Chapter 15

  As they approached the city, Jonathon was reminded why it was called Brightstone. While it had come to reflect the fact that its citizens valued all of the expensive and shiny goods from Silvercove Harbor, its original name came from the stones used to build its outer walls. The cliffs near Brightstone were a bright white, and when the city was being built, they served as the local and inexpensive source of material for its construction.

  As if reading his mind, Naomi said, “I can now see why they call this city Brightstone.”

  Jonathon, grateful that for once Beckett wasn’t around to steal the chance to show off his historical knowledge, was just about to explain to Naomi the origins and present-day interpretation of the city’s name when the guards at the city gate abruptly halted their entrance.

  “Halt!” the first one yelled to them as he approached. “You,” he said, pointing a finger at Thayer. “You aren’t allowed in this city no more, Thayer Shelley.”

  Thayer, who had brought his collar as close to his face as possible trying to keep a low profile, slowly lowered it and turned to the guard with the most apologetic and least threatening smile he could muster. “Ah, m-my good sir,” he said, pulling an assortment of papers and forms from his pockets, “I believe ye’ll find I was only suspended fer a period of six months. Ye can check the dates on the forms here; that time has since p-passed. And this other form will show that the cost of the damages ‘ave been paid as well.”

  The guard studied the papers, looking back and forth between them and the rest of the group. After a minute or two, he walked over to the other guardsman and the two looked over the forms together. Finally, the original guardsman came back and said, “Everything appears to be in order. You are permitted entry. Please, do try to refrain from causing any problems this time,” he said, his eyes looking only at Thayer.

  “Aye, sir. Thank ye, sir,” Thayer replied nervously, bowing awkwardly as he walked quickly into the city.

  As they passed through the gates, the lively hum of market stalls filled the air, vendors shouting the day's deals over the clinking of coins and the braying of livestock. The air was thick with the mingling scents of fresh bread, roasting meat, and the briny tang of the sea. As they walked, Naomi’s wide-eyed curiosity and unique garb drew smiles, chuckles, and whispers from passersby.

  After a few blocks of hurried silence, Naomi finally asked, “Master Thayer, what was that about?”

  Cassie, who had been keeping her head down since they entered the city, glanced up and smiled at Jonathon as Thayer reddened and quickly explained the events of the cook-off to the young girl. By the end, Jonathon felt that Cassie was on the verge of actually laughing out loud. She managed to hold it in, however, and finished with, “And that is why Thayer here is no longer allowed to participate in competitions on the ship.”

  Naomi, whose mouth had been agape for most of the story, laughed and said, “It sounds like you are a very passionate man, Master Thayer. In my village, this passion would be valued by many of the Banshee warriors.”

  Thayer smiled and appeared on the verge of tears, “Thank ye, ma’am. Mayhaps I ought visit this village at some point in the future.”

  Jonathon began to look around, “Thayer, where exactly are we going? I’m not very familiar with Brightstone. Should we not have started in the market?”

  “Nay, Cap’n,” Thayer responded. “First, we’ll needs visit the livestock merchant. Then the market for produce and spirits. Then the spice shop for our various herbs and spices. Then the butcher. Finally, we’ll needs make a stop by a shop I know a little deeper in the city.”

  “But didn’t they have livestock for sale in the market? Why not just buy there?” Jonathon asked.

  Thayer chuckled. “Not that there’s anything particularly wrong with those beasts, but I’ve found those animals are often the ones that suppliers are itchin’ to get rid of the most. Besides, I know a shop right around the corner that I prefer.”

  As he said this, they turned a corner and approached a storefront with a sign that read “Celestine’s Cattle Company.” As they entered, a middle-aged, heavy-set woman with wiry green hair and greener eyes greeted them. “Greetings, I am Celestine, your purveyor of all goods livestock related. How may I serve you fine ladies and gentlemen this day?”

  Naomi spoke first, “Ma’am,” she exclaimed, unable to contain her enthusiasm, “your hair is such an interesting color. I have never seen someone with green hair before. Does this run in your family?”

  Jonathon was just about to apologize for Naomi’s outburst when the woman smiled brightly and said, “It does not, my dear, but is this green not the most fetching color you have ever seen? The newest fad in Brightstone has been the use of dyes and other compounds to change the color of one’s hair. I even had copper pipes installed in my shower to help keep some of the green lasting longer.”

  Naomi was about to follow up with another question when Thayer interjected, “Well, it looks lovely, ma’am. We were just stopping by to pick up a few chickens, two pigs, some hay, and some feed for ‘em.”

