Guardian of Heaven and Earth
-
Rota
Part 1 - Searching for Chagum
Chapter 4 - The Black Market
A bright light shining from the top of a tall stone tower illuminated the sea below. Balsa stood at the edge of the harbor near a wooden post and stared out at the sea.
Balsa had no love at all for the ocean. She’d been born in the mountains and preferred it there. Looking at the sea made her vaguely uncomfortable: she couldn’t see the bottom of it or any edges. It just seemed to go on forever.
You were brave to jump in there, Chagum.
She could imagine why he’d done it: to escape his father’s palace, to avoid being tracked by Talsh spies, and to thwart the plans of Talsh itself.
Saving New Yogo from falling into the hands of the Talsh was really the most important thing to him. She wondered if Chagum had hesitated before jumping in. Probably not. His dedication to forging an alliance with Rota surprised her. She never would have guessed just what kind of a person Chagum would become as an adult.
Chagum had never wanted to be the Crown Prince. She remembered him clinging to her and begging to stay with her and Tanda forever.
Balsa closed her eyes.
It had been fifteen days since Oru delivered Jin’s letter. She had made her way back to Rota through the mountains, buying a horse in one of the small towns she passed through. Her immediate goal was to reach Tsuram harbor. Chagum had likely entered Rota from there, but there was no guarantee that he was in or near Tsuram now. Sometimes she felt like she was looking for a needle in a haystack.
Balsa’s best clue was the riches that Chagum had acquired from the Sangalese royal family. He’d taken that treasure during his flight and had no other money, so he’d have to pay for his travel expenses with it. If he’d managed to reach Rota without being robbed, she might be able to use his description and the description of the treasure he had to barter with to find him.
Passage by boat from Sangal to Rota cost three silver coins. She could check at the docks and ask about recent passengers. Balsa considered the idea of Chagum arriving by boat relatively likely. He had jumped off his ship somewhere near the island of Nogura, which was very close to the Sangal peninsula.
Traveling through Sangal would be incredibly risky, which was why Balsa thought Chagum hadn’t done it. The border between Sangal and New Yogo had been closed by the time he’d escaped his ship, so there probably wouldn’t be many Yogoese merchants or travelers in Sangal. Chagum would stick out like a sore thumb in such an environment.
Yes, traveling to Rota by boat would be far less conspicuous, but also much more dangerous. Chagum was a young foreigner in wartime carrying precious treasure; even normally honest ferrymen might consider him an easy target. And not every merchant or trade ship was actually honest; many engaged in piracy on the side. Chagum’s treasure would tempt almost anyone.
Balsa considered it likely that Chagum had been robbed, but she doubted he’d been killed. Theft was common in Sangal, but murder was exceedingly rare. Most people in Sangal didn’t think of human life as something that could or should be stolen.
If Chagum had fallen into the hands of pirates, then it was likely that the treasure he’d been carrying had been sold to fencers in Sangal’s black market. Money was almost impossible to track, but rare gems and people were not. There was a possibility that the pirates would sell the goods stolen from Chagum in Sangal, but it would be safer to sell them in southern Rota. Gems from the royal family would be much easier to identify in Sangal, and consequently harder to sell in secret.
Jin’s thoughts matched Balsa’s: he’d provided a detailed description of everything Chagum had been carrying when he’d left the ship, including his treasure. The most easily traceable item was something called a Talfa necklace. It was patterned like a fish, made of gold and inset with enormous rubies that glowed with a burnished inner light. Its materials alone were so expensive that most Sangalese merchants would never be able to afford one, and even if they could purchase it, they wouldn’t be able to wear it. Only royalty and nobility were permitted to wear a Talfa necklace.
Any pirate who acquired the necklace would know immediately that they wouldn’t be able to sell it in Sangal. With New Yogo’s borders still closed, they would have no choice but to sell it in Rota. But where? There were many small port cities along Rota’s southern coast, but merchants in those ports probably lacked sufficient capital to buy something so outrageously expensive. The only merchants who would even consider buying a Talfa necklace would have to have access to nobility or royalty as customers.
