Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms (43 page)

“You have
something that belongs to us,”
she
breathed into his ear.

The man’s windpipe was
constricted. “I…gcchhhh.”

Lyall appeared in the alley,
looking anxious rather than pleased. “Keris, don’t–”

“You are under
arrest.”
Keris heard a sonorous voice
behind her. She whirled around, still clutching the thief. A
mountain of a man stood head and shoulders above her, clad in a
green uniform, his height accentuated by his tall feathered
hat.
Asoli
.

She released
her hold on the thief and rapidly considered her next action.
According to the edicts of this cockeyed city, the common
pickpocket she had forcibly accosted was a law abiding citizen,
whereas she had just committed a serious crime. She had no doubt
that she could subdue the huge Asoli, even unarmed as she was.
However, the thief would likely get away with their money in the
confusion and if there were other Asoli in the neighbourhood, the
results could be quite unpleasant. She had no idea what the penalty
was for attacking one of the city watch, but she was certain it
would not be trivial. And if Lyall and Shann were
implicated…
curse this wretched
place
.

Shann came running up and came to
a halt just behind Lyall. She looked uncertain.

All of a sudden, the thief
cleared his throat and spoke up. “Is there a problem,
watchkeeper?

The mountain placed a massive
hand on Keris’ shoulder. “This woman is being taken into custody
for violent conduct. You will be asked to testify
accordingly.”

The thief massaged his neck
briefly, then smiled. “You mean…? Oh, I see the source of your
misperception. No, no, there is no violence here. These people
are…my business associates. I asked them to chase me before
securing our deal–I get so little exercise, you know.”

Keris felt as
if her mind was chasing to keep up with what was happening around
her but was still falling behind.
What is
this thief up to?

The Asoli’s eyes narrowed. “You
testify that you are engaged in peaceful commerce?”

The thief drew himself erect. “I
so testify.”

The big man
removed his hand from Keris’ shoulder. “Then you are free to
go.
Keep the peace.
”

“Peace to you
watchkeeper,”
the thief called after the
man’s retreating back. As soon as the Asoli was gone, he pulled a
white kerchief from his blue coat and mopped his olive brow. He had
a narrow face and sharp black eyes. “You people take some real
risks. Don’t you know the commerce laws here in
Sakara?”

It was Lyall who framed the
question on all of their minds. “Excuse me, but…why did you vouch
for us?”

“Because I
recognised you.” The thief turned to his assailant.
“You are Keris, the traitor from
Chalimar.”

~

“You have garnered quite the
reputation: operating as a rogue Keltar, assaulting another Keltar
and half a dozen soldiers, as well as the commander of the garrison
at Gort. They even say you killed your own overseer. Is that
true?”

They were seated in the back room
of the Calandra, where the party had breakfasted only that morning.
The thief was seated at the head of the table. Shann and Lyall were
perched on stools either side. Keris stood by the door, as if
barring the thief’s escape, although the man did not seem in the
least disposed to take flight.

Keris ignored
his question.
“Where is our money?”
she menaced.

“Well, I don’t have that on me
right now. I handed it off, you see,” he waved a hand dismissively.
“We can discuss that later. Right now, I would be most interested
to know what you are doing here in Sakara.”

“Don’t tell him
anything,”
Keris
counselled.

Lyall ignored her. “Why do you
want to know?”

The man leaned forward, as if
settling in to tell a long story. “There are two kinds of traders
in this city. There is the kind whose only concern is making money
here and now. They would sell their own grandmother for a fraction
of an astria and they would not care who was paying. And then there
are others who realise that Sakara is a unique city and that their
livelihoods depend on its continued existence.

“Until recently, the city was a
haven of peaceful commerce under the Guild Heads. However, over the
past few turns, things have changed. The Prophet has spies and
informants everywhere. The Asoli still keep peace in the open city,
but if the Prophet’s men can get a person off the streets, anything
can happen. Every few days it seems, a body turns up, face down in
the harbour. People are afraid that the Guild Master is losing his
grip. There are even persistent rumours that the Keltar might stage
a takeover and place the port under the Prophet’s control. That
would be a disaster for those of us who desire to retain our
freedom.”

“You mean the freedom to rob
others,” Keris accused.

“I mean the freedom to conduct
legal commerce, yes. If you are who you appear to be, then I would
like to offer the services of myself and my associates. If there is
anything you need, I’m sure I can acquire it for you–at a fair
price.”

Lyall looked thoughtful. Keris’
eyes widened. “You can’t seriously be considering doing business
with this individual?”

Lyall regarded her squarely.
“They have a saying here in Sakara–‘it’s not the dealer, it’s the
deal.’ Whether we like it or not, Keris, this is the way this city
works.”

“But…we know nothing about this
person,” Keris protested. “For all we know, he could be in league
with the Prophet himself–sent to lay a trap for us.”

“Patris…I am
called Patris…look, to show my good faith, let me give you some
information and advice–free of charge. Chalimar is stirred up like
a mannatars’ nest. They know of your presence in Sakara, and there
is a sizeable bounty on offer. I know a lot of people who
would
love
to get
their hands on you. They only seem to be interested in the woman
Keris, but I’m sure they would not hesitate to eliminate anyone who
got in their way. My advice would be for you to leave the city as
soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry,” Lyall’s expression
was grave. “Circumstances dictate that we must remain here for the
next few days. Then we will be leaving by ship.”

Patris shrugged. “The choice is
yours. I cannot protect you while you are here–the risk is too
great. I can quietly book passage for you on a ship when you are
ready to depart–for a modest commission.”

