Lord of the High Reaches

by James Haddock

  "We have company!" La-mar shouted down from the lookout perch, just below the base of the balloon.

  "Where away?" I shouted back, getting better at ship's jargon.

  "Two points off the starboard beam!"

  There were two ships approaching. La-mar came down and took the wheel.

  "When they get close, let me do the talking. You are the emissary and would not normally talk to them."

  They were within hailing distance in less than an hour.

  "Ahoy, identify yourself!" a crewman on the leading skyship called out. They were looking us over through spyglasses.

  "Eastern Realm, diplomatic ship, carrying Emissary Highreacher on a diplomatic mission to the Southern King!" La-mar called back.

  There was some discussion among them. La-mar leaned toward me. "They are wondering how we came to have a new northern military skyship.”

  Finally, the reply came. "Follow us.”

  The ship turned and headed south. We fell in behind it, while the other ship fell in behind us, forming a convoy. The lead ship raised blue and white streamers, showing they were escorting a diplomatic ship. Diplomatic ship or not, they kept a close eye on us.

  "We should arrive at the capital this afternoon," La-mar commented.

  "You know, I didn't think about it, but this may be the first time an Eastern Realm ship, especially an emissary ship, has visited the Southern Kingdom. This may turn into quite an event."

  "Well, the cards are dealt. We'll just have to play the hand, as my father used to say." His father was right.

  * * *

  We landed and their ground crew moored both our ships and posted an honor guard. A full diplomatic entourage stood by to meet us. With royal bearing, I strode down the ship’s extended ramp to meet them.

  Bowing slightly, "Gentlemen, my name is Sir Cam Highreacher, Emissary from King Edward II of the Eastern Realm. Here are my bona fides, attesting to my credibility and authority to speak on behalf of his royal highness." I gave them the official papers.

  They returned my bow in kind and received the papers. “This is quite the event, Emissary Highreacher. You are the first diplomatic ship to visit us and in a northern military ship at that.”

  “Ah, yes. Well, we didn't start off that way. We were attacked on the way by that ship. It was hard fought. Only myself and my captain survived. I would like to see a doctor if I could. Some of my wounds may need stitches," I said, per our plan to convince them of the attack.

  "Attacking a diplomatic ship! This is outrageous!" their leader spoke out. “Be assured, we'll see to your needs, Emissary."

  "Thank you, and please see to my captain and ship as well. Had it not been for him, I would be dead."

  "Of course, fear not, no one will enter your ship, and your captain will be well cared for."

  "I thank you. I know this is out of the ordinary, but I have a letter from my king to yours. I must give it to him personally, at his earliest convenience."

  "I understand. I'll relay your request at once."

  When they finished, they took me straight to a doctor. I knew my wounds had been open too long for stitches, but at least they could be checked, cleaned, and bandaged better.

  While I was awaiting my audience with the king, a diplomatic house was provided as lodging with a nice meal already prepared. Not long after, my trunk arrived, which no doubt La-mar sent, keeping up appearances.

  Within the hour, I was taken by carriage to the palace and escorted to the throne room where court was being held. Taken to the front of those seeking an audience with the king, I waited.

  Facing the king was a woman, who was petitioning.

  "What do you find so repulsive about him, cousin?" the King queried her.

  "He has the intellect of a chair and is not as useful!" the woman said in frustration.

  "You are a widow with a child. Your options for a husband are limited."

  "I would rather marry a cat than him."

  People around me sucked in their breath, looked at me, then chuckled. I grinned broadly.

  The lady turned on those who had laughed. Seeing me, she turned a delightful shade of red, momentarily closing her eyes.

  "Forgive me, Sir Cat, I meant no disrespect." She was perhaps 35 with intelligent eyes.

  I bowed. "None taken, Lady. I myself have said the same of some cats."

  Everyone laughed, including the King.

  "Emissary Highreacher, may I introduce my cousin, Lady Isla Greenwell. Isla, this is Emissary Sir Cam Highreacher of the Eastern Realm."

  I bowed to her. "A pleasure, Lady Isla."

  She curtsied, smiling. “Emissary."

  Chapter 8

  "They tell me, Emissary, you had some excitement getting here," the king remarked.

  "Some, Your Highness. We initially started with a smaller ship and crew as to not draw attention. It seems that was an ill thought plan. A northern skyship thought us easy pickings. They sorely miscalculated."

  And you were wounded during the fighting?"

  “I was. I was the only one who could make the jump to the other ship. It was that or all of us die, since they didn't seem to want prisoners."

  "You made the jump?"

  I shrugged. "I was the only one, other than my captain, who was not wounded. The distance was too great for him to make, as our ships were at almost the same altitude."

  "And how many men did you have to fight through to take the ship?"

  "10, Highness."

  "You killed 10 men in single combat?"

  There were murmurs around the court.

  "To be honest, once the fighting started, it was all instinct. I didn't really expect to live. Captain La-mar kept firing, keeping others off me. He kept me from being overrun and killed."

  "Extraordinary," the King said. After a moment, "I believe you have a letter for me?" He reached out his hand.

  "I do, Highness. I approached, handed it to him, bowed, then stepped back.

