Serial Sunday: The Renaissance Man and the Strange New World, Part XIII
By Ryan Fleming.
The Renaissance regarded the new arrival who had suddenly appeared on the beach of the strange new world where they found themselves stranded. He was a young man in a merchant navy seaman’s uniform, a uniform so caked with mud and torn that it looked as though it been through some ordeal recently. That same wear and damage did not extend to the man that had introduced himself as Harry Bell. For someone who had been trapped there for a number of days, he looked remarkably composed, Annie Thomas thought.
Annie’s expression betrayed only a slight confusion. Charles Chance, Benjamin Williams, and Eileen Wong all bore expressions of amazement at his appearance. Alone amongst the Renaissance, Alastair Eliott regarded the stranger with incredulity.
“’Cor blimey,” was how the stranger had greeted them. “Am I glad to see you. I’ve been stuck here for days. Me name’s ‘Arry, ‘Arry Bell.”
As a native of London, Alastair Eliott felt something was decidedly off about ‘Arry Bell.
“How’d you get here, Harry?” Chance asked, slipping back into his Renaissance Man persona.
“Me ship were the one what discovered this place, sir,” he practically shouted. “I was part of the landing party; rest of me mates was killed, don’t rightly know what happened to the ship. Was just gone.”
“You’ve been hiding from those… things for days?”
“There’s all sorts of ‘orrible things here, sir. The sooner we scarper, the better, says I.”
“We’d love nothing more than to help you get off this accursed place, Harry, but we find ourselves as stranded as you are for the time being.”
“Howzat?”
“We were shipwrecked ashore,” Annie explained. ‘Arry Bell continued to look at Chance regardless. “We have no way to leave, but we have a working radio and expect other ships to be in the area before long.”
“But, sir,” ‘Arry began, still addressing Chance. “I seen an airship some ways inland. We could use that.”
“An airship?” Williams asked. “What airship?”
‘Arry glanced towards Williams, then continued addressing Chance.
“There weren’t no one about it, sir, think the crew must have come up a cropper with some of these monsters hereabouts.”
“That gunfire we heard…” Williams trailed off, looking towards Annie and then Chance.
The Renaissance Man turned from ‘Arry and regarded his assistants.
“It would be a way out, once we’ve ascertained that the crew is indeed beyond rescue.”
Annie nodded.
“Right then,” Chance declared instantly. “It’s settled. We make for the airship once we’ve gathered up our supplies.”
Eileen, Williams and Alastair set off back towards the camp, the last holding his gaze on ‘Arry for as long as possible. Annie remained with Chance.
“Harry,” Chance began. “I know you have been through a lot, but in addition to leading us to an airship, could you also help us carry our supplies.”
“Of course, Mr. Chance, sir.”
Chance and Annie led the way to the small camp. The latter said something to the former which ‘Arry could not hear.
Chance slowed and turned to face ‘Arry once more.
“That’s extraordinary,” he smiled. “How did you know my name? In our haste, don’t think I introduced myself.”
‘Arry’s face noticeably reddened.
“Oh, um,” he stammered. “Well, you’re the Renaissance Man, ain’t you, sir? Expect everyone knows who you is.”
Chance smiled.
“That I am.”
The smile did not reach his eyes.
***
So few supplies had made it ashore that it was easy to gather what they wanted to take with them into six packs to be carried by each member of the now-expanded party. The radio was the largest single object, carried by Eileen at her insistence, as she trusted no one else not to damage it in transit. Annie and Alastair carried their specimens with them, along with some empty jars for anything they might encounter en route, as well as what scientific equipment could not be readily replaced as soon as they made it back to anything resembling civilisation.
The rest of the sundry supplies were split between Chance, Williams and ‘Arry. ‘Arry only carried a portion of what the others carried yet struggled the most. As their guide, he was in the lead with Williams, the latter forced to go at the slow pace ‘Arry set, unable to even proceed ahead owing to the danger and not knowing the route.
Williams carried a rifle, Chance followed behind them with the shotgun. One of the submachine guns was discretely tucked away into the top of Chance’s pack, the other was carried by Eileen who brought up the rear. ‘Arry had asked for a gun, only to find out that the rifle, shotgun, and one submachine was all the Renaissance Man and his associates had at their disposal. Three pistols were concealed by Williams, Annie, and Alastair, their existence, along with the second submachine gun, having been kept from ‘Arry.
