Wicked Runaway: A Mark Cannidor Adventure

Chapter Nine (Part Two)

Captain McGough stood up.

‘I’ve said too much,’ he mumbled. ‘Sorry…’

‘Wait!’ Mark exclaimed, trying to grab Captain McGough’s coat, eager for more answers. ‘We haven’t finished yet’.

Captain McGough stood rooted to the spot in silence. And in horror.

‘I demand more answers,’ Mark said. ‘Please. Let me ask some more questions. I’ll do anything. I don’t have to fight if you don’t want me to. I’ll work in the factory if this is what it takes. But please let me know the truth. I should deserve to know the truth. Please just do this for me’.

Mark felt desperate, but if this was the man that Mark had to fight, then he might be able to do this in his family’s honour at the very least. He had learned from the man stood in front of him how much Edward and Hazel had wanted to fight against dark magic. He knew how much they wanted to make the world a better place, built without evil and horror. This was his chance to make things right.

Captain McGough, however, shook his head.

‘You’re just a boy,’ Captain McGough said. ‘Hazel and Edward would never forgive me if I did anything to put you in jeopardy. That’s why I sent you, or at least tried to send you to the factory’.

‘Ste…’ Elizabeth began.

‘No, love,’ Captain McGough snapped. Then he pointed a finger at Mark. ‘Listen, you. I’m trying to protect you here. Alright? I’m trying to make this as easy for you as possible. The last thing I want to do is…’

‘Careful, Ste,’ Elizabeth said through clenched teeth. Then Captain McGough took a deep breath.

‘Fine,’ he said, sitting down. ‘What do you want to know?’

Mark scoffed.

‘Well…you could start by telling me what exactly Captain Malcheffi wants from me’.

Captain McGough snorted in disgust, then began to explain.

‘It’s like I just told you right at the beginning. He is the most feared dark wizard in the world today,’ Captain McGough explained. ‘He grew up just like you. Nice family house, caring relatives. Except one day, at the age of 7, villagers burnt his house down. He was the only one to escape. Luckily for Malcheffi, no one wanted him dead.

‘Except, years later, when he studied at university, he read a book called Attitudes Towards Sorcery by Allivan philosopher and politician Milton Wright. The book told him that mortals feared magic and tried to stamp it out at all costs. What use was magic to the human race when there were machines, ideas, research, and newspapers. There was a medieval attitude towards magic, and many countries illegalised magic during the late 16th century. However, Malcheffi tried to do the opposite. His argument was that no other person should destroy such a skill and a talent. He left university and trained to be a dark sorcerer.

‘Except he wasn’t getting any followers. So, he disguised himself to be good. He got married, started a family, and created the country we know today known as Alliva’.

‘He…created…Alliva?’ Mark stuttered, lost for words.

Captain McGough nodded.

‘I think what Ste means, sweetheart, is that Sigourney Malcheffi created fear within Alliva,’ Elizabeth reiterated. Mark noticed how annoyed the captain looked about this. ‘He reintroduced dark magic to the island years before he fled. Many Allivans fear that, should he return, dark magic will once again take over. The king and many others do not want to be in that position. Hence why we are fighting to stamp this form of magic out once and for all’.

‘Of course, Malcheffi never intended for the island to turn bad. But years ago, his followers had gotten out of control. There were killings, towns and cities destroyed all over the world…caused a lot of damage for mortals as well as witches and wizards. Here in Alliva, there’s a new attack every week. Every day, in fact. This country is falling apart. And the longer he’s out there, the more damage he’s going to cause. So, that’s why we’re here. To protect the country and its people. On the orders of the King of Alliva, Harry’.

‘It’s a shame we can’t be in two places at one, though,’ Elizabeth said glumly. ‘If I had my way, I would be out at sea, hunting down the little git for all he’s worth whilst doing my utmost to keep this place afloat’.

Captain McGough nodded.

‘Surely, though, it’s possible to defeat his plan by building a bigger army,’ Mark suggested. ‘I mean, if Allivan people really want to defeat Malcheffi, then surely we should be able to get recruits by the crowd’.

‘It’s not as simple as that,’ Captain McGough responded. ‘Most people are frightened. They are too afraid to fight. Most people think it is best to stay at home and let those who know what they’re doing bring down the enemy. Technically, we’re the home guard. The Sellina has come here to fend off the enemy. Legally, we’re not supposed to be doing this, but that’s another story’.

