Seafaring on Jord Read online

  Seafaring on Jord

  By Allan Joyal

  Copyright 2018 Allan Joyal

  Chapter 1: A Dangerous Dream

  "You don't get it!" Garnge screamed at me.

  He paused for a moment and I tried to focus on him. I knew that in his mind he was looking at a black haired youth of perhaps eighteen years staring out into the bay with a faraway look in his eyes.

  "The Empire is gone. Everyone here knows that. We can barely keep our population fed and you want to try to find out what happened to the Empire?" he continued.

  "I won't find the Empire," I answered. "We have all heard the tale of what happened. The wizards turned on the emperor. He was killed by magic, but the wizards refused to work together and fought for control. In the end all of the ships provided by the Empire were recalled. Not one returned."

  "And now you want to try to find out what happened?" Garnge shouted again. "Kaven, you are a farmer. You've never been on a raft; let alone on a ship."

  I smiled before I responded. "Yes, but old Marrisey has a new ship. I was visiting his shipyard just two days ago. He is sure that this new ship can make the journey to the lands of the Empire."

  "If they are still there," Garnge said bitterly. I guessed he was upset with my serene expression. "But does it really matter? The ship belongs to someone."

  "Yes, but I already talked to Marrisey. High Guard Chasterman isn't convinced that the ship will be seaworthy. He refuses to accept delivery immediately," I replied. "Marrisey is willing to have the ship sail westward in search of the Empire or its remains, and I can be part of the crew."

  "But no one has used that kind of sail before. Kaven, you could die on the journey," Garnge protested.

  "I have to go, Garnge. This has been a dream of mine for years. We scratch out a living here, with barely enough food and little else. Heck, there are almost no trees on any of the islands. Marrisey has been working on this new ship since our fathers were babies. He decided to call it Gypsy because his hope is that it wanders far and finds something new," I said firmly.

  "You and he listen to too many legends of people who sailed all over to trade and explore. You realize that we have no way to know if that actually happened. As for the ship the wood is probably rotten," Garnge said with a growl. "I can't believe you are leaving me."

  "You could come with me," I replied trying to sound convincing. "The stories say that Empire was rich. There must be tons of treasure just waiting for a passionate man to go and search for it."

  Garnge laughed. "You forget that I worked in the galleys for three summers. I'm fine in the islands because there aren't a lot of waves, but the sailors we talked to all swore that once you were west of Oerste Isle the sea often grew angry with swells taller than a grown man. I would spend my time leaning over the side of the ship puking if we encountered that."

  "I think the sailors use that as an excuse," I replied. "If the storms were that bad we'd see evidence on the beaches, but how often does anything wash up on our shores, even after a big storm."

  "Often enough," Garnge snarled. "You should know since anytime there is word that a large fish washed ashore you insist on dragging me out to see it."

  "And the last three were all smaller than you are," I said looking over at the ample belly on my old friend. His time in the galleys had kept him slender, but now that he was living and working for his father's bakery he was developing a considerable paunch.

  "They were big enough, and that one had teeth larger than my thumb. I can just see it jumping over your boat and taking someone's head off," Garnge said.

  "I have to do this," I said again. "My father has already agreed to allow me to go. Besides it won't be that long of a trip. The tales say that the ocean currents could be used to speed the journey. Supposedly the Empire's coast lay only nine days west of Oerste Isle. Marrisey is going to load the ship with provisions for forty days and has said we are to sail for at least twelve before turning back."

  "So you'll be back in forty days?" Garnge asked.

  "It might be longer. Marrisey talked Ushcail into commanding the journey." I replied.

  "Ushcail? The mad captain who insists that he saw a creature with the torso and face of a beautiful woman, but the tail of a fish rather than legs? He spends all his time down at The Broken Tiller drinking," Garnge said. "Does your father know who'll be in charge?"

  "I don't worry about my father," I said angrily. "He's almost given up on the farm. If he can find a man who wants to marry Jezibal, I won't even have a home. He's going to give her the house and farm as a dowry."

