by Brian Keller
They only had to wait a couple minutes, then a hatch opened and a bald man climbed out. He turned, knelt down and reached a hand through the hatch. With a grunt he helped the old man Cooper had spoken with up through the hatch to stand beside him. The old man then pointed at Cooper and said something that Cooper couldn’t hear. As the bald man approached Cooper realized he wasn’t just bald, he’d been burned. Most of his head was covered in burn scars and where he wasn’t, he still wasn’t growing any hair. As he got closer, he asked in a raspy voice, “You have a message for me?” Cooper tried to make it look like he wasn’t staring, and tried to make his voice sound conversational, “If you’re the captain of the Sundancer, then yes, sir.” The man seemed to grow in size, “Well who else would I be?!” Cooper held out the tube like it was a shield, “No offense intended, sir. It’s just that we were told to give this to the captain, and none other.” The scarred man snatched it from his grasp, pulled out the parchment and scanned the lines written upon it. He seemed to read it as if it were written in plain language then looked down at Cooper and recited, “If strong winds are with us.” The man stepped back and swept an arm in welcome, “Come aboard. No reason for us to converse with you standing on the gangway.” Cooper barely took a step before Kolrem was pushing him up to the rail. Cooper grasped it firmly as he growled behind him, “If I fall, I’m dragging you with me.” This brought a rousing laugh from the captain, which caused a few of the crew men to cease their labors and look. This response was not missed by the captain, who turned to face the center of the boat, “Back to work or no one’s leaving this ship tonight! Get me!?” Kolrem was almost over the rail and stopped. Once he’d realized the man wasn’t yelling at him, he resumed boarding. The captain turned back to the boys, “I’m Captain Rigel. Yes, I’m hideous. This boat was attacked by pirates and they flung jugs of heated oil just before boarding.” He waved a hand in front of his face. “I can’t explain how I managed to stay in the fight. I guess the oil was to stop us from using fire against them, or something. We repelled them and when it was over I was the senior crewman of five survivors, so I became the Captain by default. That was over eight years ago now.” He paused then continued, “I know, you didn’t ask, but everyone always wants to know. Better I tell you and get it out of the way and you won’t have to harass the crew trying to get the story.” Cooper could appreciate the efficiency and common sense of it. Cooper asked, “Sir, when do you plan to set sail for Paleros?” Without pause, Captain Rigel replied, “Four, maybe six days. It depends on how quickly the cargo arrives. Once it arrives, we’ll load it and sail immediately. We’ll start loading foodstuffs and supplies in two days. I’m giving these louts a couple days in port for some drunkenness and debauchery.” He then raised his voice to a shout, “That is, if this useless bunch of lay-abouts can get this tub ship-shape by morning!” The crew men from all over the boat called back, “Aye, aye, sir!” Cooper looked all around him. Everyone was busy and all seemed to know their tasks. He turned back to Captain Rigel, “Sir, we still have business in town. In four days’ time, would we be able to board and remain below deck until you leave port?” Captain Rigel studied Cooper intently, “I don’t know you, but I’m pretty sure I know enough about you. Will you be bringing trouble aboard my ship?” Cooper shook his head, “I don’t think so, sir.” The scarred man issued something between a grunt and a chuckle, “Well, I s’pose that’s a fair answer. You can’t ever really know about that, can you? All right, I’ll expect you in four days. I’ll let the crew know so’s they won’t pitch you over the side.” Kolrem spoke for the first time since boarding, “Thank you, sir.” Captain Rigel gave Kolrem a nod and Cooper added, “I hope we’ll have a chance to speak again, sir.” The Captain gave him a nod as well, and then turned his attention to the crew men and began barking orders.
They returned to the room that Eryn had rented to find a scrap of paper on the table. It read, “Bringing back some food. Stay here.” The boys spent a little time repacking so that when the contract was done they could run in quick, pull out their clothes for a quick change, then close everything up and hustle out to board the ship. The only things they’d take with them to the targets house was a spare change of servant clothes, some toiletries, and a small blade or two that they could conceal. They had only put their feet up for a couple minutes when Eryn returned with the customary bread, meat and cheese. As she began slicing off pieces of each she asked, “So, you boys figure out your way home?” Kolrem was already at the table, inspecting her handiwork, “Yes, ma’am. I believe we have. Four days?” She nodded, “That sounds about right. If I can’t make a suitable opportunity to complete the contract in four days, then I need to find a new line of work anyway.”
