“Aye, difficult indeed,” he said. “But I’m sure someone of your particular talents’ll have no trouble.”
“You’re too kind,” Sora said. She lifted her arm for Aquira to land, but it was more to hide her reddening cheeks. “Come on Aquira, let’s go find Tum Tum. You’ll excuse us?”
Gold Grin nodded. “I don’t own ye, lass.”
Sora hurried down a small flight of stairs to the galley where she found Tum Tum, as always, by the food.
“Aye, girly!” he exclaimed. “Pull up a crate.” His beard had grown unruly during the journey. Sora couldn’t believe how fast dwarf hair grew.
“But Yaolin is so close,” she said. “We need to get ready.”
“Sometimes I forget ye’ve never been on the sea, so worldly ye seem. It’ll take another half-day to close that distance over water. No point goin hungry, I always say.”
“Half a day?” Sora asked.
The first mate himself, a pirate named Fortist, dragged a crate toward the pot for Sora. Aquira growled. She still hadn’t forgiven the man for how he handled her on the day Grisham’s men boarded their old ship.
“Thank you, Fortist,” Sora said, then tapped Aquira on the snout. “I’m sorry about her.”
“I deserve it, miss.” Fortist bowed and backed away. “Cap’n always says that a pirate who can make friends always has an army.”
“Yer cap’n is as wise as his teeth be… well… gold!” Tum Tum burst out laughing, and a few others joined him. It was clear now that his belly wasn’t just full of food, but that once again they’d dug into the ale despite it being just past sunrise.
Sora rolled her eyes. They can’t be perfect. They are pirates after all.
After a hearty meal, Sora retired to her quarters to pack what meager belongings she had. The pirate crew had been kind enough to supply Sora out of their massive cache of loot with the things men had no need of. She tried not to notice the gold or jewels in the crates as well and dared not ask where they were taken from—for her own sake and peace of mind.
Her first day on board, she’d been given several changes of clothing, all in the style common to wayfaring Pantegans. She finished lacing up her leather bodice, adjusted the waistline of her pants, then put on a pair of leather gloves she’d specifically asked Gold Grin’s men for. They ran high up her forearms, covering the blood magic scars. She clicked her tongue, inviting Aquira to crawl up her sleeve to perch on her shoulder.
“I wish I were a little more prepared,” she whispered to Aquira. “I was really counting on Whit, you know? He knows the place. I’m not sure how I’m going to find the Bokeos to let them know about Tayvada let alone hidden mystics. Iam's light, Aquira, I’m even assuming the man still has living family and that they didn’t live and die in Winde Port along with so many others.”
Sora had taken to talking to the wyvern, speaking her thoughts instead of keeping them bottled up inside. It was how she passed the quiet moments without dwelling on Whitney and how she could undo what had been done.
There were times when Sora thought her little reptilian companion understood every word—like when she’d used her fire breath to rescue Sora from the hands of Kazimir in the old, battered church steeple. In the present, if Aquira understood a word, she hid it well. She scratched her head with her rear claws then rolled over on the bed, belly facing the ceiling, and stretched.
“Yeah, girl, your kind aren’t used to being cooped up on boats either, are they?” Sora said.
“Lass?” Gold Grin’s voice boomed from above.
“Coming!” Sora emerged to find Gold Grin waiting at the top of the hatch.
He extended his hand. “Gonna need them papers of yers.”
“My papers, already?” she said, hand moving instinctively to cover the pocket of her leather pants. “For what?”
He laughed. “Ye think the govn’r of Panping tells his men to just let pirates into his capital city?”
Sora didn’t argue further. She produced the papers Whitney had taken from Tayvada Bokeo’s corpse back in Winde Port. Grisham snatched them, inspected them, then handed them back, grinned, and said, “On second thought, best ye handle this. I be fairly famous for the grin.”
Sora reluctantly returned a smile. Making believe she was a helpless traveler on the road in need of help from a passing caravan, or Father Gorenheimer’s altar server was entirely different from trying to fool the city guard in a land unfamiliar to her.
