"Red..." Doctor Hern looked with alarm as the early fog of morning surrounded the ship. Standing at the edge was Trosyn, leaned over the railing, heaving and retching. "Oh no, you have not succumbed to it as well, have you!" He asked, walking over to place a hand on her brow. Trosyn quickly drew away from him, wiping her chin on the back of her sleeve.
"Don't touch me!" Trosyn snapped, her gray eyes wide and pale.
"Red.... it's me, Dr. Hern. I wasn't going to hurt you. Please, let me have a look at you," the doctor coaxed, his hands out to show they were empty and harmless. Trosyn regarded him, slowly lowering her hand which had been covering her mouth.
"I am not ill, Doctor. I do not need to be examined," Trosyn said firmly, eyeing him with a hostility the doctor had never encountered in her before. He believed she must be delirious, which was not a good sign.
"Why don't we get you in, out of the cold?" the doctor suggested in as gentle of a tone as he could. Trosyn furrowed her brow and shook her head.
"I just needed some air... I'll be fine. Really," Trosyn said, her tone a lot calmer than before.
Doctor Hern looked at her critically for a moment longer, his tone firming. "Understand I can't take chances with any sickness on board, Red. You know that."
Trosyn frowned, but then sighed and nodded her head. She looked around to make sure no one was nearby and she stepped closer to the doctor. "I have no infection, doctor. I know what upsets my stomach, and it cannot be spread," Trosyn whispered, licking her salty lips.
"Miss, I am the doctor, you are not. I would know better what can affect the health of this ship," Doctor Hern said as patiently as he could.
Trosyn stepped even closer, lifting her round chin to look him in the eyes. "Fine. You can check for the fever if it will put you at ease. Let's go."
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"So this is where you've all been hiding yourselves?"
"Baldovo!"
Volente sprang from his cot to greet Baldovo with more exuberance than Colto or Trosyn expected when his former roommate poked his head in. Trosyn had just sat down to begin yet another segment of her tales.
Baldovo looked a little bemused by Volente and then glanced at Colto, giving a head tilt. Colto shrugged, then nodded, and Baldovo smiled, his eyebrows relaxing as he stepped in the whole way. Volente gestured to his recently vacated cot for Baldovo to sit, and he moved to sit at the desk. Trosyn remained on her stool, watching them interact.
"Don't tire yourself out," Trosyn warned.
"Bah! Hound me not, woman! I know my own strength. If I wanted a nursemaid to hen peck me, I'd have proposed to you already," Baldovo growled, waving his hand at Trosyn. But beneath his ill-tempered response was a smile, which Trosyn returned. "Now then, you waited until I was asleep to get to the meat of the meal, eh? Or so Volente's notes indicate."
"It was starting to... ah... pick up," Volente said delicately as he began shuffling through papers.
"Well then, I expect to be adequately entertained tonight. Trosyn, do regale us!" Baldovo said, stretching out on Volente's cot.
Soon after that incident, Sir Benold left on some vague business with his associates. I wasn't packed off to be experimented on, but there was no guarantee that I wouldn't when he got back. I was on tenterhooks the entire time he was away. But it gave me time to sort out my feelings. I even began to regret rejecting his advances. Perhaps if I had responded more favourably he would not make me go. But I also didn't want to think the only reason he would keep me around was for his own, ah, physical gratification. Or, on the flip side, that would be the only reason he would be derelict of his duties.
I wasn't waiting long to learn my fate. A few days after he left, Mrs. Gray came to me and said I was to pack some clothes and be ready to leave that afternoon. I asked where, and she told me she did not know, only that a carriage would arrive to collect me. I was hoping in vain he was sending someone to collect me and bring me to him. As upset as I was with him, I'd rather deal with him than the unknown of some place of study.
My hopes were dashed when I saw a carriage I did not recognize roll up. It was not his, nor was it driven by a coachman I'd ever seen before. But I picked up my gunny sack and got in. I had a long journey to think about what may lay ahead. I also had a long journey to think about what a coward Benold was, to pack me off like this without giving me his final decision, face to face, like a man. He often purported himself as being fearless. But he was a man full of fears and insecurities. This was just more evidence of it.
I was taken to the harbour and brought into a small but heavily secured building. There I was put through a battery of uncomfortable tests, and talked about as if I wasn't there by the two men conducting them. It was a dehumanising experience, but not much different than what'd I already been subjected to. Still, it was upsetting. They left to discuss me, and I listened as best I could. They were discussing making arrangements to send me back to Ayokonia. But then, a third voice joined them, and my heart sank. It was Sintol.
