Born of Water: Elemental Magic & Epic Fantasy Adventure
Page 7
Chapter 7
THE BAZAAR OF SARDINIA
No one entered Sardinia unnoticed. The town sat perched on an exposed, slim finger of land which jutted out into the Sea of Sarketh. High hills dropped quickly to the ocean, leaving no deep, sheltering harbor for vessels. Instead, a natural breakwater, formed by a line of rocks sweeping out from the point, offered ships meager shelter from the current and incoming storms.
A small town had been built by those skillful or desperate enough to seek refuge behind the submerged rocks of the breakwater. Despite the convenient location of the town between the Archipelago and the cities lining the Sea of Sarketh, the lack of a harbor had kept the settlement from becoming a thriving commercial town. Over time, the breakwater had been enlarged with boulders and the town had turned to catering to those whose needs were not met in the traditional markets. Sardinia was avoided by conventional merchants and honest professionals, or so Ria had heard. It was the best of the things she'd heard about Sardinia.
As Lavinia steered them toward a ramshackle wharf, Ty stood watch leaning over the edge of the boat.
“Rocks awash fifteen feet to port.”
Lavinia nudged the rudder post to turn them a degree to the right.
“No, keep the course steady,” Ty snapped, his harsh tone causing Lavinia to flush as she froze her hand.
“Then say ‘stay on course,’ not ‘rocks to port,’” Lavinia retorted.
Ty ran his hand through his already rumpled hair. Ria and Niri glanced at each other in silence. They glided past the half-submerged remains of a ship. The cracked boards of its hull offered an ominous welcome to the dangerous town and harbor. It left Ria lightheaded.
“You are doing fine. Just keep it slow and follow the channel,” Ty said a little more kindly.
Lavinia took a deep breath and glared at the back of her brother’s head, before refocusing on the quickly approaching wharves. The mass of wooden planks and pilings sprawled along the shore without order. In places, small rope-and-board bridges spanned sections that had fallen into the waves.
“Where do I go?” Lavinia asked, admitting she needed help.
“Stay to the starboard side. Head there, just off the channel. You see?” Ty said, pointing to a doubtful-looking mass of planks nailed haphazardly between old pilings.
“That’s where the merchant vessels tie up?” Lavinia asked, voice breaking with nervousness.
Ty looked at her grimly. “No, but it’s the closest to the channel and will be the fastest to leave from.”
The edges of Ria’s vision faded, the colors blending to white. She inhaled short gasps of sea-laden air while her stomach tumbled. Only the fear that she'd be ill if she opened her mouth kept Ria from asking Lavinia to sail them away.
Three men walked down the wharf as Lavinia stalled the sailboat off the dock. They confidently stepped across the missing planks with an easy swagger. His gaze not leaving the approaching men, Ty casually looped a rope around a nearly upright piling, not so much securing them as making certain the boat did not drift.
“Do exactly as I say while we are here,” he said quietly.
Wide-eyed, Lavinia watched her brother over the dropped sail as she lashed it to the boom. Niri was pale, but her serene face did not betray any fears. Ria stared at Ty, as frightened of him as she was of the men walking down the dock.
“Aye, what business do you have?”
The lead man stood over their small ship, coolly appraising it from the height of the dock. He hooked one thumb into the waist of his faded red, rough-woven pants, while his weight rested on his right leg in a casual pose. Muted brown hair fell to his cheeks, which showed two days’ worth of scruff.
“We have goods for the bazaar,” Ty answered calmly.
There was a slight glimmer to the man’s hazel eyes as he looked over Ty, then the air of nonchalance returned to his face. His eyes drifted between Ria and Lavinia. “Is that so? Anything good?”
“Odds and ends mostly; we need to clean out the boat.”
“Not selling her, are you?” the second man asked from where he stood a pace behind the first. Sandy blond hair trailed over one eager brown eye. His tan tunic had a slash of dirt across the front, while his pants were neither gray nor brown. They were the color of mud.
Ty paused, his gaze shifting as he tried to judge what the man was referring to. The man’s eyes rested on the girls as much as on the ship.
“No, the boat isn’t for sale.”
“Too bad. She is a slick little vessel,” the man replied, eyes laughing at some private joke.
The third man was hard to gauge. He stood well back from the other two. Built lithely with fine muscles that rippled under his deep black skin, his eyes took in everything. But his expression gave little in return. His clothes were dark, a sleeveless violet tunic with embroidery at the keyhole collar over black pants and boots. The fabric of his shirt was crisp as if still new. His eyes were the only ones that did not stare at the two girls. He met Niri’s gaze steadily.
“You’ll need to pay the normal dock fee, then,” said the first man, who looked to be the oldest, or at least the one in charge.
Ty did not hesitate. “I’ll pay you to watch the ship, too. We won’t be past sunset.”
