They had powerful tails and swam far faster than their bodies looked capable of. Azara couldn’t help but admire the way they raced through the ocean, like the water wasn’t there. They seemed equally happy in the air when they leapt. “What do they eat? Dolphins, that is?” she asked Jin, without taking her eyes off the creatures.
“Fish primarily. They have been known to eat other things, such as squid or shrimp. Some fisherman curse them, but none dare harm them or they’d risk the sea’s wrath. It’s said terrible things happen to those who hunt dolphins.”
“Why do they jump out of the water?”
“I’m not entirely sure. They breathe air not water, and it’s thought they jump to grab a breath, but they’ve been seen to do that by simply surfacing. The leaping seems to be something they do for enjoyment. At least, that’s the conclusion the book drew.”
“That makes sense. If I could swim like them, I’d jump like that too.”
“I have to say, I agree. They do seem quite content.”
She smiled. “You mean they look like they’re having fun. Content doesn’t do them justice.”
He looked startled then chuckled. “I’ll give you that.”
Azara turned back to the dolphins feeling happy for the first time since she’d left her siblings. Not only were they beautiful and fascinating animals, but for a little while, she could forget herself and everything that lay ahead. For a little while, she was at peace.
* * *
Azara hadn’t been surprised when Timmin appeared at their door with an invitation to join the captain and Merise for dinner. She was glad they’d had the night before to themselves, without having to perform. While she’d pretended to be other people before, it had only been for brief periods of time, not this current gauntlet. Pretending to be a high-end slave merchant had been far easier.
One hand on Jin’s arm, they both stood outside the door to the captain’s cabin, waiting for Timmin to announce them. Within moments, they were being ushered inside. “Thank you for joining us. This is our last chance, and I know both myself and Merise appreciate your company.”
Jin smiled at the captain, Azara mirroring the expression while she let him do the talking. “The pleasure is ours. You have taken such care of us, and I know I can’t properly express our gratitude for it.”
It took no time at all for them to assume their usual positions. Azara joined Merise on one of the two chairs tucked around a smaller table in one corner, while the men stood near the sideboard. Azara tried not to eye the amber liquid they drank with too much envy. Wine and watered down liqueurs were all well and good, but there were times she preferred something stronger. Those times were almost always.
“I feel I’m going to miss these dinners.”
Merise was a nice person, just not someone that Azara had anything in common with. Merise also didn’t seem to have any more information, making their banal conversations seem to stretch forever. “I will miss them as well. You have been so kind and helpful in sharing what you know of Lound.”
Merise flushed. “I fear you give me too much credit.”
“Nothing of the sort.” Azara heartily hoped they could end the back-and-forth denial, before her cheeks started hurting from all the endless smiling. She didn’t understand why people couldn’t accept compliments rather than projecting modesty. What was wrong with being proud of what you had done or could do?
“Have you decided what you most want to see in Lound?”
Azara shook her head. “There are so many options. Verryl will be so busy with his work, that we may not have as many opportunities for sightseeing as we might otherwise wish. I do think I have him convinced to visit the theatre. Though I’m certain he will use it as an opportunity to forge business connections.”
Merise giggled. “Men are like that. But the theatre isn’t the best place. For business talks, getting an invitation to one of the grand balls or parties is far better. I’ve also heard many men do business in their private clubs, but women are forbidden so...”
Nodding, Azara filed the information away for later. Where business connections could be forged, information could also be gleaned. Especially when the alcohol was flowing. “From what I have heard, women in Nalbin are more...proper.”
One finger traced the pattern of her skirt before Merise answered. “That is certainly true. I have a greater number of rules to follow in Nalbinian ports than elsewhere. But they have the safest ports, and a surer market, so it’s something I have come to accept.”
Her estimation of the other woman rose a little. It seemed like Merise wasn’t the proper Nalbinian woman she acted. With that in mind, she decided to prod a little. “I will bear that in mind. I’m afraid I have some habits that might be less...respectful. I have long done all I can to assist Verryl in our business, but I know that is not common in Lound.”
Merise gave her a sober look. “That is something I would keep to yourself. You have lived in the Empire, where such things are done, but for a woman to be involved in her husband’s business betrays a weakness in him.”
Azara had half hoped for a different answer, but knew that reality wasn’t that kind. “So we had determined. I had planned to assist in packaging the tea out of sight. That would be respectable, would it not?”
Her companion relaxed. “That would be fine. It’s only when a woman strays beyond a woman’s path that others may talk. Tea is very much a part of the house, so you can’t be faulted for assisting with its preparation. That is womanly.”
Smiling, Azara knew she’d be tired of being womanly within a day of arriving in Lound. She didn’t need to be tied to a house or a family to feel feminine. She was comfortable in her own skin and had long accepted the good and the bad about being a woman, as well as herself. “You have helped me again. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“There is nothing to repay! You have saved me from being left to the endless company of men again. The last guest we had...” Merise shook her head.