The idea that Benold would let any of his shady partners know about my situation on top of sending me back to the mainland to be studied was a dagger to my heart. I heard him coaxing them that the costs of sending me back to the mainland was not worth the venture, and it wasn't disloyal to wait until there were enough wildflowers to make it worth the charter. They said they were just going to send me on the next cargo ship. I don't remember what he countered with, but it sounded as though he were trying to keep me in port. Which did not bode well for me. Because I knew he only wanted either money, or influence he could use to hold over Benold. I began to wonder if Benold hadn't told him, but perhaps the doctor had.
Eventually, that honey-tongued sapsucker convinced them to hold off shipping me away, and to send me with him for safe keeping. At this point I wasn't sure whether to be relieved, or be filled with even more dread.
Sintol came in, his oily grin on full display as his vibrant blue, almost violet eyes looked me over with unfettered greed. But I did not dare to offend him. Although he was the least violent of Benold's cohorts, he was nonetheless dangerous. His battlefield, however, was always the marketplace and backroom dealings. I bowed to him and paid him all the respects he was due for his position, and he lapped it up. Of course, I don't think he was fooled, but still enjoyed the appearance of submission all the same. It meant I was playing the game.
Sintol took me in his carriage to his own dwelling. His property was not as sprawling or ostentatious as Benold's. But then, he wasn't a governor. Thus his house was smaller, but with the most modern conveniences and placed close to the market. On the way he was content to make small talk, about the town, but I could read between the lines. He was making sure I understood the extent of his power and influence. And when we arrived, he ushered me inside, past his housekeeper, and into his study for a private chat.
"I believe you owe me," I remember him saying as he sat down at his desk, and bid me to sit in a cushioned chair. I did so.
"I do," I admitted. I would not argue the point. The debts I was racking up, however, were not pleasing to me. Owing Sintol, Benold, and one of the natives was putting myself in an impossible situation.
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"Good, good, we understand each other," he said, grinning. But it was a dangerous grin that made my hair stand on end.
"I think we do. Let's get down to business. How can I discharge my debt?" I asked frankly.
He told me that Benold was a hold out against his latest scheme, and he needed the Governor's seal to move forward. And he said I was just the right leverage to change his mind. But that was business between himself and Benold. He knew I was valuable to his master. However, that could wait. He had a task he wanted me for first. It seemed he learned that I had helped to discover the valuable vein that Benold was mining, and he wanted to use my insight to investigate a parcel of land.
To me this seemed fairly benign. But I felt there might be more to it than scanning an area for spirits. I suddenly realised my value to him wasn't my fertility, but my spirit sense. This was an opportunity to make myself valuable to more than just Sir Benold. Too valuable to sell. However, I knew I could not use my wiles on Sintol; he was... of a peculiar sort. Women had no more claim on him than men; his only love was wealth.
"And what is so peculiar about a man who has passions other than being burdened with a woman and children?" Baldovo interrupted. Colto arched his thick eyebrow at Baldovo then shook his head. Volente sighed a high, twittering sigh.
"I believe some women are not considered burdens, but supports so men can focus on their passions," Trosyn challenged, remaining calm and collected in the face of Baldovo's rankled demeanour.
"Bah. Each to their own, of course. Colto over there can be a family man for the both of us. I prefer my life as an inveterate bachelor." Baldovo said, waving a hand at Colto, who remained as sedate and statuesque as he was wont to do.
"Do you have a family, Colto?" Trosyn asked, not shielding her surprise.
"Yes," Colto responded, his eyes narrowing. Trosyn paused, expecting him to go on. Then her eyebrows raised then fell as she put on a wry grin. She should have known better than to expect elaboration from the tight-lipped ox.
"I am sure you are eager to get back to them, Colto," Trosyn remarked, watching him carefully. There was only the slightest softening of his stern demeanour as he nodded, but said nothing more. "Well, I guess I'll get back to my tale, then."
"Please do," Volente said, sniffing at Baldovo for his rude interruption.
As I said, I knew I didn't have a simple task before me. I was not taken to a tunnel as Sintol made it seem, but to a grove in the nearby forest where a crude stone altar existed. This was clearly once a sacred place to the native population. Not just sacred, but feared. I could tell immediately there were unseelie spirits here, and blood sacrifices had been made.
"Everyone who tries to clear this wood has accidents," Sintol told me as we stood on the edge of the clearing. As I said, I could not see spirits, but I could hear them. I could sense them. And at times, I could see through their tricks. I went to the altar and knelt down, focusing. He asked me why I knelt there. It was then that I discovered he could not see the altar. It just appeared as a random boulder to him.
"There are jealous spirits, the Eshyhon here." I reported. Eshyhon could be benevolent when treated well, but are very territorial. There are many different kinds, and I was not as well versed in them as I could have been. Benold was a modern man and discouraged me from seeking out what he called superstitious nonsense. He did not realise how real the spirits were to me. Not until much later.
"Well how do I get rid of them?" Sintol asked me.
