Pirate's Honor, page 31
Easing her coils, she released Snick.
The gnome dashed for the door. As she slipped out, Celeste heard her whisper, "No sense of humor at all!"
paizo.com #2495541, Ronald Hartman
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bought and Paid For
As Stargazer approached the Eye of Sothis, the harbor island at the center of the great city's canal, Torius suppressed a nervous shudder. The same three war galleys they had battled nearly two months before lay docked at the naval pier. This was where everything would come together, where their plan could either come to fruition or fail, and the sight of those warships felt like a harbinger of doom. He clenched his hands to silence the faint tremors and tried to think of something other than all the ways this could go wrong.
Gozreh's guts, I can't wait to just be Torius Vin the pirate again, he thought, running a hand over his face and instantly missing his beloved beard and mustache. He was tired of being Captain Akhiri, the obsequious merchant, and seeing a face he didn't recognize in the mirror.
"At least we'll be on the other side of the Eye from the navy yard." Thillion looked over his shoulder at the long, straight Crimson Canal. "We should be able to sell our cargo at the Eye easily enough. That way there are no gates between us and the river.
"Good." Torius pulled a wax-sealed roll of parchment and a jingling pouch out of his pocket and handed both to his first mate. "As soon as we hit the dock, send a runner to Vreva with the scroll, then go make nice with the harbormaster. Timing will be everything if we want to get out of here before Ekhan can convince the authorities that we've cheated him. I've got to talk to our illustrious passenger about arranging his meeting with Nhil. We should have no problem putting him off until this afternoon."
"Aye, sir."
Torius gave his mate a nod and strode through the sterncastle door. Instead of going to Ekhan's cabin, however, he ducked into the main hold. Backing into a corner, he quickly rolled up his sleeve. His hands shook as he pulled out the bottle of venom and filled the needle. He stabbed it into his forearm deeper than he had intended, piercing the muscle.
"Gozreh's guts!" He pulled the needle out and pressed his thumb to the wound. The brief rush of euphoria eased the shakes like a wave washing away footprints from a beach. He drew a tremulous breath and let it out.
And I'm sick to death of this. Once they were on the long passage to Tian Xia, he'd have all the time in the world to put this filthy addiction behind him. He stuffed away the venom and the needle, rolled down his sleeve, and headed for the merchant's cabin.
"I'll go get the captain, Master Ekhan." Grogul's voice was unmistakable, and the half-orc emerged from Ekhan's cabin, followed closely by the merchant prince.
"No need. I was just coming to see you, Master Ekhan." As Torius shuffled sideways to get by his massive bosun in the narrow corridor, Grogul gave him a covert look. His heavy eyebrows were raised, his mouth was set in a grim scowl, and he snapped his eyes toward Ekhan.
"Ah, Captain!" The merchant squinted at Torius, then Grogul, and jerked back, then blinked and shook off another obvious hallucination.
Since their departure from Katapesh, they had been plying Ekhan with the greatest concentration of the venom mixture that they dared. Consequently, his paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions were at an all-time high. He'd developed a constant tic and continually peered into shadows and corners as if plagued by demons. It would have to be enough—if this behavior wasn't enough to ruin his credibility with the authorities, the whole plan was sunk.
"I see that we're in Sothis. I need to speak with you before we dock."
"And I to you." Torius waved a hand toward the galley. "Please, let's sit and have some refreshment. Souso, bring us some wine and a bite to eat."
"Thank you, Captain."
Ekhan took his customary seat across the table from Torius, and Grogul took his station behind him. The bosun's normally impassive expression was anything but, and his hand gripped the haft of his axe hard enough to whiten his knuckles.
What the hell is wrong? Soursop brought a plate of cheese and a bottle of wine. Torius poured out two glasses and took one for himself. "What can I help you with, Master Ekhan?"
"I will not mince words, Captain. I would like to purchase Celeste from you."
"You what?" Torius nearly choked on his wine. Celeste had said that Ekhan had offered to buy her, but he hadn't expected an offer so soon.
"I wish to purchase your slave, Captain. Is that so difficult to understand?" The merchant sipped his wine, his eyes focused on Torius's face. "I find her intriguing and wish to have her as my own."
"I ...understand perfectly, Master Ekhan, it's just that I've owned her for quite some time now. I never considered selling her. I've grown ...attached to her, you understand."
