by MJ Schutte
‘Yes. If we are going to pose are traders from a distant land, it will arouse suspicion if we don’t go there. If we can see the city, the people in the city can see us. It is too late to sail away and try to go ashore somewhere deserted,’ Lilian answered.
‘We’re posing as traders, but we have nothing to trade. Even our food supplies are running low,’ Jonathan said.
‘How many coins did you bring?’ Lilian asked.
‘Roughly three hundred gold,’ Jonathan replied.
‘Fine, then we are here to buy goods, not trade them,’ Lilian said.
‘All the coins have the King’s markings on. Hopefully this won’t be a problem,’ Jonathan commented.
The elves all readied their bows, fitting blades to the ends.
‘What are they doing?’ Jonathan asked.
‘It’s something Brighton taught them many years ago. Instead of having a bow and a sword, you fit a blade to each end of the bow. When an enemy gets too close for arrows, you use the bow for hand to hand combat,’ Lilian answered.
‘Brilliant,’ Jonathan smiled.
They watched in silence as the city grew larger. The lookout directed Goralt, who was at the helm, towards the harbor.
As they entered the harbor, Jonathan spotted an open space at the dock and directed Goralt to it. The elf had never docked a ship and came in a bit fast. The ship crashed into the dock, ripping a large hole in the side of the hull.
Two elves quickly tossed down ropes to the waiting dockhands below while two more slid the gangplank over the side. Lilian lead Jonathan, Angelina and Goralt down the ramp onto the dock. They took a quick look at the damage.
‘It’s above the water line and should be easy to repair,’ Jonathan said.
A man holding a small book walked up to them.
‘That was a rough docking. Your helmsman must be green,’ he said.
It sounded like he had a terrible summers cold and he took great care in pronouncing each word very clearly. All his a’s sounded like u’s.
‘Green?’ Lilian frowned.
‘Inexperienced,’ the man said.
‘Yes, he is. This is his first voyage,’ Lilian replied.
The man slapped himself on the forehead and said, ‘Forgive my rudeness. I am Dockmaster Amon.’
‘Pleased to meet you. I am Lilian, this is Jonathan, Angelina and Goralt,’ Lilian replied.
‘Who is the captain of this ship?’ Amon enquired.
‘I am,’ Lilian answered.
Amon looked slightly surprised at this but regained his composure immediately.
‘Very well. To dock here will cost you a silver per day,’ he said as he opened his little book and produced a pencil from behind his ear.
Angelina, standing behind Lilian, stuck out her hand and tapped Lilian lightly on the lower back. Lilian instantly knew what the tap meant.
‘Amon…’ Lilain said.
‘It is Dockmaster Amon,’ he corrected.
‘Dockmaster Amon, that seems excessive. I believe a fair price would be a bronze coin per day,’ Lilian said.
‘Surely you mean a copper, and no, it is not. The price is a silver per day. If you don’t like it, you may leave,’ Amon replied, his voice going up slightly.
Lilian did not know what to say. From the taps on her lower back, she realized that Angelina was letting her know that Amon was being deceitful, but she had no idea what to do about it. They could easily afford to pay a silver per day, but Lilian was not about to give in to a dishonest man.
Jonathan stepped forward, put his arm around Amon’s shoulders and lead him away from the others.
After a short conversation, he returned and said, ‘We will pay three coppers per day.’
‘How did you do that?’ Lilian gasped.
‘I saw Angelina tap you on the back and realized that Amon was trying to extort money from us. I’m sure the actual price is two coppers, but I offered three. The extra coin will most likely go into his pocket.’
‘You bribed him?’ Lilian gasped.
‘Yes, and I also agreed to let his brother fix the damage to the hull. It will cost two silvers,’ Jonathan replied.
‘I think you should be the captain from now on. You seem to know how to handle strangers better than I do,’ Lilian smiled.
‘I don’t mind. I got the feeling Amon was trying to extort money from you because you are a woman. Perhaps having a male captain would be better,’ Jonathan agreed.
‘Good, it’s settled then. Now we need to exchange those gold coins for silvers and coppers,’ Lilian said.
