Rage and Rebellion (Histories of Havenhearth)

5.0 Wynemere

As the darkness loomed, so did the banks of rock, which were little more than one hundred piay on each side of the vessel. The narrow gorges through which ran the river Gloires presented an invisible and deadly enemy, as the Sparrowhawk kept its course upstream, away from Loutouse towards the Cassioni inlands. In Serpent Gorge, at times the channel narrowed only to a mere few piay beyond the edge of the ships and the two Tainish vessels struggled to keep in line, as the turbulent waters continued waging their relentless battle to force the ships against the steep and jagged walls.

Wynemere was shivering, despite the warmth that remained in the humid nights. It was fear. Hitting a shoal or smashing against something - the gorge or the other ship - would certainly end in death, in a foreign, wild, barbaric land too. And if she were to happen to survive such a disaster, the rebels were rumoured to be nearby and had apparently already behaved with hostility to the foreign Tainish protectorate marine force. It was clear that they were not wanted there.

Cassion was a closed, unwelcoming land, and the Cassioni were poor, in culture, education, knowledge and in the traditional sense of the word as well, that is what she had been told at least and she did not want to die here, not on this river. She gripped the wheel of her ship and peered ahead in the darkness.

The navigation of the Cassioni rivers required a plethora of specialised knowledge. It was quite different to piloting a boat on open sea. The Tainish had asked for assistance, for a local guide, but no Cassioni was found to have the ability. Or at least none had been willing. It had even been difficult to find a Tain willing and able: there were not many who were familiar with the twists and turns of the Gloires. Wynemere herself neither, this was of course her maiden voyage on the Gloires, but she was well accustomed to boating on rivers in Tainland and apparently had a knack for steering. Now though, she was nervous. Her eyes swept constantly back and forth, paranoid that the gorge was getting smaller on the side she was not watching.
She nonetheless steered the boat aptly, trying not to think about the change in her circumstance: she had hoped to stay aboard the merchant sailboat which had brought her and others to Cassion. A lot had happened since then.
When they had arrived in the Cassioni port city of Loutouse, the capitaine of the sailboat, Aima Pickfordselm, had offered her another opportunity.
"Things have changed," she had said with caution, "please sit down." Wynemere had taken a seat inside the capitaine's own quarters- not the first time she had been in them, but the first time she had been invited to sit and stay. "There is a situation," Aima Pickfordselm paused again and exhaled deeply, "a strange one it seems, could be serious, we don't know," Wynemere said nothing, looking into the kind eyes of her superior, a Tainish woman in her late forties. "If you are willing and able, we would like to pause your return to Tainland, and offer you a place aboard Sparrowhawk, a protectorate vessel which is slated to travel up the river Gloires. We are aware of you vast experience on rivers, and think you might not only benefit greatly but contribute as well," Wynemere glistened at this comment proudly: she had spent her entire childhood on riverboats in her hometown of Elsa. "If you do decide to accept, we will offer you a prime on your regular salary, plus some danger pay, which I cannot stipulate will be how much at this time. Do you understand Brackenridge?"
"Yes Capitaine, but danger pay?"
"There is an added risk of disease here." That did not seem right to Wynemere, there was always a chance of getting sick and danger pay was not standard. There must be some other reason.
"Are you willing to stay on here?"
"When can I expect to return home please?"
"Towards the end of summer: we are sending a cargo of herb, tea and cloth to Tainland. You have already been granted a berth."
"Then I accept,"
"Good." Pickfordselm scratched her cheek, as if she knew that was going to be the outcome all along.
"Is that all?"
"Nearly. How would you find it if your colleague, Kody Whitefalls remained with you?" Wynemere did all she could to prevent her eyes rolling back into her head.
"Fine. She's capable," was all Wynemere could muster. Which was truthful at least. Despite the slow start, Kody had learned as well as Wynemere, was better in some regards, and had towards the end, only occasionally shown her displeasure towards the work.
"Are you able to give me any further details about what I will be doing?"
"Not really Brackenridge. I myself am not aware as I will be continuing on to Witwatersrand, and then returning as planned to Tainland. You will continue as you have been. Which, may I add, has been both impressive and exceptional." Wynemere flushed pink at the compliment.
"Thank you, Capitaine."
"Have you sailed before with Tobina Subterfuge?"
"I have not yet had the pleasure,"
"Pleasure? I should think not," Pickfordshelm laughed. "You'll see." She laughed again. "Well Brackenridge, this marks the end of our time then. Accommodation for this evening has been organised for you on the mainland, and allow me to say, it has been a real pleasure Brackenridge, and I hope that I may have it again."
"For me as well, Capitaine." The women smiled at each other, before Wynemere had exited the quarters
The Sparrowhawk was a funny looking vessel, more similar to a Cassioni ships than a Tainish windjammer. She had seemed unseaworthy to Wynemere's eyes, and she recalled the sleek boats she had maneovered along canals and narrow rivers in her youth, all in much better condition than this one. The watercraft before her appeared unwieldy. As she had boarded, she had spotted a hooded figure sat upon the deck under the main mast, reading. It must have been Tobina Subterfuge, who did not look up as she had walked past to her dorm, where she was very warmly greeted by Kody. "Well I say, my good friend," she said, beaming. "What wonderful news. If we have time, we must go look around Nordmontline. So many spots of interest. Quite the history."