  "He can do that?" Garnge asked. "Why would he do that to you?"

  "Because the soil is tired," I said. "My family has been farming the same plot for five generations, but our land never floods. The plants take something from the soil as they grow, but without floods to rejuvenate the land, the crops start to fail."

  "You know this? Doesn't your father?" Garnge asked.

  "He's too stubborn to accept the fact that we need to bring in manure to spread over the fields and perhaps leave a couple barren of crops for a season or two. He still believes he can become the reeve for Sere Komptan," I replied.

  "But the Sere hates farmers. He wants to build an army and conquer. I heard he tried to shut Marrisey down," Garnge said.

  "He did," I replied. "And Marrisey has already said he's no longer going to make ships here. He will be moving to Oerste Mon and setting up shop."

  "Ouch," Garnge said. "Sere Mondial hates Sere Komptan. I'm surprised that Marrisey hasn't been arrested."

  "He's not here. He took the new ship out this morning for a final test of the sails. He won't be back," I said as I stood up. "Gypsy will pull in this evening with Ushcail at the helm. I'm supposed to meet them at sundown to help load and we'll sail with the midnight tide."

  "Tonight? I thought we had more time," Garnge said. "If you are leaving so soon we must drink a last toast. Come, I think Thus will have the tavern open. His wheat ale is young, but has a decent kick."

  "I can't show up at the pier drunk, but I'll drink a toast. Let's go," I said.

  Garnge laughed and slapped me on the back before running ahead of me. He was several spans ahead of me when he glanced over his shoulder. "Last one to the door buys the first round."

  I laughed as my friend started to sprint. His victory was assured so I only broke into a slow jog as I headed down the hill and back into the town.

  Chapter 2: Sour and Sweet Partings

  Garnge slowed down once we were off the hill. He only had to pass one warehouse and the building Sere Komptan maintained as a combination guard house and tax office. He turned to mock me as I continued to trail him.

  I saw movement to his right. I feinted that I was going to break into a sprint. Garnge turned around for a moment to watch me and tripped over a leg that he had not seen.

  Loud feminine laughter rang out as Garnge rolled in the dirt of the town. I jogged past him, pretending that I had not seen him fall. Garnge lunged to try to grab my leg, but I jumped out of his reach and continued forward until I touched the door.

  I turned around to see my sister helping Garnge to his feet. "Why are you racing to the tavern?" she asked. "There is no fire and I doubt Thus has had time to warm any stew."

  "Do you know your brother leaves tonight?" Garnge asked Jezibal.

  My sister looked up at me. There was a slight frown on her face, but her eyes were smiling. "I wish he didn't have to go. But he will bring me back something nice."

  "Nice?" Garnge asked. "What nice thing could he possibly bring back? There is nothing out there to be found."

  "Oh, then he'll have to come back to me," Jezibal said. "I will need a good strong dumb farmhand once I inherit the farm. But I ne
ed a good man to be the master."

  "No!" Garnge said as my sister turned to look at him. "I'm not going to be a farmer. I have my father's baking shop."

  "But I've heard him complaining that grain is harder and harder to find. A farm would allow you to grow your own," I offered.

  "You said the land was going bad," Garnge reminded me.

  "It just needs a few seasons to recover," I said.

  Garnge stomped on the ground and then marched past me to the door of the tavern. "No," he said loudly. "I don't want to be a farmer. I'd rather be back in the galleys."

  "Which would probably be good for you," a sultry voice said from the doorway. "You are enjoying the rich breads your father bakes too much."

  "I bake most of them now," Garnge said proudly. "Um… wait, what do you mean?"

  A small hand appeared in the doorway. It grabbed Garnge's right arm and then yanked him through the opening. I heard his squawk of outrage as another figure stepped into the doorway. "You are in the way," the sultry voice said.

  "Kara!" my sister cried out happily. "Why are you watching the tavern?"

