It was another three days before Captain Saros's ship, and its passengers, left port. Leila spent the days helping in the kitchen and getting to know the curious locals brought in by Timon and Marya's excursions. Her lap loom was past repair she'd heard, but a master carpenter was willing to try creating a new …
Leila waved Marya off on her errands from behind a small mountain of assorted vegetables. She settled into a rhythm of chopping and scooping, from pile, to board, to pot; soothed by the easy repetition and the quiet, comfortable noises of the kitchen, punctuated by bursts of conversation from the public eating room as the …
Leila woke slowly. She was in a bed, it wasn’t moving. Had the whole thing been a dream? She opened her eyes. No. This bed was much larger than her one in Carra, the whole room was larger, and had a wooden door rather than a curtain. This was Port Watch. There were voices outside …
As Marya compared heights, arm length and other measures, Juanita asked. "What skills have you brought with you? We need to find you a job once you're ready." Marya rushed in. "It's no hurry though, if you're not well, you must rest as much as you need." Leila smiled at her. "It was only five …
Eventually the cart turned under something that blocked the light overhead and the sound of the wheels softened. It eased to a halt this time and her basket jiggled as someone pulled at straps holding the lid in place. Leila blinked up at the Captain's face, peering over the side at her, reassured by the …
The crewman laid her on a bed in one of the passenger berths as the Captain put her bag by her side, in both easy view and reach. Both of them then stood back for another man to approach. His face went from curious frown to fury at the sight of her and Leila tried …
Leila swallowed hard and tried to breathe. There was no other way. She tried to find a smile for the Captain; the woman was risking her ship in doing this, after all. Captain Saros shook her head. “Make no mistake, these next two days are going to be bad. But it’s only two days. Your …
The DNA of Stories 