The Wanderers of the Water-Realm (19 page)

The mercantile establishment of Agar-Marduk was large, even by the opulent standards of Calar, for the ‘Bonny Barbara’ was towed into a spacious basin containing six other craft already comfortably berthed. The basin was flanked by a number of tall warehouses and gangs of sweating labourers could be seen moving bales of goods between the stationary vessels and the extensive onshore storage facilities. Like an army of ants, the dock labourers worked hard, never pausing for a single moment to catch their breaths and view their surroundings.

An old grey bearded man, wearing the conical hat of the merchant class, stepped aboard the ‘Bonny Barbara’ as she drew alongside a vacant stretch of wharf and offered the crew the traditional welcoming gift of bread and wine. Clem immediately introduced him to the boatmaster as Agar-Marduk, the owner of the establishment and suggested that the merchant was best fitted to handle their affairs in Calar.

Darryl took to the old man immediately, for the merchant’s rounded features and jovial appearance seemed to suggest infinite reliability. Furthermore, an almost imperceptible nod from Myra informed him that Agar-Marduk had also satisfied the close scrutiny of the witch’s inner-eye.

The boatmaster replied graciously to the merchant’s act of welcome and then quietly informed him that the ‘Bonny Barbara’ was carrying goods of an extremely unusual nature.

Agar-Marduk then gave orders for the narrowboat to be drawn into a secluded covered wharf, where her cargo could be examined well away from prying eyes.

The move was swiftly accomplished and a number of trusted labourers quickly removed the hatch covers and unloaded the bales of narrs-wool, thus exposing the sections of worn railway line that lay beneath.

The old merchant descended into the hold and he ran his hands over the dark metal.

“Good iron!” He exclaimed. “As good as or even better than the top quality metal that is occasionally shipped here from the forges of the distant North-folk.”

“He turned and looked enquiringly at the boatmaster.” I can get you a good price for the iron, if you wish to dispose of it here in Calar?”

But the boatmaster shook his head.

“You may sell some of the iron.” He replied. “But we shall need most of the metal to exchange for supplies during our intended voyage south, along the line of the ‘Great Life River’.”

He pointed towards a few fragments of scrap lead that had been hidden along with the copper. “That you may sell, and give the proceeds to the three narrsmen who have served us so well.”

“A generous sentiment.” the old man replied. “I shall do as you say, but I must point out to you that I think it would be very unsafe for you to venture along the Life River, with such a wealth of iron aboard your craft. Pirates abound, as you have already discovered, and the head of one of the robber families would undoubtedly risk his entire clan to capture only a fraction of that wealth.” He paused. “But the decision is yours, good master. However, you can be sure that your vessel, and its cargo, will be quite safe whist they lie under guard alongnside this wharf. On that I give you my word”

The trader chuckled, his grey beard shaking with merriment. “Now rest my friends. Tonight, you will be the guests of Agar-Marduk the merchant, and I believe that you will find the hospitality provided by my wife to be very much to your liking. Rest my friends.” He repeated. “I will return for you a little after dusk, when the working day is finished, and I will personally conduct you to my house that lies only a little way from the docks.”

Finally, his voice took on a more serious note, and he warned them that carrying personal weapons of war was strictly forbidden within the gates of Calar and only a small dagger, worn openly in the belt, was allowed by the city authorities.

The travellers rested aboard the narrowboat for the remainder of the afternoon, then rose and bathed themselves in a tub of fresh water that had been lifted aboard the craft by two of the merchant’s slaves.

The three newcomers took considerable care with their appearance, as the evening approached, wishing to make the best possible impression when they met the family and the close friends of their host. Darryl wore a pair of trousers tailored from the best Yorkshire broadcloth and a jet black caftan made from the softest narrs-wool, whilst George donned a matching shirt and trousers made from multicoloured strands of the same material. Myra, however, easily eclipsed the appearance of her two companions and drew gasps of admiration from all who set eyes upon her. She had chosen to wear a long red velvet dress that had once belonged to her maternal grandmother. The garment fitted her like a glove and it displayed her sensuous young body to perfection.

The witch woman smiled to herself as she answered the old merchant’s summons and stepped onto the wharf, for she knew full well, that her beauty had flowered in the months since her arrival in the Water-Realm.

Agar-Marduk led the group towards the nearest gateway in the city walls, where about a dozen spearmen were supervising a milling throng of porters, sailors and numerous other citizens who were seeking to enter or leave the city. Fortunately, one of the guards instantly recognized the old merchant and he led the party through the opening in the walls without delay.

Ashort walk, across a public square, brought them to a plain wooden doorway set into a high stone wall that Agar-Marduk declared was the one and only entrance to his dwelling. This unassuming entrance, however, gave no indication of the luxury that lay within. Atall slave answered the merchant’s summons and the group passed through the wooden doorway to enter a stone paved courtyard giving way to a spacious and elegant colonnade. Flowers grew in abundance in well-tended beds, whilst miniature versions of the ubiquitous Thoa tree wound their way up the many fluted columns and hung in garlands from the lintels they supported. The merchant’s house that lay adjacent to the colonnade was both large and sumptuously furnished and the travellers were greeted at the threshold by six women of various ages whom Agar-Marduk introduced as his wives and concubines.