  She smiled pleasantly and hustled off to grab the animals.

  ~~

  After some mild negotiating, they had secured the livestock and arranged for them to be sent to the docks where the ship would be pulling in soon to be loaded. As they exited, Naomi lingered near Celestine, asking more about the dye process with wide-eyed fascination.

  As they walked, Jonathon noticed Cassie hunched behind them, her head down, her collar pulled up as high as she could manage. He leaned over to her and whispered, “Everything okay, Cass? You’ve been awfully quiet since we left the ship. And I can’t help but notice you’ve been moving and acting like you’re trying to minimize your presence. You don’t happen to have a bounty here, do you?”

  Cassie, who had been darting glances at every shadow, quickly jerked back to face her captain. “What’s that? Aye, Captain, I’m fine. I don’t have a bounty or anything like that. Just, uhh, a little tired, that’s all.”

  “Uh-huh,” Jonathon said, unassured. “Well, if you want to talk about your fatigue, let me know, okay?”

  His comment fell on deaf ears as Cass had resumed her glancing.

  Jonathon let the subject drop as they made their way back to the market square they had passed earlier. The square was a whirlwind of activity. Naomi’s questions continued unabated as they moved through the crowds, her wonder at the outside world evident in every inquiry. “Master Thayer, you said we are to pick up produce and spirits next, correct? Why do you not make your own spirits, as we do?”

  Thayer looked back at Naomi and said, “Well, lil’ miss, we don’t have quite the same amount of time or space that you good folk do to make our own spirits. Let alone in the amounts that we’d need.”

  Naomi’s eyes widened, “But there are so few men aboard your vessel. How could you need so much?”

  Jonathon laughed and said, “You’ll find that we sailors enjoy our spirits. We even put it in our water!”

  “Surely you cannot enjoy drinking it that much, can you?” she asked.

  Thayer interjected, “Yes, an’ no, lil’ miss. While we do indeed enjoy the taste of ale and rum, it’s only part of the reason we consume as much of it as we do. The fact is, we also use it out of necessity. Another thing we’ll be needing to buy before we disembark is fresh water. Not sure if you know this lil’ miss, but the water of the ocean is salty an’ not fit fer drinking. So, we ‘ave to bring our own fresh water. Problem is, after a couple of weeks of sittin’ in a barrel, the water starts turnin’ rancid. Rancid water’s better than salt water, but it certainly don’t taste like it. So, we use the rum to mask the flavor–that’s what the men aboard ‘ave been calling ‘grog.’”

  Naomi’s eyes widened even more, her enthusiasm dampening slightly. “Master Thayer, are you saying I will have to drink this rancid water mixed with spirits while on this journey?”

  Thayer nodded, his tone matter-of-fact. “‘Fraid so, lil’ miss. It’s not so bad once ye get used to it.”

  Jonathon, his smile wide, bent down towards Naomi and teased, “Still want to get out and ‘see the world?’”

  “Of course I do, Captain,” she defended weakly. “What about catching rainwater?” she asked, turning back to Thayer.

  “A good idea in theory,” Jonathon interjected, “but not reliable enough. You can’t rely on the weather for something as critical as water out on the sea. Besides, not only would we have a difficult time finding a place to set up such a thing, we’d also struggle with keeping seawater out of the contraption during storms, thus defeating the purpose altogether.”

  He could tell the realities of the “outside world” were failing to live up to what Naomi had envisioned. “Don’t worry, Naomi, it’s not the most pleasant thing in the world, but you get used to it.”

  Naomi fell silent, absorbing the less glamorous realities of life at sea. They moved through the market, bartering for fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and barrels of rum, Naomi watching closely as Thayer expertly negotiated prices.

  She remained silent as they made their way to the spice shop. As they approached the door to the shop, Thayer turned to Jonathon, “I’ve ‘eard this store is one of the top stores in town. They ‘ave a lot of the spices I need that I ‘ave ‘ad a lot of trouble finding in the past.”

  He excitedly turned and walked through the door, a bell tinkling slightly as the door opened.

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  “Get out!” said a man with bright yellow hair and matching mustache behind the counter as the group walked in.

  “I’m sorry?” Jonathon started.

  “Get out! The lot of ya,” the man repeated.

  “Sir,” Thayer began, “we are in need of yer product, and ye ‘ave one of the widest selections in town.”

  “I know I do, Thayer, now get out,” he said, uninterested in Thayer’s needs.

  Thayer’s forehead wrinkled at his name and his eyes widened as he said, “How do ye know me name?”

