The Eye of Neptune Read Online Free

Dakkar could see that his middle and index fingers were missing. His wide mouth split into a grin that was too full of brown tombstone teeth.
    Dakkar gave a gasp, trying not to stare at the man’s blistered, scarred skin and mutilated hands.
    ‘Well, Dakkar, you ain’t welcome here,’ the taverner’s wife said, wiping her hands on her apron and glancing at the man in the shadows. ‘Go on, get back home!’
    ‘But there’s something out there in the sea!’ Dakkar persisted. ‘It could be dangerous.’
    The squat man shuffled forward and gave a sniff, and his grin widened.
    ‘Lots of fish, I shouldn’t doubt,’ one of the old men cackled.
    ‘Go on, shoo!’ the taverner’s wife snapped, and she bundled Dakkar out through the door.
    Dakkar didn’t resist – the strange man disturbed him. It wasn’t so much his appearance as the look he had given Dakkar. Full of menace. Glancing back, he saw the man peering at him through the tavern’s small leaded window.
    At least he’d warned the villagers. He couldn’t do any more. Dakkar ran back towards the castle, the wind battering him. Dakkar couldn’t help checking behind him. Stupid! As if the man would follow me! Still, all the way home, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched.
    At last he reached the castle and slammed the heavy door behind him. Silence hung over the hallway as Dakkar scanned the oak panels, the suits of armour standing to attention, the stairs spiralling up to the next floor. He was just opening his mouth to shout for Mrs Evans when something caught his attention.
    The cellar door was ajar. Located just under the staircase, it normally stood locked and flush to the varnished panels, almost invisible. Now Dakkar could see the edge of the door and the lock. Oginski must have left it open in his hurry.
    Holding his breath, Dakkar tiptoed over to the door and peered down the short flight of steps. An oil lamp glowed dimly but there was no sound of movement. Slowly, he crept down, pressing himself against the wall.
    The steps opened into a small room with a workbench, a number of cupboards and some tools scattered on the surfaces. A bookcase filled one wall. Dakkar sneaked up to the workbench and picked up a hammer that lay there. It felt heavy in his hand. He glanced up and what he saw made him gasp.
    Pinned to the wall was a drawing of a boat. It was a strange boat, with a covered top and a wheel at the stern, rather like a paddle steamer. Written in neat copperplate above it were the words Oginski’s Patent Undersea Submersible .
    An underwater boat! Dakkar thought, running his fingers over the lines on the plan.
    He read the legend under the diagram: Ballast tanks within hull for submerging . . .
    For some time, Dakkar stood, lost in the design of the craft. So this is what Oginski has been so secretive about! But he couldn’t have spent all this time just drawing up this plan – maybe he’s actually making it!
    Looking about, Dakkar could see a riveted metal door in the wall opposite. He pulled it open, wincing as it squealed on its hinges. This entrance opened on to a long flight of shallow steps. Through it Dakkar could smell the sea and hear the distant waves rolling against the cliffs. Pulling the door closed behind him, he took the first step and immediately slipped on the slimy green seaweed that coated everything. Dakkar’s backside went numb as he bumped down every step. He could feel the damp from the steps soaking through his trousers. Finally, he reached the last step and staggered to his feet, groaning and rubbing his aching bottom.
    He looked up at the huge sea cavern in which he stood, his eyes widening in amazement. It towered above him, echoing with the roar of the tide. High above his head, daylight streamed through a hole punched in the ceiling. He stood on a platform of rock that rose above a natural pool. Somewhere below, he supposed, the sea had bored its way in through a seam of softer rock, making a