Shell's Story

by LeRoy Clary

  Camilla said, “Did she say what happened?”

  “She has no idea. My guess? Someone snuck in the back door and hit her with the firewood before she even knew he was there. Then he looked for something to steal.”

  Camilla glanced at Shell and River. Then back to the doctor. “Can you check back with us tomorrow? And I hope to have someone here to look after her.”

  The doctor turned and headed for the door. As he had one foot out, he turned and said, “It would be good if someone large looked out for her. If you like, I’ll send a man over that you can trust.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Camilla said.

  River and the constable went to each room, and River pointed out a missing statue and a few other items he described but had never seen, but they satisfied the constable, and he made a list, detailing each item, then said he would return the following day so make a note of anything else.

  When the constable and doctor had gone, and the crowd outside dispersed, Camilla lowered the bar to lock the door and called a meeting of the three in the small sitting room. “I’ll sleep down here with her,” Camilla pointed to the open bedroom door.

  “Robbery?” Shell asked, and he reached out and touched the mind of Pudding. He didn’t want the wolf in town but relished the protection it could give. The wolf waited nearer than Shell thought, and if needed the animal could race down the streets of Fleming, defend Shell, and be gone before anyone realized what happened.

  “Coincidence,” River asked, then shook his head. “She’s been renting rooms for years, but this happens on the day you arrive? No, I don’t think so.”

  Shell said, “Tomorrow morning we will go to the money-lender and make an offer. After that, we will see, but if it’s left up to me, I will sleep on the ship. It’ll be safer.”

  “We can’t do that,” Camilla said. “We owe that poor woman back there.”

  Shell wanted to explain that none of the three of them had done anything to the woman, someone else had, but after taking a good look at Camilla’s expression he wisely held his tongue. A knock at the door spun all their heads, but Shell remembered the doctor had offered to send a large man to guard them. He opened the front door and found a man a full head taller than himself, and weighing twice what he did.

  “I’m supposed to stay awake and not let anybody come inside.”

  Shell waved him inside. “Thank you for coming.

  The guard set himself a bed outside the bedroom door, but told them he would try to stay awake the entire night. A friend would take over during the day, and he would return the next night. River, Camilla, and Shell went to Shell’s room to plan. The first thing agreed upon was that if any of them saw the suspected spy in the following days, no matter where they would attempt to seize him. River planned an active search beginning at first light. Camilla wanted to begin now. Shell found himself in the unwanted role of peacemaker.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  When Shell woke in his bed after tossing and turning all night, the morning was still almost dark. He eased from his bed and went to check on River, to find him already gone. Camilla was in the kitchen, the guard sitting in a chair near the bedroom door of the injured woman. He didn’t know what to do, first.

  Back in his bedroom, he went to the gold coins and selected six, which was more than the owner of the ship’s debts. He placed several silvers of different sizes in his purse along with the gold. He strapped on his belt, making sure the knife slipped easily free.

  At the front door, he called, “Camilla, I’ll be right out front.”

  Shell threw open the door, looking to where the Breslau spy had sat, and when he found the chair empty, he looked to the people on the street. Most appeared to be heading to work, but a few paused and returned his stare. They had probably either been near last night when the woman was discovered beaten or had heard of it. None seemed offended by his actions.

  A leap carried him off the porch to the alley, also empty as the chair where the Breslau spy had been earlier. He searched for footprints that might tell him something, but of the dozens he found, he couldn’t identify any as being made from the intruder. Back on the street people moved on their way, not concerned with him and his strange actions.

  But the tingle of the red dragon made itself known as if it knew he was in danger. The stories he’d heard said the green dragons controlled by the Breslau Dragon Masters would kill the red if they found it. He ordered it to land where it would be safe. He touched the mind of the wolf and found it agitated, ready to race through the town to his rescue.

  Calming himself, so he didn’t upset the wolf and dragon, he walked in one direction, then retraced his route and went in the other. Nothing seemed to be out of order, but he felt on edge.

  River came to his side. “Doing the same as me?”

  “Just looking around.”

  “Let’s eat. I have a few ideas.”

  They entered the house, and the guard was awake and eating. He said, “Another will be here soon.”

  “How much do we owe you?” Shell asked.

  “The doctor already took care of it.”

  “Why?” Shell asked. “This is our problem.”

  “Mrs. Honeycutt has lived here all her life. People like her.”

  It was the first-time Shell had heard her name, and it seemed to fit her. The respect from the guard, and now the doctor told of the community's affection for her.

  Camilla said, “Get something to eat. River, what time do the lenders arrive at work?”

  “They’re a lazy bunch and won’t be there until later. I found the Captain’s name and where he lives from a friend this morning. We should all go see him, first.”

  Shell nodded his agreement while eating jam smeared on bread, both rare treats at his home. He said, “I have the coins we need, but River seems to understand how this works better than you and me, so I think he should do the actual negotiations.”

  Camilla agreed. They left the rooming house shortly after and headed up the side of the hill to where smaller houses stood, most surrounded by vegetable and fruit gardens on all sides. As they approached, a man stepped outside. He was tall, so thin he could be called gaunt, and his dark beard with streaks of white hung to his chest.

