CHAPTER 2:

THE HARBORMASTER

He passed through the entrance of the general store so quickly that he almost ran straight into someone who was standing on the other side of the door. He would have knocked them over if he hadn’t heard the shouting as he barged through. “DAD! I’M NOT A CHILD!!”, a girl shouted as the conversation abruptly ended when he appeared. An attractive girl with brown hair, turned in his direction. Her face switched from a look of irritation, to a look of embarrassment, and then transformed to a kind of feigned shyness—all in a moment’s time.

Her head looked down and then only her eyes looked up and straight into his again where they remained fixed upon him for an awkwardly long moment of silence. Heber felt like he was involved in a hunt, except this time, he was the deer. He gulped and his chest started pounding just as much as it had when his life was threatened, not thirty minutes earlier. The range of emotions that he was experiencing was overwhelming, and he stumbled over his words. “I… umm…excuse me”. He then went to turn to her left to get by her, but she also had intended to pass by him this way and they almost bumped into each other again.

She laughed flirtingly and made her way out the door, but turned around to look at his eyes again before the door closed. He stared after her, and continued staring at the door a few seconds after it closed. “WOW!” he said to himself. Heber had hardly ever seen another woman besides his mother since he was twelve.

A man interrupted his internal revelry. “My name is Arnold. Can I help you find anything?”. Heber turned around surprised, “Yes”, he said as his own voice cracked. He realized that his answer didn’t really make any sense to the question. The man was standing behind a desk, with hair that matched the coloring of the girl he had just seen leaving. The store was meticulously arranged. Everything was placed with exact care and not a single thing was out of place. Not a speck of dust or dirt was anywhere. The man’s hair was combed and set in place with some kind of oil or wax, so that not a single hair rebelled. He had a perfectly symmetrical mustache with a visible twitch in his left eye. Heber wondered if possibly Arnold’s inability to control his daughter had resulted in an attempt to control everything else around him.

“Do you sell weapons and armor?”, Heber asked. The shopkeeper eyed Heber’s bow with a quizzical look and then stepped out from behind the desk, escorting him to a shelf where swords of various lengths and sizes were on display. Heber saw the listed prices and realized that he could only afford to purchase a very short copper blade, if he wanted any money for the rest of his trip. After making his selection and paying Arnold, he was escorted to a wall of armor. There were many varieties, but once again, only the cheapest leather armor was in his budget. After tucking the sword in his belt and putting on the armor, he thanked Arnold and headed to the door.

“Ummm, sir...”, Heber turned around, feeling self-conscious that he had done something awkward. The Shopkeeper was walking towards him with a thoughtful and concerned expression, and hesitated for a moment. “I was wondering if you could do something for me—I’ll pay you well.” Heber turned around, excited about the idea of earning money. “I wish I could, but I need to catch a ship to Sky City” Arnold looked relieved, “well, the next ship isn’t headed out that way for three days”. Heber looked disappointed at the prospect of staying in this village for another three days, but responded, “sounds like I’ve got plenty of time then. What can I do for you?”

“It’s my daughter, Sadie. She’s wandering about the town with no regard for her safety with those pira—” he cut himself off short, and then continued, “sailors from that ship called the Sea-Goat. Those men are trouble and she just can’t see it. I’ve kept her up in her room since they arrived, but she got fed up and took off, and I can’t stop her. Could you just keep an eye on her and make sure she is safe? That’s, all I ask—I beg you. Keep her safe”.

Heber felt very uncomfortable about wandering the town watching the girl, especially if she found out that her father had paid him to do it. Yet, he saw the desperation in the man’s eyes, plus, he also knew these men were out of control and that she really was in danger. “I’ll do it”, he replied confidently. “I knew I could count on you! Here take this!” The shopkeeper reached behind his desk and handed him a copper tube with glass at the end of it. “What’s this?”, Heber asked turning it over in his hands. “Look through it”, Arnold said with half of his mouth lifted in a grin, “the harbormaster gave it to me—she made it. She’s a regular wizard from Sky City she is. She called it a spyglass”.

Heber put his eye to the glass, and was suddenly gazing at the individual chain-links on a suit of chainmail armor at the other end of the store, as if he was an inch away. “Use that to make sure she is safe.” Heber brought the spyglass down from his eye, “thankyou sir, I will.” “She is probably headed to the Harbormaster’s office-- Rachel, the Harbormaster is her private tutor.”

