Читать книгу Return of Magic - Steve Reilly - Страница 14

Chapter 7

Clarise walked down the street as she had done each day since her arrival in Hoate. Her outfit had been carefully selected to fit into her role, while at the same time making her stand out among all others. The long black skirt, while suitable, was made to show flashes of ankle as she walked and her blouse was sedately cut in bright yellow. She would introduce these people to colour, she thought. Her hair was tied back with yellow ribbon and yellow gems adorned her ear rings. Her eyes watched all about her but today she had somewhere to be and so she did not dally.

The line of timber buildings with their drab windows and smoking chimneys would be depressing if she took the time to notice them. Stopping in front of another plain building, two stories high and very wide, she could not understand why a place that controlled the wealth of a nation could not have colour other than the traders refused to spend a coin unless they could expect a profit. The only decoration on the building was the faded white symbol above the plain door—the symbol of The Honourable Guild of Mercers and Traders.

Her research had provided her with the information that the simple three interlinked circles, two on top and one below, represented the coins of business. The top two indicated local trade and that with other kingdoms while the bottom one indicated secret trades, deals completed without the knowledge of the money-changer, though this knowledge was supposedly only known only to high members of the guild, and now her. She stepped through the door and into the secret chambers of finance for the first time.

The source of her information, a trader by the name of Skamon, sat hunched over his desk in a small cubicle to her left. A runner came and went as she watched and the scrap of paper he delivered was carefully scrutinised by the light of a single flickering candle that had burned down almost to the plate that held it.

Skamon’s long black hair, shot with grey, hung from beneath a broad black hat, hiding his age-wrinkled face. He was never without his hat, even while at home, he had told her. Other than his ink-stained hands, the rest of the man was hidden by a dirty grey coat. As she watched the candle gave one last hopeful flicker before the light left it forever. Skamon’s head came up and his eyes shifted inside their sockets as he tried to decide if he could see or if the expense of a new candle was necessary. With obvious resignation he signalled a runner to fetch a replacement and the movement helped him see her standing watching him. She allowed a smile to light her face and saw the moment of pleasure in his eyes before he returned to his figures. It had been easy to learn what she needed for this lonely old creature though he was not really old she reminded herself. He was only on the high side of his forties even if he appeared twenty years older.

Looking about the room she saw that both side walls were lined with similar cubicles, though most had more than one candle. Skamon had told her that the two doors in the back wall led to private offices for those who could afford them or were willing to spend coin on their hire. They were used to store records, hold private meetings, or simply to sleep after a long day. Occasionally they were used for other distractions but Skamon had told her he would not waste money that way. In the centre of the room, protected by a low fence, the money-changer sat at his large desk. Behind him, a low wall of cubby-holes held records of the day’s transactions. These would be collated and debts settled at the close of business.

Clarise approached the man. From the pocket hidden inside her belt she produced the note and passed it to the money-changer who stamped it, took a tag from a drawer and wrote her name on it, then turned and placed it on a spare cubby-hole behind him. With that complete, he wrote her name at the top of a column in his massive book and placed the note in the cubby-hole to be filed later. “Up there,” he said, indicating the stairs at the back of the room. His words were as carefully protected as his movements.

Above the offices she entered a vast space filled with noise. This was the upper. The place smelled of fear and doubt, things she knew about and could exploit. The mass of men and women flowed around mismatched chairs and tables like ants at a picnic, all the while calling out offers for deals, mostly small. This area was for minor dealers, people who liked to dabble but lacked the wealth or courage to buy their way onto the floor, as the lower level was named. This was where she must begin. No matter how much coin the money-changer held in her name she must first serve in the upper, at least until she proved she could, and would, deal in the size of transactions to gain attention. But she would not be here long.

Her advantage lay in something Skamon had said one night. The large fleet of Ortalian vessels lay at rest in the harbour but as yet none had offered any goods for trade. There were rumours that they escorted a royal personage here to visit the queen. They had not moved in weeks and no announcement had come from the palace. The dealers were becoming concerned. Clarise had a short time to exploit her knowledge that there would be no trade with Ortalia for years to come. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the world of commerce. “Buying Poh fish,” she called loudly as she moved.

