Zypheria's Call (A Tanyth Fairport Adventure)

by Nathan Lowell

  “But...?” he said.

  “But when I looked around—across the harbor? Out into the bay? Up at the sky? With the wind blowin’ and everythin’?” She took a deep breath and blew it out before giving a small shrug. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to come down, sir.”

  The captain’s eyes crinkled up as he smiled. “Well, Mr. Groves? Will you accept this one for working passage?”

  The younger Groves nodded. “Yes, Captain. She’ll do.”

  “Very well, missy. You’re a working member of the crew.” He eyed Tanyth and the ship and then looked back at Rebecca. “You’ll share a compartment, I s’pect?”

  Tanyth and Rebecca nodded.

  “And the fare, Captain?” Tanyth asked.

  “Five crowns plus an extra crown for food. And you must be ready to board on an hour’s notice, day or night.”

  Young Groves coughed into his fist.

  His father shot him a sour look.

  Tanyth bit back her laugh and countered, “Two crowns and we move aboard this afternoon.”

  The Captain blinked. “You’d move aboard now, mum?”

  She shrugged. “As I understand it the Zypheria...?” She looked to Mr. Groves.

  “Yes, mum, the Zypheria.”

  “This Zypheria could start blowin’ at any moment. Correct?”

  The captain nodded. “Yes, mum, that’s true enough, but it might not happen for several days.”

  “If we’re already aboard, then you’ll have no need to fetch us and wait for me to drag my poor, tired carcass all the way across the city, correct?”

  The captain’s eyes danced again. “Your poor, tired carcass, mum?”

  She gave a small shrug.

  “Does that work on anybody older than twelve winters?”

  “Hasn’t yet, Captain, but I keep tryin’.”

  He looked down at his boots and then up the rigging. “It could be a long wait, mum, and the quarters are not exactly luxurious,” he said. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

  Tanyth looked at the ship and then turned to look out to the clean blue line between sky and sea. When she turned back, she could feel her smile all the way to her toes. “Yes, Captain. I believe it is. And it’ll give Rebecca here a chance to learn her new duties.”

  “Three crowns,” the captain said.

  Tanyth started to speak and young Mr. Groves cleared his throat loudly.

  “Who’s side are you on, boy?” the captain muttered.

  “Me, sir? I’m just the first mate, Captain.”

  “Uh huh,” he said. “Save it for your mother.”

  “You think she’ll start believing me, sir?”

  “I doubt it, lad, but sometimes fish have wings.” He cast an arched eye toward Tanyth.

  “Meals, Captain?”

  The captain looked to the first mate who made a big show of looking out to sea. “Included,” he muttered.

  “In that case, I accept,” she said. “Four crowns and not a copper more.”

  Both men looked at her with identical expressions of consternation.

  Young Mr. Groves recovered first and leaned in again. “Mum, the last offer was three crowns, not four.”

  “Yes, I know, dear boy. I’m old, not deaf. At least not yet.” She paused long enough for him to look a bit chagrined. “I also am smart enough to know that you’d really rather not have to cart us all the way out to North Haven, and that havin’ to feed a pair of extra mouths may not exactly be easy if you can’t send to the butcher’s for an extra chicken. Am I right?”

  The young man nodded and the captain looked at her with an oddly calculating look.

  “It’s worth a crown to have you take very good care of us until we get ashore.”

  “Oh, we’d do that anyway, mum, even at our normal—”

  His father coughed loudly.

  When they looked in his direction, he put on an innocent face. “What? It worked for him. Please, don’t let me interrupt. Four gold crowns, you say?”

  Tanyth smiled and discovered that she was already quite fond of the old man and his son. “I realize it’s unusual and I appreciate any extra effort ya might undertake on our behalf since I really don’t know what we’re getting into.”

  That seemed to strike a chord in the younger Mr. Groves but before he could ask, the Captain spoke. “Most generous, mum, and thank you. We will take excellent care of you both.”

  “Do you have a preferred method of payment?” she asked.

  “The usual payment is half on boarding and half on arrival,” the Captain said.

  “Would a Royal Bank draft on boarding suffice?”

  “You want to pay it all, mum?” the younger Mr. Groves asked.