She took the papers back and glanced toward the city. They were close now, close enough that the people were no longer dots lining the cliff faces but she could even make out faces. And ears. Sure, the steel armor of Glass soldiers patrolling glimmered here and there, but thousands upon thousands of people worked, walked, and generally lived life with ears just like hers. She felt something she didn’t even know she wanted because she didn’t know it existed.
Belonging.
“Where are the docks?” she asked.
“Follow me,” Gold Grin said, already on his way back to the helm.
He gave the wheel the slightest turn, and the course shifted toward a giant, dark hole in the face of the cliff, piercing the city and with a waterfall pouring over it. As they approached, Sora grew concerned that the tall mast wouldn’t clear the opening. The closer they got, the bigger the hole appeared to be until she realized the sheer immensity of it. The Reba could have fit twice stacked within the cavern.
“Hold on, lads!” Grisham shouted. “Bout to get mighty wet in here!”
The ship passed beneath the pounding waterfall. The force of it knocked Aquira from Sora’s shoulder, and as she sprawled to grab the wyvern, she saw that Grisham already had. He lifted Sora by the back of her shirt. One foot into Yaolin and her new clothes were already drenched.
“That’s how we swab the deck round these parts.” He removed his hat and flicked it to get the water off.
Light bloomed on the far end of the cavern. Every sound of the ship echoed. Waves slapped against the side of the hull, causing the wood to creak, and then bounced back to collide with the hard stone. After a moment, Sora fell into the gentle tempo of it all. It was like nature’s song, peaceful, serene.
She closed her eyes and let the rhythmic sounds wash over her until a hot, white light painted her vision through her eyelids. She opened them and was immediately forced to squint.
They emerged into a great lake. The city and all its colorful, tiled roofs stretched all around it, rising up three rocky hills like the fingers of giants grasping for the clouds. Between them, walls rose high to keep out invaders, with the sea and cliffs guarding the side they’d arrived from. Hundreds of large ships were docked along the coasts, and hundreds more little fishing boats with square, ruffled sails floated within the vast waters.
“A beaut, ain’t she?” Tum Tum said, sidling up to her.
He was right in every sense of the word. The sheer mass of the place made Sora wonder how Liam managed to conquer it. As she took it all in, she only saw the one entrance by sea through the waterfall, walls, and hills everywhere else.
How did he ever bring a fleet and an army through? Wetzel didn’t have any books that told that story. It was a testament to the man’s prowess as a military leader.
Then she thought of all the people who’d lived peaceably here before the Glass brought their heavy fist down.
“I’ve never…” She couldn’t find the words.
“No one has until they has,” Gold Grin said.
“What’s that?” Sora asked, pointing at a tall tower on a small island in the middle of the lake. A series of stacked, terraced layers comprised it, made from smooth red stone carved with bands of bas-reliefs depicting men and women in robes. At each landing, tapering up to a top which vanished into the clouds, bare plants and twisting vines grew, void of all color. It was the dead of winter, but the air in Panping remained temperate, so Sora wasn’t sure why they didn’t grow.
More trees surrounded the base, budding from the c
enters of still pools of water. A bronze gate sat on four sides of the round tower, each with a large gem set in the center. One red, one blue, one yellow, and one green. Before each gate stood a row of clay statues depicting armored soldiers holding spears.
“That be the old mystic tower,” Gold Grin answered.
“Was before Liam took over,” Tum Tum added.
“They were a strange folk, them mystics who ruled this place. I heard tale they stored their books and secrets in that tower, but it’s been sealed ever since Liam left this place.”
“They say water used to fall down each layer from the top, and that plants of the wildest colors ye could imagine grew up the sides.”
“Aye, it’s true. I saw it once as a boy. O’course, I was peeking through the tiny slit of a prison cell, so maybe I was dreaming.” Gold Grin laughed.
Sora didn’t have time to think about a response before Gold Grin started throwing orders around to his crew, directing the ship toward the city’s least crowded of many docks. His crew scurried around the deck and up the masts like spiders, reeling in sails, swinging booms. If the city weren’t so spectacular, Sora would have been enthralled with the performance. It was better than anything the troupes passing through Troborough ever put on in the town square.
