Chapter 6 – Mast
Momma had been thoughtful in what she packed. There were a few changes of clothes, a light steel knife & sheath, a flint stone, a tailor’s thimble and needle, a spindle of sinew thread, food including four wrapped loaves of way bread, a dozen sticks of brittle tea, and a pouch of travelers sweets. I also found that the mind carving was in the traveling bag. It could stay there for a while.
So here I was aboard the ‘Blackbone’ hiding in a dark corner of the cargo hold. It smelled of fish guts and damp ocean. I waited there, quietly, for a full day before she set sail. That meant we sailed on the second of Dakra but I stayed hidden one more day before moving about to find the Captain and ask for mercy.
As soon as someone spotted me and gave a cry, there were almost a dozen hands holding me fast and just as fast I was gagged. As the Captain approached, he seemed a man that the outdoors had pressed hard for years. He leaned in close to my face, his breath stank of Tharkbrew, “I heard the Council of Frostport was looking for you. You boy, are a fowl wind on the course we’ve set.”
He had the merchants guild mark and a metal ring at each end of his mustache. Like most of the crew, he wore a leather vest, gloves, breaches and shoes.
To a crewman, “Throw this murdering whelp overboard before we are dragged down by his sins!”
As I tried to scream and fight against being dragged away, I was relieved to hear a crewman say, “What has this fellow done to any of us? Do we all claim to be better than he? Any more deserving than a Bright-fin caught by the fisherman’s net?” None seemed eager to disagree with him.
The Captain asked, “This one is trouble. Though I’m not hopeful, I’ll entertain suggestions for the welp. Bear in mind this is an un-apprenticed child, who stole passage aboard my ship. Since it is your noise I’m hearing, young master Mattin, what do you propose?”
Mattin, perhaps a handful of years older than I, paused for a moment looking me in the eye. Then he said “My father used to say that the teacher often learns double-more than the student.” He eyed me up and down as he walked around to face me and to size me up, “So I propose to take him as my ward. While I teach, I will forfeit one sixth of my earnings. But once he is worthy of the pay, at your leave Captain, then he and I will both be awarded full pay and a third of his pay shall come to me, week for week, for training him.”
“Mattin, you are either very foolish or very sly. You give me hope for the young. Does my crew see justice in this proposal?” said the Captain as he scanned the faces of his crew.
“Aye then, one condition I set. If he causes any problems, the depths take him. If anyone provokes him for any reason, then the depths take them both. How say you lot?” A general “Aye!” from the crew and the Captain barked “So be it. I am Ulvan Motalan, Captain of the Blackbone, what be yer name welp?”
“They call me Gwynn, sir.”
“Aye Gwynn, you work with master Mattin now. Back to work the lot of you!”
The Captain continued to not like me overly much and I remained wary of Mattin for a week or so, but I was relieved to have someone speak up for me at the time. Mattin, I found out later, was aware of what the councils intentions were, but not why. After he asked and I denied killing Edburga, he cheerily said, “You just needed a chance and a change of scenery.” Eventually we became good friends and remain so to this day and I’ve been many, many places since then.