Chapter 99:

Rusaddir finally loomed into view. Anton felt relief knowing they were reaching the end of one stage of their journey. The city was large and sprawling, more so than Porswea and befitting a major port city. Multiple layers of stone and wooden walls protected the city. However, the city was so large that outermost layer of buildings wasn’t protected at all and simply grew out randomly in all directions. These were Rusaddir’s poor, their slums, but they looked to be a bit better than those of Porswea. At least there weren’t hordes of shifty and desperate eyed people waiting behind every darkened corner. Hundreds of carts, caravans and travellers entered the city through massive open gates. The smell of the sea, something that Anton had not smelled in an age, filled his nose as they approached the outer city wall.

“Finally.” Verona loudly said as they passed through the open iron gates. “We can be done with this craziness. Now…Where’s this ship that we’re meant to own?”

“The Snowberry.” Anton smiled. “What a delightful name. Now, where’s the wharf?”

Kal and Cetina pointed deep into the city. Through the maze of tall wooden buildings, he spied several slim and exceedingly tall wooden spires. The masts of the ships slowly rocked back and forth in the distance.

“Perfect.” Anton whipped the reins towards the ships.

His smiled turned to a frown when he saw the number of crosses of the Holy Father hanging over building entrances. Some were small and made from wood while others, on the larger and more expensive buildings, were made from gold and polished to a bright and glistening sheen. The memories of Sa’leem came back.

“Let’s get out of here.” He said.

The girls agreed. They banded together and quickly travelled through the city streets. After the madness in Sa’leem, they kept as far away from cities and villages as possible. When they did Anton couldn’t help but notice the prominence of the Church of The Holy Father in this part of Graterious. The few people that they interacted with, mainly for milk to feed the ravenously hungry Luna, were more than pleasant, despite interjecting praise for the Holy Father into their parting sentences. However there was no malice hidden in their words, like those spoken by the priest in Sa’leem, so Anton suppressed a desire to question their faith. These were good people trying to live their lives as best as possible. Corrupted people could come from all walks of life.

They travelled along the twisting and winding streets, again bombarded by the cries and shouts of stall and shop owners, and began to descend slowly. The street flattened out and they approached another large stone wall. When they passed through the open gate they entered the port.

“Wow.” Anton managed to say. The girls seemed equally impressed as well.

Over fifty huge ships with hundreds of smaller ships nestled between them waited in the port. Dozens of stone jetties stuck out hundreds of meters into the calm ocean waters. Crates were constantly being loaded and unloaded from the ships, some with large pulley cranes operated by small swarms of people. Smaller ships were being loaded by hand. Rusaddir must have been one of the largest ports in Graterious.

“Okay…” Anton led his horse to the side so they wouldn’t block passage. “Can any of you see The Snowberry? It shouldn’t be too hard to spot…”

The ships names were proudly displayed on the side and rears but they couldn’t see any with that name. Anton hoped that they hadn’t been given something that didn’t exist. If they were they had enough money to buy one, probably with an extreme favour to Cetina, and he would be paying Cassius a visit when he next visited Porswea. Hopefully, the rest of the city wouldn’t burn with him…

“I can’t see it,” Verona said.

“Same.” Kal sighed. “But this port is massive, far larger than the one in Danafra. A lot of the ships are facing the wrong way or blocked by others. It would take a long time to search everywhere.”

“And even if we do find it I don’t think they’ll just let us on and sail away. Not that I know how to sail, or really want to do it myself. We’ll just have to ask the harbourmaster.” Anton started looking around. “If they have one here.”

“They must do,” Cetina added. “They couldn’t have a place this big without one. If…If what I know about port cities is correct it won’t be far. The captain wouldn’t want to walk far to get their paperwork done. Or pay any fees.”

“I forgot those sort of things exist.” Anton held his chin. “Not that they’ll be a problem for us. It’s just that we’ve been recently living without needing to pay for food and travel.”

Kal nodded. “When you hunt for your food you forget that others have to pay for theirs.”

“And work,” Verona added. “Haven’t had to do anything like that yet, and for that I’m glad.” She smiled and looked at Cetina. “So, Cetina, since you’re the best expert in this, where would the Harbour Master be?”

