by Sharon Shinn
“So you’ll do it?” he said. “Run the shop?”
She wanted to say she needed to think it over, but she could tell her mind was already made up and it seemed pointless to make Darien wait for her answer. Well, except to teach him that he couldn’t just move people here and there like pieces on a game board. But since he obviously could, she didn’t think he’d learn the lesson anyway. “I will,” she said. “I think it sounds like fun.”
THREE
Leah was hungry, and she was curious, so she accepted when Darien asked her to stay for lunch. He led her up two flights of stairs to the level where he obviously kept his private quarters. She was trying to remember if she’d ever been in this particular corridor when he gestured her into a charming room full of afternoon sunshine and a round table set for three. A lone woman stood by the window, contemplating the waterfall. She turned to face them as they stepped in.
“Oh, you do look like Mally,” was her greeting before any introductions had been made. “A little bit like Romelle, too, but I suppose you’d have to for your daughters to appear so similar.”
Leah thought that she heard Darien sigh behind her. “Leah, this is Zoe Lalindar. Coru prime, my wife, and a woman sadly lacking in manners. Zoe—well, you’ve obviously figured out that this is Leah Frothen.”
Zoe was laughing as she came over to give Leah a friendly bow. The coru prime was tall, lanky, and relaxed; by her plainly styled brown hair and loose-fitting tunic, it was clear that she didn’t have much patience with formality. But her smile was warm and her black eyes were bright with interest. Leah thought that this was someone who liked people far more than she liked things.
“I don’t think we’ve met before, but I saw you from a distance a few times before I left Chialto,” Leah said.
“Let me guess. I was calling up floods or threatening to make a man’s blood boil in his veins,” Zoe said.
That actually made Leah laugh out loud. “No, but—could you? I mean, I know you actually did flood the Marisi, but—blood boiling? Really?”
“She threatens it all the time, but she never delivers,” Darien said, as they took their places at the table. It was already laden with a diverse selection of breads and meats and sauces. “I’ve begun to think it’s a hollow boast.”
Zoe reached for a pitcher of fruited water and regarded him with a lurking smile. Leah was seized with the sudden conviction that not only did Darien believe her, but he’d seen her demonstrate a skill that was at least similar and awfully damn impressive. “I could do it,” she said, “but it’s so very extreme. You have to be prepared for the direst of consequences once you’ve done something like that.”
Darien accepted a glass from her hands. “Not that Zoe shies away from extreme behavior, you understand,” he said. “Or minds dire consequences.”
“That comes from being coru, I suppose,” Leah said, taking her own glass. “I’ve often wished I had a little more coru in me. I would like to be more spontaneous.”
They began passing the serving plates around, for all the world like an ordinary family having a casual midday meal. Though the food on the plates was far superior to the fare the average merchant or carriage maker would serve at the most elaborate dinner. “Are you torz?” Zoe inquired. And when Leah nodded, she asked, “And what are your blessings?”
Leah made a face. “Endurance, honor, and time.”
Zoe considered those while she finished her first mouthful of food. “Not exactly carefree,” she decided.
“My mother said once that they meant I’d become some kind of scientific researcher, discovering the mysteries of the stars. I always figured they meant I’d grit my teeth and make it through some horrible situation without complaining.”
“And instead you’ve become one of Darien’s secret operatives! Which actually sounds more interesting than those other options.”
“She’s agreed to run the business,” Darien put in. “I told her you’d help.”
“Oh, can I sign on as a sales clerk? I don’t mind working long hours.”
Leah was laughing again. “What? No. Of course not. You’re the coru prime.”
“But I have experience,” Zoe argued. “I worked in a cobbler’s shop a few years ago. I liked it, too.”
Leah glanced between Zoe and Darien, because she wasn’t sure Zoe was joking. Darien sighed again. “She did,” he said. “It was during her more vagabond days.”
“Which I still miss.”
Really? thought Leah. Myself, I’ve been a vagabond too long. I’d like to come home. Aloud she said, “So when Darien said you could help me—”
Zoe took a spoonful of fruit compote. “My cobbler friends advised us on property we could buy for the shop.”
Leah looked at Darien. “So you were pretty sure I’d say yes.”
He shrugged. “You or someone. I was hoping you.”
“If you had said no, you would have had many even more enticing opportunities to say yes,” Zoe told her. “That’s how Darien works.”
“Maybe I should have held out awhile to see what else he offered.”
“Exactly! That’s what you should do next time he wants a favor.”
“I don’t see how it can be considered a favor if it’s an arrangement that benefits us both,” Darien replied.
“Which is why so many people say yes to Darien,” Zoe noted.
“We stray from the point,” Darien said. “As Zoe mentioned, we have procured a shop in a prime location. The place still must be furnished—”
“And stocked,” Leah said. “What you carry is at least as important as where you’re located.”
“I can help you out there, too,” Zoe said. “I have friends who are itinerant traders, and they deal in fairly unusual merchandise. They’ll work with you to get the place opened quickly.”