"I understand all too well, Captain." Ekhan swirled his wine in his cup and pursed his lips. "I'll give you five thousand gold measures for her."
Torius stifled his surprise. Five thousand for a pleasure slave was quite a sum. "Master Ekhan, I couldn't possibly—"
"Seven thousand."
Torius picked a piece of cheese from the plate and ate it as he considered the offer. He knew from Snick that Ekhan still had plenty of money. Why not take him for all they could get? With careful negotiation, Torius could wrangle a nice purchase price and the scam would be over before Ekhan could take possession. The moment Twilp left with him to meet with Nhil, they would cast off lines and sail away.
Washing the sharp cheese down with a sip of wine, he saw Grogul slowly shake his head, then raise a hand and pass his thumb silently across his throat. He wants to kill Ekhan. Why? Taking the man's money wouldn't increase the danger of their plan, but Gozreh help him if he had to tell Celeste that they had killed the merchant prince; she would be on him like a cobra on a mongoose. Torius shook his head, both to Ekhan's offer and to Grogul's suggestion.
"That's a noble sum, Master Ekhan, but I couldn't part with my pleasure slave ...for less than ten thousand."
"I will pay eight thousand for her, Captain. No more."
"But she is, as I mentioned previously, a unique specimen." Torius smiled thinly, warming to the negotiations. "And she has been trained by the most adept instructors in the arts of sensual pleasure. I'd never forgive myself if I let her go for less than nine thousand."
"You could buy a half-dozen pleasure slaves for that, Captain!" Ekhan said with a scornful laugh.
"I could, Master Ekhan, but they would pale in comparison to Celeste." He sipped his wine. "We both know that you could recoup her price twice over in just a month if you leased her favors to your rich friends in Azir. Her unique appearance alone is enough to make men pay exorbitant fees to sample her charms."
"I don't intend to open a brothel with Celeste as its centerpiece, Captain!" Ekhan slammed down his wine cup, slopping its contents onto the tablecloth. "This wine is sour! Bring a new bottle!"
"Souso, a new bottle of wine." Torius pushed his cup aside and leaned on the table, looking straight into Ekhan's eyes. "What you plan to do with Celeste isn't my concern, Master Ekhan. But I will be compensated appropriately for such an exquisite slave. Eight thousand five hundred is the lowest price I'll accept."
Soursop poured the new wine, and Torius was careful to take only a tiny sip of the highly envenomed drink. As it was, he would likely have some mild hallucinations of his own later, but he was feeling good about the deal on the table.
Ekhan raised his cup and gulped the wine, then nodded. "Very well, Captain Akhiri. I will pay your price. Have your men take my trunks ashore as soon as the ship is docked. I will be leaving the Sea Serpent directly and taking Celeste with me."
"Leaving?" This time Torius did choke on the wine, and had to cough to clear his throat.
Behind Ekhan, Grogul clenched his jaw and shook his head. That's why Grogul wants to kill him! He plans to take her off the ship! He briefly considered giving the half-orc the nod and dealing with the consequences later. But I promised Celeste that Ekhan would make it out of this scam with little more than embarrassment. Maybe he could talk the man out of it.
"But Master Ekhan," he said in his most wheedling tone, "our agreement—"
"Our agreement was for a finder's fee for the Star of Thumen and transportation at no charge. The way I see it, Captain, you're getting a deal here. Instead of having to take me all the way back to Azir, you may go about your business." His dark eyes narrowed. "And I've decided that I want no part of your business. Once I've received the reward from Keiratek Nhil, you'll get your gold, but I'll arrange my own passage back to Azir. Now, please have Celeste and her possessions brought ashore and put with mine." He gulped down the rest of his wine and lurched to his feet, his hands shaking while his eyes darted around the room.
"Celeste's possessions?" Torius rose slowly, fighting not to grind his teeth. "As a slave, Celeste has no possessions, Master Ekhan. Our negotiated price was for Celeste, not for the clothing and other things that I allow her to wear. I could possibly sell them to you for—"
Ekhan slammed his hands on the table, his face livid. "I'll not give you another gold piece, Akhiri! Don't push me, Captain—I can ruin you with a flick of my finger! I am not without influence, even here!"
And I can kill you with a flick my finger, Torius thought. It would be so much easier ...But Celeste would never forgive me.
