Weigh Anchor and Withdrawal

The Nawyet’s pinnace had only two small benches, being the smallest ship’s boat you could find to fit the ketch. When Lisa rowed back it was a tight fit to get the other four crew onto it for the trip back to the Nawyet, especially as the Captain had the larger, better armed crewmates on shore.

On deck, Amaruq went aft while the crew got to work lifting the pinnace up to be lashed down on the starboard foredeck. The small rowboat would need ten minutes or more to be lifted back into its cradle - most of the reason the it was not often used.

Both Hannah and Hyvin met her on her way, so she paused to talk with the two officers. “I want to be away soon,” the Captain said, and both women nodded in agreement.

“We will need a bit of time to clear the anchors,” Hannah said, “but after the tender is squared away it won’t be long. I’ll have the rest of the girls getting the sails ready and setting out the lanterns for night sailing. Where to?”

Captain Amaruq had thought about it and replied, “I think we can go, slowly, until dawn. We should be able to get to one of the good berths, maybe Watchtower, and then take half a day to rest up.”

“Noah is in his room,” Hyvin informed the Captain. “I didn’t have much time to talk to her but I gave Hitty a shot of rum and had her change out of her damp clothes. I assume you’ll want to see to her too, she’s still trembling but she wanted to stay with him so I thought it wouldn’t hurt no one. Noah is dead to the world, pardon the expression, heartbeat is fast but breathing is steady, so having someone watching over him might be a good idea.”

The midship’s mate paused, then continued, “Hitty told me it was indeed a ‘macah-something’ that took Noah, a shifter who could turn into a great seal. We have people who can shapeshift in the far west, but I am not sure if this is the same sort of being.”

Hannah gave a shrug, so Amaruq said, “The shifting folk here are very rare, and they almost never interact with the Thuule on our islands. They are dangerous, but mostly to wandering hunters alone on the ice who run afoul of their strange customs.”

“Could she attack the boat? Kireama was saying that one would be stronger than any of us,” Hannah asked.

“Perhaps, but while she could cause some mischief with our rudder perhaps my understanding is she essentially is just be a large, smart great seal who may know some minor dust magic - herbalism and potion craft. Deadly if you were in the water with her, but I doubt she could damage the Nawyet. She is a danger to sneak back aboard though, she ambushed Noah very cleverly and was powerful enough to carry him off. I assume she is still out there, but is now angry that Noah was taken back.” The Captain paused and shook her head, “I need to talk to Hitty and see to Noah. I will address the crew before we set sail, as we will be running armed henceforth. As you were, ladies.”

In the steward's quarters, Hitty sat and stared at the motionless man, her face worried and her hands wringing in her lap. She looked up at her Captain in the doorway and stood, but Amaruq smiled and said, “Thank you Hitty. I want to ask you what happened, and I need to look over Noah. Can you grab my medical bag from my cabin?”

“Yes Captain,” Hitty shuffled past to dart next door, and Amaruq hoped that some small but tangible thing to do would help burn off her residual adrenaline.

Noah was on his small bed with his cover pulled up under his chin, so the Captain pulled it down. He was still naked, so she looked around and opened his sea chest. He had a pair of underclothes inside, so she took it and then looked to his desk and saw his washbasin, filled with clean water, with a cloth sitting next to it. The steward had always been so fastidious about his personal grooming.

Hitty was back with the bag as the Captain pulled the chair over to the bed and sat down. She scanned the man, noting a long scratch on his hip. Other than grass stains on his knees and some blood on his foot, he seemed unhurt.

“Hyvin tried to wake him up when we got back, but he just mumbled and fell asleep again,” Hitty said.

“I see. Well, I will let him rest for now, at least I can clean him and if he wakes up then good. First, I will wash off the mud and look at his foot, then we’ll find an ointment for that cut. Can you tell me what happened?”

The lass gave a good report. The Captain asked a few follow up questions as she dabbed an unguent on the now clean cut on the steward’s foot, but she had a solid understanding on the situation. With the snoring man now cleaned up, the Captain wrestled his small silk underpants onto his body and then pulled his blanket over him, checking his pulse again. Steady enough, whatever **** the witch had injected him with hopefully had no ill-effects beyond his current torpor.

“Again, Hitty,” Amaruq paused to turn and meet the young sailor’s gaze, “I want to thank you. You performed brilliantly, in a situation no one would have anticipated you acted when you need to, and even more you thought under pressure and were able to get away with a wounded crewmate. Walking over the stony shore so she couldn’t easily follow was well done.”

Hitty gave a small, proud smile and looked away. Amaruq kept her gaze steady and said, “You mentioned that the macâhcâhk claimed she was protecting Noah, keeping him safe. Presumably not from her, but perhaps she just meant the natural dangers of working in the Empty Lands. Did he mention anything about that, while he was mumbling nonsense, as you said?”

