Sjan-dehk dipped his head slightly as he took the coin. Wrapping it in a fist, he pressed it against his chest as he bowed.
“Thank you. Will find you later at the park. Give something in return, yes?” He already had a few ideas in mind for a reciprocal gift. A sampling of the materials stored in the
Sudah’s holds would likely be appreciated by a craftsman such as Roman. Or perhaps one of the more artisanal weapons; something that was much better suited for the hunt than a battlefield. There was also always the option of spirits and spices; both evergreen choices that, as far he knew, were always welcome.
Or, he could just bring a bit of everything. Very likely, he’d have to. From what he understood, Roman had been called away by a princess – likely his, by the sound of things – and she’d be present at the park later on. Naturally, Sjan-dehk would have to present her with a gift as well. Basic courtesy, really; it wouldn’t be very nice if he showed up, gave Roman something, and left her with nothing beyond niceties.
Something along those lines; rules of decorum weren’t things Sjan-dehk was overly-familiar with. He knew what they were and how they worked, but nothing deeper than that.
After he parted ways with Roman, he took some time to wander around. Not aimlessly, but simply without a specific destination in mind. If a city was a reflection of its ruler, then it stood to reason that having a look around would allow Sjan-dehk to have some gauge of the Caesonian king’s person. There already were a few vague opinions floating around in his head, but their first encounter had been a mixed experience, to say the least. A little more insight, a little more information; that was all Sjan-dehk needed.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he had anything else to do or anywhere else to me. He was already off his ship; he may as well make himself useful.
He took the road south, heading towards the coast. Despite his plans, there really wasn’t much in this part of the city for him to see. Nothing that would tell him anything new, at least. Aside from the arena behind him and an animal pen that would soon join it, Sjan-dehk could see little places of interest. The cluster of buildings opposite the pen did seem rather well-built and well-taken care of, but that wasn’t much different from what he had seen along the coast earlier. After them came what appeared to be a larger version of the arena. Its walls of brick-and-mortar stretched high into the sky, and there were a few groups of people finding shelter from the heat of the late afternoon sun in its long shadow.
Birds chirped from trees lining the road. Some flitted between branches in feathery blurs. As Sjan-dehk approached the intersection at its end, the buzzing clamour of a thronging crowd grew louder and louder until it was a constant, ubiquitous hum. Everything told him that this was a normal, healthy city. The people looked happy enough; their needs seemed to be adequately taken care of, and things were certainly going well enough for their lord to invite royal parties from not one, but two of their neighbours.
And yet, he still felt like he was missing something.
The fisherwoman – hot-blooded Aislin – had painted him a rather bleak picture. One where those who fed the city were themselves hungry; where they couldn’t even venture beyond the city’s immediate waters for fear of bandits and pirates; where – it seemed – royal authority was absent where it was needed. None of it made sense to Sjan-dehk. Surely, a city which could afford to host so many guests – and, of course, the miscellaneous and expensive activities that came with it – could afford to do something for their suffering citizens. One well-armed ship would be enough to chase away minor bandits. Sjan-dehk knew that for a fact. He also knew that it wasn’t exactly the costliest of endeavours.
A dense copse of trees lined the street to his left. If his bearings were right – and they usually were – then right behind them would be the sprawling slum in which he had gotten lost earlier. Almost as if those who planned the city were intentionally trying to keep it hidden. Sjan-dehk frowned. It reminded him of a story commonly told to young Viserjantans, particularly Jafins such as himself. ‘The King who Barred his Doors to Escape a Siege’, it was called. A precautionary tale about the dangers of rejecting harsh realities to live amongst comforting lies. Suffice to say, none involved in the story had a happy ending.
He shook his head. Perhaps he was reading too much into things.
The path he followed soon turned from cut cobblestones to bare dirt. Buildings of stone and brick turned to shacks of tattered cloth and misshapen wood. Gone were the orderly streets, now replaced by intertwined and winding alleys which led everywhere and nowhere at once. Sjan-dehk navigated his way with his ears as much as he did with his eyes. So long as he could still hear the crash of waves or the call of sea-birds, he knew he wasn’t going in the wrong direction.
Soon, however, he picked up the faded echoes of familiar words. A song, and not just any song. It was an incredibly bawdy one sung in his native tongue. Sjan-dehk let out a long sigh. Had this been a Viserjantan city, he would’ve raced to find whomever it was that sang it to swiftly and firmly shut them up. Even by the off-colour standards of an average sailor, the song was particularly offensive and an easy way to start a fight should someone from the eastern Viserjantan provinces hear it.
