Ch: 29 I Said Esoterica…

As the laughing young man struggled to free himself from a small mound of slippers, Khan and Luna slipped from the room with the fluffy pink anus on the door.

 

“Esperanza…” They said in unison though with completely different sentiments. 

 

“I assumed you would be longer in returning to Port Ellis? Was trade very good or very bad?” Khan asked, his face crinkling around the edges in a warm smile.

 

“To think you would drift ashore here, now… perhaps we should invite her to the wedding?” Luna said to Khan, while eyeing Esperanza warily.

 

“I would not have thought otherwise!” Khan enthused, oblivious to the flash of displeasure that leapt across Luna’s face.

 

Gary stumbled into the minefield with Khan and the two idiots began a merry jig among the deadly and hidden traps.

 

“A wedding? Do you have a band?” He asked with frantic glee.

 

“I am still in the market, I have yet to find the right one. Do you know a jeweler in Wheatford?” Khan said, cheerfully discussing their plans while Luna stewed.

 

“I meant a musical group to play the reception…” He paused to consider. “You know, I am something of a jeweler’s apprentice… draw me what you are thinking of, I have some shop time available.” He offered. “Between the lot of us we should be able to make something special.”

 

The bathers ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ appreciatively. “We can discuss enchantments later…” Gary confided. “I had some ideas for direction and location, so you will always know where the other is…” He mulled aloud, stroking his chin in deep thought. 

 

The effect was somewhat ruined by the profusion of fuzzy animal slippers still piled in and around his chair. “Or I can make a pair of stink rings, those seemed to get the others excited.”

Esperanza was watching the interplay with great interest, sitting forward and taking notes in a small book. 

 

“This one hears talk of rings and wonders, is one of you a jeweler?” She asked, leaning over from her table into the chaos. 

 

“Esperanza has considered adding some few rings and jewels to her bounty, have you such to trade?” She asked, leaning in so far she nearly slipped out of her blouse. 

 

“It has been rumored that someone in the Adventure guild has been placing minor charms on such trinkets, those might pique this one's interest…” She slipped into a careless and languid slouch, feigning indifference and a casual attitude.

 

Falco chittered and squeaked excitedly from the pool and did a few flips, revealing the trader’s true intent. She glared at her frolicsome sea creature in irritation. 

“An where be my ring boy? Ere ye make any fer others ye did promise one tae me!” Shai fumed, tapping her feet impatiently and holding out her palm as though expecting the poor boy to have one in hand. Her smile said she was teasing him, but it was not entirely convincing.

 

“Actually, if you recall, you promised that... Not me.” He said glibly, failing to note a certain hardening around her eyes and shift in her posture. 

Gary reached into his chair and fumbled about among the slippers briefly. “Never let it be said I don’t pay attention…” He mumbled absently, completely missing Shai’s mounting unhappiness.

 

“A stink ring seemed like a terrible choice, so I made this one.” He said, pulling out a small golden beechwood box. “But then you learned your own pocket ability, so that’s out.”

 

The box held an intricate band of bronze, silver and gold strands woven into a complex knot that circled endlessly, surmounted by a small golden rose carved in a charming stylized form. 

 

“It has a small pocket enchantment, it can carry about fifty pounds. Not bad, but you can’t use it with your active gift, so that would be a waste. I tried it and it fizzled against my gift.”

 

“Ohh that do be fine…” Shai cooed softly, her anger draining away.

 

“Yeah, it turned out nice. Then I made this one.” He produced another box, this one covered in pale blue silk. It held a band of gold with a silver vine creeping around its circumference inlaid in minute detail. 

 

“Mana storage, it holds about what my mana pool does and slowly recharges from your pool when it’s used. Nice, but you can tap me anytime, so that’s out too.” He put another box, and another on the table.

 

“None are right yet, I’ll keep working on it.” He said, still burrowing about and putting trinkets on the table. “This one weakly duplicates my stealth gift.”

 

 “This one can give a strong electrical shock with a slap, not for Shai!” He set that one out of reach with elaborate care.

 

“Oh yeah this is the first stink ring prototype, but I had Olaf the glassblower make a bunch of bottles and this little tag goes on the one you wanna fill, it makes stink grenades!” He said placing a small crate of bottles and a ring box together on the table. At least two of the bottles were swirling with murky clouds of… something. 

 

“Perhaps one of those aroma bands this one has heard some tell of these last weeks?” Esperanza murmured, attempting to sound indifferent.

 

“Aroma bands? That does sound better than stink ring… I’ll steal it! No one will ever know!” He shouted quietly, before coughing and choking painfully. “Yeah, those are ours, looking for one?”

 

Esmeralda looked down to Otho, who had moved farther on his path of self care. He was making happy grunts in the corner while grooming his backside with vigor and his tongue.

