“Stop and think. It’s Tybor you’re talking about. He wouldn’t do anything stupid. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. Besides, what could any of us do to help?”
“Yes, I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Tat agreed, trying to calm Rowen.
He reluctantly agreed but Aidan was sure to keep an extremely close eye on him just in case he decided to change his mind. No matter the cost, he was seeing to it that they weren’t going to upset Tybor anymore than they already had.
Minutes ticked by and it felt like hours. With no further news, everyone became restless.
“All passengers should return to their cabins on Captain’s orders,” the voice over the intercom offered a blessed relief. “Repairs to the ship will begin soon. Please remain in cabin until further notice as a precaution. Please do not use the top deck as it may slow down repairs. A crewman will attend you if needed, simply ring your cabin’s service bell.” Again the full message was repeated two more times.
“So should we go now?” Tat inquired.
“Yes, but like the man said, back to our cabins,” Aidan directed his answer to Rowen more than her.
“Yep, ‘xactly,” Tybor added stepping through the door as others were shuffling out.
“Thank the Fates!” Rowen cried inadvertently.
“Dun’ tell me you’s worried ‘bout me Rowen?”
“What? Uhmm, no man... Uh, I wasn’t...” He shrugged.
“Good, ‘cause you’s know da Fates are on my side,” he said dismissively, not wanting to embarrass Rowen further. “Now’s I dink it’s best you’n all get back to yer rooms.”
“Uhmm, Mister Tybor sir, have you seen Tok?”
“Sorry, ma chère, I’s haven’t, but dun you’s worry none, she’ll turn up.”
“Well, what about the baby dragon, what happened to it?”
“How’s you know ‘bout dat?” Tybor asked Tat, but then shrugged not waiting for an answer. “You’n dun worry ‘bout it neither, it’s bein’ takin’ care of. Now c’mon.” He led them back out to their rooms with no further explanation.
Chapter Fifteen
Regrets, Repairs & Reprimands
T at was relieved to find Tok waiting by her door when she returned to her cabin, but it was a short-lived respite from what would be the rest of the day’s events. Especially since Tybor in fact left the three of them to go hungry for the rest of the day and night just like Tat fretted.
Tybor hoped that being confined to their rooms without food or drink after the threat of a dragon collision and tangling with an Annokai would be enough to make them see the potential danger on this ship and the importance of listening to him.
Once the risk of further threats was abated, he returned to find them exactly where he’d ordered them to stay. Finally, they listened. But the fact that the boys hadn’t listened the first time made him wonder what he should do about it. They listened this time, but what about next time?
He remembered that human kids these days weren’t brought up like they were when he’d been a child. He pondered on the notion that these days human children were given too much leeway to do what they wanted. This created a complication for him. His mission was to escort them safely to the temples. How could he do that if they weren’t going to do what he asked of them? And why did they feel the need to question his every motive?
They were just children and he was the adult. That should automatically mean they followed his lead. A child should do as it’s told and if they didn’t they should expect consequences. In his day, human or not, that would at least mean expectin’ a whoopin’.
That wasn’t something he wanted to resort to, but he knew he would do it if it meant getting through to them that the danger was real and they needed to take this seriously. But was he really going to have to go that length to make sure they did as he said? He hoped not.
Before the dragon incident occurred Tybor watched from a distance to see what they would do after initially sending them to their rooms. The order to go to their rooms was more a test than any kind of punishment, and originally he had no intent of making them stay there for more than the next hour mark and told them as much as he walked them back to their cabins. He wanted to know if he could trust them, and to his dismay, he’d been right about suspecting they wouldn’t listen. Now, it was time they learned some discipline.
Once the first morning light arrived the zypher slowed to almost a complete halt and was more hovering than flying as repairs were still very much under way. Tybor knocked on each of their doors and instructed the three of them to wake up and pack then meet him in the lobby.
Sluggishly they obeyed him, assembling in the lobby one by one; weak from the previous days ordeal and not being able to eat now for nearly a full day. Normally this would have made Rowen incredibly angry, but he was just way too tired and hungry to work the anger up, and perhaps he felt a bit too guilty as well.
