The Delta Pearl 20 — Slash
Saturday, January 1x, 2020
[image error]Composite of Pixaby images by Teagan R. Geneviene
Welcome back to the #steampunk riverboat, my chuckaboos! There have been several interruptions in the voyage of The Delta Pearl during the past few months. I appreciate you for steadfastly coming back to the riverboat dock. With that in mind, here are links from the most recent chapters. The Delta Pearl 19 — Flirt. The Delta Pearl 18 — Bump. The Delta pearl 17 –Jump.
Call for things!
This chapter’s random things from readers are cosmetics from Mary J Melange. Also even though it was part of a comment, Kirt Tisdale mentioned help, which I thought would be a great thing.
Speaking of random reader things, I could use more. If you want to leave a random thing — that existed in the Victorian or Steam Era, please do so in a comment. I love to give shout-outs for the things.
Without further ado…
All aboard!
The Delta Pearl
Chapter 20 — Slash
[image error]Sid and Coral. Otherwise known as “Dance in the Country,” Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1883 Wikipedia
Red and white stripes made the awning stretched above the Hurricane deck seem festive. The Captain said there wouldn’t be rain, but the Cook was still worried that her food and decorations for my birthday party might get wet. Yes, my sweet sixteen had finally arrived.
The hot pink roses caught my eye. I quickly turned my head when I realized I was frowning at the blossoms. I was still annoyed at Sid, the Cadette, for nicking one to give me. It wasn’t just that he had taken it from the decorations. Rather, Victor saw it and assumed I had a suitor.
The young inventor had been polite, a perfect gentleman in fact. However, he had been too reserved. When he looked at me, I saw doubt in his expression.
“My own sweet sixteen party and I have nothing even resembling a date,” I muttered under my breath.
Victor T. Elam sat in conversation with the wealthy entrepreneur, Randal Needleman. Nearby, a group of women hung on every word spoken by Garnet Redford, the Chief Porter.
A playful flourish of a lace fan caught my eye. The new chamber maid, Coral had just come up the stairs. Coral was on the arm of Obsidian Durango. She had been helping me with the language of the fan. I saw she had made careful use of cosmetics. Perhaps she could teach me to use them. Although, the Captain wouldn’t approve…
[image error]Kirk Douglas as Blue John Boulton
I couldn’t help shooting Sid a resentful glare. He threw a monkey wrench into the relationship that was starting to develop with my inventor — and then brought a date. At that moment I didn’t care that he probably had no idea what he had done.
Even though I was too young for Blue John to be my beau, he certainly was a handsome man. A crowd gathered around him as he played a ukulele and sang Come into the Garden Maud. I was glad Blue seemed to be in a better state of mind, but I could tell that he still wasn’t quite himself.
A sigh escaped my lips. When I heard myself, I forced a smile onto my face. Everyone was enjoying themselves. That was the main thing.
Only a few of the passengers were there. Agate didn’t want my birthday party to be open to everyone. She said that was too impersonal. However, I was allowed to quietly invite several passengers. I sent invitations to Victor, the Needlemans, and the supposed governess and her charge ― Azalea Morton and the “boy” Alex Rice, whose real name was Alison Ritchie.
Someone started up the Victrola. That should keep the party lively. Now if I can manage to liven up my own spirits, I thought.
[image error]Émeraude and the Dealer dance on the deck of the Delta Pearl. Original image Wikipedia (altered)
People began moving out from the awning and into the sunshine to dance.
Alison was still dressed as “Alex.” The two runaway women knew the value of discretion. When Sid asked Azalea to dance Alex/Alison elbowed her to accept.
I wondered why Coral was no longer on the Cadet’s arm. Then I saw her maneuvering that lace fan flirtatiously at Garnet.
Blue John stopped playing the ukulele when the Victrola started. He excused himself and headed toward the pilothouse. The Mate would relieve the Captain so he could act as host.
Admittedly, I was relieved when the Dealer touched my elbow and led me to the dancefloor. As I twirled and spun, I lost my cares in the dance. That was easy to do with Jaspe as partner. There was no better dancer than the Dealer. I didn’t realize the other dancers had moved to the sides to watch until we finished with a dramatic dip.
