by C. Litka
06
I brought a covered plate of rice and preserved vegetables wrapped in large cabbage leaves that I'd made back to Naylea, who had the helm. Py was settling down forward for a nap, as were the two dragons, now well fed. Our little engine was thumping quietly along, nice and fuel efficient-like.
I stood for a few moments looking back. The burning Temtre ship was just a small, faint smokey dot on the featureless sky, now the better part of 30 kilometers astern.
I settled down beside her. She was in a dark mood, so I said nothing as she listlessly ate her meal. And nothing for an hour or so afterward either. I'd never seen her this low, and didn't know what I could say to make her feel any better. She didn't seem to mind my company, so I sat with her behind the tillers and made mental plans. Lots of plans, most of which were just wishful thinking.
I looked around. Everyone else was sleeping, so I held my breath and put my arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. 'I'm sorry things worked out as they did,' I said quietly.
I felt her shoulders twitch. 'I made a mess of it, Litang. And many lives will be lost because of the mess I made of it.'
'You made a mess of it? How? You delivered the Order's message which was all that you were charged with. How the Temtres decide to take it was out of your and our hands.'
'Delivering the message was only the beginning. Convincing them to change their ways was at the heart of my mission.'
Py had said the same thing. My St Bleyth ancestors disagreed.
'And I'm sure you would have succeeded - if DeKan hadn't gotten himself killed playing pirate. But you'd never have succeeded with DinDay, even if he didn't kill you out of hand, which he apparently intended to do. Hopefully Py's speech to the entire clan, laying out the full consequences of an attack on SarLa, will convince enough of them to give the SaraDals a miss. I've been told that even as clan-king DinDay can't order the clans to follow him. If worst comes to worst, you'll succeed in changing the Temtres by culling out the most bloodthirsty of the lot.'
'That's not the Way, Litang. And you know it. Besides, how many clan-chiefs will defy him? Look at their response. It doesn't look like we made any impression at all. Why, we may've made his case even more compelling by making it a direct challenge to them and their ways. We failed.'
If their response to our message was any indicator, they'd be on their way to the SaraDals by now. Still, 'That may have been only their first reaction. Challenge a Temtre and you'll have a fight on you hands. I'm certain that you gave them something to think about. And even if they sail for the SaraDals, they now know they have a definite time limit, so that if things don't go exactly as promised, they'll get clear before the warship arrives. I really think they won't hang around for long. They're too suspicious of a trap. Those that do hang around will prove to be a lesson for the rest of them. One they will understand.'
She didn't say anything more for a while, until she asked, 'So, between you and me, just how likely are we to see these islands of yours?'
'They're not my islands, but I'm confident we'll reach them.'
'Before we starve?'
'We've plenty of food,' I said, and lowering my voice added, 'Enough for a month at least. And if we run out of food, we've got the two dragons - they're hunted for food in the Outward Islands, so they're probably pretty tasty?'
The two "sleeping" dragons gave a low deep growl and showed more of their teeth without opening their eyes.
Naylea laughed softly. 'They were probably thinking the same thing?'
The two dragons barked a soft laugh.
'Two dragons. Life just seems to get better and better,' I muttered, before adding, 'Oh, don't worry about the future. We'll get by.'
'But will we get back to the Principalities?'
'If we reach the islands?
'Your islands.'
'If we reach the islands that I believe lay before us, we should be able to resupply the boat with enough fuel to recross this sea. It'd be a long voyage, but navigation isn't tricky. I'm sure it can be done.' If we weren't captured and eaten first.
'And you'd be willing to try it?'
'Yes. It may not be the Unity, but I've come to consider the Principalities my home. I'm as eager to return as you are, especially now that I've found you.'
She shook herself free of my arm and said, with a sad smile, 'It's your watch now, Litang. I'm going to join the sleepers.'
Part Seven - The Far Islands
Chapter 35 The Floating Jungle