Cetina pursed her lips and looked at the buildings closest to the port. Most were massive warehouses and barns, crates travelling in and out at an alarming rate, but some were different. One was exceptionally tall and built almost like a lighthouse. The very top had large clear glass windows, very expensive in this time and age, only overlooking the port. Cetina saw them looking, smiled and shrugged. It was good as a place as any to start their search.

Thankfully a sign hung over the outside of the building actually saying, Harbour Master. No pictogram for this building, evidently all captains were expected to know how to read. Either that or they remembered the shape of the lettering. Or they just asked a passer-by.

Once outside they dismounted and Anton retrieved the writ to The Snowberry. Before he entered something tickled his side.

Kal poked at his arm. “I think its best that you and Verona go in to get this. I’ll wait out here with Cetina and the horses. There’s nowhere to tie them up and my mask will raise a lot of questions.”

“Okay.” Anton pulled her in for a quick hug. “We’ll be back shortly. Cetina?” Her eyes snapped to him. “Make sure that you look after Kal for me.”

Cetina took his words a little too literally and nodded furiously. Kal sighed and chuckled before she moved to Luna and began feeding her some cold milk. Verona sidled up to Anton, linked his arm, and they strode into the building.

A strange smell permeated the interior. One he didn’t expect to smell again. Tobacco filled the air, the faint grey smoke rose and swirled along the roof of the single-story room. People sat at large desks, piles of paper dwarfing and confining them, while they wrote with dip pens at a furious pace. All had a large glowing cigar in their mouths and breathed nearly a constant stream of smoke. Anton questioned having so much potential flame near paper.

Verona spluttered and chuckled. “Now I know why Kal volunteered to stay outside. Poor girl would have been nothing more than a mess if she came in here.”

“Yeah.” Anton held back a cough. “She’s got a good head on her. There are quite a few things that we don’t have to deal with that she does. Imagine what we smell to her?”

Verona sniffed at her clothes. “True. Although that explains a few things…”

“What things?”

Verona smiled wildly. “Nothing you need to worry about. Just girl stuff…”

Anton knew it was best to drop the issue and move forward. He looked through the haze for someone that looked to be more than a paper pusher. He spied a man walking amongst the paper filled desks that seemed to fit the bill. His clothes were better made and he walked with the air of someone important, hopefully not someone who was stuck up their own arse. Anton took a deep breath and walked towards him. The man saw them approach and lowered the papers in his hands.

“Can I help you?” He asked dryly.

“Yes.” Anton unfurled the writ. “Lord Cassius has granted us The Snowberry for our personal use.”

The man looked very disbelieving. He took the writ from Anton’s hand and took out a pair of glasses. Anton was surprised to see such a thing, but he remembered that Alfred had a telescope that he acquired from Graterious. He looked closely at the paper before a frown formed on his face. Without saying a word he scurried away and into the smoke, leaving Anton and Verona a little shocked. Verona looked up at him but he could only smile weakly. What could either of them really do?

Anton moved to the side so they wouldn’t be in the way. A few large men, smelling of salt and unwashed, came through and began speaking with one of the men at the desks. Anton fought back the suspicion that the man had just run off with the only evidence they now owned a ship. Thankfully such fears were unrealised and he returned shortly afterwards.

He handed the writ back. “My apologies. We just needed to check that this was real. Many people try to falsely claim that they own something so significant.”

“How did you know we have a good copy?”

The man smiled. “There are secrets hidden in the paper. Suffice to say that we know this is true and legitimate. However, it did state it was only for the ship and not for a crew. Is that correct?”

Anton nodded. “It was. We were hoping that we could find a crew here.”

“Well, you can.” The man pocketed his glasses. “Your best bet would be to try the local taverns. There’s one on the waterfront that has a large number of crews. One might not be enough to man The Snowberry so you may have to get them to work together. How you do that is up to you.”

“Thank you. Where is The Snowberry?”

“I’ll send an assistant with you to guide you and help finalise everything. So good day to you two.”

The man bowed his head and left them alone in the smoke-filled room.

“Okay…” Verona scratched her head. “Have we been given a little wooden rowboat?”

“I hope not.” Anton ruffled her hair. A young man, wearing the same clothing as the others, approached them with a joyous bounce in his step. “If we have we might need to beg Cetina for some money.”

