“Seems like the only town in these parts. Everyone from miles around must come here,” Ray said as he looked around.
Breeze followed a procession of hovers as they streamed toward an empty field next to the harbor. One by one, they touched down and lined themselves in rows. Breeze glided in and extended the landing gear as the hover touched down with a thump.
“Landing gear? Why not just stay in hover mode?” Ray said.
Breeze tapped the dashboard screen displaying electrical charge levels. “Power. I’m trying to conserve as much energy as we can. Don’t know what kind of fuel they have around here.”
“I’m guessing it’s the same we’re using. Most of the hovers seem to be similar to ours,” Ray said.
Breeze nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Remember though, we need enough to get out of town and back to the ship. Let’s spare what we can.”
They climbed out. Breeze grabbed an oversized backpack filled with odd pieces of junk from the ship he scrounged up before they left and held it up for the others to see. “Stuff we can barter with. Now let’s go see what we can find around here.”
They walked past row after row of hovers until they reached an avenue that led into town. Sally pulled her jacket around her tightly as she sidled up between Ray and Breeze. “Guys, we definitely stand out around here. Look how different everyone is dressed.”
Ray chuckled. “Leave it to a girl to notice fashion.”
Sally punched him on the shoulder.
“No, she’s right,” Breeze said and nodded towards a group approaching them dressed in heavy clothing with thick work boots and belts containing pouches and implements attached to them, along with hats that covered the back and sides of the head.
“We’re still wearing clothes from the island with jackets that have military logos on them. Yeah, we definitely stand out,” Breeze said as he tugged on his jacket and buttoned it up. “Just don’t make any eye contact.”
“You seem to know your way around these sorts of places,” Sally said.
“Yeah, well, you should see some of the towns my father and I used to go to collect scrap. The settlements of the desert can be rough.”
“That’s no way for a kid to be raised.”
Breeze stopped in his tracks. “Sally, not everyone grows up living a happy shiny life. My father had to do what was needed to provide for us. I didn’t grow up in a big, fancy house with parents who spoiled—” he stopped as she looked down sheepishly and crossed her arms. He sighed with exasperation. “Look, I’m sorry. I—”
“No, you’re right, I shouldn’t have said that—”
“Sally, let me finish, okay?” He touched her face and her eyes immediately lit up. “We’re all hurting right now. I guess you could say our team has taken quite a beating lately. But we’re going to be all right. Let’s just finish up here and head back to the ship.”
“Good idea guys. You’re attracting a crowd,” Ray said as he pushed the two of them forward.
Breeze glanced around and saw some of the townspeople were staring at them and a few were pointing in their direction.
“Follow me,” Breeze commanded as he grabbed Sally’s hand and walked briskly up the avenue. They turned onto the first available side street and hurried past several storefronts until they came across an alley and ducked into it.
Leaning against a wall and breathing a sigh of relief, Breeze pointed at Ray and Sally. “Guys, these clothes have to go.”
“What do you mean? We should buy new clothes?” Ray said.
“Yep,” Breeze responded as he pointed across the street at the opposite alleyway.
They looked over and saw a long line of vendors selling clothing as well as various wares and other items. “What better way to blend in but to buy some cheap rags to wear,” Breeze said as he pushed off the wall and walked out of the alley. He stopped in the middle of the street and turned when he realized the others weren’t following.
“How do we pay for these clothes? With scrap metal?” Ray asked.
Breeze shook his head and pointed at Sally.
“Me? Sell me? What’s the matter with you!” she hissed at him with her hands on her hips.
“Come on Sally, really? We’ll sell your jewelry! You’re always walking around with bracelets and rings of all shapes and sizes. Can you part with just one?”
She touched her wrists and fiddled with the bracelets that adorned them. “But, I’ve had these for so long.”
“Sally, I’m sure they mean a lot to you. But we’re a team, right? Help out here, just one item, that’s all. They’ve probably never seen anything like it around here, so who knows how much stuff we can get with it.”
Ray leaned over to her. “Are you okay with this?”
She nodded as she slipped off a bracelet and walked up to Breeze. They stood together in the middle of the street as she handed it to him. “You know best. But can we buy something…nice?”
Breeze laughed. “We’re in a dumpy, out-of-the-way town, but your fashion sense never leaves you. That’s what I love about you.” He pocketed the bracelet and nodded. “Come on, you two.”
They followed him into the opposite alley and plunged into a mass of humanity that jostled and pushed about. On either side were booths and stalls selling items ranging from food to tools, jewelry and live animals along with clothing and weapons.
Sally gripped the back of Breeze’s jacket as Ray followed closely behind when they came to a stop at a stall manned by a giant of a woman. She stood up from the overturned bucket she was sitting on and towered over them as a scowl flashed across her face. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at each of them. “Not from Appalachia,” she declared.
Sally smiled sweetly. “No ma’am. We’re actually—”
”—visiting from the North Eastern Territories. Just passing through, wanted to sample some of the local merchants in the area before heading back. We’re looking into the possibility of establishing trade in the area,” Breeze finished for her.
The woman’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Liars.”
