The Long Road To... - 40. Three Docks, No Wading

The sun was high when the first of our ships came to rest at one of the town’s three midsized docks. As the other piers were occupied, we began the process of bunching together, pulling lines for stability, and dropping the planking bridges in place between us.

 

As soon as I put my foot on the board, Begayar was at my side. He did not look especially well, but he was on his feet.

“When would I ever get the chance to see this place again?” He gave a wry smile.

“Herre,” Huallpa said as he gave us broaches with Phaetheon’s crest. “Don’t lose them.” He smiled and went back to his duties.

I helped him across to the next ship and then to the last. Every time I touched a deck, I scanned all the faces looking for Leaf and Blade. I only recognized a scant few, men from the caravan I suspected.

When we finally reached the stability of the wooden pier, we were immediately surrounded.

“It is good to see you safe brother,” Blade hugged me.

“Marius said you had made it aboard safely,” Leaf smiled. “I was glad to hear it. And with a rescue.” He looked at Begayar and switched languages. “My name is Leaf. How are you feeling?”

“Begayar.” He extended his hand and immediately regretted it. “Very sore.”

“I am sure we can find something to help ease the pain…”

“Lloque… the ship’s doctor said the same thing.” Begayar replied.

“Glad to hear you are under care.”

“We will be docked for a few days at most. My brothers,” Blade indicated them behind him, “are going to take me and Phaetheon to their sanctuary beyond the passage… we could ask for permission should you want to come…”

“I doubt they would let us,” Leaf countered. Blade sighed in agreement.

“Enemy territory…” Begayar whispered.

I shrugged. “We stay here.”

I could almost see the relief on both Blade and Begayar’s faces.

From the opposite side, Phaetheon approached us.

“Good to see you well,” he said stiffly to my ears. He looked at Begayar and there was something in his eyes. Not fear exactly, recognition perhaps, being seen maybe. There was an awkward pause as eyes locked.

“This is Begayar,” Leaf switched back to common. “He does not speak the common tongue.

Begayar seemed to acknowledge his name, but his eyes remained decidedly fixed on Phaetheon.

“Good to see him well.” Phaetheon switched to Begayar’s language. “I hear you were wounded and saved.”

Whatever surprise he may have had at hearing Phaetheon speak directly to him, Begayar suppressed it.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Phaetheon continued his scrutiny of Begayar and another strange pause engulfed us. The left side of Begayar’s mouth twisted ever so slightly into a wry grin. One that made me uncomfortable.

“We should be off to the sanctuary,” one of the brothers whispered to Blade.

“Yes,” Blade nodded. “Shall we?”

Without a word Phaetheon turned and led the way across the village, the brothers and Blade in tow behind him, and left us standing dumbstruck.

As soon as they turned a corner, Begayar uttered a soft laugh.

We turned to him. Leaf looked at me sideways.

“Interesting,” Begayar said and stood up straight then subsequently winced for the pain. “I will see this place before I leave, but perhaps tomorrow.” He turned and made his way up the plank and back to the ships.

“Odd…” whispered Leaf.

I shook my head. I suddenly felt tired but alert. A storm had moved through but without the rain and we were now alone. Leaf hugged me and erased the questions.

“I am happy you are safe.”

“As am I.” I whispered back.

“Shall we?”

We walked into the port. It was little more than a few buildings to shelter travelers and goods. The true city lie through the passage. We passed the entrance. It was an arched opening, barely tall or wide enough for a wagon. Currently, the large metal doors sat open. The dark tunnel behind slanted upward, seemingly to the plateau behind and above. The numerous guards watched our every move as we continued past.

As was the case with a landing port, there was not all that much to see. It was nothing more than an entry point, a docking or travel facility for the population above on the mesa. We went into a newer looking tavern and had some reasonably edible, non-ship, fare.

“After you guys pushed us out into the bay, I did not know what to expect,” Leaf began. “We paddled really hard to get out past the current, but kept getting drawn closer to the fort. Then we hit a good spot and were able to push out farther.” He gulped his ale. “Then we were pushed the other way, away from the ships, toward the opposite side of the bay. Then we ran up on a sand bar. We had to stop, we had been rowing for hours. Next thing we knew, the sun was rising so we pushed off and made for the boats. Well, we must have hit a rock or something because the boat started to swamp out. We were not close enough to try calling, so we just left the boat and swam for it.”

