Steph Swainston - No Present Like Time

He glanced at me. “The rash bastards will swap anything for curios. They’d pull the nails from the futtocks and even trade our instruments away if I don’t watch them. We must beware of thieves, yes/no? Even a fishhook from Tris is a novelty that will fetch money in the Fourlands now. Still, at least Capharnai are friendly.”

The Petrel, in front of us, glided through the reflections of Capharnaum’s first houses, came alongside the harbor wall and docked. Our ship’s salt-stained prow stopped just a meter behind the ornate windows of Petrel’s stern. Then two gangways slipped down and simultaneously locked into place. Wrenn immediately ran to the quay, where he stood smiling and waving, the first of our company to set foot on Tris. Native men and women approached him, asking questions that of course he couldn’t understand so he just kept nodding in cheerful agreement.

There were no mooring loops on the wharf so Mist made her crew unload the stern and bow anchors of both ships and place them on the pavement with the ropes drawn taut.

Mist and Fulmer descended the gangways of their respective ships and met on the quayside. They shook hands politely in front of the astonished townspeople. “We did it!” she said.

“I had every confidence in you, Eszai,” said Fulmer. He smoothed a couple of invisible wrinkles out of his suit sleeve with a spotless hand. The breeze opened his jacket and I saw a dagger swinging from his belt.

I descended to dry land at the same time as Lightning disembarked from the Petrel. He carried his strung longbow over his shoulder; arrow nocks protruded from the quiver at his waist. He glanced at the windows of every villa fronting the quay.

Wrenn bounded to a halt, panted, “Have you noticed that none of the Capharnai have any weapons? Some of the fishermen have knives in their sashes but they look a bit odd.”

“It’s true,” said Lightning. “Jant, do you see?”

I said, “I think the blades are bronze.”

Lightning said, “But obviously there’s no reason for Capharnai to know of swords. The Fourlands had no swords before the Insects arrived.”

“And then they were invented pretty quickly!” I grinned. I was loving the attention.

Mist gave me an expectant look. “Make your introductions, Jant.”

I spread my arms and began to address the townspeople with a speech I had carefully prepared: “Governors, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for receiving us from the Fourlands. We have brought some gifts as a sign of goodwill: casks of wine and silver ingots-”

The large crowd of people giggled as if I was mad. Mist and I glanced at each other. “Keep going,” she said.

“We would like to meet the governors of Capharnaum to tell them of the Em-”

The crowd parted to let a man through. He walked forward until he faced us alone. I assumed he was the Capharnai’s own representative. He was a tall old man, every aspect of his comportment upright and efficient. His eyes were the same dark brown as beer-bottle glass, hair every shade of gray, once so windblown it would never lie flat. He was dry as a ship’s rib. His face was pinched; his mouth slotted in under his cheekbones. It looked like he was smiling wryly all the time, with a wicked grin that enticed me to smile with him, like a collaborator.

He wore a short cloak over a tunic with a deep hem border. His laced boots with open toes were so unusual Fulmer especially couldn’t stop staring at them. No doubt Fulmer was wondering if he could start a fashion in the Fourlands for toeless boots.

The Trisian spoke slowly, giving me time to translate. The terms that I could not decipher, I left as he gave them. “My name is Vendace. I was a fisherman, now elected to the Senate. They have sent me to thank you for coming here. Are you the same as the boat that appeared nine months ago?”

“Yes, from the Fourlands. Call me Jant. I can speak Trisian but please talk slowly; I don’t know many words. My friends can’t speak it at all; I’ll translate for them.”

“What’s he saying?” asked Mist, who was becoming very frustrated.

“He’s welcoming us,” I said in Awian.

“Tell him I’m in charge and ask him to give his word that my ships will be safe here tonight,” said Mist.

I told Vendace, and added, “We’re here on peaceful terms.”

Vendace said, “We saw your sails this morning-the Senate has convened in an emergency session to discuss our course of action. The Senate is still in progress and they have asked me to bring you to the House. Our constitution warns against contact with another land; our constitution is important to us.”

Mist tugged my arm. “What’s he saying?”

“I’ve no idea. He seems to be going on about their fitness.” I paused for a second to stop my mind whirling. “He’s offered to take us to the governors’ house.”

Mist said, “Well, at least ask a guarantee for our safety on land. I see some victuals being brought out. Thank him for giving me the opportunity to buy provisions and offer to pay with the bar silver.”

I stumbled over a translation to Vendace. The Trisians surrounding us all began laughing again. Even the fisherman couldn’t keep a straight face-he smirked.

“Why are they sniggering?” Lightning inquired.

Mist asked, “Are you actually saying what I tell you to say?”

I wished that she would stop hassling me. I hadn’t had any chance to practice. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Well, I think so! Or I could have asked him to serve us a warm dog.”

Lightning said, “They laugh when you speak of-of what?”

“The wine and silver,” I said.

Lightning said, “Hmm. I should think they have wine of their own. And more than enough gold, if you remember the priceless lighthouse mirrors.”

I looked more closely at the crowd. “You know, none of the Capharnai are wearing jewelry. But gold’s available here; in fact it’s abundant. Do you think it could be that Capharnai don’t care for it?”

Lightning indicated a small girl who was sucking her thumb. A gold band held back her dark hair. “That puts us on a level with their children. And I will wager that her crown is pure, refined gold.” He removed the circlet from his head.

Mist rubbed her eyes. “But…Well, if precious metals are worthless we’ve no valuables to trade with. This island seems to lack nothing; what do we have that they could possibly want?”

“Steel,” said Wrenn.

Fulmer said, “You clever, clever man! Yes, we can give them nails, tacks and chain links. Knife blades and hatchets were in demand; I saw the canoeists admiring them. How about halberds from the Melowne ? The Trisians must use axes so they’ll recognize halberds that are superior to bronze. They should be willing to accept what is better, yes?”

“It’s possible,” Mist said guardedly.

Vendace remained unflappable but kept glancing at my eyes. He showed us a stone cistern on the quayside and Mist organized two squads of sailors to fill barrels with fresh water. She arranged another team to buy fruit, meat and vegetables from Capharnai merchants who were already approaching us out of the town, but she forbade them to barter for any other goods, or to buy items for their own keeping. Then she turned to her second-in-command. “Viridian, tell Melowne’s bosun to obey my orders and follow them yourselves if you love me and your place in my fleet. Don’t leave the ships unprotected. Move them only if you’re threatened…And if we don’t come back tonight, you know what to do.”

“Certainly, Mist,” she said. “And good luck, Mum.”

Mist was dissatisfied with Vendace’s appearance. She said, “The Circle doesn’t need a fisherman.”

“I was unaware we have the authority to recruit for the Circle,” Lightning commented.