  He opened the letter reading, looked at me, then read on. When finished, he sat quietly for a moment, then spoke. "You will dine with me tonight, Emissary."

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  He rose, and all bowed, as he left the throne room. I was escorted back to the diplomatic house. A chamberlain, who I assumed was a spy, had been assigned to me. He had unpacked my things and put them away. It was a good thing we had gone through the trunk before getting here. The only things he found were clothes.

  At the appropriate time, I returned to the palace for dinner. I was surprised that the only ones present were myself, the king, and Lady Isla. The meal started with small talk, but ended with more interesting conversation.

  "Your king's letter says you will speak plainly to me."

  I nodded. "Those were my instructions, Highness."

  "No diplomatic fencing?" he asked with a bit of skepticism.

  I shook my head. "I'm not a career diplomat. I was given this duty because of some unusual circumstances."

  "What kind of circumstances?"

  "A northern spy tried to kill me because of some information he thought I might have. I figured out they were planning to assassinate the king. They wanted me killed before I exposed their plot."

  "I take it you exposed their plot."

  "The king and I are still here; they are not." I kept my answer vague.

  "Then he sent you here?"

  "No, first I went to the western range. We had reports that the Westies were scouting us to prepare for an incursion. They were not, but I found hard evidence that the North was backing the West. They were supplying guns and intelligence against the East and the South. I reported my findings to the king. He sent me here."

  "What are they doing against the South?"

  “The North is now paying Westie officials and army officers to apply more pressure to interfere with all southern activity, including trade and travel, Your Highness."

  "Your king offers us nothing of substance, only vague terms like ‘trade’, and
‘help when we need it’. What would be of substance is your captured skyship. If he gave us that..."

  Lady Isla had sat quietly, listening the whole time. Her foot tapped my leg. I did my best not to react. Out of the corner of my eye, she gave a slight head shake.

  "I'm sorry, Your Highness, the ship belongs to me, not the king. I took it in open combat."

  "But you’re not a military man. Is that correct?” Isla wanted to confirm.

  "I am not. I’m a landowner and forester who fights when he has to." I answered, wondering where she was going with this.

  "Perhaps a trade, then? Something you can use, like cargo ships for trade."

  I thought a moment. "I must admit I would have more use for cargo ships than a fighting ship."

  "Good," the King said. "I'm sure we can come up with something that is mutually beneficial. In the meantime, perhaps you will allow us onto the ship to inspect it."

  Lady Isla tapped my leg again.

  Unsure what the taps meant, I responded politely, but also with a measure of caution. "I may be young, Highness, but I have been in on a few trade deals."

  He chuckled. "Then we shall see what we have to trade with," he said, raising a glass.

  As the meal was ending, "Highness, may I request Lady Isla's assistance on the morrow. I need to buy some clothes, and I'm afraid I have little experience with styles."

  The King smiled, looking at her, "Isla, what say you?"

  "How much land do you own, Emissary?"

  “Exact number of hectares? I’m unsure. But the boundaries are from the southern tip of our western range to River's Fork, and east, seven days travel by horse.”

  She smiled. "I look forward to helping with your shopping on the morrow. Sounds like fun, spending a man's money.”

  "Keep your hand on your wallet, young man," the King warned.

  * * *

  We started midmorning what Isla called shopping. We looked through several shops without buying anything. I followed her lead like a good little cub. Then we just strolled for a while.

  "Would you like a cup of tea, perhaps?" I asked.

  "That would be nice, yes."

  We sat at a café’s open-air table, drinking tea with what she called “cakes”.

  "So,” I finally asked, "why the warning?"

  Hesitant, she carefully chose her words. "You are, I think, inexperienced in the ways of court. You were speaking plainly, as far as I could tell, with the king. But he was not speaking plainly with you. He wants your captured skyship badly and would almost give his firstborn to get it. If he could pressure you to give it to him, he would have bragged about it for years. Deal hard with him. He'll trade you three cargo skyships for it. Cargo skyships mean little to him."

  "But you do?"

  "My side of the family are merchants. Cargo skyships have profited us for over 50 years by allowing trade at great distances."

  "Where do you send your cargo skyships to trade?"

  "All over the world," she replied. I thought back to the maps I had seen and shook my head.

  "What?" she asked.

  "There is something I don’t understand. I'm half human, my father being human, but sometimes human ways are strange to me."

  "In what way?"

  "Forgive me if I offend." She nodded for me to continue. "The king said your marriage options were limited. Why would that be? You are intelligent, interesting, and a pleasure to be around. One would think that suitors would be pound at the palace door.”

  With eyes crinkling at the corners, Isla laughed. "Thank you for the compliments. In answer to your question, I’m a woman who thinks for herself. It may be boastful, but I have a sharp mind that sometimes comes with a sharp tongue. Plus, they think I'm too old for them to train me into what they want. Also, I have a daughter. Few men would want a child that is not his."

  "And the ones that would, have the intellect of a chair, or so I’ve heard,” I added. “Among cats, age and children have little bearing on marital prospects."

  “Perhaps, I should have been born a cat.” Gesturing toward the door, “It’s time to get back to finding stylish attire, Sir Cam.”

