Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Forty

It wasn't perfect by any means. The blue dye they had managed to create was too dark, and the white panels weren't quite white enough. Ara had done a good job stitching the panels together and creating the helm design with black thread, but up close, it was clearly done by an amateur.

Soren loved it anyway. Hoisted high on the Walloxa's main mast, it looked real enough. Flying West Draulin's flag probably broke some sort of law, but Soren was willing to do it anyway. The effect it had on the crew's morale was undeniable.

As was the effect of training with Elorie. Soren kept her busy, often calling her over to the Walloxa. If he wasn't sparring with her, he had her helping his crew. Either fighting against them herself or watching them and giving suggestions. The men, bolstered by their flag flickering high above and the desire for revenge, improved quickly. They were ready for a fight. They wanted a fight. All they needed to do was find their targets.

Rain storms often rolled along the coast, slowing their journey. It took over two weeks to near Xaoto on the Gold and Silver Islands. Soren told Elorie to follow the Walloxa closely, and they hugged the mainland shore. It was a busy area, but, as they had been for weeks, other ships avoided the pair.

Until one didn't.

"Captain!" It was Jerios from the helm. Nobody was really on watch, there weren't enough people on board to assign a proper watch. Jerios had been more or less been keeping watch on his own while manning the helm.

Soren tied off the rope he was hoisting and hurried to join Jerios. Ivern was a step or two behind. He had settled into the First Mate role well, not that Soren was surprised.

"We're being flagged." Jerios pointed. Further out in the water, a large Alvarian ship was moving to cut them off. Large was a relative term. The other ship was bigger than the Walloxa, but Soren could tell even at a distance that the Wanderlust would have bigger.

Soren accepted the spyglass from Jerios and trained it on the other ship. He could see a man standing near the bow, waving a pair of flags. He watched for a moment, but the signs weren't familiar. "I need Kija."

He didn't like keeping the boy on board, but that was what he and Elorie had agreed on. When she was on her own ship, Soren kept Kija in the captain's quarters.

When Ivern returned with Kija in tow, Soren handed him the spyglass. Just as he had hoped, Kija instantly understood the signals. "They want to inspect us. They're saying to pull up beside them and drop anchor."

Soren looked out towards the other ship, giving himself a moment to think without having to meet Jerios' or Ivern's questioning looks. It was moments like this where he felt the sharp pang of Tanden's absence, when a decision had to be made. Soren wanted to trust his own judgement, but he was keenly aware of the weight of every decision he made. Tanden had always managed to make decisions seem easy and obvious, the risks smoothened away by his easy confidence. Soren knew his men his would follow him. He just wished he could seem more decisive in the process.

He turned back to the men. "Kija, is she part of the Xaoto coastguard you were telling us about? She has real authority?"

Kija nodded.

"Then we'll meet them. We have nothing to hide."

Ivern cast a glance back over the stern, towards Elorie's ship trailing behind them. "Does she?"

It took Kija a heartbeat to notice that they were all looking at him, waiting for an answer. "Oh. No. Captain Elorie sold everything stolen. The ship only has normal supplies now, no cargo."

"Good. Get out our flags and acknowledge their message, then signal Elorie," Soren said. "I'll get ready for the meeting."

***