by Robin Hobb
Brashen still looked terrible. The blisters on his face had broken and the skin was peeling. It made him look lined and old and weary. Or perhaps he actually felt that way. Brashen had summoned them to his cabin. Now, as Althea glanced from Lavoy to Amber to Brashen, she wondered why. His eyes were grave as he announced, ‘The crew seems to have finally settled into its duties. The ship is being run competently, though there is still room for everyone to sharpen up. Unfortunately, in the waters ahead, seamanship may not be as important as our ability to fight. We need to determine our expectations from the crew, in the event of encountering pirates and serpents.’ He frowned and leaned back in his chair. Then he nodded at the table and the chairs surrounding it. A handful of canvas scraps was on one corner of the table. There was also a bottle of brandy and four glasses. ‘Please. Be seated.’ As they took their seats, he poured a jot of brandy into each glass. When all were settled, he offered them a toast. ‘To our success, thus far. And to our continued success.’
They drank together. Brashen leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. ‘Here is how I see things. The men know how to brawl. Believe it or not, that was one of the things I considered in hiring. But now they need to be taught how to battle. By that, I mean as a unified force, one that listens to commands, even in the midst of danger. They need to know how to defend Paragon, as well as how to attack another ship intelligently. It can’t be every man for himself. They have to trust the judgement of the officers. Haff learned the hard way that the ship’s officers have reasons for their orders. I want to start training the men while that is still fresh in their minds.’
Brashen’s eyes roamed the table and came to rest on Lavoy. ‘We discussed this when you were hired. It’s time to begin training. I want some drill every day. The weather has been fine, the ship fair sails himself. Let’s learn while we have leisure for it. I also want to see more cohesiveness in the crew. Some of the men still treat those who were formerly slaves as beneath them. I want that changed. There should be no sense of difference from man to man. They’re all crewmen, no more, nor less.’
Lavoy was nodding. ‘I’ll mix them up more. Up to now, I’ve let them pair up for work as they wanted. I’ll start assigning work groups. They’ll resist at first. There’ll be a few broken heads before it’s all settled.’
Brashen sighed. ‘I know. But try not to let them disable each other in the process of getting acquainted.’
Lavoy gave a mirthless laugh. ‘I was talking about what I might have to do to them. But I take your drift. I’ll start drilling them with weapons. Wooden stuff, to start with.’
‘Let them know that the better fighters will get the better weapons. That may make them strive a bit harder.’ Brashen abruptly shifted his attention to Amber. ‘As long as we are speaking of weapons, I’ll say this now. I want you to arm the ship. Can you devise a suitable weapon for Paragon to use to fend off serpents? A spear of some kind? And do you think he could be taught to employ it against another ship as well?’
‘I suppose I could.’ Amber sounded surprised.
‘Then do it. And create a mounting system for it, so that he can have quick access to it on his own.’ Brashen looked concerned. ‘I fear we’ll have more trouble with those creatures, the deeper we go into pirate waters. I want to be ready next time.’
Amber looked disapproving. ‘Then I suggest that, based on what I’ve heard from Althea, the crew has to be made to understand that serpents won’t react like most animals. The men should be told to ignore them and not provoke them until they’ve actually begun an attack. They won’t flee from a spear jab. They’ll attempt revenge.’ She crossed her arms on her chest when Brashen frowned at her and continued. ‘You know it’s true. And that being the case, are we wise to arm Paragon? It isn’t just that he’s blind. His judgement is not always…well considered. He may attack a serpent that was merely curious, or even well disposed toward us. I suggest that he should have a weapon, but not one he can seize on his own impulse. The serpents affect him strangely. From what he says, I suspect it may be mutual. He claims that the serpent we killed had been following us for days, trying to talk to him. As much as we can, I suggest we avoid the serpents. When we do encounter them, I think we should avoid making enemies of them.’ She shook her head. ‘The death of the last serpent has affected him strangely. He seems almost to mourn it.’
