Seabound (Seabound Chronicles Book 1) (10 page)

“For the duration
of your stay, you are welcome to use the water taxis to travel between the
ships,” David said. “And the bridges are open to all.”

“What do you do
during storms?” Judith asked. “Don’t they get destroyed?”

“Everything you
see is fully retractable. We hoist up the smaller boats and the platforms and
store the bridges on deck until the worst is over. Occasionally, people who
live on one ship get stuck on another during a storm, but those nights can be
exciting.” He winked at Esther. She stared him down. “Anyway, the ships
separate during storms so they don’t knock into each other.”

“What do you do
for water?” Esther asked with a sidelong glance at Judith. But Judith was
studying the bridges and didn’t stop her from speaking.

“Each ship has its
own desalination system,” David said. “We use the filtration method, as it’s
more energy efficient than the evaporation method.”

“Obviously.”

“We also have a
central filtration system on one of the cargo ships that supplements all of us
and keeps a reserve in case one of the systems goes down.”

“That’s wise,”
Esther said, studying the huge tankers floating in the middle of the other
ships. Crew members worked pulleys and machinery on the decks, and people
dashed back and forth carrying supplies and tools. There were so many of them.

Their boat docked
at one of the floating platforms. Marianna came out of the cabin behind them as
David gestured grandly toward the side of the yacht. Judith climbed down the
ladder first, followed by David.

Esther disembarked
next, taking her time stepping over the side of the boat so she could hear Neal
croak, “Excuse me, Marianna? I . . . I’m Neal. From radio.”

Esther couldn’t
stall long enough to hear Marianna’s response because Eugene was waiting to
take the ladder. When she reached the bottom, the platform bobbed under her
feet. It took a little more time than necessary for Neal and Marianna to make
their way off the yacht. Esther wondered what they were saying to each other.

“This way please.”

David led them to
a lightweight, collapsible gangway that carried them up the side of the huge
cruise ship.

“This is the
Emerald
Galaxy
. It serves as our welcome vessel. The rest of your companions
will be delivered here on the ferries.”

Esther snuck a
peek at Neal and Marianna following behind them on the stairs. They were
whispering in Spanish.

The gangway led to
an entrance lobby that was similar in layout to the
Catalina
’s, but it
was three times the size. A polished wooden reception desk stretched the length
of one wall. Working chandeliers hung from the ceiling, filling the space with
shifting, glittering light. Soft musical notes drifted toward them, but Esther
couldn’t tell where they were coming from. The lobby smelled of wood varnish and
lemon.

David stopped at
the counter to write their names on a roster. “We want to make sure we don’t
lose you. Now, how about a tour?”

Marianna spoke up
for the first time. “If you don’t mind, Hawthorne, I’m going to take Neal over
to the broadcast center on the
Crystal
. . . to show him our satellite
project.”

Neal stared at
her, clearly enraptured by her long, thick hair and honey-colored eyes. She did
have a beautiful voice.

“Of course. I will
take Judith and Esther on a personal tour of our facility.” David waved her
away.

Esther and Judith
exchanged glances. Esther actually felt relieved to have company, even if it
was Judith. She gave Neal a surreptitious thumbs-up as he shuffled down a long
corridor after Marianna.

“The
Emerald
Galaxy
is our most graceful ship,” David said. “The people who live here
take extra care in the beautification of the vessel. As you can see, they’ve
recently refinished the reception area. Let me show you a few of the
restaurants, as they really give you a sense of the style the
Emerald
residents have cultivated.”

He led the way
through the lobby. A grand staircase stretched across one end, reaching up to
the vaulted ceilings. Dozens of people milled up and down the stairs. Everyone
was so clean and elegant, their clothes a multitude of colors. A few of the
women even wore high heels. Esther hadn’t tried on a high-heeled shoe since she
and her sister Naomi had clomped around in her mother’s black pumps when they
played dress-up as children.

Esther wasn’t
accustomed to thinking of people as elegant. That was the word she had been
trying to put to David Hawthorne too when he waved his long hands around languorously
and expounded on the
Emerald
’s
features. He made Esther feel even shorter than she was.

People turned to
look at them as they crossed the large hall and headed for a doorway decorated
in painted gold leaf. They appraised Esther and Judith in their durable jeans
and sturdy, somber shirts. Judith carried herself with a natural, imperious
dignity, but Esther felt like a grubby child tagging along behind her and
David. Esther realized the man from the trade department, Eugene, had
disappeared. She hadn’t had a chance to ask him about the trading arrangements.
It was strange that he hadn’t stayed to hear what they had to offer, especially
because he’d bothered to make the trip on the
Abby Rae
in the first place
.
He hadn’t said a
word.

The name
Salmon Lounge
appeared on a
sign above the entrance to the restaurant. David pushed open gold-leafed doors,
and Esther got a whiff of grilling fish—an all-too-familiar
smell—but there was something else there, something that jogged a memory.

“What’s that
smell?” she whispered to Judith.

Judith rolled her
eyes. “Fish.”

“No, the other
smell.”

“Do you mean the
garlic and butter?” David said over his shoulder.

“Garlic?”

“We’re quite proud
of our gardening program. It took us a long time to collect enough soil.”

Esther felt
light-headed. It smelled so good. She hadn’t eaten or slept very much in the
past few days. She could barely concentrate as David showed them the dark wood
paneling and the fanciful sculptures of glass and shells lining the walls of
the restaurant.

“We salvage the
materials from the sea, but what they’ve done with it is quite lovely.” The
tables were covered in white cloths. A trio of young women sat at a table in
the corner, lingering over cups of coffee, chatting. One, a sharp-faced blond
wearing a violently purple tunic and matching scarf over her hair, narrowed her
eyes at Hawthorne. She slipped a worn notebook off the table and into her lap.

