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Authors: L. Jagi Lamplighter
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again.”
“It would be well to keep that in mind.” Gregor shot a calm but penetrating look at Erasmus, who arched a single eyebrow.
“What worries me is that a soul in Hell had the leeway to call up spirits and cast spells on the living,” Mab muttered. “Don’t seem right. This place is supposed to be the biggest, toughest slammer around—you’d think the security would be tighter.”
As we sailed the gondola, the silvery light of the tiny star shining around us, I contemplated what Malagigi had told us. On the one hand, his story seemed astonishing to me, so alien was the notion of the Brotherhood of Hope to my Protestant beliefs. On the other hand, some part of me did not find it surprising. As was recounted by Father Christmas and in the Book of the Sibyl, my Lady Eurynome had left High Heaven to free mankind from the Garden made by the demons. It was not so difficult to believe that others might strive to save those who still remained the playthings of those demons.
* * *
A FLOATING log among the cypresses to our right lifted abruptly, revealing a row of yellow razor-sharp teeth. The teeth opened into a maw that gaped nearly as large as our gondola.
“Sea monster!” I leapt to my feet and pointed.
The monster reared out of the swamp with a loud pop. Water sluiced off its scaly back. A huge green monstrosity with wide fins to either side of its neck slashed at us with webbed fingers armed with cruel, curving claws.
In one fluid motion, Erasmus leapt to his feet and drew Durendel. Meanwhile, Malagigi gave his pole a violent shove, propelling us quickly backward. Erasmus would have pitched overboard into the filth, but Mab caught his green doublet and pulled. Gregor rose slowly to his feet as well.
Bracing my feet, I drew my fighting fan and then looked from it to the sea monster. True, the moon-silver slats that made up its blade had been forged by the Japanese smith god Amatsumaru, but it was still a puny weapon against so great a foe. Yet, neither of the greater weapons I was accustomed to wielding—my flute and my Lady’s aid—could help me now. Unfortunately, without my Lady to inspire my steps and my blows, I was not a particularly good fighter. I suddenly felt helpless and realized how dependent I was upon the chivalry of my brothers and Mab.
It was not a feeling I liked.
“We could use the Greatest Swordsman in Christendom about now!” Malagigi exclaimed as he poled vigorously.
The motion of the gondola caused Gregor to lose his footing and stumble backward. Arms flailing, he grabbed the high curl of the risso rising from the stern and steadied himself. Still clutching the stern iron, he growled, “Why are we fleeing? Did you not say that nothing could harm us unless we became angered or afeared?”
“Nothing dead,” Malagigi corrected quickly as the gondola slid rapidly backward. “This is a living monster. They wander down here by accident occasionally.”
“Monsters wander into Hell by accident?” Mab threw down his hat. “Since when?”
“Since time immemorial.”
“Can it hurt you, Malagigi?” I asked. “You are made of spirit.”
“Probably not.” Malagigi did not look entirely confident.
Picking up his hat again, Mab clambered forward and hunched over, peering intently at this new enemy as it reared from the frothy waters, roaring at us. “It’s a sea monster all right.” He slapped his lead pipe against his hand. “I recognize the species from the old days. Same kind Hercules stopped from munching on some Trojan princess.”
“A Ketos?” Erasmus hung on to the dolfin, where the bow iron rose above the rest of the gondola. The unbreakable blade Durandel shone in his hand, gleaming with a holy light too bright to look upon directly. “The same breed that the Greek hero Perseus slew to win his bride, Andromeda. Theo fought one in the Caspian Sea once. Were you with him, Gregor?”
“No. Must have been Titus. I think I had not been born yet.”
“It would be well to keep that in mind.” Gregor shot a calm but penetrating look at Erasmus, who arched a single eyebrow.
“What worries me is that a soul in Hell had the leeway to call up spirits and cast spells on the living,” Mab muttered. “Don’t seem right. This place is supposed to be the biggest, toughest slammer around—you’d think the security would be tighter.”
As we sailed the gondola, the silvery light of the tiny star shining around us, I contemplated what Malagigi had told us. On the one hand, his story seemed astonishing to me, so alien was the notion of the Brotherhood of Hope to my Protestant beliefs. On the other hand, some part of me did not find it surprising. As was recounted by Father Christmas and in the Book of the Sibyl, my Lady Eurynome had left High Heaven to free mankind from the Garden made by the demons. It was not so difficult to believe that others might strive to save those who still remained the playthings of those demons.
* * *
A FLOATING log among the cypresses to our right lifted abruptly, revealing a row of yellow razor-sharp teeth. The teeth opened into a maw that gaped nearly as large as our gondola.
“Sea monster!” I leapt to my feet and pointed.
The monster reared out of the swamp with a loud pop. Water sluiced off its scaly back. A huge green monstrosity with wide fins to either side of its neck slashed at us with webbed fingers armed with cruel, curving claws.
In one fluid motion, Erasmus leapt to his feet and drew Durendel. Meanwhile, Malagigi gave his pole a violent shove, propelling us quickly backward. Erasmus would have pitched overboard into the filth, but Mab caught his green doublet and pulled. Gregor rose slowly to his feet as well.
Bracing my feet, I drew my fighting fan and then looked from it to the sea monster. True, the moon-silver slats that made up its blade had been forged by the Japanese smith god Amatsumaru, but it was still a puny weapon against so great a foe. Yet, neither of the greater weapons I was accustomed to wielding—my flute and my Lady’s aid—could help me now. Unfortunately, without my Lady to inspire my steps and my blows, I was not a particularly good fighter. I suddenly felt helpless and realized how dependent I was upon the chivalry of my brothers and Mab.
It was not a feeling I liked.
“We could use the Greatest Swordsman in Christendom about now!” Malagigi exclaimed as he poled vigorously.
The motion of the gondola caused Gregor to lose his footing and stumble backward. Arms flailing, he grabbed the high curl of the risso rising from the stern and steadied himself. Still clutching the stern iron, he growled, “Why are we fleeing? Did you not say that nothing could harm us unless we became angered or afeared?”
“Nothing dead,” Malagigi corrected quickly as the gondola slid rapidly backward. “This is a living monster. They wander down here by accident occasionally.”
“Monsters wander into Hell by accident?” Mab threw down his hat. “Since when?”
“Since time immemorial.”
“Can it hurt you, Malagigi?” I asked. “You are made of spirit.”
“Probably not.” Malagigi did not look entirely confident.
Picking up his hat again, Mab clambered forward and hunched over, peering intently at this new enemy as it reared from the frothy waters, roaring at us. “It’s a sea monster all right.” He slapped his lead pipe against his hand. “I recognize the species from the old days. Same kind Hercules stopped from munching on some Trojan princess.”
“A Ketos?” Erasmus hung on to the dolfin, where the bow iron rose above the rest of the gondola. The unbreakable blade Durandel shone in his hand, gleaming with a holy light too bright to look upon directly. “The same breed that the Greek hero Perseus slew to win his bride, Andromeda. Theo fought one in the Caspian Sea once. Were you with him, Gregor?”
“No. Must have been Titus. I think I had not been born yet.”
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