3.15: Progress – 6

“God damn it,” I repeated.

I glared at the shipbuilder, who shrank under my gaze. What he didn’t know was that it was targeted toward myself, not him.

Of course the immigrants had used the canvas to make tents.

Nobody had told them they would be living on a remote, empty beach for months. They must have expected to arrive at a port town, or at least a fishing village.

Laira mustn’t have told her Master Procurer that Chadom was just me and the refugees. Obviously.

“I procured all that canvas to make new sails,” I groaned.

“My lord! Where will we sleep?” Wolmar began to beg.

“I’m not going to dismantle your tents,” I told the panicking man, then turned to Aprilia. “We’ll send a ship to Nordhaven to buy some more.”

“I’ll inform Jaklen,” she replied. “How much?”

“Enough for two ships.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s a lot of cloth.”

“I need plenty to experiment.”

Wolmar shifted uneasily. “My lord, the ships’ sails are new. They won’t need replacement for a long time.”

“I can see. I want you to build a new design for me.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “New?”

“It’s called the lateen sail. I got those ships from Laira—Her Majesty in exchange for it.”

He scratched his hands before meeting my eyes. “With all due respect, my lord, you’re not a sailor or a ship-builder.”

“No. I only know the principle behind the design, not exactly how it is built and operated. That’s where you and your people come in.”

“Where did you see this design?”

“Some place.”

He sucked in breath before speaking. “My lord, the square sail has been used by sailors forever,” he began in a placating tone. “Many have claimed to have invented a better design, but in the end they all turned out to be scammers. I’m afraid you might have been, uh, what I meant was that whoever sold you those plans might be a charlatan.”

His son scoffed.

I ignored him.

“No. I know the design works. Will you build it or do I need to contact someone else?”

“I—I will. But—”

“You don’t believe it will work. I won’t blame you if it doesn’t. I promise. Let your son and my secretary be witnesses to it.”

He sighed, then bowed. “If that is what you wish.”

I gave the Bay another look. The once pristine coast was now messy, noisy, chaotic and beautiful.

Once the insulae were finished and the tents dismantled, it would look like a real port, even if a small one. And some day, it would be the world’s most advanced one. Iron hulls would leave the harbor on their own power. But before any smoke belching ship could leave it, we were going to have an age of sail. Hopefully a short one.

Some men were building a boat nearby.

“When will that one be finished?” I asked Wolmar.

“In a few days. We don’t have any more seasoned timber left.”

“Then we will begin with it.”

“My lord?”

“It will be our test-bed.”

“Bed?”

“You’ll see. I will need some canvas for the new sails.”

“The first story of those buildings should be finished within a week. Then we can dismantle some tents. Are they really for us?”

“Yes.”

“That…”

“Sounds awfully generous?”

He nodded.

“It’s not. I’m putting your people under a lot of stress by restricting their freedom and by keeping them in the dark about the exact situation here. On top of that, I ask you for your skills, hard work and trust. This is merely payment for that. So, may I have your trust?”

He looked down, one hand scratching other.

“That… is a difficult ask, my lord. With all due respect, you are unlike any noble I’ve met.”

“No, I’m not. I’m more generous than them.” I lifted a finger. “To those loyal to me.”

He wet his lips, then met my eyes. “I meant that it makes the others nervous. Less likely to trust you.”

“Oh. You want me to be less generous?”

He raised his hands. “No, no. I will try to convince them. There is some discontent, but your demonstration yesterday contained it. Somewhat.”

I nodded. “I understand it will take time to build trust. For now, I just want enough to know that your people won’t run away with the ships the moment my soldiers aren’t keeping watch.”

“We won’t. Not if you are truly going to give such mansions to us.” His eyes darted away, before coming back. “There is also…”

“Go on.”

“The matter of fresh water. We have to travel far to fetch it.”

“I was informed about that. We’ll begin working on a solution right away.”

He bowed. “Thank you, my lord.”

“I’ll see you later, Master.”

I let out an exhale as we walked back to the carriage.

“So?” I looked at Aprilia.

