A Tinker's Dame (Gags & Pepper: Protection Agents Book 3), page 1
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Book Three
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By
Guy Antibes
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Author’s Note
Map of Southwest Peria
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Gags & Pepper Characters & Locations
A Spell Misplaced - Book Four Excerpt
A Bit About Guy
Books by Guy Antibes
Copyright Page
A Tinker’s Dame Copyright ©2022 Guy Antibes. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the permission of the author.
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This is a work of fiction. There are no real locations used in the book; the people, settings, and specific places are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual persons, locations, or places are purely coincidental.
Published by CasiePress LLC in Salt Lake City, UT, November 2022.
www.casiepress.com
ISBN:
Cover Design: Kenneth Cassell
Book Design: Kenneth Cassell
Principal Reader: Bev Cassell
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Author’s Note
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As much as Gags has his eye on Dixoia and Miria, he still doesn’t have everything he needs to find his lady love. This installment of Gags & Pepper is full of action. As the plot thickens around Gags, he enlists the services of a professor of linguistics. Since everyone in Gags’s world speaks the same language, it is ancient linguistics, just what Gags needs to translate the chalice writings. Everything becomes more complicated, and a simple story has to become complex. We can’t make everything easy for Gags.
— Guy Antibes
Map of Southwest Peria
Book Three
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Prologue
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“N
o!” Alius Barnum said, rearranging the books and book supplies on his cart. “I won’t let that extremely valuable book go for less than twenty shils.”
The little boy looked up at the tinker with tears welling in his eyes. “I only have twenty pennies, and that isn’t near enough!”
“You are more than two hundred pennies short, tiny master,” Alius said.
“If I’m your master, then let me have my storybook!” A tear slid out of each eye and ran down the little boy’s chubby face.
“Twenty-five pennies, then,” Alius said.
The child let his glee splash across his face as he held out a dimpled fist and dropped twenty-five pennies into Alius’s hand. Then the little one frowned. “Just wait until I’m older. I’ll toss you into the air and kick you over the church!” He took his new treasure and ran down the cobbled road.
“Maybe I’m getting too old for book tinkering,” Alius muttered as he watched the boy trip and fall on his face.
Alius shoved the pennies in his strongbox before racing to the boy and picking him up. The tiny tot had a bloody nose and a cut lip. Alius pulled out a handkerchief and began to daub at the lip, catching the blood from the nose in the same cloth.
“I’ll take over from here,” a woman said from behind Alius.
“You are his mother?” Alius said, guiding the sobbing boy’s hand to press the cloth to his nose.
He rose and turned to the woman. “His grandmother?” he said, looking at the large woman with a magician’s figure.
The woman stepped past Alius and picked up her grandson.
“I saw it all,” she said as she picked up the boy.
“I was only teasing,” Alius said. “He told me he only had twenty pennies when he had more.” Alius smiled and tilted his head. “He’ll grow up to be a great one; he will.”
“Indeed, but not buying this,” the grandmother tried to pry the storybook from the sobbing boy’s grasp.
“No! No, no, no, no!” the boy said. “That is mine, and if you don’t let go, I’ll kick you over the church when I’m older!”
“You wouldn’t do that to your granny,” the woman said.
“Do you want to risk it?” the little boy said.
Alius burst into laughter, and the grandmother did too. She hugged the little boy. “You are a little sorcerer!” she said.
“Don’t say that!” Alius said. “Not even in jest. I spent a bit of time on Atto after lying about my age.”
“You didn’t have to do that!” the woman said.
“I told them I was ten years younger. I’m probably a few years older than you,” Alius said with a grin. “I saw sorcerers do things no one should have to see.”
The woman’s smile stopped. “The rumors were true?”
Alius sighed. “I don’t know what rumors you’re talking about, but…” he shivered and waved his hand in the air. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“You are too thin to be a magician. I have a hard time believing you.” She hugged the boy more tightly. “I’ll take Jimius away.”
“Let him read the book,” Alius said as humbly as he could manage.
“Don’t worry. Thank you for your service.”
Alius watched the woman carry the little lad away. He didn’t dare to tell the woman that he fought on the wizard's side as a sorcerer and did many things he was ashamed of.
The encounter with the grandmother reminded him of the recent past. Alius packed up his books and the pens, inks, and papers that he sold along with the books and his literary trinkets, as Alius liked to call his inventory, and headed to Baffleshing. The capital of the kingdom of Heartswallow was two days away. He finally arrived, driving his cart to the servant’s entrance at a mansion close to the University of Heartswallow.
He slipped into the mansion, using the backstairs to reach the third floor, and knocked on a set of double doors.