“It felt like we were not making any progress at all. Once or twice, I kept thinking… well, you know… but, I kept saying ‘I have to make it, I have to make it back.’” He looked at me softly, with warm eyes.

“We must have been seen, because one of the skiffs caught us and brought us into the ships. All three of us! All three saved! Can you believe it? And there you have it… not very heroic, but we got the job done.” He smiled.

“Brave…” I said slowly. “Stupid and brave.”

He laughed.

“You saved us.”

“What?” He set down his tankard.

“Enemy scouts. At the beach.” I nodded. “No ships, no rescue. Trapped.” It was true, if they had not gotten word to the boats, the scouts would have been soon followed by troops. We would have been fighting for our lives on the beach.

He pinken-ed slightly. “Well, we are all safe now. So what happened while we were out treading water?”

I gave him a brief rundown of the waiting, the reconnaissance, the return to the beach, and the escape to the ships.

Some of the others from the party appeared in the tavern to eat. The seemingly once-again-ever-present Teucer joined us at Leaf’s side. They talked quietly about the accommodations on board.

After eating, we made another pass around the town just to stretch out our legs then returned to the ships. We found a comfortable place on the deck, under the stars. It had been days since I had slept well and with Leaf at my side, I did.

The next day Begayar and LLoque went into town together to gather supplies. Leaf and I stayed on around the docks, only leaving once to get food at the same inn. Late in the day, we got word that Phaetheon’s party would return by the next day and we would set sail. The next leg of the trip would begin. Leaf was excited. He had never been to the tundra lands, much less the other side of the world.

I could not help but be happy for his joy. He talked and smiled and laughed like a child. I spent most of my time near him. He had taken a liking to Teucer and the two played dice. I almost became comfortable with the odd looks from Teucer, but they were still there. I still did not know what to make of them. Leaf offered no further explanation.

“He likes you.” Was all Leaf said.

Marius and Galehault sat with me sometimes and joked and laughed. Galehault said his father Artor had officially retired as far as he knew. When he had last seen him it was at the docks in the Capitol. The entire family had seen him off on his own adventures with Phaetheon.

As of the others that I had known, some were working with the city no longer controlled by the Duke. Others had gone through that valley, now that it was open, towards new lands, peoples, and kingdoms with Phaetheon. One such land contained the tribe of man from which Captian Huallpa and his kin came from. His people had become a fast ally to both Ambrosius and Phaetheon. The trading flourished. New markets and goods now flowed through Greenwater and other ports and passes.

Two things were not mentioned. The first was Maritimus. Galehault did not mention him and because he did not, I was afraid to ask. I did not know how old he actually was, but old enough. Still I hoped to be able to see him again someday. The second was Stag’s Pass and the secrets that lie there. I surmised the men’s child-bearing ability, the ability to procreate without women, was still secret. There was not a lot of other information at all about them or how Stag’s Pass was doing with all the changes going on in the new world opening up around them. It was almost like they deliberately left Stag’s Pass alone, isolated, like they had wanted to be.

I looked at Teucer and thought to ask him. Surely, he should know. He was one of them. He sat talking with some of the others. He was old enough to have a child, if he were able, if Gibbous has been any indication of when that capability began. In fact he should have.

He looked up suddenly and saw me studying him. There was a flush or blush and he looked down at his feet. After a few moments, he looked up at me again. Seeing I still was watching him, he smiled for a moment then looked down again before turning slightly away from everyone and his face became lost to me.

We slept on the deck once again.

True to the news, Phaetheon and the group came to the docks just before sunrise. Blade and the others followed him aboard. With them was another man, he was another one of the brothers from his dress and an enemy from his looks. The words about Phaetheon echoed again: a collector. Our traveling group continued to grow and diversify with every turn.

There seemed to be a general discussion between the captains, Phaetheon, and some of the others. They all returned to their ships and the next hours were spent rearranging cargo, crew, and passengers.

It appeared Blade and the others of the Artifex Pater were to stay aboard the main ship with Phaetheon. Other crew were shifted between and along with cargo. I smiled when I saw Leaf come back across the plank.

“Welcome aboarrd the Inpherrno!” Huallpa boomed and shook Leaf’s hand.

