The Prophecy Machine

16

Finn was ready to drop. The insanities of the day in this land clearly didn't lessen with the night. His body ached for sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. Letitia, as easily as ever, dropped off as soon as the furor was over in the hall. He wondered if he resented her for that. Decided he shouldn't, and admitted that he did.

The storm had moved away, and morning was very near. The false light of dawn did little to enhance the dreary appearance of the room. Everything in this grim pile of crooked walls and floors, angles, tangles and impossible doors, stairs that went this way and that, looked better in the night.

“You're fortunate you don't need sleep,” he said. “You might at least thank me for that.”

Julia Jessica Slagg was still indistinct across the room, but her red eyes pierced the dim light.

“Thank you for that. Anything else?”

“Courtesy wouldn't hurt. You're a little short of that.”

“I'm short of a lot of things, Finn. See, I didn't make a lizard, you did. What you put in comes out. I'm whatever you tinkered together, I thought you knew that.”

“Don't start on me, it's been a hard day.”

“And in case you're asking, which you will, I didn't come to your aid, but you seemed to have the problem well in hand.”

“I didn't ask, all right?”

Through the fly-specked window, the first sign of day appeared above low clouds to the east. The sun, when it arrived, looked as reluctant to get on with matters as Finn. A pale and runny yellow flecked with rusty spots of red, it looked like a very sad egg left in the skillet overnight.

Still, Finn thought, he shouldn't complain, for the day brought release from Sabatino and his father, from the Hatters and the Hooters, from Squeen and the Foxers, and old men foaming at the mouth. Soon, he and Letitia and Julia would all be back on the Madeline Rose, and on their way again.

Finn turned over, bleary-eyed and hungry, watching his love stir under the ragged sheet. He wished it was a week or two from now. That he and Letitia were somewhere else, in some other bed, engaged in quite another pastime …

Awake, but in a stupor common to the weary and the dead, he sat up with a start at the gentle rapping on his door. Setting his feet on the floor, he padded across the room to open the portal, and found Squeen William standing there.

“All right, what is it, what's the problem now?”

“Massster Sssabatino sssay you bees comin' down now. He bees waitin' outssside.”

“Outside.” Finn blinked. “What's he doing out there?”

“Ssssay you comin' outssside.”

“You said that. Please don't say it again. Tell him I'll bees-tell him I'm coming outside, on my way out. Tell him I'll wave goodbye.”

“Masster, he sssays-”

Finn slammed the door. Letitia groaned but didn't wake up.

“Get her up, make her dress,” Finn said. “Tell her I'll be right back, we're getting out of here.”

Julia flicked her tail. “I don't much like to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Get Letitia up. She tends to call me names.”

“Well, I'm terribly sorry. Try to live with that.”

“Easy for you to say-” Julia began, then Finn was out the door.

The house was still musty, and still leaned to the south and to the west. The downstairs still reeked of fish from the bleary night before. The heat outside was awesome. It nearly brought Finn to his knees. He thought about the ship, and recalled how stifling it could get down below.

There ought to be a way to get air down there, he thought, to give people half a chance to breathe. He'd worked out a method of heating up a room, giving a boost to a fireplace or a stove. The Lizard Blower worked extremely well. But those enormous bellow jaws snapping open, snapping shut, frightened little children and it didn't sell at all. If you could reverse that process, suck cool air to a cabin, instead of blowing hot air out. Of course, such a lizard would be rather long …

“Having a little nap, are we? Lots of holes about, I'd take care if I were you.”

Finn snapped back into place, wondering exactly where he'd been. Sabatino was leaning against his house. Or, possibly, the house was leaning on him.

“I didn't sleep well,” Finn said, making no effort to hide his ire. “Frankly, sir, your house is the worst place I've ever spent the night.”

“I regret the disturbance. Don't know how those cunning little bastards got in. I've set traps everywhere.”

“Cunning little bastards indeed. And a crazy old man.”

“Which one? I hope you don't mean Father. I'd have to take exception to that. Never mind,” he said, waving his words aside, “I didn't call you down here to talk about my personal affairs. I'm afraid I've got a bit of bad news.”

“About what?” Finn took note of another unusual manner of dress. Knickers in a pale and sickly pink, a vest the color of soup, one red boot and one blue, and a lilac plumed hat. It annoyed Finn to no end that the man looked as if he'd had a good night's sleep.

“It's about the duel,” Sabatino said. “I'm afraid that's off. At least for the time.”

“Some days nothing goes right,” Finn said. He didn't mention that the duel had slipped his mind in light of everything else. “I'm disappointed, of course, but we'll try some other time.”

Sabatino kicked a stray brick aside. “That's awfully good of you. I don't think I'd have handled it as well. I feel you're a foolish, impertinent oaf, with uppity notions in your head. I'd like nothing better than to cut you down to size. I believe if your lovely-companion, as it were, could watch you cower and bleed, she'd come to her senses and notice there's a real man around. I think you might have her in a spell. Even a craftsman, these days, can buy a little magic on the street somewhere …”

“Now look here, fellow-”

“No, you look.” Sabatino poked a finger in the air. “Allow me to finish, you've gotten me off the track. Calling off the duel is not my idea. Father asked me to, and though I can't abide the old fart, I'm obliged to humor his request.”

Sabatino waved a hand across his face as if to banish some quite offensive smell.

“The thing is, he's somewhat impressed with that clever device of yours. I believe he mentioned he fancies he's an inventor of sorts himself. He's mad, of course, but that's beside the point. He's got this thing of his going, and he'd like you to help.”

Finn stared, trying not to laugh or throw up. “What on earth are you talking about? I wouldn't stay in this place another minute, even if you and your father were afire. I'd piss on the ground before I'd put either one of you out. Letitia and I will be out of here and gone, racing for our ship before you can blink.”

“Well, that's the point, you see.” Sabatino yawned, picked something off his vest, and flicked it to the ground. “I'm loathe to say it, but you really have no choice. I fear you'll have to stay.”

“What? What are you talking about? Damn it all, Sabatino-”

“Yes, well you see, the ship's gone. It sailed well before first light.”

“No, I don't believe that, you arrogant lout. It's another stupid lie.” Finn felt something cold and heavy turn over in his gut. “The captain is obligated to wait for his passengers. It's a-law of the sea, or something, I'm certain of that.”

“It is, actually,” Sabatino said, “but Magreet is a scoundrel, I don't have to tell you that. He came very cheap, as most of them do. Walked down there in the middle of the night, Hooters all about. Fellow took my first offer like that.

“I'm truly sorry, Finn, but one must respect one's father, even if he's a sack of fecal matter, and totally bonkers as well …”