 

Gary slowly smiled, it was not pleasant to see. “Ohh, ho! You can't sail too close to towns without savoring the local flavors, how does Falco feel about that?”

 

“He cares not too much until things become… intense” She grimaced. “In Port Ellis we do well, as long as we avoid the docklands ward. Duke Ellis understands the importance of hygiene.” 

 

She looked sourly back down the Coast road. “Other towns are less diligent, we may not go near Port Fallon without… unpleasantness.” 

 

“Well we can’t have that. I just happen to have made a couple of those smell and taste rings. I thought I might meet other people with dog familiars.” He scratched Otho’s butt with his toes, eliciting a happy snuffle.

 

“Shai? Did we ever find out about those, what they went for at auction?” He winked at Esperanza. “Shai handles all my accounts, she’s the brains of the operation.”

 

Khan coughed softly and murmured something in her ear, causing her to turn a hard eyed gaze on Gary. 

 

“I hae been informed we kinnae sell items wi enchantments fer coin, pending review by the tax assessor’s office by order o  Duke Leopold Belen.” She said very clearly and with great effort. “Sadly we kinnae sell these ere we are done some foulness by his lordship’s tax men.”

 

Gary shrugged and smiled sadly, looking tired. “The tax man huh? I bet old master smith Theo had something to do with that.” He smiled tiredly and yawned. “Well, if we can’t trade for coin, we can trade for barter. You have books. I like books booooooks…” He sighed softly at the end and began to snore.

 

“Ye did hear him, do please show me the books… I do shudder tae think wahe I may see…” She fell in behind the trader. “Lead on, I dinnae ken where ye hobbled yer boat.”

 

Smiling at the thought of ‘hobbling’ a boat, she led the smith to the dock and onto her slowly rising and falling boat. 

Her little library was tucked in the aft section. “This one takes joy in the literature trade, there are not many who… indulge as openly as your band.” She winked saucily.

Through the door into the narrow and low confines of Esperanza’s superstructure the trader led Shai to a curtained doorway, leading to a well lit room lined with shelves. 

 

A brightly striped hammock swung in one corner and a desk and swivel chair stood in another. Otherwise it was mostly books and low grade illumination stones, built into mirrored alcoves to hold them. A small iron stove in the center of the room kept things comfy and dry.

 

Tiny cards pasted to the shelves had categories printed on them: bestiaries, herb lore, religion, erotica/fiction, recipes, erotica/poetry, poetry, bestiaries/erotica and herb lore/erotica. 

 

“Nae religious erotica? Tis a lack in yer inventory!”

 

“Ooh, no, that is a top seller, all sold out. The tastes of Port Fallon are quite jaded.” Esperanza said, sighing deeply. Even Shai paid attention when Esperanza sighed deeply, it was an event.

Perusing the shelves there was a lot of erotica, much of it in the form of battered and well… ‘worn’ books whose pages were… ‘stained’.

 

Fie do ye hae a section wi none o the pages stuck taegether?” Shain asked, poking a more ‘weathered’ volume aside with a distasteful finger.

 

“Tis slim pickings, dae ye really sell so much smut?” She asked in wonder and vague unease. “Mayhap I should get Gary some small tome o dirty limericks or some such.”

 

On the poetry shelf she found a bundle of slim volumes tied with a ribbon of yellow and a tag reading ‘Sold’.  

 

“What o these? Truly are they sold or dae ye do this tae raise the price?” She asked with a spicy wink. “I have some such tricks… Though Gary should tell ye of his coopinz prank, twas terrible.”

 

“Those are truly sold, though the buyer usually trades like for like. This one should have new books of poetry and verse before Esperanza reaches Port Ellis.” She said confidently. 

 

“This one does have a selection of tomes in foriegn languages, who can guess what mysteries they might hold. Dare you peek into this ones’ foriegn box?” 

 

The trader’s grin was cheesy even for such a weak attempt, Shai found herself giggling foolishly in spite of herself.

 

“Truly this one knows not what the trunk of mystery books holds. If you wish it, This one will trade this trunk for the ring of aromas and flavors.” 

 

She trundled a low long chest out from beneath the desk. It came rolling out on wheels, about three feet by two and flat, just a simple box with a simple lock.

 

“This one keeps them hidden away, not all can bear to know that there are books that cannot be read. While others may make darker assumptions.” She said, while hinting broadly at hidden secrets. 

 

“Young Becky mentioned that your Gary knows some other tongues, perhaps he may read where others could not.” She said, as though that were a selling point.

 

“Nae, though, ye give me those books, mayhap they could be translated fer ye, at some small cost…” Shai offered in return. “Open the box an let us haggle wi the goods before us.” 

