Chapter 12: Alignments and Perturbations

There are eighteen communities on the Sparine Peninsula. Only Seacroft can be counted as a true city. Six others count as towns and villages. The remainder were all small and remote fishing villages like Oereia, or remote forest villages like Thasp. Thasp was within a couple of miles of a large clutch of rare, and apparently tasty, Leather-throated Marsh Lizards, and that was what had brought me here.

The problem with Marsh Lizards in general is that they live in marshes. Having gone through the Imhur, I though a little thing like a marsh wouldn't be bothersome, but then I realized that in a marsh you can't just climb up to a higher limb and walk around the muck and ooze.

The problem with these particular marsh lizards is their timid, timid little hearts, that make them cower most of their lives in the muck and ooze, only their eyeballs sticking out, taking a languid blink now and then.

We might have been at a stalemate, the little bulging-eyed buggers, but I found their secret desire. They really, really liked glimmer bugs. Unlike Leather-throated Marsh Lizards, Glimmer Bugs are easy to catch. Dangle a glimmer bug in front of one and you had a lunging lizard, pretty much guaranteed.

This then was how I came to be a lizard trapper, or rather become a lizard trapper once, and then hire trappers from the village of Thasp to do my trapping for me. This had two advantages. One, it kept me out of the muck and ooze. Two, it kept the muck and ooze out of me. I rest my case.

Just after every new moon I fetched a crate load or two of Leather-throated Marsh Lizards from Thasp. Live specimens meant my buyers could keep the critters alive between shipments, and offer fresh lizard on the menu on a daily basis. The number of lizards per new moon was not high, but the price on the menu was. Demand met supply in a happy confluence, and in the process I collected Crowns in goodly numbers. All was well with the universe.

I might like my business to grow, but for now I was a one woman operation, and unless I hunted more often myself, or could hire hunters I trusted, it was likely to stay that way. I had other trappers working other areas now — including regularly replicating my initial success with the rock doves, though on a smaller scale. We could bring in ten or so a month without threatening to deplete the stocks in the area.

I found myself being a game manager of sorts and a scientist, studying the impact of hunting on the ecologies where the game I hunted could be found. I was a regular customer of the Seacroft Public Library, and wished for access to more. In some cases the game was truly just rare — something outside its normal habitat or region, an animal that didn't herd or flock or swarm. Often though it was just that they were in places that were difficult to get to, or surrounded by a hostile environment. In the case of the marsh lizards I was willing to extend the hostile umbrella over the concept of 'icky' as well.

I was a one woman enterprise, the toast of Seacroft society, and running myself ragged with no end in sight. On top of that. I was convinced that there was a mystery afoot, and one I meant to solve.

I had arrived in Seacroft over the smuggler's trail, and over the months since I had been here, I'd moved back and forth across it and up and down it a dozen times. Someone was still moving things regularly across that trail, and I was too good a tracker not to notice that there were no wheel marks, no drag marks, no signs of deeply embedded horse or foot prints. Lots of traffic, but no cargo. What in the name of the Spirits were they smuggling?

But Thasp? How could it be involved in the mystery? I dealt with two men, Spark Urli and Mash Haulk. Both had Been almost eager to enter into an arrangement to capture marsh lizards for me, and to do it my way. There only condition was than I pick certain days, or rather a certain frequency of days between visits to collect my lizards, and that had come even before the amount. It hadn't taken many months for me to notice that the tracks on the smuggler's trail were always fresher right after I'd been on one of my trips to Thasp.

"Mash, I won't be able to pick up the next batch at the scheduled time." I said after handing the two men their money.

"Really? Is there a problem?" He asked.

"Well, we'll see if its a problem. Seacroft will be having their annual Captain's Ball on that same night, and I will be too busy getting ready to attend. Pleasant Kilber has made it a mandate that I be the belle of the ball, and you know I seldom go against Pleasant's requests."

"So we hear, even all the way out here in Thasp." Spark added. "Do you want to try for the day before or the day after?"

"Better not try the day before, Pleasant will worry about my getting lost or something and missing the ball. The day after would probably be fine, but I have no idea what kind of shape the previous evening's festivities will leave me in. Can we try for two days after the ball?"

"Alright. Sounds good to us." Mash said.

