Wicked Runaway: A Mark Cannidor Adventure

Chapter Eight

It certainly was not how Mark had imagined. He expected the darkest of clouds, wizards with dirty clothes and smug looks on their faces. In fact, Mark was under the impression that the crew of the Sellina would not be welcomed onto the island at all, as it was their goal to build an army to fight against Malcheffi’s people. However, as Mark disembarked from the ship, he realised that the people of Gold were as down to earth as you could get.

He had hardly ever visited a city before in his life. His mother and father preferred to stay out of the way, except for rare financial emergencies and larger deliveries from the farm. Other than that, Mark remained within the confines of the farm, the forest and the village. Yet, what Mark found most amazing about the city was that this was a land that most people in the world didn’t know existed. It wouldn’t appear on a normal map, and Mark had to use magic to find out where this place was.

However, when Mark looked more closely into it, he realised that the people of Alliva kept their distance. There was no laughing, cheerful chatter, or any sense of community spirit. In fact, the most astonishing thing was that the people of Alliva kept themselves to themselves. It was heart-breaking, but almost as though the country was at a brink of disaster.

One where each person fended for themselves.

‘Fancy, huh?’ Mark turned and found that Elizabeth was behind him. Despite the hot weather, she was wearing sunglasses with a scarf and a wool hat and had an umbrella in one hand and a brown leather bag in another.

‘Why…?’ Mark began to ask, noticing how oddly dressed she was for this weather.

‘Oh, this?’ Elizabeth asked, chuckling at her get up. ‘I’m allergic to the sun. I’m a vampire’.

A vampire? Mark thought. Surely to goodness, he should have been bitten by now. And what about Captain McGough? Was he a vampire too?

‘Oh goodness, no,’ Elizabeth replied, almost as if she had been reading his thoughts. ‘The taste of human blood makes me feel sick’. She made a gagging motion at the thought. ‘Don’t worry. Your blood is safe with me’.

He very much hoped so.

‘There you are!’ shouted Captain McGough, noticing Mark and Elizabeth stood on the port. He clapped Mark on the back. ‘Well, what do you think?’

‘It’s truly amazing, Captain McGough,’ Mark replied. ‘Listen - thanks for everything so far. I hope I haven’t been too much of a burden for you’.

‘It’s not me you want to be thanking, my boy,’ Captain McGough said. ‘Jeremiah was the one who noticed you. That’s why we picked you up. It was all his calling. We would have had you straight off that blasted Sinatra the first opportunity we had. Besides – you have been completely useful to us so far. So was Jeremiah when he found you. Speaking of which…where exactly is my poor excuse of a First Mate?’

Captain McGough observed his surroundings as he went off to look for Jeremiah.

‘He’ll be about somewhere,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I imagine he’ll have raced through customs. Shall we continue?’

Elizabeth ushered Mark to follow her. They made their way towards a group of people waiting to be checked in through customs. Mark recognised Quinte, Sophie, Jeremiah, and a few other faces from above deck. They were on the other side of border control, laughing. There was just one other person there who he didn’t recognise, and his heart skipped a few beats.

It was a gentleman with a green cloak, wearing a royal blue gown, and a golden crown on his head. He had a shaggy bush of hair and a long beard. Mark couldn’t help but feel that this was a person of royalty. Someone who had the duty of greeting visitors, perhaps. Or maybe…

‘Is that…?’ Mark began to ask. Then, suddenly, came a familiar voice.

‘My friend!’ shouted Captain McGough. He happily approached the royal looing man, giving a warm hug and chatting merrily. Then Captain McGough started to introduce everyone. Mark’s knees began to buckle. His parents may not have been wealthy, but Mark had never expected the opportunity to meet anyone of power in his life. Not even the mayor of his local town back in England. Nonetheless, Mark was nervous. He nervously licked his hand and flattened his hair. He wanted to make a good first impression.

