CHAPTER 4

This One’s a Scream

That night, Fin awoke to screaming. He bolted upright. The Kraken rocked roughly from side to side. Through the shrieks, he could hear a rumbling churn, a sound like a stomach gurgling all around them.

“Must be in the Ravingorge,” he mumbled to himself. Though no one had ever mentioned the Ravingorge screaming. He slid from his bunk, snatching his thief’s bag and skysailing jacket, and headed to the door.

Before he could even get his bearings in the dim hallway, Marrill’s cabin door burst open across from him. Her head popped out, eyes white and wide in the darkness. Her cat, Karnelius, glowered from the crook of her arm.

“What is that?” she whispered.

The shrieks were high pitched and growing louder. “Sounds like it’s coming from above.” Fin started for the stairs. “Come on.”

Marrill took a hesitant step after him. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Fin paused. They were charging into the darkness toward the source of mysterious screams, after all. “Nope. Do you?”

Marrill let out a sigh and settled Karny over her shoulder. “Nope. Let’s go.”

They raced each other up the spiral staircase. Fin burst through the hatch first, Marrill and her cat just a step behind. But as soon as he struck the cool night air, Fin’s stomach turned. The stench hit him like mildewed rotten eggs bathed in week-old mustard.

Marrill blanched, nose wrinkling. “Ugh.” Karnelius squirmed in her arms, clearly unhappy to have been dragged into the stink. “What is this place?”

Fin looked around. The Stream had narrowed into a river once more, but this sure wasn’t the Ravingorge—the lack of teeth made that obvious. Stonework banks penned in the river on either side, broken only by muddy side channels and high, arching bridges. Gothic buildings loomed on the banks like fat spiders, their stained-glass eyes lit with candles as they watched the night for prey.

But what defined this place most was the gas. Bubbles of it popped and belched everywhere, illuminating the darkness in an odd, wavering assortment of ill-scented hues. The Kraken shook from side to side as the Stream practically boiled beneath it. This, Fin realized, was what made the weird churn-and-chug noises he’d heard earlier. The stink had a familiar tang to it, one he recognized from the trading docks back at the Khaznot Quay.

“We’re in Listerd Light Alley,” he choked over the shrieks that continued piercing the night. “Has to be. Nothing smells like Listerd gas.”

Nose still wrinkled in disgust, Marrill pointed toward the rear of the ship and the source of the screaming: Ardent’s cabin. The door hung open, the wailing sound spilling out along with an oozing flood of gelatinous goop.

Ardent stumbled out beside it in a daze, dark stains of sludge sticking his robe to his skin. He flicked his hand, and a wad of goo flew through the air. The wailing increased to a howl as it landed just at Fin’s feet. He looked down at the glob. The goo was screaming, he realized.

Just then Coll and Remy joined them on the deck.

“Ohthankgoodnessyou’reokay,” Remy breathed, clapping a hand on Marrill’s shoulder. “You too, Plus One,” the babysitter added, dropping her other hand on Fin’s arm.

Fin smiled. Remy didn’t really remember him, so much as she remembered that there was another kid besides Marrill she needed to look out for. But that was still more than most anyone else in his life had ever remembered him, and he was thankful for it nonetheless.

Coll, meanwhile, cringed, pulling a curved blade from his belt. His eyes swept the deck, looking for trouble. “What’s going on?” he shouted over the whirlwind of noise.

Ardent twitched his fingers as he waved toward the sludge. It fizzled and crackled, the screaming turning torturous. Then all at once, goop and noise evaporated, vanishing in a puff of steam. A few stubborn streaks of the stuff still clung to Ardent’s robe and Coll’s boots, emitting tinny mews of angst.

“My alarm,” Ardent said, scowling. His eyes scanned the buildings around them as more and more candles flickered to life in dark windows. Crooked shapes like broken dolls cast their silhouettes out into the night.

Turning, the wizard stalked back into his cabin, Coll close on his heels. Marrill and Remy scrambled to follow.