I spent the rest of the day with my cart and hired driver bringing the Marsh Lizards back to Seacroft. There were a couple other places I stopped, homesteaders and solitary families who knew what creatures were of value to me, and they too knew which days I came through on my way too and from Thasp. It meant I usually came back with one or two nice surprises, and it was hard coin to supplement whatever the family had. Most were dirt poor, living off their own land and producing everything they consumed. A Hard coin now and then was a big deal.

It was not a market day for me, and I had some work to do on getting this load of marsh lizards stored away safely in the seafoam cottage until tomorrow, as well as some final dressing out on the shipwings that one of my stops had produced. I had been learning from the folks at the upscale inns and taverns, as well as people like Master Argoun how best to dress and present the game. The commercial outfits were always more willing to buy if the game was already prepared in such a way as to save them the trouble. To the casual buyer, those same preparations made the game more attractive and less wild-seeming. The intimidation factor of taking a game animal, still in the skin, was reduced when they saw it processed in a familiar way.

With everything in order I headed out, not stopping at Flutter's today because the lamp cover in the front window was tilted. Her signal to me that she was out. I didn't want to try riding Spark through the market, but I did ride around to the southern corner of the square so I could stop and have a chat with Master Ewren, my partner.

"River! I see you have returned safely once again from the hinterlands of Thasp."

"Uneventful, as usual Bright. I did get some shipwing to go along with tomorrows load of marsh lizard."

"Hmm. I think I have something that will go well with that. I'll have Dark cut some pepper ash planks, we can bundle those with the shipwings and offer a complete package for plank-cooked shipwing."

Dark Ewren was Bright's twin brother and the manufacturer of the sign that hung above our stall at the market. He had also built us the custom tables, racks and cabinets that we used to display our wares. I had met him twice, and he was as quiet and unassuming and nothing like Bright. Not as opposite as their names might suggest though.

The planked shipwing was another culinary delight, I assumed. I was learning as much about the culinary world, second and third hand, as I was about game management. We arranged to meet at the seafoam cottage a couple of hours before morning meal to make up our packages. I gave the old man a hug and headed back to Spark, who had been standing where I'd left him, eying one of the local urchins suspiciously.

"Relax Spark." I said as I approached. "The poor lad is just admiring your beauty, as I do." Once I was in the saddle I let the boy give Spark a stroke along the cheek, it earned me a smile from the boy and a flip of the tail from Spark. I went out of my way, as usual after leaving the market, to ride by the Seacroft Stables. Pleasant had been right about enjoying it. I did it almost every day.

I had a few hours before evening meal, so after getting Spark brushed out and fed and in her stall, I took my staff out into the yard and got in a little stick work. I missed having Spray and Scatter to practice with, missed having anyone to practice with, to be honest. Drills and forms were nice, but without sparring practice now and then, I was afraid I'd be loosing my edge somehow. Pleasant wouldn't allow any of the Kilber household guard to practice with me, calling it unladylike. I think Trip would have been okay with it, but he didn't want to run afoul of Pleasant any more than I did.

Over evening meal, Trip talked shop. Something he had not done much of in the months that I had lived with them.

"Tomorrow is market day for you, and the next day is a meeting day for me. I wanted you to know that you will be mentioned at this meeting."

"Me?" I asked, surprised. "Mentioned in regard to what? And I thought you were retired."

"Well I am for the most part." He answered. "What do you know of the shipping concerns in Seacroft?"

"I could safely say I know nothing, or am unawares of what I do know."

"There's a hedged bet!" He said with a laugh. "I could see that line used before a magistrate. 'Your honor, I might know something, but I believe I am unaware of it if I do.' What a line!"

"Huntress, Lady, Entrepreneur and now Politician!" Pleasant said with a laugh. "That adhered to the politician's motto so well dear. 'Say nothing, and say it eloquently!'"

"In any case." Trip said when our laughter died down. "There are two shipping concerns operating in Seacroft. One local, financed at in part by outside investors, and one that is owned and operated by completely outside interests. Peninsula Shipping is the local one of these, and I act in an advisory capacity to their management here. It is not a paid position, but it has compensations of another kind."

"We receive a dividend from the annual profits." Pleasant said.

"The local managers want to meet because they've received word that a representative of one of their major financial backers will be coming in on the Alcatian Princess that evening. This is supposedly the son of Burr Gurmot, head of the Gurmot, Gurmot and Sons investment house out of Demira."

"This involves me how?" I asked again.