Found only among the reefs at the western tip of Ortalia where it was caught and salted, the Poh fish provided almost no nutritional value. No longer than an inch with a brown stripe running down its yellow body it was the most expensive commodity in Frith, which amused Clarise. In any other kingdom it held no value at all. It was odd that the dealers had inadvertently created this market within their own borders making Frith the wealthiest of all kingdoms but in doing so created a small, idle society within the main population who had more money than they could possibly spend. Seeking new experiences this group had discovered Poh fish. When eaten the toxins found in its flesh produced a feeling of euphoria and drew pictures on a person’s mind. Demand soon outgrew supply and the rising price for a single fish made it inaccessible to all but the very rich.

It did not take long before the first trader appeared in front of her. “How much?” the young man stammered.

“How much do I want, or how much will I pay?” she asked sweetly. It was clear to her that he too was new to the dealers. He was probably the son of a wealthy man who had been given a stake to come and prove himself and although she had no history as a trader Clarise had the training of a spy and the experience of the world to guide her.

“How much do you have?” she asked.

“Eight fish.”

It was a small sale and Clarise ran through the numbers in her head. A good offer would attract other sellers, but would set a price higher than the market. She made her bid at slightly above value and it was accepted immediately. The young man looked very pleased with himself. They moved to a vacant desk where the deal was documented and signed before a runner took the contract to the money-changer. Again, she began walking. Her voice once again announced her offer. “Buying Poh fish.”

~

Word spread quickly of the young woman offering good prices and before the end of the day she had bought all the stocks of Poh fish available on the upper though a few shrewd characters held their stocks. It pleased her that she was now a major holder of the fish and she had declined any offers for deals in other commodities though the prices represented good trades. The entire day had cost her only a small portion of the gold and jewels she had stored in the safe-hold of the traders. Soon the money-changer would check the notes and reallocate the amounts to the appropriate dealers while the Poh fish would be transferred to the storehouse she had rented. Valry, another spy who had come to Frith to work as her assistant, would check and sign for each delivery. Tomorrow, these too, would be cross-checked by the money-changer. She found a spare chair and called for one of the house staff to bring her a mulberry wine for her own private celebration but before it arrived a runner approached with a message.

Trader Radford respectfully requests a meeting to discuss mutually beneficial business.

An ordinary note that gave little away but Clarise knew her deals had attracted the attention of at least one person on the floor. She followed the runner down the stairs and to a cubicle two seats away from Skamon. The eyes of many dealers followed.

“Please sit,” invited Radford.

Clarise lowered herself gently into the chair and studied the trader while she waited for him to speak. He was about thirty years old, good looking and well dressed. His mouth smiled giving his face the appearance of friendly honesty but his eyes did not move. They searched deep inside her looking for any weakness he could take advantage of. He was good and would have made a fair spy but she was better trained. She allowed him to see a young and beautiful girl, wealthy and honest but lacking in knowledge of the ways of the world.

“You have attracted much attention today,” he started.

“I only do what I have come to do.”

Radford leaned forward with elbows taking the weight of his shoulders. “But when a beautiful woman enters and begins her career by buying only one product heads are sure to turn, if not for the first reason then for the second.” Clarise sat quietly accepting the compliment and waiting for Radford to get to the reason for his message. “Why Poh fish,” he asked.

“My mother once told me to deal only in what I knew and understood. I have two uncles and an aunt living in Frith who must have their fish each day and will pay what they must to get it. If this one product can make them part with their coin so easily it is the one I wish to control.”

Radford leaned back and Clarisse could feel the eyes of the room upon her. “So you have ambitions. Would you be seeking a monopoly, I wonder?” he asked.

“Not necessarily, but it would be nice to hold a large enough portion of the market that I can influence the prices.”

Her honesty impressed the trader. “We do not speak in such a way here. We may think it and we may plan for it but we do not say it,” he chastised. Radford sat waiting for her reaction but received none. Clarise watched the questions cross his face like banners on the street during one of Xavier’s military parades. Was she young and naïve? Did this girl have a plan? Was she privy to knowledge he did not possess? She watched the problems resolve themselves into acceptance that she was exactly as she seemed, exactly as Clarise wanted him to see. “If I were to offer you more, would you be interested?”

