Chapter Four Hundred and Ten — Booking it After Negotiating
Chapter Four Hundred and Ten — Booking it After Negotiating It took some time to get the price down to an amount that satisfied Amaryllis and Caprica. I wasn’t quite as invested in the negotiations as they were, but I did pitch in to try and help when I could.The price Pecorina had quoted was... well, it was a lot. More than an explorer probably made in several months, if I were to guess. Though it had been a while since I’d had a hard time with money.I supposed I was very lucky there. Preventing wars, saving kings and fixing up dungeons had paid pretty well so far, so I wasn’t too concerned about our finances, especially with Amaryllis holding a tight leash on the pursestrings.She wasn’t going to let those go for a book, not one that seemed so expensive.Pecorina, for her part, seemed to mostly want to haggle for the sake of haggling, and she was very good at it. She went on about how rare the book was, its incredible, mint condition, how much Booksie would love it, and sometimes when she was done, I was convinced that she was being generous in not charging us twice as much. That feeling only lasted until Caprica scoffed and returned fire, pointing out little scuffs on the cover, the scorched edges of the latter pages, and how it hadn't sold yet so it couldn't be worth that muchIn the end, the book was down to about a quarter of its original price. (A sum that was still quite high. I think it was about four times as much as the room in the hotel we’d booked for the night, and that was a really nice room.)Once hands and talons were shook over the final price, Pecorina floated the massive book up and then wrapped it up in several thick layers of canvas and cloth which she cinched up with a little bow.She also packaged up Awen’s own books. Those didn’t come with any real negotiations. Pecorina quoted a price, Awen stuttered a bit, but she reached into her coin purse and started counting coins. Then Pecorina rolled her eyes and quoted a second, much lower price.I held back a giggle at the exchange. Pecorina was nice.Something told me that Lavinia would be just fine.With a heave, Calamity slung the big book up onto his back like the world's biggest, most unwieldy backpack. We thanked Pecorina for her time, while she hurriedly penned a small letter of introduction for Booksie. (Pecorina seemed interested in becoming penpals with another bookstore owner.) With that done, we headed back out onto the streets of Inkwren.It was surprising how late it had become as we stepped out.How many hours had we spent in the bookstore? It only felt like one or two... or maybe three or four? I had kind of lost track of time with no sunlight to help. In any case, the city was busier than it had been earlier in the day. It felt like the final manic energy of early evening. People were heading home, stopping by the grocers and bakery and butchers to pick up something to eat. There were a lot of students out, every pub we passed seemed packed to the brim.The hotel was a bit quieter. On entering, a harpy in a manservant’s outfit approached us, bowed, and then led us to the elevators where we rode up to the floor where Valerian was staying.He was pacing by the entrance when we slipped into his apartments. The harpy jumped, then glanced over us all. “You made it back! Fantastic! I was entirely too worried about whether or not you’d made it. Did you deliver the letter? How was my dear Cottage?”“Hello, Valerian,” Amaryllis said. “It went... actually, surprisingly well. We didn’t encounter any real trouble. And yes, Cottage was fine.”“Haha! Joyous day!” Valerian said. He pulled Amaryllis into another hug, then he did the same for me and then all of my other friends. “You must stay for the evening and tell me everything. My chef will prepare a meal fit for a king and you can tell me about Cottage and the school. Did she look well? Is she eating enough? Is her wit still rapier-sharp?”My friends and I shared a look, and it was Calamity that made up the choice for us. “I could eat,” he said. “Besides, I want to get changed.”“Right, these uniforms will have to go,” Amaryllis agreed. “But before that. Cottage penned a reply to your letter. Here.” She pulled out Cottage’s letter, and it was snatched away from her in a hurry by a grinning Valerian.“Oh! Spectacular! Thank you, lady Albatross. You may consider the Hawk family in your debt for this.”