Daughters’ Wrath: Chapter Eight - The Die is Cast (Part 1)
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, c1970
IRC Note : Daughters’ Wrath is being edited right now. That means there will be continuity issues between the first chapters and later ones. One character will disappear, others may know more or less, some names may change. All part of the writing process!
Author Store. Signed Paperbacks! Subscription bundle at insane price! Read the rest of Sofi’s Journal as an eBook, its only US$0.99c:
Amazon : The Song of Sidni Second Edition is now live on Amazon. This has US spelling (think bad behavior, no honor, collapsing civilization), and some reimaged scenes (such a battle told from a different Point of View…)
Voyager
T
he clang of steel against hull woke Sali before dawn. She opened her eyes to the grey light filtering through the cabin porthole and heard boots on the deck above. Tyri’s voice, giving orders to the Seabots. His weapons were coming aboard.
She sat up, rubbing her face. Across the cabin, Hao was already awake, sitting on his bunk and staring at nothing. Neither of them had slept much.
“Morning,” she said quietly.
He looked over, managed a tired smile. “Morning. Ready for this?”
“No. You?”
“Not even close.” He stood, stretching. “But we’re doing it anyway.”
They climbed up to the deck. The eastern sky was turning pink, casting the towers of Sidni in silhouette. Tyri stood near the gangway, directing two Seabots as they carried crates below. His new sword was strapped across his back, and a quiver of arrows hung at his hip. He looked every bit the warrior, excited and eager.
“Morning, Captain,” he called out cheerfully. “Elder Sali, thanks for the bow and arrows. I’m sorting out the armoury. Father didn’t spare any expense.” He grinned.
“I’m coming with you.” Sali clarified. “That’s my bow.
Tyri glanced at Hao in confusion, who simply nodded. Tyri shrugged. An extra bow couldn’t hurt. “We could fight off a small army with what’s here.”
“Let’s hope we don’t need to,” Hao said.
Footsteps on the wharf drew their attention. Kali approached, a heavy pack on her back and her arms full of scrolls. She looked up at Voyager’s grey form, her face bright with anticipation. Then she saw Sali standing on the deck.
Kali stopped. Her expression shifted from excitement to confusion to something harder. “Mother? What are you doing here?”
Sali kept her voice steady. “I’ve joined the crew.”
“You’re doing what?” Kali climbed aboard, dropping her pack with a thud. “Why? You’re needed in the Moon lands. With Mohan.” She gestured helplessly.
“Pati asked me to come.” Sali met her daughter’s eyes. “I have experience with Old Times technology. The crew needs that.”
“What the crew needs is …” Kali’s jaw worked soundlessly. “Did you volunteer for this, or did Grandmother order you?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, it matters!” Kali’s voice rose. “I finally get to do something important, something beyond copying old books, and you’re here to watch over me like I’m still a child.”
Tyri cleared his throat. “Kali, I agree with Pati and your mother. We don’t know what we’ll find out there. Her experience could save our lives.”
Kali glared at him, then at Sali. Finally, she grabbed her pack and stalked into the cabin without another word.
Sali closed her eyes briefly. This was going to be harder than she’d thought.
“She’ll come around,” Hao said quietly.
“Will she?”
Before he could answer, another voice called from the wharf. “Ahoy, Voyager! Permission to bring supplies aboard?”
A Carer stood at the gangway, a handcart loaded with extra water barrels from the Carers’ storehouse.
“Permission granted,” Hao called back.
The Seabots moved immediately, lifting the barrels with mechanical precision. Within minutes, everything was secured in the hold. The deck was clear. The sun had fully risen now, painting the bay in gold and blue.
Hao moved to the bridge console. He took a breath, placed his hand on the control panel. “Voyager. Let’s depart Waterloo Bay, and head for New Zealand.”
“Aye, Captain Wang,” Voyager replied, her voice calm and emotionless. “Destination: Auckland, New Zealand. Estimated journey time: thirty-eight hours.”
“Proceed.”
The engines hummed to life beneath their feet. The Seabots moved to the mooring lines with practiced efficiency, releasing them and coiling them on deck. Slowly, smoothly, Voyager turned away from the wharf.
Word had spread that Voyager was leaving on the long voyage. The people of Sidni lined the shore. Warriors stood at attention. Growers waved. Children pointed and shouted. Sali saw each of their faces, then their names. Every person in Sidni was logged and tracked.
Voyager was gliding south through the bay at a steady pace. The towers of Sidni dropped behind them. Tyri stood at the bow, one hand on the rail, grinning like a boy on an adventure. Kali emerged from below and stood near the stern, pointedly not looking at her mother.
A seagull landed on the bridge railing, cocking its head. The red glint in its eye flashed once. So, He had other eyes. Sali looked away deliberately, focusing instead on the approaching sea wall.
“The South Barrier,” Hao said, pointing ahead. “We’ll pass through the breach there.”
The ancient barrier rose from the water, a line of weathered stone that had once protected the bay. The Wave had smashed through at its weakest point, and sixty years of tides had broadened the breach. It lay directly ahead, a gap perhaps fifty metres wide where water from the bay churned and fought against the incoming tide.
On South Barrier Island, just visible through the gap, a Sea Tribe camp sprawled across the rocky shore. Figures moved among the huts and boats, watching Voyager approach.
“The current’s strong here,” Hao said, gripping the rail. “Voyager, increase speed.”
“Aye. Adjusting for tidal flow.”
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