Captain McGough rounded on Elizabeth. The man was in awe of Elizabeth and gave her a kiss on the hand. Elizabeth blushed.

‘A fine taste in women you have, Ste,’ the man said, winking at him. Mark tried his best to hold his laughter in.

‘That’ll do, Harry,’ Captain McGough responded disappointingly. ‘And this, my friend, is young Mark Cannidor’.

This Harry was smiling and cheerful before he reached Mark. Suddenly, his face went from excitement to fear. All in the space of seconds, the King’s emotions changed at the sight of Mark. It was one of admiration for the young boy.

‘Young Mark Cannidor,’ Harry said with a tone of sorrow. ‘Your parents…I am sorry…I’ve heard the whole tale. My heart really does go out to you, young boy. I can imagine it is difficult, being so far away from your home. Don’t you worry – we’ll get you back to England as soon as we can’.

Mark gulped and looked up at Captain McGough for reassurance. As worried as Mark felt about Edward and Hazel, he was surprised that the king of this country had heard about what had happened. Let alone the amazement that a country he had never before heard of even had a king.

‘It’s early days, I suppose,’ Captain McGough said. Then he rounded on Mark. ‘This is King Harry Steeple. King and Governor of Alliva’.

‘Pleasure to meet you, sir,’ Mark said, bowing and remaining as courteous as possible.

King Harry finally smiled down at Mark.

‘Such great minds they have, your parents,’ Harry continued. ‘They fought for Alliva during the war of the Dark Wizards. Of course, the other side won, but the Port Capital of Gold is the only place in the magical community where good magic is still predominant. We banished Dark Magic only a few years ago. We’re still catching up, of course, but some change is better than none. And it will improve for many years to come – no amount of dark magic will find a home on this island. Not if I can help it. As you can imagine, we still have our enemies. However, we most certainly have our home’.

It never occurred to Mark that there was a war between wizarding communities. He was taken aback by the fact that his parents were wizards. Mark had led a normal life growing up, and the thought of magic was unspeakable. Now he knew about it, he was amazed that he wasn’t magical at all. He had been told many stories about his parents’ adventures and how they helped others. Yet Mark could never have guessed that they were involved directly in a wizarding war. At least not one where Captain Malcheffi was involved.

How could someone like Malcheffi choose to become so horrible?

Mark wanted to ask about his parents at that point. He was curious to learn if they really were wizards. However, the king was pressed for time and had to leave, which meant that young Mark had a knowledge gap about his parents.

He had to learn the truth about who his parents were.

And about who he was, too.

‘Right, then!’ Captain McGough shouted over excited chatter. ‘This way to the Twelve Glass Bottles!

‘Except you,’ Captain McGough commanded, pulling Mark to one side.

‘Why?’ Mark asked, confused as he watched at least seventy crew members chatter merrily down the port. He was quite looking forward to mingling with new people now he helped get everyone to safety. Even Captain McGough said he did well on the ship, so there was no excuse for him not to join in the festivities.

‘I’ve taken the liberty of arranging a little job for you,’ Captain McGough explained. ‘In just a few moments, a carriage will pick you up and take you to a small town called Hoverdale on the west coast of the country. You’ll be packing fish for a living. 12 Hules and hour should see you through. Should be enough to buy a little flat and eat three meals a day. Maybe a change of clothes. You certainly could use a little makeover’.

‘Ste!’ Elizabeth shouted from a distance. ‘Hurry up! The feast will be starting shortly!’

‘Just a moment, my sweet!’

Then Captain McGough turned back towards Mark.

‘We don’t need your little services from now on. Have a nice life’.

Captain McGough turned on his heel to walk away.

‘Wait!’

Frankly, Mark was offended. He had been taken in by the Sellina and taken advantage of. And he wasn’t going to let the captain get away without a fight, either. What was the point in bringing him here if he was to be sent away? He was given satisfaction that he would be returned to England immediately. He would never get home. Not like this. As Captain McGough was a few paces away, Mark ran up and grabbed him by the coat.