Itinerant traders? Leah was beginning to think the coru prime’s “vagabond days” had lasted a lot longer and been a lot more interesting than anyone would expect. “That would be great at the beginning,” she said. “But I made some contacts in Malinqua and I think I can start importing very quickly. The problem will be the lag time between sending out letters and getting responses.”
“Yes, and unfortunately even Darien can’t speed up sea travel just by commanding it,” Zoe said.
“I have tried,” he said. He spoke so solemnly it took Leah a second to realize he was joking.
Zoe patted his wrist. “Don’t give up. Someday you might master the trick.”
It was astonishing how human Darien Serlast became when he was in the presence of his casual wife. Leah wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it for herself. She hid a smile and said, “How quickly do you want the shop opened?”
“How soon can it be opened?”
“Not until it’s stocked with enough merchandise to last for at least three ninedays,” she said firmly. “And I have to have more supplies on the way. And I’ll need someone I can trust to work there on the days I have to be gone.”
“Me, of course,” Zoe said, but she was grinning.
“Have you asked Annova?” Darien inquired.
Zoe nodded. “She liked the idea.” She glanced at Leah. “Another friend of mine from the vagabond days.”
“Can she speak Coziquela?” Leah asked. “Because if you’re expecting international customers, that’s probably the language they’ll use.”
“She can,” Zoe said. “She taught herself a few years ago when she got bored during one very cold Quinnelay.” Zoe shrugged as if to say: A little odd, I know, but that’s Annova.
Leah took a deep breath. “Then I guess all that’s left is to go look at the property.”
“And to finish lunch,” Zoe said, passing another plate. “We’ll be spending the afternoon looking over the shop. We don’t want to go hungry.”
• • •
/> As soon as they finished their meal, Zoe left to find Annova. Darien reached into a pocket of his tunic and said, “This letter arrived for you a day ago.”
Leah had stood up when the other two did, and now she stared blankly at the regent. “A letter? For me? Came to you? At the palace?”
“I was surprised as well,” Darien said, handing it over. “You can wait for Zoe here. She’ll be back in a minute with Annova.”
Leah was a little concerned about being saddled with a stranger as she took up a new double role on behalf of her liege. What if she didn’t like or trust Zoe’s friend? “Who is Annova, exactly?”
Darien’s face was expressionless. “Someone Zoe encountered when she was camping down on the river. Before she was recognized as coru prime.”
“Camping—with the vagrants—on the Marisi?” Leah was almost too astonished to get the words out.
“Just so,” Darien said. “Annova and her husband, Calvin, are both devoted to Zoe, however, and entirely to be trusted. Also—I think you will like them. It is difficult not to.”
“I suppose you tried.”
A smile flickered across his face so quickly she might have imagined it. “Of course not. I like everybody.”
Which made her laugh out loud. Darien’s smile widened and he said, “Read your letter. Go visit the property. Then come let me know what you need from me, and we will do what it takes to get you in business.”
He left and Leah glanced down at the envelope in her hand. And then almost fell over from surprise.
Chandran’s handwriting. Chandran who had sent a letter to the palace, assuming it would somehow make its way to her. She had never told him her place in Welchin society, but he knew she was a spy for the crown. Even so, it took a certain reckless nerve to imagine a regent would be willing to serve as your courier.
She sank back into her chair and broke the seal. It looked as though Darien had not bothered to read the letter before handing it over, though Chandran would have assumed that someone might. He would be circumspect.
The letter was brief.
Leah,
You have been gone only three days and already it seems like a quintile. I expected to miss you, but not this much. But whenever I am sad that you are gone, I picture you back where you were meant to be, and I persuade myself that I am happy.
As you might imagine, things have been tumultuous in the city of Palminera ever since Cozique sailed into the harbor. No one has any time for shopping, of course, so the merchants all voted to close the Great Market for a nineday so that the building could undergo some necessary repairs. I find myself with more free time on my hands than I am accustomed to and no idea how to use it. I did spend an afternoon in the Little Islands district, visiting some of the places you used to tell me about. I liked the food in the Welchin café, but possibly only because it reminded me of you. I also went to the Welchin temple and tried my hand at pulling blessings. Three strangers were there, so, as you directed me, I asked them to pick my coins. They gifted me with travel, honor, and resolve. Am I right in remembering that one of those is also a blessing you possess? That is what I told myself, anyway.
You said that you would write, and I hope you do.
Chandran
Leah read the letter through three times, not sure whether she should lay it against her cheek and smile, or hug it to her heart and weep. She was happy to know Chandran missed her, too, but it scarcely mattered; what reason would she ever have to return to Palminera? Why would he ever come to Welce? She probably would never see him again, and mooning over him did her absolutely no good.
There were voices down the hall, so she tucked the letter inside her tunic and rose to her feet. Zoe swept in, accompanied by a small, thin woman who might be anywhere from sixty to eighty years old. Her wrinkled brown face was smiling and kind; her black hair was so short it was barely more than a shadow across her skull. She was wearing what looked to be a very fine tunic and shoes, but there was something raffish about her. It wasn’t hard to picture her living a footloose lifestyle and enjoying it very much.
