Page 16 (1/2)

‘I will not forget,’ said Dawn ‘In any case, you are probably milady’s only hope’

‘What?’

This tilided steadily down, Arthur watched the approach of the Leviathan Maybe she was getting smaller, but she still looked like a h cliffs of chalk at the front So to be h they were still twenty rasp The tail rose up at least aexplosion that Arthur could feel through the air as enerated too, and was surprised that by the tiher crest in the swell

‘She’s changing,’ said Dawn confidently ‘Already only half her normal size’

Arthur found that hard to believe, but he supposed Daould know They were circling above the ship now, still a long way up, but disturbingly no higher than Wednesday’s hty white brow It loomed closer and closer, and Arthur started to use his hand as athe nuers from sea level to the top of the whale’s head It wasn’t very scientific but Arthur was somewhat relieved to see that by this crudein size

Not that it looked any s the question in a shout when Dawn did not answer

‘No,’ Dawn roared ‘That would show disrespect I trust milady!’

Arthur took another ers The whale was definitely getting smaller, but she was still what he could only think of as huo any lower,’ shouted Arthur ‘I et on the ship first?’

Dawn didn’t answer But she also didn’t fly any lower

Arthur kept looking at Drowned Wednesday Because of her enormous size, he hadn’t really taken in how fast she was approaching The distance between theher than they were flying He felt like an ant watching a freight train approaching, and he was stuck to the railway line

At least she’s got her h for hi the size of a racetrack There were oily tears the size of buses rolling across the face of the eye, each one leaving a rainbow trace behind

The pupil in the eye suddenly ht It looked like a weird code

Instantly Daings pu whale, circling to gain height Arthur, taken by surprise, rotated in Dawn’s grip and found hiently pushed and pulled hi

It took hi minute, with the expectation that when he next looked he would see the giant ht into it, no matter how hard Dawn tried to fly away

But he didn’t He saw the top of Drowned Wednesday’s head, only a hundred feet or so below A huge expanse of white whale blubber and, a few seconds later, a blowhole that looked like a billionaire’s sauna

Which was not that big, Arthur thought The Leviathan had shrunk considerably She was now notaking place It was like watching a balloon slowly losing its air, while it still kept its basic shape

‘A lide around and down again There was soested to Arthur that she’d done it on purpose to scare him, perhaps on Wednesday’s orders

Whether it was intentional or not, Dawnon the ship She circled a few tiet smaller and smaller Then, when Drowned Wednesday was no , Daooped down onto the poop deck, dropped Arthur, and transformed herself back into human shape

‘Go down to the main deck,’ said Dawn ‘Milady will ed his nose and slowly climbed down the companionway to the quarterdeck and then to the waist of the ship Tables had been laid end to end on both the port and starboard sides, from the forecastle back to the mainmast They were covered in fine white tablecloths and loaded with many different kinds of food on fancy silver platters and trays and china plates and bowls

This, Arthur guessed, was the luncheon of seventeen reh all seventeen courses were already laid out and, as far as he could see, there were no places set, or chairs

The slap of water on deckhand gripped the top rung, followed by another

Drowned Wednesday was coood Her skin was pallid and strangely lus were of different sizes, the left are flour sack with holes cut for her head and ar limp and wet like a bunch of brown seaweed on her head, obscuring much of her face Arthur could see that once she must have been beautiful, as were all the superior Denizens, but the fine bones of her face were lost in fat

She had a rope tied around her waist in place of a belt, and thrust through the rope was a long silver fork -- perhaps a short trident Arthur’s eye was drawn to it at once, and he kneithout being told that this was the Third Key Right in front of his, Lord Arthur,’ ered past hie,off huge chunks of meat, which she sed doith barely a chew ‘Wouldn’t believe how tiredI am of krill andust off his face as she threw the bone away and picked up an enormous cake and forced it into her face

‘Repulsive, aren’t I?’ mumbled Wednesday ‘Not ’

‘Why?’ asked Arthur ‘I don’t understand What’s wrong with you? What do you ith me?’

‘Cursed,’ cae silver tureen of soup and started to drink it down ‘Or soone in with the other Trustees Started getting hungry back then, almost as soon as I took my part of the Will But held it in check with the Key Pass me that turkey’

Arthur looked at the table It took hie roast bird that had to be the turkey, though it ice the size of any he’d ever seen He lifted it up with sorabbed it one-handed and e bird in one go