Chris looked at Marcus who shook his head. Chris turned back to Jared. “I think you’re mistaken. I know it’s easy to lose track of where you got each one, but Doreen told us she and her father carved their initials into the wood of the bow right below the deck. Does that help?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jared said, “and I’m certainly not going to let you tear up the deck of these boats looking for some hypothetical initials.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Marcus said politely. “I used my seeing eye to check out the boats.” He pointed towards the other end of the harbor. “Those four right there have their initials. Those are the ones Doreen’s talking about.” They were the largest boats in the harbor. Two had two masts, the other two had three.
Chris looked over at Jared. “Not exactly rowboats, are they?”
“All right, all right,” Jared hissed. “The two largest ones are mine by forfeit. She walked away from them when she chose not to marry me. The other two were abandoned, and abandoned property belongs to whoever claims it.”
“Really? I’ve never heard that. I’ll check that out with Chairman Tremayne when I get back and see what he says.” Then Chris shook his head. “On second thought, there’s no point in bothering him with this today. Since all of this is going to end up in court anyway, he can rule on all four at the same time.” Chris turned to Rigel and Marcus. “Would you be willing to stay here and keep an eye on these boats until I can get back with some guards?”
“Sure,” Marcus said as Rigel nodded. “No problem.”
Chris started to turn the key, but Jared said, “No! Wait a minute. What about the men who work those boats. What’s going to happen to them?”
“Well, if they’re fishermen, I’m sure they can find work with someone else. But I’ll tell the guards to let us know if anyone needs any help finding work. We’ll help them relocate if need be. We’re certainly not trying to put anyone out of work.” Then he held up his key and asked, “Anything else?”
Jared frowned. “What if I were to give her something for them. You know, buy them from her. Just the two that were abandoned. I don’t owe her a thing for the two that were promised to me in the contract.”
Chris didn’t say anything for a moment and then he gave a slow nod. “I might be able to convince her to go along with that in order to get this settled quickly. But I can’t promise anything until I talk to her.”
“Well, you can talk to her, but I don’t want to deal with her. I told her the other night if she walked out we were done, that we had nothing else to say to each other. We can come to a deal through someone else.”
Chris bit back a smile, but he noticed the corner of Rigel’s mouth tilt up. “If she’s willing to consider settling with you, I’m sure I can find someone to represent her. I’ll let you know something one way or the other after I talk to her.” And with a twist of the key, Chris left for home.
~ ~ ~ ~
After Chris took some guards to Bushwell to keep an eye on the boats, he, Marcus, and Rigel went back to Parson’s Branch and packed up all of Doreen’s tools. Since he couldn’t think of any place else to store them, he took them to the island and stashed them in one of the empty rooms in the main cave. By the time he made it back to the castle, he was bushed, but he stopped by the kitchen for a couple of mugs of scog before heading upstairs.
Kevin was on the floor brushing Nikki when Chris walked in. He handed Kevin a mug of scog and sat down. “I wasn’t sure you’d want one, but I did.”
“Thanks.” Kevin took a sip. Fatigue was written all over Chris’s face. “Long day?”
“You don’t know the half of it.” Chris leaned back and shut his eyes for a moment.
“So? How did things go with Jared? And what did you think of him?”
“I think Doreen’s lucky to have escaped that marriage, and I’m glad he’s down at the coast.” Then Chris sat up and asked, “Have you ever met anyone who struck you as slimy? That made you feel like you needed a shower after being around them, just in case some of the slime rubbed off on you?”
Kevin laughed. “Well, Rolan comes to mind, but other than that, no, I can’t say I have.”
“Well, I have. You get all kinds in the advertising world, and he reminded me of some of the worst. But with a little luck, I think we’re about done with him.”
“Is he willing to settle without taking it to court?”
“Believe it or not, he brought up the idea, even suggested buying the boats from her, although he did stress he was only talking about the two that weren’t covered by the contract.”
“That surprises me. I was expecting him to try to bluff his way out of this, but it’ll make things a lot easier for Cryslyn if it’s what he wants.”
“He knows he’s on shaky ground with the way the contract’s worded, and he doesn’t want to risk losing all four boats. Can’t say I blame him either. They’re beautiful. Reminded me of the ones they used to cross the oceans back in the 1500’s.”
“Masts and all?”
Chris nodded. “She wasn’t exaggerating when she said those boats were seaworthy. They were made to sail the oceans.” Then Chris shook his head. “It’s a good thing she and her father put their initials on them though. He pointed out four little dinghy-type boats and said they were the ones. Fortunately Marcus was with us. He checked out all the boats in the harbor and spotted hers right off. There was no way Jared could argue with him about it and he knew it.” Chris took another swallow of scog. “You know, it comes in handy having Marcus along. He looks like he could take care of himself without magic, and when you add that pendant, he’s downright intimidating.”
Kevin smiled. “I know. That’s why I’ve sent him with Theresa every time she’s had to go somewhere for Sister Brena. Do you think Jared’s going to be willing to negotiate with Cryslyn? Or will he insist on dealing with Doreen?”