“And you as well my phrreind!” He reached past Leaf to Teucer and brought him down onto the deck.

“I couldn’t let you do a longer leg of the journey without me now could I?” Leaf cocked an eyebrow.

I could not help but smile.

“And Teucer here, well… there was just not enough room for him aboard any other ship…” He laughed.

Teucer blushed and looked down. I put my hand on his shoulder. He shyly looked up at me.

“Prreparre to sail!” Huallpa boomed across the ship then he looked at us. “Good to have you aboarrd. Let me know iph you need anything, yes?” We nodded and he walked away down the deck.

The three of us watched the final preparations: the boards raised, the ropes changed, the sails unfurled, the anchors raised.

“We are on our way…” Leaf beamed.

“Home…” Teucer whispered.

I nodded.

           

Begayar sat next to me on the deck eating. We were mostly quiet, listening to others from various places all over the ship.

“It will be colder in the tundras.” He spoke in his language.

I nodded.

“I’ve wanted to visit Bald Cliff, my father was born there…” He shrugged. “I was not sure how I was going to get there… until now.” He smiled. “And you?”

“Don’t know.”

He turned and looked directly into my eyes. I couldn’t look away. He searched and searched.

“Ah…” he said slowly. “…so much inside… so much there…”

I suddenly felt exposed, and shook my head.

“No mind,” he chuckled. “Your destiny is written already.”

I was uncomfortable and wondered what kind of man Begayar really was suddenly. He was not one I felt quite right about. These rest of our meal was spent in uncomfortable silence.

Begayar was similar to Phaetheon in a way but very different in others. Back home, a man such as he, or Phaetheon, would either be followed or killed. There would have been no in between. Physically, he was weak, but that did not make me feel all that much better.

That evening, the winds calm, cool, and cleansing to my mind. They drove out thoughts of Begayar. I sat up late with Leaf and Teucer watching the stars.

I woke stiff from the hard deck rail behind me. Leaf lay next to me, his back warm to my side. Teucer slept leaned against my shoulder. Between them was a comforting warmth. My mind flashed back to nights in the tent. Three had been warm and safe. Two had been the best. I smiled and re-closed my eyes. There was nothing to see and, in spite of my neck, I was comfortable.

The closer we came to Shield Keep, the colder the nights became. It was agreed that we would do better out of the wind. Teucer found a place among the crew’s cabins, Leaf and I crowded into a storage room. We shared with crates and sacks of goods traded to and from the expedition.

Some nights, I curled to Leaf for warmth and space. He did not mind. Sometimes, he even rolled to me for my heat. It was nice being alone with him again. The daylight hours were spent on board with Huallpa, LLoque, Begayar, or Teucer. The night was spent with Leaf.

Gradually, Teucer seemed less shy around me and was able to even speak more casually, though there were still the pink cheeks and glances away.

           

Shield Keep provided disappointment to some of the party. The “wrong” races were not allowed to disembark. As an enemy port, I was not surprised.

“You should go.” Leaf put his hand on Teucer’s shoulder. They both glanced at me.

I nodded.

“Come on, we will take you,” Marius smiled, Galehault stood next to him grinning.

I gave him a light nudge. He looked at me quick and blushed.

“Come on,” Galehault took his arm.

“Bring him back in one piece!” Leaf called after them. We heard a light chuckle behind us.

“What an… interesting… young lad… isn’t he?” Begayar grinned, looked at me in the eyes, and shook his head. “Well, then I am going below for food. Care to join me?”

           

“A bit of a light-weight,” Galehault chuckled.

“And very inquisitive,” Marius added with a slight slur to his voice.

“Am not!” Teucer stumbled onto the deck. Leaf grabbed his arm. “Steady there. What did you guys do to him?” He chuckled.

“It’s not…” Marius hiccupped, “our fault.”

“We didn’t know the wine was going to be that strong,” Galehault added. “We were supposed to water it down.”

Leaf chuckled.

Teucer leaned into him and grabbed on so as not to fall. “I’m not that bad.” He panted.

Leaf put his arm around him. “Come on, you can sleep it off in with us.”

Teucer looked up at me. I made to open my mouth.

Leaf headed me off. “They took a crate out today. There will be room.”

I closed my mouth and shrugged.

“Ok then…” Leaf tugged Teucer away and below.