“Oh, I will,” Amaryllis purred. She sounded more like a cat than a bird right then.All of our gear was folded away in Valerian’s massive closet, so we took our time changing out of the Mitytea Academy uniforms and back into our normal clothes. It was nice being back in my normal clothes.Calamity especially seemed happy to be back in his vest and trousers. “I don’t care what kind of mess we get in, I’m not dressing as a girl again,” he said.I patted him on the shoulder. “We’ll try not to get into too many situations where that’ll come up,” I promised.Calamity snorted, but he didn’t seem in that bad of a mood. Mostly he looked like he thought it was funny.With everyone all dressed up, we joined Valerian in his dining room where a few appetisers were already being set out for us to nibble on. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I smelled the fresh food and my tummy decided to start grumbling because it didn’t have that food in it.Valerian was looking quite flushed, and he was clinging to Cottage’s letter in a way that suggested that he wasn’t about to let go of it for a while. I could almost see the hearts radiating off of him.The appetisers were delicious. Smoked blue cod atop crisp bread, skewers of grilled vegetables, and a selection of exotic cheeses. As we nibbled and chatted about the day’s events, Valerian's eyes remained locked on Cottage's letter, reading it over and over, a sentimental smile playing on his lips.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Our main course was a big platter of roasted meats, creamed potatoes, and a vibrant array of salads. Valerian had told his chef about the different species he’d invited over for dinner, so the chef had made a wide array of things so that everyone had something to enjoy.The wine flowed freely too, though I didn’t try any past giving Amaryllis’ cup a sniff. As the evening progressed, we took turns telling Valerian of our adventures and impressions of the Academy and of course, of Cottage. He listened with rapt attention, occasionally interrupting to ask for more specific details or share his own stories.After the meal, with tummies bloated full and happy, we said goodnight and goodbye to Valerian. There was another round of hugs before we grabbed our gear and left. We navigated around the hotel until we found our less-opulent rooms.It was still a nice suite, with plush carpets and a warm living space. I found myself looking over Inkwren from a window. The hotel was only a few stories tall, but it still afforded a spectacular view of the city.It was strange, seeing a city like this, but knowing that I wouldn’t have a ton of time to explore it.Well, not right now. I smiled. One day, maybe! There were so many cool places to visit and see on Dirt, at the pace we were moving I’d get to snoop in on all of them, at least for a little bit. Then maybe we could go back and revisit the neatest places!As we retired for the night, I took a moment to appreciate the comforting murmur of the city, the low whisper of conversation from the rooms around us, and the pleasant fatigue setting in from a day well-spent.When I woke up, sunlight was already streaming in through the windows. I could hear birdsong from outside and the low hum of activity beginning to stir in the city below. I stretched my arms and legs and ears out until they trembled, then got out of bed and moved to the window, taking in the morning view of Inkwren. The city was coming to life, merchants opening their stores, people heading to work, and the occasional clatter of a carriage passing by.We had a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading out onto the busy streets of Inkwren.The atmosphere was more vibrant than the previous evening; there was a sense of urgency in the air that spoke of the day's potential. We moved with the flow of the crowd, dodging vendors and pedestrians, making our way across the city.We were heading in the rough direction of the docks, but since we weren’t in too much of a hurry, we stopped by a few shops, nosing around and checking out nick-knacks. Calamity had us stopping by every-other street vendor to grab more snacks for the road, and I wasn’t sure where he was stuffing it all.I could see why Inkwren was known as a city of academics. There were teashops on nearly every corner, and we ran across a few small scuffles on the street. Mostly it was between groups from different academies, and they were... not exactly violent? Instead, they’d be arguing about some magical theory or about some history text, with lots of gesticulating and arm waving and even some shouting.The people here were very enthusiastic about their academia.After hours of journeying through the city, we finally reached the airship docks. The Beaver Cleaver was parked in place, and I could make out the silhouettes of the crew leisurely making the ship ready to go.“Where are we going next?” I asked Amaryllis as we entered the docks proper.“Do you not pay attention to the maps?” she asked.I shrugged. “A bit. But I’ve hardly memorised them.”“Either Walker’s Rest, or Smoulderglen,” Amaryllis said. “We’ll go over the choices once we’re ready to depart. Awen, did you need any more equipment before we headed out?”