Captain Praetus Holst set her life against a single measure: timeliness. If her ship departed and arrived on time each day, she considered it a day worth living. To be delayed - to keep Baron Lief from his work - was to court such dishonour, at least in her own assessment, that it didn't bear countenance. It had happened only once since she had captained the Black Scree, on an occasion when she had foolishly left important duties to a new crew member, assuming him to be competent. His career in the fleet did not outlast the day.
Her schedule was her bond.
The Black Scree hung in the air at the edge of the mesa, anchored to the primitive mooring favoured by the dock hands in Treydolain. It was serviceable and functional but lacked the finesse and precision of northern designs. Holst always grimaced as the ship came in to dock, its hull bumping up against the device with a physical thud. It was nothing like the gentle, automated embrace and caress of a Bruckin mooring station. Treydolain had barely moved beyond slinging a rope around a wooden bollard, as if they hadn't noticed that technology had progressed past the simple navigation of water surfaces. To Holst, there was no greater grandeur than riding the air, free from the bounds of Evinden.
One day, she knew, she would captain the Mountain Breaker beyond the mountain ring. She had wanted to be the first to make the crossing, a victory snatched away by the outsider. But still, she could be the first to make the return journey, and certainly the first to do so in an airship.
The ship had been checked and re-checked, ready for Baron Lief's imminent departure. The original plan had been to remain in Treydolain for several days following the carnival procession, as festivities continued through the week, but that had been swiftly abandoned with the attack on the royal convoy. Word had reached her from Lief's party at the Verase residence that they were to leave immediately, as soon as Lief had concluded essential business at the elder statesman's estate. Holst did not desire to know more about her employer's activities; she wholly trusted that he had the north's best interests at the forefront of all his decisions, so it was unnecessary for her to know the minutiae. Her role was to ensure he got where he was going, on time and without hassle.
"Status report," she barked to the first mate as he emerged from the hold.
"Locked down and ready to go, captain," he said.
"Very good."
She climbed up to the quarter deck and looked out over the mesa, shielding her eyes against the afternoon sun. Across the bridge she could see a cavalcade of vehicles moving across the other mesa. With any luck the Baron would be among them.
The docks were busy, as they always were at Treydolain. Cranes pulled cargo from the bellies of ships and deposited them on the wharf, where they were unpacked and loaded onto carts - some horse drawn, others machine-driven. There was a larger presence of city guard, as would be expected after the previous evening's incident. The mesa was largely impregnable and all ships in and out were carefully screened and checked but a display of force and control was needed. She understood that, and respected it. It's what she would do, were it her decision to make.
On the far side of the mesa the vehicles were crossing the bridge, slowly trundling their way above the gulf between the mesas. Another movement caught her eye, to her left, towards the palace. She'd never much liked the Treydolain palace's soft, soap-like stone; polished and sparkling, it was a facade that could only exist this far south. Northern buildings had to be built stronger. What looked to be a military vehicle was making its way rapidly towards the docks, flanked by city guards on horseback. As they drew nearer, Holst realised that they were not city guard but King's Eyes in full armour - an unusual sight.
Momentarily distracted, she failed to see the procession of vehicles come to a halt on the near side of the bridge. From one emerged Baron Lief and his small entourage, who immediately started walking at a brisk pace towards the Black Scree's berth.
"Be ready to cast off," she shouted. "The baron has arrived!"
Other shouts went up from the deck and she felt a faint micro-shudder ripple through the ship as the engines shifted up a gear.
Reaching the berth, Baron Lief strode up the ramp to the base of the steps leading up to the ship. "Captain Holst," he announced, "it is very good to see you and your crew in such readiness. We must leave without delay."
"The ship is ready to depart, Baron."
Lief stepped aside as his assistants boarded the ship. They were carrying boxes of his essential belongings and formal wear - he had already changed back into his Bruckin-styled clothing, which was more practical for a lengthy, high altitude flight.
"It is a sorry business," the baron said, standing beside her.
"I am glad you were unharmed," Holst said, meaning it.
"As am I," the baron acknowledged, looking troubled. "The situation was handled poorly. We were lucky to escape without further casualties."
"That's what happens when you have no northerners in your city guard."
Baron Lief laughed quietly. "Too true," he mused. He looked up the steps at her. "The outsider was quite an enigma. They whisked him away to who-knows-where before I could speak with him."
There was a signal from one of the crew. Holst nodded, then shouted down to the dock workers. "Release the moorings, we are departing from berth four."
A cry went up from somewhere on the dock. "Belay that order!"
Holst stood tall and scanned the dock, trying to pick out who would utter such a disrespectful - and dangerous - counter-order. Several of the King's Eyes appeared from behind a shipping container, followed by the armoured vehicle.
