Pippa steadied herself as the tower suddenly swayed with a gust of wind. Her heart jumped in her throat and for a second she considered diving off into the ocean to save herself.
The timbers creaked, but the tower held. Her heart beat loudly in her chest. Feeling a little weak in the knees, she picked up the skin of oil again and proceeded to finish filling the beacon’s reservoir.
While she was waiting to light the beacon for the night, she stepped to the edge of the platform and watched as the sun set.
The tower she lived on overlooked the smashed remains of Maasin, the tower that had fallen last summer. The other towers were still holding, however, it was decided after Maasin fell that the tower of Tagum should be abandoned as it was the oldest.
If the island was normal, they wouldn’t have to live on such towers perched upon the shoreline rocks. But no, the island was a steep crag of rock. Little in the way of plants or animals lived there.
The sun sank into the ocean and she took a coal from the brazier and touched it to the large bowl of oil.
The fire sprang up and flowed across the inky black surface. The sudden light reflected itself against the mirrors to warn shipping vessels. The other beacons were lit in quick succession.
The last rays of sunlight traveled up the tower’s mess of upright timbers and shingled roofs. Rope bridges spanning the towers swayed in the wind. Boats bobbed at anchor in the waters of the sheltered cove.
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The sound of gulls was nearly drowned out by the roar of waves crashing against the rocks. Even as she was at the top of the tower, she could still smell the salty ocean and rotting fish.
Her eyes started to sting and retreated down the ladder. The air in the lower room was slightly hazy from the smoke of cooking.
Her feet pounded on wood down stairs, ramps and the rungs of ladders. Eventually, just as she could barely see in the darkness, she reached her home at the bottom of the tower.
It wasn’t comforting.
The entire tower was above her and she could imagine it toppling and getting caught under it. It could happen any time. When she slept, while she was cooking or helping move goods.
She stepped into her home and started stirring the coals of her fire. There wasn’t much she could do to ward off the dampness caused by the spray of the ocean, but the fire helped a little.
She set fish on sticks over the coals, then sat back and tried to relax. One of the massive supports of the tower made up a corner of her room by the head of her bed. When she would lay down tonight she would be able to hear the deep groans it made over the sound of crashing waves.
She unlocked a drawer and took out a money pouch. For the tenth time that day, she counted the various coins from different countries. If she found the right captain who could use the various kinds of currency, it would be enough to buy passage.
To where? She didn’t care.
She couldn’t rest at night here, not since Maasin fell. Most everyone else would stay. There was just too much money to be made. All the ships who crossed this ocean needed this place. Without it, they would perish from hunger and thirst.
For her though, she would like peace over money any day.
She took the fish off the fire and waited for them to cool. The only light in the room was the glow from the coals.
She ate not tasting the fish. It was what she’d been eating for years now. After she was done, she climbed into her bed and tried to find rest.