Salt Storm: The Salted Series: Episodes #31-35 Galvin, Aaron (classic fiction txt) 📖

the exchange between her companions. We, the quiet ones in the corners, lurking in the shadows, hoping to go unseen and unnoticed?

To judge Bryant’s tone and expression, he remained unfazed by Marisa’s words. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Bourgeois. But, judging by the stories I heard from Edmund, it never sounded to me like Declan Dolan was the sort to shrink from anything either, let alone a duty to others.”

“No,” said Marisa. “Nor did he hesitate when making his choice to head south and leave the safer, northern Arctic route for me.”

“North?” Chidi asked. “Why would you go there?”

“To seek further answers to these cryptic five pieces of two and uncover more of the Ancient riddles,” said Marisa.

“And?” Bryant asked. “Did you find any more of them keys you’re on about?”

“No,” said Marisa. “Only more riddles to solve. Ancient words carved deep into a lost and long forgotten, icy refuge of old. A haunted place where the dead still reside, their voices whispering at me all the while to free them of the cursed mistakes of their past.”

“You understood what they were saying, then?” Chidi asked. “What these ghosts wanted?”

“No,” said Marisa. “But I felt them surrounding me all the while. In truth, I feel them still each time I think back upon the stone-etched scrawlings I found awaiting me at the northern pole.”

“Scrawlings?” Chidi asked.

Marisa nodded. “The same jumble of symbols and marks writ across the pages of the journals I once kept. The same as I allowed your Selkie crew to take from me, Chidi. All in the hope you might decipher some bit of worthy note that I could not see. Aye, that you might piece together some words from the letters I had already transcribed.”

They were Ancient symbols! Chidi thought, reflecting back on the journals of Marisa Bourgeois they had lifted off of Zymon Gorski after the events of the Shedd Aquarium. How Lenny Dolan had asked Chidi to translate the many different languages inside to find a clue as to where Marisa might have gone next, or what she intended to find at the next location she ran to. “I never got through your journals,” Chidi said to Marisa. “I didn’t have time. Not that I think I could’ve translated all of those symbols you made anyway. To translate any kind of language, I would need some sort of base to build from. Some words or letters I already knew to work out the rest.”

“Then we are both of us fortunate to have each other now, Chidi,” said Marisa. “For you have the gift of language, and I some little knowledge of the Ancient symbols. Together, it might well be we work out some bit of further learning during our journey ahead to seek out the remaining keys awaiting us.” Marisa glanced over her shoulder, speaking up just as another in their company was about to. “And, again, I would remind you that flying will not serve our purposes, David Bryant.”

Chidi thought her weathered partner looked like a spoiled schoolboy called down by his teacher and flummoxed as to how she guessed that which he had meant to continue arguing.

Bryant crossed his arms. “Says you, Bourgeois. Sounds to me like you got this whole thing worked out to keep you and Chidi occupied along the way. Me? I can’t say as I’ll rest easy knowing them monsters are swimming out there. Hell, they might even be lurking beneath us right now, for all I know. Least if we were in the air, there’s no chance of them getting after us.”

Allambee went to the window, looking out as if he might see something there.

“There’s nothing out there, Allambee,” said Chidi. The Sancul would be too big to be swimming beneath us now, wouldn’t they? Surely, the water is too shallow this far inland . . . she wondered but did not say, not wanting to fear Allambee further as he turned back around. “There’s no monsters out there, I mean.”

Allambee frowned. “And yet you all have said this word many times since coming back,” he replied. “So, please tell me. What monsters did you see after you left me here?”

Bryant barked a laugh. “None that I want to see again, I’ll tell you that,” he said, ignoring Chidi’s disparaging look meant to shut him up. Bryant studied Marisa instead. “And I still don’t reckon I understand how you think we’re supposed to take down any one of them kraken things on our own if we chance to cross ways again with them, Bourgeois. ‘Specially not with some ring that Chidi’s wearing, or else some old word puzzles that you ladies mean to work out.”

Marisa turned to face him. “I assure you it will be no mere ring, nor puzzled piece alone to halt the Other and the storm he brings, my friend. That you do not understand such reasoning is why you are not leading us in this venture, David Bryant.”

Chidi chuckled at his silence to follow, Marisa’s reply stunning him.

“Now, come below with me, Chidi,” said Marisa, leaving the wheel behind and heading down to the cabin quarters below the captain’s deck. “You and I have much work to do . . . and precious little time.”

4

SYDNEY

Again. Sydney told herself, imagining the teachings of her former guardian and mentor, Yvla. She flicked her wrist, then pictured a violet, snaking line shot forth from her hand - a jelly whip that cracked when she called it home. But no matter how she recalled the color and sound of Yvla’s whip, Sydney’s own makeshift wand of bone and the tattered rags tied at its end gave no such signals.

Sydney had lost count of how many times she robotically practiced the maneuver with no visible result. The darkness of her prison all-consuming, Sydney also could not say how many days or nights, hours or minutes, she had spent trapped inside the oubliette.

Again . . . Sydney told herself, performing the practiced, whip-like movement once more, her