The offer erased the dour look from the man’s face. “That would be all right. I’m Gaff. Causis and Hahri can help you take items up to the bazaar as well. You can pay me.” His grin was easy and gap-toothed, more troubling in the boyishness of it compared to the nefarious look the moment before.
Ty passed Gaff a handful of coins without even counting them. Ria watched the money they had spent the last two days earning disappear into Gaff’s shirt. Her lip quivered. Ria looked away, refusing to acknowledge the men or the town, wishing that would be enough to make both disappear.
Gaff vanished down the haphazard wharf. Sandy-haired Causis stood leering at the two girls while Hahri waited silently behind him. Ty tossed the bags they had sorted the night before and brought on deck at dawn at Causis’s and Hahri’s feet. Causis scowled but picked up his share.
Ria picked up a small sack of fine cloth, walking down the rickety wharf as close to Lavinia as possible. Hahri and Causis neared the end of the dock and Ty moved quickly to stay with them. Ria’s stiff, stilt-like legs and the weight of the bundle twined in her arms caused her to overbalance at every missing plank. The water swirling over the rocks below snagged Ria's attention more than the haphazard boards. Niri’s hand on her shoulder kept Ria moving, giving her enough focus to keep from walking off the edge.
The relief of finding the muddy road under her feet fell away the instant the wind shifted. The smell of strong spirits and stale urine hit her with a sudden onslaught. She gagged this time for a reason other than nerves. Lavinia moved her bundle to her left hip, putting an arm around Ria. They sought comfort in each other's closeness amid the squalid harbor front.
Hahri and Causis stopped long enough to adjust bundles before walking up the hill into town. Ty followed behind, catching up to their burdened pace. After a hesitation, Lavinia hurried after her brother, her arm pushing Ria ahead as well. Ria had a quick glance of Niri trailing behind before her attention fell on the town.
Dilapidated buildings with broken boards and missing, narrow windows lined the dirt road winding up the hill. Bottles were smashed into the muddy track. A rat dove under the corner of a building, something moldy in its mouth. Movement in an upper window caught Ria's attention. She found herself meeting the dull eyes of a girl about her age. Bruises marked her naked shoulder while lank hair fell to cover her breast. Rough hands covered the welt and pulled the girl out of sight.
Trembling so hard that she thought her bones would unravel, Ria pulled her eyes to Ty’s back and trudged ahead in a nightmare. Next to her, Lavinia shivered as well.
The abused wooden buildings gave way to low stucco structures and then larger ones of worn stone. Still far from elegant, these building at least gave a sense of purpose and organizat
ion.
Ahead, Hahri opened a tall arched door set in a high wall. Causis and Ty slipped through without pausing. Ria raced through on Lavinia’s heels, who stopped so quickly Ria bumped into her. The bazaar of Sardinia swirled around them on the other side of the old stone wall. The winding narrow streets of chipped stone and stucco buildings echoed the shouts, music, laughter, and sales chatter of hundreds of vendors. Shop doors stood open, giving glances into the dark interiors of rug merchants and dimly lit cafés. Smoke from small cook fires along the street floated in the warming air. The smells of roasted coffee mixed with spices and cooked marinated meats mingled in the still morning. It was the largest and most vibrant market Ria had ever seen or heard of. She blinked in surprise.
“Where do you want to start?”
It was the first time Hahri had spoken, his voice a low base that rumbled deep in his chest. After walking through the doorway to the market, Hahri stood behind Niri. Causis waited next to Ty, his gaze on Ria. Her cheeks flamed as she glanced away.
“I know someone. You will be able to leave us there. This way.”
Ty led, moving along the bazaar with the ease of someone familiar with their surroundings. Lavinia stared at her brother, the bundle she carried scraping the ground. Ria felt more confused than reassured to find the market appeared to be simply a market.
But it was easy to be drawn in. An elongated red and orange demi-dragon twisted around the arms of a tattooed man, the rich colors of his skin blending with that of the chained beast. Birds in cages or with feet tied to sticks screamed and sang from one stall. In another, fire sylphs danced above their brass cages waiting to be sold. A man ran up to Ria holding out lengths of gleaming silver silk. His words were incomprehensible as he described the material in a language other than trade. Ria shook her head and looked away, seeing a young boy acrobat, wearing little more than paint, lithely tumbling forward from a handstand. It was marvelous and lurid, fantastical and deceptive.
In the midst of it all, Ria felt like every eye turned toward her. Silk and jewelry, delicate shoes and fine dresses were whisked in front of her. She shied, wishing away the novelty of her delicate beauty. She didn't want to be noticed. Not here. Eyes from the shadows of stores assessed her potential. She could feel the stares pushing against her.
