Making his way along the starboard side of the ship, Aleksi saw four seamen pull a line that was suspended over the edge. The line was taut and—he guessed, from the straining of the sailors—tied to something heavy. Approaching the gunwale, Aleksi looked over the side and saw a suspended officer. The man wore a rope harness and the seamen were keeping him in place as he performed work on the ship’s exterior. The officer was rubbing a strange flat-edged tool on the ship’s hull, spreading a paste that Aleksi assumed was some sort of caulking. The man was working on the same location where the Diamond had scraped her hull during the rescue the night prior. Now, however, there was hardly a scratch showing.
Seeing that Aleksi was watching him, the officer called up to his men. “Alright, that’s good for now. Hoist me up and let’s take a break.”
The men shouted, “Heave-ho!” and pulled the officer back up to the deck. After the officer deftly scaled the gunwale railing, the four other crewmen looked at Aleksi’s eyes and dispersed, grumbling. As the last crewman walked past, however, he forcibly bumped his shoulder into Aleksi, causing the youth to stumble. Aleksi spun at the man, clenching his fist. The man laughed and, looking back at Aleksi, said, “Watch your step, Northern dog!” His three companions chuckled as they walked away.
Aleksi clenched his fist even tighter, causing sharp pain to flood through his arm. Trying to suppress his anger, he turned back to the officer still standing by the gunwale. The man wore the same clothes as the other officers, yet his dress was slightly more worn, the colors faded. He had a thick blond beard and a kindly face, and when he smiled, it warmed his blue eyes.
“Hello, there. The name’s Levain.”
Aleksi nodded in response but glanced at the four sailors who had just accosted him.
“Don’t pay them any mind,” Levain continued. “We have been fighting your kind a long time.”
“Northerners are not my kind,” Aleksi responded curtly.
“Whatever the case may be,” Levain answered, “you are here now, Aleksi, so well met, and welcome aboard the Diamond.”
Aleksi bowed his head. “I feel at such a disadvantage. You all know my name . . .”
“That’s what introductions are for, son,” Levain said, chuckling. “Besides, our names are the least of your worries. There is much to learn if you want to be a proper crewman.”
“Oh no,” Aleksi said, readjusting the bandage on his arm, “I think you misunderstand. I am only here for passage.”
“Whatever you say, son,” Levain answered, rubbing his hands together.
“I saw you were mending the ship from the run-in with the pier last night,” Aleksi said, eyeing an elegant tool on Levain’s belt. “But what were you doing, exactly? I have never seen—I mean, read—of a tool like that. It looks Runic.”
“Pretty observant, aren’t you? Well, this is something special we use to mend the ship. The Diamond is made of yalmalrah wood from the Western capital island of Skadra in the heart of Delebat.”
“I know of yalmalrah,” Aleksi replied, nodding. “All admirals of the Thalassocratic fleet have ships built of yalmalrah. It’s strong and can even mend itself if given enough time. I just have never read about that tool you have there.”
“Yes, well, that’s because there are not many of these tools around anymore. We don’t ever tell our passengers about such things, though, son.” Levain paused and ran a hand over his thick straw-colored beard. “But if you want to learn the ways of the Diamond in hopes of becoming one of the crew, I doubt the captain would mind if I shared a little more information . . .”
“I would greatly enjoy learning more, sir. Although I make no promises about—”
“Well,” Levain interrupted Aleksi before he could continue, “I was with the captain back before . . . well, for a long time. And we were gifted this tool by the prime admiral for our valor during the Unification War. It’s a highly coveted object, able to help coax—well, actually persuade—the yalmalrah wood to bind with itself more quickly. So, when the hull gets anything from a small nick to a large breach, we just overlay some new yalmalrah, apply some Runic encouragement from this tool, and then the hull is well on its way to being mended. With just a little love and time, she is even stronger than before!”
Aleksi looked down at the man’s belt, fighting back a strong urge to reach out and grasp the tool.
“It’s kind of funny,” Levain mused. “Each time the hull is mended, the shade of the new wood comes out slightly different. Damned if I know why, though. But the Diamond has been banged up and fixed so many times, that’s where she gets her name!”
