Ocean King 99
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The next morning, as he was about to leave his cabin for breakfast, the man who had been with him during the night knocked and entered. He wore an old-fashioned uniform that was not unlike a soldier’s, though it was not of good quality material and looked much older than its years.
His hair was short but neatly cut; he had thick eyebrows over shrewd eyes, and he had a small, pudgy nose that had been broken in one or two fights. He carried himself well, however. “Captain!” he called out cheerily.
“Aha?” Captain Vondra asked from inside his cabin.
“Good sir,” said the man. “I have been given orders to bring you on deck immediately.”
Captain Vondra sighed heavily, then stepped away from the door. “Very well,” he grumbled. “Bring him up.”
The man nodded and turned around. As soon as he left the cabin, Vondra took a deep breath before entering it. He knew exactly why the captain wanted him brought up immediately: because there would be no time to put him into port for repairs.
A few moments later, another crew member arrived, bearing a large wooden chest and followed by three other sailors carrying smaller boxes. They placed them down in front of the captain, then waited expectantly while Vondra carefully inspected their cargo.
“What is this?” Vondra said after a moment. The men stood silently, waiting for their captain’s command. Vondra glanced at the wooden box. It was quite heavy—the lid was sealed with a thick leather strap, which the man holding it had obviously loosened for the purpose.
“This,” said the captain finally, “is the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen.”
The crew members exchanged looks before one of them replied. “We’ve never even heard of this ship,” he said. “It wasn’t here when we got aboard yesterday evening. And she was sailing without a proper captain.”
Vondra grunted softly in reply. There was a long silence that hung in the air between them before the captain spoke again. “So why don’t you tell me what the hell this thing is doing on my deck?”
The sailor shrugged and looked back toward the cabin. “We’re not sure how it ended up here,” he said, gesturing towards the box. “There are several possibilities.”
“I want to know where it came from,” Vondra said sternly. “And I want you to make damned well sure there is nothing like it on board before you ever set sail again.”
The sailor’s head bobbed quickly, and he began speaking rapidly and clearly. When he was done, Vondra leaned forward across the crate so that the other crew members could hear him. He didn’t say a word but simply stared hard at the men standing below his window until they all nodded.
Then he turned his gaze back to the box. After a moment, his hand snaked out and seized the leather strap, pulling it open. Inside the case, nestled together in a bed of soft wool, were eight pieces of fine, ivory porcelain.
Each was a different size and shape—some were oval, some square, some rectangular, and none larger than the palm of the captain’s hand. They glittered under the bright morning sun—each a perfect, flawless work of art that made Vondra catch his breath as he looked upon it.
He reached out and touched the smallest one first, running his fingers slowly over the tiny lines etched into its surface. “How do you explain these?” he breathed, unable to take his eyes off of it.
He sat back, letting his eyes trace the delicate lines of each piece of porcelain. Finally, when he couldn’t stand to look at them any longer, he closed the lid and turned to face the three sailors. “You will find that every last bit of these belongs to me,” he said. “And if anyone on your ship knows where they came from, or has anything else of this sort on board, you can all go straight to Hell.”
They looked at one another and then nodded, though the expressions on their faces suggested they weren’t sure whether he was joking or not.
“Do you understand?” Vondra asked again, looking at them all sternly. This time there was no mistaking his seriousness.
“Yes, sir!” They shouted in unison. “No more trouble, Captain! We swear it!”
Vondra gave a curt nod. “Well,” he said quietly, staring at them one at a time. “If there is any more of this type of cargo on this ship, I suggest you send someone to fetch it and put it on my desk immediately. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“That should be enough for now,” Vondra said, turning back to the chest. “Let’s get these cleaned and sorted, shall we? We’ll have them appraised in the afternoon and decide what to do next with them. Dismissed.”
He watched them leave and then took a seat behind his desk. With one last glance at the chest, he pulled himself away from it and returned to business. As usual, the morning hours slipped away quickly, and by noon, his secretary had sent him a note with the name of a good appraiser who would come and evaluate the cargo in the late afternoon.
