Mariah Mundi and the Ship of Fools by G.P. Taylor Read Free Book Online Page B

beneath the buttons. Charity and Mariah waited as the doors closed automatically and the elevator rattled up two further decks.
    ‘Deck 13?’ Mariah asked before the elevator doors opened. ‘Does the Marquis DeFeaux have his own dining room?’
    ‘I think you will find he has his own deck at the very top of the ship,’ Charity replied as the elevator stopped and the door slid open.
    Mariah gulped twice. Stretching out before him was a marble floor that eventually met with walls covered in thick fur. A gold chandelier bedecked with electric lamps hung from the ceiling, whilst ancient gods fought with strange sea creatures within gold picture frames.
    ‘Captain Charity?’ asked a gargantuan man with a shaved head, three gold teeth and a face scarred by a thousand cuts.
    ‘And Mariah Mundi,’ Charity replied, as if it was an everyday occasion to be greeted by a human monster.
    ‘The Marquis has asked me to meet you. If you would both like to take a seat,’ the man said in a voice so deep that it was like the rumbling of a whale.
    ‘He’s a giant,’ Mariah said as the man walked away into another room and closed two panelled doors behind him.
    ‘Casper Vikash,’ Charity replied.
    ‘Did you see his face – all those scars?’ Mariah asked.
    ‘He saved DeFeaux in the Amazon. Rumour has it that he jumped in a river and rescued his master from a shoal of piranha.’
    ‘And they did that to him?’ Mariah asked.
    ‘The Bureau of Antiquities was informed that Vikash was close to death for many weeks. DeFeaux had his surgeons rebuild the man’s face the best they could, but they left the scars. You will never see DeFeaux without him. Vikash was a Legionnaire – that is all that is known of him. Be careful, Mariah,’ he added as they waited patiently. ‘We are dealing with dangerous men.’
    ‘Does the Bureau make a business of knowing everything about everyone?’ Mariah asked.
    ‘There are certain people who we are interested in. DeFeaux is one of them,’ Charity replied quietly.
    The doors opened and Vikash stooped through and smiled warmly. ‘The Marquis is ready to see you. I hope you both enjoy dinner.’
    As the entrance hall was grand, the dining room was quite sumptuous. It was clad with oak panels as in a fine castle. A large window looked out across the stern of the ship. There were doors to a balcony deck. Everywhere Mariah looked was brightly polished wood and brass. Before them was a long table on which were five square plates of plain porcelain. Each had a set of silver cutlery. In the middle of the table was a simple candlestick with three candles. Each plate had a name etched on triangular card. Mariah could see his own name in black ink.
    ‘Please be seated,’ Vikash whispered eerily. ‘They will be with you soon.’
    Charity and Mariah sat and waited. The room was silent.Mariah could hear neither the sea nor the generator. It was as if he was again on dry land, on a high mountain or at the top of the Prince Regent Hotel – yet far from feeling safe, the eerie silence gave him deep foreboding.

[5]
Biba DeFeaux
    W HEN the Marquis DeFeaux walked quickly through the open doors and into the vast dining room, Mariah gave him little attention. Charity stood to his feet and held out his hand in welcome, but Mariah just stared. It was not the Marquis who stole his interest, but the girl who walked in his shadow.
    Mariah had never seen anyone quite like this before. She was tall, thin, with skin that shimmered. Her face was white and her neck was wrapped in a long purple scarf of fine silk that fell to the floor. She wore a green velvet dress and riding boots, and a green suede jacket that was held back on the arms by heavily bangled wrists. Mariah could not help staring at the whirl of deep red ringlets that tumbled to her shoulders. He was aware too of the woman who walked behind her, smiling and nodding as if she welcomed an old friend.
    ‘And this is Mariah Mundi,’ Mariah heard Charity say