Seafaring on Jord

by Allan Joyal

  Galishim's body continued to turn as his hands dropped to his side. The knife fell to the ground as he slumped forward. The guard who had been retreating rushed forward and put his knee in the back of the unconscious man.

  "Thanks," he mumbled to me. "But why didn't you do that earlier?"

  "I had no idea if it would work," I said. "I would have done nothing, but once his knife started glowing I realized that standing and watching wasn’t an option. What magic was that?"

  "We don’t know. About a half year ago he tried to wade into the waters east of the island. He vanished under the waves and was missing for half a day. His sons dragged him back onto the beach and we thought there would be a funeral, but he stood up claiming that some Angel of the Sea had promised him the rulership of all the people who rode the waves. He's been accosting every sailor trying to get them to mutiny on their captains."

  "Not me," I said. "I mean, I'm not going to mutiny. I like my captain."

  Panalope ran over. She put a hand on my shoulder. "Kaven, what were you thinking? That man could have killed you!"

  "He was a danger to everyone. And he'd been trying to get me to give Gypsy to him. Not that I could do that. I felt it would be safer if he was stopped," I said as the guard used some rope to tie Galishim's hands behind his back.

  "But you could have been hurt!" Panalope said again.

  "I wasn't," I said as I picked the bundle of cloth back up. "Now did you get everything we need? I'd like to return to Gypsy."

  "I got the needle and thread I need to make breeches for both of us. I also got new mugs. I wanted to see if there was any stick candy or dried meat available. We deserve a few treats," Panalope said.

  "Excuse me," a timid woman said. "Did I just hear you wanted some stick candy?"

  "Just something sweet that will keep," Panalope said. "We are on a ship that will be going on an extended voyage and some treats would be nice."

  "My family has a very old recipe for some soft candy that keeps a long time. It's a bit sticky, but I could give you a fist sized bag," the woman said.

  "How much?" Panalope asked.

  The woman looked down at Galishim. Her expression darkened. "For helping take down the monster that killed my husband, I'll give it as a gift."

  "But!" Panalope protested.

  "No!" the woman said as she pulled a bag from a pouch attached to her belt. "Do not insult me by saying I cannot do this. My husband was a generous man, and he would approve. You did something for the island without expecting a reward or even living here. This is a gift I can give."

  "We'll take it," I said when I saw Panalope open her mouth. My young friend turned to glare at me, but nodded and accepted the bag.

  "Now we should be going. The Captain will be expecting us," I said.

  Panalope looked around the market. People were starting to return now that Galishim was captured. The guard holding him lifted him to his feet and shook him. "March criminal!" he snapped.

  "Kaven?" Panalope said longingly. "Can't we look a bit more?"

  "We need to be going," I said. "Ushcail said we could purchase what we need only."

  I turned and starting to walk north, heading for the pier. A moment later I could hear Panalope's quick footsteps as she ran to catch up to me. Behind us voices rose in the market as we headed back to Gypsy.

  Chapter 10: Meeting the Sponsors.

  Panalope avoided saying a word to me as we walked back to the ship. She stared out into the harbor. There were a couple of galleys making their way to the mouth of the harbor. We could hear the drums from the nearer one keeping the oarsmen in rhythm as they maneuvered.

  "Kaven? Are you mad at me?" Panalope asked.

  "No," I said. "I worried a bit about you. That madman could have hurt you."

  "I can't believe you hit him over the head!" Panalope hissed at me as we started to walk along the shore.

  "He might have hurt you," I replied. "And it was pretty clear that he wasn't someone I wanted to get to know."

  "Did he really ask you to help him take Gypsy?" Panalope asked.

  "Yes," I replied. We had arrived at the edge of the pier. Ushcail was standing there with Marrisey. The captain waved to us as we approached.

  "I see you have made your purchases," the captain said. "But why a roll of cloth?"

  "I can sew our own breeches," Panalope said. "And that was a lot faster than trying to find someone at the market who could make them before we set sail."