Notice of their interview didn’t come until mid-morning the next day. Cooper and Kolrem had started to become a little fidgety. They’d considered sparring once or twice but Eryn assured them that the floors wouldn’t support them. She added, “It’ll be bad enough having city watch keeping an eye out for someone matching our descriptions without having an irate landlord pursuing me for repair costs as well.” They waited.
As soon as they were summoned for their interview, Eryn took a rough cloth and began scrubbing at Kolrem’s chin. “Just enough to redden the skin and make it look roughened for a couple days.” Then she took a small pebble, about the size of a pea, and put it in Cooper’s left shoe, “This’ll give you a slight limp, or at least it’ll remind you to limp.” She then made an effort to wet and smooth out Cooper’s mop of hair. She gave up after a minute, “Hopeless.”, she said, under her breath. She pulled on her apron, straightened her bonnet and announced, “All right. Let’s go.”
Chapter 28
The interview went very much as Eryn had described it would. The boys stood back against the wall, trying to remain as immobile as they could. The pebble in Cooper’s shoe would sometimes become unbearable, causing him to shift slightly. This usually didn’t draw anyone’s attention, but on a couple of occasions, it had. The wife of the Honorable Merton Haneli hadn’t introduced herself, but when she turned to look in response to Cooper changing position, Miss Eryn apologized for him, “Please forgive him, ma’am. He was run down in the street by a runaway horse and carriage a few years ago. Almost killed him. Maybe you recall hearing about it?” The wife sniffed the air in disinterest, “I do not.” She paused for less than a second, “He is housebroken, isn’t he? He understands commands?” Cooper dropped his head to look down at his shoes, hoping that he appeared ashamed. He didn’t want anyone to see what was actually glittering in his eyes. Eryn assured her, “Oh yes, ma’am. He’s a hard worker. He helps me every day.” Then Eryn lowered her voice and took on a little of a conspiratorial tone, “And if you don’t mind me saying, ma’am, better to teach him to work than to leave him messing about on his own.” With a few more words and a gesture or two, Eryn had the interview back on course. They were hired and would begin immediately. Cooper had been taking in every word. Kalistos and Rhychevel shared the same language but certain words were pronounced with a different inflection, and there were also several unfamiliar words which Cooper suspected were of Lukasi or Caldori origin.
Once in the house, Cooper felt like he was never without eyes on him. Eryn had told him to stumble from time to time but no more than two or three times a day, and never drop or break anything. Cooper soon answered to the call of “clumsy boy”. Kolrem couldn’t resist teasing him in a hushed voice as they curled up on their pallets at night.
They’d learned that the name of the lady of the house was Madelaine. She treated the staff like an intolerable inconvenience rather than people hired to make her life more pleasant. The only person on her house staff that she seemed to even remotely approve of was the butler, and Cooper suspected that was because the butler was the only person that treated the rest of the staff worse than she did. Between her and the butler, Cooper often wondered whether they really had to abide by the contract and limit themselves to a single killi
ng.
Eryn impressed everyone with her carving skills. A point that Mister Haneli commented about on their first day, “This is very nice. It’s been a few months since I’ve been served bread that was cleanly sliced without being crushed!” Eryn ducked her head and actually managed to blush a little. The daughter, age seven and full of questions, asked, “How do you do that?” Eryn tilted her head towards the girl and whispered, “A properly sharp knife is the key, miss.” Then she seemed to catch herself and looked down at the table, “Beggin’ your pardon, sir.. ma’am.” Eryn gave a little curtsy as she stepped away from the table. Madelaine replied, “That’s quite all right. Emma asked you a question. You are expected to answer.” Madelaine then turned to Emma, “No more questions, Emma. Attend to your breakfast. The servants have work to do.” Merton and Madelaine’s other children kept any thoughts to themselves and the table quickly became silent except for the clicking of silverware on plates. The couple had four children and only one of them was a boy. At first, Cooper felt a little sorry for Tomas, since the boy was twelve years old and only had sisters. His sympathy didn’t last long. The boy seemed to take pleasure in tucking himself away in obscure corners of the house, messing things up and then leaving them for someone to find. Invariably, it fell to Cooper or Kolrem to clean up. Most occasions, while one of them was tidying up after the brat, Tomas would come check on their progress before going off in search of a new corner to despoil.
