Chapter 56: Warm Seas

I feel less terrified of ocean travel having successfully weathered my first storm at sea. Of course, Jaro, Gaelan, Nuncio and Valeria are old hands, and the recent rough weather is nothing they haven’t endured many times before. For the rest of us, it was a sudden introduction into the life of a sailor. I’m unsure whether I’m glad the storm struck so early in our voyage as it did, or if a few days of calm weather beforehand might have helped calm my terror as the Esme’ tossed about in the storm.

The Esme’ keeps travelling at night, so at least three of us must be working the ship at all times. Tonight I’m on duty with Nuncio and Yesha. While Nuncio takes the helm, I help Yesha in the engine room. By now we must be far out to sea. According to Nuncio there are no hazards in our path that require an additional lookout posting. The wheelhouse provides the helmsman an excellent view of the waters ahead, and the calm clear night provides good visibility. Nevertheless, we display two lights on our mast to warn of our presence, in case we encounter another ship.

“How long have you worked at the breakers yard?” I ask Yesha.

“Just over a year,” replies Yesha. “The factory owner in Thurn where I used to work wanted me to join his harem. I’d heard enough rumours about his harem to know not to accept. I took the opportunity to move to Tewhanga.”

“Surely you’re too young to enter into a harem contract?” I query.

Biology makes adolescent elves sexually inactive. I’m not a legal expert, but I’m sure the once common sexual contracts between Thurnian men and elves require the elf to be an adult. Such harems are far less common these days, but they’re not illegal, and a few still exist.

“My age didn’t seem to be a barrier to the man’s desires. I’m not sure what he expected of me, but I wasn’t going to wait around to find out.”

Yesha is attractive, albeit she’s more muscular than a typical female elf. However, until she matures into an adult, she is incapable of sexual activity. I suspect both Yesha and Nyra will mature into Elf Maidens rather than Atenex adults, but I’ve not broached the delicate subject of their heritage with them. While these days the law provides adolescent elves with some legal protection, it isn’t always easy for a young elf to obtain justice. The slightest hint of an elf having Elf Maiden heritage sabotages any claim of sexual harassment, regardless of the elf’s age.

Yesha’s experience at the breakers yard means that she understands the different components of a ship’s engine. One of her duties at the yard was to dismantle old engines, so that usable items could be resold as spare parts. She delights in educating me on the mechanics of the Esme’s boiler and engine. Understanding the purpose of all the various pipes, valves and gauges makes me less afraid of the mechanical monster that powers the ship.

On the fifth day of our journey we approach our first refuelling stop. According to Nuncio, the huge ocean we are sailing upon is bounded to the east and west by continuous stretches of land. To the north and south of the ocean are the treacherous ice covered seas that provide a variable boundary to travel in those directions. Within the vast area of ocean are numerous islands, with Thurn and Tewhanga sitting on one of the larger ones. Nuncio says that scattered among the larger islands and main land masses are sixteen major ports, such as Tewhanga, that facilitate ocean going trade between the various pockets of human habitation. As travel between the ports is often too far for a steamship to travel without refuelling, a network of coaling stations have been established on various small islands. We are approaching one such location.