The man, whose face had begun to cloud up, suddenly smiled. "Dino pelt, eh? Prime, ya say?" he paused, looking pensive. "I'll give 'ee eight ounces and the spare canopy, an' loan you the pot."
Cale's expression turned serious as he shook his head. "I don't know what the poles will cost, but I know a prime dino pelt is worth at least twelve ounces and a used canopy. And the loan of the pot, of course."
The little man smiled broadly. "Done!" He said. He rose and walked over to his own cart. He carefully used his back to block Cale's view for a moment before rising, a small cast iron pot in his hand. His other hand contained a dozen small twisted pieces of steel.
For the man's benefit, Cale made a show of examining each piece, favoring the man with a smile when he finished. "Tell me, how much is a pot of stew here, and where is the inn?"
The man, smiling now, pointed out a largish log building. "Mind you don't pay more'n two ounces fer the stew and a tankard o' beer," he cautioned. "Ol' Tell will rob ye if ye let 'im, but if he gets away with it once, he'll keep tryin', an' next thing he'll be raisin' his prices. Mind, yer girl will have to go around to th' back door. No women allowed in th' main room 'cept the house girls."
The man watched as Cale tossed two of the twisted pieces of metal to Dee and repeated the man's instructions in an imperious tone. "Tell 'ee what," he said. "If you'll keep an eye on m' stuff, I'll walk yer girl down there and see she don't have no trouble. I was goin' down there anyways."
They started off, but suddenly the man stopped. "Almost forgot," he said. "In a little while, a skinny kid'll prob'ly come around, and tell ye I sent him to guard m'stuff. Give him a swift kick an' run him off. He tries that ever' time he see someone leave their stuff on market day. I heard it works sometimes. C'mon, girl." He strode off, followed by Dee, who paused long enough to give Cale a venomous look.
She returned alone about twenty minutes later, carrying the pot by its bail in one hand, and a tankard in the other.
Cale grinned wickedly. "I say," he said in a nasal, affected tone, "Aren't you the Lady Delilah Raum of Faith, on a tour of man-settled space?"
Dee barely controlled a smile at his reminder of their visit to Freehold, the space station where they had exchanged diamonds for credits. With an effort, she was able to retain a scowl.
"If I weren't so hungry," she said, "I'd pour this hot stew over your head. As a matter of fact . . ." She glanced at the tankard of beer, which Cale snatched from her hand before she could complete the thought.
She had managed to promote a pair of wooden spoons, and they dug in. The long walk pulling the heavy cart had left them ravenous. The beer was warm and bitter. After one taste, Dee went to the cart and retrieved a canteen of water.
The stew was odd-tasting, but hot, nourishing and good. "I'm sorry, Dee," Cale began, "But . . ."
". . . But Jumbo appears to have a patriarchal, male-dominated culture," she finished for him. "I noticed that in the forest village. But wasn't as obvious, there." She shrugged. "I'll survive." She looked at him threateningly. "But if I think you're enjoying it too much, you might not! By the way," she added, "Your new friend propositioned me three times before we got to the inn. He said I should dump 'the amateur' and join a professional – him. I don't think he was impressed by your bargaining ability."
Cale shrugged. "That's how I became a pirate," he said. "I tried twice to become a legal trader, and failed both times. The last time, I got the woman I loved killed." His expression had turned stony, but after a moment, he pulled himself from his memories into the present. He gave Dee a smile. "I guess a dino pelt is worth more than I thought, huh?"
"I guess so," Dee agreed. These rare few glimpses were all she could garner about Cale's background. He had confessed to her that he had once been a pirate, but he refused to discuss it, no matter how she tried.
The skinny teenager appeared as the trader had predicted. Cale started to run him off, but then had second thoughts. "I will be getting a canopy in the morning, but I have no poles for it. How much will four poles cost me in ounces of steel?"
"Eight," the boy said quickly.
Cale shook his head. "Ridiculous. I'll pay no more than four."
They finally agreed on five, which the boy was to collect when he brought the poles in the morning.
Both of them were worn out. Their lack of sleep the previous night had been exacerbated by the strenuous physical activity of the day. Cale decided to curl up under the cart and sleep, while Dee kept watch. After dark, Dee was to awaken him for guard duty while she was to sleep.
It was nearly midnight when their neighbor returned, falling-down drunk. Cale had a small fire going, and he convinced the man to join him. Cale didn't particularly like drunks, but he realized this man had a lot of information he, Cale, needed.
The local king, a man named Karel, reigned from a town called, appropriately, 'King's Town'. King's Town directly adjoined the ruins of Nirvana. There was considerable debate whether King Karel was extraordinarily brave or extraordinarily foolish to so tempt the ancient evil that all agreed dwelt within Nirvana.
The 'foolish' theory was coming to dominate, because King Karel was old and ill. He was expected to die within weeks, and everyone, including the trader, was concerned about the threat of civil war, as the king had no direct heir. "There is a nephew," the trader reported. "A great-nephew, really. But he's just a boy. The chieftains will find him easy to kill." He shook his head drunkenly, nearly falling over. "No, it looks like civil war. And civil war is always bad for trade." He raised an eyebrow. "Wars between kings, now . . ."
Cale pressed, but could learn no details of the king's illness. All the man knew was that the King was dying, that he would probably expire within a few weeks, and that Ham's Town, along with several others, was hoping to become the new king's capital, once the civil war was over.
Cale also managed to get the answer to a question that had been bothering him. "Why will no one introduce themselves?" he asked. "Why are people so reluctant to give their names?"
The trader shrugged, almost falling over. "Magic, 'course," he replied in a tone one uses with children. "Can't nobody put a curse or a hex or a charm on you if they don't know yer name. Ya gotta be careful. Only give yer name to people you trust." Then the man sagged, and fell on his side, passed out.
The boy delivered the poles just after dawn, but Cale had to wait another hour before the trader awoke. By that time, he had his cart display arranged, and Dee had awakened. Cale retrieved the poorest of the dino pelts, and delivered it to his neighbor, who gave him the canopy. By the time Cale and Dee had the canopy erected, people were beginning to appear, moving from space to space, browsing the traders' wares.
His conversation with the trader had given Cale an idea. He had discussed it with Tess during the night, and he'd had a hard time restraining himself from waking Dee.
They needed access to the king, and the king was ill. Tess had hidden a first aid kit in their cart. She also had access to all the medical files aboard Cheetah. Cale's idea was to locate two or three sick people, and have Dee use Tess's knowledge and the first aid kit to treat them.
"We'll be moving toward King's Town, but chances are the rumors will get there before us. If a sick king hears about a healer, he's certain to want to talk with her – you. And me, since I’m your guardian."
"But, I'm no med tech," Dee protested.
Cale grinned. "No, but with a modern first aid kit, you'll be better than the most renowned doctor on Jumbo," he said. "You have the medicines in the kit, and instant access to Tess's complete medical library." He shrugged. "I think it's the best we can do, Dee. It's important that we get access to the king. We can't depend on his curiosity or whims. But a dying man will grasp at any straw.