Chapter 8
A NEW PIER
Gypsy had piloted through the night, and the sun had been up for a few hours. There had been no need to hop any part of the river as she’d expertly navigated through the narrowest section. There’d only been a few inches to spare at one point, but Gypsy never touched the river’s bank once. Finn felt so proud of her.
Overnight, Finn had kept Gypsy company from the cockpit. It wasn’t fair to leave her to do all the piloting alone. They had so much to chat about. They both had hopes and fears about their new life of freedom and talked about it like the married couple they spiritually were. After their guests had grabbed a few hours of sleep, Abbot joined Finn back on the roof of the command pod, watching Gypsy near a sharp bend to the left. On the way down the river, it had widened to over twice Gypsy’s width, and the nearer mountains had become more like extreme foothills. Dense forest now ruled the riverbanks, its trees looming over them. There’d often be a loud sploosh as a giant rodent would ungracefully launch into the water. It would then head off somewhere with its legs paddling wildly, just going about its business.
“Are those beavers?” Finn asked, trying to show off his knowledge of wildlife he’d acquired from books.
“No, not beavers,” Abbot said. “Those are capcas. There are beavers over by the village of Loggerhead, but these beasties don’t have the broad, flat tails that beavers have. They’re a lot bigger, too. We’ve got thousands of them living around here. They’ve become a bit of a staple food in Shanty and taste great if you’re interested.
Finn wasn’t sure if he was interested in munching on a giant rodent, but he’d give it a go if the opportunity presented itself. He was determined to experience as much of life as possible to compensate for lost time.
Shanty came into view as they rounded the sharp bend, and Finn’s jaw dropped. “Is that a city?”
Abbot laughed. “Welcome to Shanty.”
Finn looked around in awe at the sheer architectural madness. Before him sprawled a chaotic jumble of buildings of every shape, size and build quality. He was staggered by how much space the wild arrangement of homes occupied. The lake was enormous, yet its vast banks were thickly packed with a myriad of shacks. Some were supported by stone walls. Huts were built on top of stone buildings while many others leaned against its sides. Others just relied on each other to stay upright. Wherever Finn glanced, another cobbled-together lean-to borrowed someone else’s wall. It was obviously a dynamic place that had needed to expand rapidly as more people arrived. A wide variety of brightly coloured market stalls dotted the sea of drab greys and browns, like summer flowers in a field of corn. Despite the chaos of structures everywhere, the whole place seemed to convey an energy and character that fae cities lacked. Shanty appeared to possess a unique form of dynamism that was palpable.
Many small craft floated around. Some of the larger, better-built boats were obviously fishing, but there was also a wide assortment of rafts, row boats and converted launches that moved purposely from one side of the lake to the other. As Gypsy moved from the river to the lake, the busy craft scattered out of respect for a superior vessel. All crew members stood on a wide variety of decks to gawp at the colossal mystery boat that glided silently through their midst.
“On the right, you can see the original Shanty,” Abbot explained. “When we ran out of space to build on that side, people started building on the left side. Eventually, what we’d originally called New Shanty became Tother Town, which eventually got shortened to Tother.”
Finn thought about that and then finally got the joke.
“The whole place looks like someone collected a massive pile of rubbish, then someone else came along and built a city with it,” Gypsy said, “and that someone was a crazy person, high on wild shrooms.”
Finn couldn’t argue with her comment, but he already felt an affinity for the chaos of the place. Something about the wild disorder drew him in. It was a sharp juxtaposition of his former life in the military. It was a wonderfully refreshing contrast.
Hundreds of differently dressed individuals went about their various businesses everywhere he looked. Among the mix of dwarves, humans, elves, and orcs were many other species. Finn had already spotted a small group of scruffy gnomes, many goblins of both genders in various states of undress, a group of well-built cowkin ladies carrying heavy-looking churns and a pair of lizardfolk in fine dresses carrying wickerwork baskets. Every single one of those people turned to stare at Gypsy. The ones that spotted Finn and Abbot perched on the command pod roof waved to them enthusiastically. To Finn, most occupants of Shanty seemed amiable enough, unlike any fae city where people always did their best to avoid eye contact or public displays of emotion.
