Journey to the Forgotten Island

Chapter 4 - Money, Mistresses and Spies

The scent of salt and sea hit him like a wave as he turned from one of the market streets towards the port. The sand that blew in from the shore momentarily tricked him into thinking he was back in the desert. The sand glided along the cobbles building up miniature dunes not unlike those that buried many of the ruins he had explored as a child. This evening, the street sweeper would destroy the dunes and return them to the shore.

Toma looked up; he was reminded by the wide expanse of ocean glistening turquoise under the sun, and the sapphire blue sky framed by the emerald green of the tall palm trees, that he was in the heart of the empire.

Seagulls squawked and waves crashed but the creaking of wooden ships and the cries of sailors and merchants rose above it all. Toma saw Sub-Commander Torros standing in his decorated uniform before the large and looming four-mast carrack ship. Torros was standing amongst a sizeable group of men who appeared to be a mix of sailors, soldiers and workers.

'Where have you been then?' a grey-bearded man said in mock exasperation. He was dressed in a naval uniform denoting rank. His face was jolly and Toma tried not to be angered by the blatant indiscretion.

All the men turned to look at him and Torros gave his usual inscrutable smile. Toma realised they were waiting for an answer and began to stutter. Had he been seen at the Smugglers' Inn?

'The poor fellow's probably had his last visit to the brothels of the old town before they're cleared out by the keepers of purity,' smirked Torros. 'Let's not pry into the Captain's privacy, gentlemen.'

The group of men burst out laughing and Toma felt his face go warm, though the redness would only be visible on the thin scar that divided his face. He ignored the laughter, unsure how to respond, and bowed to the Sub-Commander.

'That's enough,' Torros said. He said it gently and with a smile but all the men ceased to laugh immediately. 'Now you see, Captain, that you will have to maintain the utmost discipline among your men. Out there on the island there will be little maintaining order beyond the strength and wisdom of your command.'

Toma looked at the men whose faces had dropped in shame. He preferred to show them leniency upon their first meeting to build trust, he decided. He would deal stern discipline for any future breaches of rank.

'Well, I best introduce you to your crew. These are the men who will serve you for the duration of the voyage. They know little of the circumstances of the expedition, nor of the destination – it will be up to you to choose how much you share with them once you yourself have learnt about the island.'

Torros stepped to the grey-bearded man who had appeared jolly prior to Torros's admonishments. 'This is the skipper of the vessel. Skipper Jon, I present you your Captain and commanding officer.'

The skipper bowed low and when he raised himself, he appeared jolly again. 'We have all heard about your victories, Captain,' he said. 'Oh, and she's called Vuela, by the by.'

'She?' Toma said.

'The ship,' Skipper Jon chuckled. 'Named after that old Vetustan goddess of the skies and flight. Wanted to name her something more fearsome like The Pillager or The Slayer but High Commander Alveros said it was undignified.'

Toma nodded.

Torros now stepped to a man dressed in the silks of low nobility and said, 'This is Esteban Busci, son of Filip Busci, former governor of Vulnir, and grandson of Stefan Busci, long standing enemy to Duro the Second.'

Esteban extended his hand to shake as equals but Toma bowed instinctively. When he looked up, Esteban was blushing.

With mild impatience, Torros said, 'Filip Busci was governor of Vulnir before its acquisition, the terms of their surrender included assimilation into the lower nobility. For the purposes of this journey, however, Esteban is your subordinate. You will not bow to him. Esteban's lineage is historically of the merchant class, he knows more than most how to identify metals and rocks – he will be the lead prospector of the expedition.'