Abruptly a dark cloud descended enveloping the Hurricane Deck where I stood. The sooty air was choking. I couldn’t breathe.
[image error]Unsplash
The Dealer, brandishing a cutlass in one hand, caught me around my waist with his other hand. He was very tall and slim. It seemed unlikely for a thin man to be so strong. However, my feet came off the deck as Jaspe tossed me like a doll. He threw me clear of the brown mist.
I landed against the Captain’s chest and he held me fast, though I tried to get down. Cecil Perlog was huge. His strength was no surprise at all.
The Captain wore a ceremonial cutlass much like the one Jaspe brandished. I wondered at it, because it was rare for either of them to wear arms. I had passed it off as a formal touch for my party, but perhaps I was wrong.
“Cecil, take Émeraude away from here. He has come!” Jaspe yelled.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Victor run toward me.
“Malachite, you know you are not welcome here. The Delta Pearl herself cast you out!” I heard the Dealer shout though I could no longer see him.
Shocked murmurs from the partygoers rose in volume at Jaspe’s words.
More worrisome than the unexpected weapons was the “all-seeing eye” pin on the Captain’s puff tie. The pin was an oval white “blister” pearl as the eye, and a large round emerald made the iris. It has a small black diamond as the pupil. Yes, he always wore the pin, but I had never seen it glow before!
The thick cloud obscured my view. Two tall silhouettes clashed. They could have been mirror images. The shapes moved in a way that seemed confrontational. I heard the sound of the cutlass slashing the air. Then I heard the sword make contact with something.
[image error]Pixabay (altered)
The Captain’s head snapped toward the sound. A fierce grimace came to his face. He set me down, and then rushed into the dark mist to help Jaspe.
I saw the Captain unsheathe the sword as he barreled into the brown mist and out of view.
No sooner had my feet touched the deck than Agate grabbed my arm in a vice grip. At her nod, Victor caught my other arm. They prevented me following the Captain and the Dealer into the sooty cloud.
Clashing sounds of cutlasses rang, followed by a thud. I could only see vague movements of shapes amid the green glow from the all-seeing eye pin.
At the sound of clashing metal, Agate loosened her hold on my arm. Her hands went to her mouth in worry. I pulled free of her and ran around the edge of the cloud. Victor followed, still holding my arm.
A shout came from Blue John in the pilothouse. On the still water of the river, the Delta Pearl began to rock. Then the riverboat started to turn… and turn. It was as if the Delta Pearl had a will of her own and wanted to dislodge something, much like an untrained horse bucking a rider.
Voices cried out from all parts of the Delta Pearl as the riverboat lurched and spun faster.
Victor stumbled from the wild movements of the boat, but he still had my arm. I kept going, pulling him with me. Near the far side of the hurricane deck the mist thinned. I saw a man in a voluminous coat stagger out of the thinning edge of the cloud, but I couldn’t make out where he went.
[image error]As Benjamin Dundas, German inventor Werner von Siemens 1850, Wikipedia
It was a tall man whose thick mustache grew into his bushy sideburns, Benjamin Dundas ― one of the passengers. I had hardly seen him since the guests boarded. Some people didn’t handle river travel well. It could make them sick at their stomach. I had assumed that was why he seemed to stay in his quarters.
“Dundas, isn’t it?” Victor said next to me. “I’ve noticed him skulking around the deck where my cabin is. At first, I thought his room must be near mine, but then I learned it isn’t even on the same deck,” he added, causing me to rethink my assumption.
The sound of a straining engine overwhelmed Victor’s voice. The cloud seemed to dissipate. However, I saw that it was rising, rather than dispersing. Above me I glimpsed what looked a lot like the underside of a boat, but the mist quickly covered it.
As the cloud rose, I saw the Captain stumble to the deck. High over the Hurricane Deck I saw legs swinging, then the Dealer dropped from the mist. He landed gracefully on the deck and immediately went to the Captain.
“Quickly, we need to clear his lungs!” Jaspe exclaimed as he stooped beside the Captain. “He has breathed malachite dust and it’s poisonous.”
***
End Chapter 20
***
This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 and 2019 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
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