Spice & Wolf IX (DWT)

  Being the wolf of the Roam river, Eve shared some definite similarities with Holo. Lawrence’s eyes saw her hands on the desk. They seemed to want to be held, despite carefully hiding the fact. It was as though they wanted to trust someone, but couldn’t.

  “May I ask one more thing?”

  Her hand flinched slightly as he asked.

  “What is it?”

  “I still have my companions..”

  If they were trading by river and Lawrence chose betrayal, he and Eve would have to transfer with the Narwhale to a boat waiting for them somewhere. But that would leave Holo and Cole on the land, complicating matters. After all, Keeman had planned things around Holo and Cole being potential hostages. Eve quietly pulled her hand back off the desk.

  “And I have Arold.”

  Those words pierced Lawrence’s heart.

  “Alright, go. I’ve given you my reply.”

  She looked bothered as she spoke. She waved her hand dismissively, as if to shoo Lawrence away. If he resisted she might start yelling.

  And I have Arold. Those words were a crucial hint, if he could trust them. They meant that Arold was one the few things that she felt couldn’t be bought by money. Of course, Lawrence knew Holo’s true power. She could keep them safe, and even save Arold. But Eve had proven herself to be too willing to tempt fate, and she had no idea about Holo.

  She had come to Gerube with Arold and the fur from Lenos, and she trusted him so much that she paid his fees. But now she was even prepared to give him up. Lawrence wanted to think it was because she trusted him even more than she trusted Arold, but knew how stupid that thought was.

  Lawrence found it easier to believe that Eve was so determined she would give up everything for profit, as though she had sworn to turn everything she touched into gold. Of course in that ancient legend the foolish being who wished to turn everything into gold ended up starving.

  Needless to say, her words shocked him. He found himself wondering whether he could just cast her aside like that - she, who was so dangerously close to walking a path to her own destruction. If she could cast Arold aside, she could just as easily kill Lawrence on the boat or betray him afterward.

  It would be worth the risk if he could imagine her laughing at the end; but he couldn’t. Was he pitying her? He couldn’t tell. Was he just grasping at straws? Probably. But in this world, there were few things that weren’t just assumptions. There were many who even doubted the existence of God.

  So what should he do? How could he maintain his interests in one hand, and hold her hand in the other? He was still asking himself such questions as he passed her letter on to Keeman’s messenger.

  “Thanks for your hard work. The boss said he’d fill you in on the rest when you get back to the inn.”

  He patted on Lawrence’s shoulder and left so quickly that Lawrence didn’t even have the time to wonder if he’d understood him correctly.

  Apparently the meeting had already ended. As Lawrence wandered through the Stream of Gold, he saw people discussing things excitedly. A fire had been lit for the night. Soldiers stood tall, trying to appear dignified beside the tables for the meeting, as if they were guarding some holy seat.

  It could aptly be described as a feast of money, power and fame; the kind that made for a great story. In reality the participants were wretched and small-minded people; the kind that validated God’s attitude toward merchants.

  The sky was dyed red. Crows, or perhaps gulls, could be seen flying high overhead. Lawrence had always believed that trading was something more elegant and noble than this. As he sat on the ferry heading south from the delta, he let himself sway with the boat as he watched lanterns on shore light up one by one.

  Eve wouldn’t back down now. Nor did Lawrence believe that Keeman’s plan would be foolhardy. What his faction feared the most was losing the Narwhale and ending up with a false deed of land ownership. That outcome would be more tragic than his plan being exposed.

  The situation wouldn’t get any better now if Lawrence quit. The plan was like thoroughly-kneaded dough that was ready for the oven.. all he could do now was pray or flee. Persuading Keeman or Eve was impossible now, so he had to tread carefully to make sure things came to a good end.

  When the ferry docked, Lawrence melted into the crowd walking ashore. Most of them had been on the delta watching the meeting, and were now smiling as they selfishly chatted. He knew he was only taking offense because he needed to vent his frustrations; he felt like shouting out and vomiting, like he’d been chasing after a cloud he couldn’t catch.