By the second day, Eryn had already worked herself into helping plan the meals. Eryn had been hired primarily as a server, but that was with the understanding that the kitchen staff would require assistance as well. A few days ago, while they’d been rehearsing, Eryn had mentioned that many cooks jealously guarded their control of the kitchen. This cook actually seemed relieved to have the additional assistance. On the third day, Eryn sent Kolrem to the market with a shopping list and some money. Cooper wanted to go along but Kolrem nudged him with an elbow to the ribs, “You’d just slow me down, clumsy boy.” Cooper replied, “Slow you down? Do you even know where the market is, genius?” Kolrem chuckled as he shook his head, “Not really, but you sure know how to ruin a good exit.” A few hours later, Kolrem returned with several packages under his arms. He handed them off to Eryn, who examined the contents. She made a clucking noise with her tongue as she went through each item from her list. Once complete she looked at the boys and nodded, telling them, “Tomorrow night.” The cook chose that moment to enter the kitchen, “What’s tomorrow night?” Without missing a beat, Eryn replied, “Kebabs. This meat needs to marinate tonight, then it’ll cook slow starting just before lunch, then it’ll all be ready for dinner tomorrow night.” The cook laughed, “Sounds like I can take the day off tomorrow!” A faint hint of jealousy and suspicion had found its way into her voice. Eryn quickly replied, “Not on yer life! We’ve got way too much to do here. I’m not doin’ yer job too! I agreed I might plan out one or two meals a week, just to help out, but don’t you count on more than that!” That seemed to be all the assurance the cook needed, and she set about her work with an air of satisfaction.
That night, Eryn quietly gave the boys their specific instructions. Cooper wondered at the savage simplicity of it, but then he already knew that the simplest solutions were usually the best.
The next morning, the boys went about their day the same as they had done, except for the few minor variations needed to set the stage for the evening meal. Cooper collected the serving set from the sideboard in the dining room and set about polishing it to a high shine. He only had a few pieces left to polish when Emma entered the room. She watched him for a less than a minute before she told him, “The butler counts all those pieces every night. If any are missing, I’ll tell him to look for you.” She wrinkled her nose at him. He supposed she might just be attempting to be playful, but most likely she was learning to follow her mother’s example. He simply replied, “Of course, miss.” He finished with the final piece, counted out enough utensils for setting the table and replaced the remainder back into the sideboard. Apparently he was boring, Emma left the room before he did.
Eryn had told them, “The regularity and mediocrity of your routine is your goal if you’re playing the role of a servant. If your tasks are tedious, unexciting or downright unpleasant, then you’ll be left alone to perform them.” Cooper had to admit, for the most part, she was absolutely right. Cooper filled the rest of his day with tedious and unexciting activities. There were so few things left to be done.
The family was seated at the table. The staff had been informed that there would only need to be five places set at the table rather than the customary six. Their fifteen year old daughter, making her the eldest child, had returned to school after being home for a few days. This left Merton, Madelaine, Tomas, Emma, and Janice for dinner.
