“Pretty much,” Jules agreed. “But now there’s another free town, and room beyond it to expand.”
“And you came from there. It’ll be another trade route opening up, I think.” Dor picked up the wine bottle and reached to refill Jules’ mug. “To the future.”
Jules nodded, though she barely sipped, her eyes on Dor. Even before the prophecy she’d learned to be wary of getting drunk around men who might be getting drunk themselves.
“Do you think she’ll do it?” Dor asked after taking a drink.
“She?”
“That daughter of your line. Is it possible?”
Jules shrugged. “It must be possible someday. Right now I can’t imagine how anyone could overthrow the Great Guilds. Mak thought it’d be sometime a long while from now, when the Great Guilds had gotten weaker and the free people had gotten a lot stronger. Like when this town of yours has become that city you talk of.”
“I never thought of it that way.” Dor’s eyes went distant. “How… I’m sorry. I think of deciding on my wife, who was all I could’ve wanted. And then I think of being in your shoes instead, and trying to make such a choice of a partner knowing the consequences it would have for everyone’s future.”
“I really don’t like talking about it,” Jules said.
“And, uh,” Dor continued, “any man who was interested in you would have to phrase his offer carefully, to make it clear he valued you and not the prophecy.”
“If you’re looking for a new wife to look after your daughters, I assure you that there are many, many better choices than me,” Jules said.
“You have many fine qualities,” Dor said.
Which she knew he meant sincerely, but she was still getting annoyed by his persistence. “Any man who is seen as being close to me would be marked for death by the Mages, and by the Emperor.”
“That’s so, but…I know I’m not the greatest prize, but if you ever—”
He stopped speaking as Jules brought out her dagger from under the table. Words hadn’t discouraged Dor, so perhaps this would. Resting the tip on the surface of the wood, she pivoted the dagger as if admiring the play of lantern light on the blade. “What was that you were saying?”
“Um, ah…well…strangest thing,” Dor said. “It went right out of my head. I have no idea what I was going to say next.”
“Good.” Jules looked up, meeting his eyes. “You’re a decent man, Dor, and you’re doing good work here. I’d hate to have to kill you.”
Dor nodded, then unexpectedly grinned. “You know, Jules, it’s probably not necessary to kill every man who expresses an interest in you.”
“I haven’t killed all of them, but if it comes to that I’ll take the risk,” Jules said. “Better safe than sorry.”
He leaned forward, arms on the table, still smiling. “Your dating life must be a little bleak.”
“It was never all that great,” Jules said.
“And now every man in the world wants you.”
“Every man in the world wants to get me with child,” she said. “I doubt they’re enthusiastic about me as a life partner.”
Dor shrugged, leaning back again. “Being your partner would be an interesting life. Likely a short one as well.”
“Like mine,” Jules said, picking up her glass for another drink. “There isn’t a man in the world I can trust to be interested in me rather than in the prophecy.” But even as she said those words she knew they weren’t true, that there had been one man who’d wanted her before the prophecy. How could he possibly want her now, though? Thoughts of Ian went straight to the memory of her dagger going into the chest of his father, darkening her mood.
“Not one?” Dor asked, unaware of her thoughts. “Jules, I’ve got two daughters. Their mother didn’t survive the birth of the second, so I can only hope her spirit is in some place that brings joy. I’ve sometimes imagined her or my daughters facing your situation and…feeling grateful they didn’t and they won’t. No innuendo or double meaning intended here. Can I do anything?”
Jules offered him a small, wry smile. Without knowing it, he’d said the right thing. “You’re a decent man, Dor,” she said again. “Make this a strong city. One that can stand against anyone who attacks.”
“I’m already preparing for the day the Empire tries to take it.”
“I don’t mean only the Empire. Someday…that daughter of my line might need a city like this.”
He nodded to her, absolutely serious. “Done. For the sake of the city I hope to start here, for the sake of my descendents who the prophecy says will someday be free, and for the sake of a woman given a burden lno one else has to carry.” He raised his glass again in a toast.
Jules returned the toast, smiling wider. “Here’s to Dor’s Castle.”
“Castle? Ha! I do like that name, though. It speaks of strength and resolve, a place that can stand off any enemy.” Dor set down his glass. “Dor’s Castle. Yeah. I’m going to start using that. Are you headed back east after this?”
“No,” Jules said. “The east is still far too dangerous for me, I think.”
“Back north then? To…uh…Western Port?”
“No.”
“You said you’re not staying here, and you can’t sail south, Jules. There’s a lot of land in the way.” His eyes grew alarmed. “You don’t mean to go farther west than here?”
“The idea had crossed my mind,” she said.
“Jules…” Dor gestured outside. “My ship only ended up here because we were too far west to begin with and then got hit by a storm that drove us even farther. We were very low on water, so I took the risk of creeping along the shore looking for any inlet, and found this valley letting onto the sea. If we hadn’t found it when we did, I doubt my crew would’ve gone much more west. They had no wish to die, and thirst can be survived better than jagged reefs and poisoned land beyond them.”
“I promised Mak I’d see what was in the west,” Jules said.
