“Ah. Daniel,” said the captain. “You surveyed the ship, did you?”
“Yes. Everything is in order. I just had no chance yet to check what’s going on in the cabin opposite mine.”
“They are not done yet?” Ulaman pulled a face. “They should’ve been done already.” He raised his voice somewhat and yelled at some of the sailors to go below deck and urge the workmen to hurry. His choice of words was rather creative, especially the part about the fate of the workers if they did not haul their asses of the ship soon. He then turned to Daniel again. “We’re having a visitor on the ship this run.”
Daniel nodded. “Who is it?”
“The Seigner’s daughter.”
“Oh God.” Daniel would have preferred even Gaguran over the woman. Ulaman nodded.
“And why?”
“She asked. That simple. The kid gets everything she wants. And more. I have a list of special orders here concerning her.”
“I don’t envy you,” Daniel said.
“You need not. I have a list for you as well.” With a wide smirk Ulaman pulled a rolled-up stack of paper from his pocket and slapped it in Daniel’s hand. “And your list is longer than mine. Start reading, she should be here soon.”
Daniel stared at the captain. “You’re kidding. This can’t be true. Soon I am going to wake up, right?”
Xandree looked at Daniel. “You’d better read. Or you are up for a very rude awakening.”
Daniel looked at the first page. “Safety. Food. Safety. Language- language?! We’re all screwed.”
“Language, Daniel,” Xandree said with her eternal straight face. And if she could read his mind: “No. Resigning is not an option.”
“Arrggghhh…” Daniel walked back towards the ship, reading the first page of the stack in his hand.
“Daniel!”
He turned around at Ulaman’s voice.
“Get back here. She’s coming. Be nice.” Ulaman looked as if he himself was in trouble also. “At least try to.”
At the end of the quay, three carriages were slowly moving towards them. After a few minutes, they came to a halt in front of the gangway where Ulaman, Xandree and Daniel had taken position.
The door of the first carriage swung open and Gaguran Slindris stepped out. Daniel frowned, until the man turned and reached for the hand of the frilly girl, to help her out of the coach.
The young woman was covered in an amazing amount of fabric, most of it yellow and beige. The dress was very nice if the beholder knew to appreciate it. She picked a small umbrella from the seat and turned towards Ulaman. “Good day, captain Xhylor,” she said with a smile. “Mrs. Xhylor, so pleased to meet you too.” Then she looked at Daniel. Her eyes sampled his leisurely military outfit. “Oh. It’s you.” Her attention went back to Ulaman.
As she was chattering and flattering the captain and his wife, Daniel wondered who would step out of the other carriages, but the doors remained closed. Ulaman’s voice shook him out of his thoughts. “What?”
“Wake up, Daniel. Can you start taking some of Miss Dandra ko Galem’s luggage up?”
Gaguran Slindris frowned at Daniel.
“Luggage? Where is that?” As he asked, a dreadful feeling hit him. The two other carriages. “Oh. Right. Sure.” He stepped away and looked at the railing where some of the sailors were waiting and watching.
“Are you sure that this man is a reliable member of your crew, captain?” he heard the woman say in a tiny sweet voice.
Daniel bit away some words that tried to force their way out. He should -not- make things worse than they already were. He waved his arm at some of the sailors and yelled up that they should come down to help.
“He yells so loudly,” the young woman said, her tone definitely disapproving. In a dramatic way she covered her ears, dismay on her face.
Daniel closed his eyes, breathed deeply and opened the first carriage door. Some of the suitcases were so eager to get on board that they fell out. He scrambled to catch them. Of the four he got one. He did not look at the woman who was still talking to Ulaman and Xandree. The short silence that fell was bad enough. He grabbed four suitcases and what looked like, heavens forbid, a box to carry a hat. Loaded like that he made his way to the gangway, but before he reached it, Ulaman called his name.
He turned and looked over the hat-box. “What can I do for you, captain?”
“Please step this way, Mr. Zacharias. Miss Dandra ko Galem has some problems with her footwear.”
Daniel wondered what that was to him, but he walked back to the four people.
“I wonder,” said Ulaman, “if you could be so good to carry Miss Dandra ko Galem to deck.”
16. Rayko
Daniel did not drop the suitcases. Brinno and Bilk arrived just in time and took them from his hands.
“Carry the young lady up to deck.” Daniel repeated the words and knew he was not helping his situation. “Of course.”
“Are your hands clean?” Miss Dandra ko Galem asked.
“They are, Miss,” Daniel said. “Now, if you allow me…” He lifted her up in his arms, ignoring the little squeal she let out as it happened.
“Do be careful with my dress,” she said, “it costs more than you earn in a year.”
Daniel did not respond. He walked towards the ship and seriously thought about how it would be to dump her in the water of the harbour. As he carried the woman upwards, she kept warning him what he had to be careful of, and where and what to watch.
“And don’t drop me. We are up scarily high!”
“Don’t worry, miss, I’ve been up this ship many times. I know my way around here.”
“My father told me you are not a proper sailor, sir, so I will worry if and when I choose to, thank you very much.”
Daniel suppressed a sigh of relief when finally he could put the woman on her feet. He just knew she would have problems with her footwear on the ship too. He also thought she should eat more, she was much too light.
Brinno and Bilk came up with suitcases. And boxes. Ulaman and Xandree were right behind them, and Xandree steered the young woman to the staircase that would bring her below deck. Daniel frowned. She did not seem to have problems walking here.
“More suitcases there, I guess?” he asked the skipper, who nodded. “Of course…”
Gaguran Slindris had made sure all the carriages returned to wherever they came from, riding in one of them. All the luggage was loaded and stowed. Another carriage had arrived, with a special assortment of food that should be served during the trip, and a cook.
Draiky, a calm person most always, had become very hostile when she heard she would have to share her galley with the strange cook. “If he so much as smears something on the stove in my caboose,” she threatened, “I’m using his face to wipe it off.”
After setting that straight, everything was ready for departure. The hawsers were released and brought in. The men had set a minimal sail as there was quite some wind, and the Pricosine moved away from the quay. Daniel was on the bridge, walking around to keep an eye on everything, Ulaman happily yelled commands into the tube, sailors on deck ran to follow them. Lidrin muttered something about the rudder and then they set course for open sea.
The first few hours the entire crew was working hard. Variations in sails were made, the new sail was severely tested as the wind was so favourable. Daniel wondered where the Dandra princess was, when suddenly he saw a yellow and beige spot at the far end of the boat, near the stern. His electronic eye made it easy to identify her.
