Chapter 3
Daniel had little time to think, bound tightly in the net and riding in the back of the sleigh. His abduction had happened so quickly, then the bouncing in the sleigh had required his utmost concentration as he tried to prevent further injury. All he could do was slightly bend or straighten his body to compensate for the jostling. The cold penetrated deep into his bones. When the sleigh had finally stopped he was carried aboard the ship like a sack of grain and dumped into a large wicker basket below the deck. He could hear orders being shouted and soon felt the boat begin to move. The hull creaked and groaned as the oars were plied.
After what seemed a couple of hours, voices got close enough for Daniel to hear clearly. Guards were told to ready their weapons and then the lid of the basket was lifted. A lamp was held over the basket and Daniel could just make out faces behind the light. The voice giving orders said, "Cut the net free. We need to keep him alive."
Arms reached in and partially lifted Daniel. Knives began severing the net and rolling Daniel free. When he was finally able to sit upright, Daniel again looked up, but said nothing. The light shining into the basket made visibility beyond the rim near impossible. Only occasional head movements could be discerned but the voices were clear. The voice giving orders said, "Welcome aboard the Crow. Sorry about the accommodations but you're too valuable of cargo to take chances with."
Daniel did not respond and the voice continued, "Get him a blanket and a pot. Make sure the lid is well secured; if he escapes you'll pay a heavy price."
The light was withdrawn and Daniel got a glimpse of the speaker. He was somewhat swarthy looking with a medium beard and very heavy eyebrows. A blanket and a chamber pot were thrown into the basket and the lid replaced. Small amounts of light would streaked the tightly woven basket, but otherwise darkness returned. It sounded to Daniel like the lid was being retained by pegs hammered into place. Silence returned as the people left. The boat kept rocking with the wave action and the sound of the rowing continued.
For several hours Daniel sat in the darkness like a caged animal. At times the feeling of claustrophobia was almost overwhelming. He had to concentrate on his breathing to control the anxiety welling up within. It was only after his thoughts turned to Heather that he was able to fully control his claustrophobia. He worried about her and prayed to the God of the Sacred Water that she had survived the attack. Daniel felt much better when worrying about someone else.
He moved around the basket, still wrapped in the blanket, trying to find a position which limited the rocking and at the same time allowed him to see the tiny speck of light coming through the weave of the basket. The speck of light would not move as the ship turned so Daniel figured it must be from a window or doorway. At least it gave him a reference point. From this reference, Daniel began to explore his cage. It was large enough that he could lie down without touching his head, if his feet were tightly against the curved wall. It was made from tightly woven strips of hardwood, not high enough to stand up in without stooping over. The top edge seemed to be a fairly large beam that had been bent into a circle and the top itself was made of planks with a small door cut into the center.
Daniel's exploration ended as the pitching and rolling of the ship began to increase. Now Daniel found he must sit wedged up against the basket wall, concentrating on the speck of light, to control the sickness of the sea. They must be nearing what Heather had called "the bar". The sounds of the ship changed as the oars were replaced with sails. He could hear the distant voice giving commands but could not understand many of the words. The small speck of light seemed to be getting dimmer and Daniel worried about losing his reference point.
Darkness had progressed and he was no longer able to consistently find his speck of light. Voices were coming closer. They had a different character and Daniel recognized the dialect of the little ones. Multiple points of light were now visible which meant they were using a lamp. Someone was climbing up on the basket and Daniel heard a bolt slide open and light began to pour through the small opening as the trapdoor was raised. A small voice said, "Here is food and your water."
Daniel reached up, accepting the bowl and water bottle, saying, "May the God of the Sacred Water bless you for your kindness."
A timid voice asked in reply, "You the healer from the Forest?"
"I am."
The second voice said, "Come on. We'll get in trouble."
The trapdoor closed and the light receded. Daniel was left in the darkness, caged in a basket too small to stand up in. The pitching and rolling of the ship were enough for Daniel to forgo any thought of eating. Without visual reference to the horizon he could maintain balance only by wedging himself against the curve of the basket. If he moved at all, the pitching and rolling of the ship would toss him about and bring on the sickness of the sea. The cold seeped into the ship's hold and Daniel was shivering. He moved just enough to cover himself with the blanket. One of the small openings in the basket weave was large enough to give Daniel's fingers a grip to stabilize himself against the basket.
