The Coming of the Dawn

Two hours before daybreak, the skies to the east had lightened enough to be noticeable on deck.

In spring, in these northern lands, astronomical twilight lasted about 45 minutes, at which point the sun rose (or fell, ‘twilight’ meant the sun was below the horizon but was still lighting the skies, so it could be before dawn or after sunset) above 12° below the horizon and nautical twilight began for roughly 40 minutes.

Then, a bit more than 30 minutes of civil twilight, when the crew would be rising.

Then, dawn. And the Nawyet would sail away from the Empty City.

“Still a couple of hours,” a low voice startled Ipellie out of her musing. She was on middle watch but had been staring at the deep blue on the horizon, over the far bank of the river, as it replaced the black of night.

“Hah. Yeah, ya got me. Can’t stop thinking about sunrise, just hopin’ I guess.” Ipellie looked over at Yutu as he stepped up to the railing alongside her. “Do you think he’ll be back?”

“I don’t know,” the sailor said, shaking his head. “I believe him when he said he’ll try. But I also know when he left, he looked like a man with something important to do.”

The pair of sailors stood in silence. Hannah prowled the stern as watchstander for this night, and Ipellie could tell that the first mate was also pacing more than usual. A night watch for a boat in these post-war times was normally more tradition than anything, although Ipellie kept her long knife on her belt and Yutu had his iron-tipped club. Not that either young Thuule had ever been in anything more exciting than a bar fight.

Yutu sighed, then quietly asked, “How is, uh, Hitty doing?”

The young Kuniq woman shrugged, “I guess it’s obvious, neh? She was pretty down all day. She says she’s fine, but she’s going to be, er, upset if he stays here by himself. I can’t even imagine what she’ll do if we leave today and then come back in two weeks and he’s not…” Ipellie trailed off, unwilling to voice the thought.

“We all will be, but let’s not worry about that. Who knows, Noah might come back in time and then we can all relax.” He leaned over and gave Ipellie a friendly nudge on her shoulder, then grinned and said, “And then we can all focus on getting him to stay on with us for another run. We just have to distract him in Currielle, and Anglet, so he never realizes how much silver he could make elsewhere!”

Ipellie snorted, “Yes! We’ll just keep him drunk and happy in port and hope he sticks around. Another trade run with a steward would be pretty fuckin’ swell, and a few more lays and he’d put a baby in me, I’m sure!” She looked over at Yutu and saw his smile, then laughed and poked him back, “And look at you here, all giggly and friendly! Guess tumbling a dead sexy man agreed with you, you’ve been more… outgoing lately?”

“Hah. Well, I guess I do feel more relaxed. Surer perhaps is the best way to say it,” Yutu shook his head, “although I feel silly that just being with a man for the first time changed my mood. That seems a bit sad?”

Thinking about it for a moment, the Kuniq lass shook her head, “Nah, it makes sense. You know now, like you said, and that’s no small thing.”

With a final look at the horizon, and the coming of the dawn, Ipellie grimaced and said, “I guess I should go do a lap before Hannah tells me I can stare at the sky on my own time.”

Yutu gave a nod and turned to walk to the bow, and Ipellie decided to look into the city. It was still too dark to see anything other than the vague shapes of the buildings in the gloom, but she walked over to the starboard rail, noting Hannah, lit by a mostly shrouded lantern, looking towards the east and then at the ships clock near the wheelhouse, and Ipellie knew she was thinking about the time too.

No sooner had Ipellie turned her gaze to the stone quayside then she saw movement. She froze and wondered if it was an animal at first - Shirisha had snared a few rabbits for the cookpot the previous day.

But no, this movement a few dozen paces away was slow but it continued. Holding her breath, Ipellie could hear a faint scuffle, and the shape grew. For a few seconds, the woman dared not hope, but the scrape of two feet half sliding through the dirt and pebbles on the quay were impossible to mistake now.

A man shaped shadow was approaching, and Ipellie squinted and waited until she saw Noah, straining under the weight of his absurd packs, as the shadows coalesced and he stumbled into proper view.

“’Ware, who approaches!” Ipellie said, and she could hear Yutu and Hannah moving to the starboard to look.

With a grunt of effort, Noah dropped the bundle of food to the ground a dozen paces away. Hannah gave a happy cry and picked up a lantern, shining the low light on the man as he gave a tired wave..

“Ahoy Nawyet, permission to come aboard? Oh, and am I in time for breakfast?” he joked. With a laugh of joy mixed with relief, Ipellie darted to the gangway and dropped it down, then raced onto the quay just in front of Yutu as Hannah called out “Aye aye,” in response.

Ipellie wanted to be proper and say something funny, but when she got to the steward she simply grabbed him in a hug. “You’re back! Thank the deep, I’m so happy you didn’t stay! You’re not staying here, right? You’re coming back with us?”

“Oh yeah, I’m done here,” he said.

“Welcome back Noah,” Yutu said happily as he approached. On the boat, Hannah opened the shade on the lantern and focused it, casting a brighter light on the trio. Yutu gave a sharp gasp even as Ipellie, having taken a step backward, did the same.

“Great Silla!” Ipellie swore, “You’re bleeding!”

He was covered in dust and dirt, his clothes torn like he had fallen down a muddy slope into a thorny bush. Ipellie reached out her hand then stopped, he had a cut below his eye, a shallow one, and a bruise on his cheek. A tear in his left sleeve showed blood from a long cut, and Ipellie realized he had been walking slowly not just because of the weight of his gear but that he was favouring his right leg.

Noah gave a small smile, “Oh just had an accident, it’s nothing.” Then he swayed on his feet and Yutu reached out to help him balance. “Well, I am pretty tired, I haven’t slept since I left. Or ate. Too busy.”

Studying him, Ipellie saw his eyes tighten. He gave an unconvincing attempt at a smile that turned into a grimace. “What happened to you?” she asked.