slid past his shoulder. And he froze.
The Chathrand was anchored in the Bay of Ormael.
'Neeps-'
'I see her!'
For a moment every eye on the Rupin seemed to be locked on the Great Ship. As always she looked too big for her surroundings: the Ormali cargo boats streaming back and forth from shore were like ants beside a watermelon. They would need a week to unload her, Pazel thought. But he doubted she would linger so long.
'Our luck's turned at last,' said Neeps. 'We'll have to sail right past her to dock in Ormaelport. Close enough to shout, anyway.'
'Hush a moment!' said Pazel. Neeps obeyed, mystified. For nearly five minutes they stood in silence. Then Pazel caught his eye and led him a few paces aft.
'Those two sailors at the rail,' he whispered, glancing in their direction. 'They speak Kepperish to each other, and they don't think anyone else understands. I've been listening all morning with half an ear, and they finally said something useful.'
'Something about us?' said Neeps softly.
Pazel nodded. ''A lovely ship, by damn,' said the tall one, and the short one answered him: 'Chathrand? Aye, and rich men aboard her, brother. Oh, what rich and powerful men! One gentleman's paying for this whole excursion.' 'You mean he's Mr. Druffle's boss?' said the other. The short man said: 'Druffle calls him the Customer. He's the one who sent us after these little divers, too.' That was all.'
Neeps stared at him. 'Someone on the Chathrand… bought us?'
'It sounds that way,' Pazel agreed. 'But who can it be? Not Rose-he had us, and didn't give a pig's whiskers. No, I'd bet my left hand it's that sorcerer Ramachni warned us about.'
'And Druffle's working for him,' Neeps said. 'I'll bet that's why he's got a magic charm or two up his sleeve- something on loan from the mage. But why did they ever let us get picked up by the Flikkermen, if we're so blary important?'
'Because we're not,' said Pazel. 'The Flikkers didn't say a word about us coming from the Chathrand, and Druffle didn't ask. And he almost didn't buy me at all, remember? It's divers this sorcerer wants-any divers, not us in particular.'
Neeps looked again at the Chathrand. 'You must be right. But there's something else, mate. We're not landing at Ormael.'
Pazel jumped. It was true. In the last few minutes they had passed the near approach to Ormaelport and were already drawing away. The Rupin was limping on.
'We should have known,' said Neeps. 'They can't sail into port with Volpeks aboard. I'm surprised we're passing this close.'
'Neeps,' Pazel whispered urgently, 'could you swim as far as Chathrand?'
Now it was Neeps' turn to be startled. 'I think so,' he said. 'But it's broad daylight! And the wind's so low they'd hear us jump. And besides, Druffle's got his eye on you. Don't look! Maybe he's been nice to you, since you're both Ormali, but he's not taking any chances.'
'We'll have to risk it!' Pazel started unbuttoning his coat.
Neeps gripped his arm. 'It's not a risk, it's a Volpek arrow through the shoulder blades. Slow down, mate. I know you want to go home.'
'That's not why! It's for Thasha!'
'You can't help her from the bottom of the sea.'
Furious, Pazel shook off his hand. But Neeps was right. Helpless, raging soundlessly, he watched his ship and city fall away.
By noon Ormael was out of sight, and the spruce-covered hills of Cape Cуristel were all they could see of land. The day was bright and calm. The boys were put to work mending ropes while the sailors braced the surviving mast and spread a patchwork mainsail on its listing spars. They gained a little speed. But the captain ran frequently to the lower decks, returning each time with much anxious shaking of his head. He cast hateful glances at Druffle, and more than once was heard to mutter the word emergency. Pazel wondered what new disaster awaited them.
Cape Cуristel was famously easy to round from east to west, and today (fortunately) proved no exception. The great surprise was what happened next. As soon as the cape's wave-battered point fell behind them, the captain shouted orders for a starboard tack. Men hauled at the makeshift sail and the Rupin heeled painfully around. They were going to follow the north shore. And that was simply not done.
Pazel's father had told him many stories about the Nelu Peren. One thing Pazel recalled perfectly was that no one, from the ancient Cherestцn sailors onward, turned north from Cуristel. There were many perils: a maze of rocks, riptides, a pestilential swamp called the Crab Fens that choked the mainland. But one threat overshadowed them all: the Haunted Coast. Pazel wasn't sure what it was: his father would not speak of it, and the schoolyard rumors were so many and mixed he could never make sense of them. But they all agreed on one point: any ship unlucky enough to enter those waters would never escape.
Even Neeps, who had never been anywhere near Ormael, had heard of the Haunted Coast. 'That's where we're going?' he cried, when Pazel told him. 'And do you suppose that's where Druffle wants us to dive?'
'Not Druffle,' said Pazel. 'His 'Customer.''
Neeps just looked at him.
Pazel raised his hands to his forehead. 'I can almost see it,' he said. 'The whole game, the lie. Chadfallow was trying to tell me, back in Sorrophran. And now… now-'
'Give me a crack at it,' said Neeps. 'What did your blary doctor say?'
Pazel closed his eyes. 'He hinted that Chathrand was heading into Mzithrini territory, even though Simja's as close as she's ever supposed to get-officially. And then he started talking about the last war, and the Five Mzithrin Kings.'
'Is that all?'
'He said… that four of the Five Kings condemned Arqual as a land of evil. But one didn't: he was the Shaggat Ness, whose ship-'
The boys looked at each other.
'Was sunk by Arqualis,' said Neeps. 'I know that much.'
'Somewhere north of Ormael,' hissed Pazel. 'Rin's teeth, mate, that's where we're going! To the wreck of the Lythra! Someone must have found it at last!'
'But what does this have to do with Thasha?'
'I don't know-yet. But the last war ended there, don't you see? With the killing of this Shaggat.'
Neeps' face looked a little paler. 'And something that went down with that ship-'
'Could get the next war started,' said Pazel. 'Stay close, mate. If the chance comes we have to be ready.'
The chance did come-within the hour, in fact. The Rupin was but half a league from shore: a lonely shore of high dunes and small, dense oaks. The sun was hot. In the bright light the crew looked sickly and afraid.
There was food of a kind: somewhere in the depths of the Rupin a cook had boiled broth. The captain, his dignity quite gone, carried his portion about the deck; between orders he slurped from the bowl, filled his cheeks like twin balloons, considered the matter, and swallowed. Pazel watched him with pity. He was as much a ruin as his ship.
Those cheeks had just been filled once more when a deep, soft sound, like the contented grunt of a bathing elephant, rose through the planks. Every sailor froze. The sound repeated. Then the captain spat his soup all over Druffle, dropped the bowl and hurled himself down the nearest hatch.
The rest of the crew began to shout. 'Pumps! Pumps!' screamed the first mate.
'What is it? What's happening?' screamed the boys.
'Not to worry, lads!' said Druffle, wiping soup from his eyes. 'A leak, maybe-some little leak, he he.'
But his laugh was forced. The boys let out a howl and started racing about the deck, wailing in half a dozen languages. 'Mamete! Rin-laj! Save me, sweet Angel!'
Pazel looked at Neeps. Neeps shrugged. They walked quietly to the gunwale.
'We've struck! It's the keel!'
