“There will be more people at Eranahl,” she said. “But my family…”
“Which is closer?” he asked, and she lifted both hands, because the distance was too close to matter. Too close to be what made this decision.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and made her choice. “We need to hurry.”
Shoving the jar into his hand, she opened the hidden door in thewall that led down into the pier, the door at the base still underwater. But that didn’t matter, because the supplies she needed were there. Hooking the large crossbow and quiver of bolts over her shoulder, she handed James a long line of rope and two hooks. “Have you ever ziplined before?” When he shook his head, she added, “You haven’t experienced Ithicana until you’ve flown.”
58
Aren
“It is fine weather you’rehaving, Your Grace,” the Amaridian captain said, bowing low as he stepped out of the longboat and onto the shore of Vexis Island. “Our fleet encountered fierce storms in the north. Terrifying winds and waves the size of mountains, which is all to say that you might wait before you open any of the sparkling vintages lest you be covered in foam.” The man laughed loudly, his nervousness palpable as he glanced behind him. “We also saw several Harendellian naval vessels on the horizon. You have scouts watching for them?”
Aren’s scouts had reported the same, and the man’s urgency was understandable. A merchant vessel like this would not stand a chance against a Harendellian ship of the line. “My scouts are watching.”
“We still need to be swift. Our sister ship with the grain was close behind, but she will take longer to unload. We anticipated outpacing her, so we brought a few sacks of flour to show you the quality.”
Aren took a sack from one of the sailors and opened it. The flour was finely milled with no signs of weevils, and against his will, his mouth watered. Handing it to one of his men, he said, “Get baking. Might as well taste it before we pay them.”
The captain gave an approving nod. “Shall we begin unloading while the weather holds and the Harendellians are unaware?”
The deal had been grain before wine, but Aren understood better than anyone the practicality. “Get under way. My soldiers will aid you as needed.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The captain bowed low, revealing the bald circle in what was otherwise a dense head of red curls. “It is an honor to speak with you, Your Grace. May the alliance between Ithicana and Amarid be long and prosperous.”
“I hope for this as well,” Aren replied mechanically, watching the man retreat to begin barking orders at his crew to move swiftly but not damage the product. Then the smell of a campfire caught his attention, and he turned to watch two of his soldiers readying to make pan bread with the flour. His stomach growled.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever looked forward to eating something so much in my life,” Lia said, coming to stand at his elbow. “That sack isn’t going to last long.”
“Plenty more on the way.” He returned to watching the ship anchored in the cove, not wanting to admit his own hunger.
Vexis was a small, crescent-moon-shaped island possessed of very deep water. The entrance to it was hard to see because of the placement of other islands, and Aren had often used it to hide various vessels from other nations that he’d taken in war or in the occasional act of piracy. While the cove had a sandy beach, the long side of the crescent was high cliffs, which made it ideal for this particular exchange, as there was no attacking from the rear. “Get the wine under the trees until we can move it into the bridge,” he ordered his soldiers. “The heat of the sun will not improve its quality.”
And he desperately needed the revenue it would bring at Southwatch.
Crate after crate was unloaded from longboats, and the smell of cooking bread filled the air. Aren didn’t fail to notice how his soldiers kept glancing toward the fire where those doing the cooking were building a pile of flat disks of bread. “Finish first,” he ordered, because it would be good motivation to get this ship on its way.
“You want to try it?” Lia asked. “We should test to see if it tastes right. I wouldn’t put it past Katarina to give us sawdust.”
Aren shook his head. “First unload the wine.”
The hours it took to unload stretched on without incident, and then the captain approached, bowing low again. “We will take our leave, Your Grace. Our sister ship is waiting to take our place in the cove.”
“Agreed. Safe travels.”
Shifting from foot to foot, the captain waited expectantly, then finally gave a nervous cough. “With all due respect, Your Grace, it is my understanding that payment is due for the wines. Those were the instructions my queen gave me, and she is not a woman who is forgiving of a man’s mistakes. Especially when it comes to her gold.”
Lia’s hand moved to rest on the hilt of her blade, and the captain gave another nervous chuckle. Aren smiled. “The gold will be loaded onto the ship that delivers the grain. Grain, then gold. That was the deal.”
“Of course! Of course!” The man backed away, bobbing three consecutive bows as he did.
Aren gestured to the sky, faint swirls of cloud beginning to form in the distance. “A word of warning: There is weather coming in from the west, and it will sweep north. I strongly suggest you get ahead of it.”
“Wise advice, Your Grace.” The Amaridian all but leapt into his longboat, which rowed swiftly back to the ship. Within a matter of minutes, the anchor was rising and the oars were moving the vessel out of the cove.
“Might as well eat,” Aren muttered to Lia. “They aren’t moving quickly.”
“You want to take the first bite? You made this deal happen.”