Assaulted by a new wave of merchandise thrust at her, Ria floundered, gesturing them away with her hands. The bag she was holding dropped and was scooped up before she could bend over. Tears of frustration filled her eyes as she stepped after it, only to be stopped by the surrounding wall of merchant men. Lavinia was not next to her, Ty nowhere to be seen.
Ria scrambled to step back, not knowing how she had become separated from them so quickly. But the men would not let her pass. A hand like a shackle closed over her wrist and pulled her sideways through the throng. Ty, noticing her absence, had come to collect her, she was sure. The relief that Ty had found her shattered as Ria found herself staring into Causis’s greedy brown eyes. His other hand cut off her scream as he dragged her forward toward the edge of the street.
His grip was brutal. His hand crushed her wrist, bruising her flesh while the arm of the hand across her mouth felt like a steel band caging her chest. As he pulled her down an alley barely a doorway wide, Ria stumbled against him, feeling the length of his body against hers. She began to struggle, writhing and kicking.
The hand over her mouth let go. Ria sucked in air before it was knocked out of her again by the hand across her face.
“Stop it. You are worth more to me unblemished, but not by much,” Causis hissed into her ear. Spittle from his breath full of staleness and rot sprayed her cheek. He put his hand back over her mouth. Ria peered at him, so close to her face, from the corner of her eye. Her heart was a double beat without pause so that her whole chest ached.
Something like acid rose below the fear, eating it away from the bottom up. Causis pulled her further forward. She bit his hand. Ria felt like she stood over a bonfire, flames of power rose up her legs, easing the pressure on her chest. She did not care what it would bring, she would crush this man who was assaulting her.
Causis’s hand pulled back to strike her again. She pushed the power at him with her desire to see him die at her feet. Nothing happened. The power winked out, leaving her cold and alone. Terror throttled her throat as Causis’s hand fell toward her.
Then he stopped. His face drained of blood, even his lips turning blue-white. Weakly, he clutched at his chest and staggered backwards into the wall behind him. Before Ria could react, Ty stood with a knife held to Causis’s throat. Trembling so hard she couldn’t stand, Ria slid down the wall, wrapping her arms around her knees.
Above her, Ty’s knife bit a red line into Causis’s neck. “If I see you again, I will kill you,” he said.
Eye to eye and inches from Causis’s face, Ty didn’t look like he wanted to wait. Every line on him was barely restrained fury. Ria did not recognize him. Ty turned and thrust Causis down the alleyway. Causis tripped, caught himself against the narrow wall, staggered once, and then took off running.
Above Ria, Lavinia stood watching the knife in her brother’s hand. To Ria’s surprise, it wasn’t fear on Lavinia’s face, but envy. Lavinia’s empty hand curled closed before she shook herself and dropped to Ria’s side, wrapping Ria in her arms. Any desire Ria had felt to unwind in her friend’s arms dissolved. Stiffly, she let herself be held in her best friend’s embrace, her nervous gaze finding Niri a few steps away from the group.
Niri’s face was downcast, but from where Ria sat on the ground, she could see lavender fading from Niri’s eyes. Ria wasn’t the only one who noticed. Hahri stared at Niri with blind hatred. He raised a balled fist. Ria struggled to pull out of Lavinia’s arms.
Ty turned, stopping with eyes narrowed as he took in Niri and Hahri. A bland calmness washed over Hahri’s face as he opened his fist.
“I never trusted him,” Hahri said, nodding in the direction Causis had gone.
Ty ignored Hahri. Instead, Ty looked down at Ria, worry deepening his blue eyes. He reached to help her up. Ria shrank from his hand.
“We should go back, Ty. We shouldn’t have come,” Lavinia said, pulling Ria to her feet as Ty stepped back, face turned away.
Ty didn’t answer. He watched both girls with his features set in a cold mask. Lavinia glared at her brother.
“It is too late for that,” Ty said, then to Hahri, “We’ll go on to the store.” Hahri bent, picking up the scatter of sacks without comment. Ty lifted one bag, then froze, his gaze on Niri.
Niri was a pale ghost of herself. She slumped against the wall of the alleyway, face toward the wall. Cautiously, Ty placed a hand on Niri’s arm. She flinched at his touch, but he did not take his hand away. She looked at him with murky brown eyes lined with tears.
Ty paused as if uncertain what to do. Niri took the sack from his hand, holding it against her chest as she shuffled after Hahri. Ty watched her, his gaze leaping to where Hahri waited. Hurriedly, Ty picked up the last two sacks and gave one to Lavinia. With long strides, Ty darted after Niri and Hahri.
Lavinia nudged Ria after Ty. "We have to go, Ria," Lavinia said, gently.
At Lavinia's urging, Ria walked forward. Her gaze locked on bright color and movement. Beyond the mouth of the alley, the market swirled with people. Ria started to shake, feeling all the more exposed with nothing to carry.
“This time, stay together,” Ty said gruffly to them as he stepped into the main street of the bazaar.