Dragon Clan #7: Shell’s Story

CHAPTER TWENTY

Shell still hadn’t answered her with more of the cover story when they passed more two-story buildings and spotted one three stories high. Instead of a traveler on the road here and there, they now walked with others only steps ahead, and more behind. A blacksmith pounded metal on an anvil, the sharp sounds setting a pace for the feet of the people. When the hammer rang, feet touched the ground at the same time, some with the left foot, others with the right, but it made an interesting sight.

The city spread out over a long hillside, all the way to the Endless Sea. Ships were at anchor in deeper water, and others tied up to piers. Even at a distance, they were from the waterfront, they could see cargo being shifted, moved, loaded, unloaded, or being stored under roofs to protect the contents from the wet.

The air felt wet as if a fog had just lifted, which it may have. The bricks that made up the road and most of the buildings appeared damp. People had their collars raised to protect their ears from a chilly wind off the water.

A man lounging beside a doorway offered the best ale in the city for the cheapest price, but one look at him convinced Shell he didn’t want to drink there, even if he did drink ale and it was free. The knife worn at the man’s waist was too prominent, the rings on his fingers too flashy, and the smile too contrived.

A few doors down a woman promised to introduce him to another twice as pretty as Camilla, and more willing to be friendly. Another doorway held a man whispering that inside were honest gambling games of every sort, and the owner was very drunk. Everyone inside was winning, and Shell could walk away with a small fortune. It was information for only a few, but somehow Shell had become included.

Camilla was more upset by each offer, and offended, if not insulted by most. Shell found himself enjoying their friendly chatter, and often as not, he exchanged a few words with the barkers, then begging off, usually pleading the lack of coin.

They turned off that street in favor of a wider one, with more respectable people walking and less lounging in doorways. The people were better dressed, or wearing work clothes, hurried about their duties. It paralleled the waterfront and provided glimpses of the ships between buildings.

A woman in a long gray skirt of a color that matched her long brown hair swept a porch with vigor, and above her hung a small sign that offered rooms for rent.

Camilla stepped closer and said, “Excuse me, do you work here?”

The woman smiled and paused her sweeping. “I work here harder than any other because I’m the owner, and the only employee,” she laughed at her joke. “If you’re looking for an inn, there are three right down the street; you’ll see them soon.”

“But you do rent rooms?”

“I do. By the day, or ten-day, which is less. But I only rent rooms. The inns provide good food for a fair price, so I see no sense in cooking for strangers.”

“Two rooms. Do you have them, how much, and are they in the rear where we can watch the ships?” Camilla said.

“A full copper scat a night for each room, and I don’t care if you double up in one to save money, but I insist on quiet, and yes I have a room in the back. Two, in fact.”

“We won’t be doubling up, but will take two rooms, if you please. We’re not sure how long we’ll be here, but probably at least three days.”

“In advance.” The woman held out her hand.

Camilla looked at Shell as if waiting for him to pay. He didn’t know what a copper scat was, or any other names for the coins he had in his purse beside calling them copper, silver, or gold. He pulled a small silver coin and passed it to her, ready to pull another to join it, if needed.

The woman shook her head and almost took a small step back as if afraid of the coin. “I can’t make change for that!”

Shell cast caution to the wind and opened his hand, displaying five coins and acted as if he was selecting one of them. The woman snatched one of the smaller copper coins and held it up. “This pays for two rooms. Five days. If you leave earlier, I’ll refund you two scats a day. Fair?”

“Fair,” Shell said.

The woman opened the door and escorted them inside. Shell and Camilla exchanged grins. Inside was a seating area, clean and cozy, with a fireplace. Directly ahead of the front door were stairs. Standing aside, the woman pointed to them. “Four doors at the top of the landing. The two in the back are yours. Come and go as you please, but I lock the door after dark, so knock, and I’ll let you in. The outhouse is behind, fresh water in the pitchers for drinking or washing.”

It struck Shell that she hadn’t given her name, had probably repeated the same spiel about the rooms hundreds of times, and didn’t bother listening to her words. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, the same exact words probably fell from her lips like magic. He wondered if she ever walked inside and said them by accident.

Camilla thanked her and climbed the narrow staircase. A square landing with a thin carpet over the plank floor gave them a place to stand beside each other and look around. The four doors were closed. Camilla stepped forward and knocked softly on one at the rear. When nobody from inside objected, she opened the door.

