The next morning, Lewis was woken by someone banging on the cabin door loudly. ‘Docking in fifteen minutes!’ Hector’s voice shouted from the other side. Sitting up, Lewis looked around. It seemed that the storm had given way to a bright, sunny day as the sunlight flooded through the small window on the far side of the cabin.
‘Morning,’ Emily muttered as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
‘Morning. I’m sorry about last night,’ Lewis said as he remembered the end of their conversation the night before.
‘It’s fine,’ she said as she climbed out of her bed, pulling a change of clothes from her bag that hung on the post at the end of her bed. ‘I’m going to get changed.’
Without another word, she slipped out of the cabin, pulling the door shut behind her. Left alone in the cabin, Lewis sat back for a few minutes before he finally decided to get up.
Peering out of the small window as he got changed, he saw the open sea sparkling in the sunshine. Arcis must be on the other side of the ship, he concluded as he watched a small fishing boat drift past on the calm waters.
‘Ready to go?’ Emily asked when she returned. The tatty second-hand clothes she had been wearing during their time on the ship were tucked under her arm, giving way to the blue dress she had been wearing the first time the two of them had met.
‘Whenever you are,’ he replied, his eyes lingering on her momentarily. Picking up his bag, he slung it over his shoulder. ‘I haven’t seen you wear your dress from the castle in a long time.’
‘There hasn’t really been any decent weather before now,’ she said as she led the way out of their cabin after one final check for anything they might have left behind.
‘I’m glad the storm passed over night; it wouldn’t have been much fun wandering around a city we don’t know in the pouring rain,’ Lewis said as they climbed through the open hatch that led to the main deck.
Stretching in the sunlight, Lewis looked around. All of the crew except for Captain Caldwell were gathered at the side of the ship, watching as the port came into view. Behind several docked ships that dwarfed The White Tide sat Arcis, the city rising steeply up the hillside behind the port. From where they were, Lewis could just about make out the individual white buildings jumbled together.
‘Welcome to Arcis,’ Hector said as Lewis and Emily joined him by the rail. ‘It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?’
‘I agree,’ Lewis said as they sailed past one of the two huge towers that stood at the entrance to the harbour. Arcis had been carved in huge, elaborate letters into the white stone at the base of the tower.
‘Why are all the buildings white?’ Emily asked as they passed a large stone warehouse. Through the huge wooden doors that stood half open, Lewis could see hundreds of crates like the ones on the ship stacked up.
‘There is a huge limestone quarry to the east of Arcis. When the city was built, it was the easiest material to transport,’ Hector said. ‘I’ve come here many times, but it still makes an impression when you see it as you sail in.’
‘It’s a beautiful city,’ Emily agreed as Captain Caldwell turned the ship slightly so that it ran alongside one of the huge wooden landing piers.
‘Moor her up!’ Captain Caldwell shouted down to the crew.
At once, four of the crew members took the heavy ropes that hung along the side of the ship, throwing them over the side and on to the pier. One by one, they climbed up on the rail, jumping down to the dock after their ropes.
While they were securing the ropes to the huge wooden beams, Lewis watched as a pair of smartly dressed men walked down the pier towards the ship. Both of them were wearing a white shirt that had been tucked into their black trousers; their look was completed by a flat black cap.
‘The White Tide?’ The man holding a clipboard shouted questioningly as he looked up at the crew that was still on board.
‘Aye, it is,’ Captain Caldwell called back, suddenly appearing beside Lewis.
‘Your name, cargo, crew, and any passengers,’ the man ordered.
‘Captain Gregory Caldwell, twenty-four crates of Green Valley wine, eighteen crates of dark rum from Oria, and one hundred and twenty fir beams for building,’ Captain Caldwell replied as he produced a small black book and tossed it down to the second man who stood on the pier. ‘Fourteen crew and two passengers. Names are in there with the cargo details.’
For a minute, Lewis watched in silence as the two men flicked through the book Captain Caldwell had given them, conferring quietly. ‘Welcome to Arcis, Captain Caldwell. This all seems to be in order. If you need anything, ask for Port Master Bailey,’ Bailey said, tossing the book back to Captain Caldwell, who caught it deftly.
‘Thank you,’ he called as the two men turned and strode back down the pier. ‘Lower the bridge.’
‘I guess this is goodbye then,’ Hector said, turning to Lewis and Emily and offering his hand.
‘For now,’ Lewis agreed as he shook Hector’s hand. ‘Thank you for letting us travel with you.’
‘Not a problem. If anything, I think Captain Caldwell was glad of the extra help from time to time,’ Hector said, glancing over his shoulder at the sound of the bridge crashing down on the pier. ‘Maybe I’ll see you both again when I’m in Whitecliff.’