“When anyone is shunned or threatened by society, they come here,” Abbot said. “I won’t say we’re a sanctuary because we have our share of criminals and people who would prey on those weaker than they are. However, we do our best to care for everyone despite the sheer quantity of souls living here now.”
“Bernard told me that he is the captain of the guard. Are the members of the guard volunteers, too?”
Abbot gave Finn a knowing grin. “He would like us to call our security team, the city guard, but everyone insists on calling them the watch. If you’re interested, Bernard is crying out for capable individuals for his night watch. We do pay our city-watch a fairly decent wage, and I understand you don’t need sleep. Let’s see how you cope with the ascendency trials first, though. I’m sure Bernard will be there looking for recruits, but not before I introduce you to Isabella. I am sure she’d be delighted to meet you and maybe entice you to join her at the clinic if you can find the time. There’d be a wage to claim there, too.”
“You’ll need more hours in the day, dear,” Gypsy thought to him. “Luckily, we have just that. Ember just told me they have thirty-two hours each day. Weird, eh!”
“Abbot mentioned a bonus, ‘Grace Day’. Have you learnt anything about that? Do they do something special?”
“They have a sizeable arena here and a few different games venues. Normally, they hold competitive events with prizes for the winners,” Gypsy explained. “They also organise tidy-up teams, construction groups and volunteers for the harvest if needed. It all seems very communal and completely different to what we’ve seen among the fae.”
All this was interesting for Finn. They were about to become part of a whole new way of life. One that appealed to his sense of what was right and good.
Abbot pointed to a large island away in the distance where the lake narrowed considerably. High-spanning bridges crossed from Shanty to the island and from there across to Tother.
Finn’s first thought was that Gypsy wouldn’t fit underneath either bridge.
“Our monastery was built on that island hundreds of years ago. It was dedicated to Liss by the elves, who are still her avid followers,” Abbot explained. “As well as the monastery, we have the communal cooking fires, our arena and the monastery’s outbuildings occupied by the library and the infirmary. Our island has become the hub that connects Shanty and Tother. Miris lives in her small apartment attached to the library, while Isabella has an apartment in the infirmary. I’ll take you to meet them both in a few days.”
“Is there a river that drains this lake?” Finn asked.
“The river from Arcathia that we’ve just travelled is actually called the Darkwater Run, but everyone just calls it the Run. That continues on through a mountain pass just south of the monastery. Further downstream is where you’ll find Erinmore’s main mixed-race city, Market Haven. Everything to the south of there is elven territory, although there is a port in the east where anything goes. Every settlement is accessible by water, which is lucky because everywhere else is covered by either forest or mountains.”
“I ventured into my first forest a few days ago in Grandis. I think I have a lot to learn.”
Abbot looked at Finn with intense curiosity. “You’d never been in a forest before then? Ever?”
“No. I’ve landed in a few, but I was required to always stay on board,” Finn replied. He felt guilty about it for some reason. “I was born in Trine, our capital city. Then, I was taken by the royal military and lived in guarded isolation as I studied in their academy. After I graduated, I was bonded to Gypsy and was expected to stay on board for the five years I spent on active duty. Then the Ravagers stole Gypsy, and that’s when the chaos started.”
“The Ravagers? I don’t know about them,” Abbot looked concerned for the first time since Finn had met him. “I assume they are pirates. What happened to them?”
“They put a slave collar on me and made me steal Gypsy, then fly her through the fae gate to Grandis. We were attacked by human mercenaries as we rested in a clearing. We had to stop to recharge Gypsy’s mana batteries. All but three of them were killed. The others I killed once Danu’s avatar freed me from the collar in Arcathia.”
“You killed them? So, you can fight then?” Abbot asked.
Finn smiled a guarded smile. “I can fight if I have to. I assume your ascendancy trials will showcase what each candidate can do. Logically, combat will be one of the trials. You can see for yourself, then.”
Abbott snorted in amusement. “Yes indeed. Your assumption that combat is part of the trials is correct. I’ll give you that information for free.”
“Finn? Can you hear me? It’s Ember. Are you there?”
Finn grinned. Ember had remembered to use the communicator crystal. “I’m here, Ember. I’m with Abbot. Would you and Bernard like to join us? The view is splendid up here.”