“What’s going on, Brother—Fin?” Fig asked, coming up behind him. She yawned as Fin looked at her. Clearly, she was still half asleep; she hadn’t even had time to put on shoes.

“Wizard alarm, screaming gel, the usual,” Fin told her. “Where did you get off to?”

She shrugged. “Found a nice pile of blankets in one of the cabins downstairs. Had to snuggle up to a really grumpy four-armed monster to get any covers, though. Called me a ‘squirt larva’ and grunted something about hibernating.”

Fin shook his head. He’d wondered where the Naysayer had been all this time. Though frankly, the ship was much more pleasant without him. Even with the screaming, come to think of it.

“You may want to double-check you still have everything you went to sleep with,” Fin warned her. “The Naysayer can be a bit… sticky-fingered.”

Fig cocked an eyebrow. “Now what kind of Fade would I be if I let someone else get the drop on me?”

“Fair enough.” Fin laughed. The more time he spent with Fig, the more he realized how much they had in common. He really was Fade, he guessed. It seemed weird… almost like belonging. He felt himself blushing at the thought, so he pushed it away and tilted his head toward the stern. “Let’s go see what this screaming is all about.”

They reached Ardent’s cabin to find the wizard surveying the scene. The place was a wreck, junk everywhere. “Wow, they really tossed the place,” Remy said, toeing a broken vase. The vase let out a curse, and Remy scooted away.

Ardent glanced around. “Hmm, no, this is pretty much what it looked like when I went to bed.”

Coll sheathed his blade and crossed his arms. “Then why the annoying alarm?”

Ardent beamed, moving toward a stack of ornately carved chests under the windows. “I thought it quite clever myself. I filled the chest with enhanced and enchanted unending supersonic screaming gel. Loud as anything and always one second away from a panic attack. Best part is, it’s quite sticky, making it easier to catch the thief. Hard to run and hide when you’re covered in screams.”

Ardent crossed his fingers across the top of one of the chests, knocked twice on the side, and let out a whistle. The lid flipped open, revealing a star-shaped crystal just inside—the Key to the Map to Everywhere.

“I use it to protect my most valuable and/or dangerous possessions,” the wizard continued. He waved at a trio of clear cubes laid out neatly just behind the Key, each nestled on a velvet cushion. The first held a collection of small objects Fin had never seen before: a stone that looked like it was made from a boiling storm, what appeared to be a ball with the label SOUL OF IMALUPHUS KHAN—DO NOT BOUNCE, and a glass figurine that bowed to each of them in greeting. Fin nodded back unconsciously.

The second cube had something far more familiar floating inside: the wish orb, nearly filled with concentrated Pirate Stream water, which could grant all but the absolute most extreme of wishes. And if the Master of the Iron Ship had managed to fill it completely when they were back in Monerva, even those wishes would have been possible.

Fin gave a silent thanks that he and Marrill had showed up in time to stop it.

It was the third cube, though, that caused Marrill to let out a strangled squeak. “My Wiverwane!” She dropped Karny to the floor, ignoring his howled protest, and raced toward the cube, where a black spot of a creature cowered in the corner. It looked like a bat and a spider all in one, or more like a pair of hands joined together at the wrist. Long spindly finger-legs drummed against the side of its enclosure.

Marrill’s eyes narrowed as her hands clutched into fists. Fin could see the shock and anger twining across her face. Frankly, he’d never been a fan of the creepy creatures, but Marrill had been partial to them, especially this one. Which made sense, since it had kind of saved their lives.

“Marrill, it’s all right,” Fin started.

She shook her head violently, cutting him off. “It is not all right. The poor thing’s cramped and scared.” She spun toward Ardent. “How could you keep it in there like that?”

Surprised, Ardent twittered his fingers. “Marrill, the Wiverwane is not some pet. It is the memories of the Dzane made flesh, the recollections of the first wizards going all the way back to the birth of the Stream. Perhaps beyond. I have already seen… disturbing things by touching this little creature. That kind of knowledge, unleashed willy-nilly, could cause grave consequences.”