“Oh, he surely can’t have been so bad as all that.”
“He was charming enough, but I can’t say I approved of his choice of merchandise. Thankfully Havelock has forbidden having that on board, but the way he spoke of it, well it gave me the shivers.”
Azara just barely kept a sharpened expression of interest off her face. Instead, she leaned in, glancing at the men like they could overhear, and said quietly, “It wasn’t anything illegal, was it?”
“Heavens no!” Merise flapped a hand as if to ward that idea away. “The man was a slave merchant, and while I know it is a legal trade, I find the talk of those in the business...distasteful.”
“I can well imagine. Some of those I’ve met are more...rough around the edges than I’d prefer. But I’m surprised he would be travelling without his slaves.”
Merise frowned. “That was the curious thing. He mentioned having a contract with some lord in Nalbin, something about sourcing special slaves. He was heading to Lound to finalize the agreement.”
Azara nodded, trying to feign only mild interest, ignoring the way her heart hammered in her ears. “He must be a very well-known merchant, to be approached by nobility.”
“That is what I had thought, but Havelock hadn’t heard of him either. I haven’t heard anyone speak of Edsel since he was on board. Though blond hair and blue eyes aren’t uncommon in Nalbin.”
Leaning back, Azara was all but humming over having a name. If this Edsel was involved with fire mages, she would hunt him down and find out everything he knew, one way or the other. To Merise, she offered another of the bright smiles she’d finally perfected while on board, in no small way through imitating the other woman. “He must have found a strong client base and has no need to advertise. I know Verryl worries about attracting customers, as it’s hard to know where in Lound it would be best to do so, having never
been there.”
As Merise launched into her own ideas about the few markets she’d visited, Azara listened with only one ear. She had to start formulating a plan for tracking this man. With their arrival in Lound in the afternoon, she had very little time left to prepare.
Chapter Twelve: Words
Jin took one last glance at where he’d left Azara, seated on a bench along the wall with the two other women, before he turned his full attention to the official in front of him. Seated behind a wooden desk, his thick mustache and heavyset features quite a change from what he was used to, the man looked almost bored as he read through the documents he’d been handed. “You are Verryl of Renaud House, then?”
Jin nodded, ignoring the faint echoes that filled the wide room populated by similar desks and officials set equidistance from one another. “I am. I and my wife have come to look into expanding our trade into Lound directly.”
The official shuffled the papers. “You trade in tea, correct?”
“Yes, of all sorts.” Jin wasn’t about to volunteer information about their special teas, not when any merchant worth the title would be trying to reduce his import fees as much as possible. Not to mention his obvious ties to the Empire could pose a problem, given the way Nalbin had been shifting troops closer to their shared border.
The other man scribbled something onto a form. “As first-time traders, your goods will be held for three days while they are examined. You may return here in three days’ time to reclaim them and pay the appropriate fees. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly.” That solved the problem of storing their merchandise before they chose a market to set up at. They had three days to secure a reputable warehouse or make a deal with whatever lodgings they found to house the tea.
The man wrote down a series of numbers onto a smaller piece of paper and signed it before handing it over. “This is your claim slip. You will need it to reclaim your merchandise, so don’t lose it.”
“Thank you.”
The official waved Jin away, and he strode over to Azara, who had her eyes down but on him nonetheless. “My apologies for making you wait, dearest.”
She shook her head as she accepted his hand. “It was no hardship.”
The glint in her eyes was one of curiosity, but he couldn’t explain in public. “They’ll hold the merchandise for three days.” Jin folded the paper and tucked it into his innermost vest pocket. “Shall we have a look for an inn?”
Nodding, she let him lead her out of the limestone building, the white marred by the grey of coal smoke that seemed to hang heavy in the air around them, even in the late-afternoon sun. Down the wide steps that led up to the Custom House they went, not stopping until they were on the walkway that ran parallel to the street. Already a queue of carriages for hire stood. Jin eyed the four of them.
Fingers tightened around his arm. He glanced at Azara, who flicked her gaze towards the third in line. He stared, noting it seemed to have a better horse than the others, though the bottom of it was dirtier. Still, she wouldn’t steer him wrong and he didn’t have a preference himself.
He approached the driver, who was quick to jump down and doff his hat. “Are you looking for a ride, sir?”
“Yes. Would you have any recommendations of inns or other lodgings near the main markets? We’ve just arrived.”
The driver grinned, revealing a missing tooth. “That I do, sir. You’ve come out of the Customs House which means you’re a merchant. There’s a good inn, the Queen’s Sheaf, that lots of merchants frequent. It’s around the corner from two of the best markets in the city. You’d do well there until you can find more proper lodgings.”
“Thank you, that sounds ideal.”
Without missing a beat, the man was opening the door to his carriage, the inside much cleaner than the outside though well worn. Jin handed Azara up before joining her, the driver shutting the door behind them then jumping back up to his seat. With a little lurch, they were pulling out and joining the flow of traffic, heading into the city proper.
