Chapter 10 – In Waves

 

The wooden planks creaked under the weight of Lewiht’s footsteps. It had not even been twenty minutes since they departed from the port, but the crew was already throwing disdainful looks at him.

It wasn’t hard to understand why. Among the poor-looking crew, he stood out like a sore thumb. His clothing wasn’t that expensive, it was just what a middle-class man would wear in Zylos—a green cloak with a basic tunic and trousers underneath it. Still, the majority of the crew’s clothing was worse. They wore salt-stained shirts that looked like sacks if they wore anything, as most of them were stripped to the waist. Their pants consisted of more patches than the actual cloth of the trousers, which were also stained with salt.

Even though Lewiht felt uncomfortable under the judging gazes of the crew, he responded to them with his own stern looks. He knew if he looked weak, they would make this journey hell for him, so he tried his best to look tough. He was a bit taller than a typical fifteen-year-old, and his beaten-up face probably made him look tougher than he was, so it looked like his glares worked for now.

He leaned against the port side guardrails, watching the city that was his home for the last fifteen years get smaller on the horizon. It was a weird feeling. Lewiht was sad to leave everything behind, of course, but he couldn’t deny that exhilarating anxiety of delving into the unknown. He just wished it was under different circumstances.

The floorboard creaked and the captain came over, a pipe in his mouth. “You did well carrying those sacks, kid.”

“Thanks.”

“Not in the mood for a talk?” He passed his pipe to Lewiht. “Here, try some. It’ll relax you a bit.”

Lewiht looked at the pipe. He had tried a cigar before, but he had never smoked a pipe. Why not? He took it and smoked, immediately coughing and giving the pipe back.

The captain laughed. “You get used to it eventually. Some even like it.”

Lewiht wiped the tears in his eyes, whatever the captain was smoking, it tasted worse than the cigar he tried before. “Why do you smoke it if you don’t like it?”

“You learn to enjoy things you don’t like when you grow up. Like drinking. Anybody who says they like the taste of whiskey is fucking lying, let me tell you. But we still drink it and try to enjoy the experience it brings.”

“Is this supposed to be some sort of lecture with a subtext? About finding the good in the bad or something?”

“It can be, depending on your perspective. ‘Life is not always good or fair, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find enjoyment in it’ or something pretentious like that.”

“Didn’t take you for a poetic type.”

“You’d be surprised how poetic I actually am.” The captain smoked and laughed. “Name’s Nellard. Nellard Vengor.”

“Well, you know who I am already.”

“Look kid,” Nellard frowned. “I don’t want you to think that I’m a bad guy. Just look at the crew’s state. We’re all just getting by and I had to consider what’s good for us.”

“I get it,” said Lewiht. There was nothing wrong with being pragmatic, he would do the same in the same situation. “But aren’t you working for Willard’s… uhh… the Selman family? Aren’t they supposed to pay you?”

“You answered your own question, kid. We’re working for them, which means that they’re the ones getting the most profit out of these trades. We get enough to keep our stomachs full and the ship maintained, but that’s about it.”

“I guess the sea is not that bountiful when you’re not a pirate.”

Nellard laughed heartily. “Indeed, kid. It is really alluring to steal all these cargoes and start a new life somewhere sometimes. But it is more alluring to live without the constant fear of getting hunted.”

Lewiht smiled. “Yeah, I guess I know what you mean.”

Nellard lightly hit Lewiht’s back. “We don’t have any space in the crew quarters for you, but that might be a blessing in disguise. You really wouldn’t want to sleep in that shithole. Instead, you can sleep in the cargo hold. There are a lot of boxes and barrels but I’m sure you can find a corner where you can rest your head. I’ll give you some blankets.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Also you can rest for a few days until you learn how things work on the ship. I just wanted to see your determination, I have no intention of making an injured child carry sacks.”

Maybe this journey will not be that bad after all.

***

After he took a few blankets from Captain Nellard, Lewiht didn’t waste any time going to the cargo hold. He had spent all night outside and all he wanted right now was to just get some sleep.

The cargo hold was bigger than Lewiht had expected, although it was darker. The only light illuminating the hold was coming from a small window on the backside of the room. There was also a latch on the ceiling where the ship’s cranes could load and unload the cargo, but it was closed now and there was no light coming through.

There were boxes bigger than his height, and it didn’t take Lewiht too long to find a comfortable place between these boxes. He found a small opening in between three boxes and laid two layers of blankets. He used another as a pillow and ta-da, Lewiht had made a small comfy room for himself. He was always fond of small spaces so he was quite happy with this.

He took off his backpack and buried himself under the blankets. Having no concern about getting caught by the enforcers, he fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

***

It was past noon when Lewiht woke up and climbed the stairs to reach the deck. They were already on the open seas, so most of the crew were just trying to look busy, not doing anything.

