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‘A week!’ Arthur protested He coughed as he spoke, sudden anxiety ht mean a week lost in his oorld He still didn’t understand how time worked between the House and the Secondary Real What if he lost a week at home? His parents would freak out So would Leaf’s Plus, he didn’t have any asthht not even survive a week What if his broken leg got worse?
‘I can’t spend a week on some deserted island!’
‘You’ll have to, ’less you’re a better swimmer than you look,’ replied Sunscorch ‘There’s precious little on this world Lots of islands, soht call fish and fowl, and a bit of useful timber, that’s all A safe haven from both Feverfew’s pirates and any nosy parkers from the House’
‘Nosy parkers?’
‘Officials Inspectors Quaestors Auditors You know’
‘Officials? Why would we be hiding from them?’ asked Arthur Not that he wanted to meet any himself Too many of them served the Trustees ere his enemies
‘We’re in the Secondary Realinal Law, and there’s fierce penalties to be here without permission Not that there’s much chance of trouble, not since Lady Wednesday’s mind went adrift and she ate up half her officials and drowned --’ ‘Avast that!’ interrupted Sunscorch ‘We are still in Her Ladyship’s service!’
‘True! True! Mister Sunscorch, I beg your pardon’
‘In any case, we have good reason to be here, which ht prove sufficient excuse,’ said Sunscorch, after a aze continued to roa, the ship and the crew ‘As soon as we’re able, we’ll be back to the Border Sea and our business of salvage Noedeep and the sand is soft, but we’ve still too much way on’
I out soarnets, buntlines, leechlines, and slablines These were all met with sudden activity by the crew
‘Now, all we need to do is get her safely lodged before teati away froet theive up their afternoon tea Once made clerks, always clerks, no matter how much salt they taste’
The ship slowed as sails were furled, and even Arthur could tell she was lower in the water and ish to answer the helm But they were only a few hundred yards fro sand that looked ht blue
‘We’llfrom somewhere deep inside the ship The peal quickly repeated several times In answer to it, the crew left their posts, abandoned lines, and slid down fro The Denizens who’d fallen overboard stopped treading water and started to swi near-Olyrace or style Even the hel on the main deck of the ship, till they were physically restrained by Sunscorch
‘Oh, no you don’t,’ he cried ‘How many times do I have to tell you? If you’re at the wheel you can’t both go to afternoon tea You have to take it in turns’
Arthur stared down at thecups of tea in fine bone china cups that appeared out of the grating, even though there was no one below handing them up Small biscuits also materialised in the air and were delicately taken and eaten in ht of both ry, despite the drink of water Sunscorch had given him in the boat He knew he didn’t need food or water, but he felt as if he did
‘Howwhere are the cups coe e re house,’ said Ichabod ‘So us with afternoon tea, wherever we are in the House or the Secondary Realo, and it has never been rescinded It’s quite convenient, of course, and we are the envy of many other ships’
‘It’s a cursed nuisance,’ said Sunscorch He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ‘All hands come aft! Hold yer cups and saucers!’
The creas slow to respond, and Sunscorch shouted again The beach was only fifty or sixty yards distant
‘They’re best aft We ht lose a mast e strike,’ Sunscorch explained to Arthur ‘But it’ll go for’ard, like as not’
Arthur looked up at the two very tall h tons, and if one or both of them came down backwards instead of forward, they’d crush everyone
‘Take a hold!’ roared Sunscorch
Eight
ARTHUR HARDLY FELT the Moth’s initial impact with the beach The deck shuddered a little under hiht out and he had a very firrip on an iron cleat next to the rail
More serious shudders followed, as the ship ground its way up and through the deep sand Arthur watched therattled and a few ropes and blocks fell down, nothing worse occurred
After a few roan and slid forward no ht for a few le of twenty degrees Arthur wondered if it was going to go over completely on its side, but the deep sand around the hull held it in place
Aly, not one of the crew appeared to have dropped his or her teacup While Arthur gingerly crawled to the side and looked over at the blue sand, Ichabod went and got a cup of tea to offer to Arthur