  The man stepped out from behind the counter, approaching Thayer. “If you don’t think I would find out the name of the man who cost me almost a season of sales, you’re dumber than you look, Thayer Shelley.”

  The man looked as though he expected his statement to clarify his anger, but he was instead met with four furrowed brows. After a moment, he sighed and said, “Did any of you notice the name above the door before you barged in here?”

  “Cricket’s Garden,” Naomi said.

  The man nodded toward her and said, “Correct, ma’am. Does that do anything to clear up your confusion, Mister Shelley?”

  The furrowed brows continued until the man finally sighed again in resignation and said, “How about Cricket’s Culinary Chronicles Competition?”

  The comprehension the man was searching for earlier enlightened them all aside from Naomi at once. “I am afraid I still do not understand.”

  “You remember that cooking competition we told you about earlier?” Cassie asked her. “That was its name.”

  Realization hit Naomi, and finally, everyone in the shop was on the same page.

  “Now that you all understand,” Cricket continued, “get out!”

  Thayer spoke up, “Now, wait a minute, sir. I’ve cost ye nothing. We paid all our fines and covered the cost of the damages. Besides, my time away from the city is up. There’s no reason for you to chase us out of ‘ere.”

  “‘Cost me nothing?’” Cricket asked, his brow raised in surprise, his voice almost cracking. “You think the measly ‘reparations’ you paid to cover your damages is all that your stunt cost me? I rely on that annual competition to keep my store’s name at the forefront of everyone in town’s mind for the remainder of the year. How exactly do you think I manage to make enough to sponsor such an event every year? I’ve already seen a drop in sales by twenty percent compared to last year! Twenty percent Thayer! Now get out! I will not repeat myself again.”

  “Now hold on a minute, sir,” Jonathon said, stepping to the front of the group. “You said we cut your sales, but based on what Thayer was saying as we were walking in, you’re still known as one of the top stores in town.”

  “One of?!” Cricket practically screamed, his voice actually cracking this time. “I am the top store in town. That has never been in question. The fact that any other stores have managed to even worm their way close to mine shows just how much your stunt has cost me.”

  “Why would Master Thayer’s stunt affect your business, sir?” Naomi asked innocently.

  Cricket, his shoulders slumped in the face of the cluelessness of his current clientele, sighed and said, “Because, ma’am, the good people of this town are fickle. They are incapable of separating an individual from the works they may be connected to. They assume that because I hosted an event where one madman went crazy that I too am to be treated with the same level of trepidation. Thus, some decide to pick up some of their more common goods from other, lesser stores. When enough people do that, I lose money.”

  Jonathon thought on the man’s words for a moment before saying, “It sounds to me like you shouldn’t really be turning us away then.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Cricket started, turning back to Jonathon.

  “You say your sales are down, yes? Yet you would turn away business at the door?” Jonathon asked, eyeing the man with a look of concern for his business acumen.

  “Your business, yes,” Cricket responded. “I have already been damaged by his presence at my event. I can’t have him further damaging my reputation by having him in my store!”

  Jonathon pressed, “And yet, there will have been those that saw us walk in already. And there will be those that see us leave. Sounds to me like the ‘damage’ has already been done. You may as well make a profit from us while we are here.”

  “That may be the case,” he responded slowly, “but if you leave empty-handed, I may still be able to say I turned away those who were unworthy.”

  Jonathon could sense the man’s resistance wavering. “Right, except we’d be leaving empty-handed regardless, seeing as we’re buying enough of your stock to last an entire ship for a couple of months.”

  Jonathon let the last of his sentence hang in the air for a moment as the man mulled it over, twirling his golden mustache between his fingers.

  Finally, Cricket threw his hands in the air and said, “Fine. You can shop here, but only if I’m satisfied with the amount that you buy. Afterward, you will leave and loudly declare that you can’t believe that a shop as great as mine turned you away for not being worthy enough…A-and,” he added, stuttering on the last word, “you must swear that you will never try to join any of my competitions ever again.”

  Jonathon looked to Thayer, “Your choice mate. You’ll be the one making the statement.”

  Thayer, who had become increasingly downtrodden during this entire exchange, thought for a moment before sighing and saying, “I reckon it’s the least I could do after all the trouble I caused. But after this, we’re square, aye?”

  “Deal,” Cricket said, extending his hand for a brief shake.

  ~~

  “Why, I can’t believe it!” Thayer practically screamed as they left the store. “They had everything I needed for me cookin’ and he said he wouldn’t sell to me because I ain’t ‘worthy ‘nough.’ Where am I s’posed to get me spices now? This is the only shop that stays stocked with the selection and variety I need for me dishes!”

