by Rosie Scott
At last, the day had come. Newly stocked with excess food and supplies, we carried our things to the northern end of the dock, where the Galleon Stallion awaited in all its glory. Its wood shone a chestnut-orange in the light of the rising sun, and this early beside the ocean, the weather felt nearly cool and misty. Aboard the ship, a few dozen crew were preparing to depart. We were halfway up the ramp to the deck when Calder exited the captain's cabin, a ferris cigarette between his lips and a look of determination on his blue face. For the first time since I'd met him, his hood was down and off his head, calling attention to the fact he didn't have hair.
The captain noticed our approach, and he stopped for a moment. At first, I thought he would berate us. Nyx hadn't used a confusion spell on him three days prior to make him forget about giving us a steal on boarding costs. I understood why she hadn't; if Calder ended up remembering the conversation, he would also remember he verbally agreed to the price. Still, at some point he should have noticed the contract or our gold, and how it was not the amount he would have agreed to. If he did, however, he said nothing of it, beaming at us.
“Morning!” Glancing around at his scrambling crew, he said, “We should be ready to depart within the hour. Do you have everything?” After we conveyed our affirmatives, he peered back to his cabin. “Koby! Koby!”
The quartermaster stumbled out of the cabin a moment later, looking either drunk or groggy, I couldn't tell which. “Yeah?”
“Show our guests to their rooms, will you?” Calder frowned as he watched his friend come toward us.
“Yeah, sure.” Koby looked up to us all from under heavy eyelids. “Sorry, I've caught a bug. Or two.”
“I'm sorry to hear that,” I offered. “If you'd like, I can try healing you.”
“No, no. I'll be fine.” Koby threw a dismissive hand toward me. “I'll take care of it, Cal.”
Calder nodded to us. “I'll see you all in a bit. Take your time settling in.” The captain walked off, barking orders at the crew near the bow.
Koby walked across from the captain's quarters which sat beneath the poop deck and moved closer to the bow, where it lifted up around another doorway. “What we're on right now is the quarterdeck,” he explained, moving a hand out to wave around the center-most floor of the ship. “Back there, above the captain's quarters, is the poop deck. No, before you ask, that's not where you shit.”
“That's the bow,” Nyx called out, remembering from our last voyage. “Because it makes no sense.”
Koby held up one blue finger. “Exactly.” He turned and pointed above the doorway he was leading us to. “That's the forecastle. It has a deck, up top, where those guys are at right now. Below it stay the crew that man the foresails. Don't get in their way, and we won't have problems.” He led us through the doorway, where a ladder that appeared as more of a staircase led below the quarterdeck in the center of a mixture of hammocks and sleeping bags. We trekked downward, until the next deck opened up around us.
We were in a room as wide as the ship itself, with even more hammocks. Many had chests beside them, where all manner of belongings spilled out. Small windows aligned the walls, giving us a peek to the outside, and allowing us some much appreciated air.
“Crew quarters,” Koby announced. “The rest of the crew sleeps here. Our crew is low for this trip, as you guys requested.” The quartermaster started walking through the room, until we came through a doorway that introduced us to yet another room. “And this is the cannon deck. It's of little concern to you. The only thing you need to know is that ladder—” He pointed to another wide, flattened ladder that led downward through a hole in the floor, “—leads to the kitchen, the storage, all that good stuff. I'll take you down there in a minute. For now, your bedrooms are through here.”
“Bedrooms? With an s?” Nyx clarified.
“Yeah.” Even as he continued to lead us through the next doorway, Koby asked, “Did Calder mention this is a dwarven ship?”
“He did,” I said.
“This isn't the largest galleon the dwarves have ever built, but even still, they built it with style. Dwarves love their architecture, and their ships are no exception.” After we were through the doorway, I realized it was a small hallway, with two doors on either side. It was dark and cramped in here, though that was understandable. There were no windows in this hallway, and the lanterns weren't yet lit. “This galleon boasts four bedrooms. Other than the captain's quarters, of course, but most ships have those.”
