Chapter 46

The airship creaked and squeaked as it rose into the air. Goat was hard at work inflating additional intestines, using a strange contraption that seemed to work by siphoning gases from a tank of carefully collected goat waste, and pumping it into a narrow nozzle. With the casual ease of a clown at a child’s birthday party, Goat tied off sausage balloons as they swelled with methane. The heat of the day expanded them further and the gas carried us higher.

We floated over a sprawling city that looked as insane as the paving that lined so many of its streets. Harenae stood at the bow and stared into the horizon.

Goat was at the wheel, which still didn’t seem to be connected to anything functional. Perhaps it grounded him and gave a sense of stability. I wished I had something as simple as a wheel to hold onto.

“Hey,” Harenae called from the rail. “there’s someone follow­ing us.”

I hurried over and looked where she pointed. A truck was hurtling through the narrow streets, scattering people and litters as it went. A lone figure stood in the open roof, a harpoon-like weapon cradled against their shoulder.

“What the harpsichord is that?” I asked.

“Serious intent?” the pathologist replied.

Smoke puffed from the rear of the weapon and a metal spear came rocketing towards us. We both ducked and the point buried itself in the goat balloon netting overhead. A rope went taut and we peered over the side again.

Eade Notschnott climbed the knotted rope with the determ­ination of a caterpillar climbing towards the last leaf on a bush.

Drakeforth came over and looked down.

“You know how you had her declared legally dead?” I said. “I bet you regret not making sure first.”

Drakeforth grunted and reached down to offer Eade a hand as she came into range. “Eade, how unpleasant of you to drop in unannounced.”

“Vole, you need to stop. Just leave Pathia and stop.”

“Stop what?” Drakeforth had an air of innocence about him that could have been sprayed from an aerosol can.

“Grand Linteum Nonce told me to get you here. I didn’t know why at the time. I think it was because the Godden Energy Corporation wanted you taken care of.”

“How generous of them,” I said coldly.

“And quite unnecessary,” Drakeforth replied. “I am reasonably adept at taking care of myself.”

“They really don’t like you,” Eade insisted.

“No one likes Drakeforth,” I said. “It’s part of his charm.”

“They were going to put you in the same cabinet as Professor Bombilate,” Eade said.

“And you were okay with that?” I asked.

Eade paused for a moment. “I need to protect what I believe in. The museum, the artefacts, all that knowledge. It’s real to me. Knowledge has value beyond the perceived worth of currency. You are putting all my work, my life’s work at risk.”

“You harpooned us to get that off your chest?” I asked.

“No, I harpooned you to stop you floating off into the desert and doing something unforgivable.”

“You could just forgive us and let us go,” Drakeforth suggested.

“It’s too late. You have to be stopped.”

I looked around. “We have been stopped. Goat! We’re not moving!”

Goat snorted and woke from his reverie. “Goat?”

“We’re run aground!” I yelled.

Goat ran to the rail and looked over. He dashed back to the odd collection of containers that stored his possessions and retrieved the rusty axe. With the weapon held high over his head, he ran to the various ropes that bisected the rail. Swinging wildly, he severed a goat hide rope and then looked over the rail.

With a growl, he took another swing. This one bounced off the harpoon cable and spun him in a circle. Goat steadied himself and smacked the rope with the axe again. This time the axe cut through the cable and buried itself deep in the wooden rail.

The airship bounced upwards and caught a prevailing wind, which sent us racing across the city at a fast walking pace.

Now freed from the restraining rope, Goat marched across the deck, murderous intent clear on his face.

“Easy, Goat,” I intervened.

“Anchor…man,” Goat snarled.

“Weird how he’s sometimes in the here and now, and other times he’s on an entirely different page,” Eade said.

“Maybe you should go,” Drakeforth said.

“Promise me you won’t ruin everything,” Eade insisted.

“I don’t do promises,” Drakeforth replied.

“He only ruins everything sometimes,” I added.

Goat snatched up a coil of goat hide rope and pushed past me. He dropped a loop around Eade’s waist, binding her arms to her sides.

“Hey, Goat, no!” I yelled. He brushed me aside and lifted Eade up. She yelled in terror and he casually tossed her over the rail. The goat-hide rope zipped out of its coil and we all rushed to grab it. Goat waited for a moment and then stamped a foot on the line. It went tight and creaked.

“Is she okay?” I asked.

“I guess so,” Harenae said cautiously. “She didn’t hit the ground, and there are some people untying her.”

The line went slack and Goat reeled it back in. With an indignant sniff, he put the coiled rope back in its place amongst the rest of the detritus on deck.

I felt an awkward silence settle into place. Drakeforth walked off and started rummaging in the various shelves and boxes of debris that Goat had collected over time.

“What are you looking for?” I asked.

“That picture Goat had. The one of The Tree.”

With little else to do, I helped him search.

We found the rolled-up skin in a battered metal trunk tied to one corner of the deck. Unrolling it on the table where Goat served tea, we stared at the crudely painted white shape on the smooth side of the skin.

“Well, there it is. Now what?” I asked.

“I had a thought,” Drakeforth replied.

“You actually thought about something? Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Remember how you said that The Tree was connect­ed to everything?”

“I saw it… I think I saw it. The Tree is a conduit for empathic energy. An infinite number of streams endlessly cycling… Ohhh…”

“Exactly,” Drakeforth replied. “The trick is finding it.”

“Which we can’t do because of the quantum properties of The Tree.”

“You found it last time by not looking for it at all,” Drakeforth said.

“It would help if we knew we were on the right track at least.” I straightened up. “Harenae! Can you come here for a sec?”

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Pathologists know the path, you said. What if the path isn’t a road or a path at all? What if it is something else?

Harenae smiled. “You ever look at a map?” she asked. “I mean really look at it. Study a map long enough and you see beyond the lines. A map is a network, like the veins in your skin or the cracks in pyramid paving stones. Everything is connected. Pathologists can always follow the path until we arrive where we want to be.”

“This drawing shows The Tree—you’ve heard of it, right?”

Harenae nodded and leaned over the rolled-out skin.

“This,” Harenae said, pointing at the image of The Tree, “is out there.”

“I hope so. Where, exactly?”

“Everywhere,” Harenae replied. “The Tree is Living Oak. The paths are all around us.”

“Empathic energy flows through the paths of The Tree…” I whispered.

“Could the Knotstick Order be using the interconnectedness of The Tree to transmit empathic energy to the pyramids?” I asked Drakeforth.

“Hardly seems like Godden Energy Corporation technology. They are more about the practical applications of double-e flux.”

I felt a chill. “Which is why they need the Knotstick Order. Faith generates empathic energy, and The Tree allows them to move it across Pathia. How can that work?”

Drakeforth gave a rueful grimace. “Faith works in mysterious ways, Pudding. It happens because they believe it happens.”

“Can we stop them” I asked.

“Stop people believing in something? Unlikely. We can illuminate, educate, and create doubt. That’s enough work for anyone.”

“Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, they say,” I replied.

“Depends on what you love.”

Something in his tone made me feel uncomfortable. I turned to the Pathologist. “Harenae, can you guide me? I want to follow the path to The Tree. I want to go everywhere, all at once.”

“You sure?” she asked.

“Yeah, nah,” I said.

“That means no,” Harenae grinned.

“Nah, yeah?” I tried again.

“That just sounds weird. Follow me.”

Harenae took my hand and placed it on the skin map. She took my other hand and turned towards the bow of the ship. I felt a chill ripple up my arm and, like an energy current, it pulsed through me and then exploded into perception.