"The son is said to be about your age, a recent graduate of the Academy on Silecia, and getting some exposure to the various Gurmot interests before assuming some position in the firm."

"So you want to dangle me in front of him, is that it?" I asked. "Use me to keep him entertained?"

"Well, You are considered to be Seacroft's finest adornment." Trip said, but he had the good grace to duck after he said it.

"This Gurmot is traveling with a friend, also an academy graduate, and I am going to suggest at this meeting that the two of them be invited to dine here at the house, along with three of the management people, and perhaps Flutter Bockoroy. Who else might we want to invite?"

"How about my business partner then?" I suggested. "Master Ewren is a charming older gentleman who has no connection whatsoever to the shipping concern. He seems to appreciate a good meal when its offered as well."

Have you planned a meal then? Should I be expecting you at the market in the morning Pleasant?"

"I hadn't thought of that! What will you have?"

Pleasant wasn't a fan of the marsh lizard, and neither was I, but she did like the idea of the shipwing and pepper ash plank idea that Bright had come up with. After a head count of those likely to attend, I decided we had more than enough.

I made the invitation to Master Ewren first thing the next morning as we were preparing the shipwings. He thought it amusing that we were in fact preparing the very meal we would be eating at the Kilbers.

This did simplify my sales day considerably. I had the marsh lizards to sell, but they were all spoken for, and were picked up by a crew from the Blue Heron. The owner had been advised of the job of middleman one of his staff had been playing, and that person was disciplined and they were now buying directly from me. All that was left were some star-footed voles and a half dozen shark beetles. After having eaten bark hopper in the Imhur, and enjoying it, I was the last person who would turn their nose at eating bugs, but the shark beetles just looked nasty. I was always amazed at how quickly they were bought up. The star-footed voles went quickly as well, but there were only four of them, and one of the inns bought them all, more or less on a whim, as I judged it.

That left the rest of my day free, and apparently tonight's dinner was going to be a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Captain's Ball. I got back home to find Flutter and Pleasant waiting, and a half dozen people with them. I had an attendant to do my hair, and one to do my fingernails and even my toenails, and one to do my makeup.

I was also happy to see Shadow Crisine, who had come with a rack of dresses. Flutter served spiced tea and cinnamon cakes, managing to avoid offering any input at all on the dresses, and Shadow and Pleasant selected an ice blue satin thing that was much lower cut across my chest than the dress I had bought last time, but it still managed to not be the plunging neckline I feared. There were dining slippers to match, and once the dress was picked, the manicurist began to paint my fingernails to match as well! I was hand fed the melon and grilled tomatoes we had for midday meal, because my nails weren't dry and I was forbidden to touch anything for another hour. It was strange to be fed by another person.

The makeup that had been applied before and during midday meal was going to require a touch up before dinner, and Pleasant informed her that there would be jewelry to select once the dress was on.

"We'll pick out a nice matching set from my jewelry box that you can wear tonight, maybe with a matching tiara?" Pleasant said.

"No! No tiara! I will not wear a tiara." I said.

"Oh very well, but you will take that keepsake off your neck and let me put some of my amethysts on your neck?"

"No, that's even less negotiable." I answered. "The skystone never comes off, I promised my mother."

"Then we'll have to go for the fresh and unadorned look. Nothing but the skystone, so it will stand out at least." Pleasant said. She didn't sound pleased.

"Well, it will draw the eyes, won't it?" Flutter offered. That seemed to make Pleasant happier, but had the opposite effect on me. There they went again, investing something into my cleavage.

During the time between midday meal and the arrival of our guests, I got lectured on details. Details I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

His name — Trunk Gurmot. Recent graduate of the Academy. The Academy was an exclusive school that offered weapons training and military training, the sons of kings and the offspring of the captains of industry and finance across arbor went there.

Silecia, the island where the academy was located was exclusively controlled by the Wizard's Guild, and contained the forest where the famous crownwood staff that most wizards preferred came from.

Trunk Gurmot was the third son of Burr Gurmot, the first Gurmot in Gurmot, Gurmot and Sons. Who the other Gurmot was, and whether it was Burr's sons who were the sons in the firm's name was unknown.

Trunk Gurmot was sixteen, at least half a year younger than I was. He was relatively short, but very fit and was considered an excellent swordsman. Hollow Hills Scarlet Heart was thought to be his favorite wine.

