Mariah Mundi and the Ship of Fools Read Online Free Page B

offering.
    ‘We couldn’t possibly,’ Charity tried to say.
    ‘I insist – it is just a token,’ she said with a giggle as she twitched her long nose and sniggered at the same time.
    Charity instinctively held out his hand and Madame Zane slid the box on to his palm.
    ‘See,’ she said as she blew upon the box. ‘It is full of surprises.’
    With that the lid of the box began to move slowly until it suddenly sprung open to the sound of a chiming bell. From inside appeared a small ebony figure, half man and half beast, that flicked upwards and began to dance in time to the chimes.
    ‘Amazing,’Mariah said. He watched the jewelled eyes of the bull-headed creature sparkle as it danced.
    ‘It is an invention of my husband. It can dance with your mood – however you feel, the Minotaur will dance in that way.If you are sad it will skip a lament and if you are happy it will dance a jig.’
    ‘But how do you get it to stop?’ Charity asked.
    ‘Quite simple, just blow upon it and it will be gone.’
    Charity blew upon the creature and just as she said, the beast stopped dancing and curled itself within the box as the lid slid tightly shut.
    ‘An amazing invention. We can’t possibly have such a gift,’ Charity said as he handed it back to her.
    ‘Once given, it cannot be taken back. I will be deeply offended.’ As before, Madame Zane’s manner changed suddenly. It was as if the wind had blown upon her and all her goodness had vanished in one breath. ‘I will not have my charity rebuked by your Charity, Mariah,’ she scoffed.
    The Triton shook as a grave sounding of the horn rattled the glass case covering the gold.
    ‘I think we are ready to set sail,’ Mariah said as he took the box from the palm of Charity’s hand and placed it in his pocket.
    ‘Then we can go to our rooms,’ said Madame Zane, again restored to politeness.

[3]
The Bicameralist
    O N the bridge of the Triton Captain Tharakan stared out to sea. The ship towered above even the largest buildings of the city and dwarfed the quayside cranes.
    ‘Soon be ready for the race,’ he said excitedly as a tall, silent man in a neatly pressed uniform ushered Mariah and Charity onto the bridge. ‘Thank you, Mr Ellerby,’ he said to the chisel-faced officer before turning to Charity. ‘I hear you have not met Lorenzo and I so much wanted you to experience the full force of the Zane Generator.’
    Lorenzo Zane nodded from the far side of the bridge. He was in his shirtsleeves with the cuffs rolled back and the collar removed from the neck. Mariah thought he looked more like a servant than a famous inventor. He was tall and thin with a narrow face that looked like a horse and did not fit on board a ship. All around him, officers of the watch checked the steel dials and gauges and shouted instructions into the mouthpiece of a brass speaking-tube that vanished through the floor. A guard with a pistol in his hand stood by the crisply painted doorway next to Mr Ellerby, the officer who had shown them on to the bridge.
    ‘Thanks for what you did for my son,’ Lorenzo said as he noted down the numbers on the dial in front of him. ‘The generator has to be watched at all times – if the pressure becomes too great then the ship will explode.’
    ‘Dangerous machinery for a passenger ship?’ Charity asked.
    ‘Not at all, Captain Charity. As long as this dial is maintained at a constant pressure then all will be well. You seem to be familiar with my work … Did you enjoy the gift from my wife?’ he asked.
    ‘Totally entertaining,’ Mariah said as he took the box from his pocket and held it out for all to see.
    ‘I have one myself, given to me by Lorenzo,’ said Captain Tharakan appreciatively. ‘It is in my stateroom and I shall keep it with me always.’
    ‘I invented it for my son – to help him sleep. He says the music and the dancing soothes the mind.’ Lorenzo handed his clipboard to the officer of the watch and muttered something under his