Rage and Rebellion (Histories of Havenhearth)

5.5 Wynemere

Sparrowhawk resumed its course, moving along the waters of the estuary further inland and further into Cassion's central plain, which continued unbroken for hundreds of miles to the south and north of them.
Here, the winding waterway was now flanked by fields guarded by black and white storks. From inside wooden shacks on stilts, with thatched roofs, would come the clatter of pots and pans. Women with their tunics drenched with perspiration, mended their fishing nets and repaired their boats, often staring as the large foreign ship with the foreign crew sailed past.
They slowed speed as the day trundled on and the river narrowed beyond the tides of the estuary and into less familiar waters.
Capitaine Tobina reappeared as the day began its inevitable exchange into night.
"I don't trust her," she told Brackenridge at once, who was tiring from a long shift at the helm. "I don't trust her one bit. Don't know what she is, don't know why she is with us, doesn't look respectable, definitely not legation,"
"No, Capitaine?" Wynemere lifted her face and scratched her chin in the fading light.
"Certainly not Brackenridge."
"May I ask why you don't trust her? "Beyond being jaeger, and nobody trusts them," Wynemere was fed up of her generalisations about things the Capitaine knew little about. "Nobody knows more about them than I do, sailor. I served with them once, several years ago now. Served under one as Capitaine even," Not understanding how this seemed either a suitable or adequate response to her question, Wynemere moved on.
"May I ask, Capitaine, do you think she might be working for the Cassioni?"
Tobina raised her eyebrows.
"Could be, Brackenridge. She's to be watched and watched closely. These are sensitive times and I don't trust anyone."
"But Fuchsjaegerland is friendly with Tainland." Wynemere ventured, with somewhat of a mind to try and make her superior see some sense. This idea of mistrusting foreigners was an old-fashioned one, even though Tobina must not have been much beyond her thirtieth year.
"What sense, Brackenridge, you are not very well-informed on current interland relations it seems." The Capitaine stopped to sniff the air. "Smell that? What a stink!"
"We must be nearing the junction between the rivers, Capitaine. Perhaps we anchor here for the night? The waterways will get busy again soon."
"Just what I was thinking Bracken-" subterfuge was interrupted by an explosion, the north bank ahead of the Sparrowhawk erupting into sparks and noise. Tobina yelled "all hands all hands, sound the alarm, Savages! The savages are attacking!" The Capitaine yelled into the darkening night, hurrying over to the emergency bell. Some hands had arrived on deck, many in their nightwear, and others still were arriving, all waiting for directions from Tobina. Another small explosion rained down gold and red sparkles into the water on their port side.
"Capitaine, may I-" Kody had run up to the bell and stopped the captain from ringing it further. Another burst on the south bank filled the sky with glittering goldfish.
"How dare you, sound for action, sound for action," Kody raised her voice and shouted angrily:
"Capitaine, I will not sound for action."
"To the spirits you will,"
"Capitaine, it's fireflowers. Firewhips. Not bandits." Subterfuge looked ahead to where the explosions had occurred.
"Look there's another one now," Kody pointed to the sky as it rained down with purple. "It's the festival of lanterns today."
"What in the spirits is a firewhip?" She grabbed the guardrail with two hands, leaning forward to peer out into the darkness.
"It's a noisemaker. The Cassioni use fireflowers for good luck and to chase away the bad spirits floating around." For a very brief moment, Tobina looked sheepish, but regained her normal disposition immediately.
"What utter nonsense. Thank the spirits that we are Tainish! All right, everyone dismissed. We haul anchor at six bells," everyone trudged back to their quarters. Wynemere couldn't help but notice the many eye rolls and head shakes the crew gave as they did so.
"I've never seen proper fireflowers before!" Kody gushed, when she and Wynemere were back in their dorm hammocks. "I can't believe she thought we were under attack."
"I can't believe she's our Capitaine," Wynemere said quietly "And you know what she's done?" She dropped her voice to a whisper.
"No?" Kody scrunched up the flesh around her eyes, lines forming on her forehead.
"She has revealed exactly how many we are on board, and if anyone was paying attention, they would know we are not just a few sailors carrying some cargo somewhere." Kody stared at her shipmate, her eyes rounded in fear.
"I hope to the spirits she has not has just put us all in grave danger."
"How she had got the name subterfuge is an absolute mystery."