Balsa considered Tsuram the easiest place for pirates to sell a Talfa necklace. It was connected to Rota’s capital city by the Orra river; food and supplies often passed back and forth between the cities on boats and barges. Tsuram was Rota’s largest port; it imported goods from Sangal, the Sugal Sea, the occupied kingdom of Karal and the southern continent, then shipped them all to Rota’s royal palace. Almost anything of significant value in Rota would have to pass through Tsuram at some point on its way to its destination.
Balsa had reached Tsuram harbor some days before. She started by investigating the local slave traders as well as jewelry and gem stores. She heard rumors of a huge trove of stolen goods that had been sold recently. If only she’d gotten here sooner, the information would have been less stale...and possibly less embellished. She asked around all over, but no one seemed to know the details of what had been stolen or who it was sold to. Everyone had a slightly different story to tell.
When she’d exhausted all her legal modes of interrogation, she turned to illegal ones. Every large city had a black market for information as well as stolen goods. She pretended to be on the market for stolen Sangalese treasure and chatted up suspicious-looking characters, keeping close by them and paying for their drinks. She learned a lot of news and gossip, but very little of it was helpful.
Eventually, Balsa’s investigation bore fruit: she finally heard a rumor about a Talfa necklace. The brother of the pirate who had sold it had loose lips and was spreading the rumor in all the taverns and bars near the harbor.
Balsa couldn’t believe her ears at first--rather, she didn’t want to believe them. Chagum had been captured by pirates. The good news was that he was likely to be nearby. This was her first real lead; she genuinely smiled for the first time in weeks.
But she still didn’t know where Chagum actually was. She knew who had sold the necklace, but not who it had been sold to. Even among the criminal underclass, there were some people whose information was trustworthy and reliable, but most criminals she encountered were motivated solely by profit. They’d say anything for a few coins. If Balsa really wanted to find out if Chagum had been sold with the necklace, she would have to involve herself with the worst of these greedy criminals.
Balsa had to learn everything she could about the pirate who had sold the Talfa necklace--but she had no friends or connections in Tsuram who could acquire such information for her. She also had no power or authority here; very few people in this city had even heard of her before.
She also had no easy way of gathering the information herself. She would have to accept her lack of background knowledge here as a given--and bluff in order to get what she needed.
Bluffing successfully in front of people with connections to the black market would be difficult; they were all wary and on their guard simply due to their profession.
Still, Balsa was determined to try. She couldn’t think of any better options.
The loud peals of a bell rang out, then faded away. The bell was attached to a cunningly made water clock that used the water level in Tsuram harbor to automatically tell time. The bell rung rhythmically in perfect time.
Balsa walked along the dock with the sound of the bell echoing in her ears. A shop that dealt in expensive jewelry was set up right in the middle of the harbor’s main market. She verified its location with a little nod, then stopped in place.
There were actually two large jewelry stores in Tsuram’s market as well as a jeweler that bought and sold large and rare gemstones, but Balsa had heard rumors that this one had recently acquired an incredibly precious ruby. It was possible that the ruby had come from the Talfa necklace.
Balsa turned away from the jewelry store and walked toward a smaller one across the street that was advertising pale sapphires called moonstones. The store faced the main street, so its advertisements were large and colorful to attract buyers. Iron grilles covered all of the store’s windows to deter thieves.
A dog barked at Balsa as she turned onto a narrow side-street next to the jewelry store. Balsa couldn’t see the dog too clearly because it was dark, but she guessed that it was guarding this alleyway. She walked along the side wall of the jewelry store and discovered a door so small that it was barely taller than her chest.
Balsa had learned about this door from a stolen goods dealer at one of the nearby taverns. She knocked loudly twice, waited for three seconds, then knocked once more. The muffled sounds her fists made on the door’s surface revealed that it was incredibly thick. She hoped that whoever was inside had heard her knock.