---[]---

Their worries were completely unfounded. The young assistant led them to the far side of the port and to one of the larger ships. If Anton was honest The Snowberry looked a little old. It lacked the shine of some of the other ships, its name was engraved on the side but looked a little old and tarnished, but better than quite a few of the larger trading ships. What was most important was that it was seaworthy and could hold hundreds of people. Or Beast-kin.

The young assistant smiled and handed over a small piece of paper. “This is just some final documents to let anyone know that you are the sole owner of The Snowberry.”

“Thanks.” Anton looked back to the port. “Do you know which tavern might hold a crew large enough to man this ship?”

“You don’t-” the young assistant blinked furiously and smiled to cover his shock. “Yes. The False Fish Tavern is your best bet to find one large enough to man The Snowberry. My sister says that there’s a captain there with a large crew.”

“And his name?” Verona raised a silver brow and leant forward.

The assistant flushed and chuckled nervously. “Sorry. I think his name is Wilford Earle. I think. But he should be there.”

“Thank you. We’ll check that out.”

The young man glanced at Verona, who remained still for a moment then jerked her head towards the Harbour Master building. He nearly choked and scampered away. Verona chuckled as she watched him run down the pier.

“Cute kid.” She clapped her hands. “So who gets this captain and sees if he’s any good?”

“I…I don’t think I should.” Kal sighed. “I don’t want to be in a crowded space with lots of drunk people. If they get too close and go for my mask…Well, we won’t be needing a boat.”

Anton nodded. “Alright. We’ll move everything onto the boat and get settled in.”

“This has been here a while,” Cetina said. “Someone might have decided to move in. Especially if they haven’t been paying much attention who’s walking into the port.”

“We just managed to walk through…” Anton flexed his hands and readied lightning bolts. “We’ll do a check over the ship and then Verona and I-”

Verona raised her hand. “You might want to change that. If a bunch of drunk people see a pretty Clansmen girl, like myself.” She flicked her silver hair back with one hand. Anton heard Kal groan and he was certain she was rolling her eyes. “Then things might get gropey and touchy-feely. And I don’t want half the place going up in flames because some drunk guy grabbed my ass.”

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“So send the people that even drunk people wouldn’t want to grab?” Anton asked dryly.

Verona’s face drained of colour. “I…I didn’t mean it like that.”

“What did you mean by it then?”

Verona struggled to find words. She looked to Kal, who backed away and waved her hands.

“I…um. I mean that drunk sailors aren’t going to mess with another guy or a woman that looks like she could beat them up even when they’re sober.” Verona sighed and turned to the boat. “I think I got out of that one.”

Anton ruffled her hair. “You didn’t really. And don’t think I’ll forget about it tonight.” Cetina looked oddly at him. “But…Cetina? Could you come with me to get this captain?”

“Sure.” Cetina smiled. “This is one of the things I sort of know about.”

---[]---

Anton and Cetina passed through the open doors to the False Fish Tavern. His senses were blasted with raucous laughter and the smell of salt, cooking food, and copious amounts of free-flowing beer. Judging by the state of the people at the tables they had been partaking since dawn.

“Just like the guild,” Cetina said. “Maybe a little dirtier.”

Anton gently moved her to the side so they weren’t going to block passage. “In Porswea…” Her eyes looked to the mugs of beer on the table. She scrunched them tight. “It reminds me of that place. That wasn’t so bad.”

“No, it wasn’t. Although we nearly had a fight and it was only our first time there. That was interesting.”

Cetina looked more than a little shocked. “But they were so nice to me there.”

Anton smiled. “Not them. A bunch of clowns with sticks up their arses. They didn’t want to move out of the doorway and then they wanted to have a go at Verona. And that wasn’t happening.”

“Did you kill them?”

“No. Someone else stepped in to stop the fight. But I know some of them are dead. They were at…the place with all the goblins. I saw some of them dead.”

Cetina frowned. “Why aren’t you saying Fort…”

Anton stared her down. “Just in case someone has heard of that place. And they think we’re good for gossip.” Anton clapped his hands. “I guess the bartender is a good place to start to find our captain.”

