Natural Magic

Chapter 10 - Serpent and Sea-Legs

But it had just missed him.

The navigator's robes fluttered gracelessly as he opened the door and left his meager quarters.

It was time to report their route into the east.

****

Trevor stumbled on his land-legs, through sleeplessness, and across the deck of the Hereafter.

He was aiming for the captain's quarters. He needed to give his report to the captain before the information evaporated out his ears and into the sky.

Only with his message deposited safely could he return to his room and sleep until the next night.

When he woke up, it would a new night with different stars.

A ship had very little chance of getting anywhere without a navigator versed in the sequence of the night skies. Hundreds of zodiacs, a new one every night, were memorized by capable navigators.

A new guiding star would rise every time the sun set.

Without the knowledge bound in Tweesly's books, the crew would be utterly lost.

Gods help them if they were out further than they could see the shore, adrift on the shifting currents, or freshly emerged from a storm.

But their ship is freed from such a fate so long as Tweesly and his tools of the trade are onboard.

Their voyage's origin lay to the north, in the oversized harbor hosting most of the region's commerce. Much trade occurred there among the underwater cities, pontoon villages, cliff outposts, and docks at the woods edge.

The Hereafter was abandoning the safety of the harbor.

A venture sought by the captain has drawn the crew away even from where most thieves and pirates frequented.

Their journey pulled them away from sight of the shore.

The ship bucked unexpectedly, leaving Tweesly in a split. The drop then sent him to the floor.

Luckily, he rescued his binder.

Deciding against rash action, he lay on his back, mustering his meager strength.

Steadying himself against a bound barrel, he fought the rolling ground beneath him, working half pace for a bit before growing nauseous from staring at his feet.

He began to mumble and groan, a more agreeable alternative to giving up.

"Heavens, lad, where are you going in a hurry?"

Tweesly looked around and noticed a dwarf. The ship's cook, he remembered.

He was sitting on a spool of rope and looking at Tweesly with the usual concern, Tweesly being the runt of the litter back home.

"Why doncha sit down and take a break? You can hug that bucket over there for a bit." He gestured with his whittling knife at a waterproofed bucket which had otherwise blended into the scenery.

Tweesly wanted to thank him, but he just did what the dwarf suggested without a word.

He ended up sitting cross legged, holding the bucket with his knees. It was moist and sticky on the outside, and as big as his torso. The morning light gently gathered on the surface of whatever liquid it contained.

“On behalf o’ the crew, welcome aboard The Hereafter,” the dwarf said, waving his arms expansively. “It’s the promised land, where y’can work a’ much a’ you like, where there’s a’ much food an’ drink a’ y’can stomach, an’ the people here ain’ half bad neither.”