Aleksi cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
“Because if you look closely at the hull, it has a million different shades of wood—just like the many facets of a diamond. Get it?”
“Ahh,” Aleksi said. “I had no idea.”
“You can’t see it unless you look closely, but it’s there. There are many wonderful things to see when you take the time to look.”
“Interesting. What then was the original name of the Illusive Diamond?” Aleksi asked.
“That, my boy, is a question for another day. Here, come with me.” Levain strode toward the foredeck and Aleksi had to jog to catch up.
The foredeck housed the galley, or kitchen, below its planks, with the square-sailed foremast protruding above. Following Levain, Aleksi passed the foremast and then one of the Diamond’s chaser cannons. Coming to the bow gunwale, Levain gazed out at the sea.
“There’s nothing like it, son,” the weathered man said. “I come out here every morning and gaze at the horizon before us. So much vast opportunity with the whole of Terra at our fingertips!”
The rays of the Zeniths, one low on the horizon before them, the other high in the sky at their stern, lit up the water around them. Aleksi watched the waves sparkle like a million tiny sapphires as a salty breeze blew back his shoulder-length hair.
“I know our crew has a bad reputation,” Levain continued. “It helps with our current profession. But the captain has a favorite quote from the Kalki Vanga: ‘So long as he stays true to his heart, a man of virtue remains as such, no matter how circumstances force him to act.’ Despite what they say, son, we raid only capital ships, never civilian vessels. And the ones put to the sword, well . . .” Levain paused. “They deserve it, and that’s the truth.”
“Lord Beck Al’Beth spoke very highly of your captain,” Aleksi said. “If he trusts you, then I have no reason not to. And Trailen, the High Priest of the Eastern Order of the Arkai, just promoted Beck to High Protectorate, so his word holds even more sway now.”
“Ahh, yes. I heard about Beck’s promotion. ’Tis a wonderful thing. It was well over fifteen years ago now, but I served with the general on this very ship back when he was just a lieutenant. He is a good man and well deserving of the honor. That was before I was an officer, but Beck didn’t seem to care. He still treated all us low-ranking seamen with dignity. I will never forget that—or what he did for us in the Battle of Thurlow.” There was a long pause and Levain just looked out at the ocean, eyes locked on the endless horizon before them.
“When were you voted into the officership?” Aleksi asked, breaking the silence.
“Oh, during the end of the war. The former carpenter took some wooden shrapnel to the throat. It splintered off from the hull during a cannon barrage.” Levain stroked his beard with an odd smile. “Fitting way for a carpenter to go, eh?”
“I . . . suppose.”
“I was sworn in the next day and have been the ship’s carpenter ever since.” Levain shook his head. “We were running low on yalmalrah wood at the time, with the war and all. So my first task as an officer was to dig what little I could from out of the old codger’s throat. We needed the shards to repair the hole in the hull that killed him. It was a messy first day’s work.”
Aleksi grimaced. “When the crew votes in a new officer, is it always so easy to get unanimous agreement? What happens if someone says nay?�
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Levain looked at Aleksi strangely, but then a wide smile spread across his face. “Oh, we just throw the dissenters overboard, and then unanimity is restored.”
“You can’t be serious!”
“Oh, come now, son,” Levain said, chuckling. “I’m just joking. This crew is a family. We all know our fellow man better than his own mother ever did. We entrust our lives to the captain and officers, and we all know who is, or who is not, deserving of such responsibility. Only once was there a vote against one of the captain’s nominations.” Levain cast a glance amidships.
Aleksi followed Levain’s gaze to the green-eyed Doc Marlen, who sat slumped against the mainmast. A half-empty bottle of whiskey was loosely clutched in the man’s fingers and he seemed to be passed out.
“So this yalmalrah wood,” Aleksi asked, purposely looking away from Marlen, “how often do you have to resupply?”
“Well, now that’s a tricky business. Since we are outlaws, the Western High Council does not welcome us into her home port with open arms, you know. But”—Levain paused and a sly smile spread across his lips—“there are other ways of obtaining yalmalrah planks, if you catch my drift.”
“Ahh . . . I see.”
Levain patted the youth on the shoulder. “Sadly, the captain has got some kind of special cargo and now won’t tarry even for a banker’s pearl ship. Unfortunately for you, that means that this voyage should prove to be less than interesting.” Levain then turned and looked back to the main deck, where his small team was already waiting for him. “Well, time to get back to work.”
Such an odd assortment of men, Aleksi thought as Levain walked away. Truly they are not how I expected pirates to be. They are nothing like the stories . . .
Suddenly, Aleksi felt very tired. The youth sat down and leaned his back against the chaser cannon. Lazily, his focus drifted up to the sky and his eyes became heavy. Slowly beginning to soften, Aleksi’s gaze became lost in the infinity of azure above.
The blue of the sky began to look very familiar and a memory from the night prior tugged at his mind. The blue eyes in his dreams—her eyes. As he basked in the warmth of the Zeniths, Aleksi’s gaze lost focus.
Gradually, he was lulled by the ship and waves and pulled into a deep and restful sleep.
Aleksi floated in an infinite blue. As he looked around, he actually could feel the color, not just see it. It felt deep and heavy—cold, yet comforting. It was not a normal blue but was more of a profound sapphire or a powerfully dark cerulean. Stranger still, it did not just envelop Aleksi; it was inside him. He was breathing it, drinking it, made of it.
And then she was swimming next to him. The young woman was unclothed, seemingly made out of the same lazuline essence they both floated in. Her youthful features were undefined except for the soft glow on her forehead and her striking blue gaze. Once again her eyes shone out, piercing Aleksi with their poignant stare.
Aleksi tried to swim closer, but his hands came up against the same barrier as last time. He placed his palms against the invisible wall and she came to him. The young woman then stretched out her own hands, and Aleksi was almost able to meet her palms.
Her lips moved, but Aleksi could not hear what she said. He strained to listen, yet the young woman’s flowing face was too beautiful and her eyes were overwhelmingly captivating. Aleksi tried to keep focus, but he felt himself slipping into her gaze.
Despite the barrier between them, it was as if he could feel her skin on his and touch the softness of her lips. As Aleksi gazed into the young woman’s shining eyes, he was filled with the intoxicating scent of her—almost able to taste the sweet musk of her body.
Suddenly, the young woman’s eyes went wide with alarm and a look of fear flashed across her face. She mouthed one final warning and her body sheared apart, returning back to the ethereal waters from whence it came.
“I would have thought he had trained you better than to let your guard down, boy.”
The condescending remark woke Aleksi. Seeing Luka standing above him, Aleksi’s hand flashed to the hilt of his sword. The Zeniths’ light had faded considerably and it seemed to be nearly evening already.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Aleksi asked, standing up, readying himself to strike.
“Don’t be too hasty with that blade; I’d hate for you to hurt yourself prematurely.”
“Answer my question!” Aleksi gripped the hilt of his sword even tighter as the pulsing of his Rune grew frantic.
“Well, you heard the answer to your first question yesterday,” Luka said, crossing his arms over his chest. “The answer to the second question is a bit more complicated. Ultimately, however, I want what everyone wants—peace on Terra.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“A more relevant question than you could possibly know, but one which will not be answered today.” Luka let out a great sigh. “Although tedious to extract, there is some important information I must ascertain from Captain Domadred before you and I can properly discuss your situation. In the meantime, I had hoped to see how your training had progressed. I’d be lying if I told you I was anything but disappointed. Luckily, that is a thing which can be remedied.”
“Enough of this,” Aleksi said, feeling his anger turn into rage. “If you are here to harm me, make your move! If not, tell me what you want, and tell me now.”
“Calm yourself, Aleksi. In truth, you have no idea how lucky you are. This all will play out soon, and if you choose wisely, the tide will actually turn in your favor. If not . . .” Luka smiled wickedly. “To put your mind at ease in the meantime, however, I will tell you this—if I personally wanted you dead, you would be so already. So you are safe . . .” Luka’s smiled widened. “For now.”
Before Aleksi could open his mouth to respond, Luka turned and walked away toward the main deck. Desperate rage flooded through him as he clenched his bandaged fist. In response, Aleksi’s Rune dug its tendrils farther into his bone, causing shuddering pain to surge up the nerves of his forearm.