They moved through the tables full of drinking and laughing men and women. They looked like sailors and those that worked near the sea. Wind and sunburn on their faces, their skin dry and their hair stiff and all short. There was no way a woman could keep hair long in such conditions, if they had to live by the sea Verona and Kal’s shoulder-length hair would be the absolute limit, or at least be braided to stop it whipping around. Both girls would need some braids when they were at sea.

The bartender looked the part. A large man, covered in tattoos and scars, wearing a shirt that seemed just a little too tight. However, his face was always smiling. When he saw them approach he smiled.

“What can I get you two?” his voice, unlike his appearance, was soft but not gentle.

“A beer each, please.”

Cetina leant towards him. “I thought-”

“You can have a drink from time to time, Cetina. I just didn’t want it to become a crutch for you.”

Cetina slowly nodded. “Yes. That would be good.”

“One moment.” The bartender turned around and returned a moment later with two large wooden mugs filled with beer.

Cetina’s eyes lit up at the sight and she reached for the drink before it even touched the wood. Anton handed over the money and drank from the mug. While the beer wasn’t as cold as he would have liked it was nonetheless delicious. When he put the mug down Cetina had already finished hers and had ordered another. The bartender obliged and handed it over the moment Cetina handed over the copper. When Cetina had almost downed her second mug Anton gently held her arm and lowered it to the bar. The white froth covered her lips, which she brushed away, and she slowly nodded.

“Sorry.” She mumbled. She held the mug with both hands and proceeded to sip.

“Actually.” Anton git the bartender's attention again. “We were looking for someone. We have a ship and we need a crew, and a nice young man said we can find someone by the name of Wilford Earle here. Apparently, he’s a captain with a large enough crew for our ship.”

“What happened to your old crew?” he asked matter-of-factly.

“We’ve just bought the ship and unfortunately they don’t’ come with one.”

The bartender nodded towards the far side of the tavern. About thirty men sat huddled around tables in the corner, trying to keep out of sight.

“He’s the one in the blue coat. I’ve heard that they’re in quite a bit of a problem. Debt.”

“Then why are they here and not running away? Or finding a way to pay it back?”

The bartender smiled. “Because no one is allowed to fight in here. No one. Not even the city watch would be that stupid.”

“Right…”

“I thought I saw some strange people lurking around the place,” Cetina said softly.

“That’ll be them then.” The bartender shook his head. “The moment they’re outside of here they’ll be gutted.”

“Any idea how much?” Anton felt his hand brush against his secret pouches of gold coins.

“I think about fifty gold coins.” The bartender rubbed his chin. “It’s probably more than that right now.”

“How did he get so far into debt?”

“Not really sure. At least that’s how much they claim they’re in debt. Can still afford drinks and food though.”

“Right. Well, we’ll have a chat with them.”

The bartender nodded and moved to other patrons. Anton turned to Cetina just as she finished her mug. He poured half of his into hers.

“I don’t know that much about negotiating.” Anton began. “Not in a real business situation like this. The previous times the other person’s been in our debt or money simply didn’t matter. Anyway, I’ll need you to help me get the best price. We can’t just spend like we’ve got a limitless supply.”

Cetina nodded. “Okay. I’ll do my best Anton.”

Anton took another sip and they walked towards the huddled group in the corner. They saw them approach and a few rose up to stop them. Their menacing looks did nothing to scare Anton. One got very close, his foul breath inches from his face. Cetina rested her hand on the pommel of her sword and pulled slowly, the harsh sound of metal on metal silencing the group.

“You don’t want to do that.” The man said. “You won’t get very far fighting everyone in here.”

Anton smiled and gently pushed Cetina’s arm down. “We don’t want to fight. My companion doesn’t like it when someone gets right in our faces.”

Cetina was slightly taller than he was and, while he didn’t know how well built she was underneath her armour and loose clothing, she was probably stronger than most of them. And then there was there was the trance she fell under when she fought…

A man at the back, wearing a blue coat, coughed loudly.

“Oi! Don’t be rude to them. They ain’t done nothing wrong yet.” Wilford, if it was Wilford, smiled. “What do you two want with us? I can tell you that we don’t have the money yet and we’re not going to get it with your thugs hanging out the front.”

“I was told that you, and your crew, were available for hire. Is that true?”