‘You can’t do this to me!’ Mark exclaimed.

‘I just did,’ Captain McGough spat. ‘Carriage. Now’.

Captain McGough tried to walk away again, at a quicker pace this time, but Mark was quick to stop him in his tracks.

‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ Mark asked accusingly.

‘What?’ Captain McGough asked in response.

‘I was the one who got you all here?’

Captain McGough laughed.

‘Oh please,’ he said. ‘You really think you were the one who brought us all to our grand old destination? Who do you think you are, our little hero?’

Mark snorted. He wasn’t going to take any of this. He didn’t want to be separated from Sophie and Jeremiah. He felt safe around Elizabeth. Even though he was so far away from his home, being away from these people was no option. Until he found a way home, that is. He wasn’t going to let the captain change his tune that easily.

‘Listen, kid,’ Captain McGough continued, leaning down towards Mark. ‘Magic brought us here. Magic helped us through that nasty little storm. If you remember rightly, you were the one who struggled to use your powers. It was I who brought us all here. It was I who magicked us out of that mess. Not you. Not even Quinte. ME. And as far as you’re concerned, you are a nasty little liar. I guess you don’t possess the same talents as your parents, do you? You’re not him, am I right?’

You’re not him?

The captain’s eyes were of a darker colour now. Mark could see that as Captain McGough stared Mark straight in the eyes, he was being told where to go.

‘So, I was the one who saved you,’ Captain McGough continued. ‘Meaning your talents are as useless to our little mission as a skunk farting into the face of the enemy. So, you will take me up on the offer of employment. 12 Hules and hour, remember? The carriage is right over there. You will set off right now, you will arrive by dinner, and you will start first thing tomorrow morning. Understood?’

Captain McGough gave Mark the look that said I thought so. The he turned on his heel and attempted to walk away again.

‘No,’ Mark muttered under his breath.

The captain continued his walk.

‘What about my mum and dad?’

Captain McGough stopped in his tracks and turned back towards Mark.

‘Beg your pardon, laddie?’ Captain McGough asked nastily.

‘My parents,’ Mark continued. ‘You know, the people you were speaking so highly of? Do you really want to see them disappointed? Eh? Are you seriously man enough to disparage their honour? I thought you were their friends!’

Captain McGough shook his head with horror.

‘I don’t know where Edward and Hazel Cannidor are right now, but frankly I don’t care’.

‘You shouldn’t be doing this!’ Mark shouted, his breathing feeling heavier as he started to panic. His emotions started to rise as well. He was on the brink of tears.

‘I’m just a boy,’ Mark continued to plead to the captain. ‘I don’t know this place as well as you do! I need to get back home. Soon. I promise you. I will be good. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Please just give me another chance’.

Captain McGough considered this for a moment, weighing up every single option.

‘Show me your wand’.

‘Excuse me?’ Mark asked in disgust. He was starting to feel angry now.

‘Show…me…your…wand…’ Captain McGough repeated, saying each word clearly. ‘If you really were a wizard, then you would show me your wand’.

‘I don’t have a wand,’ Mark replied, quite exasperated. He was disgusted that Captain McGough had asked him that. Wasn’t the captain aware that he wasn’t a wizard? He felt overwhelmed as it was thinking that his parents were wizards. So, why would the captain think he was a wizard?

However, the captain raised his eyebrows in amazement.

‘You don’t…?’ Captain McGough began to ask.

‘I’m not a wizard, remember?’ Mark explained, feeling much more confident now he could tell the captain the truth about himself. ‘I don’t think I am, anyway. I mean…I’m not sure if you’ll recall, but I haven’t got a magical drop of blood in my body. I don’t know how that happened on the ship, and I feel just as rotten about not being a wizard as my parents probably do. I’d love to have that special skill. Unfortunately, I don’t. But I don’t want to be palmed off like some charlatan who has no idea what they are doing. So – I’m staying here in Alliva and I’m not leaving any of you. I’ll leave the country once my parents find me’.