“And we have this beautiful silver bracelet to barter with,” Breeze said as he held up Sally’s bracelet to her.
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened into a gleaming smile full of silver capped teeth. “Welcome! Please, enter my store and browse at your leisure, for you are obviously tired travelers merely seeking respite while searching for local treasures to sample before taking some home to show family and friends,” she finished in a dramatic whisper.
“I take it you like silver?” Ray said.
She smiled again and her teeth were like rows of miniature mirrors. “Very,” she said and finished with a flourish by raising her hand above her head in a circular motion.
“Let me close my store, for I do not wish for you to be disturbed,” she announced and pulled down the curtains that hung above the entrance. She turned to face them, only to whip around and shove someone trying to get in. “Shoo, shoo. Go away. High class clientele only!” She turned to them again and flashed another silvery smile. “Now then, who do we start off with?” she said as she clapped her hands and rubbed them together.
Breeze pointed at Sally and let out a sly grin. “She’s the one who wanted to come here.”
“Perfect! Oh, I love to play dress up. My little girl is about twice your size. No, make that three. But no matter! We’ll find something here for you. Come, come.” She waved at Sally to follow her. “What is your name, dearie?”
“Sally. Sally Trumbull,” she answered meekly.
“Sally? Oh, what a pretty name! My name is Matilda. Matilda Brunhilda. Come now, let’s see what clothes we have in your size. Oh, you’re a tiny little thing, like a little frog. No matter!” She grabbed Sally by the hand and led her to the rear of the store.
Sally lo
oked back at them with a mixture of fear and anger as she muttered loudly “like a frog?”
Breeze smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
“Are you sure about this?” Ray said.
Breeze clapped him on the back. “Relax, these merchants are more interested in show business and theater than just selling. It gives them a chance to have some fun. Wait until the haggling begins, that’s when things get really interesting.”
They browsed the store and found a few articles of clothing to their liking as they picked out pants and thick shirts along with jackets, boots, gloves and hats.
Minutes later there was a bustle at the back of the store and then Matilda came streaming toward them with her hands held high in the air. “Gentleman! It gives me the greatest of pleasure to introduce to you the new, and some would argue vastly improved, Sally Trumbull!”
Sally slowly emerged from behind a beaded curtain and walked up the aisle.
Matilda clapped her hands. “Oh, what a vision she is. Oh, yes!”
Sally came to a stop and looked down at her clothes, then glared at Breeze. She was wearing a heavy jacket with pockets across the front and sides, coarse pants with a belt and oversized buckle with combat boots clumped to her feet.
Matilda nodded her head vigorously as she pressed both hands across her ample bosom. “Yes, yes. So good. I do believe we have accomplished what we set out to do.”
“Make me look hideous?” Sally said.
“Oh, no, my dear. Help you blend in,” Matilda said as she leaned toward her and winked.
Sally started to respond, but the giant woman gyrated quickly to face Ray and Breeze. “How about my two strapping lads. What did you find?”
Both of them were holding a pile of clothing as Matilda nodded and smiled. “Yes, good choices. Now, run along to the fitting rooms. After all, you do want to wear what you’re going to buy,” she said and pointed to the back of the store. The boys obeyed without a word of protest.
She turned back to Sally. “Now, how do accessorize? We need something dazzling!” she said with a high falsetto voice and a wave of her hands.
“I couldn’t imagine,” Sally groaned.
Later, the boys emerged from the fitting rooms dressed in their new clothes and walked up to the counter. Breeze adjusted the sleeve of his new coat which he wore over his jacket, briefly revealing his nav-compass. Matilda’s eyes widened.
“Well Matilda, we thank you for your help, but we have to get moving, we have a busy day today,” Breeze said, and pulled out Sally’s silver bracelet. “I do believe this should more than cover our purchase.”
Matilda turned away and placed the back of a hand across her temple as her other hand waved at Breeze. “Oh, no. No, no. You come to my humble, out of the way store and honor me with your presence, you fine upscale travelers from Nor’ east. You purchase my rags, these....these worthless assemblies of thread, and then you try to overcompensate me with such a fine piece of silver. No! I will not take it as payment for I fear you will return to your territory and tell all the fine folk that you wine and dine with about how you traveled to Appalachia and were taken, no, robbed, by that horrible woman, Matilda Brunhilda. You will spread the word to one all, ‘Don’t go to Appalachia! Don’t go to Mount Pleasant! And if you do, avoid at all costs, that awful Matilda Brunhilda!’ ” she finished with a harsh whisper then threw herself onto the counter top and sobbed loudly.
Ray and Sally stood with mouths agape, then watched as Breeze held up the silver bracelet toward Matilda.
Breeze quickly winked at his teammates, and then turned his attention back to the sobbing giant of a woman.
“Matilda, we meant no such offense. What else can we take from your fine establishment to equal the value of this shiny, silver bracelet,” Breeze said.
Matilda looked up and her sobbing ceased instantaneously. “I wish for you to take my advice,” she said with a sniffle as she wiped her face in the most ladylike fashion she could muster.
