Book 3: Chapter Seven

Someone crashed into Katrin from behind, knocking her against the wooden corner post of a fishmonger’s stall.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, but the man didn’t stop. He stumbled forward, looking back over his shoulder, his eyes searching the crowd. It was Dallo, she realized with a sudden burst of recognition.

Sarette helped her steady herself. “Are you all right?”

“I know him!” Katrin said. What was he running from that had him so scared?

“You do?”

“That’s Dallo! Shavala, remember, the gang leader who tried to turn me into a whore? You met one of his men once, Torse.”

“The one who followed us?” the elven woman asked.

“Yes,” Katrin said. “Come on, I want to see where he’s going.”

The look on Dallo’s face—one of fear—had made her curious. From the time her mother had died until Katrin and her brother Barz had run away to Circle Bay, Dallo had been the only authority that mattered. She’d always been afraid of him before, but, she suddenly realized, that was no longer true. She could protect herself now. Maybe not from everything, but certainly from someone like him. If she could make howling snow beasts fall asleep in the middle of a battle, Dallo wasn’t a threat.

And she wasn’t alone, either. Katrin almost laughed, wondering what Dallo would do when faced with people who could actually fight back.

Shavala and Sarette followed her. Although Ellerie had joined them that morning for their shopping expedition to find clothing more appropriate for the warming weather, she’d left at midday to help Bobo and Boktar look through maps at the library, so it was only the three of them.

They chased after Dallo, dodging through the crowds on the promenade that surrounded the harbor, managing to keep up with him since he couldn’t run and look back at the same time. Whatever he was searching for, he didn’t seem to find it, but it didn’t take long before he caught sight of them. His eyes passed over Katrin without recognition, but when he saw Sarette, he turned and sprinted for the nearest pier.

Katrin ran after him, cursing the heeled boots she’d worn for the day in the city. Before he could get away, though, he ran headfirst into a group of seaborn fishermen untangling a net. He struggled free in a panic, but when he looked back again, it was still Sarette that his gaze settled on. Why would he fear the stormborn woman so much?

He managed to pull his arm out of the net and ran down the pier, which was almost empty. Most of the fishing boats were still out for the day, and only a few remained in dock. Dallo reached the first corner, and Katrin worried she’d lose him in the maze of the docks.

“Dallo!” she shouted. “Jump!” She put all the force of her bardic magic behind it. It had worked before without singing or playing. Maybe it would again.

Instead of taking the corner, he ran right off the end of the pier, landing in the harbor with a splash.

She jogged after him and peered over the edge. He’d grabbed hold of the nearest piling and was trying to climb back up.

“Let go!” she said. His hands slipped off and he fell back into the water. When he tried to paddle farther down the pier, she yelled, “Stay where you are!”

“What are you doing to me?” he cried out, trying to keep his head above water as a wave rolled by. “Who are you?”

Two fishermen were close enough to overhear, sorting their catch on a nearby boat, but they just gave Dallo an odd look and then ignored him.

“You don’t recognize me? I’m Katrin, Barz’s sister.”

He finally seemed to see her. “Katrin!” He sounded almost hopeful. “Help me! Someone’s trying to kill me! I can’t swim!”

“I’m not trying to kill you, you idiot. Not yet. But don’t ever send Torse or anyone else after me again! Or after Barz! We don’t owe you anything.”

“Torse is dead!” he shouted back. He slipped under the water, and when he came back up, his paddling was more frantic. “The seaborn killed him and left him outside the old building!”

Seaborn? Why would Torse have dealings with the seaborn?

“Then I guess he got what was coming to him,” she said. “If you don’t leave us alone, you’ll be next!”

“I will! I’ll leave you alone. Just help me up! Please!”

“Fine. You can get up now.” She turned and left. Without the bardic magic to keep him in the water, he’d probably be able to climb out on his own, but she had no intention of offering him a hand. Shavala and Sarette followed after her.

“I don’t understand,” Sarette said. “This man tried to force you into prostitution? Why does he have any say in it?”

It took Katrin a moment to compose herself. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been during the confrontation. Her stomach was queasy and her legs felt rubbery. “It’s a long story.”

“You said that before, back in Lanport.”

“She tells everyone that,” Shavala said, hiding a grin when Katrin glanced her way. The elven woman was the only one who’d ever heard all the details. Even Corec only knew parts of it.

“I guess I do,” Katrin said. “It started when my mother died and my brother had to find work to support us…”

#

Razai tensed as the three women walked past her, away from the pier, but they’d never seen her Molly disguise before and she didn’t attract their interest. Razai didn’t know the stormborn girl, but she recognized the singer and the wood elf from her time following Corec. Had he and his friends infested the entire city?