I turned back to Galehault and Marius. They looked at me, looked at each other and bust out laughing.

I shook my head.

“It was not our fault!” Marius burped.

“I don’t envy him in the morning.” Galehault grinned.

I shook my head again.

“Look,” Marius giggled, “Dad… is mad at us…”

“Come on, you need to sleep it off too.” Galehault tugged Marius away to cross to the next ship.

I watched to make sure they got to the next deck without falling down in between.

Another soft chuckle came from behind me. Begayar stood there, the shake of his head barely visible.

“Dad…”

He had said it in common. I made to speak, but he continued in his language. “The meaning was clear enough.” His grin made me uncomfortable. “So how do you feel about children then?”

I turned and walked away to the sound of his laughter.

           

Teucer was finally feeling better as we approached Heraldsport, a harbor I had never heard of. We were told it was a neutral place, part of its own kingdom, Rostungr.

“Therre is a new King,” said Huallpa. “Phaetheon wants a trreaty. Now he might just get it.” He nodded sagely.

Phaetheon the impressive, the regal, the thinker, the diplomat.

The sun was high when he approached the dock. It was not until we rounded to the farther of the two piers that I realized why this town seemed familiar. It was the village we had met Machaeon in! It had a name now. Maybe it had one then, I never knew.

As there was space for only two of our ships, Huallpa anchored us in the bay and we took the small skiffs in. We met up with some of the others in the middle of town.

“They are sending word to the new king. Hopefully, we can meet with him,” Galehault said.

“Hopefully we can reach a better trade agreement here than with Shield Keep,” Marius rolled his eyes.

“What happened?” Leaf asked while looking around us.

They looked at each other. “Well,” Marius started, “The Keep seemed more interested in excluding… certain visitors, than making money…” He shook his head.

“What about Bald Cliff?” Leaf asked. Begayar looked up at the mention and I was reminded he did not understand all of what we were saying.

Marius shook his head. “Too far on the other side, plus they are sitting in direct opposition to Shield Keep. Phaetheon did not want to appear to be taking sides.”

Galehault, Marius, and Leaf all nodded among themselves.

Leaf spoke with Begayar as we walked into the town and stopped at the inn. I was reminded of when our group of four stayed here. It looked like an addition was added. Maybe the trade was picking up already.

We sat in a quiet corner. Hidden away from most of the prying eyes.

Without warning a man came and stood over us at the table. “I know you…” he said and looked at me.

“We have been here before. We are Phaetheon’s men…” Galehault began.

“No… him…” he studied me.

Everyone at the table turned to me.

I did not recognize him. He did not sound angry, the memory of me must not have been a bad one. Still, one of my hands slowly came to rest on my short sword.

Suddenly the man slammed his tankard down causing everyone to look. “Midnight Stag!” He sounded surprised to have remembered. “You got a Midnight Stag here…” He scratched his head. “Gosh, well, years ago… right?”

I nodded slowly.

“You led the defense of Olvar! You charged in front and center! I was right behind you! We all were!”

Leaf once again looked highly amused. Teucer sat with his eyes averted, face flushed. The rest, all the rest in the room it seemed, stared at me.

The man extended his hand. I shook it.

“Revinn. Good Greetings…”

Leaf filled in the pause. “Talon. Please join us.”

“Thank you.” He pulled over a chair. “Welcome to Harald’s Port once more.”

“We thought it was Heraldsport…” Marius ventured.

Revinn waved the different name off. “Harald’s Port now. We hear the Ambassador Phaetheon still desires an alliance. Is this true?”

“Yes,” Galehault asserted. “We understand that the old king was not willing… whereas now...”

Revinn nodded and took a swig. “Yes. He is of a different mind than that of his father. He has already shown himself to be a good master.”

“Do you think they can reach an agreement then?” Galehault waved for more ale.

“I should think so. If he is convinced it will be good for his people and that the deal is sincere. There were problems with one of the tribes inland like that.”

A few at the table nodded.

“You think Phaetheon is a man of his word?”

Galehault, Marius, and Revinn continued talking trade and Phaetheon. Leaf translated some of the conversation to Begayar. Begayar himself, looked conflicted every time Phaetheon was mentioned. I was still unsure of what that was about but it was not my business.

“So…” Revinn turned to me, “what are your plans while waiting for the King to arrive then?”