by Tony Johnson
“Underneath us is the hull. It's separated into two parts. The front half is our kitchen. The back half is the cargohold where we store anything we’ve caught on our fishing expeditions. The walls are covered in salt so if we're out on the lake for more than one day, we can preserve everything we catch.”
Lastly, Kyoko pointed to the front of the ship. “Straight ahead is the forecastle, where the crew sleeps. Above our quarters is the forecastle deck and the front mast. That's where we keep the anchor and sometimes we store extra fishing nets and supplies up there. And that’s it,” Kyoko clapped her hands. “I've got to go raise the front and rear sails so we're ready to leave when the others get back.”
“Do you need any help?” Steve asked.
“No. Thanks for offering though. Would you mind putting the gold in my mom’s cabin?” she nodded to the sack Steve was carrying. “That’d be helpful. Then you guys are welcome to look around and familiarize yourself with the ship. Once you're done, you can head to the sleeping quarters and get ready for bed. You all look like you could use a lot of sleep,” she mentioned, looking especially long at Steve and his injuries. “Whatever beds you want you can have. The rest of the crew and I will probably sleep on makeshift beds in the shipmaster’s quarters since there are only four beds in the forecastle. That space is all yours.”
Grizz headed straight for the forecastle sleeping quarters to be alone, but Copper followed after him, even after being angrily told by the Dwarf to stay away. Left by themselves, Steve and Kari decided to tour around the ship.
“It's a lot colder than I expected,” Steve mentioned, standing with Kari at the front of the ship, staring up into the starry sky. In front of them was the bowsprit, a long wooden pole with a sharpened tip that stuck out from the ship’s forecastle deck. As they stood there, looking out over the shimmering lake and talking, he felt his eyelids grow heavy. It's true what Kyoko said, we're tired and need sleep, he thought, blinking excessively.
Under the dark sky, illuminated only by the moon and stars, he looked at Kari. From the bags under her eyes he could tell she was tired too, but when he gazed at her, she returned his eye contact and smiled her bright, white, perfect smile.
“I was proud of you back there, picking Jun-Lei and giving her the money up front. I think you made the right choice. I'm glad we're on this boat and not Jarek's.”
“Me too. Jun- Lei and her crew seem to be like good people.” For a brief instance, Steve thought he saw an empty food barrel on the main deck teetering back and forth out of the corner of his eye, but blaming it on his tiredness, he didn't give it a second thought. Hearing voices, he and Kari headed to the ledge of the forecastle deck overlooking the main deck where Ty, Jun-Lei, Haruto, and Myoki were coming onboard.
Haruto and Myoki carried crates of food and supplies below deck to the kitchen and saltbox, so Steve and Kari descended headed down to meet Ty and Jun-Lei near the pole of the main mast. Seeing that Ty had blood on his armor, Kari asked, “What happened?”
“We ran into some trouble in the market,” Ty explained. “Three pirates jumped us.”
“They were Jarek's men,” Jun-Lei seemed sure of it. “Thankfully, Ty here, was with us or else I don't know what would've happened.
“Did you kill any of them?” Steve asked his brother.
“No, but I was able to knock one out and the other two are probably seeking medical attention as we speak. I stabbed one guy in the leg and the other got his forearm sliced open.”
“Everything's ready to go, mom,” Kyoko came down from the stern deck after putting up the rear mast's sail. “All we need to do is raise the anchor.”
“Alright, go get Haruto and have him take care of that immediately,” Jun-Lei ordered. “Then go to my cabin and get some rest. Halfway through the night I'll wake you up and we'll swap places.”
Kyoko nodded, then ran off to get her cousin.
“I'm going to head up to the wheel so we can get going. I trust my daughter told you where your sleeping quarters are?”
“She did,” Steve smiled, excited to be on the way earlier than expected.