“Is Dame Gamina Restinhaus in?” Alius said through the door.
“Of course, your sister is!” the voice at the door said.
“I need a copy of The Amorous Seamstress, Gammy,” Alius said with a twinkle in his eyes. “How is Zelia doing?”
Gammy smiled. “Zelia is doing wonderful, and your knees, Alius?”
“Not quite as bendable as a few years ago, but they still take me from place to place,” Alius said. “What does Zelia have to say?”
“She says the poetry is a wonderful diversion from her academic studies. Archaic languages can be so tedious, Alius. I fear I need a little excitement in my academic life. Writing romance novels like Zelia Winkle isn’t as fulfilling as it used to be.”
“I always keep my ears to the ground for an opportunity,” Alius said.
“Don’t get them too dirty, dear brother, or you won’t be able to hear.”
They both laughed.
“I needed a little pick-me-up, myself, sister,” Alius said.
Alius told her of his encounter with the little boy and how his thoughts led to events on Atto. She knew of his shame once he returned to Peria and retreated into his masquerade as a book tinker. What he didn’t tell his sister was that he enjoyed being out and about selling books and interacting with people. He came back from the magicians war a changed man.
“You look thinner than ever, brother,” Dame Gamina said.
“No one would ever think I was a sorcerer, and I’m happier knowing that. But I’m afraid my past may be catching up to me.” He handed a note to his sister.
Dame Gamina looked up after she read it. “This isn’t good. Someone has found you. Surely, with the war over, no one cares about an overage, skinny sorcerer. Maybe you’ll find a way to redeem yourself.”
Alius sighed. “I don’t know how that’s going to happen but visiting you when I’m down makes me feel much better.”
Dame Gamina gave her brother a crushing hug. She hadn’t slimmed down, Alius thought.
“Anything I can do,” she said.
Chapter One
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G ags sat with Soxus and Pepper, drinking away at the Iron Hook in Artport. He had talked Pepper and Soxus into waiting for Portia’s decision at the inn. They were supposed to be planning their next step in setting up the Artport depot when the drinking became more serious, postponing their strategy discussion.
Seppius Darkman walked into the common room and sat at their table.
“Mexius didn’t return. Do you mind telling me what happened?” The man looked at Soxus and Pepper, who had imbibed more than Gags. “Perhaps we can sit outside and let your friends continue,” Seppius said to Gags.
“That is a wonderful attitude,” Pepper said with a slur.
Gags rose. “You don’t mind?”
Soxus shook his head, and Pepper nodded in agreement.
Gags grabbed some snack food and walked outside, letting Seppius Darkman follow. They sat on a bench looking onto the street.
“I’m sorry, but food helps clear my head,” Gags said.
Seppius looked out into the darkness and nodded. “Same with me,” he said, taking an offered morsel.
“You are a magician?”
“Not one like you,” Seppius said, “so I don’t have to watch my weight.”
Gags nodded. He popped a fried dough ball into his mouth and sighed. “What do you know?”
“Mexius staged his kidnapping, but I knew that before you left Artport. His trip had something to do with a treasure in Caless and then….” Seppius shrugged.
Gags gave him a short version of the events up to and including the destruction of Nestus Deliry, but the chalices were not mentioned.
“I don’t have much respect for wizards,” Seppius said. “I supported the magician side on Atto with men and money.”
“You did?” Gags said.
Seppius nodded. “Wizards like to rule with an iron fist or an iron spell or something. I like freedom. It gives me a chance to exercise my real talents.”
“Which are?” Gags asked, surprised that Seppius wasn’t threatening him about Portia’s shop.
“Organization, making money, doing something with my life,” Seppius said.
Gags wanted to ask the gang leader if he was serious, but he kept silent.
“I’m in a syndicate with tough rules, but if I work within them, I have more freedom than I would in any kingdom.”
Gags could believe that. He had to ask a question that had bothered him since he left Artport. “Did you set fire to the farm where I’m building a trade depot?”
“No, and none in my syndicate did. It could have been your new friends in government.”
“Battle, Harshly, or Mulcher?” Gags asked.
“Harshly would be my bet,” Seppius said.
Gags didn’t know if he could believe Seppius. “Why?”
“Battle and Harshly are rivals,” Seppius said. “Remo wanted the farm property, too.”
“Enough to burn it to the ground?” Gags asked.
Seppius shrugged. “He is a friend, so don’t ask more.” He turned to Gags. “Tell me more about your depot idea. Remo scoffed when he told me, but I’m a businessman. I own ships: my ships, not the syndicate’s. I’ve never traded on land since there might be a conflict of interest in doing so.”
