by MJ Schutte
When Sam was out of earshot, Jonathan said to Lilian, ‘She should see what you can do.’
Angelina and Sam returned, the young girl carrying a large plate of food and a mug. As she ate, the group kept asking questions to which she answered as best she could. They learned one hundred copper coins makes one silver and one hundred silvers makes a gold. They also determined that the man they were searching for was almost certainly Zaconis and that he had left, with his army, for Palentis six days before.
As soon as Sam finished eating, she got up and said, ‘May I have my copper back please? I have to go.’
‘Certainly, but just one more question, if you don’t mind. Why did you come here?’ Jonathan said as he handed her the coin.
Sam took the coin and stepped back.
‘Why did you let me go when you realized I am a girl?’ she asked softly.
‘A man should never touch a woman inappropriately, especially a young girl like you,’ Jonathan answered, his cheeks going red.
‘That’s why I came here. You seem like a kind man. I got curious about this and decided to follow you here,’ Sam answered.
‘Why would you think I’m kind? You hardly know me,’ Jonathan frowned.
‘If a girl my age gets caught stealing, the punishment is always the same. The city watch force the girls to take their clothes off and dance naked in front of them. Sometimes, if a man catches you, he makes you dance without even taking you to the city watch. A few of us have started dressing like boys and cut our hair short. It’s safer for us that way. When Jonathan grabbed me, his hand went over my chest. I though I was in deep trouble but he let me go,’ Sam said softly.
‘I’m really sorry about that,’ Jonathan said awkwardly.
‘Don’t be. It was an accident,’ Sam shrugged.
‘Do they…’ Lilian said hesitantly but Sam quickly shook her head.
‘It is illegal for a man to have relations with a girl who is less than twenty years old,’ the young girl replied.
‘But it’s acceptable to make girls dance naked?’ Jonathan gasped.
‘Yes, Master Lero negotiated with the city watch for this. It’s better than being thrown in jail. Nobody ever returns from jail. It is said that the people in jail are given to the daraghna,’ Sam answered.
‘Daraghna?’ Lilian frowned.
‘Yes, the daraghna. I saw one flying over the city this morning. I’ve heard that they eat humans,’ Sam answered.
‘It must have been that big bird you saw, Lilian,’ Angelina commented.
Although Lilian wanted to ask more about the daraghna, Jonathan spoke first.
‘I assume you take everything you steal to Master Lero,’ he said.
‘Yes. He pays us and protects us,’ Sam answered.
‘It sounds to me like Master Lero uses you for his own gain,’ Jonathan spat.
‘Master Lero is a kind man. Some days we are not able to steal anything but he still gives us food and shelter,’ Sam replied.
Jonathan opened his mouth again but Lilian cut him off. She had more questions about the daraghna, but seeing as Sam was getting anxious to leave made her decide against it.
‘Sam, thank you for coming to talk to us. You may go, if you wish, or stay on the ship for the night.’
‘I have to go. Master Lero will search for me all night if I don’t return,’ Sam answered.
She said goodbye and swiftly made her way off the ship.
‘Well, that was certainly very interesting. Was she being truthful, Angelina?’ Jonathan asked.
‘Yes, she believed in everything she said,’ Angelina answered.
‘That bit about the daraghna sounds like a bedtime story,’ Jonathan smiled.
‘Don’t judge too quickly. I have seen things I never could have imagined,’ Lilian warned.
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at Lilian and said, ‘A monster that flies and eats humans?’
‘Jonathan…’ Lilian tried but Angelina quickly interjected.
‘We have more important things to discuss. What are we going to do about the coins?’ she said.
Goralt motioned for an elf to come closer and spoke softly to him.
The elf shook his head urgently but a look from Goralt that could split a rock made him stop, clear his throat and hesitantly say, ‘I may have a solution, if we can get hold of a Paratun coin.’
‘Let’s hear it, Kratosh,’ Jonathan said.
Kratosh produced a leather bag from his pocket, opened it and laid out a few tools on the table.