‘We’ll look out for you,’ Emily said as they followed Hector and the rest of the crew down the short bridge and on to the docks. ‘Thank you for everything.’
‘It’s been a pleasure having you on board,’ Captain Caldwell said, suddenly appearing behind them. ‘Good luck finding your relative,’ he added with a nod to Lewis as the two of them shook hands.
‘Thanks, we’re going to need it,’ Lewis replied as Captain Caldwell gave Emily a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
After Captain Caldwell’s farewell, it took some time before they were able to move away from the ship as the various members of the crew wished them luck on their journey north. Ushered forward by the others, Noah had grudgingly shaken hands with the pair of them. It was obvious that he hadn’t forgotten that it had more often than not been Emily who had taken his money in the card game the night before.
‘Noah didn’t seem too happy,’ Lewis commented when they were out of earshot of the crew.
‘No,’ Emily muttered, glancing over her shoulder quickly to check no one was following them. ‘I’m glad we’ve finally gotten off that ship.’
‘The sea did get pretty rough last night.’
‘It’s not that,’ she said, lowering her voice as they passed a couple of people on the stone steps that led up to the street that ran alongside the harbour. From the ship, Lewis hadn’t been able to see the white cobbles that made up the road. ‘I don’t trust Noah.’
‘I’m sure he was just upset about losing his money to you last night,’ Lewis said with a laugh.
‘It wasn’t that,’ Emily said as Lewis stopped walking to look up and down the street. ‘When I went to get changed, he said how he wasn’t feeling well after the rum last night.’
‘He probably just drank too much,’ Lewis said as he watched a group of children running down the street towards them.
‘There’s more. He made a comment about being glad that it wasn’t poisoned,’ Emily said as she tugged at Lewis’ arm, forcing him to turn to face her.
‘Maybe it’s a problem they come across,’ Lewis said, freeing himself from her grasp.
‘I thought I heard someone outside our cabin when we were talking about what happened to Sebastian last night,’ Emily said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the way as a couple of sailors from another ship bustled past. ‘I think he heard what we were saying.’
‘I’m sure he has more important things to do than eavesdrop on our conversations late at night,’ Lewis said.
‘Can I help you two?’ a voice asked from behind them before Emily could reply.
‘Port Master Bailey!’ Lewis said as he spun around. The sudden appearance of the man almost made him jump out of his skin. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you were there.’
‘It’s alright; I'm sorry to scare you like that,’ Bailey said with a friendly smile. ‘Do you need any help?’
‘Yes, actually,’ Emily said quickly. ‘We’re looking for The Golden Cannonball; do you know where it is?’
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‘Of course,’ he laughed. ‘Everyone knows The Golden Cannonball.’ When neither of them made any motion to suggest they knew it, he continued. ‘Follow this street along the port until you reach the fountain. Head up the hill from there, and The Golden Cannonball is on the far side of the market.’
‘Thank you,’ Emily said, pulling Lewis in the direction that Bailey had pointed.
‘Is there anything else?’ Bailey asked, but before Lewis could say anything, he found himself being dragged down the street by the arm.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Baily looking utterly perplexed. With a shake of his head, he turned and descended the stairs back down to the port. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling,’ Emily said when Lewis turned to her to ask what was going on.
‘Alright. I can walk by myself, you know,’ he said as he pulled his arm out of her grip again.
‘Sorry, I just want to get out of here,’ she muttered, her eyes darting around the crowds of people as they passed.
‘You need to relax,’ Lewis instructed as he watched her.
For a moment, the pace she had set slowed. Letting out a deep breath, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder. ‘Is everything here white?’ she asked as they entered a small square. Standing in the centre was a huge marble fountain. In the centre of the large pool sat two towering stone dragons, the water falling in an arch from their mouths. Beneath the water, several small children were playing in the water, while their parents, whom Lewis assumed were their parents, chatted as they watched on.
‘It seems like it is,’ Lewis said as he looked around the square. Wherever he looked, people’s eyes seemed to keep falling on the pair of them. Realising that they were probably gawking at the fountain, he gently nudged Emily in the side. ‘Let’s keep moving.’
‘Do you ever get the feeling people are watching us?’ Emily muttered as they started up the steep hill.
‘People are watching us,’ Lewis pointed out as a pair of women who were heading towards them almost stopped dead in their tracks when their eyes fell on him and Emily. As they passed, the two women scurried out of the way.
‘Why are people watching us?’ she whispered, suddenly becoming aware of everyone around them.