  “Yes. It’s more convenient and I don’t have to carry around those heavy coins.”

  “Heavy coins, mum?” the elder Mr. Groves asked.

  “Yes, the gold crowns. They’re rather a burden.”

  The two men shared a quick glance before the captain thought to ask, “Mum? Have you ever seen a gold crown?”

  She shook her head. “No. I can’t say that have. Why?”

  The Captain fished around his trouser pocket and pulled out his hand. He held it palm up. In it were three coppers, four silvers, and two gold coins only half again bigger than the silvers.

  She looked at the coins and then into the faces of the two men. “Crowns?”

  They both nodded.

  Tanyth started to laugh. “Yes, I can see I need to have a talk with my banker.”

  “You do have the fare, mum, don’t you?” Mr. Groves asked.

  Tanyth nodded. “Yes, Mr. Groves. Assuming Mr. Pendleton at the bank will let a poor frail woman like me walk out with it.”

  The captain cocked his head. “George Pendleton? The Royal Bank?”

  “The same, Captain.”

  “If he gives you any trouble, just tell him to talk to Captain Saul Groves.” He paused and looked at her afresh. “How did you get crowns in the Royal Bank without ever seeing one before?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “They were a gift. When I retained Mr. Pendleton, I was told that twenty gold crowns was too much of a burden for an unattended woman to be carrying around.”

  “Yes,” the captain said. “Yes, I can see where that might be the case.” He shot a look at her. “It was a wise choice, mum.”

  “I can see that, Captain, just not in the way that I expected.”

  The captain clapped his son on the shoulder with one weather-roughened hand. “See that, lad? There’s always something new to learn.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  The captain turned back to Tanyth. “Do you need any help fetching your luggage, mum? I can send a couple of the crew with you.”

  She shook her head. “It’s a lovely day and I can use the exercise. I’ll stop in for a visit with Mr. Pendleton and we’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  The younger Mr. Groves smiled and nodded. “We’ll be ready for you, mum.”

  “Thank you, both.” She gave them a nod and started back down the pier, Rebecca strolling along beside. She had a very good feeling about the next stage of her journey. The good feeling reminded her of something. She turned back to the two men. “Oh, one more question, Captain?”

  “Yes, mum?”

  “Is this voyage insured?”

  Captain Groves glowered at the question and Tanyth almost took a step back in surprise.

  Young Mr. Groves laid a hand on his father’s arm and answered for him. “No, mum,” he said. “Is that a problem?”

  She considered the matter for a moment, then nodded her head at the three ships lined up on the next pier. “Are they?”

  The two men looked and Tanyth thought the captain might spit on the dock but the younger Groves said, “Probably, mum.”

  Tanyth shook her head. “No, Mr. Groves, I don’t believe it is.”

  “Thank you, mum,” he said. “May I ask...?”

  “What? Why I wanted to know?”
<
br />   Mr. Groves nodded once.

  “I hear odd things, Mr. Groves. Two brothers and an inn keeper all had words about ships and insurance. I thought perhaps a direct question would tell me somethin’ new.”

  Captain Groves’ face lost most of the angry redness and he cocked his head to the side. “And did it, mum?”

  Tanyth smiled at him. “Yes, Captain Groves. I think it did. Thank you.” With a wave she turned, and they headed off to tie up loose ends.

  Chapter Eighteen:

  Taking Stock

  The sun passed mid-afternoon by the time Tanyth and Rebecca returned to the Zypheria’s Call. The walk back to the ship with her pack on her back warmed Tanyth and left her a bit breathless. As she approached the ship, she noted that the vessel rode considerably lower. The long plank from dock to deck had a very slight downward angle and she eyed it with interest.

  “There you are, mum,” a cheery voice called from the ship.

  She held up a hand against the sun’s glare and saw the younger Mr. Groves walking along the deck toward the plank. “Took a bit longer than I expected, but I trust we’re still in time, Mr. Groves?”

  “We’re all ready for you, mum. Come aboard.”

  She eyed the plank once more and realized that the roped railing was too low for her to hold onto and still stand upright. Tanyth stepped back and let Rebecca march across, alighting on the far side with the help of Mr. Groves’ offered hand on the last step.

