Inspector Hatwig did not wake by morning and instead developed a raging fever overnight. Healer Pilluck promised a full recovery, boasting that she had dealt with worse cases than this, but that did not stop an undercurrent of doom from traveling between the less injured of the survivors. They knew that if Inspector Hatwig perished, it would mean the death of them all. The airship was far too damaged to fix without an alchemist and they needed someone to activate the slips of papers if they were to have any chance of fighting off the sea rot.
So it was with ill news that they set off in search of materials. They each packed a bag of supplies that consisted of canned food, water, rope, and in James' case, an ax for cutting trees. In addition to that, Carver made makeshift crampons for each of them out of what little wood they had from Nibbs' vegetable crates by cutting them into planks and hammering nails through them. They were grateful for this because the narrow pathway from the beach to the top of the tor was coated with several feet of compacted salt deposits that were as slippery as ice.
Mimi volunteered to lead the way. Before placing her full weight down, she tested the ground for any instability by tapping the nails of her crampons over the salt. It seemed to do the trick.
Tilde did the same as Mimi by testing the ground before each step, but things had a way of going awry where she was concerned. She slipped several times up the path, once so badly that she nearly slid off the side and only survived because of James. Twice the nails of her crampons wedged into the ground and stuck. James had to free her by chipping away the crust with the tip of his ax blade. When it happened a second time, he threatened to hack off her foot.
Keeping a watchful eye on them both, Zenetra followed close behind. She did not glide as effortlessly as Mimi but nor did she move as badly as Tilde. Behind her, salt crunched beneath Carver's feet. Adamant to go last, he feared that his weight would break the salt and make the way up ever more treacherous. With the way the crust on the beach broke apart underneath him, no one argued. Now and then Zenetra heard him say, "You're doing well, Cadet."
"Almost there!" sang Mimi.
The final stretch of the hike to the top of the tor was a mere skip in normal circumstances, but it ended up being the most arduous part of the pathway. Steep and slick, they had to use extreme caution. Or rather, they should have. Mimi raced ahead, her feet gliding the rest of the way to the top. James took no chances with Tilde. He grabbed the back of her jacket, counted to three, and pushed Tilde forward so forcibly that her crampons barely skimmed the salt. It was likely the only reason they made it up with no further issues.
When Zenetra heard Mimi, Tilde, and James release similar breaths of amazement, she threw her own caution aside and raced up the slope. Once at the top, however, no gasp of incredulity came from her. A heavy stone of dread sank to the pit of her stomach. Her mouth warped into a grimace as Carver joined them.
"This is a problem," said Carver.
Mimi's arms rose high in the air. A smile stretched from ear to ear. "A breathtakingly beautiful problem!"
"I'm not sure you're seeing what I'm seeing. There's nothing beautiful about this."
Arms dropping to her sides, Mimi winked at Carver. "It's just like that trip to Savenya."
"You and I have vastly different memories of that trip."
The environment they found themselves in was as harsh as their journey. The island was caked entirely with hardened salt. White and glistening, a city slowly petrified by time lay below the crust. A long road of densely packed salt led the way to buildings dripping with stalactites. Flat-roofed houses, some single-storied and others up to five levels high, filled what must have once been a bustling epicenter of civilization.
High above those houses was a structure comprised of arches. It snaked over parts of the city and disappeared into the mist. Zenetra guessed it had either been a freshwater aqueduct or a bridge, though the latter seemed less likely. In the center of the city and submerged in the mists of the rain loomed a pointed mountain.
"Oh, we should have seen this coming," said Tilde. "We knew the wall of water stretched around the whole island. The salt on the beach was example enough."
Zenetra could not tear her gaze from the mountain. Her subconscious told her it was no true mountain, for mountains did not naturally take the shape of a triangle. She pointed at the distant image. "That's a pyramid. What is a pyramid doing this far west?"
James raised a finger. "I have a better question. Why is there an unknown island in the middle of the Ghost Sea hidden by rising seawater? That's what I'd like to know. Never mind the architecture or the obvious sign that people once lived here."
"And still may," added Carver.
James stilled, his mouth agape. "No one can survive on pure salt."
"Stranger things have happened," countered Carver.
Mimi stepped closer, tugging at the bottom of her cap to pull it down over her pinkening ears. "What did you mean by that, Zenetra? This far west?"
Though she was young and led a life of near isolation compared to the others, Zenetra had acquired an education rich in geography, language, mathematics, sciences, nautical travel, history, and more. In her heart of hearts, she thanked her sister for that.
"Knowledge," Xuxa used to say, "is a tool for solving any problem."
"Pyramids were built when the Ziazatamian Empire was at its height of power. Most were destroyed when the empire fell, but you can still find ruins scattered throughout the Qoman Empire. Vorroco was the source. That's where the first pyramids were constructed. Or at least that's what I've been told."
