Home Delivery, pt2

Khara clapped her hands in delight and skipped across the pier. “It is so cute! Just like a gondola, but with a little smoke pipe!”

I stared at the wooden toy tied up to the pier. There was a tiny deckhouse that probably hid the steam boiler, and a smoke that stack barely came up to my chest. “What. Is. This?”

The old man finished tying the boat to the bollard and hopped across to the pier. The steam-boat visibly bounced in the water as he left. He stretched his back and I could hear the popping noises. It was the white-player from Keller’s. “This, is your boat.” He beamed and spread his arms over the low deckhouse. “Freshly stolen from the Strangford Shipping Company.” He gave a conspiratorial wink and leaned closer to me. “He won’t notice it gone for at least another three weeks. His old ironside is out collecting Leviathan Blood right now. This little launch was just sitting there waiting to be borrowed.”

“But, we need to carry these!” I pointed out the four crates of guns, neatly stacked up in the shadows at the end of the pier. The old man looked across and shrugged. 

“Not my problem. You asked for a boat.” He pointed at the toy bobbing in the river. “One boat.” He wiped his hands on his shirt front and then patted the still hot smokestack. “She’s all warmed up and raring to go. Have fun!”

“Wait, you can’t just,” but he had already disappeared into the tunnels beneath Gaddock Station. “Well…”

Khara hopped onto the deck. “Look in here, all these little valves and dials. I wonder what they all do.”

I leaned next to Khara and peeked inside. Nope, no room for the crates. Shit.

* * *

I felt sick. Again. The deck wouldn’t stay still as I struggled to tie down the canvas covering. I grabbed the railing, almost falling into the Dusk river. “Khara! Go straight!” I yelled over my shoulder.

Khara sat at the tiller, whistling some cheerful tune. All the lamps were lit. She looked up at the sound of my voice and waved back. As other boats passed nearby she waved to them as well. “Isn’t this just lovely Rúna? Fresh air, stars, all the friendly people in their colourful boats. So relaxing.”

“They are all so friendly because you are barely wearing anything more than that robe! And your leg over the side must be a real favourite of the sailors.” Just then a pair in a passing riverboat wolf-whistled at Khara. She blew them a kiss.

My stomach heaved as the boat swung around. “Keep your hands on the tiller!” I hunkered down at the bow, holding tightly to the both raised sides. The ink-black river was less than a foot away from my hands, it was anxious to grab me and submerge us all. I could see the lights of the Gaddoc Bridge reflected in the water’s surface, and hear the roaring clacks of a steam engine crossing above us. The minor constellations of boat running lights passed by either side of us. “Stop waving at everyone”. I watched Khara, in her little spotlit perch, giving benedictions to the rapt sailors. Did she never feel out of place?

“But they are all so friendly. Look, they are waving back!” She grinned and waved faster.

A lamp shone in my face. I looked across at the approaching lights. The boat was only a shape behind the lights. Low, heavy, and bulky. A pair of men were waving to get our attention and make us slow down. Bluecoat river patrol. Just our luck. The wind stole their words away from me, but I could guess. A loud ripping sound pulled my attention. I saw the end of a rope snake away into the water, and a sheet of canvas flapping in the wind. I turned around fully, horrified at the sight of the exposed crates.

Across the water, one of the Bluecoats turned his attention to the crates, the light now strongest around the lettering. I saw his friend taking a spyglass from his pocket. 

“Khara. Faster. Now!”

“How?”

The steam engine. I dived back into the low deckhouse and tried to understand the array of brass levers and dials. There was tiny akerosi script plastered behind the little glass dials, but I couldn’t stop the letters from jumping around. One large wheel looked particularly well worn. I spun it until it stopped moving. The hiss of steam pistons grew much faster. I fell backwards at the surge of speed. The whole boiler was rattling now, drowning out the sound of the waves running along the sides of the boat.

“Bye bye handsome men!” 

An amplified voice broke through the cacophony of engine sounds. “Vehicle with the crates! You will slow and present paperwork for transport!”

I rubbed my bruised head and twisted to look back at Khara. “What is going on up there?” All I could see was a madly grinning woman framed by the doorway as she pulled the tiller from side to side. I struggled to haul myself back on deck, banging against the doorframe with each step. I looked over the deckhouse only to see a wooden cliff come out of the darkness. I snatched my hand away from the sides just before we scraped along the hull of the giant ship.

“Are you insane?”

“We have plenty of room.”

“What!” 

The wooden piles of the Ironhook Pier passed only a hands breath away from the other side. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable crunch and coming water. After a moment Khara started giggling. “You wanted to go faster. The river was blocked and you didn’t seem interested in those two lovely gentlemen from the authorities.” I had no words. “This is just like the little steam-launch back at my parents’ estates. But faster!”

I cracked open an eye. The Bluecoat patrol was blocked by the bulk of river barges. I crawled across the deck towards the uncovered crates. I dragged the now wet canvas back over them and tied the ropes more securely. I dropped into the bow, jamming my feet against the crates to hod me securely in place. Facing back towards Khara I didn’t dare to let go for fear of being tossed overboard at every bounce. 

