The Prince of Mist (Niebla 1)

The magician opened a hand in front of him and Max watched in horror as each of his fingers melted into a long needle. Only a few metres away, Roland shouted again. When Cain turned to look behind him, Max made a dash for the side of the ship, but the magician’s claw seized him by the scruff of his neck, turning him slowly until he was standing face to face with the Prince of Mist.

‘A shame your friend isn’t half as clever as you are. Perhaps I should make the deal with you. Oh well … some other time,’ the magician spat. ‘See you later, Max. I hope you’ve learned to dive since our last encounter.’

With brutal force, the magician flung Max into the air and back into the sea. The boy’s body sailed over ten metres through the sky then landed in the midst of the waves, sinking into the freezing cold water. Max struggled to rise to the surface, thrashing his arms and legs, trying to escape from the deadly current that seemed to be dragging him down into the darkness. Feeling as if his lungs were about to burst he swam blindly until finally he surfaced a few metres from the rocks. He took in some air and, in an effort to stay afloat, let the waves carry him towards the the rocky wall, where he managed to cling on to a ledge, then clamber up to safety. The sharp stones bit into his skin and Max was aware of them scraping his arms and legs, but he was so numb with cold he could barely feel the pain. Trying not to faint, he climbed up until he reached a recess among the rocks where the waves couldn’t reach him. Only then was he able to rest on the hard stone, still so frightened he couldn’t allow himself to believe he’d saved his own life.

17

THE CABIN DOOR OPENED SLOWLY. ALICIA, curled up in a dark corner

, held her breath and didn’t move. The Prince of Mist was outlined in the doorway and his eyes, flashing like hot coals, changed from gold to a deep crimson. Cain entered the cabin and strode over to her. Trying hard to hide the trembling that had seized hold of her, Alicia faced her visitor defiantly. The magician grinned like a dog at her show of arrogance.

‘It must run in the family. You’re all born heroes,’ the magician said softly. ‘I’m beginning to like you.’

‘What is it you want?’ asked Alicia, filling her shaky voice with all the contempt she could muster.

Cain seemed to consider the question. Alicia noticed that his nails were long and sharp, like the tips of daggers. Cain pointed at her.

‘That depends. What do you suggest?’ he asked sweetly, his eyes fixed on her face.

‘I have nothing to give you,’ she replied, stealing a glance at the open door.

Cain wagged a finger, guessing her intentions.

‘That would not be a good idea,’ he stated. ‘Let’s go back to our conversation. Why don’t we make a deal? An understanding between adults, if you see what I mean.’

‘What deal?’ Alicia replied, trying to avoid Cain’s hypnotic eyes, which seemed to be sucking away her willpower, a parasite feeding on her soul.

‘That’s what I like, so let’s talk business. Tell me, Alicia, would you like to save Jacob – sorry, I mean Roland? He’s a good-looking boy,’ said the magician, savouring every last word of his offer.

‘What would you want in exchange? My life?’ Alicia replied. The words came out of her mouth before she’d even had time to think.

The magician crossed his arms and frowned, looking pensive. Alicia noticed that he never blinked.

‘I was thinking of something else, my dear,’ Cain explained, stroking his lower lip with the tip of his forefinger. ‘How about the life of your firstborn?’

Cain moved towards Alicia and brought his face up close to hers, so that she could smell the sweet, nauseating stench of his breath. Looking straight into his eyes, she spat in the magician’s face.

‘Go to hell,’ she said, reining in her anger.

The drops of saliva evaporated as if she’d spat onto a burning metal plate.

‘My dear girl, that’s exactly where I’ve come from.’

Slowly, the magician stretched out his bare hand towards Alicia’s face. She closed her eyes and felt the icy touch of his fingers as the long sharp nails rested on her forehead. The wait seemed endless. At last, Alicia heard his footsteps moving away and the heavy metal door of the cabin closing behind him. An odour of decay seeped through the cracks around the door like steam hissing from a pressure cooker. Alicia felt like weeping, like banging on the walls to relieve her anger, but she needed to stay in control and keep her mind clear. She had to get out of there and she didn’t have much time.

She walked to the door and felt around the edges in search of a gap or chink that she could use to force it open. Nothing. Cain had entombed her in a rusty sarcophagus in the company of the old captain’s bones. At that moment, a huge jolt shook the boat and Alicia fell to the floor. A few seconds later, she heard a dull sound coming from the bowels of the ship. Alicia pressed her ear to the metal and listened carefully; it was the unmistakable rush of running water. A lot of water. Alicia, in a panic, realised what was happening: the hull was flooding and the Orpheus was sinking once more. This time she was unable to suppress a terrified scream.

*

Roland had searched for Alicia all over the ship, but with no success. The Orpheus was transformed into a watery catacomb, a labyrinth of interminable corridors and barred doors. The magician could have hidden her in dozens of different places. Roland returned to the bridge and tried to work out where she might be trapped. Then came the crash and the whole vessel shuddered, making Roland lose his balance on the damp, slippery floor. Cain materialised out of the shadows, as if he had emerged through the cracked metal floor.

‘We’re sinking, Jacob,’ the magician explained calmly, pointing around him. ‘Timing has never been your strong point, has it?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Where’s Alicia?’ Roland demanded, ready to pounce on his opponent.

The magician closed his eyes and joined the palms of his hands together as if in prayer.

‘Somewhere on this ship,’ he replied. ‘If you were stupid enough to follow her here, don’t ruin it now. Do you want to save her life, Jacob?’