“You mean Eve, right?”
“Yes.”
“I guess that’s what they mean when they say ’a good soldier is an efficient one’.. she’s right to be up so early, she can’t afford to stay here too long.”
Eve was from a fallen line of nobles, but had bounced back to become a top-tier merchant. In Lenos, the town of fur and lumber, she had trapped Lawrence in order to take part in a trade war involving fur. She had even gone as far as sinking a ship to block her rivals heading down the river.
With her wisdom, cunning, and courage, she should be fine. But dallying in this town was a huge risk; she might end up losing the war. As such she had to leave as soon as possible, taking her furs to the next town. Though the townspeople were waking up, it was too late for Eve.
“Did she tell you where I ought to go to find her?”
“Um.. she said she would wait for you downstairs.”
“I see..”
She had much to do, so she must have another reason to return. What immediately came to mind was that she hoped Lawrence wouldn’t reveal the truth about the sunken ship.
“Alright. Have you had breakfast?”
“Huh? Um, yes.”
Lawrence wasn’t quite as sharp as Holo, but being a merchant it was easy enough for him to detect such a lie. He poked Cole in the forehead and handed him a sack containing bread.
The boy had an interesting reason to attend school and learn Church Law. He wished to use the Churches’ own laws to defend non-Church villages against them. His mannerisms, however, were more like one of their flock than one of their opponents.
He took the bag with a puzzled look on his face, but Lawrence pretended not to notice and turned back to Holo. He told her he would be heading out, and Holo’s ears moved as if to reply. He had expected her to faint after smelling the ointment, but apparently she hadn’t.
Lawrence was growing accustomed to the smell. The warmth he felt on his face told him that the ointment was working.. perhaps Holo, being a Wisewolf, could feel it even more keenly. As he rose from her bed, she uttered a few words.
“If you lose, I shan’t help.”
His thoughts had been right on the money. He turned to face Cole, who had taken out two small loaves of bread. There were some loaves with walnuts in the sack, but he had only taken the plain ones. Lawrence truly hoped that Holo would learn from his humble example.
“Wanna come with me?”
He was asking if Cole would like to join him to meet with Eve. After hesitating for a while, the boy nodded.
What Lawrence sought was the bony forepaw of a wolf deity like Holo. It had apparently belonged to the god of a village near Cole’s hometown. Since Cole wanted to know if it was real, he had asked Holo and Lawrence to take him with them.
Because of this, Cole would probably want to hear what Eve had to say. But Lawrence felt that Cole would shrink away and not come along if he didn’t ask the boy directly. He was just a kid, but he seemed to have a lot of worries. Perhaps his bond with Holo was formed because she had an air about her that cleared one’s mind of worldly concerns.
“Then eat quickly.”
Lawrence was about to leave, so Cole stuffed the bread into his mouth.
“Yesh.. yesh..”
Seeing this, Lawrence continued.
“And I expect to see a look of satisfaction on that face afterward.”
The boy might seem to have the manners of a well-educated student, but he ate as if he was wild. Perhaps it was a consequence of the harsh journey he had undertaken. Right now, his face was swollen like a hamster’s. He seemed to grasp Lawrence’s meaning and swallowed the bread with a smile before replying.
“The Church taught us to keep our mouths closed while eating.”
“Indeed, that’s a good way to hide how well they’re really eating.”
Lawrence closed the door behind them after they stepped out. Cole following him like a faithful apprentice.
“The bread was delicious.”
He smiled sweetly as he said this.. quite a clever kid.
* * *
The inn’s ground floor was a restaurant. Breakfast was a luxury that only travelers would partake in. As such, everyone at a table right now was well-dressed and ready for travel. Eve was still wearing the same traveling clothes she wore at night, so she fit in with the rest of them. But what made Lawrence feel self-conscious was even with the scarf over her face, Eve was still pinching her nose.
“What a stench!”
The innkeeper glared disapprovingly at Lawrence. Other guests seemed too surprised to be angry.. they just stared at Lawrence. He had grown accustomed to the smell, and Cole clearly didn’t mind from the start. For travelers from so many places, who had smelled many scents, to react this way proved how malodorous it really was.
Lawrence sat on the chair opposite of Eve. What she then said surprised him.
“Well well.. it has been a long time since I smelled that. You should recover by nightfall.”
The ointment-treated side of face of his face had been struck by the hilt of a cleaver, by none other than Eve herself. Now she was having fun at his expense.
“This bright kid got it for me.”
Lawrence pointed at Cole while saying so in an exaggerated tone.
“What? From Roef?”
Eve looked at Cole and then closed her eyes. Lawrence wasn’t sure what she was thinking.
“I know the lay of the land from here to Roef. That must be why you chased me down. I have no idea how you did it, but you’re damn fast.”
She then squinted. One of the quirks of merchants was their ability to let bygones be bygones as soon as profit became a possibility.. even if they had just fought for their lives. Once a deal was formed, emotional baggage was discarded. Despite their struggle at Lenos, Lawrence and Eve were speaking like old friends.
“Last night, I saw something surprising that I don’t see very often. I thought I’d lapsed in my judgment when I’d entered into our contract.”