Tok dutifully followed Tat once she left the cabin, but eventually became bored and set off to explore elsewhere. Aidan wasn’t sure what to do but had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what came next.
Tybor had them stand there side by side, just holding their packs in front of them and saying nothing. Maybe he was waiting for one of them to confess something. Maybe he was punishing them more. It was very unclear, but none of them said a word.
Eventually a bald, muscular, uniformed officer with a bright red complexion walked up to Tybor. “All clear sir,” he saluted him with his left fist to his right shoulder, the salute of the Crown; and then made a slight bow before hurrying away.
“Righ’, so youn’s have anyding ta say?” Rowen and Aidan exchanged guilty glances.
“I’m sorry,” they began their confessions in unison.
“Sorry fer what?”
“For...” Both began speaking at the same time, but then Rowen dropped his pack and pointed to Aidan signaling for him to speak first.
“Well sir... I...” Aidan stammered.
“Do you’s have somethin’ to say or not?”
“Uhmm, yes.” He continued slowly, “I didn’t stay in my room. I mean before the dragons. I did last night but–”
“Git on wid it.”
“Ok. I wanted to go to the engine room, so I did.”
“So’s you’s wanted to go an’ you did. Even af’er I tol’ ya ta stay in yer room. Is dat so?”
“Yes sir,” Aidan nervously admitted.
“An’ you?” he stepped closer to Rowen.
“I left too. I wanted to get a better look at the magick section in the library,” Rowen replied as if it were a viable excuse. He looked at the ground unable to look at Tybor.
“An’ you?” Tybor stepped over to Tat.
“I...”
“She didn’t do anything. And she had nothing to do with what we did,” Rowen answered for her.
“I see.”
“She didn’t. Did you Tat?” Aidan spoke up in her defense as well.
“No. I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t even know they were gone. I swear.”
“A’ight. I knows you’s tellin’ da truth. You know how I know?” he asked, not really expecting an answer, “‘Cause it’s my job ta know. Do you dink I didn’t know ya wouldn’t listen?” Tybor raised his voice and looked over at Rowen and Aidan.
“Dat I jus’ tol’ ya ta do somethin’ an’ den I went away? Jus’ trustin’ you’ns ta do as I say? No. You dun showed ya couldn’t follow orders an’ dat you’s weren’t gonna listen.” He turned his back on them and stepped away for a few seconds, then turned back asking, “now what we gonna do ta fix dis?”
“They said they were sorry,” Tat spoke up, and Rowen shook his head knowing it was the wrong thing for her to have said.
“Do you’n really dink ‘sorry’ is all dat it’s gonna take dis time?” Tybor shouted at her.
“Hey! This isn’t Tat’s fault,” Rowen admitted. “Don’t take it out on her. What we did was wrong, but like she said, she had nothing to do with it and
didn’t even know we left. She shouldn’t get punished for our mistakes.”
“You’n dun un’erstand. I wasn’t sent here ta gets one of you’s to Breah Dorn. I was sent on dis mission ta gets all of you’n dere. You’n are a team now, an’ need ta act like one. Yer a tribe, a family. Ya un’erstands me? You’n all in dis together. What one of ya do, ya all do. When ya figure dat out, dings gonna go a lot smoother. An’ from nows on you’n are gonna do as I say ‘cause I’m de adult so I’m in charge here. Or shoul’ I jus’ leave you’n all ta figure it out fer yerselves?”
“Maybe you should,” Rowen dared to answer. “Maybe we don’t need you to watch over us like little kids. Maybe we can do just fine without you. We did just fine in Yon’s Pass.”
“Is dat so? An’ I suppose you woulda had coin for a room an’ clothes an’ dings?”
“We found a job. We got the money and we were saving up to get out of there.”
“An’ you’n were goin’ ta do dat before de devotees got dere?” Tybor tried to remain calm, but his voice elevated with each word. “An’ ‘bout dat job at de Pass, how you’s dink you got dat job in de first place? You’s dink ol’ Gorvin woulda jus’ let some human kids he didn’t know come work at his station? If you’s dink dat, den you’s weren’t payin’ attention.