Did that indicate that his syndicate was behind the highwaymen infesting the wagon trains leaving Artport? Gags thought it likely as he gave Seppius the story behind the depots and the purpose of the protection agency.
Seppius nodded and stood. “Thank you for your time, Vingus Gags. We might run into each other before you leave Artport.” Seppius Darkman sauntered off into the night without another word.
Gags watched him walk away before rejoining his friends. Seppius confused him. The man treated Gags more like a friend than an enemy after their first encounter in Artport, but there was no question that Seppius was a person that one did not take lightly.
Patricia’s leaving didn’t mean as much to Gags as it did to Soxus and Pepper, so he left Soxus and Pepper to their cups and retreated to his room. He pulled out one of the chalice rubbings and scoured his memory to see if he had seen similar characters before, but he drew a blank.
Wisnian Orange had spoken of an academic in Heartswallow. Gags needed to return to Yearsend, or Heartswallow would have been his next destination. He yawned as he tried to map out events for the next few days mentally. Everything would have to wait until tomorrow.
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Gags looked at the door to Portia’s shop from across the street. Pepper found somewhere else, and Soxus had never met the woman, so he accompanied Pepper. Gags was disappointed in his partner for deserting him, but perhaps it might be easier for her to talk with only one of them. He took a deep breath and entered the shop, noticing the door was open.
Portia talked to a customer, showing the woman the finer points of an antique vase. The sale was made, and Portia escorted the customer out after wrapping the purchase in brown paper.
“A fake,” Portia said with the ghost of a smile, “but I told her, and she’s happy with her find.”
She took Gags to a corner of the shop where two chairs sat on either side of a large urn.
“We can talk here, and I can keep the shop open. I need to sell as much inventory as possible,” she said.
“You have made a decision?” Gags asked, wondering if he was being too abrupt.
Portia laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. “I thought of your offer as a lifesaver, but Mexius died while you were with him. It gave me pause.”
Gags could feel his face heat with embarrassment. No wonder Pepper didn’t come with him.
She held her hand up to keep Gags from replying. Portia put her folded her hands in her lap. “I know you weren’t responsible.” She pulled a note from a pocket in the shop apron she wore. “An explanation of what happened from the perspective of Patricia Garish, the daughter of the Caless man who also died. This letter came this morning.” She sighed. “You had a few clients on your expedition, and she told me why you could not protect them. I wasn’t sure your story was truthful, but the lady backed up much of what you said.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you, but there wasn’t another way.”
Portia looked at the ceiling, clasping and unclasping her hands. “He was different when he was younger, or I was much more naive.” She looked down at her hands. “Probably a combination of both. I never trusted his brother, and I suppose Mexius was more like him than the Mexius I had built up in my mind and heart.” She looked at Gags. “I need to leave Artport, and my family is gone,” she shrugged, “so consider me hired. I will do an excellent job, from how you explained the position. There is even room for growth. The antique shop might be for later, but what do you want me to do?”
Gags mentioned a salary that Portia negotiated upwards a little and a place to stay in Yearsend rather than the manor once she had settled in.
“I can do that,” Gags said. “You’ll also keep the room in the manor should your work require a late night.”
They discussed the position for a bit. Gags wanted it to be flexible, but he also wanted to use Portia’s business skills, things that Gags hadn’t learned yet.
“I will sell the shop and the unsold contents to my friend. She wants the warehouse as much as anything, and she said that she can sell off the inventory if she displays a little at a time.” Portia looked relieved as she said it. “Seppius Darkman gave me an offer before you came, but he also sent me a note this morning and suggested I sell to my friend. I thought that strange.”
“Not so strange,” Gags said. “He has a shell that may not be the real Seppius. This is not final, but Seppius might become a partner at some level.”
“You aren’t selling the protection agency to him, are you?” Portia said with alarm in her voice.
“No, but he supported the magicians army in the Attoan war. His goals aren’t quite the same as the rest of those in his syndicate. The ships he owns, for example, are his, alone.”
Portia raised her eyebrows. “I don’t have to worry about him?”
“Maybe not,” Gags said. “Seppius isn’t involved in the Artport depot.”
“I’ll be in Yearsend soon enough. I’ll look for a depot manager,” Portia said.
A couple walked through the door. “Don’t sell that little statue I gave you yesterday,” Gags said. “It is solid gold.”
Portia smiled. “I know. If you will excuse me.” She rose from the chair and greeted her customers. Gags made eye contact to say goodbye to Portia before he left the shop, seeking to find Pepper and Soxus.
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