Before she knew it, they pulled up alongside the dock and secured the ship between a Glass warship and a small fishing boat. She’d expected a few bumps after how rocky the escape from Winde Port proved to be, but Grisham’s crew were artists on the water.
With the ship successfully moored, Grisham “Gold Grin” Gale, one of the strangest and most powerful men Sora had ever known, placed his arms around Sora and said, “Anyone official be seeing me here without an understanding, and we might find trouble, even with this old girl wearing the white of Parlay. Get us clear to stay, and find us a way to debark without trouble, aye lass? The boys want to see what kind of trouble they can get into here and it ain’t often we get hold of some legal trading papers.”
“I’ll stay here and wait until we’re clear,” Tum Tum said. “ A dwarf will only complicate things down there. But you’ll find me at The Ruby House at sundown. I never been here, but Whitney always said it’s the best place on Xiahou Boulevard.”
“The Ruby House. Xiahou Boulevard. Peaceful passage.” Sora nodded then looked up at Grisham. “I can’t thank you enough for this. You have no idea what it’s been like since me and Whitney started adventuring together.”
“Aye, trust me, I know how things be with him.” He squeezed her a bit, then took her by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. “Always a pleasure to have a proper lass on board. Ye tell the world that old Gold Grin ain’t just a monster of the seas.”
Sora chuckled. “I will.”
His lip twisted. “On second thought, tell them we ravaged yer bones and made ye wish for death. Fear be a great motivator!” He laughed heartily, then opened her hand and placed a bag stuffed with gold autlas in it. It was more than she and Whitney had earned in Winde Port, and he gave it over like one would an apple.
“Give this to the guards, and they won’t look twice at this ship,” he said. “Now go on. There was a bargain struck between us, and I believe my end be upheld."
He gave her a gentle shove toward the lowered gangway. She stepped lightly, unsure. But as she neared the docks, she felt invigorated. Somewhere in this vast city were the answers to all her questions: who she was, why she could do the things she sometimes did, and where Whitney was.
Aquira nuzzled against her neck and closed her eyes. Sora took comfort in the wyvern’s soft purrs. She stowed the coin purse, then drew in a deep breath and noted how different the air smelled compared to anywhere she’d been before. No salt from water, and no shog from men up to no good. It was fresh, crisp, and a bit like the first budding flowers of spring.
Her foot crunched onto gravel as she made landfall.
“Jinszi,” said a Panpingese man waiting on the dock almost immediately. He gave Aquira little more than a cursory glance. Apparently, wyvern’s weren’t such a curiosity in the east.
“I… uh. I don’t speak Panpingese,” she said.
The man rolled his eyes, apparently a gesture that transcended culture, and said, “Papers.”
“Oh, yes. Right here.” Sora handed the man the trading documents.
He looked at the papers, then at her, then Aquira, then back at the papers again. He waved back to a pavilion, where Sora now noticed the host of Glass soldiers sitting around playing gems. One of them groaned, then stood to approach.
The Panpingese dockworker held up the papers for him to see. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he gave them a look-over, then snatched them out of the man’s hands to scrutinize.
“You don’t look like a Tayvada,” he muttered.
“No,” Sora said simply, then forced herself to look as sad as she could manage. “My husband. He‘s dead, and I’ve come to deliver news to his family and return with the last of his goods.” She pointed to the galleon behind her.
The man followed her finger, then his bleary eyes finally opened wide enough to show concern, but it was not for her loss. His hand fell to the grip of his sword. “You do know whose ship that is, don’t you?”
“I do.” One look was all it took him. Perhaps she underestimated how infamous and feared Grisham truly was. Though other than switching out their black sails on approach, he didn’t try to hide anything. Now that Sora wasn’t on the ship or in a storm, she could see the distinctive shape of a golden mermaid statue perched on the Reba’s prow. There couldn’t be another like it in all Pantego.
“Come on, Higgin, your turn!” shouted one of the Glass guards beneath the covering.
The guard named Higgin glanced back at them, and his expression caused them all to stir from their game. Two rose and started toward him.