Cooper and Kolrem had just started clearing the nearly emptied salad bowls from the table as Eryn wheeled in a domed cart that held the main course. Kolrem quickly deposited the bowls he’d collected and was hurrying over to retrieve a water pitcher to top off glasses. Cooper was slowly making his way to the back of the room to drop off the bowls he was carrying. Once Eryn was alongside the table and had unveiled the main course, Cooper kept his eyes on Eryn. Merton Haneli smiled his approval as the scent of the succulent meal reached his nostrils. Eryn placed one of the kebabs on his plate and smoothly removed the skewer. From the back of the room there was a resounding crash and clatter. Cooper had stumbled and brought down the entire tray of salad bowls. His face held an expression of shock and dread as he took in the sight of what he’d done. He looked up at Madelaine with a face filled with fear, he made a face as if to speak but no words came except, “Ma’am...I-” Madelaine had stood, glaring at him. She screeched, “You truly are the clumsiest, most useless boy that I have ever had in this house. This will be coming out of your auntie’s pay!” She turned to where Eryn was serving the meal, except Eryn wasn’t there. Instead, Merton was face down on his plate with the handle of a skewer sticking out of his ear. Madelaine screamed and ran beside him. She looked around the room as she tried to raise him up. Both Cooper and Kolrem were gone now as well.
As the boys walked quickly along the streets, Kolrem started chuckling. More than ten steps later he was still chuckling and Cooper had to wonder if his classmate had finally “gone ‘round the bend”. He asked, “What’s so funny?” Kolrem took a breath, “Do you suppose Tomas will be told to clean up your mess this time.” Cooper replied, “Hmph, not likely. Besides, Eryn left plenty else for them to be worried about besides some cracked pottery.” Kolrem stopped chuckling but the grin stayed on his face, “You were brilliant, clumsy boy! Your facial expressions…! Mister Ysel and Miss Eiler would be so proud.” Cooper remembered a useful bit of wisdom imparted to him a couple years ago when he was a Batter’s Field kid. Cooper told Kolrem, “Plenty of time for cheers and congratulations once we’ve gotten back to Paleros. Let’s just get to the ship.” They continued the rest of the distance to the rented upstairs flat without conversation. Late evening turned to dusk as they crossed town. Once they’d stepped inside the building, Kolrem tapped into his Talent and sped up the stairs. By the time Cooper entered the room, Kolrem was already pulling on his normal pants. His shoes and servant britches were in a small pile off to one side. The boys changed clothes in silence and in a few minutes they had their bundles slung over their shoulders and were headed for the docks. Cooper couldn’t help feeling better now that he had blades strapped low across his back again.
Chapter 29
The boys stopped at the rail of the ship. Cooper called out, “Ahoy!” and was immediately ‘shushed’ from the shadowed doorway that led below decks. A crew man stepped out and looked them over, “Two boys. Yep. Come aboard.” The man turned, opened the door and called out into the area beyond, “First mate! Passengers aboard!”
The old man met them at the bottom of the steps, “Comin’ in under the cover of darkness, are ye?” Cooper replied, “It just work
ed out that way, sir.” The old first mate jerked a thumb behind him, “Your berth is the door on the left. Mine’s on the right. Capn’s is the middle one. Don’t you be makin’ a mistake and go through the wrong door.” The boys assured him they wouldn’t and made their way in the direction they’d been pointed.
It was a small room, little bigger than a closet. Taking more than two steps in any direction would put your nose either against a wall or out the door. It had bunked beds on one side, and a small table and two chairs almost completely filled the remaining space. As the boys laid down their baggage, Cooper noticed that there was a design carved into the tabletop. The design was three rectangles nested concentrically. All the rectangles had small circles carved at each corner and at the center of each side. Each of the circles on the sides of the rectangles had a carved line connecting it to the corresponding circle of the nearest rectangle. The first mate hobbled up behind them, “Just checking to see if you’re getting settled.” He noticed Cooper examining the design on the small table. He chuckled, “You know how to play?” Cooper was confused, “Play, sir?” The old man was still chuckling as he pointed at the table, “Yeh, that’s for a game. It’s called Nine Stones, though I heard it called Nine Men’s Morris as well. I can teach you to play, but it’s the Captain you gotta watch out for. He’s a tough one. I challenge him to at least one game every trip. I crewed this boat for more’n twelve years, and been first mate for most o’ that, but I don’t need any extra fingers to count how many times I won.” As the old man walked away, Cooper turned to Kolrem, “More than twelve years, he said. He must’ve been part of the crew when the Captain got burned repelling the pirates.” Kolrem added, “Probably where he got the limp.”