Now I’ve done tol’ you’s dis once, but I’m goin’ ta tell you again fer da las’ time. Yer amma tol’ me ta keep you’n safe an’ dat’s what I’m gonna do an’ de three of ya are goin’ ta mind me so I can do it.” Tybor paused for a moment to see if Rowen or any of them objected, but they all stayed silent, staring at the floor.
“Now, I’ve had it wid dis not listenin’ stuffs. No more jus’ doin watcha want whenever you’s want. You’ll do nothin’ unless you dun ask my permission fer it, an’ dat I don’ tell ya you can. Meanin’ you’s dun even speak, eat, sleep, or even go to the head unless I say ya can. You’ll only do as I say an dat’s da end of dis. Dat un’erstood?”
“Yes sir,” they all agreed. Rowen continued staring at the floor and shuffled his feet again.
“Is dere somethin’ else Rowen?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, not really wanting to have to say, especially now. Rowen knew he’d waited long enough and had to come out with it sometime, so he might as well. “About what happened outside the library last night–”
“Speak up,” Tybor ordered.
“The Annokai. You killed one, but there were two and–”
“On the ship?” Aidan asked in a bit of a shock and forgetting he wasn’t supposed to speak without permission anymore.
“Yeah, in the library.”
“Black Doves were looking for us. That’s what they were saying in the bunker.” Tat added, hoping it was okay for her to do so.
“Black doves?” Aidan continued his inquiry.
“That’s what some fae call them because sometimes they got black eyes and some say they can shape shift into birds like black doves,” Rowen answered.
“Oh.” Aidan thought of asking more questions but noticed Tybor was staring hard at him.
“The ships been searched, dere’s been no sign of anymore of ‘em. Dey’s got no love fer dragons, so da o’er one prolly jus’ flew away. But dat’s jus’ one more ‘xample of why I wantcha doin’ what I say. Now back when I was a young’un if a kid didn’t do as an adult tol’ ‘em dey knew to ‘xpect a whippin’. An’ I knows dat ain’t what human kids ‘xpect nowadays, but dat don’t mean I won’t do it if’n I gotta.
Now as I tol’ you’s before, dere’s danger e’erywhere, even here. What I tell you’n ta do is ta keep you’s safe. An’ I expect you’n ta do it, an’ from now on dere will be consequences if you’s don’t. So you’s better start mindin’ me.” Tybor added as if that were all there was to it and he wasn’t concerned about the Black Doves still possibly being present. “Now’s take yer packs an’ follow me.”
Leaving it at that, they followed him to his cabin. He opened the door, instructing them to put their packs inside. He explained that they would be bunking with him until they reached Breah Dorn; making it obvious he didn’t even trust them to be in their own rooms alone at this point.
After that, he led them to the crew’s galley. Food had been prepared, ready and waiting when they got there. They were thankful that there was finally food and sat quietly by themselves at a prep table eating their morning meal, aware that things were still very tense.
The sound of their forks scraping their plates as they devoured their last bit of gooey oats and honey mixed in half cooked runny eggs echoed off the hollow walls of the galley. Aidan didn’t generally like breakfast, especially this kind; but he was hungry. Today would definitely be an exception, and he wished there were more once he finished cleaning his plate.
It didn’t take them long to figure out that the lecture wasn’t the last of it as he led them to the lowest deck. For a moment it occurred to them that he might make them leave the ship seeing that just off the sides of the deck were the small parachuted and readied lifeboats they were told about upon arriving. That conclusion didn’t make any sense, however, since he had them put their packs in his cabin.
After a few moments Tybor eased their minds by instructing them that they would be mopping and cleaning all of the decks for the rest of the day. This was to be their punishment for disobeying him. He admitted that it was also a way to keep them busy and in one place so he could keep an eye on them better.
“We can’t do all the decks,” Rowen grumbled bravely. “Captains orders were to stay off the top decks so they could make repairs and I haven’t heard them say otherwise.”