After speaking with Corec back at the plaza, she’d spent the next two hours following Dallo. He’d realized early on that someone was after him, but she’d switched back and forth between disguises to throw him off the scent, enjoying the increasingly panicked looks on his face.

Once he’d reached the docks district, though, she’d decided it was time to bring the game to an end. The promenade was too crowded and there was a chance he’d get away from her. She’d just started closing in on him when the three women had suddenly run out ahead of her, apparently chasing after the former gang leader themselves. What was their business with him? Why had he jumped into the water? She hadn’t risked getting close enough to hear what they were saying.

At the end of the pier, Dallo was pulling himself up onto the wooden planking, his hair and clothes dripping with seawater. Razai stalked down the walkway toward him. She assumed her Vash-like disguise as she went, no longer caring if anyone saw the change.

By the time she reached him, he’d made it back up onto the pier and was on his hands and knees, gasping for air. When her shadow crossed in front of him, he looked up at her and his eyes grew wide with recognition. This was the one disguise that he knew very well. He jerked away, but she grabbed him by the hair and slammed her knee into his nose.

He fell onto his side, blood streaming over his upper lip. “No! Please!” he whimpered, then raised his voice and cried out, “Katrin, help me!” Why he thought Corec’s redhead would intervene was a mystery, but in any case, the girl was gone and couldn’t hear his shout.

“Stop your whining,” Razai snapped, using the disguise’s deep, masculine voice. “It’s not like I’m going to kill you right out in the open while everyone’s watching. Besides, it turns out I’m suddenly in need of coin, and there’s a bounty on your head. I guess you’ll get to live a little longer. Stand up!”

Dallo pushed himself to his feet, his eyes darting around. He would almost certainly try to run before they reached the constabulary building, but chasing him down again would be fun. A quick stop at the bounty office, a chat with Renny, and then she just needed to drop by her apartment to pick up her things. She could be out of the city by midnight.

#

Corec rolled over onto his back, still breathing heavily. “Wow. What brought that on?”

Katrin giggled next to him. “I’m just in a good mood.”

“I like this good mood of yours.”

“I went down to the docks this afternoon with Shavala and Sarette, and we ran into Dallo.”

“Dallo?” Corec said, sitting up in concern. “Isn’t that the thief you used to work for?”

“Don’t worry. I’m all right, and he won’t bother me again.”

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“You killed him?”

She burst out laughing. “No, of course not. But I made it clear that Barz and I are done with him. I think I scared him enough to keep him away.”

“Maybe I should have a talk with this fellow anyway,” Corec said. “Make sure he understands.”

Katrin sat up too, letting the sheet slip away from her body. It gave him a nice view. “I took care of it,” she said. “You’ve been protecting me since we met, and I love you for it, but Dallo isn’t a threat; not anymore. I’ll always need your help with the big things, but I wanted to handle this one on my own.”

Corec stared at her, still worried, but she looked completely earnest. He blew out his breath. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“All right, though I’m not sure I like the idea that you got all worked up from talking to another man.”

She giggled again and flopped back down onto the bed. “Then come help me forget all about him.”

“I can do that.”

Someone knocked on the door.

Corec looked over at it, then back down at Katrin. He sighed. Ignoring the smirk on her face, he climbed out of bed and pulled his pants back on. Opening the door, he found Treya standing there, out of breath.

She froze when she saw him. Her gaze dropped to his bare chest, then climbed back up to his face. “Oh! Were you two…?” She blushed.

“It’s fine,” Katrin said. “We can take a break…for now.” She’d pulled the sheets back up over her body.

Treya nodded, then turned back to Corec. “My old roommate, Renny, just sent a message to the chapter house. Her patron wants to meet with us. Varsin Senshall.”

“Varsin?” Corec said. “I know him. What does he want?”

“I think it’s about a ship. I told Renny we were looking for one, and the Senshall Trading Company owns a whole fleet.”

“That’d be great, but why would Varsin involve himself with something like that? He’s got to be a busy man.”

“I suppose he’s doing it as a favor for Renny. I don’t know; I only met him a few times, back when he first contracted with her.”

Corec nodded. He didn’t know Varsin well either.

Katrin said, “Can we even afford passage on a ship?” Still under the covers, she pulled her shift back on over head, then got out of the bed to finish dressing.