The girl’s eyes flicked to the side, and she gave an overly casual shrug before looking back at the Captain. “No Ma’am? He was just saying weird stuff. Didn’t make no sense.”

“So, what he said when Lisa was carrying him, about a man who cut his face with a sword, that was something else?”

“Yes Ma’am, I guess so. No man there, just the river witch.”

Amaruq nodded and said, “Hitty, I understand the urge to protect Noah. I truly do. And I know Noah would never do anything to endanger the Nawyet or her crew, not on purpose. But while I trust all the crew to live their lives off this boat as they see fit, Noah is a stranger to Tembina. He may not… realize some things.”

Hitty winced, then looked down again. “Uh, yeah, he’s from so far away Ma’am, he doesn’t always… understand stuff?” With a confused frown, the girl blurted out, “But he’s a good person and he cares about us and he would never-”

“I know. And I truly am not prying into his affairs for any reason other than the safety of everyone on the Nawyet. So please, if there is anything I should know I’m asking you to tell me. Just in case.”

From the deck, Amaruq could hear some shouts and a thump as the crew got the railing back into position after securing the pinnace. She waited patiently as Hitty shifted from foot to foot.

“It maybe didn’t mean anything, but he asked if she was an Ubyr.” Hitty said in a quiet voice. She crossed her arms in an almost childlike show of defiance but lifted her head up and continued, “And he said he saw an Ubyr, a man, in a city somewhere. But that could be overseas, maybe?”

Even as she said it, Hitty shook her head, “But he also said something about giving the man, the Ubyr I guess, something. Or making a deal he might regret, and the Ubyr might follow some people. And he was confused about being naked, because he thought we wore clothes here.” In a plaintive voice she asked, “But he didn’t mean the Empty City, right? Some other city, far away maybe? Or it could have been a dream! And the witch might have meant some other kind of danger? He was in the throes of whatever poison the witch scratched him with, and the powder she used too!”

The Captain hid her growing alarm well. Blandly she said, “You are likely right. Still, I may ask him about it tomorrow, when he wakes up. Now now, I’m not upset with him! He is our steward, and he has been a dependable and loyal crewmate. I can not believe he wittingly did anything wrong, but you see how I have to know? If there are any Ubyr in the Northlands, that would be shocking. Dangerous and frightening, but it is unlikely, everyone agreed they withdrew to their misty islands. Perhaps Noah only thought he met one, somewhere.”

Amaruq looked at the sleeping man, at the sharp cut on his cheek, and grimaced before dismissing Hitty and leaving the man.

Back on deck, Amaruq walked behind the aft cabins to the pilot’s wheel. Hannah was looking at a map under lantern light, but the Captain knew her first mate was as familiar with the river as she was.

“I thought the old watchtower would be our likeliest berth,” Amaruq said, and Hannah nodded her agreement. “Sail through the night, get there around dawn. Is there a better option?”

“Neh,” the red headed woman replied, “it’s not usual to berth there on the upriver jaunt, but watchtower has that nice big stone jetty so we don’t need to anchor.”

“Aye. Call the crew, we’re ready to sail,” Amaruq said. The two women walked back to midships while Hannah called out to the crew to gather.

The Captain waited a moment then spoke, “Noah is resting. He may have a splitting headache when he wakes up, but he’s otherwise healthy. Thanks to Hitty.”

The crew gave a short whoop of thanks and appreciation, then went silent again as Hitty nodded bashfully.

“We are pushing on. Sailing at night is tough, but we will be moving slow and careful. This has been a fucking bear of a night, I know, but the river witch’s lair is a mile away and that is too close for my liking.”

The crew muttered darkly, and their Captain nodded and spoke, “Aye, we aren’t done with that shifter, but our response will have to wait. She attacked our steward, and she may mean us more mischief. Those of you who don’t know what a macâhcâhk is, she is able to take the form of a great seal. She may not be able to damage the Nawyet, but why take a chance? Depending on our progress, we may stop at Watchtower Berth near dawn to take stock and rest.

“So we sail, condition two, proper navy footing. Keep your best weapons out, and you old timers like me get to remember what it’s like to hang sail or reef line while wearing armor! Half and half watches to keep us off the sandbars and also keep a weather eye out for anything in the water. All you younger mates, look to the war vets and follow their lead. You had basic merchant navy training during your apprenticeships, so I know you know the drills and I have confidence in your abilities. You are as fine a crew as sails the Ice Sea.”

Captain Amaruq paused, but the crew could tell she wasn’t done. Her expression grim, she said, “There is danger on this river, and perhaps more than we realized. Any woman or man who sails knows that risk is part of the life, and that the isolation of the Radisson means that even a little bad luck can end in disaster. So we won’t leave it to luck. Remember your training, trust in your mates. To your tasks.”

“Aye!” came one reply from thirteen voices.