  Marrisey laughed and slapped me on my empty shoulder. "This one is a lot smarter than that tavern wench you hang out with. You should marry her."

  "I don't have anything to offer her," I said. "Remember that I have been desperate to find a way to save my family farm so my sister doesn't starve. The soil is almost completely exhausted."

  "There are no wizards who can use magic to bring the soil back," Ushcail said. "At least not in the islands."

  "That's just it," I said. I turned to Marrisey. "So what do you think about Gypsy now?"

  "That should be what I ask you," Marrisey said. He shook his empty fist in my face. "It was my skill that built the ship. But Ushcail tells me he can sail closer to the wind than we expected."

  "What was the biggest surprise was that we get more speed sailing at an angle to the wind," Ushcail said. "But that could help a lot on our crossing. The wind most likely will be from the west or northwest. If its from the northwest we can sail southwest and get the most speed."

  "And if its from the west?" I asked.

  "We can still sail into the wind by sailing southwest and then tacking back to northwest occasionally," Ushcail said. "It won't be as fast, but it won't tire us out like rowing a galley would."

  "What about any leaks or weakened sections," I asked.

  Marrisey hit me on the head with his fist. "I'm the shipbuilder. You are just a daydreaming farmboy with delusions of treasure to be found. The only reason you know to ask that is from our talks back in the cold season."

  "Hey, are you saying it isn't a good question?" asked.

  "That's what bugs me, it is a good question," Marrisey said. "You keep doing that and I'll start wondering why you haven't been more successful."

  "So?" I asked.

  "I checked the ship carefully," Marrisey said. "Some of the railings are cracking. I knew they probably would though; the wood we used wasn't thick enough to hold up for long. You will need to find some wood on your trip or Gypsy won't be sailing by next cold season."

  "I'll remember that," I replied gravely.

  "Don't worry about that for now," Ushcail said. "I just finished my talk with the master shipwright. Everything is in excellent shape and we even managed to install an extra box so Panalope can store her belongings. We just need to wait for provisions and we can be on our way."

  "What about High Guard Chasterman?" I asked.

  "That is a good question," an angry voice spat out. It was coming from the shore. We all turned to look at the speaker.

  I did not recognize the man. However, the bright blue surcoat and the shining sword hilt at his hip made it clear he was a man of some authority. He looked surprisingly young. His thick black hair and beard gave him an appearance of great vigor.

  Marrisey stiffened a little as Ushcail roared with laughter.

  "And what brings you to the pier?" Ushcail asked.

  "I seem to remember providing Marrisey with a large sum of money," the man said as he strode towards us. His back was rigid and he put a hand to the hilt of his sword as he approached. "And hearing words that the money would make sure that I had the best navy in the islands."

  "You do," Marrisey said. "Every ship I built for you was a sailed galley and the sails include several innovations that we only developed in the last ten years. Well, we rediscovered. We found an old book of blueprints that helped us find ways to improve the ships."

  The man pointed at Gypsy. "But I did not get that ship?" he asked.

  "My father was the one who designed it," Marrisey
said. "And I hate to tell you this High Guard, but the only captain willing to try sailing it is Ushcail here. No other captain was interested when I started looking for someone to test the design."

  "You gave a ship to the madman of Isla Mir? The one who talks to the water? The captain who has no wife and no reason to bring his ships home?" High Guard Chasterman asked.

  "Bringing my men home is reason enough," Ushcail said with a snort.

  "And yet, he's the best sailor in the islands," Marrisey said reasonably. "And for a ship the likes of which no living man of the islands has seen. He was the only choice."

  "And I suppose you have proof of this?" High Guard Chasterman demanded. "He could get the ship sunk tomorrow."

  "He sailed it from my shipyard nine days ago," Marrisey said.

  "He did what?" High Guard Chasterman said. "You allowed a ship to just sail from your shipyard? And how do you know when it launched?"

  “I was there. I had been going to my shipyard regularly and was there to launch Gypsy. After that I brought your latest sailed galley here,” Marrisey said.

  “But you launched this ship and just allowed a madman to sail it?” High Guard Chasterman complained.

