He reached inside his greatcoat and pulled out a thin leather document case tied together with pink legal ribbon. He undid this and pulled out a parchment, which he handed over to Lieutenant Longtayle, who carefully looked it over. Arthur couldn’t see what was on it clearly, but he caught a glimpse of a kind of three-dimensional portrait of Doctor Scamandros that moved and turned, with flowing type scrolling underneath the picture.
‘This is merely a student accreditation from the Sorcery Scholar Assistant Registrar of the Upper House,’ said Longtayle. ‘If it’s a true document, what are you doing here in the Border Sea?’
‘Up until very recently I have been the Navigator-Sorcerer of the ship Moth,’ said Doctor Scamandros. ‘A post I have held for several thousand years, giving complete satisfaction, I may add. I have a letter here to that effect from Captain Catapillow.’
He handed over a folded sheet of paper. Longtayle read this one too.
‘What brought you to the Border Sea in the first place?’
Angry storms rolled across Scamandros’s cheeks and his fingers twitched.
‘That’s none of your affair, young Rat!’
‘You’ve come aboard without permission,’ said Longtayle grimly. ‘If you don’t answer my questions we shall have to —’
‘He’s my guest!’ interrupted Arthur. ‘I kind of . . . I guess I brought him aboard.’
Scamandros waved his hand weakly. The storms on his cheeks dispersed and the ships tattooed there rode gently at anchor. A sun shone on his forehead, turning green as it slowly sank towards his right ear.
‘Never mind, Lord Arthur. It’s well known that these Rats never rest without prying out everyone’s secrets. I came to the Border Sea to find my final exam papers, which were supposedly lost before they could be marked. I thought that if I could find them and have them properly assessed, I could gain my degree and once more be admitted into the halls of learning in the Upper House. A foolish hope, I now acknowledge. I suspect my papers were never truly lost, and so will not reappear in the Sea.’
‘That confirms your identity,’ said Longtayle. He bowed and added, ‘We like to be sure who we have aboard, Doctor. As it happens, your ‘secret’ was already known to us. If Lord Arthur wishes to confirm you as his guest, we are happy to welcome you aboard the Rattus Navis IV.’
‘I do confirm him as a guest,’ said Arthur. ‘I was hoping to enlist Doctor Scamandros for my . . . my expedition anyway.’
‘Expedition?’ Scamandros asked. ‘Well, if I could have a cup of tea and a biscuit first, I daresay I could manage a small expedition . . .’
‘We have to get to Port Wednesday before we really get started,’ said Arthur. ‘So you’ll have a few days to recover —’
‘Excellent!’ Doctor Scamandros beamed. He cast his eyes about the cabin. ‘Perhaps I might lie down on that bunk over there? I feel a little weak.’
‘Uh, I guess you can,’ said Arthur. ‘But I want to know what happened with the Moth! Was . . . was anybody killed? Is Sunscorch all right?’
‘They’ll all be slaves now,’ said Doctor Scamandros gloomily as he climbed into the bunk. He looked down at his stomach, then pulled his greatcoat closed. ‘Those that survived. Sunscorch? I don’t know. Everything was confused. There was smoke everywhere, and Feverfew cast a spell that made the planks bite at our ankles. The Captain and Mister Concort retreated to the main cabin, while Sunscorch led the defence. The Shiver fired a broadside of grapeshot as she closed, raking the deck, then suddenly there were pirates everywhere, all around. I ran to the forepeak, thinking to jump, when I heard the chime of my transfer watch . . .’
‘But how did Feverfew know where you were? Was the Moth still on the beach?’
‘On the beach? No, no, we were only there for two weeks, though of course that was a week too long for Sunscorch. After the ship was fixed up we started back for the Border Sea. That was when Feverfew got us. The Shiver was waiting, right where we came through the Line of Storms. I don’t know how Feverfew knew where we’d cross. Though one naturally loathes and detests him as a pirate, one must admire his sorcery.’
‘You were on the beach for two weeks? But it’s only been hours for me since I left.’
‘Time runs true in the House and —’
‘— meanders elsewhere, yeah, I know,’ interrupted Arthur. He was thinking about getting back home before he was missed. ‘But that’s a big time difference.’
‘I’ve known bigger,’ said Scamandros. ‘Why, one time we left the House for a year and came back only fifteen minutes after we left. The tea was still warm in the pot I left on the corner table of Aunt Sally’s Café in Port Wednesday. Quite disturbing, I have to say. Now tell me, what is this expedition you plan, Lord Arthur?’