Legally. That didn’t sit right with Mark. Then again, these people were pirates, after all. Mark always had the image of pirates getting what they wanted and when they wanted it, no matter what the cost was. They were willing to steal to survive, they were prepared to fight, arm themselves like to one else could. Surely, a g**g of pirates were prepared to fight against a dark enemy. Malcheffi may have been a pirate, but that was nothing compared to the love the crew of the Sellina shared for each other.

‘Why does Malcheffi want to bring dark magic to the world, anyway?’ Elizabeth asked.

Mark couldn’t help but ask the same question as well. Why would anyone want to bring such a disturbance to the world order? When society itself was made of many great things, who would want to disturb that peace? What goes through a person’s mind when they want to destroy the beautiful world in which we live in?

Just then, Mark had a thought. He jumped up to his feet, and tried to get away, but Captain McGough was quick to grab him by the arm.

‘Where are you in a rush to get to?’ Captain McGough snarled.

Mark paused, heart pounding.

‘Erm…’ he started. But instead of replying, Mark simply ran off.

‘Just let him go, Ste,’ Elizabeth said. ‘He’s been through enough already. He just needs some time to himself’.

Mark did not look back. He had questions, and he wanted answers. The first concern: where were his parents? Surely, Edward and Hazel Cannidor would be somewhere in the world, looking for him. If they were wizards, then surely, they would be using every power they had to locate him.

Heart racing, Mark reached the coastline on Alliva, a short distance from the main port. Feeling hot and dizzy, he sat on the ground and observed the sea in front of him, searching for an answer. He figured that, without any magic inside him, he was powerless. He might as well give up defeat this instance. Going back out to sea would be unrealistic. He could be killed, then the fight against Dark Magic would never be won.

Captain McGough was never going to listen to him, either. He was just a boy. A boy with silly little ideas. A boy who desired to be bigger and better than anyone else. A boy who just wanted to win without knowing the facts. How wrong he was. It just wasn’t possible. As the cool summer breeze rustled in his hair, Mark couldn’t help but feel that he was trapped. Stuck in a place where he didn’t belong. Stuck in a place where he didn’t matter, where he wasn’t listened to. A place where no one knew him. Not really.

He had no idea whatsoever.

Then, he clapped eyes on the Sellina. That beautiful, majestic ship sat on the water like a museum peace, shining under the sunlight almost as if it were on display. What if Mark were to steal the ship? What if he were to take control of the Sellina and sail back to England himself? Just how much risk was he taking to just do that? He could escape once more, find his parents, and make sure they were safe.

Then again, that would create more bother for him than it was worth. He would never see England again. Instead, he would be subject to a prison sentence. Stuck inside a prison cell for years. Potentially sentenced to the death penalty. He might lose his hands, might lose his feet…the consequences of stealing a ship this size could be quite severe. Who knew what Allivan laws were like in terms of robbery?

There had to be another way.

As he studied the ship in its finest glory, Mark recalled the box he stole from the Sinatra. He remembered opening the box to find tinned peaches, paper, jam…paper?

He got to his feet. There may be clues inside the box, he thought as he raced down towards the port. He swept past guards checking passengers in and out of Alliva. He even ignored Captain McGough and Elizabeth trying to shout at him to come back. It was a mad scramble getting down the pier, past pirates and passengers carrying heavy cases of luggage. Mark didn’t care. It didn’t matter if he swept past someone, knocking them down. No, the thing that bothered Mark the most was that he didn’t think to search the box soon enough.

A customs guard yelled after Mark as he swept past a secure area heading down to the docks. The gentle summer wind filled Marks ears as he ran. It didn’t matter to him at that point if he was on the other side of the law. Who cared if he was going to be arrested for breaking past a secure area? All he cared about at that point was seeking vengeance from Malcheffi’s actions. No matter what it took, he was going to be the one to turn Sigourney Malcheffi in.

Finally, he jumped onto the Sellina, and looked around him.

‘Where are you?’ he asked himself, searching his surroundings, searching for a clue. Any clue. There had to be one somewhere.

He couldn’t find the box.

Desperately, he approached the first box he saw, and opened it. Bananas. Oranges. Maggots. Eww. That wasn’t pleasant at all. He felt sick to the stomach just seeing them wriggling about in there.

He tried the next box.

