Spice & Wolf VIII (DWT) Page 6

  Talking to Cole wasn’t like talking to Holo.. it comforted Lawrence. He felt he could understand why the boy was always repeating their words over and over again.

  They talked as they walked, with Cole unconsciously walking by Lawrence’s side. It was a pleasant experience. If they could do this again in ten years, they would surely be the best of friends. Lawrence found himself hoping that might come true.

  But someone else came between them.. the one they had left out of the conversation, Holo.

  “Just what are you two conversing about so happily?”

  She seemed displeased, and Lawrence wasn’t sure why.. but for his own good, he decided not to dwell on it.

  “If we are going to that fox, there is a place I would like to visit first.”

  “Don’t tell me..”

  As he spoke, Holo pointed to the mouth of the river.

  “It is that crowded spot over there.”

  Of course it was the market on the delta. Her tail was waving under her cloak.. she must have been anticipating more delicious food. An intellectual conversation with Cole came crashing back down to basics.

  Cole hesitated before nodding.. Holo was mentioning the delta half for his sake, after all. Lawrence couldn’t simply rank Cole’s intelligent conversation over her simple desires, because Holo’s actions always concealed something. And so, Lawrence also hid behind his answer.

  “Your mind is always set on eating..”

  Holo rolled her eyes, then pursed her lips and whispered to him.

  “But you are the one that is always on my mind..”

  She raised her tone slightly to enhance her coquettish behavior, then held onto his arm. Cole was too embarrassed to know where to look. It made Lawrence feel a bit proud, but he wasn’t supposed to express that right now.. he knew how she wanted him to respond.

  “So this is what it feels like to be food.”

  Holo smiled, satisfied by his reply, and waved the ears under her hood.

  “It may be less stressful if you loosen your purse strings, perhaps?”

  Lawrence looked at Cole, as if asking the boy to interpret her.

  “Um.. I believe that’s miss Holo’s way of thanking you in advance..”

  “Damn.. and I was hoping to save some money for wine.”

  If Cole wasn’t going to continue the game, then Lawrence could only end it.

  * * *

  There was a huge reservoir in the middle of the Gerube delta. In it were many different kinds of fish, and the odd tortoise or aquatic bird. But there was no nymph with long, flowing locks of golden hair, nor was any conversation being held in beautifully poetic words.

  It was a place of numbers and competitions of price-lowering. The voices one heard were all rough and strong, just like the hands that caught the fish there. Those who working in the market referred to the reservoir as “the Stream of Gold.”

  The market stretched two hundred paces north and south of the reservoir, three hundred to the east, and four hundred to the west. Those extents had been decided-upon a long, long time ago. Though there was more room on the delta, Lawrence had never heard of the market expanding.

  The building methods used on the delta seemed designed to use as little land as possible. The buildings were packed together so closely that merchants would often joke that they could spy the transaction records of their neighbors.

  Holo carefully concealed her ears as they approached the delta; they may have been joking on their way there, but this was no time to be play-acting. Gerube’s largest market was always crowded and noisy.

  After Lawrence paid a toll, the three of them crossed the bridge to the delta. Cole, the first one to set foot on the ground, was so surprised at the scene he beheld that he asked Holo about it.

  “Are they holding a festival here today?”

  Of the three ports on the delta, they were near the one for boats traveling to and from the north. They could see all the famous sights of the market from here, including a large door made out of the wood salvaged from a ship that sank in the reef.

  The market was at it’s busiest ahead of them; the people there were so packed together that they couldn’t see anything but those in front of them and the shops beside them.

  “Hmm? This many people is typical. I have been to towns that are packed like this everywhere, and not just their marketplace.”

  Holo’s wore a proud expression, as though she felt superior to Cole. She stood up tall, though in Lawrence’s eyes she had no right to feel superior.

  “R-really? The busiest town I’ve ever been to is Akent..”

  “Well, that is to be expected. When one is young, there is more they do not know than they do know. You can take your time to learn.”

