Julien
by Engor
Chapter 52
The cove where Yol was waiting for them was not all that far away as the crow flies, but to get there by sea involved a long haul around a cape that was surrounded by some unpleasant shoals, and so it was nearly three hours before they were able to drop anchor as close to the beach as was safe and then lower the dinghy to take them ashore. The moon had risen, but it was only a thin crescent and had barely cleared the surrounding hills, so the beach was still in near-total darkness. And of course Yol's fur was black, which didn't exactly make him stand out. All the same, Xarax was able to locate him immediately. Gradik's surprise at discovering that Julien's 'friend' had four feet was nothing compared to the shock he felt when he heard the strange creature speak.
"Aren't ye going to introdooce us to your friend?" asked the sailor, recovering a little.
Julien thought that it would be sensible not to mention Yol's name unless it was strictly necessary, so he said, "Gradik, this is Ugo. He's a friend from another world."
Gradik nodded politely.
"Ugo, Your Honour," he said. "Oi'm roight pleased to meet you. If'n you're a friend o' the lad... of Anhel, then ye're very welcome aboard."
He might have been welcome, but it still took them a fair bit of effort actually to get him on board: they had to rig up a block and tackle to hoist him onto the deck, because the hull of the vessel was not designed to be accessible to dogs. Still, Ugo didn't seem to mind this somewhat humiliating means of getting on board the ship: the prospect of having a smooth deck under his feet instead of rough stones which hurt his feet with every step he took was more than enough compensation for any feeling of wounded pride.
Then it was time for them to decide which way they were going to go, and so they gathered around a chart of the archipelago. And now Julien found out about another of Xarax's useful skills: when he had 'tasted' Niil and Ambar with the tip of his blue tongue the haptir hadn't simply been adding them to a database. Something inside him was now 'tuned' to their very existence and, provided that they were in the same world that he was, Xarax was able to feel the direction of their whereabouts – just as he could also do, and had been demonstrating, with Julien and Ugo, of course. He couldn't tell how far away they were because, coming from only one direction, he was unable to triangulate, but he could offer the correct heading to take.
Julien wondered why Xarax hadn't actually told him about this ability before.
Xarax can do many things, came the reply, but you don't need to worry about them. Xarax will explain them to you if and when they are needed.
Julien would have liked to argue that particular point – it wasn't what he would have described as being open with each other. But he kept his thoughts to himself. If the haptir wanted to keep his little secrets there wasn't a lot of point in getting irritated by it.
The Isabelle was indeed equipped with a number of helpful devices to make life easier for those on board, and one of those was a sort of autopilot that kept the ship at a constant angle with the wind, allowing the helmsman to doze a little without their being any risk of the ship running into a head wind. Of course this meant that if the wind changed direction, the ship did too, but as they weren't in a race it didn't matter too much and the necessary course correction could usually be made before too long.
The ship was also carrying a comprehensive first aid kit, and with help from Xarax and some of Yol's own memories Julien was able to use it to tend to his friend's bruised and sore feet. He'd chosen to share one of the twin cabins with his friend, obviously ceding the lower bunk to Ugo, and he accepted without comment the rather strong scent of dirty, damp fur that came with him. Yol might well have been a being of refinement and breeding, but Ugo smelled very much like a wet dog. Of course Ugo was very much aware of what he smelled like, and so he'd offered to sleep in the little triangular storeroom in the prow, but now that Julien had found him again he was determined not to risk losing him – even if that meant putting up with not only the wet rug smell, but also the gusts of toxic-smelling flatulence that the poor animal emitted in his sleep. He just hoped that the gas concerned was heavier than air and so would not float up to the level of the top bunk!
Although he'd had a long day he still went up on deck to check that everything was in order, and to offer once again to take a night watch. And once again Tenntchouk turned him down.
"A noight waatch on such a foine vessel be no haardship," he said. "'Tis raather a pleasure. Ye'd naat want to deny saach a pleasure to me an' me mate, Oi'm sure."
Of course he didn't. Instead he went back to his cabin and got into his bunk, with Xarax beside him on the pillow. And the whisper of the water against the hull a few centimetres from his ear was enough to lull him to sleep almost at once.
The moment he opened his eyes Julien knew that this was going to be a perfect day. His cabin was on the starboard side of the boat, and the vessel, propelled by a wind from the south-south-west, was heading in a north-westerly direction, sailing fast and easily.
He was alone in the cabin. Ugo had always been able to open doors, provided that the latch was large enough to be gripped in his teeth or moved with his paw, and apparently Xarax had taken the opportunity to leave with him.
Julien dressed quickly and went up on deck. Gradik greeted him with a smile and then continued to scrub away at the already gleamingly clean deck. The boat was currently steering itself, and a quick glance at the compass was enough to show Julien that they were still following the route they had calculated the previous evening. Tenntchouk was nowhere in sight, and Julien assumed that he was asleep below following the end of his watch. Ugo had been sunbathing in a sheltered corner, and when he saw Julien he stood up and made his way unsteadily to Julien's side: he wasn't prone to sea-sickness, but he still hadn't got used to walking on a moving deck.
"Good morning, Anhel," he said. "Xarax has already left. He thought it would be a good idea for him to scout ahead of us, and he's also going to have a try at reaching as the First Trankenn. Did you sleep well?"
Julien still found it amazing to hear his friend talking. It wasn't so much the fact that he had a voice at all as his way of using it. When he thought back to all the times back on Earth when he'd told the supposed dog to 'fetch the ball' or 'shake hands' or 'sit up and beg'... And although Yol was speaking Tünnkeh here, because any other language would sound suspicious, Julien knew that he could speak French equally well, and probably better than he could himself.