  Jonathon thought Thayer might have been overdoing it a tad but, based on the looks of those around them and that of Cricket inside his store, it appeared as though he was doing it just right.

  Once Thayer felt he had performed his role well enough, they quickly made their way to their next stop: the butcher.

  As they walked, Jonathon asked Thayer, “Are you okay, Thayer? I can’t imagine you enjoyed having to act as though you were beneath such a man.”

  Thayer scoffed, “What do I care? The man certainly does have a fine selection. Finest I’ve seen in almost any port. And besides, not only did we get what we needed, we may ‘ave restored a potential source for our goods. Regarding the scene outside the store, I’ve ‘ad worse. Hells, I’ve certainly caused worse in me life. Well worth the trade if you ask me.”

  Despite the man’s objections, Jonathon could see Thayer’s cheeks were flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger, the sting of what had just happened and Cricket’s accusation cutting deeper than he cared to admit. Thayer had made mistakes before, but seeing how they rippled out to affect his crew had reminded him of the weight of his actions and made him feel as though he had burdened his captain.

  In the end, Jonathon decided not to press the subject. Further discussing it would likely make the man feel even more unnecessary guilt. So, he let the situation drop from his mind.

  Compared to the spice shop, the butcher was a boring affair. They bought an assortment of raw and salted meat. They did, however, buy a lot of raw meat. Way more than Jonathon figured his crew could eat. He also noticed that of the raw meat Thayer bought, most of it appeared to be close to spoiling, and some of it was just scrap pieces from the animal that no one would buy. Even the butcher had appeared surprised when Thayer asked their price.

  As they left, Jonathon asked, “Thayer, I know it was cheaper than the fresher meat you bought, but isn’t it a waste to buy all the meat you did? There’s no way we’ll eat as much as you bought before it goes bad.”

  Thayer laughed and said, “Yer right, Cap’n. Though ye’d be s’prised how long I could make even that meat last. Why’s ye think I end up using so many of these herbs and spices in me dishes? It tastes good, sure, but mostly it’s’ta cover up the fact that the meat is rotting.”

  Naomi and Jonathon’s mouths dropped at this. He knew that the raw meat they bought likely was borderline by the time they finished it, but he never realized it got to the point of rotting. Cassie seemed somehow unfazed by this news. And something about how casually Thayer talked about serving rotting meat to him and his crew bothered Jonathon. He narrowed his eyes for a moment and said, “Thayer, I don’t have to worry about you poisoning my crew, do I?”

  Thayer laughed heartily and said, “I haven’t yet, ‘ave I, Cap’n?”

  Naomi’s mouth remained agape as Jonathon continued, “Still though, there’s no way that we can eat the amount of meat you bought before it’s too bad for even you to cook, is there? And besides, I certainly hope you’re not trying to tell me that you plan to serve us those scrap pieces you bought.”

  “Right ye are there, Cap’n, and no I don’t,” he said, tapping his nose with his finger. “The worst of the meat and the scrap pieces are fer our traps out on the ocean. If we do happen to ‘ave bad ‘nough luck to run into a sea monster, we’d best be prepared.”

  “Prepared?” Cassie spoke up from behind Thayer. “Do we plan on bribing the beast with rotten meat?”

  Thayer laughed again, “In a matters of speakin’, Miss Cassie. The way I figures it, beasts like that must either be rare or live deep in the depths; otherwise, we’d see them more frequently. If they live in the depths, why would they come to the surface if not to feed or recover from battle? I reckon if we encounter one, it’ll either be one that’s hungry and desperate for food, or one that’s injured from battle. Hopefully the former.”

  “Why the former?” Naomi asked. “Would it not be better for the creature to be wounded and recovering from battle?”

  “Not necessarily, lil’ miss,” Thayer answered. “A hungry animal may be bribed with food, but an injured animal can be particularly dangerous…especially if it begins to feel cornered. In the case of a sea monster, I’d rather attempt bribing a hungry one than risk making an injured one feel cornered.”

  “So you plan to feed it and hope it leaves us alone?” Cassandra asked.

  “Not necessarily, ma’am. I doubt all of what we bought today would be ‘nough to satisfy any beast as large as the legends say. No, the meat is simply the vessel we’ll use to disguise our real plan: poison.”

  “Poison?” Jonathon asked. “Is that what this other place you’ve mentioned deeper in town is?”

  “Aye sir.” Thayer responded. “Pavlov’s Poisons is the place. Given the nature of the product, you can imagine why it needs be in a less reputable part of town.”