Sangriala

Chapter 7: The Bay

The night was as black as the crew on board the Madam when we sailed out of Mana-Mana. The beach was quiet, but the mangrove swamp was filled with the sounds of tree-frogs, splashes of crabs and fish, and the booming sounds of an owl from a distance.

It was strange how quiet Kipper Yolo's men were now, after they had been so talkative during the day. The crew consisted of the captain himself, his first mate Leroy-Soleil, as well as Molo and Swagman. Their silence seemed to respect the swamp and the quiet, dark waters around us. When we left the mangroves for the sea, there were only the sounds of the waves.

Santo and fat Simpson had stayed in Mana-Mana. In Simpson's case, it was probably best for everyone. I suspected the Madam would have faced trouble carrying his mass. Namely, they had quite liberally exaggerated the qualities of the good old lady. The Madam looked and felt like it might sink at the slightest sea wind. Yet we sailed, towards the dark open, finally only the starry sky as our witness.

"If I weren't this scared", said Mary who sat on the dilapidated bench on the deck, next to me, "I would think it's rather beautiful. Kind of magic."

"Are you scared?" I asked in response.

"You know I am", she said. "Aren't you?"

I looked at the dark sea, listened to the untrustworthy sounds of the Madam's engine, and then turned my eyes to the sky, trying to remember the names of the constellations I should have known from the Old Earth.

"Yes", I said. "You're right, Darling. It's very beautiful. Magic."

There wasn't much space to hang around on the boat. There was a crampy cabin, and since Max had found playing cards in there, the youngsters had occupied the cabin and kept playing cards. They had first respected the quiet, but as the shore was left behind and the crew's voices gradually recovered their constant creole chatter, the teenagers, too, started raising their voices in the cabin. I didn't know who was winning. Probably Max, as he had started the game by demonstrating some card tricks. Magic.

Magic, yes, magic. I remembered the nights on the lifeboat of the Nautilus. Mary's singing of Scarborough Fair to the girls.

"We'll find them", I said to Mary.

*   *   *

Someone came to us and I saw it was Killie.

"Brother Kilculligan", I said, to sound more familiar and hopeful. "You still have headache?"

"Damn blowpipe poison", he said and sat next to us. "You still sure of your plans?"

"Very sure", I said. "Aren't we, Darling?"

Mary looked far at the dark sea. Did I see hesitation on her face? Confusion?

"I'm sure of the part that we have to rescue the girls", she said. "Whether it's a plan of any kind, I'm not so sure about that. I don't know what awaits us there."

Killie glanced at her, understanding.

"What awaits you there, ma'am", he said politely, although he was hardly more than a couple of years her junior, "is Sangriala, the Sacred City. The Palace of the Dark Duke. The Temple of Riël of the Hierophant. The Institute of Dr. Ebens. The compiled wealth and pomp of all Elysium. It's all there. For now."

"How are we going to hide from the enemies?" I asked. "To me Sangriala would seem like a very well-protected place."

Killie shrugged.

"We'll start with a Resistance safehouse", he said. "Then you'll use your connections. You get the girls from the Hierophant's people, according to the deal the Skull Princess made. Then we'll set you a boat and a guide who'll take you to your island and take our Princess Giovanna back from the island."