Torius heaved a sigh. There was still a way out of this—a risky one, but doable—but it would be up to Celeste.
"Very well, Master Ekhan. You'll receive Celeste and all of her possessions in exchange for eight thousand five hundred gold measures, and you'll leave my ship. I'll remain docked here until I receive my payment for the recovery of the Star of Thumen and then our association will end." He bowed shortly and smiled. "Your goods will, of course, be delivered to you undamaged."
"They better be!" Ekhan snapped. "I'll get your money."
∗ ∗ ∗
Torius entered the cabin, closed the door behind him, and dropped a bulging sack onto the floor. It landed with a heavy jingle. "We're in trouble."
"What?" Celeste slithered off her nest and stared at him, then the bag. "What's that? I heard raised voices, but not your words. What happened?"
"Ekhan just bought you." He nudged the sack with his toe.
"He ...he did?"
"He did. Eighty-five hundred gold. Lucky he paid me in platinum sphinxes, otherwise I'd have needed Grogul to carry it."
"I ...That's ...a great deal of money." Though the thought of being bought and sold disgusted her, a little spot of warmth glowed in her stomach at such a price. Benrahi had followed through on his word, and thought enough of her to pay an extraordinary sum. But the look on Torius's face screamed danger. Something was wrong. "What trouble are we in?"
"He's leaving the ship, now, and he's taking you with him."
Celeste's stomach dropped. "That isss not right! He is sssupposed to ..." Words failed her as she looked into Torius's eyes. "By the stars! You're serious!"
"Serious as a headsman's axe. Grogul wanted to kill him, but I held him off. It's your choice: you go with him, or we kill him before he leaves the ship."
"Kill him?" A pit of dread opened up before her. "I ...I can't, Torius!"
"Decide now, Celeste. We can't let him go ashore and then kill him later. Men like Ekhan draw attention. If he ends up dead, there'll be questions, and we'll be in even more trouble that we are now ...if that's possible."
Her stomach roiled as she recalled her recent prophecy of a vital decision for Torius: life or death for Ekhan. And Torius had let Ekhan live. Then he had given the same decision to her. "We can't kill him just because he intends to leave and wants me with him. We must find another way."
"Frankly, I hate the thought of you going with him." He lifted a hand to run his fingers through her hair, his eyes filled with worry. "But you're very good at manipulating him. And you have your charm spells. If you go, I'll have someone follow to keep an eye on you. We'll get you out as soon as we've got the reward money. I'll have Thillion tell the harbormaster that we were just dropping off passengers. He can have the ship ready to leave at a moment's notice."
Celeste cocked her head, considering her options. Thank the stars, I haven't used many spells today. After a moment, she nodded.
"I believe I can do this. I have sufficient transformation spells to maintain my human form for just over half of an hour, and the scrolls and potions we brought for emergencies will more than double that. I also have the four illusion scrolls that I didn't use; they'll last much longer and will be adequate for showing me in human form as long as he doesn't touch me and perceive the illusion."
"He better not touch you," Torius muttered.
"Torius, I didn't mean—"
"I know, I know. All right, then, let's do this." Torius dragged her sea chest from beneath the chart table. After pulling out all the charts and navigational instruments, he started packing her dresses. "Which one do you want to wear?"
"The blue one; it's the easiest to walk in. Also, I'll need my hooded cloak. Put one of the illusion scrolls and two potions in the pockets, and pack the rest in the chest." She floated the dress over her head, then coiled in front of the mirror to quickly apply kohl and rouge. Lastly, she coiled her hair into a simple twist fastened by her hair sticks. Once done, she floated all of her remaining accoutrements into the chest, and Torius closed it. "How will you know where I am?"
"Convince Ekhan to take Twilp with him, and I'll have Snick follow." He held out her cloak. "Make sure he leaves you at the inn when he goes to see Nhil. We'll get you out then."
"That shouldn't be a problem." She slipped into the cloak and fastened the clasp.
"Right." He didn't sound convinced. "What about a weapon? You could hide a dagger under your dresses, or my kukri."
"Benrahi wouldn't harm me." Torius had always been protective of her, and though she sometimes resented it, she knew it was only because he loved her. To ease his mind, she smiled, baring her fangs. "Besides, I don't need a knife, Toriusss."