  Tanyth watched the two young people share a smile, Rebecca suddenly shy and Groves smiling at the toes of his boots while holding the hand a heartbeat longer than Tanyth thought quite necessary.

  Rebecca turned and smiled too brightly. “It’s easy, mum. It’s got a bit of bounce in the middle, but just keep goin’ and you’ll be fine.”

  She scowled at the board and shifted the grip on her staff, trying to picture the plank as just another narrow piece of trail.

  “You’ll be fine, mum,” Mr. Groves called by way of encouragement. “It has a bit of spring in it, but nobody’s fallen off it yet.”

  “How encouragin’,” she muttered.

  “What’s that, mum?” he asked.

  “Thank you, Mr. Groves,” she called.

  Rebecca gave a small laugh.

  Tanyth fixed her eyes on the far end and began a careful walk across the plank. After a couple of steps she got the feel of it and was able to finish the passage without further difficulty. She got to the other end and took Mr. Groves’ hand for the last step onto the smooth planks of the deck. The scent of tar and rope was more pronounced there under the rigging, the waves lapping against the hull sounding louder.

  “And here we are, mum. Safe and sound.” His bright smile seemed to gleam against the dark-tanned cheeks. He cast his eyes back along the pier. “But where is your luggage, mum?”

  She turned slightly and nodded over her shoulder. “This is all I got.”

  He turned to look at Rebecca who pivoted to show the rucksack on her own back.

  His brow furrowed in a frown as he eyed the packs and then looked at her again. “That’s it, mum?”

  “It’s all I need.”

  “Pardon my askin’, mum, but what all do you have in there?”

  “Clothes, a bit of tea, some oatmeal, cooking pots. Bedroll.”

  He bit his lower lip as if uncertain about his next course of action.

  “Spit it out, Mr. Groves. I’m relyin’ on you to keep us out of trouble.”

  He rubbed a hand over his mouth and shot her a sideways look before asking, “Do you have any warmer clothing in there, mum?”

  “Warmer clothing?” She considered the question for what he hadn’t asked. “How warm?”

  “Mum, at sea? The wind cuts.”

  “I thought this Zypheria that everybody’s waitin’ on was a warm wind.”

  He grinned. “It is, mum, but only by comparison. It’s wet and miserable on a good day in high summer. We’re heading north. We’ll be sailing around chunks of ice floating in the water. There’ll be days when it’ll feel colder than mid-winter here.”

  “What do I need?” she asked.

  He looked them both up and down. “Heavy wool coat, some heavier trousers. Do you have any sweaters or knit pullovers in there? Either of you?”

  “Got some of my winter things still. Haven’t switched to summer weight yet.” She considered his words. “I’ve a heavier canvas coat, but I’m suspectin’ that’s not what you’re talkin’ about.”

  Rebecca shook her head. “I’m wearin’ the warmest I got.”

  “Come this way, ladies. Let me show you to your quarters and perhaps you can show me what you have for warm clothes?”

  He led them toward the back of the ship and through a narrow door. “Mind your step and your head here, mum. Three steps down and you’re clear.”

  She ducked her head and used her staff to feel her way down the steps in the dimness after being in the open deck.

  At the foot of the steps, Rebecca paused and looked back. “It’s just like one of William’s huts, mum.”

  Tanyth nodded. “Watch your head and step down. It’s a bit easier here. S’pose he modeled ‘em after this?”

  Rebecca turned, scrubbing her pack against the wall of the narrow passage. “Hard tellin’, mum.”

  Mr. Groves waited for them a few steps down the passage. He held open a door and Tanyth entered the small room, Rebecca on her heels. A pair of built-in bunks stood level with her waist and she saw some cupboard doors with smooth handles under each. Several pegs decorated a very short wall and a small circular window, no bigger across that the splayed fingers of one hand, brought in light from the outside.

  She stood her staff in a corner, hung her hat on a peg and unslung her pack, bumping it on the bed and then on the wall as she struggled to get the straps off her shoulders. Rebecca followed suit and for a moment they struggled to stay clear of each other until Rebecca managed to heave her pack up onto a bunk.

  “Sorry about that, mum.” Groves leaned in the doorway, standing well back to give them as much room as possible. “Quarters aboard are a bit tight,” he said, apology written on his face.