A few seconds later, she heard footsteps on the other side of the door. “State your business,” a man said.
“The mouse would like to greet the
cat,” she said.
The door opened to the inside. Bright light illuminated the darkness of the street outside.
“Enter. But you’d better not be carrying any weapons. We’ll kill you if you are.”
Balsa had left her spear at the inn where she was staying. She passed through the door without so much as a flicker of hesitation. The hallway on the other side of the door was so narrow that people could only pass in single file; it had likely been designed that way to protect against thieves. Balsa doubted that she’d even be able to run in this hallway without her arms getting battered against the walls.
A man stood inside an alcove in the hallway and opened a door for her. He slid past Balsa so that she could enter the next room, then closed the door behind her. She heard a key turn in the door’s lock.
The only light inside the room came from a small handheld lantern. The man holding it approached Balsa and checked her for weapons with his right hand while his left hand held the lantern aloft.
“Fine. Let’s go. Follow me.”
Balsa kept close behind him as he led her into another narrow hallway. A huge door appeared ahead of them in a dim space shaped like a half-dome. A tall young man emerged from the door as Balsa and her escort approached. The man noticed her and side-stepped her without saying anything.
A Yogoese person? Here? The only Yogoese person she’d hoped to meet in Tsuram was Chagum.
Balsa shifted slightly and looked the man in the eyes. He looked at her with keen interest for a few moments, then turned away and vanished in the dark hallway.
“Don’t just stand there,” a haughty voice called out. “Come in!”
Balsa entered the room behind the huge, elaborate door and was immediately struck by the overwhelming contrast between the bare, dark hallway and the lavishly decorated interior room. The ceiling was high and the room was wide; Balsa blinked to get her bearings.
She saw four men who looked like bodyguards lined up along the opposite wall, all standing still and quiet. A soft rug covered the brightly polished stone floor. Balsa saw a slightly built man of perhaps fifty years of age sitting behind an elaborately carved ebony desk.
“Hm, a female mouse? It’s strange to see one from Kanbal.”
Balsa felt someone moving behind her. A man put a sword to her back and said, “This is as far as you go.”
Balsa shrugged. “Seems a bit excessive, but fine. We can certainly speak from here.”
The man behind the desk narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve never seen you before, and you speak strangely. If you’re a thief, you picked the wrong target. We may just kill you if you say the wrong thing. But if you’re here to sell, show us what you’ve got and we’ll talk.”
Balsa smiled. “You’re mistaken. I’m not here to steal, but I’m not here to sell, either. I’m here to buy.”
The man behind the desk appeared puzzled. “Huh? What did you come to buy?”
“Information,” Balsa said. “If you can give me what I’m looking for, I’ll reward you well.”
The man behind the desk pointed to one of his bodyguards. “You. Guard the door outside.”
The bodyguard nodded, crossed the room, opened the door and left.
“Shall I get right to the point, then?” Balsa asked.
The man frowned at her severely. “Speak.”
“Someone sold something at the Tatan jewelry store recently,” Balsa said. “Something rare and expensive. I understand that the shop owner specializes in purchasing such goods.”
The man behind the desk laughed. “I see. You know that Orshi and I are enemies and came here to dig up dirt on him. Or maybe you’re trying to rile me up so that he’ll sympathize with you and talk?” The man glared at Balsa. “Don’t make me laugh, mouse. What do you take me for? Do you honestly think that I'd share anything about my own private business with a stranger?”
Balsa snorted. “Good answer. I know now that you’re not greedy. So I guess you have no interest in what Orshi’s managed to get his hands on, either.” She folded her arms. “If that’s the case, sorry to have wasted your time.” Balsa faced the door and prepared to leave.
The bodyguard who had threatened Balsa with a sword seized her arms.
