The Dead Gentleman (32 page)

Even today, I still find myself looking over my shoulder at shadows.

The ship rolled again. I would have to do something about this creature out there. Whatever it was.

“Battle stations!” I shouted.

“Aye, aye, Captain,” answered a voice.

Jezebel was standing behind me. She was saluting, which seemed awfully out of place for her. More so, even, than her sudden appearance.

“Huh,” I said. “Don’t suppose you’re going to tell me how you got here this time?”

“Sure I will,” she answered. “The mural in my room. It’s really a portal that can take me anywhere. I just have to picture the place and it appears. It was a gift from the High Father.”

Now this was worth considering. A portal that went anywhere opened up endless possibilities for profit—if I ever decided to go back to my old ways, that is. But the fact that it was located in Jezebel’s bedroom was a bit inconvenient. A thought occurred to me.

“So you just hopped through the portal to here?”

“Yep.”

“And how are you getting back?”

Jezebel’s smile faded at once. I bit back a chuckle as she frantically scanned the bridge, looking for the signs of a portal home.

“Here’s your first official Explorer lesson—never take what the High Father says at face value. Beware immortal monks bearing gifts.”

“But I thought … I mean, when he said I could go anywhere
I just assumed it went two ways.… Look, I came here to visit, not to stay!”

I grabbed a handful of charts from the floor. “Here. You know how to read these?”

“No,” she answered, turning a chart this way and that.

“Well, you’d better learn. Because you’ve got to find us a portal back to Earth so that I can get you home.”

There was another loud crash as the ship sustained a direct hit. Alarm whistles went off, and the two of us had to grab ahold of each other just to keep from falling.

“Get us home, Navigator,” I said. “Hope we survive the trip!”