Lawrence was often befuddled by Holo’s train of thought.. she was always changing topics. But he had an understanding of Eve’s ways. There was a feeling in their heart akin to love. Merchants were always excited to get to know each other.
“Indeed, what I want is your knowledge.. since there is no contract between us.”
He was pointing out that his target wasn’t Eve’s fur. She nodded and rose from her chair.
“Let’s change venues.. you’ll be despised by the guests and innkeeper if we stay here.”
She seemed to enjoy making sport of him. But this really wasn’t a joking matter, so Lawrence and Cole followed her.
“So.. how’s your companion?”
Outside the inn was a narrow road.. well, it was more appropriate to call it a wide alley. Gerube was separated by the river into a north and south district. Lawrence’s inn was in the north, along with a few rather lovely buildings.
By comparison the market by the river was crowded, but the alleys and shanties around that market seemed destitute. It might be that the government had loose policies, or might even be powerless, given how varied the heights of the buildings were.
Seeing the town’s state it was more likely they were powerless. He considered this as they followed Eve’s march away from the market.
“My companion was tired by our trip, and has ointment all over her body. As such she’s resting in bed.”
“Well..”
Eve turned to look at Cole. Lawrence caught sight of a smile under her scarf.
“She should recover quite soon.”
Lawrence could tell that she meant to add, “unfortunately for the rest of us.” But Cole didn’t seem to catch it, and proudly smiled.
“Well, then I’m lucky she’s out of commission.. actually, you’re probably the lucky one.”
“I agree.”
Lawrence shrugged his shoulders as he responded. He had no chance to talk with Eve last night – Holo was simply too angry.
“In any case, one who gets angry for your sake is precious. You should treasure her.”
“She’s only angry because her property was damaged.. it’s not really for my sake.”
It was Eve’s turn to shrug.
A woman hauling a basket of winter vegetables on her back passed by them. Their darker leaves, compared to those on summer vegetables, made them feel colder in a way. They might not be suitable for pickling or being eaten raw, but they should be delicious in a soup.
“If you were indeed her property, then she would be within her rights to demand compensation.. but in that moment all that was in her mind was vengeance.”
Eve’s light blue eyes were tinged with loneliness.
She had been purchased by a merchant in order to buy himself into her family, for their name. What would that man, who bought mastery over her, demand for compensation if she had been hurt?
Just thinking this made Lawrence feel as though he had wounded Eve. He regretted speaking so carelessly moments ago.
“Oh ho.. by making you feel guilty and sympathetic, this discussion should tilt in my favor.”
Eve snapped him back to reality. Tears and seduction were invaluable tools for trade. No matter how careful one was, they would still fall into such traps. Lawrence scratched his head while smiling. Of course he did so for a reason.
“But then why would you openly tell me so?”
He asked her with a mischievous tone while looking at Cole, who seemed to be thinking hard.
“I’m willing to expose my traps so you’ll not be suspicious of me.”
“Right.. so that I’ll fall into a more dangerous trap..”
If Eve removed her scarf there would surely be a malicious smirk underneath. Lawrence could see why Holo would call her a fox.. such a merchant was too wolf-like for the Wisewolf to want to admit any similarities between them.
“We’re here.”
“Where’s here?”
Lawrence stopped and Cole ran into his back. He was probably obsessing over what the lessons he had just been taught. Lawrence was reminded of doing the same thing when he was an apprentice.. it made him feel closer to the boy.
“Here is my base of operations in Gerube. My office-without-a-sign. You do understand, don’t you?”
Compared with the other buildings, this one had black blotches on it’s walls and a roof that looked ready to collapse. In fact, only it’s stone base seemed solid. Cole swallowed, obviously nervous about Eve’s joke. Lawrence could tell from the marks on it’s walls that it was destined for demolition.. this was just some office that had been closed.
“Don’t joke around with him.”
Lawrence voiced his disapproval as Eve pushed open a door, and Cole uttered a surprised “ah..” It seemed the boy finally realized he was being too slow. Eve turned back, but not to see the look on Cole’s face.
“Because he’s your beloved apprentice?”
“Alas, no. He is not my apprentice, he isn’t even a merchant. I just don’t want him to grow up to be an awkward person.”
Eve laughed her usual hearty laugh in response.
“Ha, ha, ha! You’re right! We merchants truly are awkward.”
The two awkward merchants paid no attention to the pouting boy, and walked into the building. Lawrence then turned around, at which point Cole angrily followed them inside. Lawrence smiled and sighed. If Cole became a merchant, it might rob him of his uncommonly honest nature.
* * *
Eve served them a drink made of a mixture of goat milk butter and mead – though Cole’s had honey instead of mead. Lawrence had a craving for his usual bitter rye bread; the butter was just that rich.
“Arold’s still on his way, right?”
Lawrence had been hit by the silence as they entered the living room. The only noises were the crackling charcoal flame of the fireplace and the bubbling of the boiling goat’s milk. If anyone else was in the building they were being silent as a mouse.
“He should be here by evening.. want some?”
Eve offered a slice of wheat bread with the skin skimmed off the boiling goat’s milk. If they added some pickled herring, it would surely be delicious.