But, this was not a Viserjantan city, and so Sjan-dehk took his time to follow the song. It didn’t take long for him to reach what appeared to be an open-air tavern. Tables were arranged haphazardly in a fenced-off open area attached to a larger building. Every seat was occupied, and every hand held a mug or bottle or flagon. So cheery was the mood that Sjan-dehk couldn’t help but crack a smile as he stepped through the entrance and towards the table where his men sat.
Or at least, three of them sat. The fourth stood on a chair with one foot on the table as he belted out verse after verse of the song. His black hair was matted to his forehead, and his uniform so unkempt that it was a wonder how any of it stayed on with his wild and exaggerated movements. The locals seemed to either be entertained by or making fun of his antics. Sjan-dehk would’ve honestly understood either way. In fact, he was already thinking of how he was going to relate this particular event to the rest of the crew.
The man looked down to take a swig from his flagon, and it was then he caught sight of Sjan-dehk. For a moment, he froze. Then, his eyes widened and he almost dropped his drink as he stood to attention on the chair. “C-Captain!” He shouted out. His three other fellows immediately stood up, their backs straight as ramrods and eyes looking straight ahead. Sjan-dehk could feel every pair of eyes present turn to him, and hear the whispers that were beginning to ripple through the crowd.
“At ease, Wafeh,” he said and gestured for them to sit. Wafeh let out a long breath as he stepped off the chair and approached Sjan-dehk. He did his best to fix disheveled hair, but all he succeeded in doing was to smear the individual strands across his dark face.
“Getting to know the locals already?” The smile on Sjan-dehk’s face turned into a grin.
“Quite a song to introduce them to.”Wafeh gulped.
“I-” He began, then cleared his throat and stood to attention again. His eyes nervously flicked to Sjan-dehk every now and then as he spoke. “Able Seaman Dayan Wafeh reporting, captain. It was an accident. I drank too much and didn’t think, captain. It won’t happen again.”
Sjan-dehk chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“What you sing is up to you. Just make sure no one from the Sudah is around to hear you. They have a few easterners aboard, and they’re not all as tough as those of us from the west, or the centre. If they get offended and decide to give you a beating, you’re on your own. Consider this a fair warning.” He nodded to the three behind Wafeh.
“You all work under Master Hai-shuun, do you?”Wafeh nodded. “Yes, captain. There wasn’t much to do on the Sada Kurau, so master Hai-shuun told us we could come ashore if we wanted.”
“You can stand at ease. No need for ceremony here. You're making me bloody uncomfortable, to be honest.” Wafeh visibly relaxed, but still walked stiffly back to his seat when Sjan-dehk motioned for him to do so. The captain followed, stopping at the edge of the table with arms folded. These four men were some of the lowest-ranked members of his crew, and so even with Sjan-dehk’s reputation of a lax captain, they still kept their eyes averted.
“When I say to be at ease, I mean it. I didn’t come here looking for any of you. I was just walking around and having a look. How are you finding the city?”Wafeh was the one who responded. “It’s good, captain. We don’t understand the people here and they don’t understand us, but no one’s given us any trouble so far. We could even get ourselves a drink just by using our hands, as you suggested.”
Sjan-dehk nodded slowly. It was good to hear that his men were settling in nicely, and even better to know that they had actually listened to his earlier speech.
“Glad to hear it. I’ll be making my way back to Sada Kurau. Enjoy yourselves, but not too much.” He gave them a little smirk as he glanced at Wafeh.
“And I think I know who to look for the next time we need someone to lead a song for hard graft. Just make sure you pick your songs wisely, yes?”That got a few chuckles from the men. Three of them, at least, and Sjan-dehk took that as his cue to leave. Just as he was about to take his first step, however, Wafeh called out to him. “Oh, captain, master Hai-shuun had something he wanted us to tell you. If we ran into you, that was, and we did. Someone from the Sudah came by looking for you. Her Ladyship of Good Counsel wants to see you.”
“Lady Adiyan?” Sjan-dehk’s brows furrowed.
“Didn’t think she’d be fit to see anyone today.”Wafeh shrugged with an apologetic look on his face. “I don’t know anything else, captain. Everyone who left the ship after you were just told to pass the word if they saw you.”
Sjan-dehk nodded.
“Thank you. As you were.” With that, he made haste to return to his ship. This was an unexpected turn of events, but not entirely unwelcome. There were some things he needed to clarify with Lady Adiyan, anyway, and if she felt well enough to receive visitors, then she was most likely out of any grave danger.
He just hoped what he had to tell her would be good enough.