He was about to go to the captain’s quarters to ask where he could find some food when he realized that someone was looking at him. It was a child, a couple of years younger than Lewiht. Their face were mostly obscured by their long hair, so he couldn’t tell whether it was a boy or a girl. They were crouched behind a barrel and watching Lewiht with wide eyes.

Curiosity got the better of him, so he approached the child. The child was startled at first but immediately tried to look like they weren’t watching him. Lewiht didn’t back up and leaned against the barrel. “Is there a problem?”

“Ah, no!” said the child with a girly voice. “Why would there be? Haha.”

“You were watching me, though?” Lewiht raised an eyebrow. The girl’s greasy and salty hair was mostly covering up her face, but Lewiht could easily see both the fear and the excitement in her eyes. Her long and curved eyelashes were almost touching her brows. Her light green eyes were overshadowed by the dark circles under her eyes—she looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

“S-sir…” She bit her lips. “I… I just thought…”

“Take it easy, little girl.”

“Okay, sir.”

“You don’t have to call me sir. Just speak your mind.”

“O-okay. I was just wondering if you could… If you could…” She averted her eyes. “You look like you have money… and you look like you travel a lot… I’ve been a… a slave for a really long time and I was wondering if you could buy me. I’ve been stuck on this ship for too long. I… I want to see the outside world.”

Lewiht was dumbstruck. Slaves were technically banned in Kel’daras, but he had heard people still having slaves under fancy names such as “patronage.” It was the first time he’d ever seen one, though.

“I’m small,” she continued. “But I can carry your luggage. I can clean your house. I know a bit of first aid, and I can help with those wounds of yours. I don’t eat much so I won’t be a heavy burden. I can also please you as a wo—“

“Enough,” Lewiht said, not wanting to hear the rest of it. He couldn’t say anything else. He was dumbstruck not because she was a slave, but because this little girl was talking about all those things with a thrilled expression. The hope of getting out of this ship was enough for her to be excited. And here I am, thinking that I was having it rough.

“I’m sorry!” she said, getting teary-eyed. “I’m so sorry! It wasn’t my place to ask something like this! Please! Please don’t say anything to the Captain about this!”

She tried to run away, but Lewiht grabbed her by the arm.

“Stop,” Lewiht said. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m not going to tell him about this.” I’m definitely going to have a talk with him. “What’s your name?”

She sniffed. “Melaia.”

“All right Melaia. Don’t worry, because I will help you as much as I can.”

***

Lewiht entered the captain’s quarters. It was a spacious room with a big study table, a bookshelf, a bed, and a small balcony. Captain Nellard was sitting behind the desk.

“So you have slaves on the ship?”

Nellard raised his head, frowning. “What?”

Lewiht approached Nellard’s desk. “I’m talking about that little girl. Melaia.”

“What about her?”

“You told me that you’re not a bad person, but you’re keeping slaves. A child, no less.”

“Are you calling me to account, kid?”

“No,” Lewiht raised his hands. “I’m just trying to decide whether you are really a good person as you’ve said or not.”

“Well,” Nellard leaned back on his chair. “She was starving in a slave market in the Colony when I bought her. I saved her life. But never mind that, and let me give you some advice, kid. Be mindful of your words when you speak to someone. Entering my quarters like that, calling me to account. If I was indeed a bad person, things would not go well for you. I’ve seen people getting killed for less than that.”

“I just came here to ask something, that’s all. Would you sell her for the right price?”

“You’re gonna buy her when you couldn’t even afford ten golds earlier?”

“I will,” said Lewiht. “After we arrive at the Archipelago.”

“With what?”

“I…” Lewiht hesitated for a moment as he thought about the ornate dagger in his cloak. “I have some things.”

“Oh?” said Nellard, leaning forward. “So you had things on you, but you still decided to work on this ship instead of giving them as payment. They must have some sort of sentimental value if you can’t give up on them, I assume.”

Lewiht gulped. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Nellard let out a hearty laugh. “Don’t worry kid, I’m not going to take your stuff. If you wish to buy her, she’s yours. Considering you have the money, of course.”

Lewiht still wasn’t sure what to think of Nellard. On the one hand, he sounded like he was a nice guy. On the other, he was keeping a slave that he was willing to sell to a random person. What if Lewiht was an evil guy who could do bad things to her? What would Nellard do then? Would he still sell her to a person like that? Would he keep her to protect her?

In any case, Lewiht had no idea why he even came here. He had come here out of anger, that was for sure, but he didn’t know what he hoped to have with this conversation. Seeing a little girl talking about stuff like that made him infuriated, but Nellard was right. Agitating someone like him wouldn’t end well for Lewiht. He needed him and his ship to get to the Archipelago, and he had to be on good terms with him for the time being. Still, it was nice to know that he could help that girl be free.

“Thanks, I guess,” Lewiht said, looking around. “I was actually going to ask one other thing.”

“Ask away.”

“Where can I get food?”

Nellard smirked. “Why don’t you go and ask your little new friend?”