The man moved from Anton’s face and Cetina sheathed her sword.

“It is.” Wilford nodded. He whispered something to the men next to him and they vacated the seats. “But we’re kind of stuck in here.”

Anton took the seat while Cetina remained standing, her hand rapping on the pommel of her sword. “I heard from the bartender that you’re in a bit of trouble. If I may ask, why?”

Wilford sighed and slumped into the chair. “We got into a bit of trouble with one of Lord Vulusius Dukes. And he’s finally found us and wants his money back.”

“What sort of trouble?” Wilford frowned at Anton’s question. “I need to know before I hire you.”

“We were moving some cargo discreetly but the city watch caught wind and seized it. They aren’t the problem but the lords want their money back. They’ve already seized our ship and want whatever we’ve got left to pay it back.”

“How much do you actually owe?”

“At this stage…I think about seventy, maybe seventy-five gold coins. It’s…It’s a lot.”

Anton reached into his armour and retrieved a dozen gold coins and lay them on the table. The eyes of those nearby bulged, Wilford’s almost popped out from his skull. Anton pushed them towards him. He seemed confused and looked up.

“I can pay for whatever the lords want from you. In return I want you to captain my ship.”

“Where are you going?” he appeared hesitant to take the coins. Perhaps he thought this was a test from some devil that would seal his fate once he took the cursed coins.

“For now, Danafra. After that…we’ll discuss that when the time comes.”

Wilford hesitated before taking up the gold coins. He smiled, a toothy grin, as he inspected the coin. Anton looked at his crew and was intrigued to see almost ten were women. While they weren’t conventionally pretty it allayed a fear that Anton held. They were going to be stuck on a boat with three women and certain…urges might take hold. He had no idea if they held that sort of arrangement but it helped ease any sort of worries. Not that he was going to let them wander the ship by themselves.

“This is a good start.” Wilford smiled. “It’ll probably get them off our backs for a while. More than enough to get out of Rusaddir.”

“I’m willing to pay a substantial amount for each trip that we undertake, but there may be some time between those. You will be free to do whatever business you wish with the ship, so long as you’re available when we need you. And you don’t lose it or get it seized.”

Wilford had been enticed by the prospect of gold. He nodded and slammed his hands on the table. Every one of his crew rose up at once. “Alright, you lot. This here is our new boss. We’ve finally got a job and way out of this place. And I’m going to take it. Get yer’ shit and let’s get moving.”

The crew burst in a flurry of movement, wood dragged loudly on wood as chairs and tables were moved in the rush.

“Shouldn’t be too long now.” Wilford smiled. “Now, how much are we talking on each trip?”

“We’ll be travelling essentially from here to Danafra and then that distance about three or four times again.”

Wilford nodded. “Right. Well, I was thinking about-”

Anton coughed and interrupted him. “Actually, my companion Cetina is better handled to deal with that stuff.”

His expression dropped when he looked at Cetina’s yellow and blue clothing. Evidently, he had met a Bebbezarian before and heard of their ability to haggle a deal. Cetina only needed to act confident and that she was an expert.

“Okay.” Wilford rapped his fingers on the table. “I was thinking, for that distance, about a thousand silver for each trip.”

Cetina scoffed. “Try again.”

“This isn’t just for me. I have to pay my crew. Food and repairs too. Not to mention fees and tariffs.”

“True.” Cetina folded her arms, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “But not that much. Not unless the cost of everything has doubled since the last winter.”

Wilford clicked his tongue. “How much are you offering then?”

Cetina scratched her chin and looked at the floor, remaining silent for some time. “I think that four hundred sounds better.”

“I’m going to be going backwards with that much.” Wilford nodded towards the port. “The current will work against us half the time. One way it’ll be good and the other shit. So I’ll be wasting time, while my crew actually gets paid. Seven hundred.”

Cetina glanced at Anton. “I think six hundred, per trip, is more than enough.”

Wilford thought long and hard before he slowly nodded. “Alright. We have a deal.” He stretched out his hand for Anton to shake, which he did. “I know a few people that want stuff moved to Seocuria.”

“Not this time,” Anton said. “When you aren’t working directly for us you can do what you want.”

Wilford appeared slightly confused but didn’t press. “Fair enough. It’s your ship. So…Where are we and when do you want to go?”