  He felt his fist ball up instinctively when a drunk merchant who could barely stand bumped into him. Luckily, something else caught his attention just before he punched the man.

  ”Heyy.. don’ bump inta me..”

  Lawrence didn’t care about some shady-eyed drunk selfishly blubbering away, but another ferry had landed behind the man. Among its slowly-disembarking passengers, Lawrence spied a familiar face wrapped in a scarf peering at him; he’d never seen those eyes making that expression.

  “Heyy, you lissenin’?”

  “Sorry.”

  Lawrence handed the man a ratty silver coin, though his eyes were still glued on his new target. He had no idea why that person would come here to the south, now that the meeting was over. But judging from the figure’s stance, the situation was desperate. What happened? Just as he was opening his mouth to speak..

  “Things just took a turn for the worst.”

  The voice coming from under that scarf wasn’t just husky, it was bone dry.

  “I’ve been.. but maybe.. you can still..”

  “Ah!”

  Eve’s legs wobbled, and she nearly fell to her knees. Not doing so seemed to require her last burst of energy. Lawrence instinctively steadied her, but withdrew his hand immediately afterward. It was no act, Eve was light as a feather and feverish. She was breathing sharply under her scarf and a layer of greasy sweat was on her brow. However, her right hand was tightly grasping a piece of parchment.

  “What happened?”

  She was practically leaning against him. She bit her lips and desperately tried to communicate something with her eyes. Something drastic must have happened. He turned his attention to her right hand, to the parchment it was grasping. It had to be about something very important.

  “We stand out too much here.. let’s find an alley..”

  Just as he finished speaking and starting dragging her away, the church bell began to toll. The groups walking through the port stopped and stared in its direction before joining their hands in prayer. As it tolled, Lawrence continued supporting Eve as they wove through the crowd. Its distraction must have been God’s mercy.

  Once they left the crowd they would soon be at an alley. But the bell stopped as suddenly as it began, leaving behind only its echoes. Lawrence also stopped. It seemed that God had realized that Lawrence was a merchant..

  “Where are you going?”

  This was indeed a possible outcome, even at such a heavily-trafficked port, and even when the meeting had just ended and many people were leaving the delta. No, Lawrence didn’t consider it a fluke that they’d been spotted by Keeman’s messenger. If the man could deliver any letter through any crowd then his eyes were certainly sharp enough to spot Eve.

  “Since my friend’s in this state, I was taking her to an inn.”

  “Is that so?”

  Keeman smiled, as though they were just engaging in idle banter. But his messenger, and another man who seemed to be his thug, quietly moved toward them.

  “How lucky for us to chance upon you here.”

  As Lawrence moved to protect Eve, the approaching men changed their stance. Being attacked by thieves was common. Be they human or beast, all would assume a particular posture before attacking.

  What should he do? It wouldn’t be wise to let Keeman think he’d allied with Eve, and Keeman might still might not think he had. His only choice was to bet that Keeman hadn’t..
but could he really go through with it?

  Could he really give up the sweating and exhausted Eve, after she came all this way to tell him something? Could he forsake her, as he watched her flinch at Keeman’s words?

  “No.. I..”

  “I see.. you’re carrying a letter. Am I correct in saying that it’s from Ted Reynolds?”

  Eve shook her head weakly. Keeman’s tone had switched from a merchant’s tone to an intentionally melodic jocular one; it was quite fitting of a noble. But Lawrence didn’t have time to focus on such things. His mind was racing.. a letter from Reynolds?

  “We’ll patiently grant you an audience.. although we won’t have much time to listen.”

  Keeman waved his right hand, and his two henchmen drew in to pull Eve away from him. Lawrence instinctively reached out his hand to shield her, without thinking. That hand only stopped because the small man beside him pointed a dagger at his belly.

  “This wolf tried to frame us, and get us stuck so we couldn’t do anything at all.”