“Where do you guys usually put guests when you have more than five people?” I asked him.
“There is another cabin, much like the crew's quarters, down a floor. It's more communal, though. Given it's just you guys, you have free reign of the bedrooms.” His black eyes moved over us all. “Of course, there are five of you.”
“Five people, but we'll only need three rooms,” Jakan mentioned, before gesturing between him and Anto. “We're a couple, and so are they.” He motioned toward Cerin and I.
“And Nyx will be staying with you guys, so we'll technically only need two,” I joked.
Koby paid no attention to the joke, and instead focused on Cerin. “You will be staying with her?” He clarified, nodding toward me.
“Yeah,” Cerin replied.
“Well, we might as well get you situated while we're here.” Koby grabbed the door handle of the first room to our left, and opened it. The bedroom on the other side was quite tiny. The bed was little more than a flattened mattress that extended out from the left wall at thigh level, and there was only a few feet of space between each side of it to the wall. Still, it was enough, and it was far more than what we'd gotten on the schooner.
Koby reached out, grabbing Cerin's arm accidentally. “Oh, sorry. Your stuff?” He offered a hand. Frowning, Cerin handed him his scythe and satchel, watching as the quartermaster put the things into the room. Koby then offered the same to me, and put my things in the cabin helpfully.
“Are you okay?” I asked the Alderi, noticing his odd habits.
“Just a little woozy. I apologize.” He grimaced, embarrassed.
“Calder mentioned men often get sick on these trips,” Anto spoke up. “Why is this the case?”
Koby exhaled, as if the reasons were too numerous. “Malnutrition. Disease. There are all manner of reasons.”
“I can help you,” I reminded him.
“I probably just ate something sour,” Koby replied, dismissing me. “I am not injured. Healing wouldn't help me.”
“I can diagnose you and boost your immunity,” I argued.
“I am so, so fine as I am,” he retorted shortly, before moving immediately to the next room. I was a little taken aback by his sudden rudeness, and exchanged glances with Cerin. Perhaps I had simply annoyed him with my pestering.
We completed our tour of the ship. Koby had shown us the kitchen with its dining area below the gun deck, along with the storage room that sat beside it. The galleon was set up much differently than the schooner, but the two were so different in general that I doubted I would be mixed up between their set-ups. I was happy with my choice of mercenary, because his quality ship would make the voyage to Eteri easier on us with both its size and its amenities.
It was only minutes after we returned to the quarterdeck that the Galleon Stallion left the harbor of Killick, its bow facing north. Given my own map of the area, I knew the docks of the island sat within a cove. In order to move west, we would first have to circle the island to the north.
Calder stood on the poop deck at the back of the ship, his blue hands clutched around a thick, wooden wheel, steering the vessel carefully around smaller boats as we slowly maneuvered around the island as close to the shores as we could without getting stuck in shallow water. His crew went to work manning the sails without much input from their captain. The sailors here were used to having their individual responsibilities and attending to them with little issue.
Once the galleon hit deeper waters, the island of Killick began to shrink in
size behind us, and the scents of life turned only to salt. Koby wandered onto the poop deck beside his friend, looking from the map to the sea ahead.
“If you head northwest around Killick, it would save us some time,” he told Calder, who only frowned and glanced over to the other Alderi.
“We have never gone that way before. The water is shallower there.” Calder pointed farther north, where the shores of a much smaller island were barely visible in the distance. “We risk getting stuck if we don't sail around both islands.”
Koby raised an eyebrow toward his friend. “Ships go through there all the time.”
“Not ships as big as ours,” Calder argued.
“I am your navigator, Cal. Listen to me. This trip will take an extra fortnight if we don't take the shortcut.”
“No, it won't.” Calder snatched the map from his friend's hands, pointing at it, frustrated. “Look. All the shortcut would do is take us farther south to the wildlands. Either way, we are headed to Scirocco. Moving north around the other island wouldn't take us out of the way at all. If anything, it would save us some time, because it is the more direct route, and we're not taking any risks.”