  “Indeed, I even remember you reacting the same way the first time you visited a busy city like this.”

  Lawrence placed his hand on her head as he interjected. She had lived in Pasloe village for centuries, during which time the world had greatly changed. She had grown older, but it wasn’t as though she knew more than Cole did about the modern world.. she might even know less.

  That being said, she was just like Lawrence.. both of them wanted to demonstrate their superior knowledge. Holo brushed his hand aside and reacted angrily.

  “You truly are narrow-minded. Do you really need to win so badly?”

  “Right back at you. As I recall, the largest city you’ve ever been to was Ruvinheigen.”

  Holo’s face turned red. Cole stared at them, obviously nervous. But Holo’s expression clearly betrayed how much she was enjoying this play-fight.

  “Well, you are a peddler who travels to make ends meet. But I was a prisoner.. I could hardly visit every corner of this world. Or.. are you saying you are no longer willing to help me?”

  Her words were boldly accusatory, as though their entire journey until now she had been working to avoid such an outcome.. fearful of being cast aside if she made a mistake.

  Cole had no idea how seriously to take this – he couldn’t hide how concerned he was. And of course, Lawrence and Holo simply continued their play for their little boy audience. Lawrence replied from the bottom of his heart.

  “Merchants struggle to part with their money.. but so long as that’s not involved, I’ll do anything for you.”

  “Such as?”

  In a rare moment, Holo had to cover her smiling mouth with her sleeve.

  “Such as? Hmm..”

  Lawrence acted as though he was deep in thought. Holo anxiously pushed her fist into his chest, pulling him back to her by his shirt.

  “Surely you are not going to wait to tell me later, in bed?”

  Lawrence held back from saying “you mean like you did to me earlier this morning?”

  Cole clearly thought they had been arguing, so he didn’t expect such an abrupt change in mood. His face went beet-red and he swallowed in response to their philandering. Lawrence could definitely see the appeal of being an actor.

  “Indeed, that won’t require any money.. but every time I come to your bed, you’ve already passed out from drinking.”

  Holo jumped away with a cunning smile on her face. Lawrence knew she was waiting for this, so he had prepared himself.

  “How can I resist the drink when your words are so dry and tedious?”

  Lawrence was now able to act normally when he and Holo engaged in their tete-a-tetes. He felt his progress would surely be appreciated.

  “Well then, shall we wander around?”

  She knew better than to carry on joking, but couldn’t resist licking her lips suggestively as she spoke. She wanted to wander around; not to look at the market, but to look at the food in the market. She may have just eaten a lovely chicken lunch, but it seemed that wasn’t enough.

  “Does this town have any delicacies?”

  Cole might have been lost by their rapid-fire play-acting, but he could still understand Holo’s gesture.. and so he asked his innocent question.

  “You make it
sound as though I am the only one who wishes to eat.”

  “Ah.. no.. that’s not what I meant..”

  Holo was smiling playfully as she teased the boy. The rear of her robe rose slightly.. her tail must be happily wagging underneath, since Cole had no words to counter her. She walked ahead of them and passed through the door, turning back to them and shouting.

  “Quickly now!”

  The market was crowded and noisy, but that didn’t stop people from noticing the attractively bright voice of a girl.

  A nearby merchant, chiseling on a stone tablet, looked up at Holo and his hands began moving without direction. He looked thin, like an Ascetic, but Holo could tell he had a long way to go before he could be considered a recluse free of worldly desires.

  He followed Holo’s gaze back to Lawrence, shooting him an unpleasant stare before acting as though nothing had happened. He then continued chiseling at his stone tablet. But Lawrence could detect him stealing glances at Holo out of the corner of his eye.. he could only smile.

  “Do not tarry so! Come!”

  She could probably sense the eyes watching her, even as she shouted at them with her tail raised. But suddenly, she stopped.. she might be a good actor, but she couldn’t fool those who watched her long enough, like Lawrence.