Dor shook his head. “The promise is all very well, and I’m sure you meant it, but there’s not a sailor in the world who wants to risk those waters. Have you ever met anyone who sailed to the western edge of the Sea of Bakre?”
“No one’s ever tried,” Jules said.
“Or no one’s ever come back from trying,” Dor said. “Which do you think your crew believes? Mak was a fine man, the finest I ever met, but he knew his dream wasn’t practical. That’s why he never went west.”
“I made a promise,” Jules said.
Dor spread his hands in the old gesture of helplessness. “I can’t talk you out of it, I see. But you’ll have to talk your crew into it. And, since I’m an honest man, I hope you won’t be able to. I’d hate to see you lost in those waters. A lot of people would.”
Jules snorted. “You and they just want me to have a baby or two before I get myself killed.”
“I’m not going near that subject again,” Dor said. “Especially not while you still have that dagger out.”
“Smart man. Don’t tell anyone else about my plans, all right?”
He nodded, raising his glass in salute to her. “Done. It’ll be easier for you to change your mind if no one else knows you wanted to do it.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
Chapter Twelve
The Sun Queen spent a week at Dor’s. Even though the town lacked anything on the scale of the diversions a city like Landfall or Sandurin offered to sailors eager to spend their earnings, it had its share of businesses and individuals willing to offer what those sailors wanted as long as those sailors had money. By the end of the week, the pirates of the Sun Queen were both considerably poorer and considerably happier than when they arrived, and a lot more gold eagles were circulating in the local economy.
But whereas bad times seem to last forever, good times always end well before anyone wants them to. On a bright morning with a freshening wind and some high clouds that foretold possible rough weather coming in, the Sun Queen stood out
of the harbor at Dor’s, clearing the natural breakwater and heading north with just enough sail set to maintain steerageway.
When they were well clear of land, Jules called a meeting of the crew. She stood on the quarterdeck looking down onto the main deck and into the lowest spars, where the men and women had gathered. Ang and Liv also stood on the quarterdeck, and Kyle was on the helm, having little to do with the seas and the wind so accommodating this morning. Everyone looked reasonably content, except for those whose reddened eyes and pained reactions to noise and sunlight spoke to the price they were still paying for their celebrations the night before.
Jules looked them over, knowing that she’d have trouble convincing these sailors to do as she wished.
Wanting to start on a high note that emphasized how well things had gone recently, Jules called to them. “Did we all have a good time at Dor’s?”
A roar of approval answered her question.
“And my last proposal, to capture that Imperial town to make it free, did that work to our profit?”
Another roar of approval. “We never earned so much at one haul before!” Gord called.
Jules smiled at them. “It was risky, but it paid off, didn’t it? No one else had ever done such a thing, but we did it, didn’t we?”
She paused again, waiting for applause that rose and slowly died down.
Hopefully they were ready for her next words. Over the last week she’d gone over them again and again, trying to imagine every question that might be raised, and finding an answer for each. Whether they’d accept her answers could only be learned by trying them.
“I’m hoping that you’ll trust me again,” Jules said. “I’m hoping that together we can once again do something no one else has done, and put our mark on history.”
This time her words didn’t bring applause, just curious, expectant looks.
Jules pointed west. “You all know that Mak wanted to see what lay there, beyond where others have gone. Yes, I know what the charts show. And you all know what the charts showed of the land west of the Northern Ramparts! Wastelands and treacherous waters! That’s what the charts say! But you’ve been there, and you saw a good harbor and fair fields. You walked through the grass on what the charts say should be desert like that of the Bleak Coast.
“What if it’s the same here in the south?”
She paused to judge their mood, seeing worry settling over her crew. “What if it is? Why not go and look? Find out for ourselves? Who knows what treasure might lie out there? Someone made those charts and someone put lies on them. We know that from what we’ve seen in the north.
“Would you like to be the first to set eyes on whatever might lie to the west? That’s where I want to go. Will you go with me?”
Silence, then a low murmuring as sailors spoke with each other. Jules waited, trying to look calm and confident and unworried.
Old Kurt spoke up first, his voice carrying easily. “And if the charts are right about what lies to our west? What becomes of us?”
“If we encounter those reefs, if we see that wasteland,” Jules said, “then we’ll turn about. Why would I push forward if that happened?”
“Where’s the profit in it?” Gord wanted to know.
Jules waved to the west. “If we find something new out there, what do you think that’ll be worth? Another harbor like the one Dor is building in? Good waters? Whoever charts those things can sell that knowledge to those who need it. That’s if we don’t find things valuable in themselves. You’ve all heard of Carlos of Emdin! How he explored the flanks of the Southern Mountains, braving the wastes there, and found the crater of diamonds? Diamonds lying on the ground waiting to be picked up! Who’s to say something like that isn’t west of here?”
That gave them pause, a few smiling at the idea though most still looked more fearful than hopeful.
“I’ve looked at those charts,” Kurt said. “They warn of reefs that can’t be seen until you’re in among them and have no room left to turn about. How do we deal with that?”