“How much more?” she enquired.

“I am able to offer a substantial amount, at least what you have bought today.”

“That is a large quantity of Poh fish and would require a good deal of coin,” she pointed out.

A scowl crossed Radford’s face. “Don’t play with me. I see your beauty and it does not influence me. I know you have much more than you have spent today.”

Clarise bowed her head. “I am sorry if you feel that I treated you badly. I only stated that a deal of that size would require a great deal of coin. I did not deny that I had it.”

They stared at each other across the small desk until Radford broke the silence. She could feel the eyes from around the room taking in their conversation. “Alright, I will agree to match the quantity you bought today. What are you prepared to pay?”

Clarise sat back in her chair and smiled. “Not interested,” she told him.

Radford was stunned. The woman had done nothing all day but buy Poh fish. Now he offered to double her stake, and he knew she could afford it. Still she declined. “Why? It would give you the holding you seek and I am only trying to help a promising woman become a respected trader.”

“You asked me not to take you for a fool. Please provide me the same courtesy,” she admonished.

“How do you mean?”

“Your offer represents only a quarter of what you hold in your warehouses and you are the major trader of Poh fish in Frith. Even if I obtained all that is available from every other dealer you would still control the market.”

“So, you have done your research too. That is good. But you would still be the second largest trader in Frith,” he encouraged.

“My research is extensive and I know that you currently control the markets for blue shark, Sardonel grey mushrooms and black scrub fowl as well as Poh fish. I will become a major trader and earn a position on the floor but I will not do that by accepting second place.” Her words were offered as a simple statement of fact and she showed no reaction to his glare.

“Yet you turn down my offer when you have the chance to become second only to me and yet you decline. Why?” he asked.

“Because it is not the deal I wish to make,” Clarisse informed him. Despite himself, Radford was curious. He asked Clarise to make a counter offer. “I will pay the same as I have offered all day for a minimum of sixty percent of your holdings and I will pay a bonus if you make your entire stock available.”

It was Radford’s turn to sit back and smile. The girl’s proposal was audacious if unrealistic. “And if I will not sell?” he asked.

Clarise smiled. “Then my holdings are of little use to me. If I cannot have a controlling interest I will have none. I will sell all I have bought and look to another product. I think the open market would be the best place to dispose of my interests, don’t you? I am sure a fifth of what I paid would be a fair price. I will find enough customers at that.” She began to reel off a list of names and fear crossed Radford’s face as he came to realise she knew all his customers.

“You will destroy the market,” he protested. “I will survive on my other interests but it will be many months before Poh fish prices return to normal. Many traders will suffer.”

“If I do not control them then they are of little interest to me. Do we have a deal?” she proposed.

“Who are you?” Radford asked, suddenly very curious.

“I am no one of importance. I grew up in Roeleigh, in Sardonel, where I learned that business requires more than just the ability to play with numbers. My mother taught me that” she mused. “And father taught me opportunities must be created for no one will give them to you. They said I should understand my own abilities and failings and use them all when preparing a deal. For the last three years I have traded in Roeleigh, Greycross and Parinaw. Now I have decided to try my chances in Hoate. Now, do we have a deal?” Her smiled told him she would do as she promised but her story had enough truth in its tale to convince him of its merit.

Radford laughed. “You know, I believe you would destroy the market if you did not get this deal. I feel sorry for the others on the upper but I don’t think you will be there for too long. But I am certain of one thing, there is more to this deal than you are saying. But I see a little of myself in your work and I am going to enjoy dealing with you in the future.” He laughed again. “For the sake of our future I am going to give you your chance. I believe you will profit from this deal but I will have my share. I will sell you all my current holdings at the price you have been paying for I, too, am only interested in control. I will give you the Poh fish market so you may get your place on the floor but do not challenge my generosity again,” he warned.

The deal was drawn up and the signed contract sent to the money-changer. Tomorrow she would leak the news to the upper that Ortalia had fallen.