Gold & Glory

by M. H. Johnson

  Halence grinned. "To be honest Sorn, it sounds like the policies of a very powerful state. One that can afford to have such honorable policies points to a state that is savvy enough to know the importance of keeping on its neighbor's good side, as well as powerful enough to keep its promises. Indeed, all states like an honest neighbor. A good reputation can help a lot at the treaty table, from what I understand. Indeed, you could serve as a buffer between several neighboring territories, and all would have an interest in your continuance, as you would, in a sense, protect them from each other. Furthermore, neighbors would know that if they waged war against you, it would be all too easy for you to find a willing ally, as said ally would know you were a people of your word. Thus, whether said ally gouged you or no, or whether they simply left their own borders weakened helping to beat back and eventually grab land from your enemy, they would know they could count on you to fulfill your promises and not stab them in the back.

  Halence smiled. "Again, it sounds like the code of a very savvy nation, and a powerful one as well. For make no mistake, you need a position of some strength to always be able to meet your obligations. Of course, such an attitude can help a nation become stronger in its own right, as it indicates that a lot of internal cooperation is the norm. Indeed, Sorn, I would say that peace treaties aside, this state of yours had a lot of the necessary groundwork for turning itself into, if not an empire, at least the head of a united group of territories. I could be wrong, of course, but nonetheless I must say that the only state I have heard of that has this ironclad mentality, not just policy-wise but individual codes of honor, is far to the south of here. It is a small but powerful monarchy made up of a number of islands. The people are uniformly olive complected with almond shaped eyes, and few speak our tongue.

  The discerning gaze Halence favored him with left Sorn feeling just a bit self-conscious. "You, dear Sorn, look very much like the majority of the natives of York, albeit more handsome than most, and your accent is flawless. I do note, however, a slight olive cast to your complexion. I must say, Sorn, that I have not seen any city-states or kingdoms in the north that held contractual obligations as such an important point of honor that it shaped their personal code of conduct. I would very much like to meet these people of yours, Sorn, as I am always on the lookout for new markets, especially ones where honesty is thought of highly, and obligations are always honored. If I may ask, Sorn, what 'clan' are you from?"

  Sorn smiled, noting that even Jesere's quill pen had ceased its scratching, she too perhaps curious as to the origins of these youths before her. It was a reflective Sorn who answered Halence's question a moment or two later. "That would be very difficult to explain, good captain. Let us just say that I have always wanted to travel, and I was given a very unusual opportunity to do so. As to my clan? They live very, very far from here, and I seriously doubt that you would have ever encountered them. And as for my accent or lack thereof, I have benefited from a number of excellent teachers, natives to the Casroth Sea, no less." That these tutors in question had been everyday citizens of the northern states who were, in fact, completely unaware that they were being viewed via scrying devices by beings from an alien world, was one of those little details Sorn felt it best to gloss over.

  Halence appraised Sorn thoughtfully before giving him a slight nod. "As you will, Sorn. We all have a right to our privacy, and in truth, it is nice to have so honest a trading partner."

  "If you don't mind me asking, what do you think is the greatest risk that you will be facing out there?" Sorn queried.

  Halence gave Sorn a quizzical look, thinking perhaps that the answer would be obvious. He glanced for a moment at the three other lads, well built and graceful, with the faces of young princes free of blemish. Perhaps he found it eerie, the way they shared the exact same countenance, like looking at mirror images.

  "Well, Sorn, put simply, it is the risk that a warship might actually sink me. I know I have one of the fastest ships on the Casroth Sea, but there is always the chance they will have a cutter able to take me. And although a cutter has far fewer men than a standard warship, they are likely well-trained and battle-hardened, and if we are successfully boarded, we will have a definite battle on our hands. Still, I train my men well, and it is our lives at stake, so the outcome is uncertain at best. Obviously, a pitched battle is something I will try exceedingly hard to avoid. Also, Sorn, for all that Jesere thinks me a complete fool, I may just judge it not worth the risk, once I get out there. It could well be that their cutters are dispersed evenly enough that even though I could outrun them in a race from point A to B, they could still intercept me if they were blocking point B, so to speak. It is always easier to intercept your target if you know where they are going than it is to chase them from their rear. If, however, they are far enough apart, and best yet, if I can spot the blockade before they spot me and sail through it at night, then I will judge it a risk worth taking."