‘I use these to make coins,’ he said, glancing nervously at Jonathan.
‘You falsify coins?’ Jonathan gasped.
‘Yes,’ Kratosh replied, a guilty look on his face.
‘Can you make coins for us?’ Jonathan asked.
‘I believe so, but I will need a Paratun coin and some of the coins you have. Using the Paratun money, I will…’ Kratosh tried to explain.
‘I don’t want to know how you do it,’ Jonathan said as he threw his arms up in the air.
‘As you wish,’ Kratosh said as he quickly gathered his tools and stepped away from the table.
‘It’s worth a try, Jonathan,’ Lilian said softly.
‘I know, but I have a problem with falsifying coins. It is becoming a problem in Mendin and now I am considering doing exactly the same thing in another land,’ Jonathan sighed.
‘We most certainly can not go trade our money for less than a tenth of its worth. Our coins seem to be almost twice the size of theirs. If Kratosh can use them to create Paratun coins, we won’t have to worry about money again,’ Lilian said.
Jonathan shook his head.
‘I would not like it if strangers came to Mendin and created their own money, so we will not be doing it while we are here,’ he said.
‘Jonathan, strangers came and took my husband and a few other people. We are not talking about a few coins now, we are talking about human lives. Is that not worse?’ Lilian replied.
Jonathan continued to shake his head.
‘I won’t allow it,’ he said as he got up and walked away.
Lilian’s heart screamed that she should simply tell Kratosh to go ahead with falsifying coins, but her mind whispered that she should follow Jonathan’s lead.
She decided to listen to reason, for the moment.
The following morning Jonathan and Angelina went into the city again.
As soon as they were out of sight, Lilian gave Goralt a small nod. The elf immediately set off into the city, pulling the hood of his coat over his head to hide his pointy ears, but did not follow Angelina and the prince. As Lilian instructed, he went in search of an inn. Lilian theorized that, like in Mendin, prostitutes would be plentiful in the inns. These girls provide bedroom favors to all kinds of men, and they were more likely to know how to obtain Paratun coins, or at least know someone who can help. Lilian knew Jonathan would be upset about this, but she was not about to sit around on the ship doing nothing for another day while her husband was probably traveling further and further away.
Goralt sat in a quiet corner of an inn called The Homestead, a frown spreading across his forehead. This was the fourth inn he visited but still could not find any prostitutes. According to Lilian, there were supposed to be plenty of girls offering bedroom favors, but thus far Goralt was unable to find one. He was about to leave the inn when a serving girl came up to him.
‘Can I get you anything, sir?’ she inquired politely.
‘No, thank you,’ Goralt answered.
‘If you want to sit here, you have to eat or drink something,’ the girl replied.
Goralt was about to get up and leave, but then a thought struck him.
‘Well, perhaps there is something you can help me with. I am new to this city and find it very difficult to sleep alone in a strange place. Do you know of someone who might be interested in sharing my bed tonight?’ he asked, feeling his ears going red at asking a woman such a question.
‘You need to go to the
House of Ladies and speak to Madam Jenneve,’ the serving girl answered, struggling to hide the disgust in her voice.
‘Where will I find the House of Ladies?’ Goralt asked.
The serving girl gave him directions to Madam Jenneve’s establishment before hurriedly walking away. Goralt saw her talking to a man he thought might be the owner of the inn, gesturing in his direction. The man made his way to Goralt and said, ‘Excuse me sir, I understand you’re not from here.’
Goralt simply nodded as he closed his hand over the hilt of his knife under his coat. He wished he had brought his bow, but Lilian insisted it would attract too much attention.
The man clasped his hands behind his back, straightened up to make himself look as intimidating as possible and said, ‘Since you are from far away, I will forgive your rudeness this once, and have to ask you to leave, please. We do not allow our customers to make inappropriate suggestions to our serving girls.’
Goralt smiled and got up.