 

Esperanza winked, and gave the ‘lock’ a twist and it popped right off. “It’s only books, nothing to actually lock up.” She said with a smile.

 

Shai dug in, her fingers flicking over the spines of the tightly packed books out of habit… nothing popped up of course. Researching in Gary’s ‘library’ was too easy. 

With a sigh she eased the first slim volume out, it had a cover of simple leather and was sewn together with silk cord. The title was in an unfamiliar script. Yet as Gary had suggested, she read it with ease. 

 

‘Brewing and Distilling, the Craft and Art of Beer, Cider, Wine and Spirits.’ Inside were instructions and recipes that might be helpful to an alchemist or established brewer. 

 

Shai grinned and flipped through the first few recipes, while Esperanza relaxed into the hammock with a sensual smile.

 

Next was a simple notebook entitled; ‘Folk Charms and Mageways of the Hill Tribes’, that looked promising as well.

 

A section on traditional cartomancy brought fond memories back of her grandmother, quietly shuffling the cards and singing old songs from her seat by the fire, so warm and snug. 

 

The third was less promising. The cover was a dark and swirling purple with some manner of furry beast in the corner, the title read ‘A Tangled Skein’. 

 

A brief glimpse inside showed it to be some kind of strange fantasy novel about mountain dwelling sheep teaching martial arts to a duck? 

 

“Aye, ye kinnae mine fer precious things wi out finding some dross as well…” She muttered to herself.

“Ahh, so sweet Shai can read at least some of these, this is good, take them, none of my clients can read them, so This one is now shed of them!” She dusted her hands together and rolled the trunk over to Shai. 

 

”If you should translate them, and there is demand, this one may buy. Elsewise, those books are yours now.” She sighed happily. 

“The oath to the booksellers guild is strict, Books that cannot sell must be gifted. This one has been trying and failing to find those books a home for some two years now. Come, this one has things for you to see in her quarters.”

 

Shai smiled girlishly and giggled, “I’ll nae fall fer that one… again! Ye have some sexy trick in mind dae ye not?” She winked broadly. 

 

“Aye, the ropes will slip loose an we be adrift… wi naught tae do til rescue, save to share our fine and tender feelings in intimate ways?” Shai continued, glibly protesting, while still following Esmerelda deeper into her home.

 

“This one thinks you might pen some ‘smut’ and find success with such an imagination…” Esperanza sighed over her shoulder to the young smith girl, while mentally signaling Falco to stop untying the boat.

Outside a sliding door, the buxom trader paused. “Your band has done kindness and been forgiving when there was no profit in it for you. Let this one repay, in some small way.”

Behind the well polished door was a surprising chamber. Small, but tidy, it felt lived in and welcoming. The bed was covered in a bright floral embroidered quilt. 

Plump pillows were scattered about for sitting or reclining on the carpets that covered every inch of floor, overlapping and layering chaotically.

 

The walls were covered with tapestries, and paintings, while small treasures and trinkets peeked from shelves all around. 

 

Most surprising was the bay window at the narrow point of the triangular chamber, it was filled with plant life. A wild and intoxicating garden in miniature ran wild, in very controlled ways. 

The blooms, soil and foliage that perfumed the chamber made it a calming and tranquil place. Esperanza hummed softly while digging through a desk drawer. 

 

“You two have been very kind, this one has some small tokens for you and your sleepy moontouched boy.” Esperanza said, deep in her task.

 

She turned around in her swivel chair and realized Shai was sprawled across her bed in a very casual way. The younger woman’s smile was relaxed and easy, perhaps even a hint of flirty. 

“I did fully expect tae feel as a butterfly in a spider’s web, tis actually a ladybug’s bower o green and comfort.” She sighed, slowly stretching out full length on the bed. 

 

“Mine cares and worries have eased since this morn, and I thank thee for it.”  She said slow and dreamily. 

 

“Twas good tae see mine boy moving, being mad and foolish an all.” She said, even more slowly as dawn light slipped through the window and into the cabin. 

 

Esperanza tucked the sleeping girl in, as Shai smiled and moaned softly in her dreams. “This one had thought to be in the covers with you…” She whispered, leaving the girl with a soft kiss and closing the door. She took her gifts to the house, that woman needed rest in the worst way. 

“Ahh, mistress Ivy, this one has done some dealing with sweet Shai, how will you now abuse this poor trader?” She asked effusively as she burst through the door.

 

“Poor sweet Shai was exhausted by the work and is resting in this one’s humble cabin for the moment.” She grinned her third sauciest smile and waited for the assumptions to begin. 

 

“Ohh ok.” Ivy said, drawing a long list from her jacket pocket. “We have a lot to negotiate.”

