by H. N. Klett
The page cleared and new words appeared on the page.
OF COURSE I KNOW YOUR NAME, HAILEY!
I SAID, YOU ARE IN GREAT DANGER!
NAVIGATOR.
THEY WILL COME FOR YOU.
Was this book really talking to her? It was starting to scare her. Hailey tried to control her breathing.
“What? Who is coming to get me?”
The page cleared again and the words were replaced.
THE PIRATES.
THEY NEED THEIR NAVIGATOR.
THEY WILL COME FOR YOU.
Her mind raced with her pulse. Pirates? Pirates aren’t real. They were just made-up ghouls from children’s and sailors’ stories, weren’t they? Why her? Why do they even want her as a navigator?
No, This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening. She felt pale and a cold sweat, like icy hands, trickled down her neck and back.
The page cleared and new words appeared on the page.
THIS IS REAL.
DON’T LET ME FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE CROWN!
DON’T WORRY, THE PIRATES ARE COMING FOR YOU.
Don’t worry? Hailey slammed the book shut in her hand. She wanted nothing more to do with this thing. Its bands reattached with a mechanical click. She had to put it back.
There were the sounds of boots by the door and someone fumbling with keys. Hailey had to think fast. She glanced at the portrait to make sure it was closed and stuffed the book in the waistband of her pants. She barely got it covered with her shirt before her father entered the cabin. She turned to face him.
He looked at her for a long moment.
“What’s wrong with you, girl? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
A ghost? Did he know? She wanted to confess, to tell him that she had found the book and that it started talking to her and showing her things and telling her that she is the Navigator and that the pirates were coming to get her… but she couldn’t. If she told him, it would have meant she knew how to get into the secret cabinet, and she would never see those books again.
“What? No. You just startled me, that’s all.”
She brought her breathing under control as he feigned interest in looking around the room. Hailey knew right away he was trying to hide the fact that he was looking to see if his secret compartment had been disturbed.
Satisfied that it hadn’t, he turned to her and folded his arms.
“I thought you were supposed to be reading your primer?”
The weight of the book in her waistband reminded her of her guilt, but she smoothed her shirt and decided to play it off.
“I was, but I guess I just got lost in thought.”
She crossed the room and reached into the bag that lay on the floor and fished out the copy of the Church’s primer her grandmother had packed for her. When anyone came of age, they received a copy, usually from the clergy or a relative. It contained in long and gloriously dull detail all the rules and etiquette of life as dictated by the Book of the Ancestors. It had been taught for years, but ever since the Queen ascended to the throne when Hailey was little, each passing year saw those rules enforced more and more.
She held it up to him as proof, then padded across the cabin and back to the table and chair and placed the book on the table. The weight and size of the hidden book made it awkward to sit down, but her father didn’t notice.
Though she dreaded reading the boring and vacuous book, she was relieved to find that the words did not change or try to talk to her like the last one.
Satisfied, Orin turned to go, but Rufus was standing in the doorway.
“Sir? There’s a ship moving quickly toward us. It’s hailing us. It looks to be a Crown ship.”
The captain scowled as someone on deck shouted for all hands.
Chapter 3
On deck, they could see that the large Crown ship, the Vigilant, was already upon them and turning alongside. The Arrow had struck her sails and floated patiently as the large ship glided up to them.
Looking over at the ship, Hailey noted that their sails looked completely different from any she had ever seen. They looked darker and more conical, like arrowheads instead of the tall, square sails she was accustomed to. She had heard that Crown ships were full of all kinds of magic, like lights without wicks or candles, and their navigators had the ability to predict the weather days in advance. Their ships were floating troves of magic items from the Queen that defied comprehension.
The Vigilant, sitting taller in the water than the low and lean-slung Arrow, extended a gangway down to their deck and a detachment of marines boarded the ship without a word. They filed to the end of the gangway and then, forming two rows, stood at attention.
From the top of the gangway, a portly figure dressed in the red royal uniform of a Crown captain addressed Orin.
“Permission to come aboard?”
He didn’t look so much at Orin as in his general direction.
“Please,” Orin replied, knowing that there was no question in this man’s asking, just a statement of formality. Orin knew that if that ship beside them was the Vigilant, then he would have to be cautious. Its captain, Captain Langen, had a reputation of being a man you wouldn’t want to trifle with.
The marine detachment parted, allowing the captain down the plank.
The captain waddled down the plank and extended a hand to Orin, who took it carefully, like a stray dog taking a treat from a stranger. He was trying to figure out if he was about to be rewarded or taken and stewed.
Orin gave him his brightest smile. “To what do we owe the pleasure, sir?”
Hailey knew that her father had absolutely no love for the Crown or any of the Queen’s representatives, especially after all they had put him through. She also knew that her father wouldn’t be so foolish as to display any distaste for them. Any insult could lead to them staring down the barrels of an eighty-gun warship or dangling from the end of a noose. The Crown was not known for its tolerance.
“Searching for contraband, I’m afraid. Shouldn’t take long.”