Vondra read through the list of names, nodding his head thoughtfully, and made a mental note to see how much the ship’s carpenter might charge for repairing his window. In the meantime, he decided to take a walk around his ship to check things over before lunch.
“Where are you going?” his second mate called to him.
“Just checking the deck rails,” Vondra replied easily. “I’d best not leave any loose ends.”
The man nodded and waved as Vondra strolled down the length of the quarterdeck, pausing occasionally to talk to his crewmen. The morning had been warm, and there was a light haze hanging in the air so that when he looked up he couldn’t see the sails at all. It was quiet, too, as the wind hadn’t picked up yet and there were only a few small waves breaking against the hull.
He walked until he found himself on the main deck—his feet leading him down into the hold where he could look down from above at the cargo he’d just acquired.
He stopped for a moment, gazing at the neatly packed stacks of crates and boxes, feeling strangely proud of his new acquisitions. His heart lifted at the sight, and he couldn’t help wondering if there were any more treasures hidden among the items they had salvaged from the wreck of the ship.
***
Vondra stood on the dock and gazed down at his new vessel, admiring her sleek lines and smooth contours. She wasn’t large—a mere thirty-two meters in length, but she was well-built with a solid oak keel. He was quite pleased with her—and it wouldn’t be long until he was sailing her to port. He was eager to show her off and start putting his plan into motion.
For the past several days, Vondra had gone ashore and visited the offices of a dozen different shipbrokers and shipping agents in order to learn about the current state of trade in the Mediterranean. The results of his efforts had given him an idea.
If the merchants knew something that he didn’t, perhaps there was a way he could take advantage of their knowledge while avoiding the dangers inherent in such ventures.
“What a splendid boat,” one of the captains said with a smile as he passed Vondra on the dock.
“Thank you, Captain. Isn’t she a beauty?” Vondra said with a grin, glancing at the ship behind him. “She’s just a bit smaller than my last vessel, which I’m afraid will make it difficult for me to carry all of our precious cargo.
Perhaps I should have brought some extra hands.” He glanced at the two men waiting at the base of the gangplank and smiled. “It appears I won’t need to worry about that just yet.”
“You’ve got yourself a fine piece of work there, Captain. I don’t think I ever saw anything like her before.”
“Not many can say that,” Vondra admitted. “I built her myself—the same way I did my last one. That’s the only way I know how to build a proper ship. But she is truly beautiful, isn’t she? A true treasure, in my opinion.”
“Aye, well,” the captain replied, his face taking on a thoughtful expression. “They say it takes three men to properly sail a ship. Two to steer, one to pray.”
Vondra laughed at the man’s wisecrack and nodded in agreement. “And another three to keep her clean! You’re right, though. She’s a fine vessel indeed. And once we’ve unloaded all of her cargo, I intend to go looking for more.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll find more treasure,” the captain said with a chuckle.
“Perhaps not this time out,” Vondra replied, “but I assure you, there’s plenty of room on my ship for even the largest of prizes.”
As he finished speaking, he noticed one of his men gesturing toward his ship. Looking up, he could see smoke rising from the stack at the base of the mainsail. With a quick glance around, he realized that there were now more than half a dozen ships tied at the wharf. It seemed strange since he recalled that there had only been five other ships anchored offshore the night before.
Turning back to the captain, Vondra gave him a polite nod and a friendly wave as he headed over to check on his ship. As he climbed the ladder up to the top deck, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest—he was excited by the prospect of making his fortune, but also frightened by the idea of losing everything he’d worked so hard to acquire.
It had taken many years to amass what little wealth he had accumulated, and he would hate to lose it all because he was careless or stupid.
But there was no sense in being afraid. He needed to stay calm and collected, as always. There was nothing to fear—not today, at least.
As he climbed through the hatch, he could see that there was still smoke coming from the stack of his ship. He paused for a moment, looking around, and then hurried to the foredeck to investigate.