“Oh! Wow! This thing actually worked. That’s ten copper you owe me, Bernard,” Ember said. “Uhm! Yes, can we join you?”
In an instant, Finn was on his feet, steadying Bernard as he acclimatised to his sudden change in location. Cushions appeared, and Bernard sat down quickly before Ember appeared.
Ember looked around and gasped as she saw Shanty from a perspective she’d never experienced. “We’re so high up. Everything looks so much smaller.”
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Finn noticed she’d instantly altered her balance when she appeared. It was more proof of her fighting prowess.
As they drew closer to the lower half of Shanty, Ember started pointing out places of interest to Finn. She pulled his attention across to Barter, a large, sprawling market with stalls covered in a varied assortment of colours and materials. It was a bright, bustling place and somewhere that could quickly fulfil his dream of going shopping.
A nasty thought occurred to Finn. “Uh! I only have fae coins, mainly gold and silver, but there are bronze and copper coins too. Can I buy things here with them? I’ve never bought anything before and don’t know how it works.”
The three Shantians all turned to face Finn and stared, the same look of shock and disbelief written on their faces.
“You’ve never bought anything? I find that hard to believe.” Bernard said, his voice dripping with doubt.
Finn glared at Bernard, then sighed and shook his head. “What have I done to make you doubt everything I say? Until a few hours before we met, I’d led a closely guarded life. I’d never been allowed to go anywhere or do anything that wasn’t part of my work or detailed training schedule,” Finn said, feeling put upon and not bothering to hide it in his tone. “I didn’t see a market in Arcathia. Did you, Bernard?” He wrestled his annoyance down. The sweaty half-elf and his pretentious armour were starting to irk him. He’d addressed his sarcasm to Bernard but meant it for all three doubters.
“Calm down, lover. Take a deep breath. Maybe they’ve got an avatar vendor in this Barter place,” Gypsy chipped in. “That would make our task easier.”
Finn knew she was trying to distract his focus away from the sweaty half-elf.
“I’m a guard. It’s in our nature to doubt what we’re told. Nothing personal, lad,” Bernard said.
Abbot chuckled. “Please relax, Finn. He didn’t mean any offence. In our society, a lot of life revolves around commerce and trade. We were just shocked at your unique situation.”
Finn snorted derisively. “Yet you expect me to believe everything you tell me, right?”
Ember cleared her throat and erased the scepticism from her face, replacing it with a warm smile. “Someone would need to guide you to Shanty’s bank. As your mentor, that’s something I’d be glad to do. Gold, silver, and copper coins are all standardised in Allis, but we don’t have any bronze coins. So, the only differences with the coins from your world would be their purity, markings and weight. The bank staff would simply weigh and grade your fae coins and replace them for their equivalent weight in Shanty’s currency. For a fee, of course.”
Bernard grinned. “Or you could ask your new father to melt your coins down and recast them as Shanty coins. He controls the city mint, after all.”
Abbot gave Bernard a thoughtful look, then nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose. Doing it as Bernard suggested wouldn’t break our rules as long as Hamish agreed to do the work.”
Finn considered both options. He hadn’t met his adoptive parents yet but imagined that dumping chests full of assorted coinage on them and asking them to melt it down to make new coins wouldn’t be ideal for their budding relationship. It would be an imposition, at the very least. It is better to pay a fee and start a business relationship with Shanty’s bank. He didn’t know his long-term plans yet, but it sounded like he’d stay in Shanty for a while. He imagined he’d need to find ways to earn money, eventually. More money, more shopping, right?
Abbot looked away to the approaching island. “Ah, yes! Now you can see our lovely monastery properly. She has faded a little over her hundreds of years, but she still holds her former glory in our hearts.”
Finn followed Abbot’s gaze and saw what he meant. The monastery was a busy amalgamation of tall spires and multiple circular structures melded together by cloisters or smaller buildings. The walls were smooth and were probably a brilliant white in their prime. Now, the occasional pockmark marred the off-white walls. The towering spires, which must have once gleamed silver, had areas of gilt that were peeling badly.