Chris laughed. “Once again, the man made my life easier. He said Doreen would have to find someone else to represent her, that he will not deal with her.”
“I bet he’s thinking we’re all landlubbers up here and don’t have a clue what those boats are worth. Did you get a chance to talk to Cryslyn this evening?”
Chris nodded. “She and Doreen had a nice long talk today. Cryslyn knows what she wants to get out of this deal. I could be wrong, but I think she’s looking forward to it. I showed her the contract before I left to go to Bushwell, and I know Doreen told her about her conversation with Jared the other night. She’s ready for him.”
“Wish I could be a fly on the wall when she meets with him. I imagine Doreen’s going to come out okay on the deal.”
“Probably more than okay by the time Cryslyn’s done. Not so sure he’ll be okay though, and I must say it couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.”
“Do you know when she’s planning to go to Bushwell?”
“She said she’d like to go early Saturday morning.”
“I want Rigel to go with her.”
Chris grinned. “And let’s send Marcus, too.”
“Intimidation?”
“Yeah, and he’ll give us the unvarnished version.”
Chapter 7
Hendon Port
Alastar leaned back in his chair after they finished going through Friday’s mail. “Have you heard anything from Mikos yet?”
Franco shook his head. “And I sent him a letter last week, right after we talked about it.”
“What about the monthly reports? Have we gotten his February report yet?”
Franco shook his head again. “Not that I know of.”
“Have you gone through Varnel’s office? I know mother had Mikos send the monthly reports to him.”
“I’ve gone through everything in his office, and filed anything I thought we might need in here. I left the old stuff where it was in case we need to refer back to it, but all he handled was the slave business.”
“What’s the latest report you have?”
“December’s. I couldn’t find anything from this year. If Mikos sent any reports in, I have no idea what happened to them.” Franco paused for a moment and then asked, “You don’t think your mother killed him for losing the key, do you?”
Alastar shook his head. “Surely she’d have told me if she had.” Then after a moment he frowned. “At least I think she would have.”
“Shall I send him another letter?”
Alastar paused. “I think we need to go to the mine and see what’s going on. Then, if everything’s all right, he can explain why I haven’t had a report yet.”
“Have you ever been there?”
“No, and I have no idea where it is. But there’s got to be a map around here somewhere with the location marked on it.”
Franco stood up to leave. “I’ll see what I can find.”
Chapter 8
Taking Care of Business
Cryslyn wanted to catch Jared before he left his house Saturday morning, so she, Marcus, and Rigel ate an early breakfast and left as soon as they were done. Jared was walking out of his front door when they stepped out of the energy flow.
Cryslyn walked up to the man and held out her hand. “Good morning, Jared. My name is Cryslyn, and I’m serving as Doreen’s representative in the matter of her father’s boats.”
Jared laughed and barely touched her hand. “I’m not surprised she couldn’t find a man to represent her. She’s a shrew. I know I’m glad to be rid of her.”
Cryslyn raised her eyebrows. “I’m not here at Doreen’s request. I’m here at Myron’s. I handle all the buying and selling for the castle, its residents, and anyone under the protection of the Master Sorcerer.”
Jared gave her a wary look, but didn’t say anything.
“Surely that doesn’t come as a surprise to you,” Cryslyn said. “You spoke with Myron’s assistant yesterday. Marcus is his associate sorcerer, and Rigel’s one of his personal bodyguards. Didn’t you realize Myron was taking a personal interest in this case?”
Jared’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you still interested in buying the boats?”
“Yes,” Jared said, “but only the two that weren’t covered by the contract. Those two are mine free and clear.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Cryslyn said. “After I read over the contract, I showed it to Chairman Tremayne. His office is right down the hall from mine. Anyway, after he read it, he said if the case ever made it to his court, he’d rule that as the daughter had chosen not to marry, the whole contract was null and void and her father retained possession of all four boats. Since her father was deceased, the boats were the property of his heir, which in this case is Doreen.”
“That’s crazy!” Jared said, eyes flashing.
“Not at all,” Cryslyn said. “But fortunately for you, Doreen has agreed to let you keep two of the boats so this can get settled quickly. Now, could we please go see the boats?”
Jared mumbled something under his breath about crazy women messing up his life, and then he led them to the harbor. When they got there, he pointed towards the four boats that had castle guards walking the decks. “Those two there, the three-mast boats, those are mine. They’re the ones her father signed over to me in the contract.”
“How do you get that?” Cryslyn asked. “The contract didn’t specify which boats Doreen’s father was planning to give her as a marriage gift. For all you know, he may have intended to give her the smaller ones.”
“They were not a marriage gift and certainly not a gift to her!” Jared roared. Several men who were walking along the docks turned to see what all the fuss was about, and Rigel took a step forward, just to make sure Jared wouldn’t forget he was there. Jared took a couple of deep breaths and said, “Those two boats were in payment for my offer of marriage, and the offer was made.” He turned to Rigel. “You heard me. I asked her if she still wanted to marry me.” Then he looked back at Cryslyn. “The offer was made so the payment stands. She chose not to accept it.”
