The officer said, “Good weather for this time of the year. A squall here and there, but they usually don’t last long. It’s the rolling of the surface when a good storm kicks up over a few days that get to passengers.”
“I’ve heard of that. How long is the voyage?”
The officer cast me an odd look as if I should know the answer. “Five days to Trager, six more to Vin, which is located in southern Kondor, of course. Not much there to see, but we carry a little cargo and make the stop about twice a year. Then three more days of easy sailing to Dagger.”
Princess Elizabeth opened the door and emerged with a personal guard. Her eyes didn’t find me, and she wandered to the railing and looked out to sea, much as I had been doing. That action told me to restrain myself and not speak to her until told. Kendra had been right in her assessment of Elizabeth’s actions. Still, it was odd to ignore a woman who had shared her private quarters with my sister and me for ten years. She must have had a good reason.
If she had not wished us on the voyage, she would have said so, and at the first port where we stopped, she would have placed us on a return ship. But she had sent word for us to purchase passage. The problem we, Kendra and I, had was simple. We didn’t know what was happening or why she acted that way. We would put our trust in her as always.
“Trager,” I said the name easily to him. “I’ve heard of it. Have you ever been there?” That was a complete lie. The name had been a stranger yesterday, but at my mention, Elizabeth stiffened, and her head cocked. She was listening to us.
“Many times,” he boasted. “It used to be a favorite port of all sailors. The waterfront was as wild as the women if you know what I mean. The city was ruled by a king too old to walk, but he wouldn’t give up his crown. Those were the good days.”
“And now?” I asked with a familiar chill descending over me. Trager seemed to have a similar story as Dire, so far.
“The eldest son now wears the crown, but they say he is a weakling only interested in his wine and women. Meanwhile, the city goes to ashes. At least three great fires have about destroyed it, or parts of it. The people are starving.”
“I don’t understand.” My confusion was not contrived.
He rolled his eyes back as he noticed some minor infraction or mistake by one of the sailors on the main mast. With a scowl, he called, “Secure that bitter end.”
A sailor reached for the end of a rope swinging free and fastened it to a ring with a couple of loops. That gave me the opportunity to glance at Elizabeth from the corner of my eye. She had moved a step or two closer but still watched the endless sea and a few gulls circling and calling for scraps.
The officer said, “Pardon me. Where was I?”
“Telling me about the fires in Trager,” I prompted.
“Oh yes, damn pity, but what else can you expect when the crown doesn’t pay for basic services? No constables, no fire brigade, and even the tax-men left their positions for lack of pay. The city went lawless for a while, and a fire broke out near the center and burned most of the taller buildings.”
“You said there were three great fires.”
“And many smaller ones. Over a period of a few years, the central part of the city almost destroyed itself.”
“Then, why is this ship going there?”
“Profit. There are six passengers on the ship who paid handsomely for the ship to divert enough to deliver them. Normally, we’d just hit Vin and then Dagger, a nice triangle for carrying passengers.”
“No freight?”
“Not to speak of. This ship was built for passengers, and she sails faster than any cargo ship. Listen, we can talk later, but I have to check the entire topside before dark.”
After he’d left, I realized we hadn’t exchanged names, which was a shame. A talkative officer would be a valuable source of information.
Elizabeth said to the man at her side, “Our destination is the third port the Gallant will put into?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“I will wish to go ashore in the first port, the one called Trager.”
“We will be prepared to escort you. There are tales of danger and lawlessness in that land, and you may wish to reconsider.”
“No, I plan to meet with two old friends there, in private. When they know I’m ashore, they will doubtlessly spy on me and know to meet me at the place I desire.” She turned and entered a doorway that indicated it was for first-class passengers only.
Hopefully, her cabin was far nicer than ours. But, the conversation with her bodyguard outside, within earshot of me, indicated she was more speaking to me than him. She wanted Kendra and me to follow her ashore in Trager and meet in secret. How she intended for that to happen, I had no idea.
Glancing down, Emma was still at my side, grin intact. My parenting skills were sorely lacking, but her skills at staying with me and remaining quiet were exceptional. It could be that she was a quiet child or just her lack of speaking our language, but that didn’t strike me as accurate. The girl knew when to be quiet and to remain out of sight with adults.
“Emma, why don’t we go over our list of words one more time?” The sheet of paper came from my pocket and threatened to blow away in the wind. I held it carefully and knelt at her side, starting with the word at the top. Twice she anticipated the following word and said it in our language, we had done it so many times. I started again, this time with the word at the bottom and worked my way up.
“So, this is where you two hang out,” Kendra’s voice chided me. She held the bedpan while Anna tried to keep as far away from it as possible.
A crosswind was blowing, and my instinct was to tell Kendra about it but had learned not to anticipate problems with her. She resented my interference and took it as belittling her. Of course, if it was something she didn’t know, and I failed to mention it, I was also wrong. It was the same with Elizabeth. Life as a male in a household dominated by a pair of young women is a trial.
At the corners of the stern of the ship were scuppers for the purpose of disposing of the waste. They were funnels a few feet long designed to send the contents on their way with the wind, however, with a stiff crosswind blowing, a person not wishing to wear the blowback would use the one downwind. She made as if to use the wrong one, but just as my words began to emerge, she smirked and changed and used the other.
She returned to my side, her eyes lowering to the bedpan. “Have you inquired as to the needs of Emma?”
To quickly change the subject and attempt to hide my ignorance and lack of parental duties, my explanation was, “Elizabeth was up here for a few moments. When the ship reaches port, she wants us to follow her for a clandestine meeting.”
“Good. Maybe we can figure out what is happening. Did you decide what to do with the girls?”
“No. I guess they’ll have to go with us.”
“Really?” Her eyes rolled, and Anna giggled at the action. She might not speak our language, but she certainly spoke the language of women. “That’s the best you can come up with?”
“We have four days to figure that out before reaching port. You can’t expect me to learn everything the first day.”
Kendra relented. “I suppose you’re right. Can we eat an early meal and go to bed early? I’m exhausted.”
Anna hadn’t had much direct contact with me, not like Emma, but she took a step closer and took my hand in hers. She squeezed as she flicked her eyes to her left twice. I glanced that way and found the same man watching us. His head turned slightly, and he looked out to sea as he leaned on a railing—and refused to look back at me.