The old merchant noticed the look of surprise that was evident upon the newcomer’s faces and he quickly explained that polygamy, whilst uncommon in the Water-Realm, was by no means illegal and often practiced by the members of privileged social groups such as landowners and wealthy merchant’s.

“Why be satisfied with a single pair of thighs?” He said with a laugh, as the women knelt to wash the newcomer’s feet, “When one has amassed enough wealth to possess five women, or even six!”

Ura, the merchant’s senior wife, let the guests into a large dining room, where the newcomers were invited to be seated upon the soft cushions arranged around a long low table occupying the middle of the floor.

Two other men were already seated before the table. One was a short hawk-nosed man who wearing a turban, whom the merchant introduced as Enki-Baal, the trustworthy overseer of his warehouses. The other was a diminutive man with wizened features whom Ura briefly introduced as Carl Hems, and, as his white cowled robe indicated, was a senior priest at the temple of ‘Dumteck,’a deity devoted to the task of health and healing the sick.

The woman of the household began the feast by passing around the customary offering of bread and salt. They busied themselves in presenting a succession of spicy dishes created from narrs-flesh, do-fowl and a wide selection of fresh vegetables, most being quite new to the palates of the travellers. The specialty, concluding the feast, was a steaming platter of black-red crustaceans that, to the newcomers, resembled a strange cross between starfish and the edible crabs dwelling in the oceans of their own reality.

Agar-Marduk and his local guests fell upon this new marine delicacy with relish. At first, the crewmembers from the ‘Bonny Barbara’were somewhat wary of the strange crustaceans, but, after a single taste of the creatures sweet and tender flesh, they found themselves digging into the contents of the platter with a will.

“Eat your fill,” the old merchant advised. “Rossfish are only to be found in the shallow waters of the Northern Sea. They are brought here in the holds of our swiftest trading galleys and are kept alive in tanks of fresh sea water. We are lucky to be able to enjoy this delicacy, for only the dried flesh of the Rossfish can be purchased by those who dwell at any greater distance from Calar.”

Sweet wine was passed around and the members of the company began to indulge themselves in conversation. George and the boatmaster listened with interest as the old merchant described the long trading journeys he had undertaken to the Northlands, in the days of his distant youth. They were fascinated by his stories of the dangerous trading ventures into the lands ruled by the white skinned iron-masters whose furnaces could be seen glowing along the shores of their storm-swept Northern homeland.

Myra, meanwhile, had soon forsaken the wine and sought out the priest of the God Dumteck. The pair had quickly found a secluded corner and fallen into a long, earnest and very private conversation.

The feast finally came to an end when the guests had consumed as much wine as they were capable of drinking. Agar-Marduk’s women had then conducted the travellers to a suite of rooms where they passed the hours of darkness in comfort. Indeed, they had little choice, for the gates of Calar were now closed against both friend and foe, and would not be opened again until the light of the morning suns once again illuminated the sky of the Water-Realm.

Daylight struck through the high windows of an upper clearstory and roused the three newcomers to a new day. They washed their faces in bowls of warm water and then breakfasted together from the platter of fresh fruit and cakes of warm Thoa bread, brought to them by the old merchant’s youngest and prettiest concubine.

Myra broke a cake of bread in two and passed half to her brother.

“Last night,” she said. “I talked for a long time to Enki-Baal, that old priest who serves the healing God Dumteck. He seems to know a great deal about us and he certainly knew that I was a wisewoman from another reality.”

She paused.

“Enki-Baal has invited me to visit the refuge for the sick in the temple of Dumteck. He says that he, and his brother priests, will be happy to teach me many of their healing secrets that may stand me in good stead in the future. He informed me that a litter, borne by four young priests, would call at this house an hour after dawn and bear me to their precinct, if I should take up his offer. He also said that I would be their guest for at least three to four days!”

The boatmaster looked worried.

“Do you really believe that you will be quite safe under the roof of these priests?” He enquired. “Where you can receive no help or support from your friends.”

Myra smiled and nodded emphatically.

“Yes, yes without doubt. For the priests of Dumteck are sworn to uphold all life and to harm no member of the human race.” Her voice then assumed a far more sombre tone. “Even so, you are right to be cautious ,brother, for my inner-eye tells me that a great deal of evil lurks inside this city and my witch’s sense warns me that the sooner we are gone from this place the better it will be for all of us.”

Darryl paused for a moment and gave the matter some thought.

“Go to yonder temple,” he said. “And learn anything that may be of value to us. Meanwhile, George and myself will prepare our craft for the voyage down the ‘Great Life River.’ Aye, and perhaps see something of this huge city whilst we have the chance. For in four days time or a week at the most, we will certainly be departing for the Holy city of Ptah and the next leg of our long journey home!”

The young wisewoman had barely time to acknowledge her brother’s words, before a servant entered the room, announcing the arrival of her litter. Myra bade farewell to her companions and departed upon her latest quest for knowledge.