  Sometimes a smile represented anger. When Keeman, a merchant engaging in large-scale trading, smiled like this, what was the fate of those taken away by his minions? As he had Eve sent away, he spoke as if praising a worthy rival.

  “I’d anticipated this sort of thing, but I didn’t expect it to go quite like this.”

  “You’re wrong, I wasn’t planning to sell Reynolds the Narwhale..”

  Kidnappers were said to have strong arms. Eve was vainly trying to struggle free, but observers would only see someone taking care of a drunk. Her mouth was covered, but the eyes visible above her scarf were furiously darting around.

  “Mr. Lawrence.”

  The two men dragged Eve away. Before they vanished into the crowd, Keeman turned his attention to Lawrence.

  “If you dare mention this to anyone, you’ll regret it.”

  Keeman must have been joking, but his next words struck fear deep into Lawrence’s heart.

  “I’m desperate too.”

  Keeman then vanished as though he was chasing after Eve, who was being slowly swallowed by the crowd. By the time Lawrence finally came to, the knife against his belly was long gone. All that remained was his own stiff body, and a mind still obsessing over Keeman’s parting words.

  A hand had been desperately reaching out in hope from that squirming and disgusting creature-like crowd - and Lawrence had failed to grab it.

  Even a hundred coins would sink into the sea in an instant. So if Keeman and Eve slipped into that whirlpool of unimaginably high stakes for the Narwhale, would they sink as well? A priest’s face would pale at such thoughts. Eve had sunk. She had always crossed dangerous bridges, until her foot finally slipped. Keeman’s words lingered in Lawrence’s mind: “if you dare mention this to anyone, you’ll regret it. I’m desperate too.”

  Somewhere along the way, their plans had collapsed entirely. Ted Reynolds was now involved, and despite Eve’s claim that she wasn’t selling him the Narwhale, only Lawrence was left behind unscathed. Was it because Keeman felt he had nothing to contribute? Or that he believed he was under Eve’s influence? It felt like he thought of Lawrence as nothing but a messenger.

  Lawrence sighed, trying to suppress his sudden urge to vomit. He nervously ran into the alley that he failed to take Eve to before finally letting it all out. It wasn’t that he felt utterly useless, he just couldn’t stand feeling such unimaginable self-loathing. He had been relieved.. so relieved.. that Keeman hadn’t taken him away as well.

  He believed he could still show Holo his strong side by winning Keeman over. He was sure it was still possible for him to salvage the situation even after this incident and his discussion with Eve. And yet here he was, in this miserable state. If he’d only been overwhelmed by a sense of uselessness then he would have been able to recover without it coming to this.

  A merchant should always move forward, chasing after things they didn’t have. Lawrence continued retching long after he had nothing left to vomit, then spat. He’d been able to save Holo, and had escaped many dangers. It was better for him if he was just being unreasonably confident.. right now, if his thin skin was torn, his even-more-rotten innards would be exposed.

  His vision was clouded, and not only because he had vomited. Eve’s actions seemed confused. The plan had collapsed due to Reynold’s letter. And yet disregarding the danger that put her in, she had rushed to the south to tell Lawrence, thinking to at least keep him safe.

  She wasn’t just thinking of him as a pawn after all. When she asked him to join her in betrayal, she might have been aiming at another objective besides the Narwhale. There was something else. And here stood Lawrence, feeling such relief that only she had been dragged away.. he wasn’t a courageous main character.

  “SHIT!”

  He punched the building he was leaning against. If it was money he lost, he could accept it and give up.. but not when it was a person. Traveling on his own in a wagon had been terribly lonely, but in a way it had also been liberating: he only had himself to worry about.

  Traveling merchants could easily settle in a town if they wished. But not him. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He knew he was a coward and was too kind for his own good. The life of a traveling merchant was a non-stop journey of hellos and goodbyes, because how could they be satisfied with the products in one place when there might be better ones over the next hill?

