For once, Jamie was not the least bit surprised. Disturbed, yes, but not surprised. He looked down upon a sickening display, as the hunchbacked Loggart crept up and split another man’s skull with a hatchet, who tumbled down in an instant and made a splattering mess upon the near wall as he went! No sooner had the carcass landed than was the scruffy, balding thug digging through the pouches on its belt for loose coins, or anything else of worth. Finding little to nothing to show for his efforts, Loggart cursed under his breath, finally retrieving the ring of keys, which was his true target, before then waddling over to the nearby wrought-iron gate and fumbling with its lock.
As this process went on for several minutes, wherein Loggart would try a key into the lock and tug on it to no avail, before spitting some foul curse and moving onto the next key in the ring, Jamie took a moment to take a good look at his surroundings. They appeared to be in some long and wide alleyway road, darkened by the night. Before them lay what appeared to be a side entrance to an opulent estate, which glowed in the dark like a great chandelier. Something caught his attention, and the floating ethereal cabin boy leaned down to peer quizzically at a decrepit parchment which had been affixed to the stone wall beside the fenced gate. Though much weathered now, and barely legible, Jamie still managed to procure some tidbits of useful information: the name Torreón, and a reference that “the spring has just arrived”.
By now we are in the middle of the summer season, so this must have taken place months ago! Jamie thought to himself. Torreón is a place that I’ve only ever heard of, and it is an inland County, far from the ocean. Indeed, as this realization struck him, so too did another: that for the first time in his life he did not hear the subtle sound of waves or sea air in the background. Everything felt… still, and unsettling to him.
“A-ha!” Loggart cried foolishly as the gate lock clicked and then released, swiftly the man brought two hands up to cover his mouth, and he waited for a moment before he determined that nobody had heard his little triumphant call.
Jamie floated along after, not that he had any choice in it really, as the little hunchback crept along silently through the winding gardens and hedges which surrounded the estate. He evidently became lost more than once, coming upon dead-ends, or second guessing himself and returning back to forks in the path, but eventually the two of them came upon an exit which led up to the front entrance where a tall and dark carriage awaited. It was a menacing-looking carriage, blackened wood with silver decorations and spires around the top. Leashed to the front were four black horses, whose eyes appeared to glow faintly red in the torchlight, though surely, Jamie thought, that must be some trick of the light. Emblazoned on the side of the vehicle in silvergold was a familiar crest, the same in fact that he had seen sewn into that bloody handkerchief that Helgi had given to the Wharfmaster!
Something brought on a small panic in Loggart, who turned to one side and then another unsuredly, as if searching for something. Then, the hunchback’s eyes locked onto something a little ways off. Jamie followed his gaze and found it resting upon a fellow several meters off, wearing a tall hat and a long cloth overcoat, who appeared to be urinating into the hostas.
Thwack!
Loggart sped over to the man with a gait as surprisingly swift as it was silent, and then with the flat back of his hatchet he struck the man mightily onto the side of his temple! Whoever he was, the person shouted out in alarm and toppled to his side, flailing as he attempted in vain to right his equilibrium! The hunchback did not immediately follow up with his strike, first retrieving his poor victim’s tall hat, and peeling the overcoat from his shoulders, and only then did he turn the axe over and finish the job!
With the man now dealt with, Loggart knelt down and rolled the poor sod until he was hidden beneath the tall plants of the garden, threw the coat over his hunched shoulders and the hat upon his head, and then finally he clambered up so that he was sitting at the driver’s seat of the carriage. Just in the nick of time too, for no sooner had his buttocks touched the hard cushions, than did one of the large manor doors creak open! Out stepped several individuals, who appeared to be making polite conversation, but with the lights at their backs it was difficult to out any details of any one of them, at least until they drew nearer.
Loggart tapped his foot against the wooden panel of the driver’s seat, a nervous tick, praying that he would not be recognized, or more like that he would be, but only by his distinctive garb within this darkness.
Finally, breaking into the light came a couple, a man and woman of an elder age, with graying hair and light-brown skin. They wore opulent clothing and adorned themselves with many jewels, and smiles that were equal parts pleasant and unreadable. They spoke quietly and they laughed, and then they turned to address their guest as she came into the light as well.
She was a small woman, about a head shorter than Jamie’s elder-adolescent self. Not much else of her could be noted, even with the light cast upon her, for she dressed in all black as if she had been attending a funeral, including a black hat and a veil mask which obscured the upper half of her face. What little could be seen of her was a most strange sigh as well, for while her pursed plump lips were a dark scarlet hue, the rest of the skin around it on her jaw and her neck were even paler than Helgi’s skin, so pale she appeared to have skin the color of stone!