Chocolate.

Coffee.

Magazines. Books by Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, William Shakespeare…Mark read a lot of Shakespeare whilst he was at home. His favourite writer. Still, it didn’t explain why there were boxes of his works on board of the Sellina. Maybe it was a special order from a resident of Alliva? Then again, these books looked damp. In fact, most of the goods in these boxes looked as though they had been there for far too long. They looked stale, dusty, grimy…it was rather disgusting, really.

Mark kept searching.

I know it’s here somewhere…I just know it…

‘Mate!’

Captain McGough approached Mark as he opened a box filled with bottles of age-old whiskey.

‘Listen, mate, you’re making a mistake,’ Captain McGough explained. ‘Why are you here? Come back to the parlour, we’ll buy you some food, you can sleep if you need to, we can talk more about Malcheffi if…’

‘I know it’s here somewhere!’ Mark snapped.

Captain McGough stalled. It was too late for the captain. Mark was close to finding the one thing he did not want the poor boy to find.

‘What…?’ he began.

‘The box!’ Mark shouted. ‘The box I had with me the day you brought me on board’.

Captain McGough looked up towards Elizabeth.

‘I…I think we threw it overboard,’ Captain McGough stuttered weakly. However, Mark could tell he was lying. It was obvious that the box was here somewhere. Mark wasn’t a fool. He was going to continue looking for it.

‘It’s somewhere on this ship, I know it!’ Mark shouted.

‘What are we…?’ Elizabeth began to ask.

They were shortly accompanied by Jeremiah and Sophie, who watched with curiosity as Mark sifted through yet another box of books, periodicals, and food.

‘What is he doing?’ Sophie asked Captain McGough.

‘He’s looking for the box,’ Captain McGough replied with a dry throat. He knew it. Mark Cannidor had been exposed to the truth already.

The box, Mark thought, snorting into yet another box filled with old bottles of alcohol.

‘You mean the one he brought on board?’ Sophie asked. ‘The one you took down to your quarters?’

Mark looked up. He saw how Captain McGough closed his eyes with disappointment.

He knew it. Mark knew where the captain had hidden the box. It was a poor attempt to control Mark, a poor attempt to blindside him, but he was not going to be beaten. Mark knew it was on this ship somewhere.

He got to his feet and raced below deck, almost crashing into more boxes on his way down. He stopped as he reached the bottom of the stairwell, struggling to remember where the room was. Then he realised…it was all the way towards the rear of the ship. He jumped down two sets of stairs before approaching a corridor lined with cabins. He sped down the corridor, without noticing that he was being followed closely by Sophie and Jeremiah, and he approached the captain’s quarters.

He burst through the door.

He looked everywhere.

‘Come on, Mark!’ he whispered to himself. ‘Show me where it would be’.

He used his gut instinct the best he could. Just where would an old box be hiding?

He searched under the captain’s desk, inside closets and cupboards. Under stools, tables, piles of fabrics.

‘It’s in there!’

Mark turned round. Sophie and Jeremiah were stood at the door. Sophie had been pointing towards a cabinet with a gold lock. Just how was Mark supposed to open it?

‘Abierto,’ Sophie whispered.

By magic, the lock became undone. It was just what Mark needed right now. Some clues on how to defeat Malcheffi and return to Battalion Manor. He rushed to open the cabinet and prised the box open.

Inside the box, there lay tins of peaches, jam, bread. Mark threw these items out of the box.

‘Mark, no!’ came the sheer cry of Captain McGough.

But it was too late.

Mark had discovered the worst possible object he could find.

There was a wand. A purple wand cast with gold writing on the side in a fine scripture. Mark gulped nervously as he held on tightly to the wand in question.

It was impossible. Mark thought he had lost Malcheffi’s wand. So why was it here? But then he looked for something else. Anything that would give him the answer. Surely this couldn’t be the only object hidden inside this box.

And there it was. A black notebook. Again, a golden scrawl on the cover of the book. Suddenly, Mark was lost for words. His mouth had gone dry, and he started trembling.

Captain McGough approached Mark, Sophie, and Jeremiah. As he noticed the book in Mark’s hands, he snatched the book straight away and studied the cover.

‘This…cannot be,’ Captain McGough stuttered.

It made sense. It was the book that raised so many questions.

It was a diary.

The Journal of Captain Sigourney Malcheffi