Fourth Vector Ch. 09

*****

The morning air was still a bit chilly as Kat and Vera made their way along the winding path that led out of the Sorellan capital city and to the main naval base a short distance away. Kat grabbed part of her gray scarf and wrapped it tighter around her neck, covering the only other part of her skin that was still exposed. Mornings could still be frigid in this part of the world, and she hoped that the sun would soon be up so she could stop shivering.

Of course, the chilly morning air didn't stop Vera from chatting away beside her. Kat was happy for her company, at least in the fact that the constant talking prevented her teeth from chattering.

"It should be just this way," said Vera pointing along the worn-out path that led along the coast. "We should be at the base soon enough."

"I hope this idea of yours works out," said Kat as she pulled the scarf tighter. "I'd hate to have come all this way for nothing."Well, not entirely nothing. She knew that Jack was at the base, and at the very least, she could look forward to seeing his face once more.

"This idea is practically foolproof," said Vera with a beaming grin. "Trading ships are perfect to secure passage to another island. My father used to talk about it all the time."

"Yeah, but what are the chances they're going to Picardy next?" asked Kat. "There's a lot of islands out there." Kat didn't want to get too excited about going and picking up the item she had in mind, especially in case their chances of getting there quickly were slim.

Vera shrugged. "I'd say our chances are pretty good. Picardy lies right in the middle of the main north-south and east-west trade routes. Just about any ship is going to go near Picardy soon enough. And you mentioned your house is on the west side, right?"

"Right, on a tiny island just off shore."

"See? It's perfect," said Vera proudly. "We'll get passage to your house, spend a few days relaxing, and then meet up with Jack once more!"

"That does sound really nice. But you make it sound so easy," said Kat with a subtle laugh. "There's a lot that could not work out."

"I guess when you traveled with traders all your life, you get to know how they think," said Vera. "Don't worry about it! Oh, that looks like it up ahead!"

Kat looked toward where Vera was pointing and saw the silhouettes of ships on the horizon, all sheltered within the confines of a small bay. Around the bay were numerous buildings of many different sizes, as well as a low-lying wall that ran the length of the perimeter. From what Kat could see, the few vessels inside the base looked enormous and about the same size as Galician warships.

"Yes, those are Jack's ships," said Vera excitedly, while pointing to the large vessel that filled out the dry dock. "I recognize them from my time at Daimanos' palace!"

"They are rather impressive," said Kat quietly as she eyed them from their distance. "They remind me of Galician battleships from this far away."

"I've only seen a Galician battleship once before," said Vera. "They don't seem to come out very often."

"Not anymore," said Kat with a shake of her head. "They are mostly tied up in their bases now. My father told me there used to be a time when Galician warships protected the entire Vector. Now, you're lucky just to see one as it rusts away at the docks."

"That's a sad thing to hear," said Vera. "At least we'll be able to see Jack's!"

The two women entered through the main gate. Even at this early in the morning, traders were abundant, and Kat counted many different nationalities filtering by and trying to sell what remained of their wares. She saw Samaran furniture-makers, Kishian spice merchants, and even two Cervanan fish traders, an extremely rare sight since they left their islands very infrequently.

The both of them weaved through the numerous traders still left at the base and made their way down to the docks where the main trading ship was anchored.

"Vera, can you answer something for me?" asked Kat. "I thought this was a military base. Why are there traders here?"

"Due to the size of Sorellan trading vessels, they can only go to a limited number of ports. The main port at the capital isn't large enough to handle one of these so they go to the next closest port. From what I hear, most of the Sorellan naval commanders don't care. Especially now, with their being so few Sorellan warships left, I'm sure they'd be thankful to just have any traffic at the base at all."

The two of them walked up to a small platform that was just near the trading ship. A man with a flamboyant mustache guarded the main plank heading up to the ship and seemed to be the man in charge.

Vera walked up to him and smiled. "Good morning. We're trying to buy passage on this ship. Would you handle that or do we need to talk to someone else?"

The man looked at both of them and awkwardly checked them out from head to toe. Kat found her expression changing to anger at the blatant attempt to look over their figures.

Before the man could respond, he yelled something over his shoulder. "Aristides! Got two more looking to board!"