  "Thank you, Halence," Sorn nodded. "That was about what I had thought, but given my lack of experience, I wanted to make sure that I understood the situation."

  Halence nodded his approval. "It's always wise to make sure you understand the risks inherent in any venture before you put down your coin."

  Sorn then turned his gaze to a quietly waiting Jesere. "May I take a look?" Sorn queried, and with a small smile, Jesere handed the contract over. Sorn quickly read through it, able to decipher the fancy script without any problem, and nodded to himself in satisfaction as he read over the points of greatest interest to him. It was as he had thought. "And by cargo owners, that would be my cousins and I, and we would all sign it under owners at the bottom?" Jesere nodded at Sorn's query. "Good. Well, Captain, let me awaken my cousins, and we shall sign and be off."

  It was shortly thereafter that a sleepy looking trio rubbed their eyes and yawned, though after some irritated grumbling, were all too happy to sign the contract.

  "Ah, yes. Time for another sea…" Hanz's happy declaration was shushed midspeech by Sorn as Halence finished signing his name as the ship owner. "What did you do that for Sorn?" queried a slightly peeved Hanz. "All I was saying was that now we get to go sailing to Caverenoc! Who knows? Maybe we'll see some pirates!"

  "They're not pirates, Fitz," Sorn said exasperatedly, noting Halence's look of surprise and irritation as well as Jesere's alarm. "They are the ships of some enemy empire growing in the south trying to blockade Caverenoc in preparation for laying siege to their city and starving them out."

  "But they're the bad guys, right Sorn? So what's the difference?" a curious Lieberman queried.

  Sorn shrugged. "To tell you the truth, Lieberman, not much of one from what I gather, save that they might be better fighters."

  "Oh boy, a fight! Who knows, maybe they'll get 'ahead' of themselves if I don't manage to ‘disarm’ them!" Hanz said, to which all three of the triplets burst out laughing. Jesere and Halence looked on in alarm.

  "Yes, Captain," Sorn said to an increasingly displeased looking Halence as he went on. "I would not have put it exactly the way my cousins did, but we are going with you to Caverenoc."

  At this point, Halence abruptly raised his hand and cut Sorn off. "Lad, I'm sorry, but this is where I draw the line." Jesere's look of concerned concurrence showed that here, at least, she and Halence were in complete accord. "Look, I give you credit, kid. I've enjoyed the verbal fencing, and it was nice to see the way you outmaneuvered that whining captain. Heck, you even turned the tables on me, getting me to agree to a profit share that will net you a lot more than the seven royals I thought I had tied you to. You're already a better trader than some I could mention. But I draw the line at sailing into dangerous waters with children. Be honest, son, you can't be older than what, fifteen? And your cousins are younger still, hardly more than boys. In truth, you'll be underfoot as like as not if you try to help us, and if we actually have to fend off boarders, you're likely to be little more than a hindrance or quick fodder for enemy soldiers at best, des
pite your pretty swords. You don't even have your man's growth yet, lad. If nothing else, think of your cousins!”

  Sorn's mild countenance suddenly shifted to one of cold resolve. "Look at the contract, Captain. As we had agreed, it was to be a standard contract. Standard contracts, as you and I both know, stipulate as a matter of course that in all cases where more than one-fifth of the cargo was owned by a third party, or wherein a third party has a vested interest of a royal or more in the cargo, then that third party is allowed to accompany the ship as a matter of course and to oversee the sale thereof, including insisting upon said cargo being sold as witnessed by a reputable factor to assure integrity of sale. Furthermore, it states that suitable quarters and sustenance shall be provided to the best of the captain's ability. I did not know the exact wording before now, but Lord Canterbier had already informed me that it was not uncommon for cargo owners to accompany the vessel in question and oversee the sale of their cargo."