‘Yes, but first we need to find out how many silvers in a gold and how many coppers in a silver,’ Jonathan replied.
‘I will leave that up to you, my captain,’ Lilian said with a smile.
‘I will go into the city and see if I can find out. Angelina, I could use your help,’ Jonathan said.
Lilian and Goralt indicated that they wanted to go see the city as well, but Jonathan argued that someone should stay with the ship. Lilian reluctantly agreed to stay.
‘Then I will stay too,’ Goralt declared.
Jonathan nodded and turned to Angelina.
‘Stay close to me. It looks like a civilized city so I don’t expect trouble, but it’s better to be careful,’ he said.
Jonathan and Angelina strolled at an easy pace through the busy streets. The prince purposefully walked slowly to ensure they observe as much as possible.
‘There is another one,’ he said to Angelina.
He had been pointing out young children who seemed to be pick-pocketing.
‘That one looks no older than six!’ Angelina exclaimed.
‘Yes, they are certainly very young for a life of crime. I’m sure they work for someone. Every time one of them manages to steal something, they run in an easterly direction,’ Jonathan replied.
‘Why do they interest you so much?’ Angelina asked.
‘We need information and I’m willing to wager ten gold coins one of these pick-pockets will be able to tell us everything we need to know,’ Jonathan explained.
‘They are only children! What information could they possibly give us?’ Angelina gasped.
‘More than you think. These children live on the streets. They hear and see everything that goes on in the city. In Weston, the same thing happened a few years ago,’ Jonathan replied.
‘I’ve never seen a pick-pocket in the Justice Hall. Is the city watch not able to arrest them?’ Angelina frowned.
‘We did arrest a few but my father thought it cruel to send such young children to you for judgment so he came up with a different solution. All the former pick-pockets are now Royal Weston Messengers, protected by the King,’ Jonathan smiled.
‘Messengers? What is the purpose in that?’ Angelina frowned.
‘At first it was done simply to prevent them from stealing, but it has grown into a very useful service. The children move faster through the city than a soldier on horseback can. At first, the palace provided food, clothing and shelter for them but the businessmen soon realized what a valuable service they offer so they donated money to provide for the children. The Royal Weston Messengers are now fully funded by businesses in the city,’ Jonathan explained.
‘That is brilliant! Why have I never heard of this?’ Angelina asked.
‘We started this soon after you left Weston to take up your position at the Justice Hall,’ Jonathan replied.
‘I’ve been so busy at the Justice Hall the last few years that I did not even know what was going on in the rest of the Kingdom,’ Angelina sighed.
‘I’m sorry for that. It’s not fair to put such a heavy burden on you, but I’m sure you understand why my father did it,’ Jonathan said slowly.
‘Yes, I understand,’ Angelina smiled.
They walked in silence for a while until Angelina said, ‘How are we going to approach one of the pick-pockets?’
‘We won’t have to. They will come to us,’ Jonathan smiled.
/> He cast his eyes down to his pocket. Angelina followed his eyes and saw his purse string hanging out.
Slowly she nodded her understanding.
They rounded a corner and walked down a busy street. After covering a short distance Jonathan said, ‘We are being followed by a young boy.’
The pair continued walking, pushing through the throngs of people. There were hawker’s tables and wagons everywhere, people pushing and shoving each other roughly to get to the goods that were on offer.
Jonathan felt a slight tugging on the purse string hanging from his pocket. He snapped his right hand back, grabbing hold of the pick-pocket’s wrist. He grabbed Angelina by the hand and shoved his way through the crowd, simply dragging Angelina and the young thief along.
The boy cried and pleaded but Jonathan acted as though he could not hear one word. He turned into a narrow alley, letting go of Angelina’s hand and said, ‘Stand guard. I’m going to talk to our young friend.’
He shoved the boy against the wall and growled, ‘Don’t even think of running.’
Fearfully the boy nodded, casting his eyes downward.
‘I need information. If you help me, I will help you,’ Jonathan said as he produced a gold coin from his pocket and waved it in front of the boy’s face.
