Elise Runs and Dorothy Falls

Chapter 26

After a short service conducted by Father Sergius, they lowered George Goblin into the ocean forever. No one had the opportunity to mourn for long. Although Tyrio had managed to patch up their ship, they had nothing but their aft thrusters to keep them moving. They had no way to change direction, and out the punctured front windows they saw the maelstrom into which Dorothy knew they were going all along. It looked as foreboding and as dark as all the stories, and they would be upon it within six hours, Albbenaro speculated, gusts-a-holding.

It had grown colder. Dorothy, with The Unholy Avenger between her legs, straddled the front edge of the pilot's console and watched the frothing storm. She held still the pommel and her face as well. The gauntlets and belt fit her well. Salty dark wind blew her braids.

"How do you feel?" Elise walked up beside her, crossing her arms against the chill. She looked fine, considering. Dorothy knew she was a remarkably strong-willed girl.

"A lot has changed," replied the witch quietly. "I'm guess I'm just thinking..."

"Thinking what?" probed Elise when she didn't continue. It had only been an hour since George died, and there was no one else on the bridge. Albbenaro and Tyrio were in the engine room trying to effect repairs while Father Sergius tended to John Denton, whose wound had not been slight.

"Ya know, that I keep runnin' away." The ship bowed in the jet stream.

Elise hadn't really thought about it like that. To her, it seemed as if she were the one always running—from everything—while Dorothy always stood to fight. Studying it another way, though, she saw what she meant. First Dorothy ran from Mirborne, then she ran from Henden, and then she ran from the Empress Ogre.

Dorothy turned her eyes away, aimlessly again toward choppy waters. Quite suddenly, she felt warm arms around her. Warm in the sense they always made her feel warm. Elise leaned her head against hers, side to side.

"I know what you're thinking, but I don't think it's true at all," said the girl. "I'm the one always running away: from pirates, from the police, from you, from everyone. And you... you've done everything you can to help me... to protect me. I wish I knew why."

It was a sudden realization to Dorothy. It seemed unbelievable, but I'm sure it's been apparent to you, reader, since almost the very beginning. Dorothy had fallen in love with Elise.

In a fury of adolescent feeling, Dorothy leaned over to kiss her. And she would have done it, too, if someone hadn't interrupted.

"Are we going to be docking soon, captain?"

Dorothy stumbled off the helm to face, in the doorway, Alexis Striper. (You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you?) To say she looked confused would be an understatement, because although her demeanor assumed understanding, her eyes perceived no depth. If that doesn't make sense, I think it will soon.

"What?" asked Elise, her warm, distinctive eyebrows furrowing in that way they did, as if offended but willing to hear an explanation that better be good.

"Yes, captain," replied Alexis, "We've been on patrol for a while now. Shouldn't we be heading back soon?"

Dorothy and Elise exchanged looks. They didn't need to say it.

"I think you'd best sit down, um, pilot," Elise said after a moment to think.

"Yes, sir." Shuffling forward, the woman plopped down at the helm between them. She took the opportunity to stare ahead the way a bad method actor might.

"She's bloody lost it, hasn't she?"

Dorothy didn't need to say it, but she did anyway. Obviously.

"Yes, I think so. ... Dorothy, were you going to say something to me?"

The witch looked away as casually as she could, kicking a little debris. The attention she gave the task made it appear she'd been preparing for this at least an hour. "What?"

"Well," said the girl, "just before the commodore came in, you suddenly turned toward me."

"No," Dorothy replied quite certainly, "it's just I could hear her. Heard her coming, know what I mean?"

"Yes. Yes, I suppose." Elise frowned. The witch sounded agitated. Did she regret saving her? Saving her again? If she were Dorothy, she would. Maybe she shouldn't have highlighted the fact Dorothy wasn't back at home, happily puffing at her pipe, entirely because of her.

Meanwhile, Dorothy looked sidelong at Elise's troubled grey eyes and wanted to tell her the truth. She just couldn't. That moment had passed, and she would have to live like this for as long as she lived. Elise didn't feel the same way about her, and even if one day she did, she wouldn't know the truth about her. In her mind like a video, a frightened, disgusted Elise asked her if it were true. She told her it was. Elise couldn't believe it. Elise didn't want to hear anymore. Getting away as fast as she could, she told the fiend she didn't want to see her ever again.

Dorothy slid down a wall all the way to the floor. The Unholy Avenger, strung on her waist just the way it had on George Goblin, slid out alongside her leg. Elise, equally unhappy, slid down against the wall opposite her. They didn't look at one another.

"Cruising speed ten knots," said Alexis as blank as a computer screen.

Thirteen knots. Behind the Whim, a long ways off now but getting closer hour by hour, flew a continental reconnaissance glider. Equipped for ocean surveillance, the one-man vessel could sustain this flight for hours. To Chapelure it didn't matter one way or the other. (You thought I'd forgotten, hadn't you?) If it was the last thing he did, Inspector Chapelure would catch the girl in the turquoise dress and bring her to justice. He looked like a man who thought of nothing else, and would look that way a very long time.

And I think that just about sets the scene for the next part of our journey. But only just about, for you see Alexis and Chapelure aren't the only ones I haven't forgotten. In this case, however, you haven't been introduced to the character yet.