Breeze’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes, yes. You must go and see the fights tonight at Hammer Jack’s. Yes, that is where everyone goes. Such a fine establishment,” she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Her eyelids fluttered as she placed a hand on her chest.
“Any particular reason why?” Sally asked.
Matilda pretended not to hear her as she looked at Breeze while leaning over the counter. “Go early to guarantee yourself a good seat, but stay till the end. Yes. Achilles. That is the one you want to see. What a spectacular warrior!” she sang out in a high, falsetto voice, then smiled at Breeze as she swiftly snatched the bracelet from his hand. She turned it over and over in her hands and giggled, then dropped it down her blouse where it nestled between her massive bosoms before opening the register on the counter top. She rummaged through it and produced a handful of smaller, silver coins. “Here’s your change dear. Thank you for your patronage.”
Breeze took the coins. He opened his jacket beneath his new coat and placed them in an inner pocket.
Matilda smiled. “Smart lad putting them inside your jacket. Wise. One must protect the coin of the realm from pickpockets and thieves!” She then came out from behind her counter and herded them to the entrance. “Now it’s time for you to finish your busy day before the evening arrives.”
They spilled out into the alley as Matilda raised the curtains up. She clasped her hands and smiled as the trio walked away.
“Good bye, my sweets, do come again. Oh, I should have you all come by to meet my daughter sometime. You would get along just famously together, oh, yes.” And without another word she plopped down on her overturned bucket as a scowl quickly replaced her smile.
They walked to the end of the alley and onto the street when Sally blurted out, “what just happened?”
Breeze chuckled. “That was bartering, with a lot of drama thrown in.”
“Where did you learn to talk like that? I’ve never seen you so….confident.” She smiled.
“Well, like I told Ray while you were busy getting glamorous with Matilda, I spent a lot of time with my father bartering for scrap. Whether it was dealing with merchants who came to our yard, or traveling to the outlying towns and settlements, you learn quickly how to deal with a lot of the characters you run across.”
“It’s really amazing how different our lives were growing up,” she said
“Yeah, Sally, I know.” Breeze looked over at Ray. “How are you holding up?”
“Okay, I guess. Still trying to forget the image of the giant woman throwing herself onto a countertop and having a tantrum.” He shivered at the thought.
“Yep, get used to it,” Breeze said as he nodded toward the street, “we’re about to see more of it.”
They spent the rest of the day and into the early evening walking in and out of various merchants’ shops and scrap dealers searching for parts to repair the scout ship. Time and again they would leave empty handed, never finding a single vendor who had what they needed.
The sun had long gone down as evening took its place. They walked the darkened streets while merchants were closing their shops and streetlights were flickering alive.
Sally plopped down on a bench in front of a closed shop as the light from the sign above her glowed with a purple haze. “So what now?”
“I say we head back to the ship, this place looks like it gets weird at night,” Ray said.
“We got nothing to worry about. You can always blast anyone who tries to hurt us with your pyrotechnics,” Breeze quipped.
“Not funny. Do you really think it’s wise to use our powers here?” Ray said.
Breeze shrugged. “In case you didn’t notice, I think you’re free to be as weird as you want to be in this town. No one really seems to care.”
“I agree with Ray. It’s getting dark and we should hea
d back,” Sally said as she got up and stood next Ray. She took his hand and leaned her head against his shoulder.
Breeze sighed. “Come on you two, don’t be so quick to give up. Remember what Matilda said—”
“I’m still trying to forget her,” Sally cut in.
“Whatever. Look, she said go to Hammer Jack’s to see the fights and stay until the end to see a fighter named Achilles. Knowing people like Matilda, I’m sure there’s a good reason why she insisted we see him, but we got to get there early. Let’s go!”
“You want to go and see boxing? Now? In a town like this? I don’t think so,” Ray said and pulled Sally by the hand. As they walked away, Sally looked back at Breeze with pleading eyes.
“Come on you two, stop, just hear me out on this,” Breeze said and jogged to catch up to them. “Listen, I know everything seems strange and weird. But there is a reason she dropped that hint on us. We’ve got to follow up on it.”
“So that’s it then? A hint from a weird lady and you want to trust her?” Ray said.
“It’s gut instinct. We’re both pilots, so you understand. Sometimes you just have to go with it. Sometimes it’s all you got.”
Ray stared at him.
Breeze pressed on. “Look, we come from different backgrounds. Yours is strict military and by the book. Mine, well, by the seat of the pants and living on the edge, but c’mon, Ray, what else have we got? We go back to the ship, and then what? Drain what little power we have while we’re not sure if Oslo is going to show up?”
“What did that creature show you in the ravine? How come we didn’t see it? You’ve been different ever since,” Sally blurted out.
Breeze stepped back. “It’s no big deal, I’ll tell you guys later. Please, let’s just go and see the fights?”
“No,” Sally said and crossed her arms, “you tell us what you saw, and maybe we’ll go.”
“For the record, I don’t care,” Ray announced.
Breeze shrugged, and then turned to Sally. “You walk with me to this Hammer Jack’s place and I’ll tell you.”
Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter Page 36