When he reached the main deck, he could see that the ship’s crewmen were busily working to extinguish the smoldering pile of brushwood. A sudden movement caught his eye as he peered down at the deck; a dark-haired young man stood near the edge of the ship’s prow, staring intently at the water below.
Looking closer, he could see that the young man was gripping a long spear tightly in his hands and appeared to be trembling slightly as he stared downward. When he saw Vondra looking at him, the young man dropped his gaze and quickly retreated into the bowels of the ship.
Vondra looked around again, searching for any signs that anyone else on board was paying attention to their new passenger, but he couldn’t spot anyone who might have been watching. After several seconds of silence, he shook his head and returned to his duties.
He continued working throughout the afternoon. By the end of the day, he had nearly completed unloading all of the cargo onto the wharf. His men had loaded everything into carts or wagons to take it off the ship while Vondra and his two assistants remained aboard to oversee the final preparations for departure.
As they began tying down lines to secure the ship to the dock, Vondra took one last look around the ship; he wasn’t sure why, but something still felt wrong.
Then he heard it: a muffled voice shouting somewhere in the depths of the ship. Turning in the direction of the sound, he spotted a dark shadow moving quickly along the deck near the stern castle.
The figure disappeared behind a large barrel and reappeared in front of a small cabin that was tucked away near the center of the ship. As he watched, a tall young man stepped out from behind the small door and hurried across the deck toward the railing that ran the length of the ship’s hull.
The moment he saw the man, Vondra’s mouth fell open and he rushed forward, catching hold of the man as soon as he reached the railing. “What are you doing here?!” he demanded in a loud whisper. “Get back inside this instant!”
The man stopped short, turning around slowly to face Vondra. “Who?” he asked in a low, dangerous voice. “You don’t know me.”
“I can tell from your accent that you’re not from here,” Vondra replied, letting go of the man. “Are you some sort of criminal? Or just a runaway slave?”
“Neither.” The young man shrugged his shoulders and turned away from Vondra. “I’m on vacation.”
“That’s good to hear,” Vondra said with a smile. “It would’ve been rather embarrassing if we’d found you stealing cargo on my ship, wouldn’t it?”
“Well… yes.” The young man nodded. Then, as an afterthought, he added, “And thanks for taking me in when I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
For a few moments, Vondra stared at the young man before him in stunned silence. His eyes moved from the youth’s black hair to his piercing green gaze, to his lean, muscular body covered in tanned skin, to his handsome face… and finally to his broad smile.
As his eyes met those of the stranger, he suddenly understood why he hadn’t recognized him—the youth was smiling at him! He’d always hated being stared at, especially by strangers, and now he realized how incredibly rude and creepy it had actually been of him to stare so much during that first encounter.
After all, it seemed that the man had come to this island specifically for Vondra, to find him. That meant that he had to be important somehow—and that made him very interesting indeed.
Vondra cleared his throat and spoke up, trying to cover up his awkwardness. “So… what brings you here, my friend?”
“Why, I came here to spend some time relaxing,” the young man answered without missing a beat. “And also to meet a certain man named Jondarion.”
“Ahhh…” Vondra responded, nodding in understanding. “Yes, I remember hearing about your arrival on this island. My cousin is a member of the local militia; he told me that a group of soldiers was dispatched to fetch you here.”
“Yes, well…” The young man paused briefly, then added, “They weren’t supposed to bring me here alone, but I think we’ll probably be alright.” He looked Vondra up and down, then grinned. “It’s too late to run now anyway.”
“Good,” Vondra said with a nod and a grin of his own. “Let me introduce myself. I am Captain Vondra, and these are my assistants, Gornn and Morkan.” The three men clasped each other’s forearms, giving them a firm handshake.
“And I’m Jondarion,” the stranger replied with a friendly smile.
Vondra’s eyes widened as he realized who the man really was. He’d seen pictures of him during his childhood, and now that he was standing right in front of the legendary wizard, he felt his knees go weak.