‘I don’t know,’ Lewis replied as he looked around. Then it hit him. ‘Everyone is wearing black and white.’
Everywhere he looked, people were wearing white shirts, the men wearing black trousers, and the women wearing skirts. Although he was wearing black and white, Emily was walking next to him in her blue dress. As if her red hair didn’t make her stick out from the crowd, the dress certainly did.
Before either of them could say anything, a pair of young boys charged through the crowd. Neither of them looked where they were going when they crashed into Lewis and Emily.
‘Sorry Mister. Sorry...’ one said quickly. As his eyes fell on Emily, he trailed off. With a whole host of garbled apologies, the two boys ran off, disappearing among the crowd.
‘This is so weird,’ Emily muttered as they started walking again. ‘I can’t wait to get off the streets.’
With the locals eyeing them warily, they cut a path through the crowded street in silence. As they approached people, they seemed to melt away into the shadows of the street, trying desperately to avoid eye contact with either of them.
As they climbed the hill, the street slowly began to widen before finally giving way to a huge cobbled square. Standing in front of them was a mass of market stalls.
‘Tristan’s market is tiny compared to this,’ Lewis said as he looked around at the hundreds of different stalls.
‘The Golden Cannonball should be on the other side of this lot,’ Emily said as she started towards the market.
To their relief, a lot of the stall owners weren’t all dressed in black and white. Even without standing out as much, Lewis could still feel eyes following them as they wound their way between the stalls. However, while they weren’t attracting attention, people were no longer afraid to approach them and offer what they were selling.
The first few times Emily politely declined, they moved on. After the sixth or seventh time that they had been stopped, she had given up, choosing to ignore them altogether. That decision, it turned out, only made things worse. As the stall owners flocked after them all, trying to make themselves heard over the others. In the end, their progress across the market had become so slow that Lewis stopped, turning to the small crowd that was now following them.
‘Enough!’ he shouted over them.
For a second, they were stunned into silence. Taking that opportunity, Lewis grabbed Emily’s arm and marched off in the direction they had been heading. Behind them, there was a roar of shouts, but none of the sellers followed them.
‘That actually worked,’ Emily said in surprise as she glanced over her shoulder.
‘I can’t wait to get out of here,’ Lewis said. ‘Look, there it is.’
Towering over the stalls at the edge of the market was a huge, wedge-shaped building. Like everything else in Arcis, it had been built out of limestone. The only difference here, though, was the giant golden cannonball embedded in the wall a couple of floors up; the stonework was all cracked around it. Unable to decide if it was part of the design or not, he led Emily over to the black wooden door, pushing it open gently.
The Golden Cannonball was a complete contrast to the rest of Arcis that they had seen. Unlike the outside, everything in the bar was dark and dingy, with an overpowering smell of rum. Even though there were at least twenty or thirty people in the room, it was surprisingly quiet. Apart from a woman behind the bar, all the other people were men. As the door swung shut behind them, they all glanced up to see who had entered before they went back to brooding over their drinks.
‘At least it’s quiet in here,’ Emily muttered as they weaved their way between the tables in the direction of the bar.
‘I’ll be with you in a minute,’ the woman behind the bar called as Lewis leant against the bar.
‘It’s alright, no rush,’ Lewis replied as he watched the woman with her back to them change one of the bottles that hung upside down on the wall behind the bar.
‘Right, what can I get you?’ She asked as she turned around, brushing her dirty blonde hair out of her face with one hand. Tossing the empty bottle into a large bin, she froze when she saw them. ‘I’m so sorry, lady." If I had known...my apologies.’
‘It’s alright,’ Emily replied with a frown.
‘Of course it isn’t. It’s a terrible thing of me to keep someone like yourself waiting,’ the woman said.
‘Someone like me?’
‘A councillor’s wife, of course.’
‘I’m not a councillor’s wife,’ Emily said quickly.
‘I’m sorry. The dress...I just assumed,’ the woman said hastily as she tied her hair back.
‘Maybe that explains why everyone was looking at us on the way here,’ Lewis said. Whether the other people in the pub didn’t think she was a councillor’s wife or just didn’t care, he couldn’t decide as he glanced around at them.
‘What can I do for you two anyway? You both look far too young to be drinking in the middle of the day like this lot, she said, placing her hands on the bar.
‘We’re looking for a man named Winston,’ Lewis said quietly, leaning in slightly. ‘Edmund Vandemark sent us.’
‘You’ve come to the right place,’ she said as she beckoned for them to follow her down the bar.
‘Is he here?’ Emily asked as the woman walked around the end of the bar.
‘He’s out collecting a delivery right now. I’m Cecelia, his wife,’ she said as she walked behind a desk. ‘Why has Edmund sent you to find him?’
