cargo-carrying capacity. Run up in the reeds, her
shape obscured with rotten old fishing nets, her mast just one more
dead tree along the coastline.
“ Goodbye, oh, useless one.”
Garvin slapped the animal on the rump and it turned its head to
give him a loving look.
Bought for a couple of pieces, a
temporary acquisition only, the thing hadn’t eaten so well nor had
such an attentive rider in years. It stretched its neck forward for
one more pat on the nose.
“ Ah…go on with you.” Garvin
turned, and parted the reeds. “Find yourself a lady
friend.”
He crashed through the marsh, feet
buried in stinking black muck. He felt badly for the damned horse
for some reason, but it wasn’t his fault. He’d bought the thing a
few more months or even years of life. Otherwise it would have
ended up in the boneyard in pretty short order.
“ Come along, come
along.”
“ Yes, yes.” Encumbered with
the weight of sword and scabbard, his buckler on his shoulder,
keeping his bow and quiver well clear of the water was no easy
task.
He hit sand underfoot, which was a lot
harder at least, and then the side of the boat loomed above
him.
Willing hands relieved him of his
burden and Garvin felt strong hands grab his wrists.
“ Wait a minute.”
The hands let go and Garvin moved
further out to where the gunwales were lower to the
water.
He caught the edge and hauled himself
up. Bibbs was there to grab his belt, and with one final heave
Garvin was aboard, albeit half on his head.
“ Argh.”
“ Ah. Yes, you prefer the
land, don’t you.”
Bibbs stood there grinning.
Lowren leaned hard on the oar he had
set into the bottom.
“ Come on lads. All hands.”
Kann wasn’t one to be denied, and Garvin and Bibbs pulled oars from
their swiveling rests and moved as far back as they could. Pushing
hard, the men leaned into it, with the small crew of dedicated
sailors raising the boom and pushing on a few more oars.
The air seemed almost completely
still.
The ship let go with a
lurch.
“ Forwards, boys.” Lowren
kept pushing but as soon as the other three moved forwards, the bow
went down ever so slightly and she was finally free of the sand
under her stern.
A quick bit of footwork prevented him
from falling flat on his face as she went into the deeper
water.
“ Pull.” The quiet orders of
the captain floated on the grey and misty air.
The boom went up, the sail came down,
and then the captain scuttled the length of the ship. Oars were
dropped back into the swivels and all available hands dropped into
their benches. They began a comfortable stroke.
“ Steady.”
“ Aye, sir.”
Lowren grinned. What an incredible
moment, the captain and the helmsman quietly conferring, the first
brilliant sliver of the morning sun on the horizon, a good ship and
a dozen or so men that knew what they were doing. Boys went along,
tying off the corners of the sail, waiting to see how it took. The
breeze caught her and the boom swiveled slightly. She was making
way on her own.
It didn’t get much better than
this.
“ Lowren.”
“ Aye, captain?”
“ Have your men stow those
oars please, and you will find food and refreshments in the
locker.”
Lowren nodded.
He might be King, but a ship could only
have one master.
“ Aye, sir.” He nodded
happily as the bow began to go up and down and then came around to
the north as the helmsman leaned into his work.
They had escaped. The shore was still
and silent, only calls of birds to say there was land there at all.
They were halfway down a long shallow bay, sheltered from the wind
at first. The low hills to their rear dropped further away and the
bay widened out. The waves were bigger ahead, with just a hint of
spray coming off about every third one.
The ship heeled, the sail bellied out
and then the waves began to slap and splash over the bow on the
starboard quarter. A series of vee-shaped streamers of white foam
came off the bow as she shouldered the waves aside, and she had
shape obscured with rotten old fishing nets, her mast just one more
dead tree along the coastline.
“ Goodbye, oh, useless one.”
Garvin slapped the animal on the rump and it turned its head to
give him a loving look.
Bought for a couple of pieces, a
temporary acquisition only, the thing hadn’t eaten so well nor had
such an attentive rider in years. It stretched its neck forward for
one more pat on the nose.
“ Ah…go on with you.” Garvin
turned, and parted the reeds. “Find yourself a lady
friend.”
He crashed through the marsh, feet
buried in stinking black muck. He felt badly for the damned horse
for some reason, but it wasn’t his fault. He’d bought the thing a
few more months or even years of life. Otherwise it would have
ended up in the boneyard in pretty short order.
“ Come along, come
along.”
“ Yes, yes.” Encumbered with
the weight of sword and scabbard, his buckler on his shoulder,
keeping his bow and quiver well clear of the water was no easy
task.
He hit sand underfoot, which was a lot
harder at least, and then the side of the boat loomed above
him.
Willing hands relieved him of his
burden and Garvin felt strong hands grab his wrists.
“ Wait a minute.”
The hands let go and Garvin moved
further out to where the gunwales were lower to the
water.
He caught the edge and hauled himself
up. Bibbs was there to grab his belt, and with one final heave
Garvin was aboard, albeit half on his head.
“ Argh.”
“ Ah. Yes, you prefer the
land, don’t you.”
Bibbs stood there grinning.
Lowren leaned hard on the oar he had
set into the bottom.
“ Come on lads. All hands.”
Kann wasn’t one to be denied, and Garvin and Bibbs pulled oars from
their swiveling rests and moved as far back as they could. Pushing
hard, the men leaned into it, with the small crew of dedicated
sailors raising the boom and pushing on a few more oars.
The air seemed almost completely
still.
The ship let go with a
lurch.
“ Forwards, boys.” Lowren
kept pushing but as soon as the other three moved forwards, the bow
went down ever so slightly and she was finally free of the sand
under her stern.
A quick bit of footwork prevented him
from falling flat on his face as she went into the deeper
water.
“ Pull.” The quiet orders of
the captain floated on the grey and misty air.
The boom went up, the sail came down,
and then the captain scuttled the length of the ship. Oars were
dropped back into the swivels and all available hands dropped into
their benches. They began a comfortable stroke.
“ Steady.”
“ Aye, sir.”
Lowren grinned. What an incredible
moment, the captain and the helmsman quietly conferring, the first
brilliant sliver of the morning sun on the horizon, a good ship and
a dozen or so men that knew what they were doing. Boys went along,
tying off the corners of the sail, waiting to see how it took. The
breeze caught her and the boom swiveled slightly. She was making
way on her own.
It didn’t get much better than
this.
“ Lowren.”
“ Aye, captain?”
“ Have your men stow those
oars please, and you will find food and refreshments in the
locker.”
Lowren nodded.
He might be King, but a ship could only
have one master.
“ Aye, sir.” He nodded
happily as the bow began to go up and down and then came around to
the north as the helmsman leaned into his work.
They had escaped. The shore was still
and silent, only calls of birds to say there was land there at all.
They were halfway down a long shallow bay, sheltered from the wind
at first. The low hills to their rear dropped further away and the
bay widened out. The waves were bigger ahead, with just a hint of
spray coming off about every third one.
The ship heeled, the sail bellied out
and then the waves began to slap and splash over the bow on the
starboard quarter. A series of vee-shaped streamers of white foam
came off the bow as she shouldered the waves aside, and she had
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