“An’ I says you can. Did you’s forget who I am? I has da top rank on dis ship, dat means da Cap’n an’ ever’one else takes orders from me if’n I give ‘em. Jus’ when you’n do get to da top decks, stay outta da way of any repairs goin’ on. Now ‘nuff jawin’. Get ta cleanin’, an’ min’ da rails an’ not get too close,” Tybor said as he stretched out on one of the deck chairs lining the middle wall which covered the ballooned area. He decided he would catch up on some of his missed sleep while they finished cleaning this deck.
The three of them did as instructed finding aprons and other equipment laid out for them where Tybor said it would be. Aidan and Rowen wheeled the soapy mop buckets and began mopping while Tat took a smaller bucket of wet rags and began wiping down deck chairs, wall fixtures and rails.
It took them half the day to finish the first three decks. Tybor wouldn’t let them advance to the next deck without it passing his inspection first. It put them in mind of being back in the pits, except the smell was slightly better.
‘Why is any of this necessary?’ Rowen asked himself, slapping down the mop, sloshing the water over the wooden planks. He was angry, but he wasn’t sure if it was actually at Tybor or at himself.
Tybor was taking it a bit too far, especially with threatening to whip them if they disobeyed him. Granted, his amma had put the old goat in charge of him while he was there, and someone had given Tybor the mission to help them get where they were going, but did that mean they had to do whatever he said?
Rowen admitted to himself that he had given the elf a really hard time with all of it and didn’t listen when he knew there was danger like he’d warned them. And maybe Tybor did have a right to be upset with him, especially after having to kill the Annokai to keep him safe.
Even so, Tybor was acting weird, even more weird than usual. The Envarian had always been a taskmaster when training him with survival skills in the past, but this was a new side of him he hadn’t seen, especially with the bit about insisting they act as a team all of a sudden.
And didn’t he punish us last night with no dinner? What’s with making us do all this work? Was this supposed to be some sort of ‘team building exercise’ or does he sadistically enjoy watching people suffer? The whole thing makes no sense. If he just wanted them to get safely to Breah Dorn, then what did it matter if they acted like a team or not?
&nbs
p; Rowen continued to mull it over as he sloshed the sopping wet mop on the deck. Wasn’t the whole point of this to get Aidan to the temple so they could find Serendi or someone that could get his seal back and go home? So what was with all of this ‘team’ crap all of a sudden? And what about Amma? Why wasn’t Tybor more concerned about the self-confessed love of his life being in a magick induced coma?
All of that and many other questions flooded Rowen’s mind, and he was given plenty of time to try and figure it all out too. What else could he do while he was scrubbing decks?
The sun beat down on him like a struck match igniting tinder. He stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Who knew going on a magical journey involved doing so damn many chores?” Rowen grumbled out loud.
He wished Tybor only made them stay in their rooms some more, at least then he could study the magick book he’d found. He’d already spent the majority of yesterday evening and night focused on trying to understand how to make it legible, but never really got anywhere with it, so just read the book on god gates instead. Still, if he’d had more time he knew he’d be able to unlock the grimoire.
Just as they’d finished the top deck on port side, Tybor figured it was about time for them to get a break and get something to eat again, knowing he couldn’t work them this hard and not feed them. Although there had been many days when his training commanders in the Queen’s service wouldn’t have agreed, still he figured it was better to feed them than listen to them whine about it.
The mid-day meal consisted of potato and rockpigeon pie, some sort of thick gristly-greasy gravy, and crunchy dry oat scones with water to drink. The meal was the one served to the crew, not the one for the ship’s passengers. It definitely wasn’t an ideal meal either, but they knew better than to complain about it figuring Tybor would most likely just have them go without again.
He instructed that during meals they were not to be more than ten feet away from him, so they sat next to him at a large rectangular metal table with fixed benches on either side that was meant to seat about a dozen people. Unlike before, they were eating in the crew’s mess hall rather than the galley or the passengers formal dining hall. It didn’t take long before it began filling with crew members. As Marko wandered in, he waved spotting Aidan and decided to invite himself to their table.
The Fateless: Errata Page 20