Chapter 6

Adara watched the girl closely as they went down the stairs again. Rhishandri hesitated at the bottom, at the line of light, then stepped carefully into it. She shivered, swaying a bit, then walked on. She seemed to be doing well enough, but Adara resolved to keep an eye on her, anyway.

The majority of the shopping was tedious and exhausting, but without incident. Adara did the choosing and the bargaining, and arranged for everything to be delivered to the inn, while Rhishandri followed her like a silent shadow through the small town.

The final thing they needed were pack animals, and this also proved easy enough to take care of. Though, with only one dealer in town, the quality available left a bit to be desired. Still, Adara managed to find five decent dalas. They followed the merchant into his office to conclude the deal. As he started filling out a bill of sale and Adara counted out coins, he looked up at her with a smile. "I happened to be in the inn last night when you arrived," he said, "and was privileged to get a peek at your merchandise. Would you be interested in a trade?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What merchandise would you be referring to?"

He nodded towards Rhishandri's cloaked figure. "I can understand why you wouldn't want to sell her in this pitiful backwater, but I have a buyer who would pay top price for her, even if she's not a virgin."

Adara stared at him, stiffening, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm afraid there's been a miscommunication," she said, slowly. "She's not merchandise."

He shifted a bit in his chair, licking his lips nervously, but the lure of profit was obviously too strong to resist. "Come now, bed-partners are easy to come by, but a financial opportunity like this is once in a lifetime."

"She's not my slave. She's my apprentice," Adara snapped.

The man paled, but named a price, anyway. A very impressive price.

"No," Adara said, her icy voice making it plain that further offers would be considered an insult.

He sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Very well. It's your choice. But if you tire of her any time soon, you know where to find me." He bent over his desk, signing the papers for the animals. "When will you be picking them up?" he asked, casually.

"This afternoon," she said. "Or possibly this evening. It depends on how long it takes me to complete the rest of my business here."

"If you can give me a concrete time, I can have someone waiting here for you. Otherwise, you'll have to take your chances."

Adara looked thoughtful for a moment. "Let's say just after sundown, then -- I'm certain that my business won't run that long."

He nodded, handing her the papers. "Very well, then. And don't forget, if you change your mind..."

"I won't," she said firmly.

Rhishandri followed her quietly out of the office. "That was ... a lot of gold," she said, softly, as they turned towards the inn.

Adara nodded. "It was."

"Were ... did you consider it?" the girl asked hesitantly.

"No," said Adara, glancing over at her.

Rhishandri tugged on the hood, pulling it further down over her head, her face completely hidden in its shadow. "Why not?"

"I've been a slave. I didn't particularly care for it," Adara said, and smiled, her sharp teeth gleaming. "Neither did my owner, at the end. Luckily for him, he didn't have long to regret it."

"Oh," Rhishandri said, quietly, and was silent the rest of the way back to the inn.

Most of the packages were waiting for them at the inn, and the rest arrived while they were packing. Most of it was standard fare -- blankets, dried goods, other camping supplies. But Adara had also ordered spools of copper and silver wire, sheets of copper, silver, and iron, iron rods, and various semiprecious stones. These she looked over carefully before packing away to be used later, when she had the time to indulge her hobby. Other than that, the packing was tedious, bun not difficult for someone who'd done it so frequently before.

Which was fortunate, as Rhishandri wasn't much help. Even if she had known what to do, the day had obviously drained her, even with the help of the cloak. She tried, but she was so tired and slow that eventually Adara just sent her to rest in front of the fire.