“-thank you, once again, for your most gracious hospitality.” The dark-garbed woman said to them with a little curtsey, and Jamie was again surprised, for her voice, while regal and demure, had the tone and pitch of a child!
“Oh, it was our pleasure Lady Tansyltania!” The Noblewoman chortled merrily.
“Indeed!” Her husband agreed, just as jolly. “To have a woman of such repute visit our humble home, why, I fear it shall make us quite the earsores in the coming months to all of our colleagues!”
This Lady of Tansyltania put out her hand expectantly, and suddenly from the darkness four figures appeared. They were tall men, well-muscled, and wearing military uniforms. The lead man put up his hand to take hers, which she used like a handle to pull herself up the few steps to the door of the carriage. Taking a seat, the small lady turned out to look upon her hosts one last time.
“Your hospitality was immaculate, I shall put in a good word for you to my father.”
Both of the Nobles made polite comments and gestures which indicated that she need not do such an unnecessary thing, even as their obvious excitement betrayed their true feelings.
Finally, the door was shut, and the uniformed men leapt up upon the backs of dark steeds similar to those hitched to the front of the carriage where Loggart now sat, and who seemed to appear out of the darkness as well just like their riders. Loggart felt a knock upon the wall of the carriage where his back rested, which caused him to startle for a moment, before he regained his composure, and he cracked the reins.
“Y-yah!” He called as he did so, though it lacked in the proper enthusiasm or confidence.
The carriage jostled away down the lane, and the knights on behind it, while the Nobles waved their hands and watched it go. Jamie thought that he would be pulled along with it, as he usually was in these visions, however he simply hung there above these two, wondering if he was supposed to still be here.
Then the Nobleman winced and gasped, clutching his forehead as he appeared to be in pain! The woman too then flinched, as if something had just struck her! The two of them shook their heads vigorously, as if suffering from some kind of ailment. Then the Nobleman looked to his wife and he asked her, “What are we doing out here?” The woman looked back at her husband with a confused expression, as if she had no thoughts in her head to think. “We were…what have we been doing today again, dear?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Jamie’s eyes widened in surprise. He turned over he shoulder to look at the back of that carriage which was now just about to leave the light of the manor for the darkness of the road. The shades of one of the windows had been drawn up by a hand, and a small gray figure leered out at them from it. And for some horrid reason, in his gut Jamie could swear that the person was looking right at him!
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“Watch it!” Grumbled Loggart, even though it was he who had absent-mindedly checked Jamie’s shoulder with his own as the two passed each other on the gangway.
The sizable wooden crate that he had been carrying nearly tumbled out of his grip, if not for a large calloused hand which came around from behind him to catch it in an instant! Jamie looked back to see the familiar shape of Cook leaning over him, his normally jovial expression instead a mask of irritation as he leered over at the passing hunchback.
“Fack off, Loggart!” Cook shouted back at him, before looking down at Jamie.”Y’alright, lad?”
Jamie, in fact, did not look alright. He wore his best attempt at a pleasant smile, but it looked shaky and forced. He was sickly pale, perspiring worse than one would think his current task would require, and there were blotchy, purple bags under his eyes as if the young man had not slept in a fortnight.
“Cuz ya look terrible, lad.”
Jamie shook his head in reply. “I’m fine, Cook.” He said, attempting to reassure his cohort in vain.
The Cabin Boy squatted down low so that he may hike the crate that he was carrying back into a stable and carryable position, but the larger man simply tore it from his grasp, placing it upon one of his meaty shoulders like Atlas holding up the sky.
“Gimme that, lad. Now, where are we bringin’ this?”
Jamie sighed but relented, continuing down the gangway and pointing out the item’s place. As each of the parcels that the ship had been carrying was destined for various recipients, mostly merchants or warehouses, each had to be stacked on its own marked destination upon the sprawling dockyards, an extra precaution in case the ink denoting their destination, which was printed on the side, had been damaged or otherwise during the journey.
As the two fellows made their way all of the way down the long dock which connected their ship to the shore, they came upon a circle of men and women. Most of their crew were now huddled around Captain Voyagan, who clapped his hands to quiet the lot and take their attention once he saw Cook and Jamie arriving.
“Alright, alright listen up people!” He called in an authoritative manner. “If you haven’t heard, this is the largest delivery that ol’ Persephone has ever had the privilege of delivering. We’re moving up in the world, but that means that it’s going to take longer to get all of this cargo out to all of their recipients. About a tenday or so, I would wager.”
A round of surprised mumblings broke out amongst the crew at that, looking to each other with startled curiosity.
“That means that you all get the week or so on the shore! Another boon of this larger contract. Take a look around, feel the sand under your toes for once! This is the Capital City after all, enjoy what La Ciudadela has to offer, and I’ll see you once this mess is all sorted out!