“Who said you could leave?” the man behind the desk said. A faint smile played about his lips. “Tell me, then--just what did Orshi get his hands on now?”
Balsa stared at him. “Are you interested in buying that information?”
The man tapped his fingers along the scabbard of a short sword that was resting on top of his desk. “I won’t know if I’m interested in what you’re offering unless you tell me,” he said. “I’ve got no idea what your information is worth.”
Balsa tilted her head. “In that case, I’ll take what I know to Orshi himself. I’m sure he’d pay well to keep the rumors quiet.”
Rage flashed in the man’s eyes. “I warned you, didn’t I? That if we didn’t like what you had to say, we’d kill you? Where did you hear these rumors? What are they? When did you hear them?”
Balsa made no attempt to free her arms. She said, “Orshi recently came into possession of a Talfa necklace. That’s the rumor. I want to know the name of the man who sold it to him.”
The silence that fell following her statement was tense and drawn-out. The man behind the desk had mostly just sneered at her in contempt so far, but now his expression seemed considerably more guarded and wary.
“Why are both a Yogoese and a Kanbalese person after that damn necklace?” he muttered.
Balsa’s eyes widened. “That Yogoese man--he wanted to know about the necklace, too?”
The man behind the desk slammed both palms down on top of it. “I’m the one asking the questions here, mouse. I was right from the start; you’re here to cause trouble. If you don’t stay still and answer my questions, you won’t make it out of here alive.”
The grip of the man holding Balsa’s hands behind her back tightened. He tried to push her down, but Balsa resisted and slipped free. She pulled the man over her shoulder and down so that he somersaulted and landed head-first on the floor with a loud thud.
Balsa kicked the man while he was down to make sure he’d stay still. She took three steps closer to the man behind the desk, then jumped up on the desk itself. She jumped over the man’s head and seized him in a headlock, then kicked the desk completely over.
The man’s short sword fell onto the rug with a dull sound as the desk crashed into the room’s side wall. The bodyguards in the room unsheathed their swords. Balsa tightened her grip on their leader’s neck and said, “Don’t move!”
The bodyguards froze. The knew that Balsa could snap the man’s neck in an instant.
“I have no more time to waste,” Balsa said. “Tell me everything you know, and quickly.” Balsa bent down a little and whispered in the leader’s ear: “That man before was after the Talfa necklace. Right?”
The leader nodded.
“Who was he?” Balsa asked.
“I don’t know!” the leader said.
When Balsa’s grip tightened further, the leader clawed at Balsa’s arms with his hands. “I honestly don’t know!” he choked out. “He said a noble from Sangal hired him!”
“What did he want to know about the Talfa necklace?”
“The same thing as you. He wanted to know who sold the necklace to Orshi.”
Balsa’s blood ran cold. Someone else was searching for Chagum.
“Did you tell him?” she asked.
The leader nodded.
“Well, then,” Balsa said, “tell me.”
The man made a strange sound like a chuckle low in his throat, but it sounded strangled. “That man had the King of Sangal’s seal to sell. That’s how he got in the door. I doubt you have anything like that to offer me.”
Balsa laughed. “Well, I really was going to pay you, but now I don’t think there’s really a need.” She used all her strength to press down on the man’s windpipe. He flailed wildly with his arms and legs.
“So,” Balsa said casually. “How about you tell me what you told that man?”
The leader struggled harder and gasped, “Wait! Wait! I’ll tell you! I swear!”
“Thanks,” Balsa said. “I also want to know everything you do about that Yogoese man.” She lowered her voice. “I have eyes and ears in many places, so if I hear something else about that man from someone else that proves that you were lying to me, I’ll be back to kill you.”
She felt the leader nod and loosened her arms a little. “Speak, then.”
The leader talked in fits and spurts, coughing as he sucked in air. Balsa let go of his throat with his left arm, allowing him to breathe a bit more freely. She listened to him in silence, watching the other bodyguards for signs of movement.
