The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 1: Embers by Abigail Hilton

Author:Abigail Hilton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: free ebook, ships, dragons, pirates, nautical, abigail hilton, panamindorah
Publisher: Abigail Hilton

Chapter 17. Aftermath

Paper is used in Wefrivain only for the most ephemeral purposes or for documents never intended to leave a safe, dry place. Paper deteriorates and warps too rapidly in the sea air. Books are never constructed out of paper. They are too expensive, as each one must be copied by hand. Book pages are made of heavy vellum, which can survive brief submersions in salt water and prolonged submersion in freshwater. Vellum is specially crafted leather, which can be made of any creature, but in Wefrivain is most often taken from sheep or zebra skins.

—Gwain, The Truth about Wyverns

For the next three days, Silveo drove everyone on the ship mercilessly. He set the rowers to work, and Gerard heard that one slave in the hold died from the strain of their frenzied pace. It was true that they were tacking into the wind and oars would increase their speed. However, there was no emergency that required it. Silveo snapped at everyone, even Farell, who was normally exempt from his more cutting remarks.

Nothing pleased him. He caught at the smallest mistakes of knotting or sailwork, berated anyone responsible, and sometimes those who were not. He managed to make one of the cabin boys break down in open tears over a tiny error in sanding the deck. In addition, he did not appear to sleep, but paced the ship at all hours, looking for someone to upbraid.

He’s punishing them, thought Gerard. Because half the ship participated in Alsair’s little stunt. Alsair wisely failed to make an appearance. Without him, Gerard had no way of leaving the ship to relieve the tedium, but at least this time he had Thessalyn. He convinced her to stay in the cabin those first few days, reluctantly outlining what had happened on the pier.

For a long time afterward, she sat in silence. “Poor little foxling,” she said at last, and Gerard heard genuine tears in her voice. “I wonder if something like that happened to Silveo. Is that why he hates griffins?”

Gerard shrugged. “Perhaps.”

She was silent again for a long time. “Alsair is out of control,” she said at last.

“Yes.” Gerard would not have admitted it to anyone else. “Silveo was almost…well, not quite friendly, but we were almost working together. And then this. I think he blames me, may even think I set Alsair up to it.”

“Give him a few days to calm down,” said Thessalyn. “Have you apologized?”

Gerard shook his head. “‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean anything to Silveo. I tried to apologize for what I said to him before we left, and he just sneered.” Gerard took a deep breath. “I realized something when I was talking to him at the estate—a lot of his apparently frivolous behavior is actually quite calculated. This pushing for speed, for instance. He wants shelts to think it’s because he’s lost his temper, and partially it is. However, he also wants to work them so hard that they don’t have time for gossip. Ships are gossipy places—nothing else to do.

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