Shell followed her inside. A small window provided a limited view of the port, ships, and activity. A raised bed, the first Shell had ever seen, stood against one wall, a set of drawers beside it, and pegs on the wall for hanging coats or whatever.

Camilla said, “Nice. Clean. I like it. Why don’t you check out your room and give me a few minutes to myself, and then we’ll explore?”

The second room was much as the first, but slightly larger, with a bigger bed that had more lace and frills. There were twice the drawers, and while Shell needed only one, or two at the most, he grinned that he had managed to get the better room. It also smelled of flowers, and he suspected at least one woman had rented it before him.

His window was the same small size, lace curtains hung to shield the room against the setting sun, and heavier ones were there for sleeping in the daytime. He threw the window open and let the breeze off the water flow inside carrying more strange scents, odors, and smells, along with the myriad of noises, most of them unfamiliar. The chants of sailors, the curses of landlubbers, and orders shouted by anyone in charge of another jarred him. Horses hooves clomped on pavestones, wagon wheels squeaked, venders shouted about the quality and prices of what they sold.

Another street lay below on the slope, nearer the ships. The seaward side held docks, piers, and sheltered warehouses. Nearly every dock held a ship. Men swarmed, loading or unloading, sometimes both, as if the very life of the ship depended on getting it ready to sail again.

Camilla knocked softly on his door. He let her inside, determined not to mention the differences in the rooms. She glanced around and said, “A chair or two would be nice.”

“Use the bed.”

Shell went to the door, peeked outside to make sure they were alone, closed it. He went to where he’d dropped his backpack and sat on the floor, back to the wall, knees pulled to his chin. “Okay, we’ve arrived. What now?”

She smirked, but kept her voice soft, “Are you asking how you and I are going to defeat the enemy?”

He laughed. She had a way of deflecting his conversations, but this time he wouldn’t have it. “No, but we need a few simple plans from the start. First, we have a lot of money. Remember how the woman downstairs reacted to a small silver coin? From her reaction, I think we have more money than a hundred people hold in their lifetimes, maybe more.”

“So?”

“So, carrying it with us is stupid. A robber will take it from us. Where can we put it, so it is safe?”

Camilla said, “You’re right, of course. We should set up a sacrifice stash.” When Shell didn’t answer, she continued, “We each hide a small amount of money in our room, some coppers and a small silver, more than what a thief thinks we’d have, and we put it where it will be found. A thief will grab it and escape, thinking there is no more to steal.”

“I like that. We hide the rest in a better location.”

“More than one location. Just in case. Always put valuables in more than one place.”

Shell nodded with appreciation at her suggestions. She obviously knew more about being sneaky than he did. “How do we choose locations?”

“You put the bait, the sacrifice, in your top drawer, under your things, as if you were trying to hide it. Wrap it in a shirt or something. The rest of your stash will be better hidden beneath a floorboard, or a hole in the wall or whatever. Most thieves will be looking to get away as soon as they find the smaller stash.”

“That’s clever.”

“We also separate the gold coins and hide them even better, for instance, we toss a few on the ground outside the outhouse and kick dirt over them. Who is going to dig there?”

Shell wrapped his arms around his shins and pulled his knees high enough to rest his chin on them. “What are we going to do then?”

“It’s what we’re not going to do. We won’t mention the name of certain other places, the families we belong to, or anything else to do with our reason for being here. We are just killing time while waiting for Uncle Jack’s ship to arrive from Racine. We will eat at the inns, and listen to what people talk about. We’ll watch the ships unload, and act just like any other brother and sister. Uncle Jack has arranged for the wagon and mules, and we are here to help him drive the seeds home. Simple.”

“What are we trying to find out?”

“Anything that relates to the invasion or how we might sail across the sea. We may have to travel all the way down to Racine, where the others left to board a ship, but the first days are just to gather information.”

Shell closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds. “What you’re really saying is that you have no more of an idea of what to do than me.”

She flashed the brilliant smile that distracted him every time. “Exactly. Why don’t we go find somewhere to eat after we hide your money?”

“Mine?” he asked, confused as to why she called it his.

“Yes, silly. Mine is already split into three parts, and two are well hidden.”