  Right now she definitely wasn’t acting. Like the young merchant before him, Lawrence followed her gaze and saw what he hadn’t expected. Cole, too, turned to look, but hastily covered his mouth when he saw what they were looking at.

  What Holo had spotted, just getting off of a boat, was a merchant who was quite familiar to them.

  “Um.. uh..”

  That merchant was dressed in her usual manner. Her eyes appeared tired, yet still radiated confidence.. they seemed to be announcing that she could buy everything in sight. But the look of surprise on her face was clearly genuine.

  There were two well-dressed men and two fierce-looking men with her, and Lawrence and his party just happened to run into the five of them.

  The merchant chipping away at the stone tablet fled into the market as soon as he noticed Eve. The fishermen around them, waiting for paying customers, also lowered their heads as if they had seen a nymph while out at sea.

  It seemed that the men with Eve considered those reactions normal.. Lawrence was the strange one to them. They sized him up while murmuring to each other. They soon seemed to come to the conclusion that he was a small fry, and groaned before looking at Eve as if to ask “who the hell is he?”

  “And here I thought you were heading south.. but it seems you guys are more interested in being tourists.”

  The youngest man was paying their boatman, but Eve paid no attention to that; instead she happily greeted Lawrence. It seemed she was actually staring past him at Holo, with anxious eyes. The two well-dressed men with her continued to stare at Lawrence while chatting among themselves.

  “Yes, indeed. I’ve halted business for a while, until my wound recovers.”

  He could feel Holo’s eyes burning a hole in his back, so he answered sarcastically. Eve surely understood, since she squinted and raised her right hand. The two well-dressed men smiled, and the fierce ones walked off into the market as though they hadn’t even noticed Lawrence.

  As they entered the market, the crowd parted like Moses was crossing the Red Sea.. they were probably powerful figures in Gerube. Holo seemed to intentionally avoid them, and made her way to Lawrence and Eve as they talked.

  “I said I would stay at home and rest, but those two asked me to come out here. They’re influential men from the north end of Gerube.”

  “Merchants?”

  Eve shook her head in response.

  “Not merchants.. just good at calculating things.”

  The spark of hatred in Eve’s eyes made it clear that they held special privileges in town: they were landowners, fishing authorities, maybe tax collectors. Lawrence could see them earning money by just pointing fingers at others while they sat on chairs.

  They had been extremely polite to Eve.. perhaps they understood how useful Eve was, or perhaps they simply had power but were without a noble’s title, like Eve. The reason wasn’t obvious, so Lawrence’s curiosity was piqued.

  “Oh? Interested? Then come to the Stream of Gold. Well, pardon me.”

  Eve stole one last look at Holo as she left, disappearing into the crowd. She seemed capable of controlling even whether crowds would notice her. Lawrence watched her with admiration, only snapping back to reality after being kicked by Holo.

  “How dare you ogle another girl instead of me?”

  It was a familiar attack, but Lawrence put his hands on his hips instead of answering directly.

  “Oh? Are you saying that you desire my eyes to look only at you from now on?”

  He pulled his face close to hers as he asked. But Holo showed no mercy, and slapped his face before storming off red-faced into the market.

  “Ah, miss Holo!”

  Cole instinctively began following her, but hesitated and turned back.

  “Uh.. um..”

  “Hmm?”

  “Are you not going to chase her, Mr. Lawrence?”

  Of course it was expected that Lawrence should chase her.. even Cole knew that.

  “No, I will not. Because she wishes it to be you.”

  “But that’s..”

  “Impossible, right?”

  Lawrence finished his sentence and ruffled Cole’s hair. But Cole didn’t immediately tidy that hair.. he seemed lost in thought.

  “You have a good brain, but if you focus on our conversation just now you’ll understand why I can’t let myself chase her like that.”

  Lawrence smiled as he tidied Cole’s hair for him.