Carver frowned. "I thought the Phaedrians invaded and conquered the Ziazatamians. They were from Naiaca, were they not? From the west?"
"They did," Zenetra agreed. "But the pyramids were built long before the Phaedrians invaded on their ghost ships. The Ziazatamians—and when I say Ziazatamians, I specifically mean the alchemists—built the pyramids. Remember Heironymux the Elder? His pyramid was an academy, the very first learning center for the studies of the ancient orders. The five sides of the pyramid represent the five main elements. Water, earth, air, fire, and spirit. That pyramid," she stressed, pointing to the triangle in the distance, "is ancient. As ancient as ancient can be. This city must be just as old."
"Inspector Hatwig was right," said Carver. "You are an invaluable source of information. Doesn't look like we'll be cutting down any trees but there may be something else we can find. If this is an alchemic island, metal may be here. We could use that to repair the airship." He stepped forward onto the road. The nails of his crampons sank deep and broke the top layer of crust into chunks of off-white gravel. "Search for anything that could be of use that we can carry to the beach. Make note of where bigger material is and we'll come back and retrieve it later. I don't believe I need to remind everyone to be careful, but all the same—be careful."
"It's already midday," said Mimi. "We should split up."
James spluttered in indignation. "Split up? Did that hair dye stain your brain? We'll get lost...or...or worse!"
"Aw," crooned Tilde. "Is our dear Jim scared of ghosts?"
James harrumphed and crossed his arms. "We are stranded on an island in the Ghost Sea," he reminded, placing heavy emphasis on the name of the body of water. "Ghosts wandering the island aren't such a far-fetched fear."
"And yet," said Carver, "we would cover more ground if we separated. Let's meet at the bottom of that pyramid."
Said pyramid vanished behind the mist and reappeared a second later. James waved angrily at it. "That place looks like a death trap, and you want us to meet there? That is the stupidest idea—"
"What time?" asked Mimi.
James' arms fell to his sides. "For the love of all things mighty! Is no one going to listen to reason?"
"We have a few hours to explore," said Carver. "So let's meet in two. We can share what we find and make our way back to the beach before nightfall. I know Nibbs gave us enough food to last us until tomorrow night, but I would rather not camp here."
"Because of ghosts?" asked a petulant James.
Carver squeezed James gently on the back of the neck. "Because of the cold. I'll head south along the coast."
"This is a terrible idea," grumbled James.
"I'll head north," offered Mimi. "And follow the perimeter of the city."
Drops of saltwater flew from James' beard as he declared, "Well, I'm not going alone!"
Zenetra would have volunteered to go with him, but knowing and experiencing the mayhem that followed Tilde everywhere prevented her from doing so. Tilde was the one who could not be left alone.
She motioned at the street that led into the city. "I'll take the main road and meet you all at the pyramid. Tilde and James can explore together."
"Are you sure?" asked Tilde.
Zenetra pressed a hand over her chest and felt the bulge of her necklace underneath. "I just finished survival training. I'll be fine on my own. Someone should go with James. He's our captain, after all."
James looked ready to protest. He let out a weak, "We should stay together," that was directed entirely at Zenetra.
"James," said Mimi, tapping her crampons repetitiously where she stood. "You're with four constables. We're more trained for this than you. All of us will be fine on our own."
Zenetra did not care what was going on inside James' head, but she was riding a warm and fuzzy cloud. Mimi had said four constables. Not three constables and one in training. They considered her an equal. It was quite possibly the highest compliment she could receive as a cadet.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, James groaned out, "Fine," as if it caused him great distress.
"Wonderful!" Mimi took off, waving over her shoulder with an energetic, "Toodle-oo!" as she headed north along the ridge.
The rest of the group said their brief farewells of luck and separated. Tilde and James set off in the same direction as Carver, intent on searching the five-storied buildings packed together in the southern area of the city. Zenetra heard James whine, "But any metal will be rusted by now!" as they walked away, and Tilde's response of, "I should have gone with Zenetra. She's more optimistic than you."
Zenetra turned to look back at the beach below. Sunray lay as a broken sun over crumbled stone and crusted sand. Beyond roared the wall of rising seawater, billowing out gray mist from base to unseen top. There was no force Zenetra knew of that could make the water rise as it did, save for mage magic, a subject she knew just enough about to dismiss that theory.
Both touched and mage magic use energy sourced from within. An active spell would mean the caster was nearby.
James had said it best. No one could survive on salt.
She turned her back on the beach and water. In the distance, gray mist billowed over the island from all sides, rolling over the distant pyramid and the tops of the houses. Though warm from being swathed in many layers of clothes, her face was wet and cold. She pulled her black wool hat as far down over her face as she could, gritted her teeth, and set off for the misty city alone.
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Preview for next chapter:
The team explores the strange island. Zenetra sets off alone and stumbles upon something that sets her nerves on end.
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