  “Captain Spanner?” River asked, holding out his hand to shake.

  The man on the porch made no attempt to take River’s hand. “What of it?”

  “We’d like to discuss business. If you tell us a time and place, we could meet you.”

  “My ship is not sailing. Go away.”

  River smiled at the rude manners and gruff talk. “Sir, if I may explain.”

  “Get out of here.”

  “Sir, we may have good news for you.”

  River dodged the flower pot that the Captain grabbed and threw. “Hey, we’re trying to help.”

  “I said, get out of here.” The man advanced and all three retreated a few steps until they reached the street.

  Shell and River continued to move back. However, Camilla pulled to a sudden stop, her knife in her hand, moving it in slow circles centered on the man’s stomach. “You can stop right there, Captain. We’re on a public street now, and if you come at me, I’ll gut you like a trout.”

  He appeared as if he would charge her.

  Shell spoke, his voice quick and loud. “That would be stupid. She will do what she says, look at her eyes. But if you take another step, all three of us will defend ourselves.”

  River shouted to the people passing on the street. “Look at him! He’s going to fight that little girl! Somebody get the constable!”

  The Captain pulled up short, his eyes taking in the dozen people who had stopped walking as if seeing them for the first time, his anger transforming into confusion.

  Camilla moved back to join Shell and River, leaving him standing alone. She said, “You’re a stupid man.”

  “What right do you have to say that?” He asked, but didn’t move closer.

  “Because
in a ten-day you and your whole family will be sold to slavers and we came here to stop it.” She turned her back on him. “River, take us to the money-lenders, and we’ll buy his ship and hire a captain with some common sense.”

  “Wait!”

  Camilla said, mouthing her words softly, “Keep moving.”

  River and Shell turned and walked with her. Shell heard running footsteps and spun. The Captain was reaching to grab Camilla’s arm, but found Shell’s knife waiting. The Captain stopped and said, “I want to talk.”

  Camilla shook her head, “Boys? Let’s go.”

  As they turned away, a woman stalked from the garden where she’d probably seen and heard everything. She stormed ahead of them and stood firmly with her jaw set. “You have coin?”

  “We do,” Camilla confirmed.

  “Then we will talk. It is not only my stupid husband that will be sold but me and our three children. Please, come inside and allow me to serve you tea.” She smiled and nodded at her husband, “He can remain outside if you wish.”

  They followed her inside, the Captain following behind. There was seating for five, and they sat, two on one side of the room, three on the other, as if a contest was about to begin. Camilla said, “We do not need tea.”

  “Good, I have none,” the woman said. “I just wanted you where I could speak in private without embarrassing my husband with the temper from the stress he is under. What is your offer?”

  Camilla nodded to River, who said, “We may offer to pay your debts, purchase your ship, and retain you as Captain.”

  The woman paused, considered and said, “There is more. You could simply go to the lenders and buy the ship for less than half of that amount in ten or fifteen days. We would be sold into servitude, and you could purchase a ship that nobody else wants. Why are you willing to pay so much today? You cannot wait?”

  “That is our business,” River said.

  Camilla held up her hand to stop him from talking. She said, “It is our business, but it now seems to be yours, too. We do want something, more. I will tell you the truth, but if you do not accept our offer the three of us will walk away and disappear, never to be found or seen again. If you spread the tale of us, I will have you slain and your house burned and salt spread over the land, so nothing will grow her for a thousand years.”

  The woman looked to her husband and said, “Do you still want to hear their story?”

  “Whatever they say will not be repeated by me. They are giving us an option to accept or refuse. We can listen.”

  Two choices. It’s always about two choices. Shell said, “We are Dragon Clan.”

  The shock and fear said those were the last two words, they had expected to hear. Camilla said, “Across the Endless Sea is a land called Breslau, and the ruler there is planning to invade Princeton and rule with their people making all the laws.”

  The Captain said, “I have heard whispers.”

  “We wish to go there. To Breslau. And return. Maybe several times,” Camilla said. “It will be dangerous, and we may all die, but that’s our deal.”

  The Captain glanced at his wife and then turned back to them. “In short, your offer is that I risk my life for your purposes, whatever they are, and my family is free? I accept.”

  Camilla said, “We will negotiate with the lenders and buy your debt, the ship, supplies, and the personal debt of your family. We will also provide money for them to live well in case you die.”

  The Captain stood and reached for Camilla’s hand.

  They talked for a while longer, and the three of them left, choosing to leave the Captain with his wife to discuss the situation further, although all expected the deal had been all but sealed.

  Outside, River took the lead. He said, “You two are ruthless.”

  “We got our deal,” Camilla said.

  “But if they had not accepted, I was ready to cut their throats. We will all three have to go before a family council over telling them who we are, but you knew that.”

  Shell said, “These are different times. People are not so against us like they used to be, but if the Breslau royalty comes here, the hunts for us will begin again, the rewards more, and all of us may die. Different times need different rules.”

