The shipwright yard was busier than Doc thought it would be. Then again, the city was right on what Doc knew as the Puget Sound, though it was called Whulge here. When the cabbie dropped them off, he raised a flag on his roof.
“Here you are, sir. I’ll raise the flag so people know I’m waiting for someone.”
“Thank you, Mister…?”
“Daniel Freed, sir. If you tell the foreman there that I sent you, it’ll help.”
“Thank you, Daniel,” Doc said. He helped Lia down, and then the pair of them walked into the busy drydock.
Doc had to get directions to the correct building from a worker having a smoke. He thanked the otter bestial before continuing on. The number of half-elves and aquatic bestials accounted for the vast majority of workers he saw.
The main office wasn’t the biggest building nor the best repaired, but the small sign did indicate that it was the office. Stepping inside, a badly scarred, one-handed half-elf man looked up at them. His smile was more grimace from the extensive scarring he had.
“How can we help you?”
“We need a riverboat that can be shipped north, preferably with a captain you trust to take it up around the edge of Alyseka to my chosen destination. More than that, I’ll be looking to get started on a ship large enough to haul goods from here up to Alyseka, as well.”
The receptionist’s eyes narrowed. “Who might you be, sir?”
“Doc Holyday, owner of numerous mines across the western territories. Luck’s Holdings is the company.”
The man nodded before standing up. “A moment.” As he stood up, he grabbed a cane to hobble into the hall behind his desk. When he walked, his peg leg became visible. That meant he was missing both a hand and a leg on his left side.
“Damn… he must’ve had a terrible life, or at least a really bad moment…” Doc murmured.
“If you could replace limbs, it would give him a new outlook,” Lia whispered.
Doc’s lips pursed as he looked over his gifts. He’d seen a gift for that, but had kept putting it off. Having a shipwright favoring him would help him with later plans. It would need to be carefully offered, but if nothing else, he could help the tribes when they got to them again. “We’ll see what I can do,” Doc smiled.
A few minutes later, the elf came back out. “If you’ll follow me, the boss will see you now.”
The trip to the last office wasn’t long, but it was slower following the half-elf. After being ushered into the office, Doc saw that it took up half the building. The walls were packed with shelving for paperwork, and behind the desk was a gray-haired man with otter bestial features: small, furred ears, full black eyes, and a mustache that was more whiskers than an actual mustache.
“Welcome to my business. I’m Jamie Floats. How can we assist you today?”
Doc suddenly realized why the shipwright was named Floating Safely. “I need a riverboat that can handle the cold of the far north. If you know a ship captain that can tow or carry it up around the western edge of Alyseka, that would help, too. My wives will be along to work out a deal on a cargo ship; we’ll need it to bring goods up and to bring goods back. And, before I forget, Daniel Freed said to mention him.”
Jamie’s whiskers twitched. “Did he, now? Hmm… Have a seat.”
Doc and Lia sat. Jamie eyed Lia for a long moment before turning his attention back to Doc. “If my brother-in-law spoke for you, I’m inclined to listen. His views have gotten him into a lot of trouble, but I doubt you would be that kind of trouble.”
“I’d be more than likely to get into the same trouble… My name is Doc Holyday. This is one of my wives, Lia. I can say that the church is not happy with me and will be even less happy in the future. If this causes you problems, I can see about another shipwright.”
Jamie waved him off. “Not a problem for me. I’m the best shipwright on the Whulge. My family has lived in these waters for generations. We’ve always gotten along with the tribes, hence why you see so many half-elves here. The tribes want to help them, but not have them in the tribe.”
“I’m probably going to be speaking with those tribes soon,” Doc chuckled.
Jamie sat forward suddenly. “You’re him, then?”
“‘Him’?” Doc asked warily.
“The Voice…” Jamie said softly. “A dryad visited the tribes all up and down the coast a few months back. She said the Voice of Luck was coming to the coast, that he was the only way for a tribe to regain a shaman. The tribes in the area have been eager to hear more about him.”
“My husband is the Voice,” Lia said. “Which dryad was it?”
“Sequoia. Her home is farther south of here, but she’s the only one still free in the area.”
“Tallest trees in the world…” Doc murmured. “I’ll hopefully get to see her when I see the tribes.”
Jamie sat up straight again. “Whatever we can do to aid you, it will be done.”
“We’ll pay for it, but let me explain what I need. You’ll know what’ll work best, so I’ll defer to your judgment on boats and ships, sir.”
“Always good to trust an expert,” Jamie chuckled. “Before that, though… I’d like to see proof.”
“Faith is good, but facts are better?”
“Exactly.”
“Lady, please allow me to show your power to Jamie Floats,” Doc said, his hands lighting up green. “Just take my hand.”
