Privateer (The Five Kingdoms #1)

by Robin Roseau

  "Yes," Rani answered.

  "Good question, Captain?" Minori asked.

  "You know it was, Minori."

  She turned back to face me. "I believe you feel that questions regarding favorite color are trivial, even after my earlier question. Do you still feel that way?"

  "Yes."

  "Aunt Rani, what is your favorite color of eyes?"

  "It is not the color that matters as much as the intensity," Rani answered.

  "Captain," Minori said. "I believe that requires a follow-up question. Auntie Rani, the captain seems to have particularly intense eyes. Would you agree?"

  "Yes, Minori, I would," was the reply.

  I slid the pouch the remaining distance to Minori.

  "To answer your question," I told her. "I would not have agreed to a higher fee before I heard the questions." I looked across the table at Rani. "After having heard the questions and receiving her answers, I would have paid more."

  "Captain," Minori replied. "You paid me to ask questions. You did not pay me to receive answers, but you received them anyway. I believe you owe me a favor."

  I laughed. "Perhaps you are right. What did you want?"

  "I want permission to climb the mast so I may look around."

  "Oh, I am sorry, but that is far too dangerous, and I could not allow it."

  "Your seamen climb the mast regularly, and they appear to do it with little regard to safety," she replied.

  "They have been doing it a very long time."

  "And do you have a training mast somewhere for them to learn?"

  "No, but it is part of your job, and we do not climb the rigging on a lark. However, I may have a counter offer."

  "I am listening," she replied.

  "The next time we have a significant course change during the day, I would let you steer the ship."

  "Alone?"

  "With my help."

  "Does that mean you would steer the ship and I would pretend to steer the ship."

  "It means if it requires more muscle than you are able to provide, I would provide additional muscle."

  Minori didn't answer me. Instead, she emptied the contents of her new money pouch onto the table and stacked the coins based on denomination. She counted it carefully then counted it again. Finally she pulled out several small coins and held them out to me. "You paid me too much."

  I took the small coins from her.

  "What do you want for the pouch, Captain?"

  "Consider it a gift."

  "I would rather not. May I buy the pouch from you for a fair price? It is used, so I do not expect to pay what I might pay for a new pouch."

  "One gold."

  "Half."

  "Sold."

  She handed me another half gold, then returned the rest of her earnings into her pouch. Rani sat quietly through all of this, beaming at her niece.

  "Captain, Mama will think I stole your pouch."

  "I will tell her you earned it."

  "Will you tell her how?"

  "Only in the broadest of terms."

  "Captain, when I am older, do you believe people will pay me money to ask questions?"

  "I believe, Minori, they would pay you a great deal."

  She considered my answer. "I would rather you did not say that to Mama."

  "Then I shall not."

  She hefted the pouch. "Captain, this is a lot more money than I have ever held." She looked at me, then at her aunt. "Did the captain pay me too much?"

  "I believe she felt those particular questions were worth what she paid, Minori," Rani said. "She may have felt cheated if you had asked other questions. She may have felt cheated if I had been able to hide my answers, or if I had lied but convinced her I was being honest."

  "But you never lie to me."

  "The captain doesn't know that. Most people lie."

  "Has the captain lied to me?"

  "If she has, she has done so better than I am able to detect," Rani replied. "But she is a kidnapper. She is probably also an expert liar."

  I winced. I deserved that, however.

  "Aunt Rani, how much money is this?"

  "Fifteen and a half crowns," Rani replied.

  "Yes, I know. But I've never had more than a half crown. How much is this to an adult."

  "It takes me two months to earn that much, Minori."

  "And she paid me this much for asking you whether you liked her?"

  "Ask the captain what your ransom will be."

  Minori turned to me and waited. I turned her own joke back on her and sat quietly. Minori finally smiled. "Captain, what did you demand my father pay for me?"

  "I demanded one hundred crowns for your mother and two hundred for each of his children."

  "And what did you demand for my aunt?"

  "Fifty crowns."

  Rani sighed. "He won't pay for me."

  "He won't pay the demand price for any of you," I explained. "I demanded more than he would pay. He will in return offer something much less than I will accept. In the end, we will meet somewhere in the middle."

  "Where in the middle?" Minori asked immediately.

  "I don't know for sure," she said. "Your father knows that I will want to sell you back as quickly as I am able. If he can convince me he is willing to let me keep you for a long time, then I am more likely to accept a lower price to have it done sooner. On the other hand, if he wants you back badly enough, he will pay sooner, and perhaps pay a higher price than I would have accepted. I am also holding his papers ransom. They are another two hundred crowns. He knows if he is difficult, I will sell his papers to someone else."

  "Someone would pay for my father's papers?"

  "They might. I haven't looked through them yet."

  "My father loves me."

  "I know he does," I replied.

  "He won't let you keep us. He has already paid you. Are you taking us home?"

  "He has not."

  "We are at sea. How do you know he hasn't paid?"

  "I know. I won't explain how. But I know. I will know when he pays."

  Minori looked at her aunt. "Why hasn't Daddy already paid? Doesn't he want us back?"

  "He wants you back very much, Minori," I said. "Calm down, honey. Let the captain explain."