"Good morning, Ugo," he replied. "I slept well, thank you. I always sleep well on board ships. Have you had breakfast yet? I'm starving!"
"I haven't, but if you're offering I think I'd like to start with half an elephant," said Ugo. "And then perhaps I could do with a bath. Do you think that will be possible?"
"Well, I could just suggest that you jump overboard, but if you're going to do that we'll have to stop the ship – and that water must be freezing. But I think I noticed a sort of big skin full of seawater warming up on top of the roof, and if we give it another hour or so it should be warm enough for me to be able to give you a good wash – at least, I will if we're carrying any soap that works with seawater. And if you're really good I might be able to talk the bosun into letting me rinse you off with fresh water afterwards."
Gradik had heard this exchange.
"Whoile we'm still in the archipelago thaat'll be foine," he said. "We'll waater again afore we enter th'open sea. And the Honourable Ugo, he looks loike he c'ld do with a bit o' caamfort, roight? And if'n ye give me a moment Oi'll saart you out sompthing to eat. An' Tenntchouk, he'll be up again shaartly."
"Actually, Gradik, I can cook," said Julien. "You don't have to do it."
"Oi don't feel as Oi 'ave to. Me, Oi loike cooking. And, beggin' yer paardon, but Oi thinks as Oi'll maanage it better'n you. So, does Master Ugo haave any special wish for his breakfaast?"
"I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever you have," Ugo assured him. "I'll have whatever Anhel has. And... please could you just call me 'Ugo'? And could you ask Tenntchouk to do that as well, please."
"As ye wish, 's laang as it don't show no laack of respect, loike. And Oi'll be sure to tell Tenntchouk."
Julien gave a little smile: the sailor's instinct had been to treat Ugo as a respected adult, and Ugo was now acting like a genuine Guide. He wondered if Ugo would start objecting to being scratched behind the ears or having his belly rubbed.
In fact Ugo was no snob, and once he'd eaten a very satisfying breakfast he allowed himself to be soaped, scrubbed, rinsed – with fresh water – dried, perfumed and scratched all over, even to the point of rolling onto his back to allow Julien easier access to his tummy.
The weather looked set fair, and a few sparkling white crests decorated the ultramarine of the surrounding sea. Now and then they saw a sail, or a set of sails: they were in an archipelago and ships were the main means of transport. Flybubbles, though not completely unknown on Dvârinn, were rare. The sailors had said nothing about pirates and Julien hadn't asked any questions so as not to reveal his ignorance of how things were on this world. Instead he kept himself busy, and at the same time learned a fair bit about sailing, by helping out with the innumerable little jobs that constantly crop up on a sailing-ship, and before too long he felt familiar with the rigging and had picked up a lot of the esoteric jargon which sailing-folk seem to use all the time, mainly to emphasise the ignorance of landlubbers.
Xarax reappeared at the end of the afternoon, startling Tenntchouk, who suddenly noticed him clinging to a shroud less than a metre from his head. The haptir then settled on Julien's shoulder and made his report, which was most interesting. He hadn't made it as far as the First Trankenn, but he had managed to eavesdrop on what was happening aboard the trankenn of the Noble Lord Delian of the Gyalmangs. What he had learned cast a new light on Nekal's arrogant and hostile attitude: apparently his father, the Noble Lord Ylavan, was dead, having succumbed to an illness which was both sudden and suspiciously unresponsive to medical aid. His First Son, the Noble Lord Nandak, had been declared First Lord of the Ksantiris after Lady Axelia, Ylavan's second wife (and Niil's mother) had prudently declined the heavy burden of the succession. This had been kept quiet, not least because of the complication caused by Ylavan having been one of the Emperor's Mirrors.
Julien spent most of the evening listening to a detailed analysis of the situation from his two experts, Xarax and Yol. They wanted to make sure that he'd taken all the essentials on board, and that meant giving him a crash-course on the politics of the R'hinz, something which he would have preferred not to have needed. But in the process of this exposition he realised that Niil's position was now at best delicate, and at worst positively dangerous. As the son of a second marriage he had always been subject to, if not the hatred exactly, then at least the dislike of his older brothers. Nekal had of course known about his father's death, and his brutal reaction to Julien's request for him to contact Niil could easily be explained by the fact that his half-brother, whom he had practically called a bastard in front of a total stranger, was no longer under his father's protection. The only thing still keeping Niil from an unpleasant fate was his status as the Emperor's Privy Councillor. But they thought that if the Emperor didn't fairly quickly affirm that he held that status Niil would not live much longer. As for Ambar, the only thing protecting him – his status as Emperor's Pupil being far less significant – was Niil's own position.
But Niil and Ambar were comparatively insignificant when the bigger picture was taken into account. The Emperor would have to select a new Mirror for Dvârinn, and quickly, at that. He was under no obligation to elect Ylavan's successor as Lord of the Ksantiris: he could equally well promote any of the other twenty-eight Major First Lords of Dvârinn, or even – and this had happened before – choose a complete nobody and raise him above everyone else. But whatever he decided to do, tradition said that he would have to seek the approval of the Council of Mirrors.
That in itself might prove awkward: even if all the Mirrors knew about Yulmir's long absence and recent brief return, probably none of them was yet aware that he had returned to the R'hinz a second time. Obviously Nandak and Nekal didn't know what was happening, and Julien thought that it might prove equally embarrassing to Aldegard and his peers.
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