One of the King's Eyes jumped from his horse and pointed a gloved hand at a dock worker. "Do not release that ship," he ordered, "on orders of the king." The dock worker raised his hands in a gesture of submission and stepped away from the ropes.
"What is the meaning of this?" Holst said, speaking loud but calmly. She moved down the steps, positioning herself between the baron and the Treydolain soldiers.
"Orders of the king," the soldier responded. "No ships are to leave without full searches. Yours included."
"This is unnecessary," Baron Lief said, pushing Holst aside gently with one hand, "and unappreciated. If King Guijus desires to know the contents of my hold I wish to see a signed warrant from his hand."
There was movement from the vehicle as a door slid open. "I can do one better than that, Baron Lief," came the voice of King Guijus Tellador, who stepped out onto the dock. He was clad in pieces of his ceremonial armour, rather than the luxurious furs and leathers of his ordinary royal garb.
"My liege," the baron said, bowing slightly.
"Your ship is impounded," the king declared. "Return to your chambers in the palace until further notice."
Lief stiffened on the steps. "What? Explain yourself!"
"I explain myself to nobody," the king thundered, "least of all a northern saboteur such as yourself."
Holst glanced behind her at the deck, making a small gesture with one hand to the first mate. He saw it immediately, as she knew he would, and began quietly issuing orders to the other crew.
"If you have accusations to make, then make them," Baron Lief said, making sure that his voice carried to all of those gathered. The docks had fallen silent, as all stared in amazement at the exchange.
The king spoke. "Will you submit your vessel to be searched?"
"If you have valid cause, then we will allow it."
"My will is valid cause," the king bellowed. "If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear!"
"This ship is the property of Bruckin and the northern shipbuilders' guild," Lief said, "under your own royal charter that makes it a proxy territory of the north."
"Do you forget in whose kingdom you reside?"
"No, my king," Baron Lief said, "I only mean to remind all gathered here of the valley's laws." He turned to Holst and spoke in hushed tones. "Can we trigger a forced departure?"
She shook her head. "Not without the moorings being released."
The king waved a hand and uttered and order to the King's Eyes, who approached, hands on the hilts of their sheathed swords.
"Baron," Holst said, putting a hand on his shoulder. He glanced down at it in surprise, then saw the assembled Black Scree crew, arranged in formation on the deck and suddenly armed. "Please move to the upper deck."
The baron looked at his crew, then back at the phalanx of King's Eyes. She thought she could see a fire burning in his eyes, a desire to spread that fire to the whole of the docks and into the city itself, burning the palace until it was a pile of ash atop the mesa.
Instead, he sighed. "Do as I say," he said, then turned back to the king. "I will submit and accompany you back to my chambers in the palace," he said. "But my ship is not to be searched without a full warrant and explanation. To do otherwise would be considered a contravention of the Lagonian accord."
The King's Eyes paused at the base of the steps. There was a delicate pause and the entire docks held their collective breath.
"Very well," the king allowed. "We will discuss this further in private."
The King's Eyes moved to each side of the berth, forming a corridor. The baron turned to Holst once more. "Get word to Bruckin as soon as you can," he said. "Garrus will know what to do."
Then Baron Lief turned and walked the gauntlet towards the waiting car. The king stood aside and gestured with one arm. The baron paused, glanced back at the Black Scree, then entered through the transport's side door.
At a signal from the king the door was slammed shut, a guard dropping a heavy lock into place. The king strode towards the ship. "Now," he said, pointing a finger at Holst, "search that ship. Leave no deck unturned."
Holst backed instinctively up the steps, seeking the firm deck of the Black Scree beneath her feet. Then she planted herself in front of her crew and stared down the king of the valley and his elite soldiers as they climbed the steps.
"Move aside," the King's Eye at the front ordered.
"This ship is the property of Lief Dockyards," Holst stated.
"You're in Treydolain now, Captain," the soldier said, pushing her to the floor with a strong sweep of his arm. At the motion, her first mate stepped forward and half drew his sword, to be met by the pommel of the King's Eye's own weapon, swept from its scabbard in a flash of steel.
The rest of the crew drew their swords as the bloodied first mate scrabbled backwards. The King's Eyes did the same, their weapons long and deadly. Praetus Holst saw war come to the valley, the first blood drawn on the deck of her ship leading to a torrent of death that would fill the valley up to the peaks of the tallest mountain.
"Stand down," she ordered, getting to her feet. "They have the upper hand."
"I see you are wiser than your compatriots," King Guijus said, walking boldly past his King's Eyes to stand face-to-face with her crew. He turned to his soldiers. "Search the ship. Tear it apart. They must be here, somewhere. Find her!"