.

From what Zal and Ragart had revealed, it was clear that the reception in Five Hills would be less than favourable. "I'm on my own side," Zal had said.

Josel did not know much about the Blue Moon, but if he had to choose a side, he would rather stand with the Blue Moon than with Zal. Especially after what Plinkinenkak had said. Thinking about it, Josel hoped more than ever that Andreuz Sandkan was indeed waiting for them in Five Hills.

* * *