The Jongurian Mission (31 page)

As Edgyn said, the arms and channels branching off the river grew larger, becoming little rivers themselves as the King’s River widened further.
If they continued on its path it would eventually taper off completely and they’d be on the ocean. The grasses grew half-as tall as a man on their banks and were so bunched together that Bryn couldn’t see the ground they sprouted from. The first sign he had that they were near the city was smoke rising into the air from numerous chimneys. Soon after that small houses began to pop up along the river and its offshoots, with small boats tied up to docks thrown together from white sun-bleached driftwood. The houses appeared more and more as they moved down the river, and soon they were lining both banks with little space between them. Bryn could see that behind the houses the channels which formed from the river stretched far off into the distance on both banks, with smaller channels sprouting from them. More houses surrounded them, giving the landscape a strange checkerboard pattern of houses separated by river and grass, then more houses, then more river and grass.

The river was very wide now, and it was
n’t long before some large docks appeared on their left. They were actually piers raised up high above the water so that they could service large ships. And large ships there were. Bryn saw the masts long before he saw the ships, the tall wood and sails towering above everything else on the horizon. Bryn could understand now why none of the boats around Baden had been called ships. These massive vessels towered high above them. The smallest had at least one mast while the largest had two or even three towering masts with sails stretching to the tops and along the whole length of the ship.

Smaller docks were lower in the water and able to service the boats coming from the King’s Lake and it was at one of these that Edgyn told Del to steer toward.
They threw their lines out to a couple of men on the dock, and within a few minutes they were secured. Bryn grabbed his pack and eagerly jumped off of the boat and back onto land, if standing on a wooden platform swaying in the water could be called that, excited to be in Dockside, the southernmost city of Adjuria.

The others were not quite in as much of a rush, so took their time pulling their packs out of the cabin.
Del shook each of their hands and wished them well. They gave a final wave then walked along the wooden dock toward the larger wharf set further off of the river. They climbed its sturdy wooden stairs, and Bryn saw his first glimpse of exactly what Edgyn was talking about on the boat. The whole city seemed to be constructed on wooden palisades so that it could tower over the land around it. On closer inspection Bryn realized this was necessary; if built on the same level as the river, the city would have the same patchwork aspect he’d seen while on the boat. It was necessary for the city to be built wholly on wood for it to truly call itself a city.

They were not too far off of the ground, only six to ten feet, Bryn figured.
They headed into the city and onto some wide streets, Edgyn leading them.

“We’ve got to get around some of these smaller docks meant for the King’s River,” he shouted over his shoulder as they waded through the press of people.
“The larger docks that service the ocean-going ships are still further to the south of us.”

They continued on down the crowded streets, never quite leaving the sight of the river.
Buildings crowded in on each side of them, all made of wood, the same as the streets, which were nothing more than a series of interconnected boards nailed together. The whole city seemed to be one large dock, and Bryn realized that its name meant it was more than just a city that was located next to the docks: the docks were the city. Between the buildings he could see the river and beyond it the tall grasses growing from the mounds of sand which lined its banks. Tall ship’s masts towered above the buildings, none of which exceeded two storeys, and most of which were only one. It must have cost a lot to build this city, Bryn thought. He’d seen no large trees for most of the day, so the city must have gotten most of its wood from the Baltika Forest in Regidia. Surely it was not all constructed out of driftwood.

After a time they were walking on the raised platforms which ran along the river, large ships tied to the tallest of them.
Stacks of crates were seen everywhere, and these did tower over most of the buildings. Bryn had no idea what they contained, but figured that it must be something other than just fish. He remembered Edgyn explaining how many of the southern provinces bordering Portinia sent their goods overland to Dockside. From there they’d then be loaded onto ships and sent by sea to many of the northern provinces. It was cheaper and faster to send them that way than if they were sent by land, and Edgyn mentioned that since the war he often sailed to Fallownia, Shefflin, and even sometimes as far north as Tillatia to deliver goods from the south and take back goods from the north. Since the war with Jonguria, the only type of trade that occurred in Adjuria was between provinces, and Portinia had a large stake in it.

Most of the crates were being loaded onto the ships with large wooden cranes.
They walked through the bustle of crates and cranes until they came to a large ship. Edgyn said a few hasty words to one of the men standing next to it who quickly ran off. Edgyn then turned to address them all.

“Here we are gentlemen,
The
Comely Maiden
. She’ll see us safely to Jonguria.”

The ship was a massive thing, with two tall masts rising high above them, its sails tied up along their lengths, while in front a large bowsprit shot out from the bow over the river underneath.
There was no paint on it that Bryn could see, the dark brown wood of the trees she came from being the only color evident. A large cabin dominated the area in front of the masts. A narrow gangplank led up the few feet that separated the dock from the ship’s deck, with men carrying sacks and small crates onto the ship.

“Come,” Edgyn said as he headed up after the men, “let me show you your home for the next
week or two.”

They followed him up and were soon standing on the deck of the ship.
The wood was planed and smooth on every spot of the deck, railings, masts, and cabin, a big difference from Del’s boat. The cabin had several windows on each side and over the door was a small set of stairs leading to the top of the cabin, which was in actuality another deck entirely. Between the two masts was a large hole cut into the deck which led down into the ship’s hold. Behind it the deck stopped and another cabin began, with two small staircases running up on both sides to a smaller deck set up at the same height as that above the forward cabin, although this one had the ship’s steering wheel set atop it.