  "Isn't that the purpose of having a ship?" Ushcail said. "If you don't sail it, the ship is just a waste of wood."

  "And that ship is a waste of wood!" High Guard Chasterman said. "Its far shorter than any galley and it has no oars. How can it do anything?"

  "We'll see," Ushcail said. He was looking at the galley just entering the harbor. "Right now we are just stopping so Marrisey could confirm that nothing had come loose during our cruise. He has said the ship looks fine so we have provisions on their way."

  "Oh?" High Guard Chasterman said. "And when were you going to come to me about whatever you are doing?"

  "When it concerned or affected you," Ushcail said. "Right now we are merely performing some trials, to see if the ship will sail in the islands. We have determined that in the right wind it can outrun a galley."

  "That isn't useful if you can't carry any men," Chasterman replied. "Right now that ship is too small to carry any cargo."

  "It's mostly a test ship," Marrisey said. "And we didn't exactly have a limitless supply of wood. I wanted to see if the design might sail."

  "It sailed fairly well," Ushcail said. "But we want to take it back out to confirm."

  "Why take provisions then?" High Guard Chasterman said. "You could sail for a day and then find a more profitable ship to sail. I could use a good captain who knows how to handle a sailed galley."

  "We want to make a longer run. The first trial was quick. We stopped every night in a different harbor and replenished our provisions. This will be a longer run to see how the ship holds up," Ushcail said.

  "Bring it to me and I'll reward you," Chasterman said to Ushcail. He turned to Marrisey. "As for you. The fact that you had enough wood to waste on this toy is very upsetting. We need more ships and you built something that has no ability to carry any cargo or men. I'll be ordering a new galley, and I'll expect your best efforts for a very low fee."

  Ushcail shook his head. Marrisey looked sour, but nodded to the High Guard.

  The man's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. I thought he was going to draw it, but he stepped back and spun to his right. "I expect a report on all of this from you Marrisey. How you came up with the design, where you got the wood, everything!"

  I watched Marrisey as he glared at the retreating High Guard. "And you want to set up here?" I asked.

  "Not really," Marrisey said. "But it is one of the few islands that has a cove perfect for shipbuilding. At least one that wasn't already filled by private harbors for the Sere's battle galleys and other toys."

  "He looks like he wants to draw that sword and charge at us," I said worriedly.

  "He probably does," Ushcail said. "Marrisey, those provisions you promised better arrive soon. I'm going to have to tell the men that we won't be waiting. I can't risk having that man try to capture Gypsy."

  "Won't the others be upset?" I asked. "I thought Lucis said he was going to visit a tavern he knew about."

  "They know that the rewards of this trip could be great. They aren't going to risk losing them. And none of the men like High Guard Chasterman. But we should hurry back to the ship," Ushcail said. "Marrisey get those provisions here."

  "I'll go find out where the cart is," Marrisey said. He began hopping to the shore, moving as fast as he could on the peg that had replaced his leg.

  Ushcail looked at Panalope and me. "You should get aboard and stash your stuff in your boxes. Jessop can show you where. We are going to be setting sail shortly."

  "Can do," I said as I began walking towards the ship. Panalope dashed ahead of me.

  "I'll meet you on board," she called out. "I have some things I want to put away before you see them."

  Ushcail laughed as I continued to walk. "You really should tell that girl you love her," he called out to me.

  I just grumbled and continued walking. Ahead I could hear the rest of the crew laughing as I made my way down the pier.

  Chapter 11: Dance of the Galleys

  Panalope had a smirk on her face when she met me at the edge of the pier. She held out her arms and reached for the roll of cloth. "Let me take that," she said.

  "I can carry it," I said.

  Panalope just looked at me. "Of course you can," she said. "But if you fall into the harbor it might be ruined. Let me hold it while you board the ship. Its not like we have anything you can walk on."

  "It's not that big of a jump," I protested as I tossed the cloth onto the ship. I took three steps back and then ran forward to leap onto the ship. Panalope stepped aside as I flew over the railing.

