by Vance Huxley
This was the start of the bartering for tomorrow’s stones. “Larger stones. Larger than even those larger sparkuls.”
Billi gained a little knowledge, a hint about how sparkuls were made. “But yours are roughs, the small ones as well as any larger stones you have. Each of the sparkuls started as a larger rough stone, so maybe yours will become smaller as they become more beautiful?” The beguilers moved back in while Billi considered. His larger stones only became the size of these if they were big enough to start with. Then the Tinkerer would want his profit for making them burn inside like that, and that would be a big profit.
There were two coloured stones, a deep red and a dark green. The green looked very tempting given how Billi loved the green of the Forest but the other four, the clear ones, had captured him. Icicles along the eaves on a winter morning as the sun hit them, hoar frost on the grass on a still cold day, or the sparkling fire when a sunbeam caught a frosted spider’s web. Billi could see them all in his mind when he looked at the glittering sparkuls.
One seemed almost square, two were rounded and the fourth made a teardrop and the Tinkerer explained they were all worth much more than the coloured ones. At least that told Billi that his clear stones should be worth more as well. As the Tinkerer talked, Billi also learned that shapes mattered, the shapes of his roughs as well as these. Billi knew he would do badly in the first trades, but that would be paying to learn. Even so, sparkuls might make a good addition to his nest egg.
The stones from the lakes were all the clear type, but Billi had one larger red stone, from an entirely different stream. He’d also found a few small red ones in that stream, and remembering that prompted his question. “Do red stones and green stones and clear ones come from different places? Or could a mixture come from one place?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’ve only found one type in any one stream, and know which streams might yield each type.” Billi looked from the coloured to the clear ones on the table. “I wondered if there might be different types further along those streams?”
The Tinkerers looked at his own stones and thought hard. “I’ve never given it much thought.” This must be serious, because the beguilers had stopped flaunting and were listening intently. “The stones are very different, with very different values. The coloured ones are not the clear ones with colour. The coloured ones are softer, even for stones and the clear ones are very hard.” He sighed. “You have more information about finding them than I do. As far as I can see, you might find two different stones in a stream, but I believe they will come from two different sources.” The Tinkerer looked at the amount of a small stones Billi had brought, and must have thought about Billi promising more. “Have you found the source?”
“No. Just a place where they seem to have collected, as I said before. The source is somewhere inside the rocks, well beyond reach.” Billi smiled. “Though I would prefer that to stay between us.”
“Oh yes. A pity though. I would have loved to see a source, even if I had to pay a Hunter to take me. Even if I travelled blindfold.” The Tinkerer sighed. “That would be a sight to see. There aren’t even any legends about a source.”
“You could blindfold me and take me as well? Just to make the trip interesting.” The beguiler with the big sparkul laughed. Then she became more serious. “I could be very friendly to a man who took me to see the source or even where many had collected, especially if he let me choose one?”
“I’ll remember, but I think travelling with you might lead to me being distracted. That is a very bad idea out in the green.” Billi smiled. “Downright dangerous.” Everyone laughed.
The Tinkerer and Billi danced around colours and the larger stones and value a little. They agreed Billi would bring his goods tomorrow evening and then the Tinkerer could be more specific on pricings. Billi went straight home, deep in thought. He didn’t usually stay for the dancing or the after-dark beguiling, and definitely not tonight because he had a lot to think about. Deep thinking and Tinkerer dancing just didn’t go together.
The Tinkerers were being mysterious about the dancing this year, promising something different and spectacular for the following night. That intrigued most of the youths and some men, considering the flamboyant and energetic dancing the tattooed maids usually produced. Billi could hear the music and the youths cheering and whistling as he headed for home, with Rabbit a dim shadow ahead. At least the usual dancing wasn’t suffering.
