Friday, 6 Teala. The most horrible day of my life. Is all the world gone mad? Nay, it has long been so; I just had no eyes to see it.
Fell asleep last night still jotting down all that transpired at the governor's table. Frightening enough, especially the attempt on Lady Oggosk's life, amp; the outlandish things Pathkendle amp; Lady Thasha shouted at the end. But those events were nothing.
As Mr. Hercуl predicted, the remaining five of Ambassador Isiq's "honor guards"-all Ott's men-somehow received a signal from their master, amp; fled the ship before we returned. We informed the palace, amp; left it at that. We departed Ormael with the sunrise, making eight knots on an honest easterly.
Not a league out of Ormael port, however, a sloop came up behind us with two red pennants on her foremast: grave tidings. We heeled round, amp; in minutes the little ship was alongside.
Such awful news: the governor's whole palace struck down with talking fever! Fifty guards, servants, cooks, groundskeepers- amp; of course the governor, his wife amp; eight children. All babbling amp; foaming at the mouth. The palace was sealed tight-no one allowed in, or out. But there was worse. The Lady Syrarys, dead! Out of her mind with fever or remorse at her own evil acts, she hurled herself from her prison tower into the sea. The body is yet to be found: it seems she was in chains, amp; the iron bore her to the depths. Mistress Thasha amp; her father are still weeping, even though the woman betrayed them. Love is such a pitiless thing.
But surely the fever threatened Chathrand, too? After all, we dined with them night after night. Dr. Chadfallow bellowed questions to the sloop's commander, amp; soon believed his report: talking fever, without a doubt. Then came the only good news of the day. Turning to us, he said we had nothing to fear. "Talking fever strikes instantly, if it strikes at all," he said. "We are none of us infected."
He refused to return to Ormael, but gave strict orders for the treatment of the sick. "Millet and prunes! Nothing else for a fortnight! And send word to me in Simja of their condition!"
Rattled, we took the Chathrand on. We did not fall sick: thank the Gods the doctor was right. But I declare this ship is changed since Ormael. For the first time, a report of a fight between the Plapp's Pier amp; Burnscove Boys. Not a big fight, but as a taste of things to come it could not be worse: in Ether-horde, the two gangs never break a truce without eventually going to war.
The first-class passengers have locked themselves behind the Money Gate, afraid of the fever despite the doctor's words. And the sudden return of the ex-tarboys, Pathkendle amp; Undrabust, has set tongues wagging on every deck.
It is no secret that they amp; Lady Thasha had some adventure along the Haunted Coast amp; that the doctor amp; Mr. Hercуl rescued 'em. This scares the men half to death. A mob of sailors stopped the boys on the pier amp; emptied their pockets, asking if they had any trinkets from the Coast. Nothing at all, they replied-but Pathkendle said this while pinching the skin of his collarbone amp; staring off into the distance, like a man missing his sweetheart. Of course, I knew who she must be-the somber little sponge-diver girl, Marila-but it was a weird look all the same amp; the men were hellish disturbed.
No one searched the rich folk, naturally, amp; that was how the trouble began. Hercуl came aboard this morning with only his sword amp; a shoulder-bag, but the good doctor arrived with a crate. It was no larger than a pushcart, but it took nine strong stevedores to wrestle it up the gangplank. Was it full of lead? Chadfallow gave no sign. "To my quarters with that!" he ordered, directing them.
But as they set foot on deck, we all heard it: a man's voice, far away, roaring. It seemed to come from the lower timbers of the Chathrand itself. It was the voice of a madman-wicked, murderous amp; joyful at once: