by Allan Joyal
"No," I said firmly. "I shall return. I'm making this journey because the islands need to find resources, and all the legends say that the Empire had the resources we need."
"Yeah, trees, coal, magic," Garnge said mockingly. "But you have no experience in any boat, and now you are going to try sailing an experimental ship."
"Marrisey thinks it will be fairly easy to sail, but most sailors have the same thoughts you do. The only man willing to captain the ship was Ushcail, and you know what is said about him," I replied.
"What about him?" Jezibal asked. "I mean, I know that people often laugh when he is talked about, but I never understood why."
"Long before any of us was born he was on a galley that actually sank in a storm. He was the only survivor. When everyone asked him how he’d survived, he told an impossible tale," Garnge said.
"No tale is impossible," my sister said.
"He claimed that he was saved by a woman," Garnge said with a snort.
We started walking towards the piers. My sister ran in front of Garnge and then turned around to walk backwards. "So he was saved by a woman. I've heard that there have been women ship captains in the past."
"Not recently. At least not from the islands around here," I responded. "You have to be strong to crew a galley and the men think having a woman on board is bad luck. But Ushcail's woman was not human."
"What?" my sister asked. "Now I know you are just making fun of me."
"Now you know how most sailors think of Ushcail. He claims that the woman was human from the waist up, but wore no clothing. However the other half of her body was that of some giant fish," Garnge said.
"And this fish girl saved him?" Jezibal asked.
"Picked him up and carried him to the shore," Garnge agreed with a nod. "Of course no one really believes him."
"How did he become a ship captain then? If everyone thought him mad," my sister asked.
Garnge stopped and put a hand to his chin. He stood there looking out over the ocean. My sister stopped and waited as our friend stood there lost in thought.
"As I recall he first got a ship because some raiders had established a base near Leesward Reef. No captain was willing to sail past, but one of the merchant houses had an important delivery to make to Southpoint," Garnge said.
"So?" my sister asked. "Why would that give him a ship to captain?"
"Because he was the only man willing to risk it. The merchant house gave him access to a small galley and found some criminals to serve as oarsmen and crew. Ushcail accepted the risk and not only made the delivery, but brought back several prisoners," I said. "Since then he's got a reputation for taking on great risks but always coming through."
"What about his crews?" Jezibal asked. "Since Kaven here seems determined to sail beyond the islands with a madman for a captain."
"He ships mostly with volunteers, but not many men volunteer more than a couple times. I haven't heard that he is a harsh captain," I said.
"You've met?" my sister asked.
"Briefly," I said with a nod.
"Hey!" Garnge said as he raised a hand over his eyes to block out the glare of the sun. "I see a ship with some strange triangle sail behind the mast and another in front. Is that the Gypsy?"
Jezibal and I looked out over the water. The ship that Garnge had seen must have approached the island from the north-west. It was currently heading south and had just passed the mouth of the harbor. As we watched it began turning towards the harbor. It was strange to compare the motion of the galley with Gypsy’s turn. Gypsy had managed a nimble turn losing almost no speed as we tacked to port in order to enter the harbor. The oarsmen of the galley stroked backwards on one side, causing the galley to lose speed, but it pivoted easily. Still the loss of speed was noticeable and we pulled ahead as we darted towards the bay.
"That is fast," Garnge said appreciatively. "But the ship isn't all that big."
I nodded. "Remember Marrisey had to build this mostly from logs that washed up on shore over the years. I've walked the length of it. Its about twenty-five spans long, but only five wide at its widest."
"How many people will be on the ship?" my sister asked. "I can't see you carrying much food and water."
"Marrisey believes you can crew the ship with just four people, but I believe we will have eight," I said.
"So nine with the captain?" Garnge asked.
"No, Ushcail will be working with the rest of us. We don't have the luxury of carrying a lot of extras. But the ship is early. I need to get down to the pier and find out if anything has gone wrong."
Jezibal rushed up to me and put her arms around my waist. "Come home brother. I'm going to miss you," she said.
I absently patted her back as I watched Gypsy make another turn to align with the pier. The triangle sail in front of the mast was coming down as the ship approached the shore. I tried to count the crewmen aboard and could only see five men moving about on the small deck.
"I'll come home as soon as I can," I said.
My sister reluctantly took her arms from my waist. She sniffled once and then ran off, heading away from the harbor. Garnge turned to watch her run off.
"I should ask her to marry me," he said. "But I know she'll take away all the pastries."
I patted my friend’s growing belly. "Is that a bad thing?" I asked. "You wouldn't last a day in the galleys now."
Garnge laughed. "I'm not going to be throwing more dung at the Sere and his men."
I joined him in laughter. Gypsy was now close enough to the pier that I could make out men throwing ropes to a man standing on the shore. The men on the ship were shouting something.
I broke into a run. Garnge just stood there as I rushed away from him and towards the pier. "Don't fall overboard!" he shouted.
My feet met the hard dirt pack that was the top of the pier. With wood being scarce our harbor walls and piers were made from carefully stacked stone walls and dirt fillers to give the walls support and the sailors something smooth to walk on. Some of the stones lining the top of the wall were crumbling, reminding me of just how poor the island was. I ignored that as I made my way to the end of the pier where two crewmen from Gypsy were arguing with a man wearing Sere Komptan's livery.
"I'm not going to allow the Sere to put any soldiers on my ship. I'm here to pick up some crew and then we must make haste to Isla Magestica to meet with Chasterman," an angry voice shouted.
I came up behind the official. Stringy brown hair hung down his back and I recognized the man. "Why Reeve Waltkins," I said smoothly as I slowed to a walk. The man was standing in the middle of the pier, so I moved to the right.
Gypsy had been tied up at the end of the pier. Her front was pointed south and I had to smile as I realized that the ship would be able to leave very quickly. Two men stood on the deck holding the ropes they had tossed to the pier. I was surprised to see that the ropes were not attached to the ship.
"Kaven!" a man called out. "Are you Kaven?"
"I am," I said as I reached the end of the pier. "I thought we were going to be loading tonight? What happened?"
The man glared at Reeve Waltkins. "We received word that the Sere on this island might try to seize Gypsy. Marrisey warned me to come early."
"What about provisions?" I asked.
"High Guard Chasterman saw Gypsy sailing a week ago. He agreed to provide thirty days of rations for a dozen men. We just have to stop at Isla Magestica. I'm here to pick up you and see if any other men want to join the crew," the man said.
"There are almost no free men left on the island," I said as I looked more closely at the captain.
Despite all the tales that said Ushcail was some kind of madman with wild eyes, I found him to be a serious looking man with an aura of competence. His only distinguishing feature was his lack of mustache or beard. The hair on his head was black as cooled lava and slicked back to hang over the back of his neck. A simple leather band held it out of his face.
The man's upper body was h
eavily muscled. He looked like he had spent years pulling an oar rather than captaining a ship. His only outfit was a pair of leather breeches that were cut off just below the knee on both legs. He looked me up and down and then shook his head.
"You'll want to pack the boots away," he said. "They protect your feet, but you'll find that you need the grip."
Reeve Waltkins put a hand on my shoulder. "And where do you think you are going?" he growled.
"I'm a free citizen of the Isles," I growled back. "I have the right to travel from this island."
"You have to pay taxes to leave," the Reeve said angrily.
I started laughing. "And who says I haven't? Do you need my father to bring out the tax book again? How many times will you insist on embarrassing yourself?"
The man's right hand dropped to his waist and wrapped around the hilt of his knife. "I can make an example of you boy. You and that precious little slut of a sister."
I felt someone move behind me. As they passed I slid back to open up some space between the Reeve and me in case he attacked.
Ushcail stepped forward and put a hand on the Reeve's shoulders. The man whirled around in surprise. He attempted to draw his knife, but Ushcail batted it out of his hand, sending it tumbling down the dirt surface of the pier.
"That's enough of that," he said firmly. "Kaven is part of my crew and by Isle law you can't detain him unless he has committed a crime on the island."
"Disrespect to a properly appointed representative of the Sere is a crime," Reeve Waltkins hissed.
"I heard no disrespect," Ushcail said serenely. "And right now you have no one with you."
"Oh?" Reeve Waltkins asked with a dangerously sarcastic tone. He stepped away from the end of the pier and looked over his shoulders. "Guards! Seize the ship!" he shouted.
Ushcail just shook his head. "Board now if you want to come," he said to me. He turned and jumped onto the deck of the ship as the two crewmen holding ropes yanked hard on them. I heard something splash into the water.
The ship started moving away from the pier, helped by the long poles the crew used. I took a couple steps back and then ran forward and launched myself over the gap and onto the deck. It proved to be slippery and I tumbled forward as my right foot failed to grip the wood.
I caught my fall with my hands and knelt down for a moment shaking my head. There were several cries of anger from the shore as I cleared my head.
Rough hands grabbed my arms. "Stand up boy," a voice told me softly. "We need to get shields up in case the guards use slings."
I rolled onto my back and sat up. Reeve Waltkins had been joined by four guards. Their features were hard to make out at the steadily increasing distance, but I could see that three held primitive stone clubs while the last was holding a sling, but had it hanging loosely from his left hand.
"The only one with a sling appears to be Vodache. He's terrible with one," I said. "But I'll grab a shield. Where are they?"
The man nodded towards the rear of the ship. "Stern, beside the tiller. But it looks like we caught a good breeze. We need to get out of the harbor and then you and your companion need a crash course in sailing. Actually, you might want to go to the stern anyways. You'll be in the way if you stay here."
I could see a figure covered in a thick hide making their way towards the stern. They nodded at me as I followed them away from the mast. The man who had talked to me ignored my progress as he and the others rushed about grabbing lines and hauling on them.
Chapter 4: Learning about Ushcail
Only one man of the five I had seen on the ship as it approached the dock did not join in the raising of the sails. He watched the others worked while standing at the rear of the ship holding onto a wood shaft that was attached to some kind of pole descending into the water. I remembered Marrisey telling me that the design I provided had a steering system he would not be able to make. I guessed that this strange contraption was the way Marrisey got around that. The man back there smiled as my covered companion and I joined him on the small raised section of the ship.
"Greetings," he said smiling a toothless smile. "I be Old Jessop."
I had to choke back a laugh. The man's face was wrinkled with age and browned from years in the sun. His lips were cracked and dried out. A few strands of white hair poked out from under a piece of fur that covered the top of his head. Like Ushcail he wore no shirt or shoes, but instead of breeches he wore a simple leather loin cloth. The revealed skin was mottled with deep brown spots and seemed sunken as if the muscles that once held it taut had faded away.
"The name fits," I said finally.
The man laughed. It was not a hearty laugh, but it seemed sincere as the man tilted his face to the sky. "That's a good one," he said. "So I hear you are the dreamer who convinced Marrisey to try a journey to the lands of the Empire."
"I just refused to believe that the Empire is completely gone," I said. "Legends say that the islands were colonized because there was no more good land left in the Empire. If that is true someone had to survive."
The old man looked out towards the front of the ship. "One moment. We have a bit of a southerly breeze and I have to make sure we don't hit the breakwater on the way out of the harbor."
I looked towards the front of the ship. I was standing near the left side, so I could see that we only had about four spans of space. "Is this dangerous?" I asked.
"Boy, you are on a ship. Everything we do will be dangerous," Old Jessop said. "But Ushcail is a good captain. One of the best I've ever known."