Together, they removed the coins from his backpack and made piles. One, mostly smaller copper and two small silver, were placed in his purse, with the silvers inserted into slits in his waistband. His backpack was emptied, with a single silver and six coppers of different sizes hidden in a wrapped shirt underneath the others, and at the back of his drawer with the other contents of his pack. All his belonging were placed in two drawers, the very first place a thief would search. The coins might fool burglars or thieves into believing they had found all he owned.

The rest were in two piles, one hidden behind a board they pried from the wall, and the second above the widow, where a small opening they made and covered with the curtain. They went down the stairs and outside where people milled or strolled, a social engagement for many, and more than one young girl swayed down the road attracting the attention of boys their age, and of Shell.

“See anything you like?” Camilla snarled when she noticed where his eyes tracked.

“Well, now that you ask, I do.” He didn’t move fast enough for her elbow to miss jabbing his middle. He had decided before she got snarky again, he’d move out of range.

She said, “There is a road ahead that takes us to the waterfront. Let’s go down there.”

Shell pointed to a sign over the door of an inn. “Eat first.”

They headed for the inn, went inside to find a large area filled with benches, tables, and chairs, all haphazardly placed in groupings by the last patrons. The ceiling was low, the timbers black, but the walls freshly whitewashed and the floor clean. A dozen people sat, some eating, others with only mugs in front of them. All eyes turned to the newcomers.

The attention made Shell nervous as if he’d done something wrong and all in the room knew it. He hesitated and Camilla gave him a gentle shove. She said, “That table looks good.”

There were others free that were closer to the door, but she chose one situated between an occupied table and a bench where two men sat at a long wooden table. The conversation began to buzz in the room again as a woman wearing an apron from chin to floor appeared at their side.

She smiled, “Never been here, have you?” When they shook their heads, she continued, “Best food for the copper in Fleming, as least that’s what my boss says to tell everyone.”

Camilla said, “We’d like to eat.”

“Right. You can have stew and bread. Or you can have slices of roast beef down the street at the Anchor Inn, but not here. Here you get stew and bread. Chicken at the Lucky Duck tonight, but they overcharge for everything. Stew?”

“Stew,” Camilla confirmed. “And lots of bread.”

“Ale?”

“Wine and water,” Camilla said. “Red wine.”

The woman slipped away to the kitchen, pausing long enough to speak to a young man eating alone. He responded and smiled, and she disappeared. But his eyes kept returning to look at them. Looking at Camilla was understandable because she was so pretty, but Shell caught him looking his way more than once.

The waitress returned with two bowls, a plate piled high with coarse brown bread, and three mugs, two of them half-filled with wine and the third full of water. She positioned herself between the curious man and them, and as she bantered and placed the food in front of them, she whispered, “Beware of the man behind me. He already asked about you.”

Then she stood and laughed as if one of them had said something funny, and flitted off again. Camilla said, “That was nice of her.”

“I got the impression she knows more about him than she could say.”

Camilla said, “After we eat, I think we should go down by the ships. That’s why we’re here. I also think we should stop talking and listen.”

“And I think that when we pay for our meal, we should leave an extra coin for the woman who warned us. I had already noticed that man, but it makes no difference.”

They ate in silence, while trying to pick out the different conversations, all of which seemed to be concerned with buying, selling, or shipping goods on the ships. Several bragged about their profits; a few moaned about their losses, and others talked about what they hoped for the future. All but the one customer who sat and watched them with veiled eyes.

After leaving, they headed out to the street and looked for the lane that would take them to the one below. After reaching it, the foot traffic was less, the people more hurried, and most of them working one way or another, some carrying tools or supplies. A few pushed barrows, rolled barrels, or pulled carts.

Camilla and Shell moved to the side and tried to keep out of the way. They noticed terraces or patios that contained benches and tables. People sat in the shade of small trees or umbrellas and watched the activity on the piers while sipping ale, beer, or wine. Some ate snacks or meals.

As they took a seat at the nearest, Camilla watched and commented on the unloading of a ship, speculating about where the cargo came from and what it might be. While she watched and talked, the tiny hairs on the back of Shell’s neck stood on end. He casually adjusted his chair, allowing his eyes to roam the other patrons and people on the street.

A man drew his attention. Without seeming to, Shell looked and recognized the man from the inn. He thought of Pudding and knew the wolf was too far away, but within contact. His next thought was of the Red dragon, but he quickly tried to erase that thought before the Red came diving out of the sky, spitting acid and screeching while trying to rescue him in front of the entire waterfront.