“You’ll have to,” the sailor said. “My name’s Ern, and we’re the only carpenters on board at the moment. You’ll have plenty to keep you busy. Get started by stowing all those supplies below.” Ern pointed to a pallet full of freshly milled wood. There were stacks of thick planking as well as oak staves and iron hoops for making barrels.”
“You want these…” Mansel obviously wasn’t sure where the supplies went.
“Down in the workshop,” Ern growled. “And make sure they’re stored away neat. I don’t want to find my shop littered with broken wood once we’re underway.”
Zollin decided he’d seen enough. Mansel was on board and they would soon be sailing south. The ship would make several stops, but its ultimate destination was Brimington Bay, the closest point to the Grand City in Osla. Zollin descended the steps that led to his cabin and found Eustice resting leisurely inside.
“He made it,” Zollin told his companion. “He had to come on board as one of the hands.”
Eustice made a gesture.
“There wasn’t enough space on board for more passengers, at least I think that’s why. The ship is full of people.”
They ate some fruit and then headed back up on deck as the anchored was lifted and the sails unfurled. Zollin had never sailed on a ship before. His first experience at sea had been on the little fishing boat, and it had not been an enjoyable journey. He was amazed at the sheer number of men it took to sail the ship.
The Northern Star was a simple vessel, with two large masts. It had three decks. One was elevated over the others and was only as long as the last third of the ship. The ship’s captain called all his passengers up onto the elevated platform as they headed out to sea.
“You’ll find no better crew anywhere,” he explained, “so there’s nothing to worry about. We’ve got favorable winds and should make good time. I’ll ask that you remain in your cabins or here, on the command deck. I don’t want anyone wandering the main deck-it can be dangerous. Supper’s at six bells. If you need anything, Lieutenant Yagger will see to your needs,” he said, gesturing at the man who had been shouting orders all morning. “Any questions? No?” the captain continued. “We’ll be leaving the harbor soon. If you are prone to seasickness, I suggest keeping a bucket in your cabin.”
Everyone filed back into their rooms. Zollin noticed that the haughty woman he’d seen in the passageway wasn’t present for the speech by the captain. He found that curious, but not entirely surprising. She was a beautiful woman, in Zollin’s opinion, although just admitting that made him feel ashamed. The people he loved most in the world had died with him, and it felt as if guilt was his constant companion. Not that he had any reason to feel guilty-the woman was certainly not interested in him. It was the way his mind worked though, puzzling out problems and imagining what might happen.
He stood on the command deck, well behind the captain, who stood next to the helmsman giving quiet orders to his lieutenant, who then barked out the orders to the men working the main deck or climbing through the rigging like spiders. Zollin looked for Mansel but he was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the ship’s carpenter, Ern.
The Northern Star sailed smoothly through the harbor with just one large sail unfurled. There was strong wind at their back and they made good time through the narrow pass between the Twin Cities. Once they reached the open waters, the motion of the ship became much more pronounced. Zollin felt his stomach trembling and his head began to hurt, so he let his magic sooth the pressure in his inner ear. Then he let his magic flow through the ship. It was a small space that was teeming with life. There were sailors in the galley, carefully preparing meals, some for the captain and his officers, others for the crew, and still others for the passengers. There were men sleeping in hammocks slung so closely together they lay shoulder to shoulder. There were men in the rigging and along ropes near the crossbeams where the sails were tied. Zollin watched as the lieutenant shouted for more sails to be released. Some of the sailors untied the carefully bunched canvas. As it fell from the crossbeams, unfolding as it went, other sailors caught the ropes and carefully tied the bottom sides of the sails with long ropes. The canvas whipped and popped as the sails filled with wind, and soon there were three sails on each mast, each one bulging full of wind and pushing the ship faster and faster through the gentle swells.
Zollin also found men working below decks. Some were checking the cargo, others doing routine maintenance. Zollin discovered Mansel, already feeling very sick. He wasn’t the only sailor made ill by the ship’s rocking motion, and many of the passengers were too, but Zollin was only interested in his friend. If Mansel had to work, Zollin didn’t want him feeling sick too. He used his magic to help his friend adjust. It took several minutes. The magic was warm, like standing next to a fire on a cold day. It felt good to exercise his power. It was tempting to let the magic fall into the water, but he was still afraid he might attract another magical creature like the kraken.
Once Zollin had helped Mansel, he went back down to his cabin. There was nothing more to do but wait, as difficult as that seemed. He found Eustice asleep in his bunk and decided to follow the mute servant’s example. As he lay down, he couldn’t help but think of Brianna. His heart ached at the thought of her. He couldn’t believe that she was gone. He missed her so badly he would have given anything to see her, even for just one more moment. He wanted to tell her so many things and to hold her in his arms one last time, to savor the way she made him feel and the smell of her skin. He fell asleep and dreamed of Brianna.
Chapter 5
Brianna stirred slowly. She was surrounded by warm, sleek bodies. Sun was shining into the mouth of cave, but it didn’t reach back to the recesses where Brianna was resting. She had slept for days after her work. The desire to create had been so strong it had held her in a feverish state for days without rest. Now, after leaving the dark cavern she had carved deep under the mountain, she was content to rest and watch her dragons fly.
They had needed time in the sun, time to hunt and feed, but most of all, time to adapt to their world. Many had chosen a life of solitude over the last several days, bidding her and the dragons that remained with her goodbye. It was hard to watch them go. Brianna wanted to keep them close to her and protect them, but she was not their mother. She had given them life, but they were dragons and, although she was dragon-kind, she could not protect them or insist on their loyalty. She didn’t feel betrayed by those that left her-in fact, she was happy for them in a way. Her desire had been to bring dragons into the world, to share their strength and wisdom with others. It was a task she had been part of, but they would have to complete it.
She had flown with them, racing high into the sky where the air was thin and cold. She loved letting flames cover her body in the icy wind, to feel the freedom of flight and to see the world from high above. She could not fly like her dragons, but she was at home in the air. Her bones had grown light and she could flip and turn, catch thermal updrafts and glide for miles and miles. Her dragons would carry her up into the air where she would leap away and fly down on her own, circling and looping with the dragons before landing softly. The dragons brought her food, and during their short time together their personalities had begun to shine.
Five dragons had chosen to stay with Brianna. Selix was her firstborn and the biggest of all the dragons she had made. Selix had bright golden scales and a broad back with small bony plates that ran from just behind its head all the way down to the end of the tail. Brianna often rode on Selix’s back, perched lightly between the massive, leathery wings and holding onto the plates.
Tig and Torc were the smallest of her dragons. Their scales were dark blue and they had short tails that were forked on the end. They were much faster than the other dragons, often flying far ahead and scouting out game when the pride went out to hunt.