  She turned back to me. "Why?"

  "Because he knows we aren't hurting you. He knows you are very, very safe. He knows you are with your mother. He knows we are feeding you, and that you are getting good, clean, fresh air and sunshine."

  "You hurt my aunt!"

  "Yes, but I have not hurt you, and your father knows that."

  "How does he know that?"

  "Because he knows you won't do anything that would force me to hurt you."

  "I ask questions."

  "You wouldn't if you thought I would hurt you. Would you?"

  She looked down. "No."

  Minori turned back to her aunt. "You told me she didn't hurt you."

  "She didn't. Not physically, honey. I did not care for the brig, and knowing me, you can imagine how much I do not care to be gagged. But they did not hurt. The gag didn't hurt you, did it?"

  "No, but I didn't like it, either."

  The child was interesting. She bounced from far too mature for her age to exactly her age. She was amazing.

  "Neither of you have told me. What will my ransom be?"

  "I don't know, honey," Rani told her. "I will tell you this. I have an insurance bond that will pay my ransom if your father refuses to pay for me. It is far less than the captain hopes to receive for me."

  "How much?"

  "Ten gold crowns." Then she turned to me. "It took me two years to save that much, but of course, that was a few years ago. Now it might take me six months."

  I nodded understanding. She probably shouldn't have told me, but it was such a low amount, it wouldn't help my negotiations with her brother.

  "So you'll let my aunt go for ten crowns," Minori said to me.

  "No. Her price right now is fifty
crowns."

  "Which your father won't pay," Rani said. "He probably offered a crown for me."

  "A crown?" Minori said. "Daddy only offered a crown for you?" Her voice began to rise.

  "He may have," I said. "I don't know. I have an agent who is negotiating the ransoms. If he offered so little, it was his way of saying his sister is worth almost nothing to him."

  "What happens if you can't agree on a price?"

  "Then we continue to negotiate, or I give up and am obligated to take the ten crowns."

  "So why would Daddy pay at all?"

  "Because if I am convinced she is worth more than ten crowns, then I am able to sell her to someone else."

  "Sell her? Like a slave?"

  "Yes."

  "Slavery is illegal."

  "Like a slave. She would become an indentured servant. It's almost as bad."

  Minori studied her aunt then turned back to me. "I will pay fifteen and a half crowns for my aunt right now. It is more than ten."

  "Don't worry, Minori. I have seen your aunt's banking papers and have a good idea how much she is worth. If your father does not pay what I want, then I will eventually accept the ten crowns. I can't imagine learning anything new about your aunt that would suggest she is worth so much more that I could keep her instead of accepting the ten crowns."

  "I think this conversation has gone on long enough," Rani said.

  * * * *

  Rani Karden

  I hadn't known everything the captain told Minori about how ransoms worked. The conversation became dangerous towards the end, but Minori was a smart girl, and she didn't give either of us away.

  The captain assigned us additional duties, and then assigned a seaman to teach us the duties. But the duties were easily done, and I let Minori invite me into new games later.

  Before dinner, Minori asked me, "Auntie Rani, which way is home?"

  "That is a good question, Minori." I put my hands on her shoulders. "Is there a stuffed toy on your bed at home?"

  "Yes," she said. She began to carefully describe a small stuffed dog. I knew the dog; I had given it to her. But I had not handled it recently, and she had, so it was easier to locate from her fresh description. After a few minutes, I could feel the toy. I turned around twice, and then I pointed.

  "That way, Minori." I was pointing towards the back of the ship and off to the left.

  "How far?"

  "Far, honey," I told her. "Very far. I am sorry."

  "It's not your fault," she said. "Thank you."

  We both stared out over the water towards home.

  "Can you bring the toy here, Auntie Rani?"

  "No, honey. It's too heavy for me to move, and even if it were light as a feather, I couldn't bring it this far. I would drop it in the sea, and then it would be gone."

  "I think I shouldn't ask the captain any more questions about ransoms."

  "I agree, honey. But those were good questions."

  "Are you going to kiss her?"

  "No."

  "I think you are."

  "I think it will be a struggle of wills, and I do not think either of us will win."

  "You want to kiss her. She wants to kiss you."

  "She is your kidnapper, honey."

  "She still doesn't know better, Auntie Rani."

  "I think perhaps she may be thinking about it though. I do not think her questions about retiring from kidnapping were frivolous."

  "Will she take us home then?"

  "Only if the ransoms are paid. But she may not kidnap anyone else. I don't know. She may forget your questions."

  "If you kiss her, she may not forget you. And if she remembers you, she will remember me. And my questions."

  "She may harden her heart after we are gone."

  "Do you think she regrets kidnapping us?"

  "No. If she hadn't kidnapped us, she wouldn't have met you."

  "Or you."

  "I think perhaps she values having met you more than having met me," I said. "But you are right. No, the only way she would regret kidnapping us is if we hurt her very, very badly, but if we do that, she will hurt us far more than we could hurt her."

  "You must not hurt her, Aunt Rani," Minori said. "Promise me you will behave."

  "It is hard sometimes, honey, but I will behave. My tongue will not."