“We have The Snowberry as our ship. And we’re ready to leave the moment you are.”

“The Snowberry…That ships’ been there a while.” His face darkened slightly. “Last thing I heard that it belong to Lord Cassius. You aren’t thinking of stealing a man’s ship, are you? Because that’s a good way to get us all killed.”

“No.” Anton produced the piece of paper from the young assistant. “We own it now.”

Wilford leant forward and squinted at the paper. “Well, my reading’s not as good as my first mates but I’m sure I don’t need her to tell me what it says. How did you manage to do that?”

“It’s a secret.” Anton smiled. “How much food will we need to get to Danafra?”

“Depends. Is it just you two?”

“Us and another two already on the ship. And four horses.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll get some supplies before we leave and we know how to fish. That won’t be a problem.” Wilford smiled. “If you’re really in a rush I could arrange those supplies as soon as we’re free. It’ll save time having to go and find and organise it in this port.”

Anton smiled. “That’s fine. But I want a record of everything you bought and how much it cost.”

Wilford’s smile faded ever so slightly but still nodded. Hopefully, he didn’t think they were total chumps but rather a meal ticket they could ride to wealth. That should keep them in line. All they needed to do was sail.

“Alright. We’ll leave the moment we can. I’ll go see if those thugs actually want to listen.” Wilford smiled as he rose from his chair. “Otherwise you might need to find yourself another crew.”

He left, leaving Anton and Cetina alone.

“Excellent work, Cetina.”

Cetina breathed deeply and smiled. “It wasn’t much. I just remembered what my father did and copied that. I think it worked.”

Thinking about her father took its toll on her. She sighed and her shoulders hunched together. Anton held her shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Yeah…Yeah. I just don’t try to think about it.”

“Do you want a moment?”

Cetina closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. No, I just need to keep moving. It’s easier that way.” She took another deep breath and slapped her face. She chuckled when Anton looked oddly at her. “No point waiting here. We should head back to the ship, so long as Wilford hasn’t gotten himself killed.”

Anton smiled as he followed Cetina. “At least I don’t have to threaten to start a firestorm this time.”

Cetina laughed, a proper laugh, and led them outside.

---[]---

It was getting dark by the time everything was ready. Wilford and his crew took to the ship like a duck to water. They almost gushed at the sight of the ship and immediately turned into tough and professional sailors. Anton and Cetina could only look at each other in surprise as they visibly transformed before them. Large sacks and crates of food and water were quickly loaded onto the ship, more than enough for their trip.

Wilford approached Anton, Verona, Kal and Cetina as they stood at the prow of the ship. The Snowberry slowly cut through the salty sea out of the port and were already heading out to open sea, the spray of the ocean throwing up salt into the air.

“Anton.” Wilford stopped a few paces behind them. “It should take about seven or eight days before we arrive at Danafra. The Snowberry is a pretty fast ship for her size.” He smiled. “Her fat ass isn’t dragging as much as we thought it would.”

“Excellent. Is it safe to travel at night?”

Wilford nodded. “It is. Once we reach Seocurian waters we won’t have to worry about any sort of pirates. They put them into slavery and, trust me, they don’t want anything of that. They patrol a little further south than their borders but no one seems to mind. There are a few nasties swimming in the water but we’re big enough so they should leave us alone. Just like those lords. They’ve given us a bit longer to pay it all back. They were pretty shocked when I gave them the money.”

“That they were. Thank you, Wilford.”

He took that as the sign to leave. He bowed his head and began shouting at the crew.

Kal leant on the railing and lifted her mask. She breathed in the spray and the fresh air. A tear trailed down her face. “I never thought I’d actually be here. About to actually get back to Seocuria. With help too.”

“We’re going to be with you every step of the way.” Verona patted Kal’s shoulder.

Anton hugged Kal from behind, her hands wrapped around his elbows. “We will be there every step of the way, just like I said we would. We’ll save your mother and start rescuing hundreds of slaves. As many as we can.” He patted her side. “Over the next few days, we’ll need you to tell us everything we need to know about your old life. It’s going to be tough but we can’t go in unprepared.”

Kal nodded and looked to the open ocean. “Hold on Marion. We’re coming to save you.”