Encante Read Free Page B

ally. His clemency would last exactly as long as he thought he had something to gain, and no longer, of that I was certain. I would have to be sure to leave before this period of grace expired.
    The captain led me away from the prostrate form of my saviour, even as the sound of raised voices floated to us from the far side of the room. I should perhaps have thought it odd we were leaving Vee so, but I was too addled from my arrival, my encounter with Garrett, and now this strange and forcible woman.
    “Drusilla is my nephew’s half-sister,” Captain Everett continued, “although truth be told I’ve never allowed the lack of blood between us to change how she’s treated. You will like Axel, I think; he is fond of maps.”
    “Go back to your dookin, woman!” Garrett’s voice echoed suddenly through the cavernous room and the sound of flesh connecting heavily with flesh soon followed. A wry smile lit the captain’s face. Appalled, I made to go to Drusilla’s aid, but he only laughed heartily at my folly.
    “You needn’t worry on that count, Mister Escher; ‘twas Drusilla doing the slapping, you mark my words.”

Chapter Four
    A fter the echoing room into which I had arrived, I was surprised by the cramped conditions of the corridors without. Of the same metal construct as the hydroponics area, pipes of varying widths ran the length of the walls and ceilings of each corridor, even occasionally the floor, spouting steam at odd intervals, and apparently controlled by a system of levers and wheels at each junction. The ship was like nothing I had ever seen before, the mechanics necessary to keep it running evidently being so complex it was almost as if the engine room extended throughout the entire ship.
    Occasionally, a wall included a window, running between shoulder and waist height. Beyond was the same jaded water I’d seen earlier, the same eerie shadows darting amongst the plant life, the same small, apparently plankton-eating fish. I noted every detail to myself as we passed, struggling to recall it all now that my notebooks were a sodden paper mulch within my coat’s inner pockets. I patted at my garret absently, ensuring my compass was still where I’d safely stowed it, and that I could return home whenever I chose.
    I was swiftly lost to the labyrinthine innards of the vessel, but Captain Everett and Newt kept up a steady flow of conversation, none of which told me what I really wanted to know: which world was I on, and why was a woman such as Drusilla aboard a men’s vessel such as this?
    “So your primary purpose is one of scientific inquiry?” I deduced after a lengthy explanation from Newt as to how he came to meet the captain.
    “Indeed.” Newt nodded slowly. “In fact, you’ve come aboard at a most opportune time, most opportune. Or unfortunate,”—he laughed nervously—“depending on your stance on such matters.” I glanced at Everett for an explanation, only to find him laughing that booming laugh once more.
    “We have embarked upon a great adventure,” he said. “Although, not one without considerable peril.”
    “Peril?” I was genuinely surprised. “I would have thought with ladies aboard you would be doing nothing beyond a leisure cruise.”
    He laughed again. “What boring women you must know, Escher.” His eyes sparkled. “Ours are not so easily cowed.”
    “So I saw.” I thought again of Drusilla, her manner and dress, the way in which she’d punished Garrett for his thoughtless treatment of Vee. Then I thought of my dear Cecelie, sitting at home awaiting my return. It must be the turn of a new day there by now; she’d be at her window seat with her needle and thread, deftly working on one of her pieces. “In truth I cannot imagine many women of my home world aboard a vessel such as this. Although—” I paused, considering. “There are several amongst the Loth Lörion who fare as well as any man.”
    A shiver of unease skittered through me at the mention of my