‘As you wish, sir. Please convey my sincerest apology to the young lady,’ he answered.
Not waiting for a reply, he made his way out of the inn.
Jonathan and Angelina walked at a brisk pace through the streets. They were deep in the eastern part of Celonis.
‘This is certainly not a very affluent part of the city. Keep your eyes open and your knife close at hand,’ Jonathan said, involuntarily feeling for the hilt of his sword.
They were following a very young thief after Jonathan had spotted him stealing some bread from a hawker’s table. The prince was certain that the young boy was on his way to give the bread to Master Lero. The boy was obviously new to the business of stealing and getting away with it. He did not look to see if he was being followed and failed to make quick turns and use narrow alley ways in order to escape potential followers. It seemed as if he was intent on getting to his destination as fast as possible.
‘How do you know he is going to Lero?’ Angelina asked.
‘I don’t, but it’s a good guess. If he stole the bread for himself, he would have found a quiet place to eat it. Instead, he covered it carefully, making sure it is not seen or damaged, and is in a hurry to get somewhere. He is taking that bread to someone and I am certain it is Lero,’ Jonathan answered.
‘That makes sense,’ Angelina smiled.
The prince’s ability to notice the smallest of details was starting to impress her greatly. She looked up at him and their eyes locked for a moment. Angelina was surprised at the slight stirring in her stomach, quickly dropping her gaze. She tried to think of the man who saved her life at the Justice Hall, but for a moment she could not recall his masculine smell and the feeling of his strong arms around her. All she saw in her mind was Jonathan’s dark eyes looking into hers. She was still mulling over this new feeling when they turned a corner and Jonathan stopped very abruptly, grabbing Angelina by the hand.
‘Something is wrong,’ he whispered.
Angelina looked down the narrow street. The boy they had been following was nowhere to be seen. Slowly Jonathan continued down the street, still holding Angelina’s hand.
After walking about twenty paces, he stopped again as four young men appeared from a doorway. They took up position in the middle of the street effectively cutting that route off. The prince turned around to go back, but four more young men had already blocked their escape.
‘Do you think they are after us?’ Angelina whispered.
‘Yes,’ Jonathan replied as he shoved Angelina against the wall and took up position in front of her. His hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword, but Angelina knew the blade would be out of its scabbard in a flash if needs be.
A short man pushed his way through the men and approached them. He stopped ten paces from them and said, ‘As long as you don’t draw your sword, nobody here will harm you or your companion.’
Slowly Jonathan nodded his agreement, but still kept his hand on the hilt of the sword.
‘I am Master Lero,’ the man introduced himself.
‘I am pleased to meet you, Lero. I am…’ Jonathan said, but Lero waved a finger in the air.
‘No, no, no, it is Master Lero,’ he smiled.
Under his breath Jonathan said, ‘Everybody is a master of something in this city.’
More clearly, so that Lero could hear, he said, ‘Fine, then you will address me as Prince Jonathan. The lady is Mistress Angelina.’
‘Jonathan…’ Lero began but the prince waved a finger in the air, mimicking Lero’s action from a few moments ago.
‘No, no, no, it is Prince Jonathan, or Your Highness,’ he said, the sarcasm dripping from every word.
Lero laughed as he stepped closer and held out his hand.
‘Perhaps we should keep to our first names,’ he suggested.
Jonathan took the outstretched hand.
‘A fine suggestion, Lero. Is there somewhere we can talk?’ he replied.
‘I believed this had already been achieved,’ Lero smiled.
‘What?’ Jonathan frowned.
‘We are somewhere and we are talking,’ Lero replied.
‘True, but I was hoping for somewhere more private,’ Jonathan smiled.
‘This is private,’ Lero replied.
‘Fine, then we can talk right here, although I find your lack of hospitality extremely rude,’ Jonathan said irritably.
‘No more rude than you still resting your hand on your sword. Perhaps we can agree that we both lack manners and start talking about more important things, unless you enjoy standing here trading insults,’ Lero replied, still smiling.