The man she’d knocked out started to stir on the floor. It looked to her like his left collarbone was broken.
After the leader finished speaking, Balsa whispered in his ear again. “Sooner or later, I’ll find out if you just told me the truth or not. You’ll regret any lies you told; I promise you that. I suspect you don’t really know how much trouble you’re actually in. It’s better for you not to know the details.” She sighed. “I still think you’re not telling me everything you know.”
The leader was silent.
“Last chance,” Balsa said. “Anything else to add?”
“First, tell me what kind of trouble I’m in,” the leader said.
She shook her head. “You answer me first.”
“How do I know you won’t snap my neck as soon as I answer you?”
Balsa chuckled. “Try to think things all the way through. I came here alone to buy your information. If you’d just told me what you knew without a fuss, I would have left quietly. You got greedy and threatened me, which is why you’re in this situation now. You must understand that I’m not some sneak thief or petty burglar. I have no desire to break your neck and escalate tensions further.”
The leader slowly relaxed his arms and shoulders. He whispered a name that he hadn’t said until now: “Red-Eyed Yuzan. That’s what they call him. He’s the one who sold it.”
Balsa nodded in encouragement. “Tell me everything you know about him.”
The leader told her about ships he’d been spotted near and bars he liked to frequent. “Before he went to Orshi’s, he came to my store to sell, but I didn’t buy what he was offering. I knew that necklace would bring nothing but bad luck. And besides, I’ve got a reputation to maintain. I’ve been dealing in stolen goods for thirty years; my instincts are rarely wrong.”
Balsa nodded again. “I agree that your intuition is good.” She pulled the leader up one-armed and stepped over the overturned desk. The leader’s bodyguards immediately shouted at her.
“Lay down your weapons,” Balsa said. “Then follow me outside. If I make it safely, I’ll return your leader to you. If you try any tricks on the way, I’ll break his neck.”
The bodyguards all looked at their leader, who nodded. They put aside their weapons and followed Balsa out into the hallway. She walked back toward the door with the leader’s neck clasped firmly under her right arm.
She opened the small door that led to the outside one-handed, feeling a gentle night breeze. The bodyguards watched Balsa enter the alley outside the shop sullenly. Balsa kept a close eye on their faces and stepped away from them. She caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and ducked to avoid a blow to the back of her head. She took a step forward and tossed the leader about, using him as a shield when another bodyguard tried to attack her from the front.
Balsa threw the leader onto the ground, then stepped on his shoulders and used the slight added height to springboard off of him and leap over the bodyguards’ heads. She dashed quickly down the alley toward the main street.
She broke into a cold sweat as she passed by all the street lamps and brightly lit shops. The man who had been sent to guard the door of the leader’s shop barred her way forward. He slashed at her head so quickly with his sword that he nearly managed to cut her, but she noticed his movement in time and ducked to avoid him. She ran under his arm and continued sprinting past him.
Balsa's ankle ached with every step she took. She’d twisted it when she’d kicked over the leader’s desk. She scolded herself internally for not being more careful. She knew that she was getting older and had to be more mindful of injury, but she’d given herself this same lecture whenever she’d been injured over the years and rarely heeded it.
Animals that can’t run get eaten.
Jiguro had often said that to her.
“I know, I know,” she muttered to herself, “but I’m not that old yet...”
Balsa gritted her teeth and kept running despite the pain. She reached the main street and slowed down in the crowd. The stores and bars were all starting to get busy with customers. Balsa pushed through the crowd and ducked into a narrow space behind a building, then checked to make sure she wasn’t being followed.
She didn’t see anyone chasing her, but her body thrummed with nervous energy. She felt uncharacteristically terrified.
Someone else is searching for Chagum. They have a head start.
She had no way of tracking the Yogoese man: she didn’t even know his name. She’d have to try investigating Red-Eyed Yuzan first. She had to prevent information about Chagum from falling into the wrong hands. She only hoped it wasn’t too late.
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