‘The guard boat is missing,’ said Dawn. ‘This is what comes of having all one’s faithful Nisser . . .’
She restrained herself, but Arthur knew she had been going to say eaten.
‘I suppose the crews are hiding inside the Triangle,’ Dawn continued. ‘Fearful of a pirate attack, no doubt. Which reminds me — put these on.’
She pulled a pair of white leather gloves out of her sleeve and handed them to Arthur.
‘No need to cause panic at the sight of the Red Hand,’ she said.
Arthur put on the gloves as Dawn stalked across the poop deck and looked over the port side, across to the pyramid. As she walked away, Arthur heard a shout to starboard.
‘Ahoy the Undine!’
Arthur went to the rail and looked down. The shout had sounded high-pitched, so he wasn’t that surprised to see a four-foot-tall Rat wearing a blue cap, blue breeches, and a loose white shirt hailing him from the forecastle of the steamship. A ship, Arthur noticed, that despite Dawn’s disdain looked very spick-and-span. It also had a name, painted in white on the bow. Rattus Navis IV.
‘Ahoy to you too,’ Arthur called out. ‘Where is everyone?’
‘A score or more ships sailed within the last few hours, and of those that are left, most of the crews are quivering inside the Triangle,’ replied the Rat. ‘It started with the sea level dropping four fathoms for half an hour yesterday. Then the Shiver was sighted to the south this morning. What with the rumour of someone afflicted with the Red Hand and all, a dreadful fright got among the Denizens. The braver ones decided to chance it on the high seas, preferring not to be sitting here. Those less brave thought to barricade themselves inside the pyramid and leave the pickings to Feverfew.’
‘But he has not come,’ interrupted Dawn, looming up at Arthur’s side. ‘Or he has become uncommonly gentle with his prey. Has Shiver been seen again today, Rat?’
The Rat doffed his cap before replying.
‘No, ma’am.’
‘Is your captain aboard?’
‘Captain and crew, ma’am, awaiting custom.’
‘Who are you?’
‘Gunner’s Mate First Watkingle, ma’am.’
‘And your captain?’
‘That would be Longtayle, ma’am. Do you wish to come aboard?’
‘No. I have other pressing matters to attend to, but my companion here has business with your captain. This is Lord Arthur, Master of the Lower House and the Far Reaches. For some reason he believes you Rats might be useful. He is an honoured guest of Lady Wednesday and is to be treated with all courtesy.’
Watkingle bowed low, but didn’t answer.
‘Farewell, Lord Arthur,’ said Dawn, offering her hand. ‘I hope you succeed.’
Arthur wasn’t sure what to do, but he took it and gave a kind of half bow and a little shake.
‘I’ll do my best.’
Dawn nodded, withdrew her hand, and took a standing jump over the rail and onto the deck of the next ship, without even flapping her wings.
‘Just come down the Undine’s ladder amidships, sir,’ called up Watkingle. ‘Then jump down, if you don’t object.’
As Arthur walked along to the waist of the ship, Watkingle called out something and more Rats came on the steamship’s deck, arranging themselves in a line opposite the Undine’s ladder. When Arthur climbed down and jumped across to the deck of the Rattus Navis IV, one of them played several piercing notes on a silver whistle. All the Rats immediately stood to attention.
Watkingle saluted Arthur, then said, ‘Welcome aboard, sir. Please follow me. Mind your head.’
Though the deck was wooden, as soon as Arthur followed Watkingle through a door between the two quarterdeck companionways, his feet rang on iron. Arthur stopped to look around, and felt the rivets in the iron wall. He had to bend his head a lot lower than he had in the Moth, as the ship was built to Raised-Rat scale.
‘She’s an iron ship, sir,’ said Watkingle. ‘Timbered up to ease the sensibilities of Wednesday and her officials. Built by Grim Tuesday himself, four thousand years ago, and still as sound a vessel as anyone would wish.’
He knocked on a door at the end of the passage.
‘Lord Arthur, Master of the Lower House and the Far Reaches, sir!’
The door was opened immediately by another seaman Rat, dressed like Watkingle but rather more neatly. Beyond him, there was a large stern cabin with dinner-plate-sized portholes on three sides, a map table loaded with charts and augury puzzle boxes with pictures of animals on them, several upholstered chairs, and a couple of riveted iron chests. Two Rats stood over the table, both in blue coats with gold epaulettes. Arthur recognised one of them as Commodore Monckton. The other was a black Rat, not brown, taller and younger-looking, his whiskers shorter and not as white.