  "I told Thus that Garnge was likely to drag Kaven here at some point," she said pointing at me. "I heard that your useless brother was going to be sailing beyond our world."

  "Hey!" I protested. "The Empire was part of our world. I'm just going to be sailing beyond the area that our ships normally go."

  "Same thing," Jezibal said. "Kaven, you are doing something that frightens most of the people on the islands. I asked Ushcail and he admitted that there are no records of a ship sailing out of sight of all the islands since shortly after the last ship of the Empire left."

  "We couldn't afford it," I said with a nod. "Not back then when we had so few ships. Now that we have more ships they are powered by oars and the crews need to rest often so sailing too far from a safe haven is dangerous. The new ship doesn't have any oars. It will use a new sail setup that Marrisey believes was once used by the Empire."

  My sister put her hands on my shoulders. "Let's get that drink then. I know that Garnge will miss you. Your support is why he survived his two years in the galleys."

  "I had nothing to do with that," I said. "He was the one who decided to throw dung at Sere Komptan's litter. I was at militia drills."

  Kara stepped out of the way as my sister continued to push on my shoulders. I leaned back against her hands as I slowly walked through the doorway. Garnge was laughing from inside the tavern as I entered.

  Once I was three steps into the tavern my sister dropped her arms. I anticipated the action so I remained standing as my sister slipped through the doorway and walked over to the battered table Thus used when the tavern was open. Thus was standing there smiling.

  "I hear you are leaving us boy," he said.

  I nodded. "It would hurt Jezibal's future if I stayed and tried to share the farm with her. I could join Sere Komptan's army, but the other Sere's must know he is coming and the idea of trying to fight my way off one of the Sere's galleys sounds like a quick way to die with a spear in my gut."

  "I did that once," Thus said. "Back when the Sere's grandsire wanted to punish some raiders. It was on that old rockpile that doesn't even qualify as a full island. We came with three galleys filled with soldiers. By the time we fought our way off the beach and started to slaughter the raiders, we had lost so many soldiers that one of the galleys had to be pulled onto the beach while another went to Isla Rortuna to hire some extra rowers."

  "It's that bad?" Kara asked.

  "You can't form up, you can't stand side-by-side and support each other with your shields," Thus said. "You don't have a stable footing since the galley will rock from side to side. It actually gets worse when you are fighting because everyone is pushing and pulling. Men on the land have a huge advantage in that kind of fight."

  "But you said there were raiders," I pointed out.

  "They had built some kind of floating contraption out of some dried grasses they tied together. Then they traveled at night and came ashore under cover of darkness," Thus said.

  "Why would they raid?" Jezibal asked. "I always heard that the merchants are desperate for more workers."

  "For places like the galleys that travel to the Lava Islands," Thus said. "Or for men to work the gold and iron mines on those islands. That's the kind of jobs a man might be offered. Sure a man who survives long enough can become wealthy, but few last more than a year."

  "Few last two in the galleys," Garnge said. "Thus, can we stop the depressing tales of days gone by and drink a toast to this idiot and his damn fool quest?"

  I playfully swatted at my friend. "It's not that foolish. We know from the legends that the Empire is somewhere to the west and supposedly the trip there takes fewer than ten days if you go with the current."

  "What current?" Garnge asked.

  I just stared at Garnge. Kara and my sister both giggled as Thus shook his head. "Look, you know that I don't have much experience sailing," I began.

  "You have none," Kara said sotto voce.

  My sister started laughing openly. "Oh, don't torture him. He is willing to try to do something for all of us. We hear so many tales of how advanced the Empire was. There must be something left that can help us."

  "Bring back some wood," Thus said. "We have almost no trees and there is always a shortage of wood."

  I nodded. "Can we drink a toast before I leave?"

  Thus laughed. "Let me get the mugs."

  Thus walked away from the table and disappeared through an opening in the back wall of the tavern's main room. I relaxed and moved to one of the polished stone benches that lined the walls of the tavern. I sank down onto the uncomfortable seat.