  The deck was slippery, but I staggered to a halt quickly. Panalope was picking one end of the cloth up as I turned back around. "I could have held it!" she protested.

  I smiled. "I wanted to do it my way," I replied. "Now let's put it away. If Marrisey and Ushcail were telling the truth we'll be helping load the ship soon."

  "I'd say you have only enough time to put the cloth away," Jessop said. "I can see the cart on the shore."

  "What?" Panalope said. "But I wanted to make a new top."

  "Not going to have time for that," Jessop said.

  "You could just go without one," Culax said nastily. "Since the salt will ruin anything you wear."

  "I am still a respectable maiden!" Panalope said.

  "On a ship?" Culax asked.

  "I'm a maiden anywhere!" Panalope said with a screech of anger. I saw her muscles tense and jumped between her and Culax. She launched herself towards him.

  I wrapped my arms around her as she reached over me and tried to claw Culax. "Panalope calm down!" I said as I tried to push her towards the stern. "Get the cloth put away and don't worry about what he said."

  "He implied that I had fallen like that tavern wench you always talked to," Panalope said.

  "Who? Kara?" I asked.

  "That one! Everyone knows she does more than just deliver drinks to the tables and clean up at night," Panalope hissed. "I'm not like her."

  "I never hinted that you were," I said.

  "But you don't talk to me," Panalope said as she finally relaxed. She lowered her arms and then dejectedly started to walk to the roll of cloth.

  "Kaven, can you put this in your box? Mine is already full. You might have to unroll and fold it," Panalope said as she put a hand on the roll of cloth.

  "You'll have to explain that outburst someday.," I said as I took the roll of cloth and started to unroll it. I found that I had to take the long strip and fold it four times before it was small enough to slip into the box where I had earlier placed my boots. My shirt was also in there. Jessop noticed as I paused and looked at it.

  "Keep it in there," he told me when I reached down to pull it out. "You won't want to wear it while we are sailing."

  "What about protection from the sun?" I asked.

&nb
sp; "You'll burn at first," Jessop said. "When you can, try to relax in the shade of the sail, or duck into the captain's cabin."

  "Isn't that Ushcail's private area?" I asked.

  "Some captains do ban the crew from their cabin, but Ushcail doesn't mind as long as you don't disturb anything. He knows that the sun can make any man feel weak," Jessop said. "Now get that box closed. The cart is almost here."

  I stuffed the roll of cloth into the box and then slammed the lid shut. Jessop helped me to my feet and then pointed over the starboard railing.

  Resting at the end of the pier was a battered cart. The wheels appeared to have been made from a large number of wood scraps. The wheels were flat between the many spokes. They were not perfectly round, but I guessed the short sections were able to roll on flat ground. A pair of men leaned on the front of the cart. They looked exhausted and barely lifted their heads as Ushcail started to take barrels out of the bed.

  "Let's get these loaded," Ushcail called out. "Lucis, there should be ten barrels with water. Those go into my cabin. The salted pork can go in the bow. Culax, make sure every barrel is properly secured."

  "Water?" Lucis asked. "Will ten barrels be enough?"

  "There's another cart coming," Ushcail said. "It will have more water as well as some wine. The original plan was that we'd have twenty days worth of provisions for twelve sailors. We have seven sailors so it should last a bit longer than that."

  "Kaven! Come help me!" Lucis called out. "A full water barrel is heavy!"

  I had to leap over the railing. The cart was close enough that a man standing between the cart and the boat could touch both without moving his feet. Lucis smiled as I moved to join him.

  "We'll have to carry each barrel to the ship and carefully set it onto the deck. We don't want these barrels leaking," Lucis said. "Help me pick up the first."

  I noticed that the water barrels were clearly marked. Each one had a wave carved into the wood. Lucis and I bracketed the one nearest the end of the cart and carefully hefted it. The barrel was heavy and I had to lock my knees for a moment while I adjusted my grip.

  "They're heavy," Culax said as he muscled a barrel to his shoulder. "Go slow. We want to get everything onto the ship."