"Enough!" I said. "I am not being readied for a suitor, and this is starting to look far too much like that. If you don't want me to rip off this dress and show up at the dining table in my leathers, this ends now!"

I couldn't help comparing the Alcatian Princess to the Golden Shores. The five days on the luxury passenger barge had flown by quickly. The two days at sea on the Alcatian Princess seemed to last for an eternity, and I spent most of my time with Grinder and Sheer, alternating with Trunk to calm the horses when the seas were at their roughest, and the seas were far rougher than I remembered enduring during any of my voyages in the past.

I missed the food, the level of service, the politeness of the staff and officers, but mostly I missed the calm waters.

Seacroft itself was in more protected waters, and by the time we were four hours out of their harbor the seas had calmed and the skies were even threatening to clear up. We had a quartering wind out of the east that gave us a good run in and by the time we could see the buildings in the distance, the seas were calm, the sky was blue with only a few picturesque fluffy clouds scattered here and there.

Captain Peliter himself came over as we were slipping into the harbor to apologize for the rough ride.

"We're always lighter arriving than we are leaving." He said. "There's seldom enough cargo to fill the holds on the run out, but we leave with a belly full of fish and crab worth a king's ransom. The Princess sails much smoother with a full hold."

"We have something to look forward to when it comes time to leave then." Trunk said flatly. Neither of us had gotten a lot of sleep in the last two days.

We ate our midday meal while we watched the ships crew and the dock rats engineer a way for the horses to get ashore without having to be hoisted. This wasn't an uncommon situation apparently, because they had a series of portable ramps that could be raised and lowered and swung out over the deck of the ship.

We had kept Grinder and Sheer on deck, tucked into a little corner with a tarp-wrapped shack that had been built for them to keep the tossing sea out of their field of vision. They had endured it, like good soldiers should, and we'd make it up to them later somehow. Now it was time to get them on those ramps and off the ship.

I almost regretted the decision to take the sea route, even though it had saved us a tenday of overland travel time, the price we'd paid in energy and readiness seemed high. It would take a couple days at least just to feel normal again.

We had no baggage, no cargo, just our horses, our weapons and our saddlebags. We were the first passengers off the dock, and there was a reception committee waiting for us.

"Welcome to Seacroft Mister Gurmot." One of the men said, stepping forward. "I am Haul Trupp. This is Vast Arica, Barn Joise, and Miter Hanison." Each mad nodded when his name was called. "We are the local managers for the Peninsula Shipping concern."

Trunk nodded back at all of them.

"I would also like you to meet Trip Kilber, who acts frequently as an advisor for us."

"Good afternoon, all of you." Trunk said finally. "Allow me to introduce my friend Sid McKesson."

We all exchanged nods as well.

"I'm glad to see the weather here has lightened up, but we just had a rough passage, at least rough to a couple of horsemen like ourselves. We couldn't even consider leaving our horses behind, so they have just endured a voyage they did not enjoy either. We are tired, sweaty, dirty, and drastically in need of some sort of rescue from this dock and the sea, even if for a little while."

"Gentlemen, we took the liberty to arrange a dinner at my home this evening. Only ten people. Perhaps that was ill advised on our parts, hearing of your trip. You have four hours, would that be enough time to see to your needs?"

"We each have a clean set of riding leathers, and that will be what we wear, but if we can at least see to our horses, bathe and get in a short nap, we are at your service." Trunk said.

"We've arranged lodging for you at the Seacroft Inn. You have the two best rooms at the inn, and Spirits protect anyone who impedes us in seeing you get that bath and nap. Did you get a midday meal aboard the Alcatian Princess?"

"We ate it while we watched the crews build the ramps that let us ride our horses off the ship. Our stomachs will surely settle come the evening, and we'll be ravenous and appreciative of whatever is set before us."

Our host left then to advise his wife and their staff, and Vast Arica was our guide to the inn.

"My brother and I own the Seacroft Inn jointly, but he operates it. He has been given some idea of how nicely we want to treat you while you are here." He told us on the way. "I expect you will not be disappointed."

It was a short trip, up a single street, past an open market and across from a solid and unfathomable fountain that probably had some significance when it was first carved. We took care of Grinder and Sheer first, settling them into their stalls, giving them apples and gumweed while we brushed them out. We let the stable hands take over and were shown to our rooms. Once again the maid who showed us the way caught Trunk's eye. She escorted us each into a room and asked us for the clothes we would be wearing that night.