“How do you
allocate duties so that people have time for this?” Judith asked. She pinched
her lips and studied a sea-glass sculpture of a bearded man with a polished
steel trident. Judith was suspicious of anything that didn’t directly
contribute to sustenance and survival. She barely tolerated Bernadette’s
projects.

“People choose to
do what they wish,” David answered. “Naturally, some people are suited to
survival-type jobs, but others find their calling elsewhere, such as the arts.
Each ship has developed its own identity, if you will. If anyone wishes to move
to a new quadrant because they believe they’ll fit in better, they have the
option to do so with the approval of their captain and the captain of the ship
they’re moving to.”

“So the captains
are in charge equally?” Judith asked, hands on her sharp hip bones.

“They form a sort
of republic. We have our founder and head, Captain Ryan of the
Galaxy
Crown
, and the individual captains bring the concerns of their
charges to him.”

“And we’ll be
meeting this Captain Ryan tonight?” Judith asked.

“Oh yes, Ms.
Stone. Although I’m sure Esther doesn’t want to sit in on a meeting with a
bunch of boring old men. She can join the rest of your friends for the
entertainment this evening. You’ll be dining with the captains alone. You don’t
mind, do you, Esther?”

Esther shook her
head. She was relieved, but she didn’t like David’s condescending tone. He
wasn’t
that
much older than her. She
guessed he was thirty-three at most.

In the corner of
the restaurant, the young woman in purple leaned across her coffee cup to
whisper to the waifish brunette who sat opposite her. They shifted their gaze
to Esther. She looked down at her salt-damaged boots, feeling self-conscious.

After leaving the
restaurant, David took them up the staircase toward the main deck. Judith
grilled him about rationing and work orders as they walked. Esther stared,
wide-eyed, at the pristine corridors and elaborate sculptures and
installations. Apart from Bernadette’s murals, the
Catalina
had
abandoned aesthetics for practicality long ago.

They made their
way out to the deck via a passageway lined with polished brass light fixtures.
Outside, the sun sparkled across the whitewashed edges of the ship. The breeze
was light, and the clouds had retreated. Esther slowed and studied the exterior
of the ship.

The
Emerald
had shields reinforcing its vulnerable decks, but where the
Catalina
had
a patchwork of salvaged metals, the
Emerald
’s shield was composed of
large, sleek slabs of steel. She caught up with David and Judith, who had
walked to the railing.

“Where did you get
all this material?”

David glanced at
her. “We salvaged it, just like everyone else who makes their home on the water.”

“But this is
almost enough material to build a new hull,” Esther said. David raised an
eyebrow, and she understood. “You dismantled an entire ship, didn’t you? That’s
why you have so much surplus.”

“We’ve been very
lucky,” David said.

“What happened to
the people on that ship?”

“We were able to
accommodate them elsewhere.”

Esther stepped
closer to him. “Is their water system still intact? What did you do with the
engine?”

David shrugged.
“I’m not the best person to answer those questions.”

Esther was itching
to get down into the engine room and see how they’d made use of the surplus
there, but she was distracted by the panorama that spread before her. From the
deck of the yacht, she’d seen the water taxis and the tankers surrounded by
cruisers, but from up here she could see the full extent of the
Galaxy
Flotilla
. The ring of cruise ships contained not only the tankers but a
patchwork of cargo vessels and a floating dock area with scores of smaller
ships. The water taxis moved in designated lanes, forming patterns across the
water. She counted a total of eight big cruise ships. A row of cargo vessels of
various sizes floated so close together that they looked like one massive
platform stacked with shipping containers. On the opposite side of the tankers,
which had blocked her view when they first arrived, sat a massive supercruiser,
even bigger than the
Emerald
Galaxy
and the
Crystal
Galaxy
.
It was the obvious centerpiece, connecting to three of the ships on the far
side of the flotilla.
Galaxy Crown
was emblazoned across the bow in
six-foot golden letters. All of the activity in the flotilla swirled around
this central point.

“It
is
a
city,” Esther said. “That’s what you’ve done here. How many people live here?”

“About twenty-five
thousand, including the cargo and tanker crews,” David said. “We have the
capacity for more. We always welcome newcomers into our community.”

Judith snorted,
but Esther was quiet.
Twenty-five thousand.
At times, Esther had feared there weren’t that many people left in the entire world,
much less at sea. This could be the change she was looking for. After she fixed
the
Catalina
’s desal system and made sure her home ship was safe, maybe
they’d let her stay here. There had to be a place for her amongst twenty-five
thousand people. If things were going well with Marianna, maybe she’d even have
Neal around for company. Anything was better than being ostracized aboard the
Catalina
.

“There’s the
ferry. It looks like your friends have arrived,” David said, turning away from
the sea. “Ah, and it looks like Captain Ryan has come to greet you too.” He
pointed toward the entrance to the deck.

A large man stood
silhouetted against the entryway. He stepped forward into the sunlight, and his
white hair glimmered like the wings of a gull. He wore crisp trousers and a
simple white collared shirt. He had lines around his eyes and mouth, and there
was something magnetic about his smile. He strode toward them.

“Welcome to the
Galaxy
! I’ve just been informed that we
have visitors to our fair flotilla. I try to greet our guests personally
whenever I can.”

He had a rich
voice that carried all the way across the deck. His expression was benevolent,
like a distinguished grandfather's.

David seemed to
snap to attention. “Sir, may I present Judith Stone, captain of the
Catalina
, and her mechanic, Esther.”