Lavoy made a small contemptuous sound. ‘Make enemies of the serpents? Serpents talking to Paragon? You sound as mad as the ship. Serpents are animals. They don’t think, or plan; they don’t have feelings. If we hurt them bad enough, kill enough of them, they’ll avoid us. I’m with the captain. Arm the ship.’ He shrugged at her cold stare. He cocked his head and challenged her. ‘Only a fool would think differently.’
Amber was unruffled. ‘I think differently.’ She gave Lavoy a cool and mirthless smile. ‘It’s not the first time I’ve been called a fool, and likely not the last. Still, I will tell you this. In my opinion, men deny animals have feelings and thoughts for one basic reason: so they won’t feel guilty about what they do to them. But in your case, I think it’s so you don’t fear them quite as much.’
Lavoy shook her head in disgust. ‘I’m not a coward. And I’m not likely to feel bad about anything I do to a serpent. Unless I’m stupid enough to be his supper.’ He shifted his feet, and turned his attention to Brashen. ‘Sir. If you’re satisfied, I’d like to get back on the deck. To have us all closeted like this will make the crew jumpy.’
Brashen gave him a nod. He leaned forward in his chair to make a note in the logbook in front of him. ‘Begin weapons drill. But emphasize quick obedience as much as skill right now. Make sure they understand they aren’t to act until they’re told to, especially if the enemy is a serpent. Make the best use of the men we have. Two of the former slaves have substantial weapons experience. Put them in charge of some of the drills. And Jek. She’s quick and knows her way around a blade. I want any barriers that might keep them from fighting as a unit broken down.’ Brashen frowned for a moment. ‘Amber will create a weapon for the ship, and she will instruct him in it.’ He met the carpenter’s eyes. ‘When he is armed will be at her discretion, unless I countermand it. I believe her observations regarding serpents and their effect on the ship have merit. Our tactic regarding serpents will be first to avoid and ignore. We fight them only if we’re attacked.’ He paused to let his words sink into Lavoy. His voice was firm as he added, ‘I think I’ve covered all I had for you. You can go.’
A terrible look fleeted over Lavoy’s face. Amber met it squarely. Brashen had done little save rephrase Amber’s suggestions as an order. Another man might have accepted that, but Lavoy clearly resented it. Althea watched him thinly mask his resentment as he bowed curtly to Brashen and headed for the door. Althea and Amber both stood to follow, but a curt sign from Brashen stopped them. ‘I’ve other tasks to go over with both of you. Sit down.’
Lavoy halted. Glints of anger danced in his eyes. ‘Are these tasks I should be aware of, sir?’
Brashen eyed him coldly. ‘If they were, I’d have ordered you to stay. You have your tasks. Get to them.’
Althea took a silent breath and held it. She thought Lavoy would challenge Brashen right then. The stare that held between the two men was edged. Lavoy moved his mouth as if he would speak, then curtly nodded instead. He turned. He did not slam the door as he left, but shut it smartly.
‘Was that wise?’ Amber dared to ask in the silence that followed.
Brashen gave her a cold captain’s look. ‘Not wise perhaps, but necessary.’ He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He poured himself another jot of brandy. Instructively, he addressed Amber. ‘He’s the mate. I can’t allow him to think he is my voice, nor that no opinion save his and mine count. I asked you here for your opinion. For him to disparage that is not acceptable.’ He allowed himself a small, tight smile. ‘But keep in mind that for me to do that would be entirely within my authority.’
Amber frowned
, but Althea instantly grasped his position. She suddenly looked at him with new eyes. He had it. Whatever that indefinable quality was that made a man capable of captaining a ship, Brashen had it. There were new lines in his brow and at the corners of his eyes. But he had also drawn that cold hard line that separated the commander from his crew. She wondered if he were lonely. Then she knew it did not matter. He was what he had to be. He could not be any other way and still command effectively. She felt a pang of loss that the line must separate him from her as well. But the surge of pride she felt in him overwhelmed any selfish regrets. This was what her father had seen in him. Brashen had justified all of Ephron Vestrit’s belief.