  “Let’s hope the family councils see it that way, too,” River said, as he escorted them down the hillside and to the road that ran along the docks and piers. He nodded to a small doorway with no sign. He knocked.

  A short man wearing a patterned robe opened the door, a pair of looped gold in the lobes of each ear. He almost smiled. “May I help you?”

  River said, “We have a proposition for you.”

  “I do not loan money without collateral.”

  “We are here to perhaps put gold into your purse, not the other way around,” River said and waited.

  After only a second, the man swung the door all the way open and waved a hand. “My name is Raymonde. You are the people I’ve been waiting for since winter.”

  Inside stood a desk, several chairs, as if the room often held six or eight people, and an iron stove. On the stove sat a pot of hot water. A small shelf held ten small metal mugs. The room smelled of tea, spices, and cleanliness.

  Raymonde asked, “Tea?”

  “Talk first,” Camilla said.

  The man shrugged and offered chairs as he sat in one padded, bottom and back. He leaned back and interlaced his fingers over his ample stomach. “In my land, which admittedly is very far away, business matters are discussed in a mannerly way, not abrupt as here.”

  Hoping not to hear Breslau, Shell asked, “Where is your home?”

  “Far south of here, where the sun is hotter, and there is less rain.”

  Shell gave that some thought. “There are lands south of Princeton?”

  “First comes a desert, so vast none has crossed it, but in a ship, one can sail where ever.”

  Before Camilla or River could change the subject, Shell leaned closer, “And south of your home are more lands?”

  “Many,” Raymonde smiled as he sat, seemingly relaxed, but his eyes were too intelligent, too probing.

  Shell said, “Captain Spanner owes you a substantial sum.”

  “Yes, he does. It was a poor investment on my part and a lesson to be learned.”

  “How so?”

  “What seemed to be a good investment with a good man didn’t work out as expected. That happens from time to time, but my gold was protected by the value of his ship, so I didn’t worry. However, I lost sight of the business aspect while trying to help Captain Spanner and his family.” Raymonde waited.

  “You loaned him more.”

  “Indeed. Then to try and recoup my investment, I compounded the amount in an effort to recover all.”

  River said, “What is the debt he now owes?”

  A new twinkle entered the money-lenders eye. He consulted numbers in a book he pulled from inside his robe and used a pen to calculate. “Four gold crowns and three silver slags.”

  “Ridiculous,” Camilla said as if insulted at the number.

  “Excuse me?” Raymonde asked, looking offended, but the look didn’t appear genuine.

  Camilla said, “A man and woman well beyond their prime, and three children, all without skills to offer buyers, will bring a minimum on the auction block. The ship, as you well know, is too big to operate for trading along the coast. The required crew and expenses eat up any profits, and that is why Captain Spanner lost money. Who would buy it?”

  “You have done your research, young lady. However, the numbers I quoted are accurate.”

  “Of that, I have no doubt, but I’d like you to quote me another set of numbers if you will.” Camilla sat back and waited for Raymonde to ask which numbers those were.

  Instead, he jotted with his pen and then looked at her and said with a genuine looking smile, “I hate prolonged negotiations, don’t you? The numbers I see are five silver slags at auction for the family. Three gold crowns for the ship and the re
st should be written off as a poor investment by me.”

  Camilla matched his smile. “I hate prolonged negotiations, too. Except when I’m being taken advantage of. If you receive two slags for the family I’ll be surprised, and the ship isn’t worth more than a single gold crown, but then you’ll have to sell it for parts to get that gold, and you’ll pay the brokers a stiff fee for wrecking the ship and selling it off.”

  Raymonde shrugged and said, “I do accept counter-offers from time to time.”

  Camilla said, “I can make you that counter-offer, which you will of course refuse. In the interest of keeping this short, I am going to split this offer near the middle. But first, hear me out. I understand that you like Captain Spanner, and so do we. Our intent is to buy his ship and hire him, but there are other captains and other ships.”

  She waited for that to sink in. Shell appreciated her tact.

  She said, “I will offer you a full two gold crowns for the ship, the freedom of the family, and any other debts you hold against them. Before you bargain with me again, know that this is my last offer, and I have heard there are two other similar ships for sale in Fleming for less gold. Before I lower my offer, I’ll take a look at those ships, and there is one in Racine that has come to my attention. They say it’s a bargain and ready to be put to work.”

  Raymonde scribbled a few more worthless numbers in his little ledger and looked up as if taken by surprise by what he discovered. He said, “While I will not earn any profit, you have managed to correctly identify my investment, and while you are robbing me, I will accept your offer.”

  Shell slipped two fingers into the purse holding the two gold coins and held them up.

  Raymonde hesitated. “Those are gold rounds from Timor. About the same diameter, but slightly thicker than our bargain.”

  “You didn’t have to tell us that,” Camilla said.

  “I wouldn’t wish you to think me dishonest,” Raymonde said, still not accepting the larger coins.

  Camilla said, “Take them. Use the extra to drop pennies into the cups of beggars now and then. Can I stop by and gather the paperwork after the noon meal?”