Jondarion smiled at Vondra’s reaction. “Yes, that’s me. So, where were you planning to stay in this city?” he asked.
Vondra swallowed nervously and took a deep breath. “Um… not exactly sure yet, but there should be a guest house or something close by.” He pointed at one of the many small huts that lined the waterfront. “We were going to look around and see if anyone could recommend a good place.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Jondarion agreed. “It’ll save us a lot of trouble trying to find the place ourselves. And you can show me around the rest of the city, as well as the castle, while we’re at it.”
“Oh… well, okay.” Vondra nodded. “Lead the way, then.”
As they walked toward the harbor, the young man introduced himself to the others, calling them by their names and explaining where he knew them from. Vondra’s eyes glazed over as he listened to Jondarion talk about his family, friends, and business dealings. He couldn’t stop wondering just how much this stranger knew about him… and whether that knowledge was worth anything at all.
After a few minutes, Vondra noticed that both Gornn and Morkan were staring straight ahead at Jondarion with curious expressions on their faces. At first, he thought maybe they were jealous that someone so beautiful had taken the captain’s attention away from them, but then he remembered how much Jondarion looked like the pictures he’d seen of the man back home.
It occurred to him that perhaps they were actually jealous of the man himself, for having such a gorgeous face and physique.
Whatever their real reason for watching the man so closely, Vondra decided that they weren’t the ones that should worry. After all, he did have more important things to think about than his two assistant captains’ feelings. He was supposed to be leading this expedition, not being led around by it!
The three of them turned off onto another street and followed it until they reached the dockside. As soon as they stepped out onto the deck of the first large fishing boat moored there, they were approached by several sailors who started talking excitedly among themselves. The man in charge of the group of men quickly approached Vondra.
“Captain? Are you here to buy fish, or do you want to sell some of our catch?” The man, who seemed to be in charge of the whole operation, asked Vondra.
“No, no,” Vondra said, waving him off. “I’m looking to charter a ship to take my men across the ocean, but we don’t exactly have the funds to pay for one.”
“Well, let me know when you’re ready to go!” The man laughed, shaking his head as he walked away.
“What was that all about?” Gornn whispered loudly enough that Vondra could hear him.
“Just some guy who was trying to get us to hire him to take us across the ocean,” Vondra explained. “Seems like he’s got an idea what sort of money he wants for his services.”
Gornn nodded. “But how is he going to find enough crew to fill up a whole cargo ship?” he asked. “Unless he knows someone who already has a vessel in need of some extra hands.”
“True. You may be right. I’ll have to keep that in mind.”
“So, where do you think we should stay while we’re in town?” Jondarion asked as they headed back to the inn.
Vondra considered for a moment before replying. “I think we should try one of the inns closer to the center of town.”
Jondarion shrugged. “Why not? There shouldn’t be much difference between any of the places near the harbor.”
Vondra shook his head, his brow furrowed. “There are. For one thing, none of them would allow us to have our horses tied up outside, and if I remember correctly, you’re still waiting on those mules of yours. So, I don’t know why I even suggested it.”
Jondarion laughed. “Because you don’t know me very well yet, do you?” He smiled at Vondra as they turned down a side street leading to the next street. “I’ve never met anyone who was so easy to talk to, and who could keep up with my long conversations.”
They continued walking along the narrow thoroughfare and eventually came to a larger intersection where three different streets crossed each other. As they passed through the intersection, Jondarion looked over at Vondra and said, “By the way, thanks for telling me about that ‘Tyrannus’ fellow.”
“You’re welcome.” Vondra nodded. “And, I’m sorry if I caused any problems for you. But, you didn’t tell me anything either.”
“That’s true, I suppose,” Jondarion said with a laugh. “Still, I appreciate you helping me out; otherwise I might have gone into that tavern by myself and found myself getting into trouble. Not that I can blame you for wanting to avoid a confrontation. Still, I wouldn’t mind hearing more about it sometime.”
Vondra smiled back at him. “Sure. That sounds nice.”
The End