"Oh, right." Torius bit his lip and reached out and cupped her cheek in one hand. She leaned into the warmth of his palm and they stood in silence, staring at one another for a moment. "You're sure about this?"
"I'm nervous, but yes, I'm sure."
Torius reached for her and she slithered into his arms. His kiss was sweet, but she felt the tension in his body as he pressed her close. His arms felt good around her, easing her nerves, and she forgot for a moment what she was about to do. Then the shouts of the sailors as they tossed thick hawsers to the dock crew interrupted their moment of peace.
"We should go," Torius whispered, releasing her from his embrace. He lifted the golden collar from the navigation table and held it up. "Can't forget this."
"Oh ...yes." The touch of the cool metal on her neck sent a nervous shiver down her spine. She'd worn the collar throughout their charade, but putting it on now felt ominous, as if she'd never be able to take it off. She felt like changing her mind, but if she balked, Benrahi would die. Instead, she steeled her nerves and flashed him a quick smile. "I'm ready, my captain."
She cast her transformation spell, then adjusted her dress and followed Torius from the cabin.
The sunlight dazzled her as they emerged from the sterncastle. Celeste pulled her hood over her head, blinking hard to clear her vision. Benrahi Ekhan stood on deck, resplendent in his beautiful clothes, his rings winking on his fingers as they reflected the sun. Only the suspicion in his eyes, the way he jerked back when someone ventured too close, and the persistent facial tic reminded her that he was not quite the same man who first boarded in Azir. Twilp stood next to him, speaking in low tones and gesticulating with his hands. As they neared, Celeste could hear the halfling's pleading words.
"A man such as yourself does not travel without servants, Master Ekhan. You know you can trust me, and I know what you need."
"I'll hire new servants." The merchant turned his back on Twilp and noticed Celeste and Torius. "At last, my dear Celeste arrives."
"One more reason I should go with you, Master Ekhan," Twilp interrupted, stepping up to them. "She'll draw attention. I know Sothis, and I can help keep you safe."
"You protect me?"
"It would be wise to have someone you can trust at your side, Benrahi." Celeste let her voice tremble as she cast a fearful look at the sprawling city. "A great man such as yourself is apt to attract those who might wish you ill."
"You're right, Celeste, but not to worry. I am not without protection." Benrahi's fingers strayed to his chest, tapping the pendant hidden beneath his shirt. He looked down at Twilp with less derision than he had a moment ago. "Though I suppose the halfling has his uses, at least until we reach Azir."
"I only wish to be of service, Master Ekhan." Twilp gave him a low bow. "I know the perfect place for you to stay! The Harp and Thistle is the finest inn in the city. It is located in the best district and caters to only the noblest clientele."
"Come along, then. You can ride atop the coach."
"Thank you, Master Ekhan!"
Benrahi led the way down the gangplank, trailed by Celeste, Torius, and lastly Twilp lugging his small trunk. A large coach awaited them at the head of the pier. Torius handed Celeste's sea chest to Grogul, who loaded it amidst the merchant's luggage. Twilp scrambled on top.
"I see you've got all of your ...possessions." Torius looked pointedly at Celeste. She didn't appreciate the lecherous smile, even if it was an act. "I hope you find her worth the price you paid."
"I'm sure I will, Captain. You see, I always get what I want." Benrahi wrapped one arm possessively around Celeste's shoulders and drew her close. "Your finder's fee, minus Pok-Nal's cost, will be delivered by this evening."
Torius nodded and backed away from the carriage. Celeste spared him a glance as she climbed aboard, but dared not offer him an encouraging smile, lest Benrahi notice. She hunkered into the corner of the carriage and pulled back her hood. Benrahi settled into the opposing bench, leaning back in his seat to stare at her as the carriage lurched into motion. He had, at times, simply watched her during their clandestine meetings, but his stare seemed different now. His features possessed a smug satisfaction that she hadn't noticed before. She shifted, uncomfortable under that scrutiny, and looked out the window as they traversed a high arched bridge from the Eye of Sothis into the city. As they descended, she felt as if she was being swallowed by a great beast of beige-colored stone. The chaos of the waterfront gave way to a higher-class neighborhood with larger buildings and wider streets interspersed with crowded markets and green oases. She glanced at him furtively, but his eyes never left her.
