It took nearly a month to reach Pacifica territory on the west coast. The biggest delay had been in Ouaricon, where they’d spent over a week of back and forth with the governor before the deal was finalized. That put them into mid-August, making Doc antsy to get into Kanata and Pale River.
The stop in Salton only took a few days; the governor there had heard from his peers and already had a proposal ready for them. Sophia fixed a few things, but it was signed off in short order. The other Grouse tribes that hadn’t gone to meet Doc came to Salton to be blessed with a shaman. Tears of joy were shed by all the elders, as they got to have an integral part of their culture returned to them.
Mowying territory took a week to get the deal done, as they already had a major railroad. Doc just tied into the Bluebird depot, then plotted his to spread away from it, minus the way the existing line already covered. As Doc had done before, he paused to see the resident Digger family to fully purge their curse, earning yet more praise.
Doc was happy to meet with the Ravenfoot tribe in Sikahko. Citrine’s father praised him several times for his daughter becoming a shaman. The other Raven tribes gathered to be presented with their own shamans; Rosa made it very clear that the time of the Raven tribes raiding one another had to stop, as they’d been reduced too far already. Doc did learn that Citrine had only stayed with them for a month when she got home, then headed to Pale River.
The bad news was that, as they went northwest, the church increased their efforts to find him. Twelve inquisitors went through Furden— the two who went to the manor got a very cold reception, but after finding only lessers with children, they scoffed and left. Petal stayed hidden during their visit, as a dryad would garner too much attention. Onyx was accosted, and the church tried to find a loophole to take Wita from her, but because her paperwork was in excellent order, they couldn’t. When they tried to threaten her, Riker Coalton, the dwarf who was helping her, laid one of them out cold on the floor. The clan rallied to the dwarf, so the inquisitors left with angry expressions. They never found Harrid’s new training ground for the templars he was raising— the clans all sent their orphans to give the nameless a purpose and, in this case, names. Every dwarven orphan who joined took the order’s name, Luck’s Bastion, as their own, claiming the family name of “Bastion.”
Most of the inquisitors went west to spread out and trap Doc. One arrived in Deep Gulch, but quickly left without finding much; just being in the valley made him feel ill. He sent a letter cautioning the other inquisitors about the strange sickness, warning the faithful to stay away. Ambrose promised to keep a close eye on the area to make sure nothing bad happened.
~*~*~
Doc finished dressing, his wives and Rosa already downstairs, waiting for him. He was still considering the best way for all of them to make the trip; they could make the trek overland, but Doc remembered the “rich man’s route” from the Yukon rush. With Mother’s help, and he and Rosa doing what they could, the trip would start at what he knew as St. Michael, using the rivers to make the majority of the trip.
Leaving the bedroom to go down to the private dining room, he gave his wives a smile as he took his seat. “Ladies, we should discuss potential paths to reach our destination. That’ll dictate a lot of what supplies we need to take with us.”
“A good point,” Lia said.
“It’s overland, isn’t it?” Sophia asked.
“If we swing around the coast of Alyseka, we could hit a small town on the coast there. The river is a few dozen miles from there. We could maybe get a riverboat and make our way by river. It was called St. Michael on Earth… I have no idea what it is here.”
“Michaelton, and it’s a tiny town,” Ayla said. “I studied the maps that we could find… it might work. Tribes are supposed to dot the river all the way through Alyseka into Kanata.”
“We could help them along the way,” Lia said. “That would make things better for them and pave our way for later.”
“There’s a Kokon tribe on the coast right on the river,” Rosa said. “I could arrange for them to greet us and act as a guide along the river to the other tribes. It would mean taking a good riverboat out with us to make it viable.”
“That should be doable, and would be better than traveling through the wilds,” Sophia said. “We’d need a pilot for the boat.”
“I can handle a boat that’s sized for us,” Doc said. “Worst comes to worst, Rosa and I can unstick us if I fuck up.”
“What about the boat?” Ayla said. “If you damage the hull, it’s much worse.”
“I can get a gift for that. I’d been eyeing it, but hadn’t seen a need for it yet. Luck provides.”
“I suggest we take the river,” Lia said.
“Agreed,” Sophia nodded.
“We’ll need to find a boat and provisions,” Ayla said. “Lia, can you handle that while Sophia and I deal with the governor?”
“Doc and I can,” Lia nodded. “Do you want Rosa to go with you to help?”
“That might be for the best, at least for today. Knowing what he’s thinking will help make the rest of this easier. It certainly broke the Ouaricon negotiations open for us. I wish I’d thought of it sooner when we were there.”
“Just be as safe as you can,” Doc said. “The inquisitors shouldn’t be here, but if they put together everything that we’ve been doing, it isn’t unlikely they’ll be heading this way. We just need to leave before they find us. Once we take the river into the interior of Alyseka and Kanata, they won’t be able to do anything.”