The man went back to whatever he was doing before, and Kat breathed a little easier to not be under his lecherous eyes. Soon enough, another man wearing a typical Sorellan gray tunic appeared in front of them.

"Greetings, I'm Aristides," said the man. "I hear you're looking to board the ship?"

"That's correct," said Vera. "Do you still have a room available for us to take?"

He nodded quickly. "That I do. I have a singular room for the both of you. Ah, would you need one bed or two?" His eyebrow was raised expectantly.

Kat turned red for a brief moment, but Vera wasn't phased in the slightest. "Two beds, please. We're not lovers."

"Very well, I can book that for you. Where are you looking to go? And don't say Swabia. This ship doesn't go there."

Vera giggled. "Goodness, there's no way we'd go there. We're looking to go to Picardy! How long until you can take us there?"

As soon as she said the word, Aristides face darkened. "I'm sorry, but we're not going to Picardy any time soon."

Vera's smile dropped. "Why not? Picardy is a natural next destination from Sorella!"

"Normally, you'd be right," said Aristides. "Except for the fact that I just stopped at Picardy on the way here. Or tried to stop, that is."

"What happened when you tried to stop?" asked Kat.

"I couldn't get in! Something off is going on in Picardy. I don't know what it is, but I'm not going there anytime soon! I'm thinking Malta most likely. The Maltese will always pay top price for fresh, Sorellan fruit and we've picked up a small fortune here," said Aristides. "I'll go there next!"

"We really need to get passage to Picardy," said Vera.

"Well, you can wait for the next trading ship," said Aristides with a shrug. "Assuming one comes along behind me. Most traders are still hesitant to come back to Sorella."

"No, we have to make this work," said Kat with a more serious tone. "Where did you try to unload in Picardy? Daban?"

Aristides nodded. "Of course. The capital is usually the main center for commerce."

"What about if you dropped us off at a small island of the west coast?" asked Kat before digging through her belongings for her map. She unfolded it once it was located and showed the island that her current home was located on. "I need to get right here. It's nowhere near Daban and then from there, you have a straight shot around through the Samaran islands to get to Malta."

"That's a little far up the coast," said Aristides while rubbing his chin. "I wanted to turn northwest before that point and heat up the Slot between Apulia and Samara. That's the quickest way to get to the Maltese capital city."

Kat took a deep breath and dug into her bag. "And if we made it worth your while?"

Aristides pursed his lips. "How much are we talking?"

"Will five Galician crowns work?" Kat slipped the golden coins on the desk in front of Aristides.

Both the trader and Vera's eyes bulged out. "Kat! You can't spend that much on just a simple passage north! That's like a months' wages!"

"Sold, I'll do it!" said Aristides almost immediately, eyeing the gold coins eagerly.

Kat turned to look at Vera first. "We need to do this and money isn't an issue right now."

"But still, that's practically robbery as is," said Vera who then shot a dirty look to Aristides as he began to collect the coins.

"It's fine, trust me," said Kat before turning back to Aristides. "Do we have a deal?"

"We certainly do," said Aristides. "We sail out this afternoon. I hope the both of you have brought all your things with you."

"We have," answered Kat. "Can you show us to our quarters?"

"This way, my ladies," said the trader with a wide grin. "Might I say, you may want to spend some time talking to the other traders while you're onboard. If you're throwing around that much coin, I'd bet they'd be more than happy to sell you any of their wares."

About an hour later, both Kat and Vera were making their way off the boat. Aristides had done his own tour of the vessel that included stops at their quarters, the bathing facilities, as well as a side trip through the inner emporium, a large-fully contained market for when the traders couldn't go off the ship. No doubt hoping that Kat would part with some more coin, he was disappointed when she hadn't loosened her purse strings once during the entire tour.

"Well, that should do it, ladies," said Aristides in a more neutral tone. "If you're planning on getting off the ship, just listen for the horn. That'll announce when we are looking to leave port soon."

Both women nodded and gave their thanks as they headed back above deck and then followed the plank down to the main quay. They mostly walked along quietly as numerous traders began to close up shop and return to the ship. Another reason for the silence was because Vera wasn't too pleased with the price of voyage.