“The ship, yes,” Corec said. “If it costs the same as the one we took to Circle Bay. What we can’t afford is everything else—food and lodging for the whole journey, stabling the horses here, buying new ones when we get to Cordaea, all the expenses that’ll come up along the way. Even if we use up the last of Ellerie’s money and take advantage of Shavala’s offer, we don’t have anywhere near enough.”

Shavala had been saving her money, doing all of the group’s hunting and most of the foraging as her contribution. Adding in the amount she’d earned from the bounties for the drake and the demons, and her share of the coin they’d taken from the dead red-eyes, she’d amassed a decent sum.

“We should at least hear them out,” Treya said. “Even if we can’t afford it yet.”

“True, and I’ve worked for Senshall before. Our biggest problem has been that we’re worried about finding work in Cordaea because we don’t speak the language, but Varsin might actually be able to point us to some jobs. I don’t know what their operations over there are like, but there’s got to be something.”

“Renny made it sound like they’ve got a big presence in Cordaea; they’ve even got caravans that run from the ports to the inner kingdoms.”

“That would be perfect,” Corec said with a grin. “If they hire three or four of us as caravan guards to Bancyra, we’d earn enough to support the rest. It’d be slow going, but it solves a big part of our problem. When does Varsin want to meet?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Let’s go find Ellerie, then, and make some plans.”

“Hey!” Katrin exclaimed. “You and I already have plans.”

He winked at her. “I need some time to catch my breath.”

She rolled her eyes, but followed after the two of them.

#

At the Senshall Trading Company’s main office, the duty agent led Ellerie and her companions into an inner room where an attractive young human woman in an elegant dress stood next to a distinguished-looking man who was somewhat older. Ellerie had never been good at judging human ages.

Treya stepped to the center of the room to make introductions. “Ellerie, Corec, this is Sister Renny Senshall of the Three Orders, and her patron, Varsin Senshall, of the Senshall Trading Company.”

Varsin spoke to Corec. “House Tarwen of Larso, right? I never forget a face.”

“That’s me.” The two men clasped forearms.

“I see you didn’t return to us after all,” Varsin said, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile.

“I’d intended to, but some things came up. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to work together again in the future.” Corec spoke with an authoritative note in his voice, a tone Ellerie had rarely heard from him. He gave her a quick nod and she stepped forward.

Addressing both Varsin and Renny, she said, “Thank you for your invitation, though I must confess, we’re not entirely certain what it’s in regard to.” She’d asked Treya not to include her title in the introductions, but following Corec’s lead, she projected confidence in her words. She’d learned that much in Terevas—people with power or wealth responded better to their own kind.

“Did you find a ship?” Treya asked Renny.

The girl opened her mouth, but then bit her lip and turned to Varsin, waiting for him to speak.

“We could talk about a ship,” the man said, “but I’m more interested in discussing your expedition to Tir Yadar. I’m a student of history myself, and I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of the Ancients’ civilization.”

Renny beamed at Treya. “I told you I could help!”

“Renny, what’s this about?” Treya asked.

“She informed me of an opportunity,” Varsin said. “I asked you here to see if we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

“What did you have in mind?” Ellerie found herself saying. If he could offer them a way to Tir Yadar that wouldn’t require any further delays, she was willing to listen.

“Senshall Trading Company has a four-masted galleon designed for speed, the Peregrine. She hauls lighter loads of goods that are either perishable or too expensive to risk pirate attacks, and she’s outfitted for taking passengers. My brother Burton uses the ship himself when he needs to visit Cordaea, and she can reach Nysa in less than four weeks. I understand that’s where you’re headed?”

“It is,” she replied, but didn’t add more. Varsin had already said he wanted to discuss more than just the ship, and she wanted to hear his full offer before accepting any part of it.

“And you’re looking for investments before you can launch the expedition?” He looked back and forth between her and Corec, apparently unsure who was in charge.

Ellerie was about to tell him they were looking for employment instead, but then hesitated. She and Corec had discussed different options, but Varsin’s offer might be better than what Corec had suggested asking for.

“That depends on the investment,” she said.

Varsin grinned. “As it turns out, I’m looking for a new venture to participate in. I recently made a gamble to redirect iron shipments to Larso. It was profitable, but only in the short term. Unfortunately, King Marten is already scaling back his purchases. I’m looking to take my share of those profits and put them into something that’ll make more of an impression.”

“Why this?” Corec asked him bluntly. “We’re not exactly expecting to make a profit ourselves.”

“It’s Tir Yadar,” Varsin replied. “The location alone might be worth enough to pay for the expedition, and if you find it, Senshall’s name would be known around the world. Anything beyond that would be a bonus.”