“But it’s a living creature!” Marrill protested. “And it’s not dangerous; it’s sweet.”

“Marrill…” Remy interjected. “It does cause people to fall into, uh, memory-comas, or whatever, when they touch it. Maybe he’s right?”

Marrill crossed her arms, undeterred. “No. I carried it all through the catacombs of Monerva, and it didn’t do a thing to hurt anyone. It helped me.”

Ardent cocked his head to one side. “Well, that’s debatable, certainly.” The two stared at each other for an awkward moment. Fin shot a glance at Fig. She was staring at the big wooden chest, brow furrowed as she scanned its mysterious contents.

Wait a second, Fin thought, putting two and two together. The wish orb was the key to releasing the Salt Sand King… and someone had tried to steal it. On the very same day one of the Salt Sand King’s army of spies had joined their crew.

He didn’t know what felt worse: being deceived, or having fallen for it.

Fin grabbed Fig’s arm, yanking her toward the doorway. “It was you, wasn’t it? You tried to take the orb.” His chin quivered, feeling hurt and betrayed and angry and confused all at once.

“What? Brother, what do you mean?”

Fin wasn’t about to be tricked twice. “Don’t play dumb,” he growled. “You tried to steal the wish orb to free your king. You said your people came on board to find me. But that was a lie, wasn’t it? You used me, and you were here for that orb all along.”

Fig looked offended. She was good, Fin had to give her that. “No. It was you. Brother, really! I don’t even know anything about that orb—”

He cut her off with a stroke of his hand. “Where are your shoes?” Her eyes slowly dropped to her bare feet, then off to the side. Clearly, she hadn’t anticipated that tell. “Well? Did you throw your shoes overboard, or are they belowdecks somewhere screaming their little hearts out?”

Fig blew a hair out of her face in frustration. Fin glared at her, waiting for her to cave.

“Overboard,” she finally huffed. “One of them turned into a really beautiful songbird. The other one ate it.” She paused. “But it wasn’t a lie!” she protested. “We really did come for you.”

“Then why all the sneaking around the ship?” he pressed. “Why didn’t you just grab me when you had the chance?”

“We’re Fade. That’s not our style—we’re more for subtlety and subterfuge. Besides, the bigger a scene we cause, the more noticeable we become, and the longer it takes people to forget us.”

“And I’m sure that’s the only reason,” he said drily.

“Okay fine.” She rolled her eyes. “We also thought we’d take a look around for anything that might be, you know, useful. And unguarded. But I really didn’t know about the orb until your wizard mentioned something about having cargo that the Rise would want. And even then, I just wanted to find it and figure out what it was.”

Fin’s stomach sank at the confirmation of her deception. “And steal it for them.”

She looked down and away. “You don’t understand,” she said. “If it’s something they want, the Rise will get it. They’re unstoppable. We can’t resist them, Brother. We can only help them; it’s for the best, really.”

Fin shook his head sadly. “If they’re so unstoppable, how come we got away from them?”

“Yeah, well.” She shrugged. “I’m not really sure what happened there, either. That’s why we were so thrown when your ship started outracing them.… That’s never really happened before.”

Fin snorted. Fig was clearly untrustworthy. Still, it did make some strange sense. And he had to admit, if what she said was true, breaking into Ardent’s cabin like that was exactly the type of thing he would have done.

“It’s not really betrayal,” Fig argued. “You’re one of us, Fin. You’re Fade. You should be on our side. You should want to help the Rise recover that orb.”

As one, they looked back inside, past where Marrill and Ardent were still debating the fate of the Wiverwane. Beside the skittery creature, the orb sat glowing, like a fallen star caught on a pillow.