Mark had to be careful not to mention that he was still in possession of Malcheffi’s wand. If Ste or any of the crew knew he had stolen it…

‘How do you know your parents are wizards?’ Captain McGough asked accusingly.

‘Malcheffi told me,’ Mark lied, recalling the conversation he had overheard between the captain and Ben. He still wasn’t sure whether to believe that story or not. But that was what he had heard.

Captain McGough sighed with frustration. Mark could tell he wasn’t used to getting his own way. Captain McGough seemed the sort to tell people to jump. This time, it didn’t work. Captain McGough had to think carefully about his next move.

‘What were you trying to search for a little while back?’ Captain McGough asked curiously.

‘That was Malcheffi’s wand,’ Mark explained, caving in. He decided it was time to settle for the truth. If it hurt, it would be his fault. ‘It was given to me by…someone else on board that ship. I’m not going to say who gave me the wand. But I used it to escape from Malcheffi and the Lady Sinatra. And I lost it. I’m sorry’.

He felt embarrassed. Mark had almost mentioned Lorenz. He couldn’t forgive himself if Lorenz had found himself in any trouble. It was better to lie in these situations. He had to protect his friend. No matter what the consequences were.

‘And…sorry…you were able to magic yourself off the Lady Sinatra?’

Mark shook his head.

‘So how did you escape?’

‘I mean, I did use Malcheffi’s wand to escape,’ Mark explained. ‘But I didn’t know quite what I was doing. It just came to me. I thought about what I wanted to achieve…and I did it. That doesn’t make me a wizard. Besides – what would you do in that situation?’

The captain had been caught off guard now. He wanted to remain truthful. And in fact, Captain McGough was weighing this testimony up in his head. For a boy who didn’t know what magic was until he had been kidn*pped, he sure did pick a few spells up rather quickly. Maybe there was a future for Mark Cannidor? Perhaps this young lad could be made of great things. As an ordinary boy, this was a big thing to accomplish.

There was only on option available to the captain.

‘Fine,’ Captain McGough finally said in agreement. ‘Stay. But if you fail us in our mission, and if you set a foot out of line, then you’re out. I will send you to Hoverdale to sleep with the fishes’.

Captain McGough spun on his heel to leave. Mark followed him down to the Twelve Glass Bottles.

***

Somewhere in the North Sea, the Lady Sinatra was close to Hamburg, Germany. It was he middle of night, and Captain Sigourney Malcheffi was observing the dark ocean in disgust, a cup of tea in his hand.

There had been a mournful atmosphere ever since the Cannidor lad fled. Those strange events were still happening. Lorenz, the chef, was almost thrown overboard. That is, until Jayne reassured the captain that he was not at fault at all, and any mistakes he made were down to Mark Cannidor.

Yet, what Sigourney Malcheffi could not distinguish was how such a young lad could escape his grasp so easily. He had managed to kidnap many others like Mark who had toed the line. Yet, the captain had lost his grip on the boy. If word got out as to what the Lady Sinatra’s business was…no, it was not worth thinking about. Besides, who could ever believe of such nonsense from a thirteen-year-old boy?

His wife came up on deck and noticed her husband observing the sea. Judging by his body language, he was deep in thought. And his wife knew what he was deliberating over.

‘Just drop the whole thing already,’ Jayne Malcheffi purred, stroking her husband’s hair. ‘The boy has gone now. He is no longer our concern. You have no need to worry about him’.

‘I’m not worrying, my sweet,’ Captain Malcheffi said. ‘Rather, I am hoping that he is…in a different place. If you follow my drift’.

Jayne gasped.

‘How can you tell he’s reached Alliva?’ she asked. ‘How do you know what he’s up to?’