Slowly Jonathan moved his hand away from his sword and crossed his arms across his chest.
‘We are travelers from a distant land. We…’ he said but Lero held his hand up.
‘I already know your story. Sam told me. I was quite upset that she put herself in such danger when she went to you last night, but she assures me you are a man of honor. Now, I believe your problem is money. Do you have a coin with you?’ he asked.
Jonathan took a single coin from his pocket and handed it over.
‘I was hoping to trade our gold for Paratun coins,’ he said hopefully.
‘Not a very good idea,’ Lero said slowly as he studied the coin.
‘Why not? Gold is valuable!’ Jonathan frowned.
‘I know, but only a select few merchants in Celonis are allowed to trade gold and they are very dishonest. They will not offer you more than a tenth of the actual worth, if you are lucky. Unless your entire ship is full of gold, you will end up with very little money,’ Lero explained.
‘Why does this concern you?’ Jonathan asked.
‘Sam told me you have at least twenty people on that ship and that the ship is damaged. You obviously still need to pay for docking, feed your crew and have your ship fixed. This will require a lot of money since you are travelers,’ Lero said.
Jonathan frowned as he opened his mouth, but Lero anticipated the question on the prince’s mind.
‘The people of Celonis are not an honest lot. Exploiting travelers is a way of life for most. You can expect to pay three to four times the normal price for anything you buy,’ he said.
‘That is certainly not good news. Do you have any suggestions?’ Jonathan asked.
‘No, I don’t,’ Lero shook his head.
‘Then why did you come here to talk to us?’ Jonathan asked, his irritation starting to boil over.
‘Basically to tell you to leave us alone. Sam made a mistake by going to you and I want to rectify that now. Do not try to contact her or me again,’ Lero said as he held the gold coin out to Jonathan.
‘Honestly, I was also a quite curious to see the travelers Sam spoke of, but now my curiosity has been satisfied,’ Lero added.
Wordlessly Jonathan took the coin, not able to think of anything more to say.
As Lero turned away, Angelina stepped forward and said, ‘What if we were willing to melt down our gold and make Paratun coins? Will you hel
p us then?’
‘No.’
‘We will obviously share some of the newly created coins with you,’ Angelina offered.
‘It is against the law to make your own money,’ Lero smiled.
‘So is stealing, but you seem to have no problem with that. In fact, you protect a bunch of thieves!’ Angelina retorted.
‘Only to keep them out of the city jail. Perhaps Sam had told you about the jail. Once you’re in there, you never come out again,’ Lero replied.
‘Yes, Sam mentioned that prisoners are given to the dargana,’ Angelina said.
‘Daraghna,’ Lero corrected.
‘What exactly is this daraghna?’ Jonathan asked.
‘A beast that eats human flesh,’ Lero answered.
‘Impossible!’ Jonathan spat.
‘I don’t care if you believe me, but I have seen it with my own eyes,’ Lero said softly, struggling to hide the tremble that crept into his voice.
‘If we can…’ Angelina tried but Lero interrupted her.
‘Ma’am, there is nothing you can offer me that will make me willingly put myself and my children in more danger. Falsifying coins is simply too dangerous. If we get caught, we will be given to the daraghna and that is a risk I’m not willing to take. Now, I have some other business to attend to. Have a good day,’ he said, then turned and walked away.
Chapter 19
‘Mistress, I may have found what we are looking for,’ Goralt said to Lilian.
They were standing on the deck of their ship.
‘Show me, please,’ Lilian said as she strapped her sword to her belt.
‘Mistress, I need to take my bow. I am uncomfortable being in such a strange place without it,’ Goralt said slowly, expecting Lilian to argue, but she simply nodded.
Goralt retrieved his bow and led Lilian off the ship.
They walked through the streets, Goralt leading the way.
Every so often he would comment on landmarks the serving girl in the inn told him to look out for, but Lilian remained silent.
Goralt turned into a very wide street, walked a few more paces and then stopped.