“His Majesty commands her to perform her acrobatics in the Grand Canal.”
Though Sherzad would welcome the change, Marie-Josèphe could not quiet her suspicions. “Why do you supervise the change, instead of Count Lucien?”
“Perhaps M. de Chrétien has more important duties — or perhaps he’s lost His Majesty’s favor.”
“Why did His Majesty — why didn’t you call for me to explain to Sherzad?” She gestured toward the armed men. “You didn’t need —”
“I suggested it, of course,” Lorraine said. “As a gift for you — I never called for you because you flee on the fastest horse in the kingdom when I try to speak to you.”
“I have good reason!”
“Shall I tell His Majesty that his sea monster refuses his commands?”
“No,” Marie-Josèphe said. “But put away the staves. If you don’t frighten her, she might agree to lie quiet in the sling.”
She unlocked the cage and ran to Sherzad, who hovered nervously, whistling and humming questions. Marie-Josèphe explained what would happen.
The men lowered the sling into the water. Sherzad circled it nervously, fearfully. She still carried on her body the marks of the net that had captured her.
“Please trust me, dear Sherzad,” Marie-Josèphe said. “The Grand Canal is so much bigger — so much cleaner!”
Sherzad touched the sling. As she hesitantly swam into it, Marie-Josèphe thought, She trusts me — but by what measure should I trust M. de Lorraine? This may be a ploy to take her to M. Boursin.
But if they wished to kill her, they could spear her or shoot her as she swam.
Marie-Josèphe had no choice. She urged Sherzad into the sling. Otherwise the men would beat her and net her.
Her heart pounding with trepidation, Marie-Josèphe walked beside Sherzad, holding her hand. Unrestrained, Sherzad fidgeted and sang in anticipation. If Lorraine betrayed her, nothing would stop her from defending herself.
M. Boursin ran, ungainly, down the Green Carpet.
“Oh, excellent, excellent,” he cried. “May I butcher it now? Follow me, quickly —”
“No!” Marie-Josèphe cried. “She has until midnight!” She turned on Lorraine in a fury. Sherzad screamed. Her claws ripped the sling with a high harsh tear. “You lied —”
“I didn’t, calm yourself, mademoiselle!” Lorraine stopped Boursin with a gesture. “Stand back, sir.”
“Be easy, Sherzad, everything will be all right.” The sea woman calmed to a tremble beneath Marie-Josèphe’s hands. Marie-Josèphe reproached herself for her suspicion.
Boursin followed frantically. “You’re going to loose it? What possesses you?”
“It’s the King’s wish,” Marie-Josèphe said. “He’s promised Sherzad her life — find something else to cook!”
“His Majesty promised me a thousand louis!” M. Boursin said. “If my presentation surpasses Charlemagne’s banquet.”
“Sherzad promised him more — for her freedom.”
“Perhaps His Majesty wants both,” M. Boursin said. “Treasure and meat!”
Frightened by Sherzad’s agitation, the workmen hurried the short distance to the Grand Canal and lowered the ruined sling to its bank. Sherzad cried out and struggled and splashed gracelessly into the water.
“It will run itself down,” Boursin said. “It will be lean and stringy — if the banquet isn’t perfect, I’ll kill myself!”
“Leap, sea monster!” Lorraine shouted.
Sherzad flicked her tails, splashing water over Lorraine’s polished boots. She dove and disappeared.
“It had better not bruise its flesh,” Boursin said.
“Go away,” Lorraine said to Boursin. “It may bruise itself all it wants, but it had better not climb out.”
“She has nowhere to go,” Marie-Josèphe said. “She cannot walk, she can only swim.”
Marie-Josèphe leaned over the canal, searching for Sherzad. M. Boursin searched with her, but an angry glare from Lorraine sent him backing away.
“Midnight,” he said. “At midnight you must be here to deliver the creature to me.”
“Not till after midnight.”
“At one minute past!”
Boursin clambered on board the wagon with the workmen and the slings and nets and staves. He drove away, leaving Marie-Josèphe alone with Lorraine.
“Does it comfort you?” Lorraine asked, smiling his charming smile. “Are you grateful for this one last taste of freedom for your pet?”
Marie-Josèphe snatched her hand furiously from his touch.
“You’re beneath contempt! My friend is in deadly peril, and you — you —”
He laughed, nonchalant in the face of her fury. “You shouldn’t provoke me, mademoiselle. Someday you might find me your only ally.”
He swung up on his horse and cantered away. The surface of the Grand Canal lay flat and still.
Sherzad luxuriated in the flow of clean cold water, in the space around her. She did not even mind the tastelessness of fresh water, after so many days of living in filth. She hummed and whistled, listening to the shape of her surroundings, all long sharp edges and regular curves, nothing growing but bits of algae and the broken stems of water plants struggling to reach the surface before being slashed away or uprooted. The keels of small boats projected through the surface into Sherzad’s domain.
She swam into the faint confused current, looking for the underwater river.
Zachi whickered softly.
Zelis galloped toward Marie-Josèphe. The mare stopped, hooves scattering gravel; Count Lucien slid from her back. When he hurried, as now, he was awkward. No wonder he preferred to ride, no wonder he did not dance, at the court of the Sun King, that prized grace so highly.
“Mlle de la Croix.” He showed her a tiny silver message capsule. “From the carrier pigeons.”
“They’ve found the treasure ship — ?”
“The location. The ship — not yet.”
“Don’t tell Sherzad,” Marie-Josèphe said.
“Very well.”
Sherzad whispered to her.
“Why is she out of her cage?”
“His Majesty — Lorraine said, His Majesty ordered her to the Grand Canal so she could leap for his guests.”
Count Lucien said nothing. Marie-Josèphe said nothing. Count Lucien walked away, no longer hurrying, leaning, Marie-Josèphe thought, more heavily than usual on his sword cane. She wanted to call him back, she wanted to reassure him: His Majesty had conceived a whim, and Lorraine happened to be nearby to carry it out.