  Sorn's voice became increasingly forceful as he continued. "This contract which we both willingly signed, good sir, makes that ironclad. And before you imply that I in any way acted less than fairly, remember that this is a standard contract according to the ways and laws of your people. The only thing you have against our accompaniment, I suspect, is our age. Would you rather have a fat drunken middle-aged merchant who spends the entire time puking in his cabin from seasickness? Your argument against us going in regards to our ages is flawed. How can you dispute our worth as fellow voyagers simply because we don't appear to be as fit as, say, you or your men, yet you would make no argument against an older trader accompanying you who would be as likely to die of a heart attack as anything else during battle! Who knows, Captain. Despite our age, you might just find us useful in a fight!"

  Sorn's tone then became slightly conciliatory, taking on a note of reassurance. "Please understand, Captain Halence, in no way do we question your honor as a trader. I expect that you will treat us fairly, of that I have no doubt. We are not accompanying you to look over your shoulder while you get the best price for our grain. Our reasons are otherwise. Nonetheless, they are our reasons, and will ye or nil ye, we are going."

  While Halence was momentarily speechless, looking both exasperated and caught off guard, Jesere took a deep breath and spoke. "Forgive me, Sorn, but as your factor representing your best interests, I would strongly advise against accompanying Halence on this voyage. He was not exaggerating. He really will be risking his life on this one." Her bitter tone as she said this last part surprised Sorn. Pausing for a moment, she continued. "You have already maneuvered adroitly enough to secure a profit over four times the seven gold that you would have accrued had we settled for selling the grain directly to Captain Halence, provided he successfully reaches Caverenoc at all. Furthermore, you were able to do this with absolutely no risk to your person, the same of which cannot be said for Halence. Your accompanying him will do little, I fear, to deter capture, yet if you were intercepted, your lives could well be forfeit. You have already indicated that you believe Halence to be a man of integrity, and trust him to give you your fair share of profits. Thus, as I see it, there is no logical reason for you to accompany him on this trade run. You would be risking your lives for absolutely no reason. I can only say that I find this foolish in the extreme."

  Jesere's increasingly nervous gaze abruptly broke away from Sorn's, after rushing through her words.

  "Your concerns are noted," Sorn finally said. "And they are appreciated as well. Nonetheless, we are going."

  "Captain," Sorn said, his eyes still locked upon Jesere. "What time did you want to leave?"

  "If you are such a fool that you wish to risk your necks with me running a blockade when there is no call for you to do so, then on your own heads so be it," Halence coldly replied. "Your contract certainly gives you that right. But please be so kind as to tell your cousins that this is no lark. And should trouble occur, I expect them to listen and follow my instructions. On the sea, there is no higher authority than the captain. So when I give a command, I expect you all to listen. Do I make myself clear?"

  The cousins, smiling, gave Sorn a look before replying. "Yes, Captain. Should trouble occur, we are to listen to whatever you say."

  Halence gave them all a cool look before an exasperated harrumph. "Well then, since you're dead set on coming along, you might as well accompany me while I get the ship loaded." Halence then exchanged a look with Jesere.

  "Halence…" she began.

  "There is nothing I can do, Jesere. They maneuvered themselves into this coming hellstorm quite nicely. Should the worst happen, all we can do is console ourselves that we did the best we could to keep them out of it." Halence smiled wryly. "The burdens of being too clever at too young an age, I suppose. But they are right, Jesere. It is a time-honored part of contract law, and we would be breaking our word and honor both, should we dispute it."

  "Halence… tonight?"

  "Yes, Jesere, tonight." Halence then gave Jesere a warm smile. Her face, framed by blond curls, looked soft in the flickering firelight. Soft and sad, Sorn thought. "Come on, lads, let's get to the docks." And with a final glance at Jesere, Halence immediately made his way out to the docks.