“After eating this, our traveling food will seem poor.”
“True.. but eating good food would only be more expensive. And that’s what we merchants care about, am I right?”
Eve said that intentionally to get Cole’s attention. He looked up at her in surprise, then turned to Lawrence with a puzzled expression.
“Some people were just made to be loved.”
Eve smiled as she watched Cole’s face. She then removed her scarf and revealed her own face to him.
“It seems there might be some motherly traits deep down inside me somewhere.”
She smiled and laughed at herself. She was a bit depressing, but she was quite a beauty. Lawrence always felt that women were better-suited to be merchants. Just flaunting her feminine side would surprise others and leave men at a loss on how to compete.
“So, what is it you want from me?”
Cole was nibbling at the bread, not stuffing it down his face as he had with his breakfast. Gazing at him, Eve got down to business.
“Something I should never ask.”
“You mean about that company along the Roam river that’s looking for holy relics of pagan gods? Or do they even call them holy.. anyway, that’s what you wanted to ask, isn’t it?”
Lawrence nodded. Eve seemed puzzled. She took another sip of goat’s milk.
“The rumor seems legitimate. After someone spread it around the Roam river, a lot of people involved in illegal trades grew interested.”
“And the truth is?”
A child’s cry was heard off in the distance.. the sound of children crying was more common than hearing birds chirp.
“Nothing interesting. They didn’t find anything. The rumor died off as quickly as it spread, like a bargaining chip on a table.”
Eve didn’t seem to be lying, nor did she have any reason to. But there are no waves without wind..
“The rumor began in a company in Lisco village along Roef, a stream of those mountains. Is that correct?”
That company was the one that traded copper coins with D’Jean Company in Gerube.. a strange set of trades where the number of coins received wasn’t the same as the number of coins sent. Lawrence was still unclear as to why.. Cole seemed to notice this as he happily continued to eat. But Lawrence wasn’t in a rush to figure that out, so he kept quiet. He’d be unsatisfied if he didn’t work it out for himself.
“Yes. The Diva Company. Remember that name! They own the mining rights to the hills around Lisco. This is a fantastic era for them.”
“Are D’Jean’s their main trading partner here?”
“Hmm.. I wonder how you know that? It seems like you’ve wasted a lot of time investigating this.”
Eve dunked her bread into the goat’s milk and took a big bite. As he watched her, Lawrence felt it would have been alright if he brought Holo along with him. With such tasty food, Holo would surely be placated.
“The Diva Company in Lisco, the Lenos Church we got messed up with over the furs, and D’Jean Company here in Gerube.. they’re the group that manages the flow of copper goods. But the Church were just middlemen collecting taxes from two companies who weren’t on friendly terms.. and both of those companies should benefit.”
“Why?”
Eve smiled mischievously at his absent-minded question.
”Sorry.. I don’t mean anything malicious.”
She closed her eyes and put a finger against her lips, as if to apologize for smiling. She then opened one eye and turned it on Lawrence.
“But as I recall, you’re quite the wary merchant.. why would you put so much stock in this joke of a rumor?”
Merchants usually knew the answer before they asked a question. Eve calmly and happily smiled.
“As you’ve seen, my partner’s from the north.”
As he answered, Eve’s face seemed to be saying “I see.” She looked down into her cup.
“So you’re being irrational for the sake of that lovely companion of yours.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
He didn’t want to admit it, but he also wasn’t going to end the conversation. Eve’s eyes betrayed a genuine smile. She didn’t press the issue.
“Right, and the god’s paw that people worshiped was involved in a transaction that isn’t tolerable. Regardless, I’ve another question for you.”
Her pose hadn’t changed, but now her eyes were directed at Lawrence rather than the cup. Such a happy stare from a merchant meant they had found a weakness in their opponent, something they could leverage to extort a lower price.
“You’re a merchant who exchanges goods and money.. does that make you a friend or enemy of your companion? To be blunt, do you represent good.. or evil?”
Cole inched back in surprise. It was true that Lawrence’s motivation was profit. And as a merchant he was used to solving all problems with money. That was no different from those who wanted to buy and use the relic, the bones of a god.
All merchants were the same. Their money was their skeleton key. If the rumor was real, once Lawrence learned where the bones were he would use a merchant’s tactics to acquire them.
How would that appear to Cole and Holo? Without a doubt, Lawrence planned to use his merchant skills.. would that make him their friend or foe? Was purchasing the bones right or wrong?
He licked the milk off his lips before answering.
“Buying goods is in itself not an evil act. But using money to buy anything but goods could be.”
“Meaning?”
“If I bought the bones for power or prestige, or to buy my companion’s happiness, she may look down on me with contempt. Money is just a tool to purchase things. It’s evil to use it otherwise. It would be like a woodsman using an ax not to cut wood, but people. I’m sure my partner will understand.”
Eve squinted, her smile spreading. Merchants used money to solve problems; they were always being challenged to consider the morality of their behavior. But credibility was the most important thing to a merchant. Their answers to such challenges determined their quality, their morality.
Spice & Wolf VIII (DWT) Page 2