“A commission?” Shann
asked.

Patris grinned. “As we say here
in Sakara, ‘the wind and the waves are free; everything else comes
at a price.’ Where is it you are headed?” There was a silence
around the table. Patris held up his hand. “That’s all right. I can
appreciate that you have no reason to trust me.”

“It’s not that exactly,” Lyall
explained. “It’s just that our destination is not on any of the
regular trade routes. We are going to need a ship of our
own.”

The thief raised an eyebrow.
“Charter or purchase?”

Lyall glanced at Shann and Keris.
“Purchase.”

“Size?”

“Small.” Lyall considered. “A
single masted cog should be sufficient.”

“A cog cannot be sailed into a
headwind,” Keris pointed out.

“No, but it can be crewed by a
handful of people. And I don’t intend for us to ‘sail’ into any
headwind, in any case.” He gave Keris a knowing look and she grew
quiet. He turned back to Patris. “It must also be ready for
immediate refit. The details are lodged at the shipwright’s office
where you…encountered us.”

Patris nodded. “I think I know of
a suitable vessel. Is there anything else?”

“Yes,
our money,
” Keris
repeated.

“Why don’t we consider that a
down payment on your requirements, all right?” Patris smiled a
genial smile. Keris’ face was impassive.

“We will also need someone
skilled in seamanship, someone…” Lyall seemed to be weighing his
next word carefully, “…trustworthy.”

Patris burst out laughing.
“That’s a tall order in this town. However, I count seamanship
among my various talents. I would be glad to assist
you.”

“You are
a
sailor
as well
as a thief?” Shann was incredulous.

Patris’ dark eyes flashed.
“Actually in a free port such as this, that’s not uncommon. Many
people here have spent some time at sea as traders or
freebooters.”

“There is one more item we will
need.” Lyall leaned forward. “A quantity of refined lodestone–not
less than five levia weights.”

Patris blew through his teeth and
ran a hand through his brown shoulder length hair. “Difficult. I
presume you know that all lodestone production is strictly
controlled by your Prophet. Even the Guilds here in Sakara are
forbidden to trade in it as a part of their treaty with
Chalimar.”

Keris turned away. “Dealing with
this con artist is a waste of time.”

Lyall looked at her sharply, but
Patris didn’t seem fazed by the insult. “I said it was
difficult–not impossible. When do you need it?”

“Within three days,” Lyall
replied.

“Done.”

Alondo suddenly poked his head
around the door. “You’re back, I see.”

“We are.” Lyall confirmed with an
amused expression. “How are you and Boxx getting on?”

“We have some ideas–not much
progress as yet though. Who is our guest?”

“This is Patris,” Lyall opened
his hand. “He tried to rob us earlier. We are just negotiating with
him for the things we need.”

Alondo appeared nonplussed. “I
see. Well…pleased to meet you. Evening meal will be ready
shortly.”

“Thank you,” Lyall acknowledged.
Alondo disappeared behind the door. Shann suppressed a
giggle.

“He certainly seems an odd
fellow,” Patris observed.

“You think so?” Lyall commented.
“Just wait till you meet Boxx.”

Chapter
28

“This is a
mistake.”
Keris stood toe to toe with
Lyall on the deck of the
Soraya
. Their conversation was
punctuated by sounds of sawing and hammering and the occasional
shouts of the refit crew as they laboured to install lateral and
transverse bulkheads as well as a new bilge keel. The keel would
help their little vessel to stay upright in the turbulent storms.
The bulkheads would give added strength and help prevent
capsizing–or so Lyall hoped. The truth was that despite the
ingenious method he had devised to get them through the Barrier and
the preparations he was making, there was still an excellent chance
that they would all perish in the attempt. That meant that soon,
very soon, he would have to make a difficult decision. He thrust
the thought to the back of his mind for the hundredth time, and
focussed his attention on Keris. “How do you mean?” He had a fair
idea of what she was going to say next.

“I mean dealing
with these…
people
.”

It suited Lyall to play dumb. He
took in his surroundings. The vessel lay in dry dock, nestled in a
maze of scaffolding like a sea monster in a cage. “I don’t know;
the shipwrights seem to be doing a first rate job.”

“Not
them
; I mean the criminals who are meant
to be obtaining our supplies.”

“They are not criminals here in
Sakara,” Lyall corrected her. “They are law abiding
citizens.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Lyall put a hand on her shoulder.
“Believe it or not, I appreciate your caution, Keris. But the
arrangement does seem to be working out well so far. We have our
ship, and work is proceeding apace.”

Keris was steely-eyed. Clearly,
she was not going to be easily put off this time. “This ship looks
pretty old to me. How can you even be sure it’s
seaworthy?”

“Oh, I think that’s the least of
our worries.”

“What makes you say
that?”

Lyall laughed lightly. “Because
Patris is sailing with us. I hardly think he would put to sea in
something that is going to sink as soon as we clear the
harbour.”

Two caulkers in stained aprons
appeared over the gangway, carrying a selection of tools. They
nodded to Lyall and Keris as they passed on their way to the stern
castle. Keris lowered her voice. “Patris doesn’t know where we are
headed, or what we intend to face. When he realises, there is no
way he is going to agree to sail the ship into the Great
Barrier.”

Lyall pursed his lips. “I’ve
thought of that. If all goes to plan, we won’t actually have to
sail the ship through the Barrier. As far as Patris is concerned, I
am arranging to have a covered launch installed. We will let him
disembark and sail back to Sakara. He will be a few days at sea,
but he will be more than adequately compensated.”