"You know him?" I asked. I looked over at my companion. The covered figured continued to say nothing. Instead I watched as the person sat down on the deck just to the right of the pole Jessop held.
"Served on ships he captained many times," the old man said happily. "He brings his crews home."
I nodded. On the main deck the men had completed raising the sail. Two men were working on wrapping the ropes around several strange knobs of wood along the railing on the right side of the ship. I could feel the ship tilt to the left as Jessop pulled the rod he held to the left as well.
One of the crew made his way to the rear of the ship. He looked at me and then at the man sitting on the deck. "We seem to be facing a souther. The seas are going to be rough and there might be a storm. Ushcail says that we should be fine and to take advantage of the wind while we have it."
"A Souther?" I asked.
"Occasionally we get a storm coming out of the north, from the Lava Isles," Old Jessop said calmly. "We usually know a day in advance because the breeze changes direction first. Right now it looks like we have the breeze."
"When did it start?" I asked.
"Not too long ago," the crew man said. "We have time to prepare, although I should warn that there is no shelter from a squall. The best we might do would be to drape a couple of goat hides over the stern and huddle under that to stay out of the worst of the rain."
"What about staying dry?" the figure huddled in the bundles of fur and hide asked.
"This is a ship on the ocean," a booming voice called out. "You won't stay dry."
I watched the shirtless man I recognized as Ushcail walking towards us. He nodded to the crewman and then to Jessop. "The sail appears to be holding the wind. We'll want to turn south and skirt Keelbreak before making for Isla Magestica. Jessop watch the sky to the north, we might have to try to outrun the storm."
"Can we?" I asked.
"You can't outrun storms," Ushcail said. "But if you turn early enough you can often find shelter. However, looking at the sky we have hours before we have to worry. For now, we might have to adjust the sails some as the wind shifts, but we should be fine. I came back to meet our two new crewmen."
"I'm Kaven," I said as I held out my hand.
"So you are the dreamer Marrisey says knows about the old Empire," Ushcail said. "What can you tell me that no one else knows?"
"That no one knows? I would never claim to know something unique. However, I ha
ve searched for anyone who remembered the old tales and sought knowledge in the few libraries that exist. All of the records indicate that the ships going to and from the Empire used some kind of circular route. They would leave from Oerste Isle and the last sight of them would be when they disappeared over the horizon sailing to the west. I've talked to some captains and they say that the ocean currents around there are headed west."
"And why would that matter?" the crewman standing with us asked. "So they would sail off to the west."
"They didn't return the same way. All records say that ships from the Empire would normally appear just south of the Lava Isles and then sail south through the Isles to the lands they were trading with. The captains said that it was faster. I talked to some of the galley captains that make the run to the Lava Isles. They said that the trip to the Isles always takes longer than the return trip. I have to believe that somehow it’s faster to sail south through the isles," I replied.
"It is," Ushcail said. "But very few understand that, and you must be the first non-sailor I've talked to that understood that fact."
"The farm my family has operated for generations is dying. The ground appears to be failing. I was seeking a way out when I stumbled on some tales of the Empire and the wizards who served it. It sounded like they helped when it was time to first set up the villages out here. There must be some remnant that can help us now," I replied.
"I like the optimism, but I can say that I expect we'll find that not much of the Empire survived," Ushcail said.
"Heck, if we find forests we can cut down for lumber, we'd be rich men. The islands are desperate for wood," I replied.
The crew man looked a bit shocked. "Wait, we might become rich from this?"
"It’s not very likely," I said. "Even if we do find a forest, I doubt we could cut many trees down in the short time we'll have on this trip. But just knowing we can get there and a galley can't might prove valuable in the future."
"A galley can't?" the crewman asked.
Ushcail looked a bit upset. "No, a galley could make the journey if they had a captain who was willing to drive them crewman Culax. At least it’s theoretically possible for a galley to sail just as far as this ship can. But at their slow speeds, I'd expect that the crew would starve on the way."