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Heber nodded and walked out of the shop, heading towards the Harbormater’s office by the docks. He pulled out the spyglass, and suddenly he saw a clear scene of the docks. Two men were talking over by a boat—arguing by the looks of it. Sadie was nowhere to be seen. “Has she already been captured?”, he wondered to himself. He tucked the new device into his pocket and made his way towards the docks, passing by the harbormaster’s office. The building was in disrepair. It looked like as if it had not been painted or cleaned in a very long time. Heber, knocked and heard a middle-aged woman’s voice say “come in”. He entered a large room which had a few pieces of furniture, many windows and a wooden floor.

At the far end, was a large desk, stacked with all kinds of books, and glass containers full of various powders and liquids. The place smelled very musty with a hint of sulfur. “What do you want?”, said the woman who was taller than him by at least a foot, and maybe more. She seemed extremely confident in herself, and somewhat impatient with his intrusion in whatever she had been occupied with before he entered.

Heber tried to be brief, sensing her impatience. “I need voyage on the next ship headed to Sky City”. The woman was back to reading something and responded without looking up. “Our transport ship will leave in three days. You will pay upon departure. Anything else I can help you with?”, she asked, still not looking up. He thought to ask if Sadie had come that way, but decided against it. “No-- but thank you”. He said, and stepped out of the office. As he was making his way out, he heard a faint voice call out from a back room, followed by a cough. The Harbormaster dropped her book and quickly stepped towards the room from where the voice was heard. When he closed the door, he turned to see Sadie coming around from the back of the harbormaster’s office.

Heber saw Sadie look up at him and flash a smile with a sideways glance from her eye, that once again lingered. Being unsure of what to say, Heber turned to her with a smile of his own. “I’m Heber, what’s your name Sadie?”. Sadie let out a burst of laughter, as Heber realized his mistake. “Your dad told me your name, I’m sorry”, he stammered. “Don’t be”, she replied, excited that perhaps he had inquired after her name.

There was an awkward pause as Heber tried to think of what to say next. She broke the silence.

“What brings you to Port Lighthouse?”

“I am on my way to Sky City for work. It looks like the next ship doesn’t leave for a few days, so now I just need to find something to do here until I go”.

Sadie’s reply came quickly and comfortably-- “I can help you with that”, she replied as she raised an eyebrow and flashed an open-mouthed grin. Heber was starting to get the sense that it was the pirates who needed protection from her.

“So, tell me about the city.”

Heber asked, trying to think of how to change the subject. “Well, Port Lighthouse is a port town. Ships stop by here to buy fresh food that the farmers grow, and also supplies that my dad buys from other ships. The harbor-master is a full-blooded sky-giant from Sky City. She is brilliant. She came here with her adopted son, Logan about fifteen years ago and repaired the lighthouse. Since then, more and more ships have been coming here to dock and restock.”

“She has a son? Is that who I heard coughing?” Heber asked. “Yes, that’s him. He and I used to be best friends. He ran away about two years ago after I… umm, well—he and I had a falling out, and he stowed away on the next ship headed out of town. His mom, Rachel, the harbormaster, was worried sick, and took off trying to find him, but she didn’t have any luck. He finally showed up about a week ago, looking pale and sickly and hasn’t left his room since. He won’t any accept visitors and sleeps all day. His mom watches over him like a hawk, and he won’t see me. He is really frustrating me”.

Heber heard footsteps approaching on the boardwalk, and looked up to see the two crewmen from the Sea-goat walking towards them.

“Let’s get out of here”. Heber said with some urgency “Why?” Sadie asked as if Heber was being ridiculous.

“These men aren’t good people.”

Sadie raised one eyebrow, and leaned her head down and to the side.

“Have you been talking to my dad?”

Before he could give a reply, Sadie winked at him and spun around towards the sailors.

“How are you fine gentlemen doing today?”

The men eyed the harbormasters office door and then eyed Heber.

“Good, and you young lady?”

Heber was panicking, yet Sadie turned to him with both eyebrows raised and with a barely audible voice whispered “see?”

The sailors walked past, but turned back once or twice to get a look of her. Sadie smiled at the attention. Feeling proud of herself and ready to show off how brave she was, she grabbed Heber’s arm.

“Let’s go down to the old graveyard!”

“Uh, why? What’s to see there?” Heber asked, still feeling shaken from the fear of a possible face-off with the sailors. Sadie looped her arm in his and stood close beside him.

“I’ll show you!” she said and pulled him south east of town. Once again, Heber’s heart was beating fast with her arm around him.