Alastair had conveyed his suspicions to the rest of the group as they packed up, before Chance and ‘Arry joined them.
The slow pace set by ‘Arry had worried Annie to begin with, but it seemed as though the creatures that attacked them on the beach were now content to keep their distance. Perhaps the beach had been their territory. By leaving it, the Renaissance, and ‘Arry, might have escaped their attention.
“Wait,” a voice called, as loudly as they dared talk.
It was Alastair. Chance and Williams turned, weapons at the ready, whilst ‘Arry continued to walk. He walked backwards, having turned to the sound of the voice.
Alastair pointed at what appeared to be just another wall of kelp in this foul-smelling parody of a terrestrial jungle.
“What is it?” Annie asked.
“There’s something behind that seaweed.”
“Something… alive?” Chance asked.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Alastair approached, pulling a hatchet from his pack. He dared not hack away at the kelp, but instead he used the tool to move some of it aside and get a better look at what had caught his eye.
A terrible visage, carved into a sheer stone wall, stared down at him. It was so large that soon Annie, Eileen, and Chance had joined in clearing the kelp-vines from it. Williams moved in closer but kept his rifle at the ready. ‘Arry had at least stopped walking backwards but remained where he had stopped.
From what they could see, the circular stone idle showed the face of some monstrous demon, whose cruel eyes gave way to long twists and curls of what the Renaissance assumed to be a beard. Beneath its mouth was a carved alcove in the rock. Inside it was something resembling a baptismal font; though stagnant, dark water filled it, what caught the eyes of the Renaissance was something poking out of the top of the water, something that seemed to glitter in the otherwise grey, green, and black surroundings.
Before they could investigate further, ‘Arry let out a yelp and was quickly, far quicker than anyone had seen him move to that point, in the alcove, putting the Renaissance between him and the slowly encroaching humanoids that had attacked them on the beach.
Williams, Chance, and Eileen raised their guns.
“Wait!” Annie cried.
The others stopped raising their weapons but did not take their eyes from the approaching humanoids. There were far more of them than had attacked the Renaissance at the beach.
Alastair looked for any possible routes of escape. There were none that did not take them through these strange part-man, part-fish creatures. The sheer rock wall in which the visage was carved went all the way up into a small cluster of mountains, so high they disappeared into mist.
“They haven’t bothered us since the beach,” Annie explained. “It’s possible we were on their territory without knowing it; this alcove might be sacred to them. Maybe if we just move along, they won’t attack. If we need to, fire above their heads to scare them off.”
“Let’s try it,” Williams suggested, still not taking his eyes off the humanoids. “Harry…”
He received no answer from ‘Arry. Instead, many of the humanoids began hissing and growling, something swiping their hands at the empty air.
“Annie…” Chance pleaded. “What’s happening?”
Annie wondered what might have changed the situation, she glanced around them and saw what must have done it. ‘Arry had lifted the glimmering object from the font. It was a large bronze disc covered in symbols and pictographs.
“Put it back, you idiot!” Annie shouted at him.
“There’s no time!” ‘Arry responded before running from the alcove.
He must have expected the Renaissance to follow him, but none of them did. ‘Arry soon found several of the humanoids bearing down upon him.
Letting out another yelp, ‘Arry raised the disc above his head. Whether he intended to use it as a weapon or was offering its return in exchange for his safety the Renaissance never knew.
The humanoids that were rushing towards ‘Arry had stopped in their tracks, eyes staring at the ground, and bending their knees.
Others further behind them had begun to adopt the same pose.
For what felt to Alastair like an eternity, everyone was frozen in that tableau. ‘Arry holding the disc above his head, one eye tightly closed, the other darting back-and-forth in confusion. The piscine-humanoids penitent before the sight of the disc. The Renaissance looking upon the scene in sheer disbelief.
They might have remained that way for hours, were it not for the ground beneath them beginning to shake violently.
Some of the Renaissance had been through earthquakes before, but this was like no earthquake they had ever felt before.
‘Arry almost fell backwards from the weight of the disc.
“You keep that disc facing towards them!” Williams shouted at him.
Alastair fell against the carving on the wall, feeling some rubble trickle down upon him he immediately pushed himself back from the wall with such force he fell to the ground.
Looking up, he saw something that, even in that strange new world, he could scarcely believe.
One of the mountains was moving.
Ryan Fleming is the author of SLP's Reid in Braid and various short stories for the anthologies, as well as editing The Scottish Anthology.
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