“Once we have chosen an inn, I’ll have our luggage sent for. The captain was most kind in agreeing to hold on to it until they sail out.”
She raised eyebrows, telling him what she thought of his obvious remark. He returned the expression, hoping she realized that the driver could probably hear them over the noise of the street. She snorted faintly and turned her gaze to the small window beside her.
Jin did the same. The windows weren’t as clear as he’d like, but he could make out other carriages, several much larger than the one they were in, carts, and people filling the streets. Most pedestrians kept to the raised walkways, but there were a few who darted through the traffic like it wasn’t there. That wasn’t something Jin felt he’d be emulating any time soon.
The buildings here were a mix of stone and brick, most tall and very close together, dyed an almost uniform grey by the thin haze of smog. Signs shouted the names of shops and buildings, while others had their names inscribed on the shades that hung over their doorways. Everywhere Jin looked there were people. Lound seemed busier than the Palace City, and perhaps even the Imperial capital itself.
He was relieved to see half the men dressed as he was, only those who looked like labourers dressed otherwise. Azara’s clothing seemed to fit in with what the other women wore. He had been a trifle worried the magazines and information they’d gotten would be old and they would stand out. Though he supposed as foreign merchants, a certain amount of that would be expected of them.
A glance at Azara showed her staring out the window, her expression half-hidden by the wide hat she wore. He wondered what her take would be on Lound, having travelled more than he had. For the first time, Jin truly felt like he was out of the Empire, everywhere he looked having nothing of home, the words he heard Nalbinian instead of Imperial.
Jin ignored the flare of homesickness for the palace. He certainly had no lingering affection for the home he’d been born into. He had a job to do. They both did. The rhythmic sway of the carriage lulled him into a kind of daze, and Jin didn’t rouse himself out of his own thoughts until they were slowing in front of a tall stone building.
The driver jumped down and opened the door for them, waving a hand at the grey front. “This here’s the Queen’s Sheaf.”
“Thank you.” Jin stepped out and offered a hand to Azara. When they stood on the walkway, he pulled out a few coins. He studied them, before selecting three of the coins with shells on them, figuring that would be over their fare enough to make the driver pleased. “Here you are.”
The man pocketed the coins with a tip of his hat. “You have my thanks, sir. Blessings on your business.”
“And on yours.” Jin turned away to head up the few steps to the inn, Azara beside him.
Walking inside, they found themselves in a room with a bar along the far left wall, opposite a staircase. Between them were several small wooden tables and chairs, while the other wall held a wide mirror.
A man with his shirt sleeves rolled up and a towel over one shoulder approached them, a smile visible under his heavy black mustache. “What can I do for you?”
“I understand that you have rooms for rent. I was wondering if you would have any available for a few days.”
The innkeeper nodded. “We have some rooms, but for a couple such as yourselves, I would imagine you would like one with your own private bath, yes?”
“That would be perfect.” Jin could feel Azara tense, taking that as agreement.
“We have one room with a lovely big bed and a window overlooking the back garden on the third floor, as well as its own private bath. It’s four shells a night. Is that acceptable?”
“Does that include breakfast?”
The innkeeper smiled. “Yes it does. You are a merchant, are you not?”
Jin gave him a rueful l
ook. “Does it show?”
The man laughed. “The shrewd ones always are. If you’re happy, I’ll show you up. We have a cart that you can hire for another three shells to collect any luggage you might have elsewhere.”
“You’ve answered another question before I could ask. I think we have come to the right place.”
* * *
Azara stepped out of their private bath, grateful the room was large enough for her to change in. It saved some of the awkwardness they’d had on the ship. The much larger bed helped as well, though she’d still woken up far closer to Jin than she was exactly comfortable with.
She glanced around, eyes sliding past the floral wallpaper and sturdy furniture to find Jin at the window, peering out. From her own examination, it didn’t show much except a bit of green below them and the rear of another building. “Are you ready?”
Jin turned to face her and nodded, dressed in a suit of light grey, a good match for the high-necked blue dress she’d fought on. One glance at the ordinary corset had gotten her to reach for the travel one. She couldn’t imagine being any more restricted than she was, and hoped she didn’t have to run in the thing. Though if she did, she was certain she could have the crystal slice through it.
She collected her parasol where it leaned against one of their trunks before waiting for Jin to reach her. She accepted his arm with no hesitation and allowed him to lead the way out of their room and downstairs. Breakfast had been delivered to their rooms, and while not inventive, had been hot and filling.
Finally in Lound, Azara was afire to start searching. With her siblings only one country over, she had hope that maybe her parents would be nearer than she thought. Or that she could at least find some word on them.
Jin’s arm was warm in the faint chill of the morning, the heavy grey clouds making the air feel colder than it was. He kept their pace to a stroll, aiming them to the nearest of the markets they’d gotten information about the night before, during dinner at their inn. This was the general market, one that carried a variety of goods, rather than the nearby meat market.
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