"You do not remove Eshyhon. You only appease them," I told Sintol. He was not pleased with this, but he did not get angry. He waved his hand and walked over to me, letting out a low whistle. He went on to tell me that being returned to Benold hinged on how well I resolved this matter for him. As he neared the altar, I could hear a buzzing sound, like an angry hornet. I warned him to back away. He stepped closer and I rose, flinging myself at him to push him before he could pass the threshold. I remember he stumbled back and was very surprised. I think he may have been angry at first, but when a tree came tumbling down and landed where he had been, his demeanour shifted.
"Are there spirits here now?" I remember him whispering in my ear as we both lay in the grass. I confirmed that they were, and they were not happy with his presence. I warned him to leave. This time, he heeded me.
We stood a ways off and he said he wasn't sure until then if I had the gift - if finding the ore was luck. He told me he wanted to develop that land, and would not let man or spirit stand in his way. I told him I could only listen to the spirits, I did not have the power to bend them to my will. Although if what Benold said was true, Sintol knew people who could. And that worried me. And if he turned to them, things could get messy.
I told him I could try to reason with them. I do not blame his hesitation or skepticism. But I told him that spirits and people had a long history of entering negotiations, and was that not his forte? I could act as a translator of sorts for him to try and work something out with them, but warned him that he'd be starting off with an already hostile entity, and to conduct himself with the same level of caution he would when entering deals with other dangerous syndicates.
We agreed we would come back and try things my way the next day at twilight. I told him to be prepared to make a blood sacrifice and to bring some live birds. I recalled having seen some feathers in the mud near there and it was my best guess. But there was no telling what the Eshyhon would demand, or if they would even speak with me.
The next day we had our preparations made. I approached the altar and told him to keep back so many paces. There I listened. They did not speak, not with words, but I could sense hostility but also curiosity. I had with me a cage of two pigeons. I took one out, feeling and sensing as best I could, until I was certain I was not creating offence. I wrung the bird's neck and spilled its blood on the altar. I could feel a shift in the air. Things grew quiet; peaceful. My offering was accepted. But they were still present, and they were still claiming that territory. I explored the area to get an idea of their boundaries, marking it with sticks with colourful feathers attached. Once I had the area cordoned, I spoke again with Sintol.
I told Sintol that the trees in that area must not be disturbed, and that the boulder he saw must be bathed in blood. However, if he forged an alliance with the Eshyhon there, the land would provide him with something greater than whatever he had planned to cultivate there. He did not seem convinced. While doing the perimeter I discovered something, to which I showed him. A rare fungus with that could bring on heightened awareness and visions. I warned him that they would not grow where there were not these trees.
I could see him trying to do the figures in his head. He approached the altar to get a better look, and I felt the buzzing again. Although I had ameliorated them to my presence, it seems they were still hostile towards him. I warned him back. He did not listen. From the trees a swarm of vicious, stinging insects came, moving with one accord. We both ran as fast as he could, but did not outpace them without taking a few hits. We jumped on our horses and fled, leaving some of our things behind in our haste.
Once we were far enough away, he demanded to know why I said it was safe when it was not. I said the spirits could be fickle, but he was not happy with that answer. I tried to convince him to give it time and to make a blood offering himself next time. He told me there wouldn't be a next time. If the spirits were not willing to deal, they'd be dealt with. I had a bad feeling in my gut about this as we rode back to his abode, aching and itching from the welts left by the attack.
The next day Sintol was in better spirits. He informed me that though my negotiation with the spirit did not succeed, I still was able to provide him with valuable insight which increased the value of his land. He told me he delayed my departure for the time being, but to keep myself from being poked, prodded, and bred like a prized mare I would need to fulfil additional favours for him. Grimly, I accepted his terms. However, I was not necessarily sure I wanted to be in his pocket. But it gave me time to try and find some other recourse. I just needed to figure out a way to avoid that fate. I was determined to find a solution that extricated me from his grasp or any other underhanded dealings.
"Baldovo? Did you fall asleep?" Volente asked. He had taken a moment to pause and stretch from his notes, and noticed Baldovo lying on the cot, eyes closed.
"No... but I may soon..." Baldovo responded, eyes still closed and voice quiet and slurred.
"That is enough anyhow. My throat is feeling a bit rough from all this talking," Trosyn said, rising to her feet. Volente blew on the sheet he'd been scribbling on, encouraging the ink to dry.
"Don't stop... on my account..." Baldovo murmured, turning to face the wall.
"I'm not, I'm stopping on my account," Trosyn said firmly. Colto got up and stretched, walking over to Baldovo.
"Come. I'll help you to your room," Colto said, holding his large hand to Baldovo. Baldovo belligerently refused, but Colto remained where he was, hand outstretched.
"I'll leave you gentlemen to sort out your sleeping arrangements," Trosyn said with a smile, and a hand on her stomach.
"Rest well, Red," Volente said as he continued to clean up his cluttered corner.