“The first cabin,” Edgyn said, pointing toward the front of the ship, “is the guest quarters.
It’s spacious enough for all of us, and six bunks can be pulled out from the walls.” He turned and pointed behind them. “The aft cabin is the captain’s quarters, also spacious, but capable of accommodating only two.” He walked around the hole in the deck. “Here is the ship’s hold, which will be sealed-off with this trapdoor when we get underway,” he said, motioning toward the large metal grating that lay on the deck next to the gaping hole. “Below are all of the provisions we’ll need for the voyage, which is not that many, I have to admit.” Bryn lowered himself down so that he could peer into the dark hold. It was a cavernous space that ran the entire length of the ship and was quite deep, but was surprisingly empty, he saw. The two men who’d been carrying the sacks and crates deposited them near the ladder fastened to both decks and then climbed up it to stand on the main deck.

“I’d much rather be sailing a ship full of crated goods like we just passed on the pier” Edgyn continued, “but I suppose that
’ll not be too far off now that we’re on our way to Jonguria, eh?” He smiled at them, then looked up toward the two tall masts. “These masts each will hold two large sails, one which runs up the length of the mast to the crosstrees, and another smaller sail which unfurls above them. With all four sails out we’ll be able to move at a speed of around eight knots, although I think we’ll stick closer to five or six.”

Bryn stared up at the two tall masts.
The large one closest to the back of the ship was the tallest, and went up about fifty feet into the air, with the crosstrees, a long horizontal mast extending to both sides, jutting out at around forty feet up. The second mast, closer to the cabin at the front of the ship, only rose about forty feet above the deck, or about as high as the crosstrees of the first mast. Attached and spread down and outward from both of them were hundreds of feet of rope which secured the sails and stretched all the way down to the ship’s railings, as well as to the bow and stern. More ropes were coiled up into piles along the deck, and set on each side of the ship close to the railings were two small row boats turned on their sides. Lifeboats, Bryn judged, hoping he’d never have to trust his fate to one on the open ocean.

The man that Edgyn had sent scurrying earlier now returned,
another four men close behind. All wore tight-fitting woolen shirts and trousers of light blues and grays and were well-muscled. Surprisingly, Bryn thought, they all looked like younger versions of Edgyn, especially since most sported either a mustache or a goatee.

“My crew,” Edgyn said as the men strolled up the gangplank.
They lined up in front of the railing, the two from the hold joining them. “They’re Flint, Dilon, Fess, Trey, Jal, and Conn,” Edgyn said, pointing them out from left to right. “And this here’s my first mate, Sam.” Edgyn put his arm around the man’s shoulders and the sailor gave a grudging smile which lacked several teeth. He had dirty-blonde hair and small scar under his right eye, but other than that looked the same as the other men that Edgyn had named off. “Well, men, are we ready to shove off?”

“Aye, captain,” they said at the same time, then began to move around the ship, each following a separate path.
Some headed to the railings to untie the ship while others climbed the masts to let loose the sails. Sam took hold of the large metal grate and laid it over the opening to the hold, then headed up toward the steering wheel.

“We’ll be getting under way the
n,” Edgyn said as he too headed toward the wheel. “You men can put your things in the fore cabin, then come out on deck to see Dockside slip away. We should be out of the river shortly and on a southwesterly course toward Jonguria in no time.”

The men did as he advised, stowing their packs into the cabin.
Bryn handed his to Halam so that he wouldn’t miss any part of the process now underway to see them on their way. The two top sails were unfurled now and flapping in the wind and the ship’s bow was pointed out toward the river. The wind caught and filled the sails and they picked up some speed, passing by the docks on their left as they headed down the widening river to the sea. After a while they’d left Dockside behind and only houses crowded along the banks of the river, just as they had when they entered the city. Bryn could smell the salty sea air, and then the land gave way to ocean, the waves crashing onto the sandy beaches on either side of the river. Two long rows of jagged black rocks stretched out into the waves, and they sailed straight out between them.

“The jetty,” Willem said as he approached the railing that Bryn was leaning on.
“They protect the ships from the harsh storms that kick up around here during the winter and keep them from crashing into the rocky shores when they sail back into the river.”

When they cleared
the jetty the crewmen let down the other two larger sails which quickly caught the wind. Edgyn steered them so that they were running along the coast but also away from it. The waves crashed against the ship’s hull, and it wouldn’t be long before they were out of sight of land entirely.

The other men took up spots along the railing to watch the land go by, which was soon nothing more than a brown line on their left with ocean surrounding them in every other direction.

SEVENTEEN

The storm abated and the skies cleared on the voyage from Desolatia Island. After five years of exile on a deserted island, Leisu was surprised how easily Grandon seemed to take to the sea. The heaving and rolling of the ship as it moved among the waves didn’t bother him in the slightest. He’d grown up in Regidia, the most heavily forested province of Adjuria, which had a few small rivers and streams, but nothing large enough to put a boat into. Perhaps, Leisu thought, he’d spent considerable time in the water while on the island; he would have to if he wanted to survive: most of the edible plant and animal life would cling to the rocks and shoals surrounding the island. He considered asking the man, but Grandon was content to spend the majority of his time standing at the bow of the ship and staring out at the distant horizon for hours and hours, his attention drawn away only when one of the crewmen informed him it was time to eat.

The few times that Leisu had managed to draw Grandon out of his reveries had not produced any new insights.
But how could they? The man had been gone from the world for the past five years and his knowledge of events was therefore quite limited. On their first full day at sea Leisu had tried to initiate a conversation.

“How did you survive on that island for so long?” he
’d asked that afternoon while Grandon stared off of the starboard side of the ship.

“You mean why didn’t I die after a few weeks like everyone in Adjuria expected that I would?” Grandon had replied.