“There’s no way her father intended those boats as any form of payment to you,” Cryslyn argued. “If he had, he wouldn’t have specified that all control and rights to the boats were to remain in the hands of his daughter.” Then Cryslyn took a breath and said, “But that’s beside the point since Doreen has agreed to let you keep two of the boats. She said you could keep one of each, in other words, one two-mast boat and one three-mast boat. The other two are to be sold to the person who is willing to pay the highest price.”
Jared glared at Cryslyn and made a ridiculously low offer for the remaining two boats. “And that’s the best deal you’re going to get. They’re old and hardly seaworthy. They’re only going to last a couple more seasons.”
Cryslyn frowned, looked at him for a moment, and then turned and approached a man standing near one of the boats. “Do you work on that boat?” she asked the man. When he nodded, she asked if he thought he could get a couple of crews together to take two of the boats down the coast.
“Sure,” the man said. “When do you want us to leave?”
“I’d like to have them on their way this afternoon if you think you can manage it.”
The man nodded. “We’ll have to put in some provisions though.”
“I’ll take care of that. All you need to do is get the men together.”
Jared had followed Cryslyn. He glared at the man and yelled, “No! You aren’t going anywhere!” Then he turned to Cryslyn and growled, “Those are my men, and if they want to keep their jobs, they’ll stay right here and do as I say!”
Cryslyn put her hands on her hips. “Are you going to pay four crews to handle two boats? Because by the time the sun sets today, two of these boats are going to be on their way to another buyer in Ports Harbor.”
Meanwhile the man Cryslyn had been talking to leaned towards her and asked, “Excuse me, but do you think your buyer might be interested in hiring us to crew those boats?”
Cryslyn smiled. “I think that can be arranged, especially if I make it part of the deal.”
The man nodded and started to leave. He hadn’t gone two steps when Jared shoved him to the ground and grabbed Cryslyn’s arm. As he jerked her around, Rigel knocked his arm off Cryslyn’s, but before Rigel could do anything else, Cryslyn had the blade of her dagger pressed against Jared’s throat.
“If you value your life, you’ll never try anything like that again,” Cryslyn hissed. Then as Jared held up his hands in surrender, Cryslyn stepped back and put her dagger away.
The man she’d talked to slowly got up as he watched to see what would happen next. For a few minutes, nothing did. No one said anything, no one moved.
Finally, Jared cleared his throat and made an offer for the boats that was much more in line with their worth.
Cryslyn didn’t say a word. She just stood there, glaring at him.
After a couple more minutes, Jared doubled his offer.
Cryslyn gave a quick nod. “Fine. We’ll accept your offer.” Then she turned to the man and said, “Thank you for speaking with me. My name’s Cryslyn and I’m from the castle in Milhaven. If you decide you want to make a move, to work for someone else, I’m sure I can help you find something. I have contacts all over Terah. Send me a note in care of Myron, Master Sorcerer. He’ll see that I get it.”
When she turned back to Jared she pointed towards town. “Let’s find the town director so we can write up a contract and have him register it. I need to get back to the castle. I’ve got a lot of other things to take care of today.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Marcus knocked on Kevin’s open door shortly before lunch Saturday. When Kevin motioned him in, Chris followed and shut the door. “I’m not missing this,” Chris said as he sat down.
“I have to admit I enjoyed it,” Marcus said with a grin as he settled in one of the chairs. Then he gave them a blow by blow account of Cryslyn’s trip to Bushwell.
When he told them about Jared grabbing Cryslyn’s arm, Kevin’s eyes narrowed.
“Is he still alive?”
Marcus laughed. “Rigel made a move to take him down, but before he could do more than knock his arm away, Cryslyn had a dagger at his throat.” Marcus shook his head. “I know Joan’s good with a dagger. I’ve seen her work with Darrell, but I had no idea Cryslyn could handle one like that. She’s always so...I don’t know, calm and polite. Did you know she could?”
Kevin shook his head. “But I’m not surprised. She has to deal with a lot of rough characters when she’s making deals. Glad to know she can take care of herself though. I feel better about letting her take off with the key.”
“Well, things changed at that point. I think Jared realized he was about to lose the boats, if not his life. In the end, I think Cryslyn ended up getting quite a bit more than she expected.”
“Do you know what Doreen’s planning to do with the money?” Kevin asked.
“From what Cryslyn said, Doreen’s planning to stay here. She wants to build a house, but not just for herself. She wants to have enough room that some of the women who don’t have a place to go can move in with her.”
“Do you think she got enough money out of the boats to do that?” Chris asked.
Marcus laughed. “Several times over.”
Kevin frowned. “She’s going to let the women live there out of the goodness of her heart? That doesn’t sound like the Doreen I met.”
Marcus shook his head. “I think she’s going to run something like an inn for long-term tenants and charge them for their rooms.”
“I don’t know that those women can pay,” Kevin said. “All they had when we rescued them were the clothes they were wearing.”
“Joan’s looking for jobs for them,” Chris said. “Maybe they’ll find jobs around here.”
“You mean at the castle?” Kevin asked.
Chris shook his head. “No, around Milhaven, although Cryslyn’s planning to bring one of the girls on staff to help out in the playground.”
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