There was a large clock face on the tallest tower, with three others facing off toward each of the cardinal points. The problem was that the clock had numbers from one to sixteen and had stopped at six minutes past seven. Finn could tell by the sun’s position that it had just passed midday, so that time had to be wrong.
“The tower clock is broken. Are you going to fix it?” Finn was proud to be an engineer first and a pilot second. At least, that’s how he saw himself. Seeing a mechanism in distress tugged at his sensibility.
“We’d love to get it fixed, but we don’t have anyone with the skills to do it,” Abbot gave Finn a sideways look as if he knew what was coming next.
“I could probably fix it. You’d have to pay for any parts and sundries, and we could barter for compensation for my time,” Finn instantly replied with a knowing smile. “Oh, yes! And the components are likely quite large, so I’d need a helper or two to handle them.” He might never have been able to buy anything, but he’d sat through many hours of tuition about commerce. It was all theory, though, like so many things in his life.
“Hah!” Abbot laughed. “Yes, yes, yes. She was right, as always. Very shrewd indeed. Settle in first, young fae. Your time will be in high demand for your first few months among us. I’ll remind you of your offer when the time is right.”
“Can you let Bernard and me off by the monastery, Finn?” Ember asked.
“Yes, of course. We’ll need to get a little closer, and then I can teleport you over without needing to moor up first. Is that okay?”
“That would be great, yes,” Ember replied happily. “It’s still a wonder to me that you can actually move people and items around without even blinking.”
“I’d better get some warm thoughts from you when you’re done tonight,” Gypsy griped. “I’ve done all your share of the work today.”
“I’m sorry, darling. It has been a day of talking for me rather than doing. You know I love you, don’t you?” Finn teased.
Gypsy harrumphed in Finn’s mind, but there was good humour there, too. He knew what she said was true. He also knew that she didn’t really mind. They helped each other without question. It’s just the way they were.
*****-*****
When Ember and Bernard were safely ashore, and their rowboat was moored securely against a nearby pier, Abbot pointed out a large stone structure resembling a massive stone triangle with a tall chimney atop it. Even in broad daylight, he could see the red glow of fire reflecting off the surrounding buildings. The structure was a short way up the Shanty side of the lake, so Gypsy allowed Finn to adjust their course to head that way. He did so remotely, which was never ideal, but they were in open water, so there wasn’t any risk.
“Is that the forge?” Finn asked Abbot. They were still sitting on the roof of the command pod, but Finn would need to take the controls soon if they were going to dock nearby.
“Yes, Hamish and Agnetha Smith, your new parents, are expecting us. They just didn’t know when.”
“I’ll need to move you to the war room again while I take over from Gypsy. Where are we meant to dock?” Finn said.
Abbot pointed to a broad, sturdy-looking wooden pier that was obviously newly built. It was right behind the forge, which had its back to the lake’s edge. “We built you your own docking area in anticipation of your arrival. The forge and its buildings are walled off and restricted because of the heat and the mines a little further up. You can see the wall if you look past the sheds. You should have a little privacy, at least.”
Finn wasn’t worried about unwanted guests. No one would get into Gypsy without their permission. Robust countermeasures existed for that purpose. Countermeasures that were somehow disabled when the Ravagers raided the sky docks. It was suspicious and one of the reasons Finn was sure the pirates had inside help.
Finn extended his mana to wrap Abbot, and in a flash, they were in the war room. Finn was sitting in his cockpit in another instant, looking straight at the approaching pier.
“May I have the controls, please, dearest?” Finn asked sweetly with a laugh.
Gypsy snorted. “Yes, of course you may, darling. You have them, now.”
“Did you catch what Abbot said,” Finn thought to Gypsy. “They built us our own pier. Isn’t that a friendly gesture? We are approaching the Shantian equivalent of a fae sky dock.”
“I’m not sure our three guests truly believed I could fly.”
“Our three guests were sceptical about most of what I told them. It was getting annoying. They’ll learn what we’re capable of soon enough. They can’t claim we didn’t warn them when you rise up from the water and fly away,” Finn replied. “I think you’ll be stuck in the water for the time being, though.”