~*~*~
A knock interrupted them as the server brought in breakfast. The half-elf kept her head down, wearing a false smile on her lips. Her features weren’t just Native Emeritan, but Qin. That reminded Doc of how many Chinese had helped build the railroads. Those workers and their children would be just as hated as his wives were.
She was gone before Doc could even begin to think of how he might help her and others like her. Shaking his head, he focused on his current goals. Anything that slowed him down here would allow the inquisitors even more time to find him.
With breakfast over, Sophia, Ayla, and Rosa left to meet with the governor. They had a meeting scheduled thanks to the telegraph they’d sent when they were in Ouaricon. That left just Doc and Lia to begin the hunt for the supplies they’d need for a river trip.
Stepping out into the overcast day, Doc chuckled, thinking about how wet the Pacific northwest was known to be. Walking beside Lia, they made it to where a cabby was just letting a passenger off. “Sir, could you take us to someone who sells riverboats?”
“I can, sir, and I’m free,” the cabbie grinned, showing off his disastrous dental care. “If you and the elf get in, we can be off.”
Doc managed not to wince at the stained, crooked teeth the man had. He wondered if it was worth offering to fix them, but held off. Helping Lia into the hansom cab, he got in after her. As soon as he was seated, the whip cracked and the horse began to move.
“Thinking of taking up fishing, sir?” the cabbie asked.
“No. It’s for another endeavor,” Doc chuckled. “A foolish idea that the church would deride me for.”
The cabbie spat to the side. “Eh, fuck ‘em. Bastards don’t help anyone; just go on and on about the soul. Never seen a soul, but I know that my wife ain’t loved by them. They see her as ‘unclean.’ She bathes more often than the damned preachers do, I’d bet. You’d know what that’s like, though, wouldn’t you, sir?”
“My wife and I have dealt with the problems a preacher brings,” Doc replied evenly.
“Humans are the only ones that matter? Pah! My little ones are worth a dozen of them. Two have no trouble at all, but the youngest… poor pup that she is. Has her mother’s features. She’s a right beauty, but not to most.”
Doc was shocked at how vocal the cabbie was being on the subject.
“Maybe she’ll find a man like you who will love her,” Lia said. “When she’s old enough, that is.”
“That’s our hope. Oldest doesn’t acknowledge us anymore… prick he turned into. Being our child ‘shames him with his peers,’” the driver huffed. “Maybe a few more slaps as a child would’ve beaten that out of him.”
Doc was about to interject, but had to remind himself that he wasn’t in America, nor was it the 2020s. Corporal punishment was how children were raised, though normally with a backhand instead of a belt like people his age had grown up with. His feelings on the matter would only make things worse, so he stayed quiet.
“It’s a bit of a ride,” the driver said after a moment of silence. “Sorry for my rant there. You mentioning the church set me off. Had a knockdown with my eldest yesterday over his views and what he said about his mother. Terrible when your own children say those things…”
Talkative cabbies aren’t just an Earth thing, I guess, Doc thought.
“Maybe one day, we’ll have to face the same,” Lia said, taking Doc’s hand. “Not yet, but maybe one day.”
“Our children won’t say anything bad about their mothers…” Doc murmured.
“That’s what the missus thought, too. Then, he made her cry, and well… I took him out back. He’s grown up and gave me just as good as I gave him. I’d be proud of him if not for the reason why we were fighting.” He cleared his throat, then spat to the side. “Just keep yours away from the church when you have them. It wasn’t until he started going that he got bad.”
“We’ll keep that in mind,” Doc said.
“Since you put up with my rant, I’m taking you to the best. I think you’ll do right by them, so it’s worth the risk to me.”
“Thank you?” Doc said questioningly, not exactly sure what he was thanking the man for.
“I hope whatever you’re doing with a boat makes the church choke on their tongues. If it does, that’ll make me very happy.”
“How much do you make in a day?” Doc asked. “And do you have any friends who drive that feel the same way you do?”
“Ehh… depends,” the cabbie said, suddenly wary.
“My wives are working on a deal with the governor, and having a reliable cabbie on standby would be for the best. Plus, Lia and I will need a driver to get us around for the next few days.”
“Hmm… I guess we can come to an arrangement, if you can pay.”
Doc pulled out a twenty-dollar gold coin, then shifted so he could stand. The cab rocked slightly, but it didn’t faze the horse. Turning his head, he gave the cabbie a grin before holding out the coin. “I’m sure we can come to an agreement. Will you wait for us while we dicker over a boat?”
The cabbie took the coin and whistled. “Yes, sir! Glad to help.”
“Wonderful,” Doc said as he took his seat again. “Today looks like a lucky day.”
Lia laughed as she patted his knee.