Jamie reached out, taking the offered hand slowly. Memories of his wife soothing him through the rough parts of their lives came back to him. Sniffling, he held back the tears the memories brought. When Doc let go of his hand, he inhaled slowly. Pausing, he did so again, but deeper. He then stood up and flexed his back before sitting down. “Voice, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry for my lack of faith.”
“The church will do whatever it can to hurt me, so I don’t blame you for wanting to verify. Let’s talk, and after that, you can ask your receptionist to come in. Luck recently gave me a new gift to help others, and I think he’d benefit from it.”
“Very well. A riverboat means many things…”
~*~*~
It took a few hours for them to come to an agreement on the boat. Instead of building a new one— which would take far longer than Doc wanted— Jamie was going to repair one he’d just recently bought a week before, then sell it to Doc. Jamie was also going to put out feelers to the ship captains he knew that would be willing to take Doc around the coast.
After that, the receptionist was called into the office, and Doc almost drained himself and his batteries to give the half-elf his hand and leg back. The man wept tears of joy when he stood on his own two feet again. Being so overcome with emotion, he hugged Doc, weeping into his shoulder. Doc had done the easy part first, removing all his scars, which completely transformed the man’s face.
When Jamie had seen that display of power and emotion, he’d asked if Doc could do it again, explaining the number of workers who were missing fingers, hands, or feet. Doc promised to come back tomorrow to help more.
Daniel was still waiting for them in the hot afternoon, but had shifted into a patch of shade for the horse. “I take it that it went well?”
“Better than I hoped,” Doc chuckled. “Your brother-in-law sends his thanks for you bringing me here.”
“Did he? Huh. Normally complains about me bringing him business, but most of them can’t really afford him. Makes me think I know just the man to drive your wives like you asked. I’ll ask him tonight, and if he agrees, we’ll be outside your hotel tomorrow morning.”
“That’ll do. Thank you.”
“Always nice to have solid income for a little while,” Daniel laughed. “Let’s get you to your next destination.”
“Right now, that would be back to the Chalice Hotel,” Doc smiled.
“Yes, sir.”
As the cab got moving, Doc exhaled slowly. Lia patted his thigh, giving him a smile. “You did good, Doc.”
“Thanks. Replacing limbs is taxing as hell. If not for the batteries, I would’ve only finished his hand. Rosa will be very happy later— I’ll need her to refill them, and then she’ll need to be refilled.”
“Oh, the trials you endure,” Lia snorted humorously.
“I’m sure my wives will be helping me.”
“Of course. It was nice of Jamie to say he’d reach out to the closest tribe. We can meet them at the shipwright to make it easier and to not draw as much attention. The hotel in Ouaricon was not as welcoming of our guests.”
“Yeah… it’ll also let me feel useful while Ayla and Sophia work on the railroad approvals.”
“You’re worried,” Lia said. It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes. Anyone with a brain knows that we deal with the governors. This is the last territory on the coast. It’s a big target, so I worry that we won’t have the amount of time I hope to have. Jamie said it’ll be a week for the boat… that’s going to have to be our cut-off. As soon as the riverboat is ready, we go.”
“What if they’re not done?”
“We’ll play hardball. Right now, they can do what they have, as it’s worked out for us, but if push comes to shove, I will shove.”
“Because you detest having us in danger.”
“What can I say? I’m protective of my loved ones.”
“Nothing to say to that except thank you.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I hope they had a good day, too.”
~*~*~
Ayla and Sophia got back later that evening, meeting up for dinner after washing their hands. Doc went first, catching them up on his day as the food was delivered by the same woman who’d served them breakfast. When she was gone, they focused on eating. While it was good, it was not as good as what Charles had made for them in Furden.
When they’d finished, Ayla cleared her throat. “The governor knows what we’ve been doing. He thinks he holds the cards since we’ve come to him. It’s annoying.”
“It’s worse because Rosa confirmed that he’s just looking to skim off the top of the deal,” Sophia added.
“Most of his wealth has come from swindling the local tribes,” Rosa added. “Because of that, he got a lot of land around the city that he sold for profit.”
“How big a skim is he looking at?” Doc asked. “I’m not above greasing a palm if it moves things along.”
“Right now, too much,” Ayla said. “You said we have a week. We’ll use that to try bringing his bribe down.”
“We might be able to manage it if we can convince him that a fee upfront is better than a skim…” Sophia murmured. “We’ll work on it.”
“Meeting the local tribes will be good,” Rosa said. “I’m glad my sister was preparing them ahead of us.”
“It’s lucky that we met Jamie, too. That’ll make meeting them easier. Rosa, you’re coming with me for the next few days, at least.”
“Luck does favor you, husband,” Lia smirked. “Now, you need to be topped off, and then Rosa. Shall we go bathe, then retire for the evening?”
“Yes,” Ayla said, getting up. “I could use some love after being frustrated all day.”
“Me, too,” Sophia nodded.
“As my wives wish,” Doc smiled as he led them from the room.