  “As you wish, M’lady.”

  Outside on the cobblestone walkway, we strolled, continuing our talk while looking for more shops. As we turned a corner, Isla spoke in a low tone, "You know we’re being followed, right?"

  "Oh, yes. Three have been with us the whole time. For now, let’s keep walking."

  Changing the subject, I asked her to tell me more about cargo skyships and trading such as how to determine what items would best sell in different locations.

  Isla was in her element when talking about trade. Compared to her, my trades were very simple. By the end of our shopping, I had purchased two suits, four shirts, a pair of boots, and a pair of shoes, and realized that this lady thoroughly knew cargo skyships, shipping, and trade.

  "Dinner?" I asked

  "That would be nice," she answered.

  There was an eatery on the corner. Inside, the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable: people eating, talking, and enjoying being with friends. The room had wide wooden beams stretching across the ceiling. The floors were of polished stone that glimmered in the lantern lights and flickering flames of the fireplace. Ornate wall tapestries added to the ambience.

  Isla asked that we be seated at an out-of-the-way table. The conversation took a personal turn while waiting for our food.

  "How old is you daughter?"

  She was about to answer when she looked past me, and her eyes flew open wide. I kicked my chair back, hearing someone get tangled in it. As I turned, a man came up with a knife slicing at me. I grabbed his wrist as it passed, pulled him around, then slammed his head into the table. He was down and out.

  Our three followers were there in an instant, deliberately showing empty hands as they approached.

  "Are you hurt, Emissary? Lady Isla?"

  We both shook our heads. Two of the watchers took the unconscious man and left.

  "Time to go," the third said. We followed him out and back to the palace. Since our dinner had been interrupted, they set one for us and the king. We rose and bowed when he entered. He waved us to sit.

  "My apologies, Isla, Emissary. We'll get to the bottom of this."

  "Well, you were right, Highness," I said.

  "How so?" he asked, frowning.

  "I should have kept my hand on my wallet." They both laughed. "On top of that, I had to walk all day instead of just going to one store."

  * * *

  I arose early, had breakfast, then headed back to the skyship to check on La-mar. There were more troops in the area, and security was a lot tighter. As I was the only white cat－well, cat of any color that I'd seen－they let me through. La-mar watched me as I approached.

  "All is well?" I asked.

  "Had a bit of excitement yesterday. A man tried to bomb our ship, but he was caught."

  "Someone does not like us having this ship. They tried to kill me at dinner last night."

  "Well, aren't we the popular ones?"

  "I'm working on a deal to trade this skyship for two or three good cargo skyships. That would give us between three and five ships."

  He stared at me.

  "What?" I asked.

  "Us?"

  "Yes, us, partner. I need my captain. Besides, what do I know about cargo skyships? We are going to need crews."

  "That many ships needing crews will help our chances of getting good people to go to High Reaches."

  "And you a wife. I know you have not left the ship, but have you heard from any of your people?"

  "I have. A cousin came by and we talked. He took a message to the clan leaders for me. We should hear something from them soon."

  "Wait until we have traded this ship before you say anything about needing crews."

  "Company's coming," he said, looking over my shoulder.

  I turned and saw Lady Isla approaching with four guards. “That would b
e Lady Isla."

  "Isla? The king's cousin?" he asked, blinking.

  "The same. She’s very Influential, and her family's trading house is well known. They are wealthy, though she has little."

  "What do you mean, she has little?" La-mar’s eyes slightly narrowed.

  "The story goes, she signed over all of her shares in their trading house to keep her husband from taking it or borrowing against it. Later, he was killed over some shady business deal across the seas. She now lives off the king’s good will. But, she has something better than money.”

  “And that would be ...?”

  “Extensive knowledge on worldwide trade.”

  "Good morning, Emissary," Isla called from the ramp.

  "Good morning, Lady Isla. Won't you come aboard?" I took her hand, helping her step aboard, though I doubted she needed it.

  "Lady Isla, may I present Captain La-mar. Captain La-mar, Lady Isla."

  He bowed deeply. "Lady Isla, an honor to meet you."

  "Well met, Captain La-mar. Your reputation precedes you."

  "You haven't been listening to the Emissary's stories, have you? He probably told you, I single-handedly captured this ship and carried the day." He grinned.

  She laughed. "He did say you kept him alive."

  "We kept each other alive, M’lady, and when your back is against the wall, there’s no one better than he to have at your side."

  "So, I’ve noticed," she murmured. “The reason I'm here is the king is anxious to make the trade. He sent me to show you some cargo skyships and to come to an agreement on a trade."

  "Should I keep my hand on my wallet?”

  “I promise. I’ll take it easy on you,” she replied, eyes twinkling.

  La-mar turned away to keep from laughing, but the up-and-down motion of his shoulders gave him away.

  "Will you be joining us, Captain?" Isla asked.

  Turning back, La-mar coughed, pretending to clear his throat. "Excuse the cough, M’lady. Alas, my duties keep me here until the deal is made."

  Taking my arm, we walked down the ramp. "The king wanted me to show you some new ships first, hoping you'd want one of them. If you did, he'd trade you one for one."