 

“You are not concerned for sweet Shai’s virtue?” Esperanza cooed softly, scooching closer to Ivy and Tallum, who looked deeply conflicted.

 

“If you tried to do anything she didn’t like, we would need to clean you off the floor with a mop, we already know that you are a big softie.”

 

“This is what comes of mixing pleasure with business… now you shall use your advantage to leave this poor trader destitute and hungry.”  She said in a pitiable voice, while looking rather hungry already. She peered through the doorway at Gary’s floating form. 

 

“Your two friends need their rest, this one doubts they will bestir til mid day…” Her smile spread slowly across her caramel cheeks, those red lips parting just a little. 

 

“This one sailed through the night to distance Esperanza from a nest of bandits on the road, where ever shall a poor wayfarer find a warm bed?” She draped an arm over Ivy’s shoulders and gripped Tallum by his coat sleeve, tugging the trio closer together.

 

“Well we can find you a place I’m sure, you say Shai is in your quarters, why don't I just go fetch her over?” He said getting up from the couch beside Ivy.

 

“This one would not see her rest disturbed… does she not carry a great weight, newly lightened?” Esperanza asked, Bouncing on her toes and making things collide in exciting ways.

 

“Hospitality is a duty Tallum…” Ivy scolded softly, let us tuck our guest in, help me show her the way.” She said with a smile as wide as the trader’s

 

#

 

The rain swept in off the shallow sea in the small hours, Levin was the first to know, since he drew all the late watches by some miracle. It would make a more suspicious man think there was a plot afoot.

 

With long practice, he lopped off some boughs from a nearby hemlock tree to shelter their fire and woke the others so they could prepare for a dousing.

 

Truth be told, even with the cold and wet, walking to Port Fallon in the mud and rain with a heavy load was all worth it. 

 

“Gods curse your father’s withered ball sack Levin, I’ll have you on report and digging latrines for the rest of your indenture…” Fallon was on a loop, revisiting the same threats, curses and insults after a while. Now Levin was making a game of it, trying to predict which verse was next, it felt like it was his mother’s mother’s turn for some degradation.

 

“...when the midwife pulled you from the afterbirth, she must have had some confusion as to which to keep and which to feed to the dogs. I see she chose poorly.”

 

That was a new one, well not really. That or some variation had been going around barracks since time immemorial. Though in an army largely composed of orphans, those words could lead to a murder. 

 

Levin was already planning his request for reassignment. Port Ellis seemed nice, but for some reason he thought; ‘Maybe Wheatford, it’s quiet. I could use some quiet.’ He knew people there already, not well, but still. 

 

Fallon kept bitching and moaning all the way up to the gates to the noble quarter. 

‘Probably until a maid tucked his ass into bed.’ Levin thought to himself, as he and the rest of the troopers finished their miserable trek at the barracks, a dismal and unwelcoming place. 

 

The showers were cold, the soap, hard and the towels could be used to burnish armor and probably were. His cot was narrow, hard, cold and at best cleanish, but right now it was heaven. 

 

“Hey Levin, we are headed to the Maiden’s Bower, coming? You deserve to get stinking drunk and catch something unpleasant for the Healers to cure.” Malus said good naturedly. 

 

“You took enough on the trip, there's no more coming your way from us.” The pug ugly brawler said. “Don’t forget to turn in your ears at the mess.” 

 

“Gods above and below, I almost forgot, that would have been disgusting, thanks Malus.” Levin said, rummaging in his gear for the magical cold pouch of human ears. 

 

Standard issue when riding out with nobles, they were to be turned in if not needed, for cold storage in the barracks mess hall. Fortunately Levin had never needed his. 

 

The cult of War had long ago developed a cavalier attitude to illegal orders and the privileges of rank. Men were not perfect, fighting men even less so. Nobles were rarely, though still too often, unsuited to their lofty titles. 

 

Such officers had a marked tendency to die in monster hunts or be slain in defending a rural homestead from bandits. That was where the ears of their fallen brothers and sisters came in. 

 

Each orphan, on indenture to War, could choose to donate their ears if they should perish. Those ears were stored frozen, banked against the day when the orphans would need them. 

 

Occasionally, a troop would return with an empty mount. Explaining that they had ‘avenged a fallen and beloved officer’ by slaying the ‘bandits’ responsible and turning in their ears. 

 

“I’ll put those back for you, get some rest.” He turned to the second’s corner, the only well lit and nicely furnished section of the barracks. “Hey Bran, you coming out drinking or you gonna stay in again?” Malus called. 

 

“Staying in, new storybook arrived on the trade boat, I’m reading to the younglings til bedtime.” The taciturn bull of a man grunted softly. “Make it up to the ladies for me.”

 

“I already have enough working against me, carry your own load!” He said cheerfully on his way out.