“Ah! Um, Clive said he’d take care of refuelling, but I do want to give the Beaver another inspection before we head out. I think the rudder has a bit of looseness to it? It might just be something that needs tightening. But I still have a list of things I want. I think we can get most of it nearby though.”“Do you need help with it?” I asked.“Oda and Steve and Gordon volunteered to help,” she said. “Give me two, maybe three hours?”I nodded along. “Then let’s try to aim for an afternoon launch. Maybe before lunch? It’ll be hard to do ship stuff while in a post-lunch daze.”My plans rammed into a wall as a small group rushed out from hiding and came to stand before us, blocking our path to the Beaver. They were all students of one of the academies. Or at least, they wore the robes. Six of them, and one familiar mousefolk person was riding on the middlemost student’s shoulder.“Halt!” Adjunct-professor Cornelius said. The little mousefolk seemed exceptionally proud of himself as he got us all to come to a stop. His students spread out around him, and I noticed that they were all holding staffs. Then I looked a bit closer and noticed that they were yardsticks, not staffs.“Hi,” I said. “Can we help you?”“You can, by submitting to the law! Did you think that Inkwren would allow you to so easily smuggle books out of the city?” he asked.“We have receipts,” Amaryllis snapped.The mousefolk blinked. “Pardon?”“What, you thought we stole these? We purchased them with good gold, obviously we have proof of purchase. And if we didn’t, then you should have brought a lot more students.”“We outnumber you,” he said, ignoring her counterargument and launching a different attack“You don’t outlevel us,” Amaryllis pointed out. “And our airship is right there, and it’s designed for hunting pirates. Honestly, did you do any thinking before trying to set up this little ambush?”
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Chapter Four Hundred and Eleven — Charting a Course
Chapter Four Hundred and Eleven — Charting a Course It took longer to get to the Beaver than we thought it would, mostly because Cornelius insisted on looking through our stuff and Amaryllis insisted that he would absolutely not.Calamity only splashed oil on the fire by constantly reminding us how hungry he was while licking his lips and looking at the little mousefolk professor.Eventually, though, we did make it onboard the Beaver, much to the adjunct professor’s disappointment.“Welcome back aboard, Cap’n,” Oda said. He was working on a knot in a long length of rope sitting on his lap. “Things went well?”“Yeah,” I said as I crossed the gangplank. “Things went pretty alright. It was more of a side-adventure than anything else though. I think we’re looking forward to moving on.”Oda glanced up, then set the rope aside and bounced to his feet. “Alright! I’ll go get Sally and Joe.”Clive was smoking his pipe on the poop deck, and Steve and Gordon were playing cards on the bow, but as my friends and I climbed aboard the pipe was stuffed and the cards set down. “Are we heading out, captain?” Clive asked.“Yup! As soon as we’re ready to take off!” I called back. We still had stuff to do, of course, Calamity and Awen went to put the books we’d gotten away, and Caprica went to get changed into something more suitable for deck work.Amaryllis, meanwhile, tugged me along towards the officer’s cabin under the wheel. “We need to decide on where to go next, preferably before we fly off in the wrong direction for an hour.”“Right,” I said. Besides, I had to change into my Captain’s Hat before I started Captaining.Amaryllis cleared the desk, then unrolled a map onto its surface. It was a more local map of the Independent Cities and the western side of the Harpy Mountains. Our trajectory so far was easy to map, from the north where the map cut off near the borders of the Snowlands to Codwood, then all the way down to Inkwren. Our goal was barely on the map at all, at the very bottom right. Port Royal, where Booksie was staying.Amaryllis traced a straight line from Inkwren to Port Royal. “We can’t just fly straight there. Unless the winds were in our favour the entire time, and that’s very unlikely. The wind currents on the western side of the Harpy Mountains are tricky at the best of times.”“Right, so we need to stop somewhere to refuel.”