  "Come on, guys, and don't forget your swords!" Sorn said as he went over to the table and rolled up his copy of the contract. "Thank you, Jesere, and if I seemed at all overly… firm, I apologize."

  Jesere gave Sorn a sad little smile. "It's all right, Sorn. Just know that I wish you all luck. You could well die out there, you know, if Halence can't run the blockade successfully."

  Sorn only smiled at that. "Oh, I don't think my cousins are too worried. I'm sure that between the three of them, they could handle any number of pirates, at least according to them, anyway."

  "Be careful, Sorn," Jesere said with a final smile. "You're intelligent as well as handsome, and someday I'm sure you will find someone very special to you. For their sake, I hope you keep their love for you firmly in mind before you do anything quite this foolish in the future. Otherwise, should you lose your gamble, yours will not be the only life that will suffer for it. Farewell."

  With a final solemn nod of his head, Sorn led his cousins, sword sheaths now firmly in place, out of the factor's house to an impatiently waiting Halence who then proceeded at a pace near running straight to the docks.

  10

  Quickly the five weaved their way past carriages and people, all hurrying to one place or another, woolen cloaks tightly pressed to ward off the damp chill that had settled over the pier. So hurried was Halence's pace, that if Sorn didn't know better, he would think the man was trying to lose them.

  When they finally made their way to the docks proper, Sorn couldn't help but be impressed by the tall masted ship Halence led them to. Sorn knew nothing about boats, but even he could tell by the graceful contours that the ship was made for speed. It had a majesty to it, a presence and sleekness of curves, that made nearby ships look awkward, clumsy, and ill-constructed in comparison. Its sails, too, arched above those of neighboring ships. And the mast, Sorn could tell, had been braced with care to withstand the wind all the better.

  Of particular interest to Sorn was the faint aura of power about the ship. There was the gentle caress of arcane energies over the hull entire that implied that this ship could sail in seas that twisted in depth and breadth far beyond the one it presently floated upon. It was almost as if the ship was buoyed by currents fay as well as mundane. Yet it was a very faint shimmer, as if it was a presence that touched the ship but lightly, or lay dormant. Sorn couldn't tell which, or whether it had any visible effect on the ship at all.

  Sorn and his cousins quietly watched Halence supervising the loading of the hulls with their grain, enjoying the bustle of the crowd as well as the atmosphere around the docks despite its sharp aroma of tar and spoiled fish.

  Sorn, for one, was most definitely enjoying this whole experience, getting a sense of what trade really entailed. He liked knowledge for
its own sake, but he also knew that this practical knowledge would aid him one day in future ventures, particularly should he ever get a ship of his own.

  "Your ship appears a fast one, Captain Halence. Dare I say it, she looks the fastest and sleekest ship I've ever seen," Sorn said during a moment of calm in the cargo loading.

  Captain Halence couldn't help smiling at the compliment, his warm brown eyes proudly looking over his ship with a fatherly gaze. "That she is, lad, that she is. Tell you the truth, I don't think this run is quite as risky as dear Jesere made out, though it will be plenty dangerous enough, mark my words. This girl is probably the fastest trade ship on these seas." Halence's gaze turned reflective, and he seemed for a moment lost in thought. "You know, I've raced her a couple of times. Made a fair bit of coin at it too. Can't do that at this port, of course, though I certainly could have used the coin."

  "Why's that? Is there a regulation against boat races at this port?" Sorn asked.

  "Nothing like that," Halence said with a smile. "It's just that I won by such a wide margin last time that people thought it uncanny! They cheered my ship, of course, but all the same, no one will now bet against her." Halence laughed abruptly. "Oh well, the price of fame, I suppose. Now if you will excuse me, lad, I have to finish overseeing the cargo loading. Why don't you and your cousins head by the Three Pigs Inn for some supper? It's a pretty civilized establishment two blocks up, and is where many travelers who are not sailors head for some dinner and a bed after coming to shore. Their food is good, and they don't stint on the shares. I will be heading there myself, once I am finished here.