The Silent Ship I

The massive whirlpool centered in the heart of the Island Alliance, over which the free city was built, played a much larger role than it was famous for—especially for sailors. The ocean had always been known for its unpredictability and indifference, but not in the Island Alliance... The circular movement of the water currents generated by the giant whirlpool significantly helped in reducing the dangers of sailing in general.

It took a lot of time, learning, and familiarity for sailors to become comfortable sailing around a whirlpool; any mistake could mean death. But with the long history of experiences passed down through generations, it became more of a routine—ordinary. (in the eyes of the citizens of the Island Alliance.)

The ship Silora boarded also used the permanent water currents to travel at speeds that would not have been possible without this factor. The sustainability of these currents was a major factor in the flourishing of maritime transport (not that there was any other option) significantly in the Island Alliance. This factor covered the unpredictability of voyage times... not anymore. The sustainability of the water currents contributed to the stability of the announced arrival times of ships. Something that gave confidence to this type of transport, although it was exclusive only to the Island Alliance.

The announced arrival date of Silora's ship to The White Cliff Island was nine days and one night. This was without mentioning all the small stops—the small islands that her ship had to pass by, whether to drop off arrivals or pick up newcomers.

'I'm bored,' Silora thought, and there was nothing to do about it. She didn't allow herself to relax too much in front of her fellow travelers; if they became too comfortable with her, they might start asking questions she didn't want to answer. This was something she didn't want to happen. She tried to distract herself by trying to decipher the spellbook, but to no avail. Her understanding of the content did not change. She thought again about all the strange events she had experienced in the town, trying to make some sense of something that had only brought her fear and uncertainty. But this also led nowhere, if not ruining her mood further, which she didn't want... Now, she had only one thing left to do.

***

"Good morning," Silora said in surprise, despite her attempt to sneak up on the old ship Captain in the upper deck's control cabin. He had noticed her actions as she stealthily climbed the stairs.

“No, yer not allowed ta climb the ropes or go to the bow, lass." the Captain said with feigned annoyance. He brushed his snow-white hair while trying to avoid Silora's wide smile.

"What happened to 'Good morning'?" she replied indignantly. When she noticed the captain trying to ignore her, she added irritably, "And why bother combing your hair? You're practically bald. You might as well shave it off... Well, considering your age, it's a blessing you still have any at all." Silora heard the crew laughing above her, but she focused only on the people on the ropes. She really wanted to climb up there!

"Ya been buzzin' in me ears fer the past three days, ‘I want ta climb the ropes, I want ta go to the front, I want ta steer the ship, I want ta touch yer big ol' forehead, I want this, I want that.’ I know well enough where this talk’s headin’, so I cut it short from the start." the captain replied equally indignantly while holding the round wooden wheel. He seemed to remember something and continued while looking around, "Ye weren’t even supposed ta be here in the first place. This be the control cabin, and it’s fer the captain and his aides only! These lazy monkeys ain't doin' their jobs; couldn't even handle a wee, annoyin' little girl."

And of course, the crew ignored him as they had for the past three days, each doing their job as if they hadn't heard his scolding words. The captain sighed in defeat but didn't allow her to do any of the things she had asked for and even begged in the previous days. But Silora wasn't someone to gave up that easily. Today, she came up with a new plan, a bold plan she wouldn't have proposed if she didn't feel comfortable with the kind captain who pretended harshness. She also felt that he liked her enough to allow her to stand beside him in the control cabin, which was forbidden to passengers.

"What's wrong with me being here? I'm not bothering anyone, except you, of course. And I do that only because I admire you enough," Silora protested loudly under the captain's silent gaze. His eyes clearly said, Even if you say that, I won't budge. "And let's forget about your big forehead, that was just a joke, and you keep bringing it up every time. Now I feel a little guilty." She paused briefly before continuing meaningfully, "If you would just listen to me..."

Of course, he didn't listen, interrupting her mid-sentence, "Listen here, little one, I’m not deliverin’ ya to yer destination as a corpse. What if ya fell from up there? Or off the ship into those treacherous currents? Ya can try as much as ya like, but under my watch, ya won’t be doin' any of that." His serious tone left no room for discussion.

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This serious expression didn't last long; it quickly turned to anger under the crew's sarcastic comments above the ship. "'Oh, look at that, the captain’s got feelin’s now, eh?' 'Glad I lived to see the day,’ ‘The little lass is makin' dreams come true,’ ‘What if this weren’t our captain?’" The sarcastic comments continued and turned into heated discussions among the crew.

Silora turned her gaze back to the silent angry captain and said in a serious voice, "Let's forget about climbing the ropes; I agree that's dangerous. But just standing innocently at the front of the ship, how can that be dangerous?" She noticed he was about to refuse and quickly added, "Even if I fell into the water, it's not like I'd be helpless. Just a simple shaping exercise, and I wouldn't face drowning even if I didn't know how to swim."