Damned by the darkness! What am I supposed to do? He says he is a Northern nobleman, but he obviously is more. What is going on and what does he want? Rudra, why did you send me on this ship! Is this included in your letter? If so, I don’t understand.
The look in Luka’s green eyes as he had smiled was frozen in Aleksi’s mind. Aleksi turned and cast one last glance out past the bow of the ship. The waters had grown murky with the fading of the Zeniths. Aleksi could not help but feel that the horizon beyond held innumerable perils hidden in the darkness—and worst of all, that he had no choice but to just keep moving forward.
Feeling restless, Aleksi went aft and headed back to the main deck. He ran his hand on the gunwale, hugging the port side of the ship. As Aleksi walked, he looked up and saw several sailors climbing up the shroud’s symmetrically netted riggings. Seeing him, one of the sailors scowled. The sky was illuminated with a rosy hint from the Zeniths, and the dark ratlines stood starkly outlined in the late-afternoon sky. In the fading light, the men looked like bugs caught on a long slice of a spider’s web that was strung from the deck to the mast’s crosstrees. The thought made Aleksi shiver.
What is Luka? A Master from the Northern Academy? An assassin? Either way, what am I to do? Attack him unprovoked even though he is unarmed? Try to forcibly question him on deck? Break into his room and search for clues? If I did any of those things, the captain would throw me in the brig. And even worse, if the crew got their say, I’d be thrown overboard instead. No, I need more information—I need to speak with the captain and find out what is going on. Beck also told me to ask him about the pendant . . . Rudra, why did you curse me so?! Arkai, what did I do to deserve this?
Trying to calm his mind and release his tension from Luka’s ominous words, Aleksi continued farther down the main deck until he approached its mast. At its base, Marlen was still slouched in the same position he had been in hours before. Aleksi cast a careful glance at the old man. He
appeared to be sleeping, yet he still clutched his bottle.
Passing under the shrouds of the mast, Aleksi continued on and came to a wide set of steps which led up to the raised quarterdeck. Beneath these stairs was a berth entrance that led under the quarterdeck through a long hallway. This was the same hallway that housed Aleksi’s cabin, along with the officers’ and guests’ quarters as well. Instead of going down, Aleksi looked up the steps and saw the quarterdeck proper.
Aleksi had read in Gairu’s Companion to Seafaring that the quarterdeck was arguably the most important location on a ship of the Western fleet. The captain and senior officers navigated and controlled all activities on the vessel from this one location. In addition, it held special significance in the Western honor code, and traditionally, only officers or special guests were granted permission to set foot upon it.
At the center of the quarterdeck was the helm. The helm, a massive wheel, was the steering mechanism of the ship, able to adjust the angle of the large rudder at the Diamond’s stern. Next was the mizzenmast, which rose slightly behind the wheel. Farther past that, the quarterdeck led to the great double doors of the navigation room and captain’s cabin beyond. This slightly elevated position provided the captain and officers a superior vantage point to observe the operations of the ship as they plotted her course and commanded her activities.
As Aleksi approached the stairs to the quarterdeck, he could see that Brayden was at the wheel with Domadred standing beside him. Aleksi stopped at the foot of the stairs and called up to them. “Captain, may I have permission to join you on the quarterdeck?”
Domadred looked down at Aleksi, seeming surprised. “Granted, son,” he said, running a hand over his tightly cropped beard. “You may approach.”
Aleksi walked up the small set of stairs and slid his bandaged hand along the smooth railing. Next to the wheel, there was a large golden binnacle. It was rounded and raised to waist height. No doubt the binnacle was Runic, possessing many useful instruments within its case of brass and carved crystal. Most ships only had traditional binnacles that held navigational tools such as the helm compass, sand timer, and possibly even a small glow lamp for ease of reading. Additionally, most would be mounted in gimbals, allowing them to stay level while the ship pitched or yawed from waves and wind. A ship like the Illusive Diamond, however, undoubtedly had many Runic relics passed down through the ages, and the binnacle would be a prime candidate. As he came closer, Aleksi could see that under the carved crystal, there were several glowing Runic objects whose purpose he could only speculate about.
Rune of the Apprentice (The Rune Chronicles) Page 21