Jules shook her head. “Reefs that can’t be seen until you’re in among them? Do any of you know of such reefs anywhere? You’ve all done lookout duty. From up there,” she pointed up to the tops of the masts, “you can see the color of the water change as it shallows, and you can see submerged rocks and the rough water over them. Isn’t that so? If we keep a close watch, we’ll spot any reefs before we get among them.”
“What if the rocks are too deep to be seen?” Cori asked.
“If they’re that deep,” Gord said reluctantly, “we can’t hit them. But what if the water isn’t clear? What if it’s muddied, hard to see through?”
“If we see water that’s muddied or that turbulent,” Jules said, “we’ll know it’s a sign of danger. Just as we would anywhere else! That’s so, isn’t it?”
More nods, even old Kurt agreeing with her words.
“We can’t see well at night,” Marta called. “How do we spot danger ahead at night? We should anchor when it starts to get dark, and only proceed in the morning when we can see well enough.”
“I’ll agree to that,” Jules said.
“What if it’s too deep to anchor?” another pirate called.
“We hold our position through the night, setting just enough sail to keep us from wandering,” Jules replied.
“How long would we head west? How far?” Kyle called from the helm behind her.
Ang answered, also from behind her. “If the charts speak the truth, even with contrary winds we’d be in bad waters within a week.”
“If we go two weeks without seeing anything,” Liv said, “we’ll know the charts are wrong in that much.”
Jules turned enough to give them both a grateful glance, but in doing so saw the reluctance in Ang and Liv as well. They were backing her, but they weren’t happy. Facing the rest of the crew again, Jules spread her arms. “You know me. You knew Mak, who also wanted to see what lay to the west. We’re not going to go charging ahead blindly. We’ll keep our eyes open and our knowledge of the sea at the ready. And we may find things that your grandchildren will be boasting of a hundred years from now.”
A sailor named Imari, wearing a stubborn expression on her face, called out. “I’ll say it since no one else will, and because you brought up grandchildren, Captain! Should you be running this risk? Given what has not yet transpired?”
A rumble of agreement followed Imari’s question.
Jules, tamping down the anger the question brought, took time to form her words before replying. She’d have to play her strongest card. “I’m going to tell you what Mak told me. Mak said that the prophecy says nothing about what I’ll do beyond someday having at least one child. But, he said if that child, if the line from me, is to overthrow the Great Guilds, then when that daughter comes she will need strength at her back. The Emperor or Empress of that time won’t help free the world. That daughter’s strength must come from the free people who stand with her. And where are those free people to come from? Some will come from Dor’s, some from Western Port, but that won’t be enough. We need to find new places where new cities can flourish, and free people can grow and rally to her someday when that daughter calls. This is part of that. Help me find the land we will need to become strong. Strong enough to someday free this world!”
She waited, breathing hard after the speech, hoping she’d convinced them.
“Let’s go!” Kyle cried from the helm.
A chorus of shouts in agreement followed, though not from everyone.
“I call the vote,” Ang shouted. “All in favor of Captain Jules’s proposal raise a hand.”
It was a majority, Jules saw. About two-thirds of the crew. Less than she’d hoped for. But enough.
* * *
And so the Sun Queen ventured west, into waters that (as far as anyone aboard knew) no one had ever before sailed.
That didn’t make for a happy ship. Jules noticed the sailors who were not at work tended to congregat
e near the bow or the port side, watching anxiously for any sign of danger. She’d ordered extra lookouts posted, two on the foremast top and one on the mainmast top, but still the crew worried that they’d miss something.
Keli the healer came to stand by Jules as she stood on the quarterdeck, gazing south and west. The line of cliffs on the shore continued on, seemingly forever, with no signs of another break such as the one where Dor was building his town. To the west nothing could be seen but waves and a low bank of clouds.
“Why are they so worried?” Jules asked him. “They trust me, don’t they?”
“Not as much as they trusted Mak, but well enough,” Keli said. He leaned on the railing, gazing at the cliffs. “What they fear is what they don’t know.”
“Then the way to conquer that fear is to learn what we need to know,” Jules said.
“That’d be logic, but you’re dealing with people. And not just any people, but with sailors.” Keli nodded his head toward the west. “Do you know what lies out there? The monsters and the dangers of our imaginations. That’s what fills the west. And when it comes to monsters and other dangers, our imaginations can create far worse trolls or dragons than any Mages have ever had at their call.”
“Are you afraid of going west?”
“Of course I am. I’ve seen how the sea can tear a ship apart with little warning, or none at all.” Keli tapped the railing for emphasis. “We can’t console ourselves with our knowledge and our experience, because our knowledge and our experience tell us the sea is full of danger, and unforgiving to those who don’t pay her proper respect. You’ve got a good crew here, but it’s because they’re a good crew that they’re unhappy with going west into waters that legend tells them are devourers of ships and sailors.”
Jules ended up dropping anchor a bit before the sun reached the horizon because they reached a place well suited for it. The weighted line used to find the bottom beneath the ship showed enough depth of water to be comfortable, but shallow enough that the anchor cable wouldn’t have to be paid out too far. The anchor quickly snagged on something and held well.
“There are probably a lot of rocks on the bottom here,” Ang said, his expression unusually glum even for him. “Fallen from the cliffs.”
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