Back home Billi tipped out his large stones on a bit of kidskin as he’d seen the Tinkerer do on his soft cloth, and looked through them. He also tipped out the small coloured and clear ones in little heaps. Billi knew that any of the red stones came from a small river that fed the one near the Village. Eventually he wanted to work up that one to see where they came from. That could be a very long trip since that waterway was larger than the stream he had followed to the valley. Billi felt a bit torn over whether he wanted to find another lake and valley because he had a full time job dealing with one.
Billi had only ever found one green stone, a small one which he’d kept because it did remind him of the Forest. Billi knew that all the ones the Tinkerers chose, but he didn’t trade, had been clear or red because he’d scrubbed and inspected every one again afterwards. Billi had also learned not to bother offering the striped types and the black or clouded and white ones and sold those straight to the Traders.
Billi knew that these larger ones were all clear apart from one red one and some were bigger than the sparkuls that had been shown, much larger in two cases. They were all valuable, and Billi already knew that but if he traded them for the shiny ones, the sparkuls, could he then trade those to the caravans of ordinary Traders and make a profit? The Tinkerers forced the Traders to pay huge prices for the shining sparkuls. That was common knowledge because the Traders were always complaining, but never mentioned actual prices. If Billi could get the shining ones in exchange for the rough ones, then they might work out a better nest egg for his old age.
That still drove Billi, the thought of his leg failing and him being a burden to his Sibs, the cripple who couldn’t earn his own food. He needed a big nest egg, the biggest he could manage and if he saved enough maybe he could hire a Hunter and pony to still visit the valley. Maybe if he had enough of a nest egg he could keep living there and pay a Hunter to bring what he needed? Neither of his two bright-eyed partners disagreed, but neither knew if the green or red ones were worth more. Billi slept and dreamed of glittering rainbows twisting in lamplight.
During the following day, Billi took the small soft pelts from the valley and riverbank and his thick furs to the tents and asked about the gold jewellery. He saw plenty, none of which had any stones in it because only one Tinkerer in each caravan dealt in sparkuls and they were always sold at night by the light of the lamps. Now Billi felt sure that was so the fire inside them leapt and flickered.
The gold became more expensive as it became more intricate and plain bands and bangles were little different to the price of the ingots they were made from. He traded furs for some fancy bangles and a necklace of interlocking sections that looked almost snakelike. Billi could trade for plainer gold items from the Trader caravans and they might even be a bit cheaper, but was the quality the same and how could he tell? Traders certainly watered the ale sometimes. The Traders also paid less for gold if they could, or gave less in return if he bought with it. Billi kept his gold nuggets for Tinkerers and used silver or copper for anything he wanted from Traders, if he had nothing they would trade for it.
The trading for gold led to Billi bringing out his little pouch of nuggets, some barely larger than grains, that he sometimes found while fishing. As he laid on the bank gently drifting his hand into position the gleam sometimes caught his eye, and after the fish was landed or escaped he would pluck it from among the pebbles. The Tinkerer wanted to know if he had dust. When Billi asked what sort of dust the man produced a little skin pouch with fine glittering dust inside, all of i
t pure gold. Dust could be found in the sand bars or mud banks where nuggets turned up and some might even gather downstream as dust carried further and dropped down where the current slackened. This was Billi’s year for new discoveries.
A while later Billi came out of a tent clutching a large shallow dish and lighter by three small nuggets, but he knew how to find the dust in the sand if it was there. The Tinkerer had sprinkled gold dust in some ordinary river sand, in a bowl of water, and proceeded to swish and swirl. Then he’d shown Billi the thick yellow smear in the dish. The sand and bowl were how they taught the Tinkerer littluns, who searched every stream the Tinkerers crossed.
The nuggets were the cost of an intense lesson in how to do it and the shallow dish, allegedly the best implement, though Billi thought the pan for frying his bacon and eggs might do the job. Still, he quite liked the idea of sitting with his foot in a stream in the summer, swirling sand and generally just enjoying the moment. If he ended up with the little yellow curl, well it would be a bonus. Rabbit’s song liked that idea though probably the sitting in the sun, not the yellow curl.