Koby exhaled in a rush of air, before he snatched the map back. “Whatever. Why give me roles at all if you won't listen to me?”
“I always listen to you, Koby, but you're not making any sense.” Calder pointed to the shallow water between the two islands. “You yourself have warned against me taking this route in the past.” He looked to his friend. “Get some rest. Your sickness is making you an asshole.”
Koby said nothing. He stormed off and down the steps of the poop deck, making his way immediately into the captain's quarters, where he slammed the door.
My friends and I had watched the whole exchange in silence. Even some of the crew looked on with concern. Calder tried to ignore this, as distraught as he appeared.
“Calder, are guests allowed up there with you?” I asked him, moving toward the wooden stairs.
The Alderi captain managed a smile. “If they're women, yes. Come up.”
I was amused by the flirtation. I raised an eyebrow toward Cerin, who followed me as we walked up to the highest deck of the ship.
The view was incredible from here. The ocean was an endless expanse of blue, now that the sun was done with its colorful yawning. The skies were lighter blue and cloudless. It felt freeing being out in the middle of the ocean. I wondered if that was why Calder and Koby liked it. I didn't know their full stories, but given they escaped from slavery, I could only imagine the ocean was attractive to them.
I stood beside the captain, though I left him the room to maneuver the wheel. It was a large contraption, standing almost as tall as him, with eight thick knobs evenly spaced around its circumference. It was attached to the floor via what appeared to be a block of wood. I wasn't certain how this allowed him control of the ship, but steering did look like it took an immense effort. His arm muscles bulged each time he adjusted it. It was amazing to me how all races of elves were able to stay so thin even with constant muscular training and pressure.
Calder reached in the pocket of his trousers, pulling out another cigarette. He shoved it between his lips before lighting it with a match. I hadn't offered to light it for him, because I wanted to stay as anonymous as possible. He was already aware that I wielded at least two elements; I didn't need him knowing more than that.
“Smoke?” He offered, holding the burning cigarette toward me.
“Oh, no thanks,” I replied politely. Calder nodded toward Cerin, who simply shook his head, before the captain shrugged and puffed away again.
“Your chain smoking leads me to believe you visit the wildlands more often than you let on,” I pondered aloud.
Calder chuckled roughly around his cigarette. “Believe that, if you wish. I am by there often, yes. The ferris trade is common across the Servis. And besides,” he glanced toward me with a flirtatious smile, “my lady, perhaps I am simply rich and can afford to buy the drug in bulk.”
“Don't worry, I believe you're rich with the exorbitant prices you charge,” I retorted in jest.
“There are ways to get some of that gold back, you know,” Calder mused, pulling out the cigarette and letting it burn between two fingers as he adjusted the wheel. “You are very, very beautiful.”
“She is very, very taken,” Cerin retorted dryly, beside me.
“Oh?” Calder chuckled, tilting his head to catch a glimpse of Cerin's face. “Forgive me. You're not so bad yourself, you know.” He grinned back toward the sea. “It has been a long time since I've seen an Icilic. Though I assume you are a half-breed? You do not have elven ears.”
“I am,” Cerin replied, taking another step toward the captain so they could converse better. “Have you been to Glacia?”
“I have. Gorgeous fucking country,” Calder reminisced. “Horrible people, though. No offense.”
“None taken. I sympathize,” Cerin replied.
“They're actually not so bad if you just trade with them. They pay well and have good products. Glacia's a good place to repair a ship, too. They know their wood-working.” Calder glanced toward Cerin again. “How does it work, being a half-breed? Aren't most of your people Icilic supremacists?”
Cerin huffed dryly. “Yes. That's why it doesn't work, being a half-breed.”
Calder laughed. “Fair enough.”
“I have a question for you, Calder,” I spoke up, being careful not to speak louder than I needed to over the sounds of the ocean.
“Sure.”
“Has our presence on your ship caused contention?”
