Somewhere just past the Line, the clothespeg suddenly fell off Arthur’s nose. Without meaning to, he breathed in a large amount of water and panicked. He had no idea how deep they were swimming, or how long it would take to get to the surface. He just wanted air immediately and instinctively threshed around in the grip of Dawn’s tentacle, fighting against her as he tried to push up to where he imagined the surface was.
Dawn didn’t release her hold, but she quickly slanted upward. Her huge wings gave one enormous beat that sent her bursting out of the sea and into the air. Arthur tried to take a breath but had too much water already in his lungs, so he broke into a coughing fit that ended in him throwing up what seemed like gallons of water. Even more came out of his nose and ears.
Finally he managed a few racking breaths, interspersed with bouts of coughing, till he hung exhausted in Dawn’s grasp, unable to stop thinking about what might have happened if the peg spell had failed when he was underwater in that black, freezing sea.
‘We are nearly there,’ said Dawn. ‘Though it will take longer now that I cannot go by water.’
Arthur nodded, unable to speak. Her flying speed seemed quite fast enough.
Eventually the water stopped coming out of Arthur’s nose, and he could breathe normally again.
‘The Triangle lies dead ahead,’ Dawn informed him. ‘Though it is unusually empty. There were reportedly thirty or forty ships there a few days ago. Now, I only count eight. . .’
Arthur looked down. At first all he saw was the sea, with the white tops of the waves relentlessly moving in the same direction. Then he shifted his gaze and saw eight ships of different sizes floating next to one another, in the lee of what at first sight appeared to be a sheer rock that thrust out of the sea. On closer inspection, Arthur realised the protrusion was actually the top of a pyramid, its stones heavily weathered by wind and ocean. It rose several hundred feet above the sea, and was perhaps half a mile long on each side. If it had once ended in a point, that was gone, leaving a flat platform about the size of a basketball court, which was almost completely occupied by a huge iron ring. There was a single six-foot-thick rope tied to the ring, swinging down the lee side of the pyramid into the sea. The ships were either tied up to this rope, or rafted up to a vessel that was.
‘Can you see the Flying Mantis?’ asked Arthur. ‘Or the Rats? What kind of ship do they have?’
‘The Mantis is not there,’ said Dawn. ‘As for the Rats, one of their putrid, smoky steamers is tied up on the eastern side of the raft, next to the four-masted ship Undine.’
‘A steamship? The Rats have steamships? Why doesn’t everyone else?’
‘They are forbidden by Drowned Wednesday,’ said Dawn. ‘With good reason, for they are foul and unclean. But the Rats have their exemptions. Besides, only the steam vessels made by Grim Tuesday work in the Border Sea, and they are fuelled with Accelerated Coal, made from Nothing. As with everything from Grim Tuesday, the price of this coal is exorbitant.’
‘That’d be right,’ said Arthur. ‘Where is the Rats’ ship again? I can’t see it.’
‘Next to the big four-master on the eastern side, as I said.’
Arthur looked again. This time, he saw the Rats’ vessel. It was only a third the size of the four-masted barque next to it, and his eye had been momentarily confused because the Rats’ ship could sail as well as steam, having two masts and square-rigged sails as well as a large central funnel that was not currently smoking.
‘We will land on the Undine,’ said Dawn, ‘and see what is happening. It is unusual for so few ships to be here. Everything looks strangely quiet.’
She began to spiral down. Arthur closed his eyes as their rapid descent made him feel dizzy. He didn’t open them again until he suddenly felt a solid deck under his feet and Dawn let him go.
She had already transformed back into human form. This time, she was wearing a kind of naval uniform, with a very dark blue coat that was almost black, hung with medals and supporting two very large silver epaulettes. Arthur wondered how she managed to instantly change clothes.
There was no one on board to greet them. Dawn looked around, a frown wrinkling her forehead. There was no one to be seen on any of the other ships either. The only sounds were the groan of the wooden hulls, the high-pitched squeaking of the mooring ropes, and the wash of the sea.
Dawn opened her hand and gripped the air, and a flaming harpoon appeared in her fist. Arthur flinched, but though it was obviously magical, it was not like the Mariner’s harpoon. It didn’t make him feel odd when he looked at it, so he hoped it wouldn’t have the horrible side effects the Captain’s harpoon did when it was used.