The boy kept his head down, but his eyes followed the coin. Slowly he nodded.
Pointing to Angelina, Jonathan warned, ‘She is a witch who can tell when people lie. I’ve seen her turn a boy like you into a goat, so be careful.’
Angelina’s head snapped around, her eyes wide. She could hardly believe what Jonathan had just told the boy, but by the fearful look on his face she could tell he believed the prince. She tried her best to look like an angry, fearsome witch.
‘What is your name?’ Jonathan asked.
‘Uh…Sam,’ came the reply.
‘What is the name of this city?’ Jonathan asked.
‘Celonis,’ the boy answered in a high pitched voice.
‘What is the name of this land?’ was the next question.
‘The Kingdom of Paratun,’ Sam answered with a frown.
She had the same accent as Dockmaster Amon, taking particular care to pronounce every word properly.
Before Jonathan could ask another question, the boy said, ‘You must be from far away.’
‘Yes, we are. Tell me, who is the king of Paratun?’ Jonathan said.
‘King? There is no King,’ Sam frowned.
‘Who is in charge of Paratun?’ Jonathan tried again.
‘Father Zaconis,’ Sam replied.
‘Describe him,’ Angelina interjected.
Sam quickly described Father Zaconis as best he could. He had only ever seen him from a distance so the description was a bit vague. Angelina had also only seen Zaconis at a distance, but when Sam kept quiet, she turned to Jonathan and said, ‘I think it could be the man who abducted Brighton, but I’m not sure.’
‘We will need to confirm this,’ Jonathan replied.
Sam, seeing that Jonathan was slightly distracted by Angelina’s interference, decided to make a run for it. He grabbed the coin from the prince’s hand and dashed for the alley entrance, but Jonathan was quicker. He snatched Sam’s wrist and yanked him back. Sam hit and kicked Jonathan everywhere in an effort to get away, so the prince used his superior strength to subdue the boy. He spun Sam around and grabbed him from behind.
‘I’m sorry!’ Jonathan cried as he let Sam go.
The boy dashed out of the alley, Jonathan watching him go with a shocked look on his face.
‘Why did you let him go?’ Angelina frowned.
‘Sam is a girl,’ Jonathan stammered.
‘A girl? Are you sure?’ Angelina asked.
‘Yes, I’m sure. She is about fourteen or fifteen years old,’ Jonathan replied.
‘How do you know?’ Angelina frowned, but Jonathan gave her a sideways look as an answer.
‘Why did you let her go? Now we have to do all of this again,’ Angelina said angrily.
‘Angelina, when you were fifteen, would you have liked a grown man’s hands all over your breasts?’ Jonathan snapped.
‘Sorry,’ Angelina apologized. She knew the prince to be a gentleman and he would never, even unintentionally, touch a woman in an inappropriate manner.
‘Let’s go back to the ship. We will try again tomorrow,’ Jonathan said.
The pair made their way back to the ship as darkness enveloped the city.
Chapter 18
While having supper, Jonathan relayed everything they had observed and also the meager bit of information they obtained from Sam. The moon was full and the skies clear providing ample light. Lilian and Goralt asked a few question to which either Jonathan or Angelina gave quick answers.
‘Well, I think you should try again tomorrow. We still need more information about the coins they use and also where this Zaconis person is now. Try to purchase provisions as well,’ Lilian said.
After supper, Lilian and Angelina cleared the dishes away while Jonathan and Goralt discussed guard duty. Although the city seemed peaceful and Jonathan had seen what he believes to be a city guard, he thought it best to have a pair of elves stand guard. Goralt argued that, since they were in a strange land, there should be at least six guards on duty throughout the night. They eventually agreed to have two guards on the ship and two on the dock next to the ship.
As soon as Lilian and Angelina returned to the table, an elf approached and said, ‘Jonathan, there is a boy on the dock requesting your presence.’
‘A boy? What is his name?’ Jonathan frowned.
‘He calls himself Sam,’ the elf replied.
‘That’s a surprise! Please ask Sam to join us,’ Jonathan smiled.
‘Is it the boy who is really a girl?’ Lilian asked.