  “I’ll step out on deck if I need room to change my mind.” She grinned at him. “I’m just glad we don’t have more baggage than this.” She dropped her own pack on the empty bunk and realized that there was a lip along the edge. What had looked like a very flat ticking was actually well-padded. She pulled the top of the pack open and pulled out her heaviest coat. Holding it up for his inspection, she realized that her warmest cover wasn’t as substantial as his woolen frock-coat.

  He worried his lower lip between his front teeth as he considered the garment.

  “This won’t do, will it, Mr. Groves?”

  He swallowed once before looking at her with a small shake of his head. “You’re probably going to want a lot more than that, mum. Even just wanderin’ around North Haven will be a bit nippy in that. At sea?” He shook his head.

  “Can I buy one?” she asked. “And how much would something like that cost?”

  “Oh, certainly, mum. There’s a chandler just off the head of the pier. He’d sell you a nice solid watch coat. You could even get some wool lined canvas trousers for no more than a dozen silvers.”

  “And you’d recommend I get some of these trousers and pants?”

  “’Fraid so, mum. Otherwise you’re going to be a tad chilly before we get there and I don’t know that we’d be able to thaw you out on arrival.”

  She huffed a laugh and rummaged deeper in her pack, pulling out her pullovers and knits. “What d’ya think of these, then, Mr. Groves? I don’t much like bein’ cold. The All-Mother knows I’ve spent enough of my life chilled to the bone without addin’ any more days to the tally.”

  He considered each garment, sometimes weighing the fabric in his hand. After a few minutes they’d sorted her clothing into “probably warm enough” and “you’ll want warmer” piles.

  “Those
lighter ones will be good for wearing under stuff, mum,” Groves suggested, “but you’ll want some good dense wool for bulk.” He took a moment to look at Rebecca’s much smaller pile of clothing and shook his head. “You’ll need to find something warmer, miss. You’ll need to be on deck and working. Sometimes you’ll be active enough to keep warm, but you’ll want some jerseys. Perhaps some rain gear.”

  “Anything else you’d recommend, Mr. Groves,” Tanyth asked, reclaiming Groves’ attention from his consideration of Rebecca’s assets.

  He rubbed his fingers across his mouth, frowning at the piles as he thought. “Only other thing for you, mum, might be some oil-cloth for heavy weather, but when we run into squalls, you’re not going to want to be out on deck at all.” He glanced at her. “In fact, we’d ask you both to stay in here if the weather gets bad. It’s just a lot safer.”

  “Even as crew?” Rebecca asked.

  Groves nodded. “There’ll be plenty enough to do before it gets ugly, but we don’t want anybody on deck that doesn’t need to be there when it gets bad.”

  “And is there anything else we should get while we’re ashore that would make this passage more enjoyable?”

  He rolled a shoulder in a shrug. “Any special treats you might want on the voyage, mum. Some like to travel with their own ale, a bit of something stronger maybe. Food aboard is good, but it’s plain and simple fare. Lots of stews, breads...”

  “Oatmeal?”

  “Yes, mum. Oatmeal with apples and dried fruits most days. Salted fish and pork. Lots of beans.”

  “Beans, you say? Baked beans?”

  “Yes, mum. At least few times a week. Cook makes a mean pot of beans and the biscuits to go with ’em.”

  She beamed. “I’m likin’ the sound of this voyage already, Mr. Groves. Now, where did you say this clothing merchant—”

  “Chandlery, mum.”

  “Yes, this chandlery? Is it near?”

  He jerked his head toward the deck. “I can point it out from the deck, mum. Easy to find. You walked by it twice already.”

  She left her hat on its peg but took staff in hand and let Rebecca lead the way out of the stateroom, following the lithe young woman back up onto the deck. She paused at the opening, her hand resting lightly on the coaming to steady herself, looking out at the wood and rope. Odd doors and strange metal fittings made her smile at the novelty. She looked up at the tall masts with their heavy booms and the deep blue sky beyond. She nodded to herself before following Rebecca and Groves across the gangway and back onto the dock. She didn’t even think about the narrow plank until she’d already crossed it in his wake.