Putting his cup of tea down on the floor, Captain Malcheffi reached into an inner coat pocket, and pulled out a shabby piece of brown paper. The words had faded, but they were still there. Jayne read and was shocked by the words printed just visibly on the piece of paper.

Order Confirmation from Battalion Manor

E and H Cannidor

It was Malcheffi’s order slip from the farm.

‘Is that…is he…?’ Jayne stuttered.

‘A Cannidor, my sweet,’ Captain Malcheffi responded. ‘He is a Cannidor. The devil’s family. So unnatural, so…ugly’. Captain Malcheffi smirked at the word.

‘I knew something was wrong as soon as Mr Cannidor arrived to deliver the…goods,’ Malcheffi continued. ‘The proof, as they say, is now in the pudding. They are wicked people who exist to disparage everything so dear to me’.

‘Did you hear about what has happened to his family?’ Jayne asked nervously. ‘After…you know…’

‘Dead, you mean?’ Captain Malcheffi responded smugly. ‘I should hope so’.

‘But how can you be so sure?’

The captain stood up.

‘He came down to the ship with his father. We ordered many vegetables to see us through the next few weeks. Without food, of course, our crew will not have the energy to last the journey. We normally order from a market in the Docklands. But Mr Fry had been arrested due to tax avoidance. Edward Cannidor believed the sorry story about the fire. He is, of course, naïve. Nonetheless, the next best option was Battalion Manor. The home of our good little friends. The Cannidors’.

Jayne shook her head. Tears came to her eyes.

‘Look…please…’ she pleaded. ‘Just forget the whole thing…it was clearly some horrible misunderstanding…’

‘Those people wanted to destroy us, love,’ Captain Malcheffi said. ‘The wizard community is content as it has been since time began. That side of wizardry want to expose the beauty of our world. We don’t need to mix with the non-wizarding community. Do you realise how dangerous that would be? It would be discontent. Disloyal. Unmanageable. And many Allivan people seek to avoid peace within the world? Not I, my sweet. No, we have done no damage with the arts we have possessed for so long. Why should we start doing anything differently?’

Jayne nervously shook her head.

‘Please just reconsider your actions, husband,’ Jayne asked. ‘The last thing our world needs is another wizarding war. Do you remember the first? It tore so many people apart. Families. Businesses. Communities. People do not trust one another like they used to. People have been drifting apart because of this. We need to turn back and settle down. What we do has little worth. Please promise that we will pause this whole operation’.

‘I cannot guarantee that’.

‘That’s not good enough,’ Jayne snapped, standing face to face with her wicked husband. ‘I understand that we have some items to sell to the black market. Some precious materials that most will never have access to. But can you please reconsider what we are doing, Sigourney? Can you promise not to start any wars?’

‘Certainly not,’ Captain Malcheffi snapped. ‘Now…we’re due to arrive in Ireland soon. We’ll exchange the goods, then we’ll set sail towards Alliva. Hopefully we’ll find the boy and destroy him. That will be the vengeance we deserve from the Cannidor family…’

***

‘Why did they do it, though?’ Mark asked frustratingly.

He had been given a shared bedroom at the Twelve Glass Bottles with Jeremiah on the first floor, and it was directly above the parlour itself. From the floor below them, there was excited chatter and cheering as punters from the local area stopped by for another night of drinking. It wasn’t a merry atmosphere in their bedroom, though. Mark was still annoyed about the fact that Captain McGough had almost tried to palm him off to a factory. Let alone the fact that he was still in shock after he learned that his parents were potentially wizards. However, Jeremiah had given his new friend the option to open up about his emotions.

Although he had insisted on calling him Jay, Mark wasn’t really paying attention. He had felt betrayed. Captain McGough had promised that Mark was leading the way with their mission, only to try shipping him off to a part of the world he did not know. If Mark could turn back the clock, he would still be in Battalion Manor by now. He would be feeding the pigs, watering the crops, and sitting in the sun with one of his favourite books. Instead, he was outside of his comfort zone, away from everything he knew. And most frustratingly was the fact that Captain McGough had thought he was a wizard. They didn’t know him. They did not know what Mark was, and what he was capable of.

