beauteous as Celina was, she could never marry one of the count’s sons. Her father was a simple woodcutter, a peasant. But the boys would bring her gifts every day, sing her songs every day, write poems in honour of her great beauty every day. She didn’t know what to do.
‘ “Set each boy a task,” her father said. “Make them travel. The experience will do them good and when they have seen more of the world they will no longer think of you.”
‘Celina wasn’t so sure about this – she quite liked the attentions of the handsome young men – but if the count found out that his sons were courting a commoner he would be furious, and who knew what he would do?
‘So Celina sent them abroad, and such adventures they had and such sights they saw. But they never forgot her. Each carried a miniature portrait of her in his breast pocket, next to his heart, and after twelve long months the boys returned.
‘To horror.
‘Their castle lay in ruins, the vineyards burned to the scorched earth, their mother and father cruelly slain. And of Celina there was no trace.
‘For, while they had been travelling, the tsar’s troops had swept across the land in the name of Holy Russia. Any who stood in their path felt the edge of their sword, the rough hemp rope or the heat of flame.
‘Grief does strange things to a man, and as the seven brothers stood there they made a vow to avenge their father, their mother and the lovely Celina.
‘They became bitter, hard and as cold as steel. As the years flew by, they drowned their grief in an orgy of bloodshed and violence. People learned to fear the name of the Brothers Oginski.’
For a moment, silence hung over the dingy hold as each listener took from the story what they could.
‘A fairytale,’ Dakkar said, snorting. ‘The Oginski I know is a man of science, and a gentleman.’
‘Who knows what past wickedness men hide,’ One-eye sniggered. ‘At least we’re honest rogues.’ He leaned back against the wall of the hold. ‘What you see is what you get.’
The days rolled into weeks and the pirates were set to work on the Palaemon under the watchful eye of Blizzard’s marines. Dakkar found himself scrubbing decks and helping Finch prepare food in the galley.
Every day left Dakkar with a gnawing anxiety. Questions built up in his mind. Who were the strange men at the castle that day? What did they want with Oginski? Every mile they sailed was taking him further away from any chance of rescuing Oginski. Blizzard questioned him further but Dakkar kept silent and refused to answer.
‘So what did you call this undersea ship that Oginski and Fulton created?’ Blizzard asked matter-of-factly, as if he were asking Dakkar what he’d had for dinner.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir,’ Dakkar said, and continued with his polishing work. ‘It sounds a bit fanciful, if you’ll pardon me for saying.’
‘Fanciful,’ Blizzard mused. ‘Yes, I suppose it does, but then everything about you is a bit far-fetched, Prince Dakkar. Did you know, for instance, that your father has offered a reward for your recovery?’
Dakkar stiffened and he looked up at Blizzard. ‘My father?’ he said. ‘He must have heard about what happened at the castle.’
‘No,’ Blizzard replied, turning to walk away. ‘This reward was offered three or four years ago.’
‘What?’ Dakkar said, leaping to his feet, but Blizzard sauntered away and Finch glared at Dakkar until he sat down to his polishing again.
Night-times on the HMS Palaemon were a torment of snoring pirates, the uncomfortable hold floor and whirling thoughts. Dakkar dismissed the pirate’s story as just that. There’s bound to be more than one Oginski in the world . But now a new question pressed in on Dakkar: why did Father offer a reward?
For a few days, the weather turned against them. Dakkar lay prostrate in the hold as the Palaemon rose and fell, making his stomach heave. He couldn’t move or
‘ “Set each boy a task,” her father said. “Make them travel. The experience will do them good and when they have seen more of the world they will no longer think of you.”
‘Celina wasn’t so sure about this – she quite liked the attentions of the handsome young men – but if the count found out that his sons were courting a commoner he would be furious, and who knew what he would do?
‘So Celina sent them abroad, and such adventures they had and such sights they saw. But they never forgot her. Each carried a miniature portrait of her in his breast pocket, next to his heart, and after twelve long months the boys returned.
‘To horror.
‘Their castle lay in ruins, the vineyards burned to the scorched earth, their mother and father cruelly slain. And of Celina there was no trace.
‘For, while they had been travelling, the tsar’s troops had swept across the land in the name of Holy Russia. Any who stood in their path felt the edge of their sword, the rough hemp rope or the heat of flame.
‘Grief does strange things to a man, and as the seven brothers stood there they made a vow to avenge their father, their mother and the lovely Celina.
‘They became bitter, hard and as cold as steel. As the years flew by, they drowned their grief in an orgy of bloodshed and violence. People learned to fear the name of the Brothers Oginski.’
For a moment, silence hung over the dingy hold as each listener took from the story what they could.
‘A fairytale,’ Dakkar said, snorting. ‘The Oginski I know is a man of science, and a gentleman.’
‘Who knows what past wickedness men hide,’ One-eye sniggered. ‘At least we’re honest rogues.’ He leaned back against the wall of the hold. ‘What you see is what you get.’
The days rolled into weeks and the pirates were set to work on the Palaemon under the watchful eye of Blizzard’s marines. Dakkar found himself scrubbing decks and helping Finch prepare food in the galley.
Every day left Dakkar with a gnawing anxiety. Questions built up in his mind. Who were the strange men at the castle that day? What did they want with Oginski? Every mile they sailed was taking him further away from any chance of rescuing Oginski. Blizzard questioned him further but Dakkar kept silent and refused to answer.
‘So what did you call this undersea ship that Oginski and Fulton created?’ Blizzard asked matter-of-factly, as if he were asking Dakkar what he’d had for dinner.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir,’ Dakkar said, and continued with his polishing work. ‘It sounds a bit fanciful, if you’ll pardon me for saying.’
‘Fanciful,’ Blizzard mused. ‘Yes, I suppose it does, but then everything about you is a bit far-fetched, Prince Dakkar. Did you know, for instance, that your father has offered a reward for your recovery?’
Dakkar stiffened and he looked up at Blizzard. ‘My father?’ he said. ‘He must have heard about what happened at the castle.’
‘No,’ Blizzard replied, turning to walk away. ‘This reward was offered three or four years ago.’
‘What?’ Dakkar said, leaping to his feet, but Blizzard sauntered away and Finch glared at Dakkar until he sat down to his polishing again.
Night-times on the HMS Palaemon were a torment of snoring pirates, the uncomfortable hold floor and whirling thoughts. Dakkar dismissed the pirate’s story as just that. There’s bound to be more than one Oginski in the world . But now a new question pressed in on Dakkar: why did Father offer a reward?
For a few days, the weather turned against them. Dakkar lay prostrate in the hold as the Palaemon rose and fell, making his stomach heave. He couldn’t move or
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