“But only if we find it,” Ellerie said. “We have a good lead, but there’s no guarantee. And I can’t imagine that news of Tir Yadar would make its way to very many people.” She didn’t want to scare him off, but she didn’t want to seem too eager, either.

“Ahh, but they’d be the right people, especially if I put the word out myself. Besides, the investment isn’t very large compared to the potential gain, and the risk wouldn’t solely be on me. My brother Burton will insist on participating in exchange for allowing us to use the Peregrine, and, of course, Renny should be part of it.”

“I’d like to help,” Renny said. “Treya, I know you don’t want me to lose my money, but if I’m not the only one, then it’s not as big of a risk.”

“What terms are you looking for?” Corec asked Varsin.

“How large of an investment do you need?” the other man countered.

Ellerie said, “I don’t think we can answer that yet. We still need to find a translator, and I don’t know how much things cost in Cordaea, or how long the trip will take.”

“I can help with that. We would of course need to send along our own representatives, and I’d like to include my factor, Marco. He’s an expert at appraising antiquities, and he was stationed in Nysa for twelve years. He speaks both Nysan and Doravi.”

“I have someone in mind as well,” Renny said. “She can handle herself in a fight, and she’s good at dealing with unusual situations. I’ve worked with her before.”

Ellerie said, “We need to have some idea of the terms before we can discuss this any further.” She’d had a sudden flash of anxiety when Varsin suggested sending his own people. If she wasn’t careful, the trading company would end up taking over her search.

Varsin nodded. “Once we know more of the details, we can negotiate the specifics for the contract, but as a starting point, let’s say this. Any revenue is first applied to paying back the investments. Beyond that amount, it’s divided into a number of shares. Investors receive two shares. Your charter members who accompany the expedition will receive one share plus expenses in exchange for their services, but no wages. Our representatives will receive wages plus a much smaller share.”

“The money isn’t an equal contribution,” Ellerie pointed out. “I know how to find Tir Yadar, and you don’t. If the expedition doesn’t make a profit, it sounds like you want my friends to work for free.”

Varsin shrugged. “I’m not opposed to changing the distribution—two shares for your knowledge, perhaps. As for your friends, it’s a gamble. A share of unknown value, or a much smaller share plus regular pay? My understanding from Renny is that you’re talking about a large group, so that dilutes the value of each share. On the other hand, if we pay wages to every member of the expedition, it’ll drastically increase our costs. We’d likely need at least two more investors. That would also dilute the value of each share, and would make it much less likely that there’d be any profit at all.”

“There are eight of us,” Corec said, “plus one more that we promised wages to. I’m not necessarily opposed to working for expenses, as long as it’s clear that any money made outside Tir Yadar is separate.”

“Are you sure?” Ellerie asked him. He was risking going a long time without pay.

“I wasn’t expecting to earn any coin on this trip anyway. If food and lodging is covered, we’re ahead of where we were.”

She glanced at Treya, who shrugged. “I’d need to think about it more,” the other woman said.

Ellerie nodded, then faced Varsin. “I’d want first rights for any written works about Tir Yadar or the expedition itself.” She thought of Bobo. “Me and one other person.”

Varsin looked at her curiously. “I’m not sure what that means. You want to write a book?”

“Yes, and I’d want my story out first before anyone else’s. I’ve been searching for Tir Yadar for a long time.”

“I don’t see a problem with that, as long as anything you say about Senshall’s role is true, and provided I can correspond with others about it.”

“Letters are fine. As for the book, I’d give you appropriate credit, but I’m not going to write about your company for you. How many other people would you plan on sending?” Hopefully she could limit the number of Senshall employees.

“Marco, plus Renny’s friend. Burton will want one of his own men to accompany you—perhaps one of his local caravan guards to serve as a guide. For a group this big, you’ll want a quartermaster, a cook, perhaps someone to handle the horses. Do you need guardsmen?”

Corec said, “No, and we have a quartermaster already. Nedley can take care of the animals. That’ll give him something to do to earn his pay.”

“Do you mean Boktar for the quartermaster?” Ellerie asked.

He nodded.

“All right, but he’s been helping me search for Tir Yadar for years. He should have a full share, plus draw quartermaster pay.” Maybe she could finally pay Boktar back for all the support he’d given her over the years.

“We can work out the specifics once we have more information,” Varsin said. “I’ll bring in Burton and Marco, and have them find the maps you asked for. Have you decided on a route yet?”

“No, and we need to talk to our friends before we make any deals.”

“Of course, but let’s discuss a few more details first, while you’re here.”