The captain raised his chubby hand to the sergeant of the marine attachment and they all spread out and began to go through the ship.
“Be so good as to make sure that all of your crew stays on deck, please. I wouldn’t want to” —he paused, and his cherub-like jocularity vanished, replaced by a look of menace, and then quickly changed back to his smiling demeanor— “cause you any further delay.”
The effect wasn’t just chilling for Orin; all crewmen within earshot behind Orin realized their lives were in very real danger should they not comply.
The marines went through the ship as the crew stood there waiting. The captain and Orin bantered to pass the time. The rest of the crew muttered amongst themselves, very aware of the many eyes lining the railings of the Vigilant, looking down on them. Hailey walked closer to the railing of the Arrow to get a look at them and noticed that each soldier had a long rifle resting at their side. That is, everyone with the exception of a rather tall, dapper gentleman dressed in a deep blue coat and pants, both accented with gold. He was looking down on them, seemingly amused.
She caught his eye and he gave her a wide smile, then reached up with his long, spindly arms and tipped his perfectly matching hat, its blue-and-green feather fluttering in the breeze. Hailey didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt a chill and shuddered.
She knew that this must be someone important, someone who had enough wealth to wear the latest fashions of the capital city of Davos. His bark-brown hair showed as much and was nicely combed and parted. Even at that distance she could tell his face was a slightly lighter tan than everyone else who spent their days in the sun. Even odder still, he was freshly shaven.
There was a reason most sailors wore beards. It’s not an easy feat to swipe a blade across the face without drawing blood on any sized ship at the mercy of the rolling sea. Studying his angular features, she surmised that whoever worked a blade across his face must have impossibly great
skill.
This was no man to be rude to, though she didn’t want to linger in his attention. His smile was pleasant, but there was something predatory behind his eyes. She smiled and gave a slight curtsey in response, then made her way back to her father and Captain Langen.
The two had been conversing casually as they waited for the marines to conclude their search. Upon seeing her, Orin interrupted himself and introduced his daughter to the captain.
“Captain Langen, this is my daughter, Hailey.”
Hailey curtsied to the captain, who smiled at her and tipped his hat.
“A lovely girl,” he remarked to Orin. Hailey blushed a little, though she knew the compliment was only a formality.
A marine came up beside them.
“Sir, we found something in the captain’s quarters you should see.”
Hailey felt like a vice had been applied to her neck and was starting to squeeze. She shifted uncomfortably, still feeling the weight of her guilt in her waistband.
The captain nodded to the marine, who turned and went back to the cabin. Langen’s smile and rosy cheeks did not falter as he addressed Orin.
“Join us, please.” Again, this was a formality. Langen was not asking so much as telling him.
Orin nodded and went to his cabin, followed by Langen and a nervous Hailey. She found herself reaching back and touching the book hidden under her shirt every few seconds, making sure that it was still there.
The sergeant stepped to the captain and saluted as they entered. The other marines stood rigidly at attention like cocked pistols. Hailey knew that in such a small space, Captain Langen need only give the word and the marines would spring and bring the hammer down on both her and Orin without a moment’s hesitation.
“Found a couple hidden compartments with contraband, sir.”
The sergeant pointed to the cabinet behind the hinged portrait of Hailey’s mother, and her heart began to pound. The cabinet door had been pried open with a crowbar. The books had been removed and placed on the table. Beside the stack of books stood a rather large and old-looking bottle of wine, presumably hidden in another compartment in the cabin that Hailey had not found.
Walking over to the table, Captain Langen looked over the books.
“I see. And the… item?” He looked up at the sergeant, raising an eyebrow expectantly.
“No, sir,” the sergeant replied, letting his eyes drop. He stood rigidly, waiting for the next order. Like an attack dog patiently waiting for his master to set him loose. Hailey and Orin both looked at the captain, neither of them able to hide their fear.
Captain Langen looked over the books and the wine on the table, let out a sigh that slumped his shoulders forward, and then addressed the sergeant.
“Very well, then, sergeant. Tell my first mate, Mr. Grahl to escort the Arrow to port. I’m going to stay on board and ask some questions. Be sure to meet me on the docks when we arrive.”
He waved his hand and the sergeant and other marines saluted and quickly marched out of the cabin, closing the door behind them.
Langen turned to Orin and smiled. They were alone.
“I hope you don’t mind company on the way back to port,” Langen said.
Hailey didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t like it.
“No, sir,” was all Orin could say.
He had been stone silent, watching the whole thing unfold with a grim face. The second he saw they had found the cabinet, he knew he was in trouble. Smuggling contraband of any kind could land you in irons on a good day. Having contraband books usually got you hung.
Hailey knew it all too well and stood there quietly in a panic, feeling the book bite into her back as the two men ignored her.
Langen simply smiled at him.
“Good. It looks like we have some things to talk about.” He slapped Orin’s shoulder jovially and made his way over to the table of books.
The captain ran his fingers admiringly over the spines of the books stacked on the table as Hailey and Orin just stared at the man, terrified.
