behind David, the mysterious figure hesitates at the open window but walks on past.
The water ripples and splashes gently at the pilings as David walks along the marina. Trying to accustom his eyes to the dim light, he steps cautiously closer to what looks like a boat hull anchored to a slip. Mysteriously, as though aiding David's vision, the moonlight moves directly overhead and shines through the skylight windows of the shed.
Now seeing the boat clearly, David approaches it, and notices there are about a dozen others lined up in a long, neat row. Their sails are wrapped tightly around tall masts. David seeks out a gangway, but none is down. He finds a scaffold and climbs it to access the deck of one of the boats.
On the other side of the shed, David's pursuer climbs up another catwalk high above and watches David as he inspects the boat.
Intuitively, David senses a presence. “Is someone there?” he calls out, turning to look left and right, but not upward. Hearing no response, David descends the ladder to the lower deck. It is pitch black, impossible to see. David climbs back up the ladder and, just as his foot touches the main deck again, David is tackled and wrestled to the floor. He struggles fiercely, fights the intruder off, pins him down, and straddles over him. Catching a clear glimpse of his attacker's face in the moonlight, David is shocked.
“Sokar! What's the idea you jumping me like that!”
“What's the idea you sneaking around here in the middle of the night!”
“What's the idea you sneaking around following me!”
Sokar struggles under David's superior, muscular weight. “I have to protect Bianca and my sister from danger,” Sokar says grittily.
“Danger? I'm no danger to anyone.”
“Bianca said you were. Because of the crystals, we're all in danger now. Why did you come here? And get off me!”
“You wouldn't understand,” David says, releasing Sokar and helping him stand. “It's personal.”
Sokar rubs his underdeveloped arms and rolls his sore neck. “What has your personal business got to do with Bianca?”
“I'm not here for Bianca,” David says. “I was using the crystals to find my mother.”
“Is she lost?” Sokar says, now his usual flip self.
“She's dead.”
Sokar is both surprised and contrite. “You're mother, too? I'm sorry.”
“You! You there!” a voice bellows out across the marina. “What are you doing here?”
Stunned, Sokar whispers to David, “It's Sechmet. He mustn't see you.”
“Why? Who is he?” David whispers back.
“Bianca told me to avoid him if at all possible. Where Sechmet goes, trouble follows. Quick, come this way.”
They climb down the scaffolding and scurry to the far side of the shed, through a steel door and out to the harbor. In record time, they race side by side through the field to the village square and home, then collapse heaving with exhaustion on the front veranda. The two boys, so different and yet so alike, look at each other lying limp and spent on the ground, and burst out laughing with relief and camaraderie.
The next morning, David and Sokar share a picnic basket of goodies created by Maati, and lounge lazily in Sokar's rowboat not far from shore. From this vantage point, David can see the efficient design of the Coronadus main harbor, lined on its longest side with numerous warehouses and sheds for boats and ships. It reminds him of the harbor in Port Avalon.
“What kind of boats are in those sheds, Sokar, commercial or private?”
“Neither,” Sokar replies between munches of a chicken leg. “They sit idle.”
“How come? What's wrong with them?”
“Bianca said they are very unusual boats. They have sails and engines both. The engines propel the boats out of calm areas and into the path of predicted winds where the sails are hoisted and the engines are then cut.”
“Sounds fuel efficient.”
“That's one reason for the design. The other is for the silence in approaching the enemy, when we
The water ripples and splashes gently at the pilings as David walks along the marina. Trying to accustom his eyes to the dim light, he steps cautiously closer to what looks like a boat hull anchored to a slip. Mysteriously, as though aiding David's vision, the moonlight moves directly overhead and shines through the skylight windows of the shed.
Now seeing the boat clearly, David approaches it, and notices there are about a dozen others lined up in a long, neat row. Their sails are wrapped tightly around tall masts. David seeks out a gangway, but none is down. He finds a scaffold and climbs it to access the deck of one of the boats.
On the other side of the shed, David's pursuer climbs up another catwalk high above and watches David as he inspects the boat.
Intuitively, David senses a presence. “Is someone there?” he calls out, turning to look left and right, but not upward. Hearing no response, David descends the ladder to the lower deck. It is pitch black, impossible to see. David climbs back up the ladder and, just as his foot touches the main deck again, David is tackled and wrestled to the floor. He struggles fiercely, fights the intruder off, pins him down, and straddles over him. Catching a clear glimpse of his attacker's face in the moonlight, David is shocked.
“Sokar! What's the idea you jumping me like that!”
“What's the idea you sneaking around here in the middle of the night!”
“What's the idea you sneaking around following me!”
Sokar struggles under David's superior, muscular weight. “I have to protect Bianca and my sister from danger,” Sokar says grittily.
“Danger? I'm no danger to anyone.”
“Bianca said you were. Because of the crystals, we're all in danger now. Why did you come here? And get off me!”
“You wouldn't understand,” David says, releasing Sokar and helping him stand. “It's personal.”
Sokar rubs his underdeveloped arms and rolls his sore neck. “What has your personal business got to do with Bianca?”
“I'm not here for Bianca,” David says. “I was using the crystals to find my mother.”
“Is she lost?” Sokar says, now his usual flip self.
“She's dead.”
Sokar is both surprised and contrite. “You're mother, too? I'm sorry.”
“You! You there!” a voice bellows out across the marina. “What are you doing here?”
Stunned, Sokar whispers to David, “It's Sechmet. He mustn't see you.”
“Why? Who is he?” David whispers back.
“Bianca told me to avoid him if at all possible. Where Sechmet goes, trouble follows. Quick, come this way.”
They climb down the scaffolding and scurry to the far side of the shed, through a steel door and out to the harbor. In record time, they race side by side through the field to the village square and home, then collapse heaving with exhaustion on the front veranda. The two boys, so different and yet so alike, look at each other lying limp and spent on the ground, and burst out laughing with relief and camaraderie.
The next morning, David and Sokar share a picnic basket of goodies created by Maati, and lounge lazily in Sokar's rowboat not far from shore. From this vantage point, David can see the efficient design of the Coronadus main harbor, lined on its longest side with numerous warehouses and sheds for boats and ships. It reminds him of the harbor in Port Avalon.
“What kind of boats are in those sheds, Sokar, commercial or private?”
“Neither,” Sokar replies between munches of a chicken leg. “They sit idle.”
“How come? What's wrong with them?”
“Bianca said they are very unusual boats. They have sails and engines both. The engines propel the boats out of calm areas and into the path of predicted winds where the sails are hoisted and the engines are then cut.”
“Sounds fuel efficient.”
“That's one reason for the design. The other is for the silence in approaching the enemy, when we
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