For an instant, he looked at her without speaking, as if he could sense her thoughts. Then he gestured at the scraps of canvas on the table. ‘Althea. You’ve always had a better hand with a pen than I did. These are rough sketches. I’d like you to make clean copies of them. They’re all I could chart of the pirate ports I visited with the Springeve. We’ll look for Vivacia first in Divvytown, but I doubt we’ll be lucky enough to catch her there. These bits of charts may come in handy. If you have any questions, I’ll go over them with you. When they’re finished, we need to bring Lavoy in on them as well. He doesn’t read, but his memory is sharp. It’s important this knowledge is shared amongst us.’
The words he left unspoken chilled her. He was obviously considering what would be best for the ship and crew in case of his death. She had avoided thinking of such things. He had not. That, too, was part of command. He pushed the scraps of canvas towards her and she began to leaf through them. His next words to Amber brought her attention back to him.
‘Amber. Last night, you were over the side. Paragon was holding you. I heard your voices.’
‘I was,’ Amber agreed evenly.
‘Doing what?’
The carpenter looked extremely uncomfortable. ‘Experimenting.’
Brashen sighed out through his nose. ‘I won’t tolerate that from Lavoy. What makes you think you can adopt that attitude?’ More gently, he added, ‘If it happens on the ship, and I think it’s my business, I’ll know about it. So tell me.’
Amber looked down at her gloved hands. ‘We all discussed it before we left Bingtown. Paragon knows of the work I did on Ophelia. He supposes that if I could restore her hands, I could give him eyes again.’ Amber licked her lips. ‘I have my doubts.’
Brashen’s tone was dangerous. ‘As I do. As you were well aware. I told you before we sailed, this is no time for risky experiments in wizardwood carving. A failure that disappointed him could endanger us all.’
Anger flickered over Amber’s face.
‘I know what you are thinking,’ Brashen told her. ‘But it isn’t something that is between the two of you. It involves all of us.’
She took a breath. ‘I haven’t touched his eyes, sir. Nor told him that I would.’
‘Then what were you doing?’
‘Erasing the scar from his chest. The seven-pointed star.’
Brashen looked intrigued. ‘Has he told you what the star means?’
Amber shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I only know that whatever memories it holds for him are extremely unpleasant. It was a sort of a compromise. That encounter with the serpent disturbed him. Deeply. He has thought of little else since then. I sense that he is reconsidering all he is. He’s like a boy in adolescence. He has decided that nothing is the way he believed it to be, and is reconstructing his whole vision of the world.’ She took a deep breath as if to say something important. She seemed to reconsider it, and said instead, ‘It’s a very intense time for him. It is not necessarily bad, what he’s doing, but it’s deeply introspective. For Paragon, that means sifting through some very bad memories. I sought to distract him.’
‘You should have asked me first. And you should not be over the side without someone watching you.’
‘Paragon was with me,’ she pointed out. ‘He held me while I did the work.’
‘Nevertheless.’ Brashen made the single word a sharp warning. ‘When you are over the side, I want to be aware of it.’ More gently, he asked, ‘How is the work progressing?’
Amber kept her temper. ‘Slowly. The wood is very hard. I don’t want to just plane it off and leave a different sort of scar. I’m more obscuring than erasing it.’
‘I see.’ Brashen stood and paced a turn around the chamber. ‘Do you think it’s possible you could restore his eyes?’
Amber shook her head regretfully. ‘I’d have to rework his whole face. The wood is simply gone. Even if I just carved eyes there, there is no guarantee he could see out of them. I have no idea how the magic of wizardwood works. Nor does he. I’d be taking a great risk, and possibly damaging him more.’
‘I see.’ Brashen considered a moment longer. ‘Carry on with it, but I want you to take the same precautions I’d expect of any other hand. This includes having a partner of some kind when you are over the side. In addition to Paragon.’ He was silent briefly, then nodded. ‘That’s all, then. You can go.’
Althea suspected it was not easy for Amber to accede to Brashen’s authority. She rose to his command, not resentfully, as Lavoy had, but stiffly, as if it offended her sense of self. Althea rose to follow her out, but Brashen’s voice stopped her at the door. ‘A last word with you, Althea.’
