Free Always Forever by Mark Chadbourn Page A

unnerved them both.
    Before they could ask any further questions, they were hailed from the other
end of the deck. Cormorel's companion Baccharus hurried to meet them, his
ponytail flapping. Where Cormorel was overconfident, proud and arrogant, Baccharus was humble and almost shy, traits they had never seen in any of the gods
before. If they could trust any of them, he was the one.
    Ruth greeted him with a smile, Church with a bow, but if anything he was
more pleased to see them. "We are honoured to have a Brother and Sister of
Dragons on board the ship that sails the Night Seas," he said quietly; he even
sounded as if he meant it.
    Cormorel laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Baccharus will show you to
your quarters. They have already been prepared for you-"
    "You were expecting us?" Church asked.
    Cormorel smiled in his irritatingly enigmatic way. "Food and drink will be
sent to your rooms-" He caught the look in Church's eye and added, "It is given
freely and without obligation. Wave Sweeper is a place that defies the rules that
govern our existence. It is the Master's wish." He gave an exaggerated bow.
    Baccharus led them to the door through which Callow had been herded.
Behind it, creaking, irregular steps went down into the bowels of the ship. The
torches that lit their path were set a little too far apart, so uncomfortable
shadows were always clustering. Despite the flickering flames, there was little
smoke and no charring on the wooden walls. Ruth steadied herself on the boards
at one point, but the surface felt so much like skin she never tried again.
    They came on to a corridor that twisted and turned so much it was impossible to see more than fifteen feet ahead or behind. It was oppressively claustrophobic, barely wide enough for one person, with the ceiling mere inches above
Church's head; doors were on either side, each with a strange symbol burned
into the wood that was not wood. Baccharus stopped outside two doors marked
with the sign of a serpent eating its tail.
    Or a dragon, Church thought. He let his fingers trace the symbol. It felt as
if it had been branded into the wood years before. Not wanting to consider what
that meant, he stepped into the room sharply once Baccharus opened the door.

    The room unnervingly echoed their bedrooms in the pub, as if they were
still on land, dreaming their encounters on Wave Sweeper. A fishing net hung
on one side, while lanterns, billhooks and other implements of a seafaring life
covered the walls. The bed was barely more than a bench covered with rough
blankets beneath a window with bottle-glass panes that diffused the light in a
dazzling display across the chamber; even so, shadows still clung to the corners.
A connecting door gave access to Ruth's room, an exact replica of Church's.
    Ruth summoned up the courage to touch the wooden walls once more.
Something pulsed just beneath the surface, while her feet picked up faint vibrations, as if somewhere in the core of the vessel a mighty heart was beating. The
notion left her feeling queasy and disorientated.
    Baccharus watched her curiously, as if he could read her thoughts, and then
warned, "The ship is large, with many wonders, but many dangers too. You are
free to roam as you see fit, but take care in your investigations."
    Once he had left, Church threw open the window and looked out across the
waves. "This isn't going to be easy."
    "Did you expect it any other way? From the moment we started on this road
we've had trouble at every turn." Ruth examined the cupboards. They were generally empty and smelled of damp and dust.
    "You can't trust any of the Tuatha De Danann, any of the other creatures.
They've all got their own agendas, their own secret little rules and regulations-"
    "Then we don't trust them. We trust each other." Ruth joined him at the
window; the sea air was refreshingly tangy, but her face was troubled. "Last
night I had a dream ..." She chewed on a nail