Suddenly I was blinded. I held up my hand to block the worst of the glare. Our two friends were back. “Khara, get off the river!”.

I grabbed at a straining rope as the boat suddenly heeled right. I was half out of the boat, my foot bouncing in the water. By the time I scrambled back aboard The bollard poles and tied up boats were passing on either side of us as we steamed towards the narrow canals leading into Charhollow. Dozens of narrow barges were lining the sides of the narrow canal. In between a few early morning boatmen rowed.

I yelled “Clear a path!” A few faces turned towards me, but most seemed oblivious. “Khara, slow down. Its too narrow!”

“How”.

The valve. Shit.

I flung myself down the boat. I was thrown about the boiler room as we were battered by the moored boats tearing along our sides. I heard something crashing and the cursing of angry sailors. I caught a glimpse of Kharas white knuckles straining at the tiller.

“I can’t make this turn.” Oh. Finally she panics.

All my muscles screamed as the brass wheel turned. I kept turning until it froze. I saw a number of dials moving towards red lines. I could feel the boat slowing and saw Khara pull the tiller all the way into her chest. Then came a crash and I was thrown backwards into the wall of deals and levers. The stream of cursing above was too fast to follow, especially with the thick Akerosi accents. My back was being scalded by the hot boiler. I dragged myself back outside.

Khara was babbling to the nearby sailors as I poked my head outside. I could see that the bow was cracked and I could hear the hissing of steam as river water sprayed onto the boiler.

“Khara…”

“Yes, shush.” She turned back to a brute of a sailor in front of her. “Please, do what you can”

What? The sailor stepped onto the deck beside her, and the front of the boat shot up out of the water. I felt the doorframe smack into my head again.

“Don’ you worry missus. I’ll ‘ave dis sorted out in a jiffy.”

A massive hand grabbed the back of my collar and lifted me out of the deckhouse. “Scuse me, not much room in dere.” He folded himself into the doorway. I heard metallic squeals as worked on the engine. He squeezed an arm out and waved to Khara “Just poin’er in the right direction.” The screw beneath the hull started spinning again.

Behind us, the canal was filled with a churning mass of watercraft. Everyone was yelling. I looked at my hands, they kept trembling.

I hate boats.

* * *

The darkness under the bridge was only broken by a single lamp resting on the crates. Clevin, our giant sailor friend, was sitting on the pier looking up at Khara like an oversized puppy. I was staring at the mists beginning to rise from the river. Then the Iruvian voices broke in.

It was the guide from the Temple. His red-sashed companions emerged from the darkness without a sound. The stick of a man took out some expensive looking spectacles and polished them carefully. Once they were settled on his nose he leaned in to inspect the crates. He pointed to the second one and his companions jumped to his request, removing the top crate and levering off the lid with a crowbar. His eyes widened.

“Beautiful.” He looked at me and arched an eyebrow.

“Yes, they are all there. Everything on the list.”

“Most excellent.” He gave a short hiss and the others rushed to collect the four crates. Only a few heartbeats later and the bespectacled man was left alone. “The Lady Klev is most grateful. It is a pleasure to deal with such professionals. I bowed low as Khara had taught me. A large man appeared out of the shadows carrying a large chest under one arm. He handed it to Khara, who almost dropped it. “We look forward to our next transaction.” He bowed and backed away into the darkness.

Khara and I stared at the box in her hands. “So, ‘ows dis supposed to work den?” Clevin interrupted.

“We shall return our boat and continue our discussions in more comfortable surroundings.” Khara responded without turning to look at the brute.

“Huh. No we won’t.” Clevin scratched his backside as I heard the gurgling sound from the river. The stern of the boat had disappeared beneath the inky waters, and the bow was slowly following. As we watched in silence, the boat settled at the bottom, smokestack still peeking out above the waves, puffing out some last streamers of smoke. “Reckon youse will ‘ave to do some explanationing.” He smiled.

Khara shrugged. “It was more of an unofficial loan.”

Clevin’s brow furrowed in concentration. “Oh. No worries then.” He looked down at Khara expectantly. “So when do I get mine?”

Even I could tell that Khara was nervous. What exactly had she offered to get this giant to help us? At least he was in a good mood, so far. “I have to ask, are you free to help out with extra… work in future?” I held my breath.

Clevin looked away from Khara and frowned at me. “You mean like today?”

“Yes and no. But other things that might need some muscle.” He grunted. He looked between the two of us, eyes lingering on the box. Khara tried to place it on the floor, but it thudded down. I knelt and took out a few coins. “I think this might be a fair share for tonight.” It was more that a few days wages for a sailor.

Clevin stared at the silver lying in his hand, and reassessed the pair of us. I could almost hear the stones dropping in his skull. “Right den.” He pulled a mostly empty pouch from inside his shirt and dropped the coins inside. He smiled at the clinking sound they made. “Where would I find you?”

“You know Kellen’s”

“The old Skov place in Charhollow?” I nodded. “I can drop by when I’m off work.” He tipped his cap to Khara. “Mornin’ to you both. Gotta get back ‘afore the fog rolls in.”

Khara looked at the box filled with coins. Then looked at me. We both grinned.