Mark paced up and down whilst ranting. Meanwhile, Jeremiah was reading an old Shakespeare play he found downstairs, humming in response to Mark’s qualms.

‘And he told me all about how he knew my parents too!’ Mark yelled. He kicked a cabinet in anger, leaving a nasty pain in his foot. He fell onto the bed and massaged his big toe, then he sat in a frustrated silence.

‘Listen, mate, you’re here now,’ Jeremiah explained. ‘We’re going to win this battle, you hear me?’

‘Win what battle, though?’ Mark asked. But before Jeremiah had a chance to explain, there was a knock on the door. The door opened to reveal Elizabeth, this time wearing a blue nightgown. Mark noticed that she wore a gold cross necklace around her neck. It looked rather odd for a vampire, Mark thought. Mark’s understanding of vampires was that they couldn’t bear crosses. Something to do with Satan or whatever, he wasn’t sure. It gave him nightmares at night, so he tried not to dwell on those thoughts too much.

‘Just thought I’d say good night,’ Elizabeth said gently. Mark noticed a bright twinkle in her eyes. It was remarkable. No other person he knew could do such a thing.

‘Are you off hunting again tonight?’ Jeremiah asked.

‘It’s not full moon yet,’ Elizabeth responded. ‘Besides, I don’t find Allivan meat very…tasteful. You of all people should know that’.

‘Yeah, yeah…whatever. I see what you mean’.

Elizabeth then turned to Mark.

‘How are you settling in, sweetie?’ she asked.

Mark shrugged. He wasn’t sure how to tell her that Captain McGough almost palmed him off to some workhouse on the opposite end of the country. He didn’t want to cause any unnecessary drama. Nonetheless, Elizabeth wasn’t offended that Mark gave a blunt answer. Instead, she smiled patiently.

‘I know this is a lot to get used to,’ Elizabeth said. ‘It will get easier. I promise. Alliva is a lovely country, and tomorrow morning, I’ll take you all out for a tour of the city’.

‘Can we go into that candy shop you told us about?’

‘I think Antonia had to close the business for definite,’ Elizabeth sighed. ‘She was struggling to get her customers in. Fortunately, her cousin Lawrence has opened a coffee shop on the other side of town. I think they were planning to merge businesses, but I haven’t seen her in such a long time. Perhaps I should write to her and let her know we’re back on the island. Either way, love, you’re going to settle in quite well’.

Mark nodded, feeling slightly reassured. It still didn’t help his situation.

‘Well then, good night boys,’ Elizabeth said once again, and she closed the door calmly behind her.

‘What do you think she knows that we don’t?’ Mark asked Jeremiah. However, Mark was surprised to find that Jeremiah was asleep already. He had gone out like a light the second Elizabeth left.

Mark felt rather alone at that point. Sure, he had reassurances from Elizabeth, and he knew she was there whenever he needed her. But there was one thing he didn’t have, one thing missing, one thing that made him feel empty. He no longer had his family by his side. It wasn’t enough that Mark had been rescued by a pirate ship and shared a room with another boy his own age. No, what made him feel alone was that he was the only person who had been separated by his surroundings. The others were in familiar territory. They had been to this country before now. They were familiar with their surroundings. This was a home to them. The others were accommodated to travelling so much, going from place to place so often. Mark always dreamed of travelling, but this was just totally abnormal for him. It didn’t feel like travel at all now.

And the other thing that bothered him as well was what Ste told him when they had arrived. You’re not him. That stirred some confusion in his mind. If he wasn’t Mark Cannidor, then who was he? If he was Mark Cannidor, then was there something else he should be? It was all a mess. He just wished he knew the answer. Unfortunately, that answer never came to mind as he slipped uneasily into an unsettled sleep.

What would he give to be back at home where he truly belonged?