Zoe made introductions and Annova’s smile widened. “So we’re going to start running a shop for Darien Serlast,” she said in a pleasant voice that had the faintest burr of an accent. “Every time I think life doesn’t hold anything new for me, I find out I was wrong.”
Leah tilted her head. She’d heard that particular cadence before, and recognized the deep color of Annova’s skin. “Are you originally from Dhonsho?” she asked.
“My mother was,” Annova replied. “My father was Welchin.”
“What? Dhonsho? You never told me that,” Zoe said.
“Do I have to tell you everything?”
“I don’t see why not. Anyway, I always thought you were from one of the southern provinces.”
“I was. But my ancestors came from farther away.” Annova nodded at Leah. “Not many people in Welce recognize Dhonshon faces.”
“I met a few expatriates in Malinqua,” Leah said. “They didn’t make it seem like Dhonsho was a place I’d want to visit.”
“My mother told some of the same stories. I’ve never been tempted to go there, either.”
“But some of the fabrics they make there are gorgeous,” Leah added. “I was hoping to import a few items from that country.”
Annova gave Zoe a sideways glance. “You were right. I’ll like this job.”
On that harmonious note, the three women set out for the shop district.
Darien had supplied an elaymotive and a couple of guards, though both Zoe and Annova looked disgruntled when the soldiers appeared. Traffic was heavy on the Cinque, the road that encircled the city, and so dense when they got close to their destination that the three women elected to get out and walk. The soldiers followed suit.
The shop district was a collection of high-end boutiques filled with the most luxurious wares to be found in Chialto. Anyone could stroll under the fluttering awnings and linger outside the big display windows, pointing and gawking, but only people with a lot of gold at their disposal would actually walk through the doors and hope to buy. The Plazas were for fun; the shop district was for serious acquisitions.
The space Darien had acquired was a narrow spot sandwiched between two much larger boutiques. Zoe produced a key and they all stepped inside, looking around with interest. The place was wholly empty, but warm and appealing even so, Leah thought. Afternoon sun streamed through the windows and picked out the patterns on the wood floor, the stubbled finish of the plaster walls. Elevated floors in both display windows provided space for setting out the best merchandise; hooks in the ceiling could be used to hold baskets or banners. There was a short counter near the front door where a worker could complete transactions and hide a money box. The shop held nothing else except floating dust motes in the air and crunchy grit underfoot.
Still, it was bigger than Chandran’s booth in the Great Market and rife with possibilities.
Leah did a slow pivot, waving her hands at walls and corners. “Tall shelving units there—a cabinet there—a table or two in the middle of the room to hold all the cheaper stuff that you don’t mind somebody stealing. The real problem will be storage, because I don’t see a back room and you have to be able to restock quickly.”
“There’s an upstairs unit,” Zoe said, gesturing toward a door set in the far wall. “A lot of the merchants live in apartments above their shops.”
“Let’s go see,” Leah said, and they all filed through the back door. It opened onto a poorly lit space that featured another door—which probably led to an alley—and a cramped stone stairway going up. Once they climbed it, they discovered that, like the bottom story, the top level was almost twice as long as it was wide. It also was completely empty, except for a small closet-size space that offered running water and a little privacy.
“Perfect,” Leah said.
/> They clattered back downstairs and spent twenty minutes deciding what furnishings to buy, how to lay out the shop, and how quickly the place could be stocked. “I have contacts in Malinqua, but it takes about two ninedays to sail between countries on a commercial boat,” Leah said. “I know there are cutters and mail ships that can go faster—would Darien want to employ one of those on my behalf?”
Zoe was grinning. “I’m sure he would.”
“Then I’ll write letters tonight and get them to Darien in the morning.”
“Don’t forget there are traders who are already in town,” Zoe said. “My friends Jaker and Barlow will be around a few more days if you’d like to meet with them.”
“I’d love to, thank you. After that, I’ll go to the harbor and see what’s for sale there.”
“Then I think we’re finished here,” said Zoe, handing Leah the key. “Unless you can think of something else we need to do?”
“We ought to pull blessings,” Annova said. “You should always ask for blessings when you set out on any new enterprise.”
“Oh, good idea. There’s a temple nearby,” Zoe answered. “We can walk there.”
The temple wasn’t quite as close as Zoe’s cheerful assertion had implied, and Leah thought she could hear the soldiers grumbling as they made their way through progressively narrower and less prosperous streets. But they eventually found themselves before a small, quaint building whose exterior incorporated all five of the elements: walls of gray stone decorated with climbing ivy and painted butterflies, lit by hanging oil lamps and serenaded by fluttering water fountains. For a wonder, the place was empty when they stepped inside.
Annova plopped down on the bench painted blue for water, reinforcing Leah’s hunch that the older woman was coru. “Three of us, so we’ll each pull a blessing for the shop,” Annova decided. Threes, fives, and eights were propitious in Welce, and most everybody was superstitious about keeping some combination of those numbers in all their transactions. “Then maybe we each pull a blessing for ourselves as well.”