“We might not have a choice but to stop at Cherryhold. It’s a fort that blocks off the entire valley between the southern tip of the Harpy Mountains and the Seven Points. There are ways through the mountains, but they’re a little harder to navigate.”I nodded along. “Can we make it from here to Cherryhold?”Amaryllis rubbed a talon against her jaw. “Maybe. It might be a bit far. Again, it would depend on the wind and how fuel efficient the Beaver flies. If we move with little engine power and don’t mind coasting for a long time, then sure, we’ll make it there with some fuel to spare. We flew much further than this before, we can manage it. But I’d rather not have to.”She reached down and tapped two cities that were closer than Cherryhold, then somewhat reluctantly touched a third. “Walker’s Rest is the nearest, but it’s hard to navigate to, and it really is just a small city, barely more than an upjumped town. It’s Harpy Mountain territory-so familiar, at least to me-but we might still have some political difficulty.”“Because of the Albatross?” I asked. Amaryllis’ family were pretty big there, weren’t they?“No, not because of me or my family, because of the princess.”“Oh,” I said. That made a bit more sense. There was a heap of animosity between the Harpy Mountains and Sylphfree. Bringing the princess of Sylphfree over might... well, cause some issues that I hadn’t thought about. “Smoulderglen’s the second option,” I said, staring at the map.“Smoulderglen, the Flame Mage City, is more or less on the path over, and it’s independent. But it’s got a reputation for being somewhat less civilised than, say, Inkwren.”“I think we can manage that,” I said with a nod.Amaryllis shrugged. “If you say so. I’d almost rather try for our third option. But that one might have issues of its own.” Her talon trailed down a ways, then paused somewhere where we’d been before.Greenshade. Awen’s home.“Ah, that’s... an option, huh?”“It’s far, so by the time we get there, we’ll have well under half a tank of fuel left. But we can reach it relatively easily. The question then is more about our reception once we arrive.”“And if Awen would want us to go there at all,” I added. Awen had... issues with her family. We couldn’t sneak in either, not with the Beaver being... well, so obviously the Beaver.The sort that led to her parents sending pirates to kidnap her. Which was pretty scummy, overall.Amaryllis and I stared at the map, each lost in our thoughts. The silence of the cabin was comfortable, a counterpoint to the low murmurs of the crew outside. I looked up and glanced over at Amaryllis. “Alright, we’ve got three options. Walker’s Rest, Smoulderglen, and Greenshade. I think... Smoulderglen might be our best bet. It’s not too far out of the way, and if we refuel there, do you think we’ll be able to fly all the way to Port Royal in one go?”“We should be able to, yes.”I stared at the little icon representing Smoulderglen. As the captain, my choices didn’t just affect me, but all of my friends and the Beaver itself. That was kind of intimidating, but I couldn’t let that bother me too much. “I’ll ask Clive later if he knows anything about Smoulderglen too,” I muttered, mostly to myself.Clive had heaps more experience than any of us when it came to travelling around. It made sense to at least ask.Standing up from the desk, I took a deep breath. It looked like we had a destination, then. Time to tell the others! I gave Amaryllis a nod and headed out the door, switching my regular hat for the Captain's Hat.I found Clive on the deck, still puffing away on his pipe. He had a distant look in his eyes, gazing out at the airship port. He had travelled a lot, more than anyone else on the crew, and his insights usually proved invaluable.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings."Clive," I began as I approached him. "We're thinking about heading to Smoulderglen. You ever been there?"Clive took a long puff on his pipe, letting the smoke billow out around his face before answering. "Aye, Captain. Been there a few times in my younger years. A rough place, full of tough folks and tougher mages. But they're fair, in their own way."“Rough how?” I asked.He rubbed the backside of a talon against his chin. “They’re less of what Miss Albatross would call civilised. Honest to a fault, kind when they wanna, not so kind when they don’t. There’s some good folk there but just as many rotten apples. It’s a city where being strong counts for a lot.”I considered his words for a moment before giving a decisive nod. "That's where we're headed then. You okay with that?"He chuckled, patting the railing of the ship fondly. "The Beaver's been to worse places, Captain. We'll manage."I couldn’t help but smile. The Beaver had been through a few tough spots. He was a good ship! Leaving Clive to his pipe, I moved across the deck, rallying the crew. "Alright, folks! Time to ready the ship. We're heading to Smoulderglen!"I saw Awen’s head pop up from behind the railing of the poop deck. “Ah!” she said.