  It was true he thought such outrageous things. But it was also true that he invested his capital in that expensive creature named Holo. He couldn’t deny that. But it didn’t mean that everything was fine as long as Holo was safe. The “traveling merchant’s curse” was just an excuse. Relationships didn’t have a suggested retail value.

  If money could decide everything, he wouldn’t be wavering between Eve and Keeman, since compared to the struggle over the Narwhale, his total earnings were basically worthless. Therefore, by thinking that relationships were more important than money, and flowers just outside his reach were more difficult to obtain than money, he tried to keep making the decision at arm’s length.

  But a wagon could only hold so much, and the same was true of Lawrence’s heart. He knew how big his wagon was. He pushed his fist against the wall to stand upright, and dried his eyes while staring up at the purple sky. Problems were all so much simpler when Holo was with him, no matter how much she’d laugh at him for thinking that.

  But new things were always trying to get onto wagons, by forcing other important goods out. It was a routine exercise for those curious beings called merchants, but normal people without the determination of a monk had no way of dealing with it.

  And yet, his journeys were more enjoyable when he had to worry about not leaving anything important on his wagon behind.. at least then he wasn’t bored on his own. Yes.. those journeys were more enjoyable. Much more enjoyable. His life was no longer a set of repetitive trips staring at the rear of a horse.

  He vomited one last volley of bitterness, then crudely wiped his mouth. Traveling merchants hauled their cargo from city to city even if they had to crawl through mud to do so. They never wanted to abandon their goods, no matter what difficulties they might face.

  “So..”

  He muttered to himself to reactivate his reluctant brain. He really was lucky that Eve was caught right in front of him. They were being so forceful that the problems they faced had to be tremendous. They had no time to plan anything complicated.

  Few people were used to making long-term plans; preparing for contingencies, and avoiding potential future dangers. They could only buy or sell what was in front of their eyes. He had a chance. He really did. He focused his mind on that thought.

  He wasn’t used to planning for the long-term, or tactically avoiding contingencies, but buying and selling the goods in front of his eyes was his forte. He had a chance. He ought to. He focused his mind on that single thought. He was just an observer now, an unrelated outsider watching the trades taking place in a market.

/>   He also wasn’t alone. He didn’t wonder when or why that person arrived, but he knew they wouldn’t be able to stay put in an inn without knowing what was happening. If so, the natural thing to do would be to blend into a crowd and listen closely, and this port was the place to do so. After all, his companion had two eyes of unmatched sharpness.

  Having wolf’s ears capable of hearing a pin drop, she was now unhappily standing nearby. She stood up against a wall, her arms folded across her chest. She must have seen everything, and even if she hadn’t she would have been able to guess. He smiled and shrugged, as if casting a spell to return himself to normalcy.

  “If you require wisdom, I shall lend it to you.”

  Only her mouth was visible from under her hood.

  “That’ll do.”

  “Just how many times will you ask me to save another female?”

  She must be being so straightforward because the situation was dire. Either that, or she just couldn’t stand it anymore. Naturally, Lawrence smiled.

  “And yet, you are the only one I travel with.”

  She didn’t answer, and instead turned her head away to face the wall. She was probably sick of embarrassing conversations as well, but if he said that out loud his head would be gnawed off.

  “I had Cole follow those people.”

  “What did you learn at the port?”

  “I am uncertain. But I saw a group of people growing agitated before you came ashore. I was standing on the third floor of the bread shop over there. It was amusingly easy to see everything.”

  Then, it wasn’t just a small handful of people with Keeman and Eve who were acting openly. In the commotion their smuggling ships would be at risk as well.

  Eve had said, before being carried away, that she had no intention of selling the Narwhale to Reynolds. This suggested that the letter in Eve’s hands was a ploy from Reynolds.

  If it was a problem deeper than the contract between Keeman and Eve, then why not broaden his viewpoint? He was on the side of the northern landowners, so it couldn’t be too many things. Was he trying to purchase the Narwhale?