"I really wish you wouldn't have spent so much on us," said Vera as they approached the barracks. "Money like that should be saved for when it's really needed."

"But it was really needed," said Kat. "You're right, we do need a small break after everything that has happened. Otherwise, we would have been stuck in Sorella."

"We could have gone with Jack, Kat," said Vera. "He would have let us go for free, I'm betting."

Kat simply shook her head. What she had in mind had to go forward without Jack, at least for this phase. It was important that she reached her home to get the item, and only then could she be sure of her suspicion.

"You worry too much," said Kat with a small smile. "A few days in the sun and the surf will do you good."

Vera only smiled briefly before they entered the large double doors into the barracks. Taking a look around, she knew that Jack had been staying here from the message that the palace had received from Heron the previous day, although she didn't know where. For that reason, both women went up to the first desk they saw, right off the lobby.

"Hello, I'm trying to find Jack Easterbrook. Can you tell me what room he's in?" asked Kat politely.

"Name and ranks?" asked the man behind the desk while declining to even look up at them.

"Um, we're not in the military," said Kat. "We're just friends of his."

The man finally looked up, giving them a look of disbelief. "Friends, then? We normally don't just let friends waltz into a naval barracks."

Kat looked over to Vera who just shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure he would vouch for us if he just saw us."

"The commander is a very busy man, ladies," said the man dismissively. "I'll be sure to let him know you were here, but I won't be disturbing him."

Kat started to get irritated. They would be leaving in just a few short hours, and it was paramount that she spoke with Jack before going. The last thing she wanted to do was let this sour-faced desk clerk prevent her from doing that. She opened her mouth to fight more but the words didn't come out before another voice appeared behind her.

"Why, if it isn't Kat and Vera! What are you two doing here?"

Kat turned around immediately and found herself looking into Heron's warm, brown eyes. Vera was the first to react. "Your Majesty!" she squealed before rushing into a hug with the kindly sovereign.

"It's nice to see you too, Vera," said Heron before looking at Kat. "And you too, my dear. What brings you both from the palace?"

"Traveling," said Kat briefly while giving the king a hug as well. "We've arranged passage to leave on theSwordfish this afternoon."

Heron's mouth opened. "Is that right? You too, child?" he asked Vera. "You've barely been at my palace and you've already decided to leave?"

Vera nodded. "It's a long story but yes, we have."

"Where will you go? What will you do from here?" asked the king while beckoning Vera to come sit down. Vera looked back at Kat who simply nodded.

"Your Majesty, I must talk with Jack before I leave," said Kat. "Can I leave Vera here to fill you in on the details while I speak with him?"

"Of course, Kat," said Heron. "If you need to find his quarters, he's on the third floor. Last door on the left."

"Last one on the left, got it," said Kat with a smile. "Thank you!"

Kat found the stairs quickly and resisted the urge to climb them two at a time. Knowing it would only be a short matter of time before she would get to see him again, she tried to calm her fluttering nerves. Yet as she made her way down the third-floor hallway and stopped in front of the appropriate door, she felt her heart beating wildly. She gave three quick knocks and waited.

"Come in," said the voice inside.

Kat opened the door and poked her head in. The quarters were spartan to say the least, but it's what she expected from being in a barracks building. Behind the desk on the right side of the wall, Jack sat reviewing a few papers. His eyes met hers almost immediately and the mild expression he wore turned to happiness.

"Kat! What are you doing here?"

She grinned and shut the door behind her. "I was hoping to see you."

Jack got out from behind his desk and made his way to her. "Come over here. Take a seat."

She followed him and sat right next to him on the bed. His grin was almost infectious now, and she found herself beaming right back to him.

"I'm surprised you're here," he said. "I thought you might stay at the palace."

"Well, about that," said Kat. "I wanted to talk about my next moves with you, if that's all right?"

"Next moves?" asked Jack while raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You're going to come to Picardy with us, right?"

"Yes and no," said Kat. "There's something I must do first that's of paramount importance. I have to stop at my home on the way to Picardy."

Jack blinked. "What do you have at your home?"