One wish, Fin thought, and the path to Monerva would reopen, setting free the Salt Sand King to torch every world he touched. And opening that path would also unleash the deadly Iron Tide, which they had just barely halted before their escape. That was why no one could use the orb; that was why wishes were better left unspoken. It would be an apocalyptic race to the finish, the fire and iron competing to see which could do the most damage to the Stream the quickest. After that happened, they might want the Lost Sun of Dzannin to escape from the Map to Everywhere, just to clean up the mess.

He wondered what Fig would think if she did know all of that. But then, he didn’t plan on telling her. At this point, the less she knew, the better. “I guess I have to turn you in.” He looked out at the angles and arches of Listerd Light Alley. In the belch of a Listerd bubble, something long and ungainly moved. “Shame you didn’t betray us in friendlier territory.”

Fig waved her hands. “Brother, wait! I know I overreached. I’m sorry. What can I say? I’m an achiever.” She smiled at him mischievously. “But we can still both get what we want. The Rise will be plenty happy if I help you find your mother and bring the two of you back to the fold. And in return, I promise not to try to get that orb.”

Fin scoffed.

But still he hesitated. He’d learned more about who he was and where he’d come from today than he had in his entire life. And even if he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be one of the Fade, Fig made him feel like there was a place in the Stream where he fit in. Not to mention she was the only lead he had toward finding his mother. How could he turn that opportunity down?

Besides, clearly Ardent’s security was top-notch. The best thief on the Stream would be hard-pressed to steal the orb from the wizard. And since Fin was the best thief on the Stream, they didn’t have to worry about that.

He let out a long breath, wondering if he was going to regret his decision. But he didn’t really see a choice. “Deal,” he said at last. “Though one more caper and you’re off. I don’t care where we are.”

Fig seemed surprised by his answer. She covered it with a grin, though it wasn’t as bright as usual. “Thank you, Brother Fade.” She sounded almost genuine.

Uneasy truce struck, Fin and Fig slipped back inside the cabin, just as Ardent’s expression softened into familiar lines of a gentle smile. “Of course, Marrill. You’re right; a living creature needs the best care we can provide for it. At the same time, we must be mindful of its dangers. Perhaps together we can come up with better accommodations for the Wiverwane.”

“Thank you!” Marrill threw herself into the wizard’s arms. Fin felt a lump in his throat. Watching Ardent and Marrill was like watching a grandfather and granddaughter. It wasn’t very thiefly, but he couldn’t help but be touched by it.

When Marrill pulled back, Ardent placed a hand on the third cube. It didn’t open so much as dissolve through his fingers. Freed, the Wiverwane flapped furiously, its one broken appendage still making flight a struggle.

It had almost made it to Marrill’s shoulder when a low growl rose from Ardent’s desk. Karnelius scrambled across the wooden surface, kicking stray papers to the side and upending bowls of various colored stones as he launched himself toward the Wiverwane.

“Karny, no!” Marrill cried. She grabbed for the Wiverwane. Fin saw what was about to happen and leapt forward just in time to catch her. Because the moment her palm brushed against the Wiverwane, her skin rippled like water, and she collapsed.

A memory coma. Wiverwanes did that—filling the heads of anyone who touched them with someone else’s memories, leaving them dazed.

“Marrill!” Remy shouted, taking her from Fin. “Coll, help me get her up!”

“I knew this was a bad idea!” Ardent grunted, tiptoeing toward the Wiverwane. The Wiverwane, however, wasn’t fooled. It bolted out the door and flew toward the port railing. Karnelius jumped to follow.

Everything that happened next seemed to go in slow motion.

“The cat!” Fig yelled.

Fin twisted, just in time to see Karnelius coiled on the stairs to the quarterdeck. And then

he

pounced.

The Wiverwane flapped its broken wing, managing to float up just an inch above the railing.

“Catch them!” Marrill screamed, coming out of her stupor and pushing to her feet.

Fin lunged, trying to intervene. But he was too late. Cat and creature collided. Legs and claws scrabbled against the railing. And just like that,

they were gone.