Langen pulled up the captain’s chair and sat himself down at the table, bringing a book closer to him as though a prize. He looked up to see the two of them standing over him and motioned to the bed and the chair across the room.
“Please, sit!” They did as they were told.
Langen smiled at them as Orin pulled the chair up to the table and Hailey sat at the end the bed. Then he began picking up the other books one by one and eyeing them, muttering their titles to himself.
“Ah, the History of Naval Battles of the War for Independence. I haven’t read this one. I have a few others that Havasham wrote, but not this one. I simply love the detail he puts in his work.”
Orin was in shock. Was he being invited to discuss forbidden books with his would-be executioner? He couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the absurdity of it all.
“Glad to find someone who appreciates a good book,” said Orin.
The mood had lightened considerably and Captain Langen relaxed into the chair and made himself more comfortable. Hailey shifted on the end of the cot, trying to covertly shift the book so it sat more comfortably in her waistband.
“Thank you. Say, is that Iconen wine?” Langen picked up the bottle, eyeing it with a bit of mirth.
“It is.” Orin smiled at him.
Langen gave a short laugh of delight and smiled brightly. “It’s been an age since I have had some good wine and a talk about books. These days, what with all the restrictions, you just don’t get that many readers anymore.”
Orin nodded his agreement as Langen crossed the room to retrieve a couple of glasses he had spotted.
As Langen worked the cork, Orin thought about the wine. He had been saving it to celebrate a special occasion. However, he supposed missing a date with a noose seemed to be good enough occasion as any.
Hailey watched it all with muted fascination. She was too young for wine, but had seen her parents and grandparents enjoy a few glasses. The bottle looked old and special. She had heard that shipbuilders often gave the new captain a bottle of wine for luck when they delivered a ship. This bit of luck seemed to be paying off.
The two men took long, appreciative sips and relaxed a bit in their chairs.
Captain Langen set down his glass and started looking through the books again. Orin looked them over as well, taking inventory. The one book he was looking for was not there. He turned and looked at Hailey, but she wouldn’t meet his eye.
Langen noticed Orin’s gaze, and followed it. It wasn’t quite proper for a couple of sailors to be drinking and telling stories around a lady.
“Ah, yes, well, we shouldn’t keep the young lady. I’m sure there are other things she would rather be doing than listening to two old men sit and talk. Why don’t you be a good girl and go out with the crew on deck?”
Hailey nodded and started for the door. Her hand was almost at the door when Captain Langen called her back.
“One second, young lady.”
She turned slowly, the fear and guilt flowing though her veins made it hard to move.
“The book.”
She swallowed hard. He’d noticed the book hidden in her waistband. What was she going to do? He looked at her for a long moment, then smiled. He held up her primer.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t want to leave without this.”
He offered it to her.
She curtsied and mumbled, “Thank you.”
She took the book, but he held it for a moment until she looked at him.
“Books are very important, aren’t they?”
Her voice caught in her throat. She could feel both of the men’s gazes on her.
She could only nod.
Captain Langen released the book with a laugh and said, “That’s a good girl. Run along now.”
She curtsied again and darted to the door, never so glad to be leaving her father’s cabin in all of her life.
“Delightful girl.” The captain chuckled
.
“Thank you, sir.”
“She join you often? On your sails?”
“Every chance she gets.”
“And her mother?”
“Died three years ago in the incident at Cowl’s Ridge.”
The captain grunted and frowned. Cowl’s Ridge was an incident that had left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
“I’m sorry to hear of it.”
“Thank you, sir.” He took a sip of his wine.
There was a silence that hung in the room for a moment as the two men reflected on the incident at Cowl’s Ridge. The violent protests that erupted after it happened. It was a sore incident that both Crown and civilian were eager to forget. An old wound that every now and then reappeared and renewed its presence with a lance of pain. A scar on the mind of all.
Langen broke the silence.
“We received reports that the captain of the Arrow had come into possession of a certain item we are looking for. You wouldn’t happen to know what it is, would you?”
Orin gave him his best puzzled look.
“No, sir.”
Langen’s face had changed again from rosy and jovial to dark and tense.
“And you have no other hidden compartments that we haven’t found?”
“No, sir.”
Just as quickly as the storm came to Langen’s face, it passed, and he resumed his rosy smile. He reached across the table and refilled Orin’s glass.
“Well, good! Now, let’s drink, and we can talk about how you came upon these books.”
Hailey stepped back into the sunlight and could see that the Vigilant had just moved off from them. Both the Arrow crew and the Vigilant’s decks were abuzz with motion as they raised sails for the port of Daden.
On the stern of the Vigilant she noticed the tall, dapper man looking back at their ship. He tipped his hat at her again, but this time turned and walked away before she could curtsey a reply. As if he was simply saying goodbye for now.
Hailey’s thoughts returned to the man in her father’s cabin. The Crown was looking for the book, that much was certain. Langen had asked if they had found the item. What else could it be but the book? Crown ships often stopped ships coming into ports, but more often than not they were looking for a bribe to look the other way on trumped-up infractions. This was different. This was a hunt.