Daniel almost absently began exploring the basket weave with his fingers, trying to secure other anchoring points. The strips of wood were the thickness of his little finger and about three times as wide. The vertical members were somewhat thicker but of the same width. Using his fingers to try and enlarge the opening resulted only in bleeding from a large sliver. Groping carefully, Daniel reached out for the bowl hoping to find a spoon, but it had only some bread and dried meat. As he was repositioning himself his childhood talisman fell free from under his tunic. Using one hand to hold onto the basket, Daniel lifted the lanyard from his neck. Memories of finding the tooth in the stream came rushing back as well as the loss he incurred.
In just a few minutes the hard serrated tooth tore away enough of the weave for Daniel to gain a more comfortable hold. He restored the lanyard to his neck and tried to sleep. The turmoil of the sea decreased and Daniel gradually fell asleep.
When he awoke darkness was still complete. His fingers were cold and very sore from holding on to the basket weave. Nature was calling and Daniel searched for the pot they had given him. His confinement felt all the more real. Either the motion of the ship had settled down or Daniel was becoming more tolerant of the movement. Thinking was easier now, so Daniel struggled with the reason for his abduction. Why would anyone want to abduct a healer? Heather's concerns about the enemies within the court came to mind, but that made no sense, why would they take him to the sea. An image of the Red Ambassador came to his mind, he knew of ships and the sea. Daniel shook his head saying to himself, "He died at Heather's sword." Then he wondered if others of his kind could be hiding amongst the people of the Northern Kingdom.
The sound of voices interrupted his thoughts and multiple points of light again penetrated through the weave of the imprisoning basket. Someone again climbed up on top of the large basket and opened the small trapdoor. He recognized the voice of the one who had given him his food. "Pass up your pot and we'll empty it for you. We have more food and water."
Daniel did as he was told but explained, "The sickness of the sea has kept me from eating the food you have given me. I do appreciate your kindness."
There was talk between the two little ones but Daniel had trouble following their dialect. The one on top asked, "Is it true that little ones like us won't be fixed anymore?"
Daniel wasn't sure what he was talking about at first but then realized it was about the practice of castrating all male half brains. He replied, "Children born to mothers who have taken the sacred soil will be citizens and not subject to fixing."
He only understood part of the conversation between the two little ones but apparently the one on top had won the argument. Further conversation was prevented by the arrival of Captain Dirk who demanded, "How is the prisoner?"
The little one sitting on top of the basket replied in a very timid voice, "He not eat."
Captain Dirk kicked the basket saying, "You had better start eating. It'll be almost three weeks before you set foot on ground again. You're worth nothing to me dead."
Daniel spoke up saying, "Why am I worth anything to you at all?"
Captain Dirk responded with a hearty laugh before saying, "Good point. Seems the strangers have taken a strong interest in you and your explosions. Offering damn good money for you."
Daniel did not reply so Captain Dirk continued, "Eat or we'll have to force feed you."
Captain Dirk left but not before giving the basket another kick. The little one on top said, "You better eat, he's mean."
Daniel said, "I'll try. What is your name?"
"Me, I'm Tivi."
"My name is Daniel, and I thank you for your kindness Tivi. What is your friend's name?"
The little one outside the basket said clearly, "I'm Billy."
Daniel continued, "Billy I also thank you for your kindness. It would be easier for me to eat if I had a spoon or fork."
Tivi responded, "We try. You eat now. We must work or Captain be angry."
Daniel was left alone to his thoughts. He picked at the food and drank some water. He used his talisman to slightly enlarge the small opening where light came through. Now if he put his eye up against the basket, he could see out a little. The thought of three weeks trapped in the basket was more than he could comprehend so he avoided dwelling on it. The light was coming through a hatch and he could make out a ladder but nothing else. Occasionally a shadow would pass and block out the light from the hatch. The sea still tumbled him about the basket if he was not braced. He did seem to be getting his sea legs. The day passed slowly and gradually the light began to dim. Tired of standing hunched over trying to look out the small hole, Daniel used his hands to fully explore the basket. Most of the wood strips were seven to eight feet long and had been obviously woven while wet, because they were free of any tension now that they were dry.
Approaching voices drew Daniel's attention back to a small peephole. The light of the lantern was evident before the little ones began climbing down the ladder. Tivi climbed up on the basket and undid the small trapdoor saying, "Mr. Daniel, pass up your pot and your bowl. We've brung more food."
Daniel did as directed asking, "What is the weather like, Tivi?"
"Just cloudy, no rain. The waves are still high but maybe not so bad."
"Does the motion of the ship bother you and Billy?"
"A little. At first it was bad but if we were sick the captain would beat us so we learned. He's mean."