“Good. We should be okay for the night if you guys want to turn in. If you have any problems come and find me. If I encounter any problems then I'll pull that cord there,” she pointed to a rope with bells on it that hung high overhead and extended nearly the entire length of the ship. “It can be heard from anywhere on Andonia. If you hear it, the crew and I all meet on the stern deck by the wheel. I'll want you all there as well, so we can discuss how to handle whatever the problem is.”
Steve, Ty, and Kari nodded at the order.
“Other than that, please make yourselves at home and enjoy the trip. The crew and I are here to serve you however we can.”
Upon entering the wooden structure called the forecastle to enter the sleeping quarters, Steve took a glimpse of the inside.
“You're not going to like it, Kari, there's not much room in here,” he remembered her claustorophobic tendencies. “You're not going to be able to roll over without falling out of your bed and you'll barely be able to sit up without hitting your head on the cot above you.”
“Ugh, it’ll be like sleeping in a coffin,” Kari stepped inside and saw the tight confines.
“Maybe Jun-Lei will let you sleep in her cabin. I don't want you to not be able to sleep or be panicked the whole night.”
“I want to be near you though, and the rest of the group,” Kari added the last part on quickly. “I think I can manage. It shouldn't be too bad for me.”
The three heroes stripped down to their clothes, putting their armor and weapons in a chest which already held Grizz’s, who was fast asleep, snoring loudly.
With Ty and Kari in bed, Steve was the last one up. After saying goodnight to his brother, he moved over to where Kari lay. Standing at just over six feet tall, Steve was eye level with her top-bunk cot. Gathering his courage, he said, “Maybe tomorrow we can hang out, just the two of us.”
“I'd like that,” Kari replied, glad that it was dark so that Steve couldn't see how comically wide her smile was that he had just asked her out.
“Alright, it's a date then,” Steve surmised. Then, feeling the butterflies soaring around in his stomach as he often did when he was around Kari, he leaned forward to kiss her cheek, but the minute he planted it, Kari started giggling.
“Sorry!” Steve felt his face get red in the dark. “I meant to kiss your cheek! Where did I get you?”
“On my eye!” she said, still giggling for a couple more seconds. “Here try again,” Kari recommended, sticking out her neck and tilting her head so he couldn't miss.
She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt his warm lips press into the soft skin of her cheek.
“Perfect,” she whispered, happier than ever.
“Goodnight, Kari,” Steve said in a pleasant voice.
“Goodnight, Steve,” she responded with equal kindness.
The warrior slid into the cot beneath where the Halfling lay. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he immediately fell asleep, yet the smile on his face remained.
Chapter 66
Steve awoke to the sound of his brother throwing up over the side of the ship. Rolling out of bed, the black-haired warrior stretched and checked on Kari, who was still sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by the awful retching.
When she's awake, her awareness is off the charts. She hears and notices things no one else does, but when she's sleeping, that talent must be gone, Steve smiled at the interesting flaw. How can she not hear Ty? I'm sure half the ship can hear him.
Feeling a hand gently shaking her shoulder, Kari smiled as she opened and eyes and saw Steve standing there. Hearing what was happening on the other side of the forecastle wall, however, quickly changed her expression.
“Who's sick?” she asked, but Ty answered for himself, as he appeared in the doorway, standing slanted, as if the ship weren’t level. “I don’t think I like sailing
,” he said defiantly.
Steve laughed at the obvious remark and grabbed Ty’s elbow to lead the dizzied Elf to one of the cots. “I much prefer flying over sailing,” Ty added, pulling a blanket over his head, wishing he could be anywhere else but on the open water. “My father was prone to seasickness. It's no wonder I have it as well,” he announced from under his blanket.
“But he said his parents died when he was two years old,” Kari whispered to Steve. “How does he remember that?”
“Through Thatcher,” Steve whispered back. “He told Ty and Darren any little pieces of information he could remember about Caesar and Sarah.”
I’m sure he appreciated any detail he could get, Kari thought. I loved hearing any facts I could about my father.