The captain gave her a skeptical look, "So, ye one of those then?" His tone carried caution and slight awe. Silora, who didn't expect this reaction, was annoyed by the captain's exaggerated response but kept silent. He himself felt guilty for his thoughts and continued, "I didn't mean it like that... Explain yerself, what do ya mean?"

Silora nodded and began to speak excitedly, "It's not much, really. Just basics. A simple shaping spell I cast on the water to restructure it into another form." She noticed the captain's troubled expression and realized he didn't understand, so she explained as simply as she could. "I'm not really changing the water; this kind of alteration isn't permanent, at least I haven't reached that stage yet. My alteration can only mix the atoms and molecules to force the water to take the shape I want."

The captain's eyes widened in shock, "How’s that possible? I’ve never seen the spellbinder on me ship do a thing like changin' water into somethin' else." he said, shocked and even a bit apprehensive.

Silora wanted to slap her forehead. 'He didn't understand anything, and what's this about an accompanying spellbinder? I've never heard of that before,' she thought to herself before deciding to explain. "I never said I change water into something else. I can't do that, and I doubt anyone has the necessary knowledge and comprehension to perform such a feat... How should I explain this?" After a few moments of thought, she continued her explanation. "Imagine a large bag filled with water, the bag is sealed and doesn't leak. This means the water has taken the shape of the spherical bag. If you stand on the bag, its shape will change, but you won't sink because of it. That's what I do; I give the water that shape by casting a simple shaping spell. The thing is, the spell is very flexible, so I'm not limited to a spherical shape. Also, the bag I create with the spell won't tear as long as I stay focused or don't dispel it willingly."

The captain's expression returned to normal, and he said with disappointment he made sure to show, "So yer just walkin' on water, eh? Seen mages do that before, but what good is it if walkin' on water’s slower than swimmin’, and they barely stand upright?" he said dismissively.

Silora wanted to slap his big forehead but restrained herself. "It seems you've forgotten two things. I clearly said this is just the basics; it can't be considered a systematic spell. In fact, it's just a primal spell, the raw form of systematic spells. And I'm only trying to convince you to let me go stand at the front of the ship," she said with exhaustion and impatience, something that put a small smile on the captain's face.

Ignoring the captain's smile, Silora asked a question that had been on her mind about something the old healthy man had mentioned before, "What's the story with the spellbinder you mentioned earlier?"

"Don’t be mentionin’ that arrogant scoundrel" he said with clear annoyance. "Just 'cause he's handy with his little wand don't mean he’s better than us. We’re the ones doin' all the work while he sleeps in that plush room he got without earnin' it."

'Handy with his little wand? Maybe a battle mage. He must be a battle mage, or how else would he protect the ship,' Silora thought as she looked at the angry captain and asked for more details. The captain himself was angry enough to provide more. Apparently, this mysterious battle mage was someone sent by the Northern Winds to protect the ship, the crew, and the passengers. Given the recent attacks targeting many of the Northern Winds ships, sending a mage to accompany each ship seemed like the responsible thing to do.

Silora herself remembered something about this during her time in the River's Mouth Town. Many conversations she overheard during her days at the Tower Tavern mentioned something about this mysterious killer. He only targeted ships carrying passengers, usually ending up killing all the humans on the ship and even destroying it afterward. From the rumors Silora heard, it didn't seem like the killer's goal was theft or wealth. His only goal remained unknown, but from his attack patterns, most people speculated he was looking for someone. More precisely, a female. No female had ever survived any of his attacks.

Silora was lost in her thoughts and didn't hear the captain's words beside her. "What did you say? I got distracted with my thoughts... sorry?," Silora said with some guilt.

"I said, why’re ya different from the rest? I’ve never met one who didn’t hold their nose so high they could use it fer seein'." he said with a mix of disdain and confusion.

"I suppose you mean arrogance by your words. As for why I'm different from others?" Silora thought about her words and said honestly, "I haven't really met any mage, regardless of their specialty, except for my dear mother, of course. She taught me everything I know, and I don't think arrogance was part of her teachings."

The captain nodded in satisfaction and said, "Yer mum did a good job, she did."

Silora smiled at the compliment and said, "So, will you let me go to the front of the ship? I'll be fine... Please."

The captain sighed tiredly and said with a hidden meaning, "The sea currents weaken at night, and the first mate takes my place. As fer ya, no matter how much ya try, I won’t allow it."

"That's too bad, I really wanted to go there," Silora said, trying to suppress her excitement. The captain's words hinted that she could go to the front of the ship, but he wouldn't give her verbal permission due to his role. Now that she had achieved one of the things she wanted to do, she wouldn't push for more; there were still the coming days to try.