Chapter 39
TINDERBOX
“CYRUS,” FIBIAN WHISPERED.
Cyrus was snapped from his stupor.He shook his head and collected his wits. Then he ran over and lifted Fibian down from the pillar. Fibianwas pale and wasted. He clutched his cut throatwith his pierced hand. The bleeding seemed to have stopped. Once again, Cyrusasked himself, how was he still alive?
“Your hand,” Cyrus said.
Fibian held his right arm tight tohis body, the stump protected beneath his left. He looked to Cyrus, hisexpression mournful. He shook his head no. The hand was gone.
Cyrus stood stunned, unable to find words. Without Fibian’s sacrifice, they would have been murdered, but the price hadbeen so dear.
Fibian nodded to the ground. Edward.How could Cyrus have forgotten? He helped Fibian overto the spider and collected him off the floor. Edwardlooked so small, so vulnerable in his palm. Cyrus petted his snow-whitefur and felt for life.
“He is very strong,” Fibian whispered, “He maylive.”
Cyrus looked around the room.
“We can’t stay here.”
He made for the secret door in the back.
“No,” Fibian said, “There is a boat.”
“Where?”
The froskman motioned in the oppositedirection.
“When the klappen first delivered me to Rorroh, I saw it as she carried me here.”
The three moved towards the stairway. What klappenambush awaited them? Cyrus wondered. Hecollected his knife off the ground and unlocked the bolt.
He kicked the door open. Dust and soot swirled in the candlelight. Thethree ascended the stairs and arrived on the top step, in the center of thechamber. Cyrus looked about, ready to strike. Torchlight illuminated severalstatue-still klappen. They stared at the intruders blank-faced. Then they looked beyond, down thestairway, at their mistress laying in pieces on the floor. The klappen hissed. The hiss turned into a whimper. They fellto their hands and knees, pressing their foreheads to the flagstone. Then theycrawled away from Cyrus as if he were pure sunlight. Cyrus felt his chestswell.
With his arm around Fibian’s midsection, Cyruscarried the froskman and Edward to the double doors.Again, he drove his boot against the timbers. The doors crashed open. The two klappen he had locked out were standing beyond the threshold.They stared at Cyrus, wide-eyed. Then they saw their kin within groveling inthe dust. The creatures looked at each other, then to the floor. They let out shrillwarning cries and fled off in the direction of the upper chambers.
“This way,” Fibian said, gesturing left.
Cyrus carried the two further down the hall and arrived at anothertwisting stairway. Deeper and deeper the trespassers plunged. Torchlightsflickered weakly on the walls. Many had burnt out leaving most of the broken stepshidden in shadow. Fibian shone his eyes bright. Cyruspried one of the torches off the wall. Every fifty steps or so they met alanding. There, a passageway would delve into darkness, leading to some deep,dark corner of the castle.
Cyrus heard a klappen, maybe two, scrabblingand clicking around a stairway bend. They must have heard the newcomers. Theyemitted small squeals and fled further down the stairs.
The air grew salty and chill. Cyrus sensed what he thought was a large bodyof water. The stairway concluded at a final landing, which led to a narrowtunnel. Cyrus and Fibian ducked as they navigated thepassage. The tunnel emptied out into a cold, cavernous chamber. Cyrus’ torchand Fibian’s eyes fought in vain to beat back thesurrounding murk. Lapping waves and drizzling runoffs echoed about the cave. Fibian motioned to a large, rusted lever on a nearby stonewall. Cyrus reached out, and with great effort, pulled down the salt grimed handle.
A great KU-CHUNK thundered about the room.
What sounded like large chains rattling and gearsgrinding rumbled to life. Then a long sliver of daylight began to grow out ofthe darkness. Understanding struck Cyrus like a rock. He knew where they were.They were on the other side of the hulking steel door. The one they had sailedpast when they had discovered the cove, the castle and Rorroh’sship.
The steel barrier raised high overhead, long ribbons of water streamingoff its rusted, barnacled exterior. Daylight washed in, illuminating the cave.Cyrus and Fibian were standing on a stone landing.The retreating tide lapped at the landing and clapped against the walls. Severalfeet away, two klappen cowered on the landing’s edge.They had been hiding in the darkness. Now exposed, they leaped high onto the stone walls and fled into the ceiling’sstalactites. As the door retreated further into the air, daylight advancedunhindered, exposing the depth of the huge cavern.
Cyrus gasped. At the center of the cave floated a large sailing ship. Itwas old, salt-stained and rusted, but itwas also beautiful. It was about sixty feet long with dual masts webbed in anetwork of sails, ropes, and pulleys. Itshull was wide and deep, and a young mermaidhad been carved into its bow.
“There is a skiff,” Fibian whispered, noddingto the edge of the landing.
Cyrus moved towards the water. An eroded steel ladder mounted to thelanding’s side led several feet down to the sea. Tied to the ladder was a seven-foot-long skiff. The water looked cold,dark and very, very deep.
“I can manage,” Fibian said, “You first,Master Cyrus.
With Edward in his shirt pocket, Cyrus began to climb down. Mussels andbarnacles encrusted the rungs. Awkwardly, Fibianfollowed. Cyrus boarded the craft on wobbly legs. He reached up to help Fibian. The climb proved too much. The froskmanslipped near the bottom. Cyrus tried to catch him, but both fell to the floor.
The rest of the crossing passed without incident. Cyrus tied a rope aroundFibian’s waist and helped him climb the sailing ship’smesh ladder. Then Cyrus laid Fibian down to rest on afolded sail next to the foremast. The vessel was suspended in the middle of thecave by three horizontal lines. Cyrus guessed the moorings kept the ship fromdrifting on the tide. He cut the stern line first. Another clicking of gears roaredto life. Like a bowstring, the two bow lines began to propel the vessel out to sea slowly. Cyrus immediately understood.This is how they launched their craftswithout wind or oar. He ran to the bow and waited until the ship had nearlyreached the door. He cut the starboard line first, followed by the port. Thevessel continued