Wynemere was intrigued, her shipmate knew about Cassion? It was hardly a land that came up in conversation often in Tainland. "You know about the capital city?"
"It is located on both sides of the Gloires river, which flows from the mountain range known as the great dividing range, down through the Herb hills, through the great plain, and into the bay upon which Loutouse is located. The family of a powerful ascendant made it the capital city and built in the middle of it, a large complex reserved for her and her family. They call it the forbidden castle. I can't tell you when though, but I think about one thousand years ago. And, when large castles are built, villages tend to sprout up around them, which over time turn to cities."
"And you're saying a city of over one thousand years is a new city?"
"Yes, other cities in Cassion are much older. The advantage of these new cities is that change occurs quickly, compared to the ancient ones where change is much more slow to occur and gradual. Of course there are still remnants, we might see some of the large wooden gates which were typical of ascendant palaces, but the sites upon which those were built are long gone. You've been up rivers, right, Wynnie?" Wynemere bristled at the nickname her apparent good friend had given her, forgetting the history lesson she had just received. "in Tainland, a little." "But certainly not with Tobina Subterfuge," she added. Kody screwed up the skin on her forehead. "Yes, do you know of her?"
"Not at all."
"Then we may be in for a surprise apparently," Leaving her shipmate to puzzle over her words, she left the galley and walked bang into the Capitaine herself, reviewing in her mind whether she had said anything incriminating, and wishing that her cheeks would remain a normal-looking shade.
"Brackenridge, I presume. Late and clumsy, it would seem." Tobina Subterfuge was tall, and had dark brown hair pulled tightly back from her face.
"I-"
"Brackenridge please. Do not begin with an excuse. I hate that, you should know,"
"Yes, Capitaine," Wynemere risked a glance up into the eyes of her superior, who looked somewhat unwell: her skin had a grey tinge to it, a yellow in her eyes, her face a gaunt quality, and Wynemere did not know if it was this ship, this land that was the cause of the illness, or if this was how she looked all of the time.
"On the morn, five bells, Brackenridge, for the mouth of the Gloires."
"Yes, Capitaine. Any further orders?"
The Capitaine glanced around, and dropped her voice. "Yes actually, follow me."
Wynenere and Capitaine Tobina Subterfuge walked to her own cabin, a hastily constructed wooden cabin with a hand railing attached round the outside of it. Tobina spoke in a lowered voice, giving furtive glances around the room, which was somewhat ironic as the room was scarcely bigger than the bed itself, plus a small side table. The capitain's quarters on the windjammer upon which she had arrived in Cassion had been far larger and more luxurious.
"We have an important task, and goodness knows the marine force is lucky I was in this part of the world, when I was. Not that one would know it from looking at this place," she was angry about the foreign vessel they had been given, the quarters she had to sleep in, kicking the bed in pettiness. "Tainish ships are built differently, simply put, and let's just say are a little more imposing. But let us not dwell on our vessel Brackenridge, for it is our seamanship which is important," she ended her rant, as if it had been her inferior who had given the negative comments. It did appear as if the Capitaine's cabin had only just been constructed for her, and Wynemere thought better this than nothing, and certainly better than her hammock in the galley.
"The journey ahead of us is most certainly worse. The River Gloires. Fast flowing, narrow, and flanked not by sandy banks, but by rocky gorges, atop of which live the barbarians."
"Barbarians?" The Capitaine fidgeted in irritation, looking out the tiny round window in her door.
"Yes, Brackenridge, the barbarians. Cassioni inlanders. Awful bunch."
"You know some, Capitaine?" Wynemere had not expected to hear her superior, who was meant to be the leader of the ship, level-headed and professional, speak so definitely about a people. "Well no, Brackenridge, but I do not need to know any of them to see their savage ways for myself." Ah. So she did not know any.
"You wait and see Brackenridge. dishonest, dirty, rude, would kill for a pair of good Tainish shoes, you wait and see."
"Yes, Capitaine," Wynemere was starting to feel uncomfortable now, reaching full understanding of what Pickfordselm had meant when she said it would not be a pleasure. "But, we have our jobs to do, and even if this is not a job of the marine forces, we must still do it as well as we can," Wynemere was not sure what she meant, but she did not want to stay in that room any longer and thusly did not enquire. "Brackenridge, even though you are not officially marine force, I officially welcome you aboard, as an honorary member, for as long as you are on Sparrowhawk." She took another glance around, including outside the door, to make sure nobody was listening in, pulling the curtain across the small circle of glass and lowering her voice again.
"There's been trouble, you know. Unprecedented. And it's spreading. I'm sure we'll know soon enough, Brackenridge, about what the-" she was about to elaborate when there was an aggressive knock at the door. She opened up to reveal, someone who Wynenere supposed was a senior officer.
"Ah yes, good evening Frontenac," Tobina cleared her throat. "Yes, so as I was saying Brackenridge, welcome aboard. You are dismissed."
"Thank you Capitaine, good evening to you," Wynemere nodded at the officer. "I have a matter to discuss with you Capitaine. It's about your provisions,"
Wynemere continued back to her lodgings, hearing Tobina's voice along her way "you are to go ashore at once! Get me my provisions," Wynemere was thankful she was not part of the marine forces, and had to work with people like Tobina.