"Something important," said Kat cryptically. "It's hard for me to explain now but I will in time."

"More prophecy stuff?" asked Jack with a small smile.

Kat took a deep breath. "Yes, if we're being honest."

Jack rolled his eyes playfully. "I wish you luck with whatever you're getting. How long will you be gone?"

"Just a few days and Vera is going to come with me. We've attained passage on theSwordfish to go there. While the captain won't go to the capital city of Daban, he'll at least arrange to drop us off before he continues on his way."

Jack started to nod. "I haven't heard the best things about Picardy right now."

"Me either," said Kat. "Does that change your plan at all?"

"No, it doesn't," said Jack firmly. "Heron and I discussed it at length after we heard. We figured it was still worth a shot, especially with how close the Picards have been with the Sorellans traditionally."

"How soon were you going to leave?" asked Kat.

"Probably another day or two," said Jack. "We just have to load up supplies and then we can get back to the mission."

"So can we plan to meet up in Daban again?" asked Kat. "We'll spend a couple of days at my home, and then we'll be able to meet you in the city around the time you're getting there? Does that sound like a plan?"

Jack started to nod. "That's fine. I'm a little bummed out you're deciding not to travel with us though. We could have dropped you off too, you know?"

Kat swallowed heavily.But that wouldn't work at all. No, I have to go alone.

He opened up when she went silent for a few moments. "Kat, it's okay. You don't have to tell me," said Jack while holding his hands up. "If this is something you feel like you must do, I can understand that."

"It is, Jack," she said simply. "I'll explain in time. I promise you that."

"Just make sure we meet up afterwards in Daban, okay?" said Jack. "I'm not really enjoying the thought of being parted from you for that long."

Kat looked at him and smiled shyly. "Why's that, Jack?"

He coughed awkwardly and looked away. His adorable behavior was enough to make her giggle slightly, and she subconsciously slid closer to him on the bed.

"I guess I'm just . . . trying to say that I enjoy your company," said Jack tentatively before looking her way once more.

Kat giggled. "Well, that's a relief."

"Is it?"

"Of course. Especially when I don't like being parted from you either," said Kat while pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She found herself looking away, not trusting her ability to keep it together around his presence, especially when he was so close by.

"Kat?"

She looked up and turned to look at him. There was a look in his eyes, a look of tenderness that she had seen before. It had been there that night at the fire before the king had disturbed them.

Their faces began to inch closer to each other. She found herself looking deep into his blue eyes just before her own closed, and in the next moment, his lips connected with hers. Her chest nearly exploded with the sensation of tasting him for the first time, their kiss connecting on a level that she'd never felt before. She let herself surrender against him, and her mouth soon parted to invite entry to his tongue. With soft caresses, she willingly explored his mouth while he took the opportunity to do the same. After no more than a minute, she slowly pulled away and looked back at him.

His blue eyes were locked on her once more. Kat smiled coyly as she remembered the feeling of his lips on hers.

"I've wanted to do that for a while now," said Jack quietly.

"How long?"

He chuckled. "Since that night by the fire at least."

Kat grinned. "Me too." Her hand went to his face and caressed his cheek softly before they kissed one more time. This one was deeper, more sensual, and lasted far longer than the first. She was quickly losing her ability to think, the only thing on her mind being the taste of the man in front of her.

That last kiss was only interrupted by the sound of a horn from out in the harbor. Their lips slowly parted as Kat's eyes popped open once more. Her head turned in the direction of the horn and she already knew what it signaled.

"That's theSwordfish," she said quietly. "It's going to be leaving soon."

Jack slid his fingers through some of her hair. "Do you have to go right now?"

She nodded. "Unfortunately."

He took a deep breath and looked deep into her eyes. "See you soon then? We'll be right behind you. With travel time, we'll meet you in Daban in, say, two weeks' time?"

Kat smiled. "Sounds good. Can you do one more thing for me before I leave?"

"What's that?"

"Will you kiss me one more time?"

Jack grinned and then nodded. Their lips pressed forward one more time. Kat let the kiss consume her as much as possible but all too soon, they parted one last time.

"It's probably best you get going," said Jack. "Or I'm not going to be able to let you go."