There was a roar of excited approval from all of the men, so loud in fact that the other crews and workers across the docks stopped to peer over with a start from the noise. The circle swiftly dispersed, broken into several cliques, as each member hurried off into the waning sunset as if they thought that if they did not leave fast enough, that Captain Voyagan would change his mind and send them back to the ship!
As Cook finally set the crate down onto its place at the top of the nearby stack, Voyagan hailed the two of them and approached.
“A week’s break on the shore? Awful generous of ya, Cap!” Cook laughed in a jolly way. “Ya sure yis don’t need any of us to put this shite up on the carts?”
Voyagan smiled and shook his head. “The clients are to bring their own hands, I’ll just be here making sure that the correct things go to the correct places.”
Then the Captain looked over at Jamie and frowned, noting his unhealthy appearance. “Cook, I want you to take young Jamie about town and show him the sights.”
“Eh?!” Jamie cried.
Cook folded his arms, looking down at Jamie as well and nodding in approval. “Aye, it’ll be good fer him to lookabouts fer once.”
Jamie was in shock. He had never been ashore for longer than a few hours at most, at least for as long as he could remember. The Persephone was his home, and he would much rather curl up within his bunk, as he always did, and enjoy the peace and quiet.
A large hand clasped upon the hem of his shirt and nearly lifted him off of his feet, as Cook began all but dragging him off of the docks and towards the bend that led to the main thoroughfare.
“Come on, lad! I’ll show ya the most comfortable Inn that this city has to offer, and then we’ll get somethin’ to eat!”
Voyagan watched as the two disappeared into the bustling crowds in the distance, a small smile across his lips, at least until they were out of eyesight, and then it dropped into a look of concern. This extended leave was not simply a reward. Something was amiss amongst his crew. In his mind, the young Cabin Boy was an empath amongst his men. To see him in such a state of distress denoted a sickness running through their midst, a sickness of morals and morale alike.
Voyagan marched back across the docks, double-checking that each item was in its correct place, before making his way back up the gangway and onto his ship. How eerie it was, to see it empty like this, he had always thought whenever they made it back to shore. Normally it was awash in clamoring crewmen, climbing and swinging, desperately checking and then double-checking knots and ropes, as their lives were indeed on the line. He walked across the deck and then down the wooden stairs which led into the crew quarters, when he caught wind of a distinctive sound below!
A light, female voice that gasped in alarm at the sound of his approaching steps! Voyagan increased his gate, and whipped his head around the corner to find Cheshie, youngest of his crew after Jamie, and a wanton troublemaker! She was hunched upon all-fours as if rummaging within something that was out of his view, and she swiftly leapt back up to her feet when she spied him!
“C-Captain!” She cried.
“Cheshie…” He replied, narrowing his eyes. “What’re you up to this time?”
Cheshie grimaced at the insinuation of his tone, her grip tightening on something which she now held behind her back, away from her Captain’s view. “I dunno what you mean, Captain.”
Voyagan sighed in exasperation, and brought a hand up so that he could rub his temples, for she was so clearly up to no good again. “Why weren’t you at the all-hands meeting? Get off of the ship, girl. You’re on shore leave until the week is up!”
Cheshie’s expression became one of surprise. She had been expecting another harsh scolding from her Captain, but not a reward at the end of it. “...oh.” Was all that she said as an awkward reply.
After a beat of silence, Cheshie slipped to the side, circling around her Captain, making sure to keep facing him until she reached the stairs behind him, at which point she clambered quickly up and out of sight of him. Once he no longer held sight of her, she brought out the small grey satchel which she had held behind her back, and untied it so that she could peer inside.
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“What? That’s outrageous!” Cried Cook, shoving a sausage-like finger towards the innkeeper, who in return folded his arms and set his jaw stubbornly. “The lad is only four feet tall! There’s no reason to charge eleven coppers!”
“I think I’m actually average in height-” Jamie cut in from where he was stood behind the larger man.
“Shut up, Jamie.”
The innkeeper lowered his eyebrows and huffed. “He works on a ship, does he not? He is adult, and I charge him as adult, no?” He said with a heavy accent.
“He’s the Cabin Boy, cur!” Cook growled. “Six copper, I ain’t goin any higher!”
The Innkeeper paused, looking back at Jamie as if studying him up and down, which made Jamie himself feel quite put out. “Seven coppers.” He declared.
“Deal!” Cook said with a triumphant grin, and the two of them less shook hands than did they cross their paws together with the force of a thunderclap and wrestle for some sort of masculine superiority for a moment.
Jamie rolled his eyes, realizing now that these two acquaintances likely have this same argument every time they see each other. Then he realized something, something that felt off. He reached down to his belt and felt around, and he discovered, to his surprise, that in all of the commotion he had forgotten his satchel aboard the ship!