  “She truly is angry.. but our quarreling is just an act.”

  Lawrence pulled a silver coin out of the wallet on his belt and placed it on Cole’s nose.

  “Take this. It should be enough for you two to indulge in quite a feast.. just please don’t let her drink too much.”

  Cole accepted the coin, but he was clearly puzzled as to why Lawrence wasn’t chasing her.

  “She saw right through me, you see. My heart was moved by Eve’s influence. But she hates Eve, and doesn’t even want to see her again.”

  Still puzzled, the boy looked up at Lawrence as if to ask “and?” But Lawrence didn’t continue, he simply pushed Cole’s back so he would run after Holo.

  “If you want to know the rest, ask her.”

  Cole hesitated for a few moments, but he was clever enough to sense the mood. He ran after Holo, and Lawrence knew Holo wouldn’t have any trouble spotting him.. even in a crowd.

  “Alright.”

  Eve suggested that he find her at the Stream of Gold, and Lawrence immediately understood what she meant. As a rule, the Stream of Gold was where all city-related discussions took place. If a meeting was held in the north side, it would be considered skewed in their favor, and so forth. This was a way to balance the scales.

  Powerful figures, including a merchant from a declined family of nobles, were in the city right now.. any merchant worth his reputation would go to her, no matter what she had done to them.

  Of course, Holo had no trouble making Lawrence come to her as well.. but she also knew what that would mean for their relationship. She would rather let Lawrence question Eve then risk moving too quickly. In essence, they had just made a deal. He chuckled to himself for being able to understand her to this degree, and scratched his brow while wondering if she would be surprised.

  “So her fee was a silver coin..”

  Holo had stormed off with her nose in the air.. but she wasn’t really upset. And so, Lawrence stepped into the crowd. He found that he was also able to skillfully blend in, as he slowly made his way through the unstable and noisy market.

  * * *

  The market was like a world unto itself. The rumor was that it had been built by driving huge piles into a foundation of sand, but no one knew if that was really t
rue. Most of the buildings were made of stone so the market wouldn’t wash away.

  Nails would soon rust if they were made of wood, so it made sense.. but Lawrence worried whether these heavy buildings would eventually sink. He hadn’t heard of that happening, though. What did happen was that the wind blew sand into the space between buildings, making the market look like a desert city in the far south.

  Lawrence heard many different accents throughout the crowd as he made his way to the Stream of Gold. Around the water was a circular plaza with four paths extending from the water in it’s center.

  There was also a long, black, iron pillar with three salted fish hanging from it as though by magic. A seagull stood atop that pillar. By the water there were three groups of tables and desks, with a soldier standing near each. The soldiers wore leather armor on their chests and held spears twice their height.

  A casual glance also revealed that all of the second-floor windows of the buildings around the reservoir were open. The people gazing out of those windows were well-dressed merchants; some even had servants attending them as they gazed down on the people on the street.

  Lawrence wasn’t in the mood to watch from a window, so he bought a beer from a nearby stall and walked up to the tables. He stood and listened to the conversations around him. He didn’t see Eve, but noticed a few of her associates seated at a table, talking with the others around them. What were they discussing? He didn’t have to ask.

  Merchants weren’t ones to keep secrets. Their lips were sealed when it came to profits, of course, but other rumors flowed freely from their mouths. Just listening to their loud, boorish conversations was enough to judge how strong their liquor was.

  Many had probably arrived by boat, all drunk now to the point where a conversation would be difficult to understand. But Lawrence could still make out that the meeting was about whether the market on the delta ought to expand.

  He had heard such rumors before; this must have been debated hundreds of times. On it’s surface it was a simple matter: if the market expanded, more merchants would sell goods, raising the cities’ tax revenues.

  As such, one would expect such a motion to be passed without much debate. But reality was never that straightforward. Merchants pushed for expansion, but their cries fell on the deaf ears of the ruling class, who didn’t want to risk the erosion of their profits.