‘Yes, I think so,’ Jonathan replied.
They only had to wait a short while before the elf returned with Sam in tow.
‘Sam, come sit with us,’ Jonathan invited.
The pick-pocket stood a few paces away from the table, uncertainty written all over her face.
‘Thank you, sir, but I prefer to stand,’ Sam answered.
‘I understand. You want to be able to get away quickly if need be,’ Jonathan smiled.
Sam gave the prince a small, nervous nod.
‘Sam, this is Lilian and Goralt. You already know Angelina and me,’ Jonathan said.
‘You’ve never told me your name, sir,’ Sam replied.
‘I’m sorry, my name is Jonathan. Now please tell us your real name,’ the prince laughed.
‘Everybody calls me Sam because they think I’m a boy. My mother named me Samala,’ Sam answered.
‘Fine, then we will call you Sam too. Why did you come here, Sam?’ Jonathan asked.
Sam stepped closer, placed the gold coin she snatched from Jonathan earlier on the table and quickly retreated.
‘That coin is useless,’ she said.
‘Why? It is gold,’ Jonathan frowned.
‘True, but it is not a coin from Paratun. Nobody will accept it as payment,’ Sam answered.
‘Why not? It is valuable,’ Lilian said.
Sam stepped closer again, fishing a copper coin from her pocket.
‘I will let you look at this if you promise to give it back,’ she said.
‘We promise,’ Jonathan said as he held out his hand.
Sam placed the coin in his hand and retreated again, but not as far as before.
‘Look at the coin. It has the name Paratun on one side and Zaconis on the other. If a coin does not have these names on them, it is not accepted anywhere in Paratun,’ Sam explained.
‘I see. The rulers of this land want to prevent people from falsifying coins. We have a similar problem in Mendin. Do the silver and gold coins look the same?’ Jonathan asked as he studied the coin as best he could in the moonlight.
‘Yes, they do. There is a man who will trade your coins for proper Paratun coins,’ Sam replied.
/>
‘Why did you not go to him and trade the coin you grabbed from me,’ Jonathan frowned.
‘He knows I am a thief. If I were to go there, he would take the coin and hand me over to the city guard,’ Sam explained.
‘I see. I will visit him in the morning and trade our coins,’ Jonathan declared.
‘He is very dishonest. He will probably want ten or twenty of your gold coins for one of his,’ Sam said.
‘That won’t do. Although we have money now, we don’t know how long we will be in Paratun, so we need to be careful with what we have,’ Jonathan frowned.
‘Then I don’t know what you’re going to do,’ Sam shrugged.
‘We will have to hunt for food,’ Goralt said.
‘How will you pay for the hunt?’ Sam asked.
‘Pay for the hunt?’ Jonathan and Goralt said together.
‘Yes, pay for the hunt. All the land outside the city belongs to Father Zaconis. If you want to farm or hunt on it, you have to pay first,’ Sam said.
‘Ridiculous!’ Jonathan exclaimed.
‘Does it not work the same where you come from?’ Sam frowned.
‘No, it does not. Nobody owns the land or the animals, except farm animals,’ Jonathan replied.
‘Are you from the wilderness?’ Sam asked wide-eyed.
‘Our land is about forty days south by ship. Is that what you refer to as the wilderness?’ Jonathan asked.
‘No, the wilderness is far north-west of here. You can get there by land or sea. I heard a rumor that Father Zaconis recently returned from an unknown land far south. Is that where you are from?’ Sam asked.
‘Yes,’ Jonathan confirmed.
‘Sam, you must be hungry. Would you like some food,’ Lilian offered.
‘No, thank you, I’ve eaten already,’ Sam answered.
‘Sam, don’t lie to us,’ Angelina scolded.
‘Can you really see when I’m lying?’ Sam gasped.
‘Yes, but I’m not a witch like Jonathan said,’ Angelina smiled.
Sam stared wide eyed at Angelina.
‘I have never been this close to a witch before,’ she stammered, ignoring Angelina’s reassurance.
‘Come with me to the kitchen,’ Angelina sighed, rolling her eyes in the prince’s direction.
