“How can we help you today?” he said, with a bow of his head that set his many earrings to jingling.
“You the guild master?” Keelin said.
“No. My name is Tindon Lopor, assistant to…”
“I am Captain Keelin Stillwater, emissary to King Drake Morrass, and I am here to make a substantial purchase of your particular wares,” Keelin said with a flourish. “Very substantial. So how about you scurry away and bring me the man in charge, eh?”
“King Morrass?” The man sounded rather sceptical.
“Aye,” Keelin said, crossing his arms and levelling a stare at him.
Lopor shifted from one foot to another until it became apparent that Keelin would say no more. “I shall see if Master Tain is available.”
“If he ain’t, I suggest you tell him to be available.”
Lopor hesitated for just a moment before scurrying away.
“That was brusque, Captan,” Morley said, and Keelin detected a hint of approval.
“Aye. Position of strength, and all that,” he said quietly. “For all the bastard’s evil, Tanner taught me well on the best ways to negotiate with those that reckon they’re powerful.”
They were left waiting and guarded in the opulent hall for a long time. The guards watched them but didn’t stop them wandering, and Keelin took the opportunity to give the statues a closer look. Each one appeared to be a life-sized depiction of the guild’s masters dating back hundreds of years. He was examining one of the statues when its walking, talking counterpart strolled down a nearby staircase. Keelin quickly checked the nameplate and discovered the man’s name was Somolus Tain. The statue was tall and broad, with a bald head, four bars running through its nose, and an exquisitely trimmed beard that gave it a distinguished appearance. The man looked remarkably similar, only with a lot less colour.
“Captain Stillwater,” Somolus Tain said, his voice clipped. He walked with a limp that somehow managed to look sinister to Keelin’s eyes. “I must apologise for your poor treatment. We were not expecting you.”
“No reason you would have been,” Keelin said with a predatory smile.
“Tell me, Captain Stillwater, are you here with Captain Black?”
“Eh? No. I’m here on my own.”
“I see.”
It seemed more than just a little odd that the man would ask if he was with Tanner. Most folk who knew anything about the pirates knew that Keelin had long ago unhitched his wagon from Tanner’s horse.
“I’m told you wish to make a purchase,” Somolus said. The man was just a few feet from Keelin now, and he smelled strongly of strawberries.
A memory welled up inside Keelin. A young boy’s days spent in the local fields with his mother and younger sister. His mother had loved to pick fresh fruit, and Leesa had loved any opportunity to be out of bed even if she did have to be carried wherever she went. He couldn’t remember their faces. No matter how hard Keelin tried, he could never remember their faces.
“Captain Stillwater?”
“Aye, a purchase.” Keelin nodded. “Looking for a lot too.”
“Forgive my ignorance, Captain. Traditionally you pirates do not purchase or keep slaves.”
“Traditions change,” Keelin said. “Especially when there’s a war on.”
“Indeed.” Somolus gave a small bow of his head. “War is often a profitable time for my guild. I’m sure we can accommodate your needs. What exactly are you looking for?”
“Sailors, fighters, anyone with a trade.”
“Expensive tastes,” Somolus cooed. “Which sex would you prefer?”
“Both. A good mix would be appreciated.”
“And how substantial would this purchase be?”
“At least two hundred bodies.”
“Captan,” Morley said, turning his back to the guild master. “That would be a lot of coin, Captan, and we have no way to transport so many back to the isles.” He was whispering, but Keelin could see worry plain on his first mate’s face. “At a push we could maybe take on another fifty passengers, if they don’t mind sleeping on deck. We could never take two hundred.”
“For an extra fee we would be able to transport your property to wherever it needs to be,” Somolus Tain said with a voice like honey. “I guarantee most of the slaves would survive the trip.”
Keelin thought about it for a moment, but the last thing he wanted was to condone a slaving ship entering the Pirate Isles. They were busy trying to stamp out the despicable trade in their waters, and to not only let them through, but also contract them to cross…
“I will arrange transport myself,” Keelin said, pushing Morley aside. “How soon can you have them ready?”
Somolus Tain’s face split into a wide grin. “I will have them ready for your inspection in just a few hours. After that I expect it will take a few days to prepare them for transport. If you wish, I can provide refreshments at our guild’s local tavern while you wait. Of course, we will cover the expense.”
“Aye,” Keelin said. “An ale wouldn’t go amiss while you sort the poor bastards out.”
Keelin had to give one thing to the slavers guild – they treated their more refined slaves quite well. When Somolus Tain’s assistant fetched Keelin and his two crew members from the tavern, Keelin had expected to be shown a bunch of wasted, rag-wearing, dirty men and women, all with iron collars and hollow eyes. He wasn’t wrong on the last part.
They were standing inside one of the slave pens atop a raised stone platform. Keelin looked down on hundreds of faces, some of which stared back at him while others kept their eyes dutifully lowered. They were all dressed in plain grey shifts with no ornamentation other than their collars. For the most part, the slaves were clean and looked healthy. No doubt the guild kept the skilled products away from the ragtag scum they picked up off the street.
Keelin found himself wondering how these people had found their way into their current predicament. He shook his head to clear his mind, and found a pit of anger waiting for him in his stomach at seeing so many good people debased in such a tragic way. Slavery had always seemed horrific to Keelin, even when he was young and his family had owned slaves who worked the nearby mines. When he was younger he’d wanted to save them, to free them. Now he was older, and freeing slaves was exactly what he was about to do.
“As you can see,” Somolus Tain started as he limped up the steps to join Keelin and his crew, “they have been treated kindly because of their skills.”
“You mean their value?” Keelin said bitterly.
“Indeed. Valuable to us, but more so to yourself, it seems.”
“Eh?”
“It appears you need them, therefore they have value to you.” Somolus sounded smug. “If you did not, then you would not be willing to purchase them. I can tell by the way you look at them that you do not entirely agree with the lot they have been dealt. So your need must be great indeed. So their value to you is also great indeed.”
“There’s more than two hundred here,” Keelin said, his voice grating.
“Of course,” Somolus said. “You asked for at least two hundred, so I have provided more. Also, it may be that not all are to your liking. I implore you to walk among them and examine each one. I assure you it will be quite safe. If you find any you do not like the look of, I shall have them removed. There are three hundred and thirty-four slaves gathered before you.”