  "It did at lunch."

  "You were there. You're a calming influence for me."

  She looked down into the water. "Do you think there are fish to catch?"

  "I think if there were fish to catch, there would be seamen trying to catch them. But perhaps that would be a good question at dinner."

  "You want me to only ask easy questions."

  "I want you to ask whatever questions you want."

  "Except about ransom and magic."

  "Right."

  She leaned against me at the railing then pulled away, tapped my arm, and said. "Tag. You're it."

  "Again?" I said. "Wouldn't you rather play another game?"

  "Hide and go seek, but there's nowhere to hide."

  "No, I guess there isn't." I began chasing her around.

  Twenty minutes later, I heard my name called.

  "Ms. Karden!"

  I had been in pursuit of one of the kids. I stopped and turned to the voice. Commander Halfheart was standing a half dozen paces away, her hands on her hips.

  "Have we broken a rule, Commander?" I asked, a little breathless.

  "No," she said. "That was the fourth time I called."

  I scrambled over to stand in front of her. "Are you going to yell at me for not hearing you?"

  She frowned. "I am unaccustomed to being ignored on this ship."

  "Are you suggesting I should not play with the children, because you may need me to be more attentive to other needs? Commander, I did not hear you. It wasn't because I was deliberately ignoring you. Are you going to push this?"

  "No. The captain asks you to report to the galley for duties. Your niece is not to join you. She is, however, invited to dinner. If she accepts, it will be for four."

  "Am I one of the four?"

  "Of course."

  I turned to Glora, who had certainly overheard the entire conversation.

  "May I speak with my sister-in-law before she reports to the galley, Commander?"

  "Briefly," The commander replied. "You understand your orders?"

  "Report to the galley. Do whatever I'm told there. Someone will explain in sufficient detail I am able to comply."

  She smiled. "Carry on."

  I crossed the deck to Glora, stopping a few feet in front of her. "I owe you an apology, Glora."

  "For what?"

  "When I found myself in a somewhat difficult situation, I thought you were partly to blame. I have learned since that you attempted to extricate me from the situation but were unable. I am grateful."

  "I don't understand, Rani."

  "The housing situation. I spent a night in the brig to avoid the captain's bed. It wasn't pleasant."

  "No, it wouldn't be," she said. "You didn't know?"

  "The first mate warned me. I didn't believe her. I was wrong. Anyway, thank you. I know you have ample reason to hate me."

  "I don't hate you, Rani. I do not care for your company because it is so disruptive. But I do not hate you, and I would not see true ill come to you. If I had known you would accept the brig over other quarters that were offered to you, I would have worked harder for another solution."

  I bowed to her.

  "I didn't know she'd make you sleep in her bed, Rani. I am sorry. She should not require you to perform duties, either."

  "That's not your fault, Glora," I said.

  "Is my daughter in danger from the captain? I know you love her nearly as much as I do."

  "The captain may decide she is worth her full ransom. That is her greatest danger."

  "Are you sure of this? I heard the yelling earlier. And yet, you emerged ungagged."

  "I believe the fact I remain
ed ungagged is the best evidence I have that the captain will not ill use your daughter. Glora, she plays a dangerous game."

  "The captain?"

  "Minori. She seeks to convince the captain to seek a new way to earn a living."

  Glora laughed. "She would. Will she succeed?"

  "She could. Or the captain may be playing with us. Either way, it gives Minori a target for her questions."

  "My daughter loves you more than she loves her own mother, Rani."

  "I do not believe that is true, Glora. I believe she is happier with my company than anyone else's because of how I am able to treat her. That is not the same as loving me more. I am able to give her my full attention, and she knows I love her dearly."

  "And she does not believe I do?"

  "She knows she frustrates you."

  "I am so afraid for her, Rani. I am so afraid she will follow in your footsteps. I know you aren't happy."

  "Happiness is what you want for her, Glora? You do not seek to decide the nature of her happiness?"

  "For my other children, I might, but I know Minori won't be happy with the choices I might make for her. I wish her happiness."

  "Then I believe the best either of us can do is make sure she has the skills to deal with her future choices."

  "You will protect my daughter from the captain."

  "Of course. With my life."

  "If she is sent to the brig, I will see to it you never see her again. You understand."

  "Yes, Glora. I understand."

  "You risk that, and you do not advise me to keep her away from the captain?"

  "She understands the dangers, Glora, and she is not remotely foolhardy. She is not cursed with my weaknesses."

  Glora smiled. "I apologize for my petty remarks this morning."

  "Don't. I do not hold them against you. Glora, the only thing I want from you is your daughter's happiness."

  "Then we are united."

  I turned away, then turned back to her. "Why did we have this conversation?"

  "Because you shouldn't be here. Because you shouldn't have spent a night in the brig."

  "Glora, if we can achieve an understanding, then it was worth a night in the brig."

  "Protect my daughter, and we will see if this understanding lasts."

  "Thank you, Glora. I must go."

  * * * *

  In the galley, I was given a complete tour and then assigned chopping duties. When I had chopped all there was to chop, I was shown how to do dishes in a fashion that used as little water as necessary. It was hot, and I was sweating badly very quickly.