“I’ll go talk to Jun-Lei and see if she's got anything to help with his seasickness,” Steve offered.
“And I’ll go down to the hull and bring you back some light food,” Kari rested the back of her hand against Ty’s forehead to make sure it wasn’t a fever.
Steve winced as he stepped outside with Kari. The bright, blinding sun forced him to shield his face by blocking the sun with the palm of his hand. “Wow, it's already afternoon,” he told her, peaking out slowly and charting the sun's location in the sky. “We slept for a while.”
“That’s okay,” Kari waved it off. “We needed rest, you especially.”
Steve nodded in agreement, but instead of discussing the pains of his bruises, gashes, and other injuries, he brought up the more predominant ache he was feeling. Rubbing his stomach, he asked the Halfling, “Are you hungry?”
“I'm starving. How about when I go find Ty something to eat, I’ll also gather some food for us? We can eat lunch together up in the crow’s nest.”
“That sounds great! I’ll see you up there in about half an hour.”
After Steve headed off in his direction and Kari was making her way down to the hull, Grizz staggered over to her. “Bout time you two got up,” he slurred as he held a bottle of mead more than half empty.
“How long have you been up for?”
“I barely slept,” Grizz complained, followed by a hiccup.
“I know you're sad, but that might not be the best way to solve your problems,” Kari said kindly, nodding to the wineskin. “From my experience, it tends to lead to more actually.”
“I DON'T NEED A LECTURE!” Grizz erupted, his face growing red.
Kari took a defensive step backwards. For a second it looked like Grizz was contemplating throwing the bottle at her, but he settled down almost as quickly as he got riled up. “Please, just leave me alone. I want to be alone,” he told the Halfling before walking past her while taking another swig.
But Kari dared to stick out her arm against his chest and stop the Dwarf. “I know you don't want anyone to talk to you so that they don't bring up the subject of your family, and that's why you isolate yourself.” Grizz made a move to try and get past her, clearly not wanting to hear what she had to say, but this time Kari grabbed him and kept him in place. “After my father died, my mother struggled with depression. She didn't fight back against the downward spiral and she ended up dying because of it. I know it's tough but don't give up. Don't drink yourself to death. We’re all here for you. If you need anything, just let us know.”
“You can get me another bottle of whiskey,” Grizz rudely suggested as he pushed past her and walked away, unbalanced.
Kari shook her head. Unsure of how to help him, all she could do was say a quick prayer as she headed down to the kitchen.
Alazar, I can't imagine what he's going through, but please don't let him continue down this path of recklessness. I'd hate to see him hurt himself or anyone else. The death of his family has taken such a toll on him. Please give him the type of peace and comfort that only you can provide.
“Good afternoon, Steve. I hope you slept well,” Jun-Lei greeted him.
“Yes, very soundly as a matter of fact. Unfortunately, our Elven friend Ty wasn't quite as lucky. He has a bout of seasickness.”
Jun-Lei nodded, understanding. She turned to Kyoko, who stood nearby on the stern deck and asked, “Would you mind getting some ginger for Ty?”
“No problem. Where is he at?” Kyoko asked Steve.
“He's in our sleeping quarters. And if not, he's probably puking over the side of the ship.”
“He'll find his sea legs soon enough,” Jun-Lei encouraged while watching Kyoko head down the wooden staircase to the main deck. “Ginger root helps with motion sickness. We'll keep giving him some in our herbal tea until his body acclimates itself to the unsteadiness of the sea.”
“It doesn't seem too rocky today,” Steve said, looking out over the giant lake where water extended as far as the eye could see in every direction. “There's barely any waves at all.”
“Yes, unfortunately not.”
“Unfortunately?”
“Well, no waves means that there's no wind, and the wind is our only method of sailing across Azure. We're going slow today.”
“I'm sure you've been out on the water so much, you don't mind having a nice day like this though,” Steve asserted, trying to remain positive.
“I am thankful for every day the lake is calm, but I always keep in mind that things can go from good to bad at any second, without warning.”