“Is everything alright?” I called down.Awen’s head disappeared, then she climbed over the edge rather awkwardly. “Everything’s perfect, Broc! Let me pull up my swing and stow my tools and I’ll be ready to go!”Oda jogged over, helping Awen carry a toolbox back down to the engineering section while Sally screamed down a hatch for Joe to come up and join her. Calamity, meanwhile, ran after Steve, trailing a long rope behind him as he tried to help.The ship began to hum with life, the slow buildup of energy palpable. I took a moment to breathe it in, the tension and the excitement of taking off. This was my crew, my ship, my home. And it felt good.The wind tugged at my captain’s hat as I made my way up to the deck. Already we were casting off some of the restraints keeping the ship in place and with the engine on we were starting to hover a little bit out of our landing pad.With a final check to make sure everyone was on board and ready, I grabbed the wheel. "Prepare for takeoff!" I called out, my voice echoing across the deck.Clive tapped out his pipe against the side of a bell, tolling a warning to any nearby ships, then he started to make his way over to me, entirely unbothered by the shifting of the deck under his feet.A deep thrum resonated through my soles as I gave the engine a bit more gas.We began to rise.Inkwren slowly disappeared beneath us, and with a quick spin of the wheel and a few adjustments of the sails, we left the city on a southbound route, towards the distant Smoulderglen.I hung onto the wheel as activity on deck calmed down. Now that we were in the air, there wasn’t all that much to do. The weather was a bit windy, but not enough so to be a bother, and the sun was shining on a cloudless afternoon. Other than stowing ropes, the crew had time to relax.Maybe that was why Sally came up next to the wheel, then lingered a few paces away. “Is everything alright?” I asked her.“Yeah, of course, cap’n Bunch,” she said. It still felt a little strange to be called captain, especially by Sally and the Scallywags, who were just a bit younger than I was.“What’s up?” I asked. It didn’t take a genius to figure that she was lingering here for a reason.She seemed to mull over things for a bit before meeting my eyes. “I love it here,” she said. “I love the crew, and the Beaver and spending time with my friends. We’ve all levelled a bunch, and are better fed than we ever were in Needleford.”“That’s good,” I said with an encouraging nod.“But...” she paused, fidgeting with one of the lapels of her new coat. “I’m still trying to figure things out.”"Like what?" I asked, my tone soft.She shuffled her feet a bit, looking down at the deck. "I guess... I just don't want to let anyone down. I want to be useful to the crew and do my part. But sometimes... we’re not as good as you guys.”“Huh?”“You, and your friends. Even that new guy, Calamity? We’re not as good, are we?”“You mean the Scallywags?” I asked. “I don’t get it.”“The princess was one thing,” she said. “She’s a princess. And Amaryllis is a lady, and Awen’s a lady too. Makes sense that the princess would be good at things too. But then you pick up Calamity, and he’s just a normal bloke, but he’s so much better than we are too. We’re getting better, I guess, but it feels like... like we’re just some seagulls pecking at the tail of dragons, thinking that we share the same sky.”I frowned slightly at her words. My friends and I were probably stronger than Sally and the Scallywags. We'd been adventuring for longer, had faced more dangerous trials, and had the levels to show for it.That didn't mean Sally and her friends were lesser than us. They were important parts of our crew."Sally," I said as I turned the wheel slightly to adjust our course. "Strength isn't just about how well you can fight or how many spells you can cast. Strength comes from a lot of things. It comes from loyalty, from courage, from the determination to keep going no matter what. From having good friends. And in those things, you and the Scallywags are no less than any of us, because you’re our friends, which means that our strength is yours too.""But we're still lower level than you. We can't do as much.""That's true." I nodded. "But that's just how it is. You're newer to adventuring than us. That doesn't mean you're worth less. We all have our roles on the ship, Sally, and everyone is important. The Beaver wouldn't fly without Awen. It’d be covered in mean rodents without Orange, and we’d probably have crashed into a mountain by now without Clive. Everyone contributes in their own way. You are just as much a part of this crew as anyone else. And as for getting stronger... well, that comes with time and experience. You'll get there."Sally was quiet for a moment, her eyes flicking across the deck where her friends were laughing and joking as they worked. "You really believe that, Cap'n?""With all my heart," I said sincerely.
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