“You’ll probably be busy for the rest of the day, but tomorrow, you are going to make time to search the library for a book on avatars,” Gypsy stated. There was no humour in her thoughts this time. “If we’re going to make a life in this place, I am not sitting at the end of this pier on my own each and every day. Even if they did build it especially for us.”
“I know. I get it. Truly, I do. I’ll do everything I can to get you your avatar, I swear. We both deserve a life outside. Even if we’re destined to always end up back here.”
“I know you will, dear,” Gypsy answered softly. “You find the book if the damned thing even exists, and we’ll work things out together. Just as we always have.”
Finn engaged the directional thrusters to line the command pod up with the front of the pier, then when they’d inched close enough, he fired the four harpoon anchors into the lake bed. As soon as he felt the anchor chains pull tight, he opened the front of the command pod and lowered the gangway. Probably better to walk into this city than to simply materialise, he thought.
Finn collected Abbot, who was again smiling widely. “A very efficient job mooring. Well done.”
Finn grinned. “My thanks. They trained me well at the academy. Are you ready to disembark?”
“Disembark? Ohhh! You mean get off this boat. What exotic words you fae have for simple things,” Abbot replied with a chuckle. “Yes, you wait by the gangway while I nip in and warn the Smiths you’re here. I’m sure Hamish will want to ogle Gypsy first.”
“Oo! Normally, you’re the only one that ogles me, dear. It’s nice to have admirers.”
“Nonsense. Everyone admires you when they see you. You know you’re gorgeous,” Finn replied.
Finn looked back and saw Abbot standing in the transport octagon, looking expectantly at him.
“Shall we?” The old monk said with a smile.
“Yes, sorry. I was just chatting with Gypsy.”
“You lead such a strange and fascinating life, Finn,” Abbot said warmly. “The new life we offer may seem slow by comparison, but I know we can find more than enough to keep you interested. Ember should visit you tomorrow, and then she can start mentoring you. Things will all start to make a lot more sense with her help.”
Finn just bowed slightly, and with a thought, they both appeared at the top of the gangway.
Abbot gave Finn a wink and then set off down the gangway. Finn followed, his head on a swivel as he took in the city’s sights, smells and sounds. Even in this so-called restricted area, people bustled to and from various large stone buildings. Everything had felt so distant when he’d viewed it from the lake. Now, he felt wrapped in Shanty’s slightly pungent aura as he walked down the gangway.
As he reached the end of the gangway and stepped onto the sturdy pier, Finn noticed a young-looking goblin lady leaning against the forge wall. When the lady saw him notice her, she pushed away from the wall and started his way. He watched her sashay towards him, an alluring smile on her attractive face. Her height was no more than four feet, eleven inches, and her skin was a flawless olive.
She studied Finn closely, with her large, almond-shaped green eyes, which accentuated her shield-shaped face and high cheekbones. The goblin lady had fulsome green lips framed by two tiny, upwardly pointing tusks. Two high-fastened ponytails made her rich, chestnut-coloured hair rise up before cascading below her shoulders, held back by her outwardly pointed ears. Her smile widened when she spotted Finn studying her lewdly curvaceous figure. Her short stature highlighted her wide, rounded hips, narrow waist and generously sized chest. Her figure was further enhanced by her skimpy leather clothing that was more strapping than cover.
Evidently, the goblin knew Finn was checking her out, but his guilt was tempered by her obviously doing the same to him.
Before Finn could regain his senses, the goblinette had already pushed herself against his side and wrapped her leg around his. Her generous breasts pressed firmly into his arm. She was soft and oh, so warm. Finn felt his body react swiftly to her contact. She looked up at him, batted her large brown eyelashes, then gave him a suggestive smile and wriggled.
“Hey, cutie! You’re new around here, ain’t ya. You need some company?” She purred. Her accent was thick, and her words a little clipped.
Before Finn could answer, the goblinette went on. “Is dis your boat? Are you rich? Is you important? You need a good woman to take care of ya? I’m a very good woman.”
Finn held up a hand in a stop gesture. “Okay, let’s do names first. My name is Finn, and this ‘boat’ behind me is called Gypsy. What is your name?” Finn chuckled to himself. Abbot was right. Goblins were very friendly indeed.
“I’m Pip, and it’s your pleasure to meet me.”