Emilie & the Hollow World - By Martha Wells Page 0,19

must have been empty for decades, perhaps even before it flooded. And there was no land in sight. It would be a rather bleak spot, if you were stuck without a ship or other means of transport.

An officer called from the upper deck, and the crewmen ran to obey. Emilie felt the engines change pitch as the ship began to slow. She said, “We're going to stop and search the wreck.” She was torn between excitement at seeing a real ship wreck and feeling sorry for the crew. They must be dead, whatever had happened to them, whether they had drowned when the ship had been dragged into the aetheric current or died of hunger and thirst after being deposited here. She wasn't sure which was a better fate; both sounded painful and frightening.

“We're wasting valuable time.” Miss Marlende gripped the rail, sounding as if she was struggling to control her temper.

“No,” Kenar said. “It might tell us something about what we're to face in these waters.” He added, “And we can use all the help we can get.”

But the wreck provided no help at all.

The Sovereign slowed to a halt a little distance from it, and the launch was dispatched to investigate. Aboard were Kenar, Captain Belden's first officer Oswin, and six armed crewmen. Emilie and Miss Marlende waited on the deck with Lord Engal and Dr. Barshion, who was taking a brief respite from working on the aetheric engine and had come out for some air. They watched tensely, but after a short time of climbing over the wreck, the boarding party returned with little news.

“Nothing there, My Lord,” Oswin reported to Lord Engal after they climbed back aboard the Sovereign. “I found the cover of the log book but water had washed into the bridge and the pages had rotted away. There was no sign of the crew, alive or dead. I think they must have perished before the ship entered the rift.”

“There was no sign of anything,” Kenar added. “No supplies at all, in the hold or the cabins, no crates or casks, no blankets on the beds, no clothing, no pots in the cooking area. As if the ship was stripped.”

“Yes, but it's been there ten years,” Oswin said, before Lord Engal could reply. Emilie felt they had been arguing about this during the entire exploration of the wreck. “Everything that wasn't nailed down would have washed away.”

“Not everything,” Kenar said stubbornly.

“That aside,” Lord Engal put in firmly. “If there's nothing more to learn here, we'll continue. At least we can reveal the solution to the mystery of the Scarlet Star's disappearance when we return.”

He went back up the stairs toward the wheelhouse, and the crew dispersed back to their duties. Miss Marlende lifted a brow at Dr. Barshion and said, “When we return?”

His mouth set in a grim line, he said, “We're working on it.”

CHAPTER FOUR

When night fell, the sun didn't sink toward the horizon; the shape of the Dark Wanderer moved across it, causing an eclipse.

Emilie had seen an eclipse of the moon before, but never the sun. While it was impossible to look directly at even the Hollow World's smaller sun without going blind, they could see the eclipse coming by the line of darkness sweeping slowly across the sea toward the ship.

Once the sun was completely obscured, it was as dark as the most cloud-covered moonless night, with only the ship's running lights to guide them across the water. The Sovereign dropped its speed by half, chugging cautiously along, with lookouts in the bow to spot obstacles. Kenar said the darkness should last about eight hours by the ship's clock.

Except for the crewmen on watch, and the group still working on the aetheric engine, most people were going to take the opportunity to sleep. Miss Marlende offered Emilie the extra bed in her cabin, possibly in order to keep an eye on her. At the moment Emilie didn't care; she hadn't done anything but briefly nap for nearly two days, and was tired enough that she was ready to lie down on the deck to sleep.

The cabin was on the second deck above the hull, an interior one with no portholes. It was nicely appointed with two beds, roomy cabinets, a tap and small ceramic hand basin, mirror, and a door leading to a small private water closet. Emilie was expecting to be given instructions to wash and change and attend to her hair, but Miss Marlende just sat down heavily