Daniel was quiet as he pictured the suffering of the little ones. He accepted his empty pot and bowl of food. He explored the bowl immediately but there was no utensil. He thought about asking again but worried he would get the little ones in trouble. He looked up as Tivi said, "Here is some fresh water and a present from us."
Daniel reached up and accepted the water jug from the small hands holding it. A glint of light was shining off of something else the little hand was holding. It was a heavy unpolished spoon. Before Daniel could even thank the little ones they were closing up the small trapdoor and leaving. He said simply, "Thank you for your kindness."
The voices receded up the ladder and the multiple points of light glinting through the basket were replaced by darkness. In the distance he could hear some voices as men worked above him and the boat would creak and groan, but he was alone again in the darkness.
Daniel ate a little of the bread and meat and sipped on the water. He debated with himself the best way of sharpening his new tool. His options were pretty limited; the talisman was his only hope. He scraped the serrated edge of the tool along the edge of the spoon handle. After several slow strokes to avoid creating a sound which could be heard by his captors, Daniel could detect a polishing of the rough surface. He spent a couple of hours sharpening, until his fingers tired of the repetetive motion. A knife-edge was forming but his talisman was wearing out. A simple stone was all he needed. Fatigue finally set in and Daniel fell asleep. His dreams were mostly of Heather, some comforting and some frightening.
The rhythm of Daniel's life was now controlled by the twice daily visits of the little ones and his hours of working on his possible escape. He had created a reasonably sharp saw from the spoon handle using his talisman as a file. Working slowly but diligently, he started sawing through the webbing of the basket, creating a potential opening large enough for him to fit through. He was careful not to finish the cuts so they would be invisible from the outside. The sawdust produced was a problem; Daniel would carefully pack it into the webbing on the floor of the basket. Small pieces would fall through the webbing along the side and Daniel worried that they would be spied by Captain Dirk stopping by to inspect his cargo.
On the fifth day Daniel noted a significant change in the sea motion. He waited anxiously for the little ones and asked, "Why has the sea changed?"
Tivi explained, "The mountains protect us. By nightfall we will be inside and the anchor lowered. Tomorrow we pass through the singing narrows. It’s scary."
Further conversation was prevented by the arrival of Captain Dirk who bellowed, "Is he eating enough?"
Tivi replied, "He eats but not everything."
Daniel could hear the captain pull himself up onto the basket and saw his face looking down through the small trapdoor. The light was so poor he could not make out any details. The captain almost shouted at him, "You had better start eating more or I'm going to start force feeding you and you won't like it."
The captain climbed off the basket and gave it a kick before departing up the ladder. Tivi, who had almost been knocked off the basket by the captain, told Daniel, "You eat more, OK?"
Daniel replied, "I will try. I don't want you and Billy to get in trouble."
The day went by as Daniel continued to work on his escape hatch using the sharpened spoon handle as a saw. He felt the ship change directions and then a huge vibration encompassed his world as the anchor was lowered. A silence now permeated the ship and the creaking and groaning, which he had accepted as normal, were gone. Footsteps and voices above were easily heard. Now the noise of the saw seemed loud and Daniel forced himself to move even slower to reduce the noise. The major cuts had all been completed except for a thin margin of wood on the outside. This final cut would have to wait until the opportunity arose.
More unusual noises echoed in the hold as the skiff was lowered. Men were sent ashore to replenish their supply of fresh water. Their coming and going provided some background noise, which allowed Daniel an opportunity to continue working on his escape hatch. Dinner arrived shortly after the darkness had settled in. It was more of the dried meat with a little bread and some water. Daniel did his best to finish the food. The night was quiet and Daniel dared not make any noise with his saw. Sleep was easier without being tossed about by the sea. His dreams were a mix of pleasant times with Heather and fearsome times struggling to breathe.
The ship came alive before dawn and the anchor was slowly pulled back aboard. The noise of the windless and of the oars being placed easily covered any sound Daniel could make. His morning meal arrived and Tivi explained that they were about to enter the singing narrows. Daniel tried to get more information about what it was like but Tivi would only say, "It’s scary. I better go."
Daniel could feel an apparent movement of the ship which was matched to the rhythmic sound of the long wooden oars. Soon he could hear a whistling sound which seemed to come from everywhere. Captain Dirk's voice carried easily throughout the ship as he commanded those manning the oars. It was eerie being confined to the darkness of the hold and Daniel had to fight an urge to break out from his escape hatch just to run top side and see what was going on.