* * *
A definite air of anticipation gathered around the Tinkerer encampment as the sun began to sink, because the Tinkerers were teasing everyone a little about the dancing later. Billi would have a look this time, but first he could already feel the trickle of excitement that any truly serious bargaining session with Tinkerers engendered. The beguilers hovered, and Billi brought out a pouch. He bounced it in his hand. “Which are worth more? Red or green?”
The Tinkerer sat for a few moments looking at the small pouch, then the man laughed. “You have some in there?” Billi pulled out a small red one and his green chip. He wasn’t parting with it and had no more but Billi needed to know relative values before they started. The actual value could take some time. Eventually the Tinkerer admitted that both were worth quite a bit less than clear stones, and the red was worth a little more than green. Billi put the green chip into the pouch on his belt and tipped the red stones out
“You are failing. Are you too old and wrinkled for beguiling now?” The Tinkerer pretended to be stricken by the trick, clutching his breast. “This man still has his wits!” That was all part of bargaining but well done and led to a distinct distraction to stop Billi keeping his wits. The tattooed beguiler with the large sparkul perched on his good knee with an arm around his neck! Serious beguiling indeed, usually they only perched on knees after already getting a reward.
She kept whispering just how much she wanted one of those red stones while Billi tried to think through the other offers, the ones for his stones. She didn’t whisper during the actual intense bargaining over price, as that wasn’t in the rules. There were rules to beguiling; the maids were there to rattle Billi’s wits and disturb his concentration, but not actually interfere. Luckily Billi had spent the year practicing resistance to beguilers.
Three large green and three large red sparkuls were brought and Billi bargained for all six, singly and in sets, and the lot. Eventually he gained one larger green sparkul, and lost most of his small red roughs. Now Billi knew a larger sparkul cost more than twice the weight in small ones. “Would you like a little berry juice?” The Tinkerer smiled, “Or ale, or maybe wine?”
A new tactic, Billi hadn’t been offered refreshments before. “Berry juice would help, please. My throat is dry, and it isn’t the talking.” Billi glanced at the beguilers and they laughed delightedly. “Could I see several different sizes of clear stones please? While they are coming, how much weight of small stones would equal a larger one?” Billi gestured. “That one cost more than double the weight.”
“Much depends on the quality of what is offered, and the larger sparkul being traded, but yes you are right. Smaller sparkuls are not worth the same weight for weight as they get larger, and that is reflected when trading roughs into sparkuls.” The Trader glanced at Billi’s jacket. “Do you just have smaller roughs with you?”
“No, I have both.” Billi wasn’t worried about telling the Tinkerer, not least because they were notoriously honest and would not rob him. They might skin him alive in a trade if possible, but not physically rob anyone and in any case Rabbit laid just inside the tent. The beguiling intensified when the clear stones were brought out. Billi was immediately accused of cheating by checking elsewhere as he rejected the first bids outright. Checking wasn’t cheating, but it allowed the Tinkerer to act stricken again.
“Of course I did.” Billi laughed. “How do you think I built up some resistance to beguiling.” The beguilers moved closer, “Though these two are prettier than the others.” The two young women smiled happily.
“Naughty. You aren’t supposed to beguile them. How did my prices compare?” The Tinkerer seemed confident, but then he always did.
“As you probably know, your prices are best but only just, so providing they stay like that I will bring my large roughs to you.” Billi smiled at the beguilers again. “Since you have the prettiest beguilers.” Billi really did enjoy flirting a little with the beguilers, especially since Tinkerer maids didn’t seem to care about his stump. The rules for Tinkerer flirting were clearer than Village rules and he understood them. If he let one of them have a small rough stone, Billi would get to be cuddled properly with Tinkerer kisses. For a slightly larger rough stone or several smaller ones, he might be taken back to her caravan to follow the tattoos.