‘We were sent to find his brother, Thomas,’ Emily explained. ‘Edmund told us that Winston might be able to help us get to Eraea.’
‘I see,’ Cecelia said slowly as she glanced over her shoulder at the handful of keys that were each hung on separate hooks. ‘It would be best if you spoke to Winston yourselves. I have a couple of rooms free.’
‘How much is it?’ Lewis asked as he pulled his coin bag out.
‘Normally it would be five silvers, but as you’re here for Edmund, I can do it for three,’ Cecelia said with a smile.
Rummaging in the coin bag, Lewis pulled out three silver coins, sliding them across the desk to her. ‘Thank you.’
‘That’s alright,’ she said as she took one of the keys off its hook and placed it on the desk. ‘You’ll be in room eleven; go up the stairs, turn right, and it’s the second room from the end. We’ve just had someone leave this morning, so I’ll need to change it for you.’
‘Thank you,’ Lewis said as he took the key off the desk and put it in his pocket. ‘We can go have a look around the market while we wait.’
‘If you want to leave your bags behind the desk, then I’ll take them up when I do your room,’ Cecelia said.
Grateful that he wouldn’t have to carry his bag around everywhere with him, he slipped the strap off his shoulder and passed it over the desk to Cecelia. ‘Do you know anywhere we can get something quick to eat?’
‘There’s a small shop in the corner of the market if you turn left when you go out the door,’ she said as she took Emily’s bag and placed it on the floor behind the desk. ‘We serve food here in the evenings, and there is also a breakfast included in the price of the room tomorrow morning.’
With a nod, Lewis and Emily left Cecelia with their bags, heading back through the bar to the entrance. The room was just as they had left it, apart from a scrawny boy with glasses who had taken Cecelia’s place behind the bar. Leaving the brooding patrons to their drinks, they stepped back outside into the bright sunshine.
After being in the dark for a while, Lewis winced slightly as he looked around. The hustle and bustle of the market seemed to have died down a bit since they had walked through earlier, leaving them free to move about between the stalls.
Despite there being so many stalls here, it seemed as though they were all managing to sell something entirely different. From ornate ink pens and paper to clothes, nearly all in black and white, the stalls had everything in between. Unlike last time, the sellers seemed to have better things to do than pester them to buy things. At least it stayed that way until Lewis paused to examine a stall that was selling miniature figurines of archers and swordsmen.
Having satisfied his curiosity, Lewis turned around to find that Emily had disappeared. Looking one way and then the other, it was a couple of moments before he sported her red hair amongst the crowd. She was talking to a balding old man who stood behind one of the other stalls.
Leaving behind the stall with the figurines and the seller, who hadn’t so much as looked up from the book he was reading, Lewis made his way through the crowd. ‘Have you found something?’
Jumping, she swung around quickly. ‘You almost scared the life out of me,’ she replied, turning away from him again. ‘How much is it?’
‘What are you getting?’ Lewis asked as he looked at the items for sale. Most of them seemed to be random pieces of trash that had been picked up.
‘Fifteen bronze,’ the man said, stroking his wiry grey beard. ‘For you, I can do twelve, though, M’lady.’
‘I’ll take it,’ Emily said quickly as she produced the small money bag that held her winnings from the card game they had played on the ship. While she counted out the small bronze coins in her hand, the man produced a small paper bag. Taking a small prism that seemed to be made of cloudy glass, he carefully placed it in the bag.
‘One of my finest pieces,’ the man said as he looked joyfully at the coins in her hand, his smile stretching the scars on his face.
Handing over the coins, Emily took the small bag off the stall. ‘Let’s go,’ she said happily as she turned to Lewis.
Sceptical about what she had just purchased, he nodded, allowing her to lead the way. They had only taken a few paces when Lewis glanced back at the stall. The man was gone, and so were all the pieces he had been selling.
‘I don’t think he was an actual stall owner,’ Lewis said quietly, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of where the old man had been. ‘I think he was just selling trash he had found. No one was going anywhere near him.’
‘Good,’ she replied without looking back. ‘It’s good he thinks he’s selling rubbish.’
‘Why did you buy it then?’ Lewis asked.
‘Because it isn’t,’ she said defensively.
‘What is it then? It just looked like a piece of cloudy glass,’ Lewis said.
‘Not rubbish,’ she snapped. ‘I’ll show you later.’
‘Why not now? It’s not like we have anything else to do.’
‘I can’t,’ she replied before marching off in the direction of The Golden Cannonball without waiting for him to catch up. Frowning, Lewis sighed as he set off after her.