The captain frowned toward me. “No, not at all. What gave you that impression?”
“Koby hasn't seemed to take well to us,” I stated.
Calder's face went still. “He's being a jerk, is all. This life can be hard work. When you're sick, it just makes things worse. I assure you, Koby was very happy about this trip before he felt ill. He's excited to be in the presence of an Alderi woman, and he even told me he was relieved we wouldn't have many guests. This will be a mostly relaxing trip for us, and we're not used to that.”
“Did that woman from the Killick tavern ever come to sign a contract?”
“She did,” Calder admitted, putting the cigarette back in his mouth. “She was none too happy when we told her we weren't accepting any more guests. Caused a little bit of a scene, but it was nothing we couldn't handle.”
I nodded, pleased it hadn't been more of an issue. “I offered to treat Koby's sickness, and he refused.”
“Three or four times,” Cerin added.
“That's odd. Sickness is his pet peeve. He hates it.” The captain appeared to be taken over with nostalgia for a moment. “I almost lost him once. To sickness. We escaped the underground together, and the abrupt change in atmosphere from the underground to the rain forest wreaked havoc on him. He was so sick I thought I'd lose him.”
“Rain forest?” I asked, curious.
“Mm. The entire northern section of the wildlands are rain forest. It's hot as shit. Humid, too, which makes it pretty similar to much of the underground, but the heat on top of that threw Koby's body for a loop.”
“How did he overcome it?” Cerin asked, his silver eyes on the captain's rings. “You are a healer?”
“No. I wish,” Calder mused. “We came across a settlement of beastmen. They had an alchemist there who healed him. Thank the gods, because he was all I had.”
“Were you friends in the underground, I assume?” I questioned.
“Yeah. We were both mates.” He glanced toward us. “If you're not familiar, mate is the term the Alderi use to describe the male sex slaves. Both Koby and I were picked because we were deemed attractive to a large percentage of the women. There were more like us, of course, but we were the only two who agreed to a plan of escape.”
“Nyx has told me about breeders,” I said, thinking back to the conversation I'd had with her two years ago, near Thornwel
l.
“Oh, we weren't breeders, because we weren't kept in Quellden,” Calder replied. “The queen and her select daughters live there, which serves as like a capital. Quellden lies beneath Chairel. Koby and I come from Hazarmaveth, which is a city below Eteri. The women there are rendered barren, unless the extra special heirs of Queen Achlys travel through. If they ever used us, I wouldn't know.” He took another puff from his cigarette.
“Used you?”
“Rape, sex, whatever you want to call it,” he clarified. “We weren't told who it was. Names were not exchanged. The women just came to pick us out of a line-up, and then we went.”
The culture of the Alderi often horrified me, whenever Nyx were to speak of it. To hear stories about it from a man who was its victim made it even worse. “So it is possible, then, that you could have impregnated one of the heirs, if they were ever in your city?”
Calder nodded. “Yes, and I would never know. Alderi children do not know their fathers. Father is a relatively unknown term underground, as it is.”
I stared at him, judging his face. “This does not bother you?”
“Oh, it did. Hence why I escaped.” He chuckled softly, his blood red eyes still on the open waters before him. “But it has been many years, friend. I am two hundred and nineteen years old, and I have been free for nearly sixty-five of those. I do not dwell on it any longer.”
Nine
Knock-knock-knock.
My eyelids were heavy as I turned to face the door. Beside me, Cerin stirred, but didn't make a move to get up. Above his lying form, our open window to the ocean beyond brought in morning sunlight and the echoes of a violin being played by the musician on the quarterdeck.
Knock-knock-knock.
“Coming,” I grumbled, pulling myself out of bed. I nearly toppled over as the ship rocked when I stood, though I caught myself with an arm on the bed. Cerin chuckled, having seen my clumsiness. I gave him the one finger salute for laughing at me, with a fatigued smile hidden behind it.
“I love you,” he mumbled tiredly, a lazy smile raising his lips.