“It will help,” she replied, “but only when they begin living in the insulae. When they can see your words aren’t empty promises.”

That was at least a week away.

“I can’t wait for that. The trial must take place as soon as possible. We’ll just have to risk it.”

“You want the Council established that badly?”

“I want Hyde’s followers to be out in the open, not trading complaints and plans. That is a powder keg in the making.”

“A what?”

“Something ready to blow up.”

Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Think of a large barrel full of the powder that fuels our new weapons, which happens to catch a stray spark.”

Her face paled slightly.

Nobody said anything as we walked back to the carriage. Wary eyes tracked us, pretending to focus on their work.

“Master, what is the lateen sail?” Aldren asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence once we had settled in the carriage.

“It allows you to sail at an angle to the wind,” I replied, as the carriage lurched forward.

“That… how is that possible? Don’t ships sail only in the direction the wind is blowing?”

“The lateen sail works the same way birds fly.”

Eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“They don’t always flap their wings. Then how do they remain airborne?”

His mouth opened, then closed.

“It’s the shape of their wings,” I explained, curving my hand and sticking it out of the window. “Air behaves differently as it passes close to the upper and the lower surface of the wing. That difference produces lift, pulling the wing up. A sail with similar shape pulls the boat to the side. A few adjustments and you are no longer bound by the whims of nature. A bit.”

The teenagers’ eyes became unfocused in thought.

Runa broke the silence. “So you really are our Messiah?” she asked in a small voice.

I exhaled.

“Judging by your faces, you think that’s why I have all this knowledge?”

They nodded silently.

Aprilia’s arm around mine tightened.

I understood her concern. I wasn’t going to tell the teenagers my secret, but I also couldn’t let them believe divine favor was behind all these discoveries.

“No. All this knowledge can be discovered by anyone who is willing to work smart and hard, and is lucky to be born in the right circumstances,” I admitted, “with a sharp enough mind. I guess I am super-extra lucky. Don’t compare your life outcomes to mine.”

They nodded, faces drawn in thought.

“Put your hands out.”

“Master?”

“Put your hands out of the window and tilt them up.”

Fennar and Aldren were the first ones to try it out. They must have felt aerodynamic lift pulling their hands up, as their eyes widened in wonder.

The others hurried to copy them.

Aprilia snuggled into me, smiling. Her face began to redden.

I put a hand on her forehead. It wasn’t hot. “What happened?” I asked.

She looked up at me. “You’ll make a good father.”

I bent down to kiss her.

Meanwhile, the cabin echoed with awe and excited voices as the teenagers discussed their experience.

“Everyone, quiet down!” Aldren shouted out loud. Then he looked at me with the wide eyes of a madman.

“Master. You said birds fly this way.”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean we can fly like them? If we make wings like that sail?”

Oh no.

I pursed my lips. I considered lying, then abandoned it.

“Maybe.”

I might as well have said yes.

The cabin exploded with noise. The teenagers began bombarding me with questions.

“Calm down. Flying is a massive challenge compared to making a sail.”

“So it is possible?” Aldren asked, his face uncomfortably close.

“Yes,” I said, giving up.

“Can we do it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“It’s very dangerous. If a sail fails, your ships stops moving. If wings fail, you die. There is no margin for error.”

His face shriveled.

I patted his shoulder and pushed him down on the seat. “I’m not saying we’ll never do it. But, there are many important things we have to do first, such as securing our lands. Once they are done, we’ll have the free time to work towards it.”

He looked up, eyes burning.

“But,” I said out loud with a raised finger, “I need your promise. You don’t tell anyone about it and you will not try it out yourself.”

Their faces fell.

“I’m not joking. You try it without me and you will die. Chadom cannot afford to lose you. Your promise?”

“I promise,” they all repeated.

“Good. And I promise you that once we are safe enough, I will help you see the world from high up like a bird.”

A cheer went up. Aldren was the loudest.

I guess he had found his passion.

I hid my conflicted smile. I had gotten into the habit of considering military applications for every advancement, and observation balloons, while far away, were going to be another one of those.