Billi sparred with the Tinkerer a little and sipped berry juice while they waited for the strapping youth and the big sparkuls. They came to a definite agreement, confirming that Billi would get a good price but would check now and then with others. The Tinkerer would pay a good price but only if Billi offered him most of the good stones. The beguilers were trying hard during the verbal sparring, especially one of them. The big sparkul on the chain would swing across Billi’s eyesight and then back, pulling his eyes to the beguiling parts. Then she told him how much she wanted one of those stones, maybe that little one that had fallen away from the rest, for a closer look at this tattoo? Maybe that larger one to see where the tattoo went?
Billi finally asked about the stone. “How much would it cost to get a big sparkul put on a chain so it swings and flashes like that?” The beguiling backed off because the price trading had started. Though it didn’t back off entirely as Billi had to take a good look at various sizes in different settings, usually with a background of tattoos.
“The mounting costs more if you want the setting to be more intricate and the best sparkuls demand the best settings.” The Tinkerer beckoned to each beguiler, and each removed a sparkul. The Tinkerer turned them over. “As you can see, the reverse is different on each. Some will sell you a setting to take any stone of the right size.” The curled lips on the Tinkerer and both beguilers were a clear comment on that idea. “Each sparkul needs the right backing, to hold it properly yet also allow the fire to shine through.”
He twirled a finger at the beguilers, and they twisted and turned in the lamplight so that their sparkuls flashed and flamed. “And the right tattoos to show them off,” Billi added.
“But even if the gold is very intricate, the sparkul is always the main value unless very tiny chips are used.” One beguiler showed one of the gold rings usually used to pay with. This one had been covered in tiny chips and sparkled as if covered in a light frost.
Billi had finally realised that every sparkul on the beguilers had a different setting. “Are you wearing one of everything in stock, between you?”
“Yes, though if you want us to supply something else, something special?” The smiles refused to clarify if that meant beguiler or decoration so Billi moved on. Luckily the brawny youth had arrived. “Perhaps we can come back to gold settings once I see what the sparkuls might need. I can’t afford a tattooed setting, certainly not to take home with me.” The beguilers laughed as Billi gestured to the nine soft bags being placed on the table.
There was silence as nine large clear sparkuls were tipped out. They consist
ed of the teardrop and a pair of much smaller oval ones, two sizes of the square one, and four of the round ones all in different sizes. The remaining small red rough stones were still on Billi’s side of the table and he tipped out one pouch of small clear roughs onto the cloth. Then he placed the small pouches from his pocket onto the table and Billi tipped out one of his larger roughs. He had done the same as the Tinkerer and put them in separate pouches so they could see he had more but not the sizes.
“Which of those stones would this one make?”
The beguilers hung back so this must be serious, and the Tinkerer looked, thought long and hard, and sighed. “You have brought too many so I must be honest, though the exact result will depend on the quality of your rough.” He placed a finger on one of the sparkuls. “Please don’t tell anyone or I will be ridiculed by other Tinkerers.” Maybe so but that wouldn’t stop the Tinkerer from bargaining hard. The Tinkerer began to examine all the large roughs as Billi brought them out. It wasn’t easy to keep track because the beguilers worked as a team to distract him, and their laughter when he avoided the distraction was actually distracting!
The beguiling eased off and the one on his knee stood up, because now began a serious slow dance of words. Billi wanted some stones and some ingots and maybe a stone in a setting on a chain. More sparkuls came in, small ones, and they were added to the other side of the cloth. Those were to make up the differences, if Billi had more roughs to offer than the sparkul he wanted. Even the heap of small sparkuls looked entrancing as the light flickered.
Now there were two strapping youths by the entrance. Billi laughed, “I’ll not run far.” The Tinkerer nodded to them, and they stepped back outside. Billi felt sure they didn’t go far, with good reason as the Traders would love to get near this table. Though most of the value sat across from Billi, tempting his roughs of all sizes to join them.