“That’s a pessimistic way to look at it.”
“Don't get me wrong, I fully enjoy the good days, but everyone needs bad days too. Opposition makes you stronger,” Jun-Lei explained, then amended her statement by adding, “if you overcome it. Without challenges, you don't grow. Even more than that, you can become lackadaisical with nothing confronting you.
“Think about it this way: if every day was always perfectly calm like this, I wouldn’t be in the mindset of looking out for problems and storms which are bound to come. I need those challenges to make me a better sailor and to teach me how to handle tough circumstances. How I navigate rough waters now is far more precise than when I first became shipmaster of Andonia. Smooth seas do not make good shipmasters,” Jun-Lei summed up what she was saying in one sentence.
Kyoko interrupted, coming up the stairs and speaking to Steve, “I gave Ty the ginger root and put a sedative in his tea to help him fall asleep. When he wakes up he shouldn't be seasick anymore.”
“That’s good. Thank you.”
“Do you want me to take over so you can get some rest mom? You've been at it since early this morning.”
“Yeah, sure, I could use a break.”
Steve walked down the stairs with Jun-Lei and stood in front of the shipmaster's quarters as she explained one final viewpoint to the young warrior.
“Some people say it would be better if we lived in a world with no monsters, but I say, while that may be somewhat true, having a constant threat makes us hold close the things that are most dear to us. If you know something can be taken away at any moment, you'll appreciate it more. We can be thankful for the difficult people, tough circumstances, and the trials we all face in life rather than just wishing they would disappear or go away. Monsters aren’t going away. They’ve always been apart of this world and they always will be. We have to find a way to weather the storms they bring.”
With that, Jun-Lei headed to get some rest, while Steve turned and looked up to the crow's nest. He felt the same butterflies once again and an uneasiness in his stomach. It hadn’t hit him that he was about to go on a date with Kari.
What do I say? What if I'm boring or not funny enough?
With his heart beating rapidly, his breathing faster than usual, and his mind racing, Steve ascended the ladder.
Chapter 67
Once Steve looked up and saw Kari smiling down at him from the crow's nest, all his anxieties washed away.
“Come on up. It's so perfect up here,” Kari said with an inviting grin as Steve finished his climb up the ladder and stepped off into the crow’s nest.
“Wow
, you're right,” he gasped. The temperature was warm and comfortable underneath the bright, yellow sun. The sky was light blue with white, fluffy clouds. Kari's long, dark hair blew in the slight breeze as she and Steve stood next to each other and looked down to the deep blue of the lake.
“I wouldn't change a thing,” Steve agreed with Kari's sentiments. His mind thought back to what Jun-Lei had told him about bad times following good times. I know in less than a week I may be in the biggest battle of my life fighting for Casanovia. It's going to be a stressful and challenging time, but I'm going to enjoy this moment with Kari. I wouldn't rather be with anyone else. She's the one person I want to get to know more than anyone.
“Did you get the medicine for Ty?”
“Yeah, Kyoko gave it to him herself.”
“That's nice of her,” Kari said, then reached for the basket next to her and opened it up to show Steve. “You're not going to believe what I found us for lunch,” she paused for dramatic effect, “Prime Rib sandwiches.”
“Prime Rib? Isn't that a little expensive to be having on a ship?”
“That's what I thought, but Haruto said Jun-Lei told him to pick up the choicest meats from the market before we left. They’ve been treating us so well. They're some of the most hospitable people I've ever met. Here,” she held out a sandwich for Steve.
“Thank you, and thanks for putting this all together for us,” he added, nodding to the basket where she had miniature muffins, carrots, two bananas, and two cookies. There were also two thermoses, one filled with water, and the other with tea.
In the tight confines of the crow's nest, the two sat across from each other and ate their food, talking throughout the meal. Their nervousness quickly went away as they grew more comfortable conversing and laughing. Even after eating, neither wanted to leave.