Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“There are others who know she is here,” answered Shel as she recalled the magical conversation Lyra had with the ship at sea. “I do not know of any other citizens of Gatong that know that she is here, but a ship will soon dock in the port. Someone on that ship knows where she is.”

“A ship?” frowned the mayor. “Is it coming to attack us? How do you know this?”

“It is not coming to attack us,” replied Shel. “It is coming to deliver food. It should be here soon.”

“Food?” echoed the mayor as he swiftly rose from his chair. “How much food?”

“Enough to feed the city for several days,” answered Shel.

The mayor raced around his desk and into the corridor. Shel raced after him. Mayor Robit ran through the entry foyer calling for soldiers to follow him. He dashed out the door of the building before Shel could catch up.

Shel moved as quickly as she could, but the mayor continually called for more troops as he ran towards the docks. A large contingent of Imperial Guards followed the mayor and Shel had to slow down as they pushed past her. By the time she reached the docks, she saw that a new ship was already tied up. The pier was crowded with Imperial Guards, and Mayor Robit stood alongside the ship. Shel pushed her way through the gathering crowd until she was close enough to hear what was going on.

Mayor Robit shouted for the captain of the ship to come forward. Shel watched as the captain left the helm and moved towards the mayor. The captain wore a black uniform with a silver lining and the image of sinuous sword on his large belt.

“I understand that you have food onboard,” declared the mayor. “I want to supervise the unloading so that riots do not break out.”

A woman who had been standing on the deck and scanning the faces in the crowd stepped close to the captain and whispered in his ear. The captain nodded.

“This shipment of food is consigned to an individual,” the captain stated warily as he searched the crowd for Lyra. “I must wait for her to arrive before the food can be unloaded. I am sure that the delay will be short.”

The mayor frowned and gazed at the standard flown from the mast. The black flag with a silver sinuous sword on it was unknown to him, but he understood that the captain was expecting to meet the Star of Sakova. The people on the quay were beginning to rejoice that a shipment of food had arrived, and Mayor Robit knew that any delay could well end with riots breaking out. He thought briefly of sending for General Papper, but quickly dismissed the thought. The crowd would not wait for long. He turned and whispered in the ear of the nearest Imperial Guard.

The mayor waited impatiently as the Imperial Guard spread the word. When he was sure that the soldiers were ready. He turned to face the captain again. He raised his right arm high over his head as he did so.

“I am Mayor Robit of Gatong,” declared the mayor as the Imperial Guards raised their bows and trained them on the crew. “I am exercising my authority to seize this ship. You and your crew will kindly leave the ship now. If you do not move quickly, you will be shot.”

Not a single member of the crew moved.

“Am I under arrest then?” snarled the captain. “Are we to be imprisoned for bringing food to this city?”

“You are all under arrest,” replied the mayor. “Evacuate the ship immediately or die.”

The captain gazed past the mayor at the Imperial Guards. Several dozen arrows were aimed at him and his crew. He slowly raised one hand, his fingers contorting in a signal to his crew. Slowly the crewmembers dropped whatever they were holding and began marching off the ship. The crowd on the quay instantly parted as Imperial Guards began escorting the crewmembers off the pier. The captain stood firm until all of the crew had left the ship. He waited until the mage had also left before glaring at the mayor.

“Mayor Robit,” the captain said with obvious disdain, “I trust that you understand what you are doing. By seizing this ship, you committing an act of war. I ask you to reconsider before I step ashore under these conditions.”

“War has already been declared,” retorted the mayor. “Leave the ship now or die. The choice is yours.”

The captain shook his head in disgust and stepped ashore. Imperial Guards swiftly led him through the crowd. The mayor shouted orders, and the remaining Imperial Guards formed a human corridor. Dozens of dockworkers streamed onto the ship and began unloading the food. The mayor strode off the dock with a smile on his face.

“Citizens of Gatong,” he shouted loudly when he reached the quay, “a shipment of food has arrived. There is enough for everyone so I will not stand for rioting. The ship will be unloaded before any food is distributed. Spread the word to others and then form a line at the marketplace. Everyone will get their share.”

The mayor strode jubilantly back to his office. Shel shook her head in disbelief while she listened to the comments of her fellow citizens. She debated with herself as to whether or not she should explain where the food had come from. She felt that the citizens had a right to know, but she was concerned with the mayor’s preoccupation with secrecy. She didn’t want to start a riot. She tried to put the decision off as she turned and walked towards the marketplace, but then she heard questions asked that made the decision for her.

“Where did the food come from?” shouted a citizen. “Did the Katana send it?”

“When will the next ship be arriving?” asked another citizen.

Shel suddenly stopped walking as she realized that no other ships would arrive now. She turned in a circle slowly and gazed at the happy faces of the citizens. A tear welled up in her eye as she realized the travesty of what Gatong’s leaders were doing to the people. She hurried to the marketplace and climbed up on one of the tables. The ship was still being unloaded so the Imperial Guards had not arrived yet. Shel gazed at the mob of people gathering for the food distribution and wondered what the result would be of her forthcoming speech. She did not want her friends and neighbors clashing with the Imperial Guards because the citizens would surely die, but neither did she want them to die of starvation. Either way the future of Gatong was bleak indeed.

“Get off the table, Shel,” shouted a man. “The food will arrive when it arrives. Watching for it will do no good.”

Shel turned and faced the man. She recognized him as an old friend and realized that he was toying with her. She smiled thinly at him and spoke loudly.

“I am not standing up here to watch for the food,” Shel declared. “I am up here so that more of my fellow citizens can hear me and see who is talking. I have some important information to tell you about this ship of food.”

The crowd instantly quieted down as they crowded around the table that Shel was standing on. She waited patiently for everyone to settle down.

“Earlier today I stumbled across a young woman in the marketplace,” Shel began. “She was crying so I took her home to feed her.”

“That sounds like you, Shel,” a citizen shouted. “You would give your last morsel to someone who hungers for it.”

“That’s not the point,” frowned Shel as she struggled with herself about what she should say. “This woman was not crying because she was hungry. In fact, she emptied her pack on my table and left her trail rations for me. This woman was crying because WE are hungry.”

“What does this have to do with the ship?” yelled a woman.

“The ship is hers,” explained Shel. “She ordered it into port to feed us.”

“Well bless her soul,” smiled a woman. “Where is this woman that we may thank her?”

“She is imprisoned,” Shel replied. “I took her to see the mayor, and General Papper arrested her.”