She turned back to him. He glanced at the door standing ajar. She shut it quietly. He took a deep breath. ‘A favour. I’ve put Amber in a bad position with Lavoy. Watch over her no, that’s not what I mean. She’s as dangerous to him as he is to her. He just doesn’t know that yet. Watch the situation. If it looks as if they will clash, warn me. Lavoy is bound to have resentments, but I won’t permit him to take them too far.’
She nodded, then spoke the words. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘One other thing.’ He hesitated. ‘You’re all right? Your hands, I mean?’
‘I think so.’ She flexed her fingers for him. She waited.
It took a time before he spoke. ‘I want you to know —’ His voice went quiet. ‘I wanted to kill Artu. I still do. You know that.’
She smiled crookedly. ‘So did I. I tried.’ She pondered an instant. ‘But it was better as it came out. I beat him. He knows it. The crew knows it. If you had jumped in, I’d still be trying to prove myself to them. But it would be worse now.’ She suddenly knew what he had to hear from her. ‘You did the right thing, Captain Trell.’
His real smile broke through briefly. ‘I did, didn’t I?’ There was real satisfaction in his voice.
She crossed her arms and held them tightly against her chest to keep from going to him. ‘The crew respects your command. So do I.’
He sat a bit straighter. He didn’t thank her. It wouldn’t have been appropriate. She walked quietly from the room. She didn’t look back at him as she quietly closed the door between them.
As she closed the door, Brashen shut his eyes. He’d made the right decision. And they had made the right decision. They both knew it. They had agreed that it was better this way. Better. He wondered when it was going to get easier.
Then he wondered if it would ever get easier.
‘There’s two of us.’ Paragon divulged the secret to her as he held her in his hands. She weighed so little. She was like a doll stuffed with millet.
‘So there is,’ Amber agreed. ‘You and I.’ The rasp moved carefully over his chest. It reminded him of a cat’s tongue. No, he corrected himself. It would have reminded Kerr Ludluck of a cat’s tongue. That long-dead boy had liked cats and kittens. Paragon had never had one.
Paragon. Now there was a name for him. If only they knew. The secret he held slipped from him again. ‘Not you and I. Me and me. There’s two of us.’
‘Sometimes I feel that way myself,’ Amber replied easily. Sometimes, when she was working, he felt like she went somewhere else.
‘Who is your other me?’ he demanded.
‘Oh. Well. A friend I had. We used to talk a lot. Sometimes I hear myself
still talking to him, and I know how he would answer.’
‘I’m not like that. There has always been two of me.’
She returned the rasp to the tool sling. He could feel her do it, and felt the shift of her weight as she searched for something else. ‘I’m going to use sandpaper now. Are you ready?’
‘Yes.’
She went on as if she had not interrupted the conversation. ‘If there are two of you, I like both. Keep still now.’ The sandpaper worked back and forth against his chest. The friction made heat. He smiled at her words because they were true, even if she didn’t know it.
‘Amber? Have you always known who you were?’ he asked curiously.
The sandpaper stopped. In a guarded voice, she replied, ‘Not always. But I always suspected.’ She added in her normal voice, ‘That’s a very odd question to ask.’
‘You’re a very odd person,’ he teased, and grinned.
The sandpaper moved against him slowly. ‘You are one spooky ship,’ she said quietly.
‘I haven’t always known who I was,’ he admitted. ‘But now I do, and that makes it all easier.’
She set aside the sandpaper. He heard the clink of tools as she rummaged for something else. ‘I have no idea what you mean by that, but I’m happy for you.’ She was distracted again. ‘This is an oil pressed from seeds. On ordinary wood, it swells the fibres and can erase a scratch. I have no idea what it will do on wizardwood. Shall we try a little and see?’
‘Why not?’
‘A moment.’ Amber leaned back in his arms. Her feet were braced against his belly. She wore a safety line, but he knew she trusted more to him. ‘Althea?’ Amber called up to the deck. ‘Have you ever used oil on wizardwood? For maintenance?’