“They helped me escape the fighting in Winde Port,” Sora said. “I assure you, they’re flying white because all they wish for is a few days on land and to trade away their wares.”
“Trade their wares?” Higgin replied. “You do realize what pirates do, don’t you, Miss Bokeo?”
The reference to her as Miss Bokeo nearly shook her, but she found her resolve and mustered the same air of nobility she’s used back in Winde Port on the rebel Muskigo. All of Whitney’s lessons on lying and thieving were paying off.
“I’m not a fool,” she said, “but these men helped me and the Winde Trader’s Guild.” She acted wounded, vulnerable, even getting her eyes to water. Then she pulled out the purse and stuck it in the man’s gut. “I owe them.”
The guard glanced down. All his worries seemed to melt away. He raised a hand for his men to stop approaching. “Go help them,” he ordered the Panpingese dockhand, pointing to another ship down the docks.
“Fine.” The guard stowed the purse. “They cover that damn prow, they can stay, but you didn’t deal with me.” He handed the papers back. “You have one day free of charge, as is customary due to your husband—late husband’s position in the guild. After that, they’ll be charged the regular rate of... two hundred autlas per day. Understood?”
“Two hun—” Sora caught herself. It wasn’t her money, and with the loot Grisham’s boys would be selling off, that was probably pocket change. “Thank you.” She forced a snivel. “I’ll never forget how you’ve helped me.”
“No, thank you, miss. And please, forget.” He turned, then glared at Aquira. “And get your pet in a damn cage if you don’t want to be stopped again. All those things manage is trouble.”
He returned to his game of gems with his mates, and with a lot more to bet now.
“Don’t listen to him,” Sora said, scratching Aquira’s chin. “You’re no trouble.”
Sora turned back to the Reba and waved for one of the crew to get Grisham. She couldn’t believe how happy the site of him peering down over the side made her. She explained to him the terms of them staying, and the great pirate tossed her a smaller pouch o
f autlas of her own to help her in this strange new city.
“Good luck lass!” he shouted down as his crew hooted in celebration at being welcomed to Yaolin. “And when you see that whelp Whitney again, tell him he owes me a ship!” He burst out laughing, and his men joined in. Sora wouldn’t miss the stench of their breath or how raucous they could be, but she’d never forget him.
Thanking him one last time, she headed back toward the city. She had no idea where to start, but the Winde Trader’s Guild papers, a sack of autlas, and a sad story were a good place to start. It was much more than she and Whitney had when they got to Winde Port seeking passage.
She spotted the dockworker who’d greeted her and hurried to him.
“Sir?” she said as he tied a knot around a cleat to hold another ship in place. He didn’t answer. It wasn’t until she addressed him again that he regarded her, but didn’t stop working. “Do you know where I can find the Trader’s Guild?”
“That a joke?” he asked.
“I’m sorry?”
He pointed toward a giant edifice just behind them. “Big building, round dome, bronze ship statue.”
“Thank you so much.” Sora reached into her pocket to find an autla for him, then reconsidered. “One more thing?”
The man released a loud sigh and pursed his lips.
“Can you tell me the way to The Ruby House?” she asked.
His eyes went wide, and his face turned bright red. “Madam…” He laughed awkwardly. “I don’t—why would you… such an establishment is no place for…”
Sora blushed. “Never mind. I’m sorry I asked. Thank you for your help.” She handed him a coin, and he bowed three times before scuttling away.
Sora swore to herself she’d give Tum Tum a good smack for embarrassing her when the time came. Reaching up with her right hand, she scratched Aquira on the top of the head and whispered, “You ready, girl?”
The wyvern purred and readjusted herself as Sora set off down the quay. A short staircase led up to the city streets. When she reached the top, she stopped and turned back toward the lake. The view was breathtaking. She’d seen Trader’s Bay near Winde Port, but that was little more than swamp and sharp rocks in comparison. This looked like the place Iam would choose for his throne.
The Redstar Rising Trilogy: (Buried Goddess Saga Box Set 1: Books 1-3) Page 79