  Kara ran over and sat down next to me. She leaned against my left shoulder. "Are you really going to abandon me?" she asked coquettishly.

  "Get away from him you tavern whore!" a woman shouted from the entrance to the tavern. I leaned forward dislodging Kara from my shoulder as I tried to look around her.

  ”Panalope," my sister said angrily. "There is a reason I don't talk to you anymore."

  "Why would I care about a girl with a worthless dowry? However, Kaven is perhaps the best man left on the island. Do you really think I don't keep track of him?" the woman in the doorway said.

  I sighed as she entered the dimly lit tavern room. Panalope was wearing an elaborate gown I did not recognize. It was made of a translucent red fabric that clung to her firm breasts as well as her trim waist. It was far too fine a dress for our humble tavern.

  "Panalope," I said carefully. "I can't say its pleasant to see you."

  "Why not? I've made it more than clear that my father approves of you. You could take over his merchant fleet. You know I have no brothers who will challenge the dowry and inheritance," Panalope said.

  I felt Kara grip my arm. "Kaven?" she whispered.

  "I'm not ready to get married," I said. "And I want to do more than track the galleys that make up your father's fleet. As I recall he doesn't even go out and seek trades anymore. All his trading is based on contracts that have been in place for years."

  "My father is a wise man. He wants security and the contracts offer that. The people shipping on our galleys know that the ships will be there on time and ready to carry their goods," Panalope said.

  Thus stepped back into the room. He had two mugs in each hand. I could see foam fill the tops of the mugs. He looked up. "Panalope," he said as he noticed her. "Wow. That is a dress I have not seen before."

  The young woman blushed. "It is a family treasure. My father said I needed to remind Kaven just what he is ignoring."

  "He's not ignoring you," Jezibal said. The lilt in her voice made it clear she thought Panalope was being foolish. "He wants to do something. It might be dangerous, but I have to respect the fact that he's willing to try."

  Kara tried to pull my head down so she could whisper in my ear. I could see Panalope's lips narrow as she tried to kill the young woman with a glance.
"Kara," I said as I tried to break her grip.

  "Please, you know I'll marry you now if you want," she whispered.

  "Let me guess, the tavern wench is offering to marry you. Why would you marry her? She has no dowry. The tavern here will go to Trus when his father dies," Panalope said.

  "Which will be far in the future if I have my way," Thus said. "Now does anyone still want to make a toast?"

  Garnge ran over and carefully took two mugs. He brought one over to me and held it out in his left hand. "You and I came here to drink a toast."

  I took the mug and smiled. "I will miss you. And I promise that I will return," I said.

  Garnge shook his head. "You won't miss me. Even when I was stuck on the galleys you didn't miss me. But you did help me. My father refused to help me, but you provided me with the small gifts of food and drink that kept me going. You have been a true friend since we were boys. I might think your quest is some impossible dream, but I have to admire the fact that you are going to live it even once. So I have this to say."

  Garnge held the mug high above his head. "May the wind in your sails propel you onward. May your vision of a land to the west prove true. And may you return to us safe and sound."

  "Hear, hear!" Panalope said. I looked over at her and she was holding a mug in her hand.

  I raised my own mug to Garnge. Kara hissed as I nodded to him and then lowered the mug to my lips.

  "Hear, hear," my sister said quietly as I drained the mug.

  Chapter 3: Leaving Just Ahead of the Law

  The animosity between Kara and Panalope cast a cloud over Garnge's planned farewell toast and the conversation afterward. Thus tried to keep the peace, but Kara made several nasty comments and finally lunged at Panalope. I managed to pull her away before she could cause any damage, but that seemed to signal an end to the party. Thus dragged Kara into the back as Panalope retreated from the tavern.

  That left Garnge and my sister to walk with me down to the pier. We made our way out of the tavern and then turned to look at the small harbor and marina. "I guess this is the final goodbye," Garnge said fatalistically.