Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [62]
"He's very reliable," Zzundar Thul assured her, casting a surreptitious glance at the slender ankles revealed by the woman's quick movement. Sun-bronzed and heavily muscled from his labors, Zzundar was a waterman and the son of the same, but he was as quick as any to recognize and appreciate a lady of quality. In Zzundar's opinion, of all the privileges he'd enjoyed as master of the watermen's guild, this meeting with Lady Thione ranked highest. A successful merchant and caravan organizer, she was a guild member and had just become their liaison with the mermen who helped keep the harbor clean. For this purpose she came to the guild hall. Zzundar was grateful for an excuse to accompany her down to the merdock, even though it was not the romantic setting he would have chosen.
Actually, the merdock was little more than a large cistern. It opened to a passage that led from the basement of the dockside guildhall into the sea. The reclusive mermen preferred to deal with as few humans as possible, and this particular arrangement suited them well.
The surface of the water dimpled and broke, revealing a gleaming, clean-shaven head. The merman pulled himself partway out of the water, resting his weight on his elbows and leveling an insolent stare at the noblewoman.
"I've news," he said bluntly. "Several ships bound for Waterdeep were attacked this afternoon. One fell to pirates, two more to monsters of the sea. There were no survivors on any of these vessels." The merman quickly gave the names, owners, and ports of origin of each ship, information his people had gleaned from the logs of the sunken ships.
"And the cargoes?" Lady Thione demanded. "Lost."
Zzundar paled beneath his tan. "The vessels you named carried goods for Midsummer Faire! You're telling me that nothing could be salvaged?"
"We did what we could," Hodatar said coldly. The gills on his neck flared, betraying his anger.
"I'm sure you did," Lucia hastened to assure him. In truth, she was disturbed by the merman's demeanor. Garnet had described him as cooperative, if not exactly respectful, but Lucia disliked the bold and calculating expression in his narrow, sea-green eyes. She paused as if suddenly distracted. "Whatever is that noise from the street, Zzundar? Ah, I was a fool to come to this ward, alone and at such an hour!" she lamented, raising her enormous dark eyes to his.
The guildmaster's brow creased as he strained to catch the sounds that had distressed the lady. Finally, he made out the faint noise of voices and horsemen. "You needn't worry. I'll check it out and be back directly," he said, patting her arm as if to reassure her. Her protector hastened up the narrow spiral of wooden steps that led toward the street. After a few minutes, the clunk of the heavy wooden trapdoor echoed through the basement chamber.
"Finally," Lucia said in acid tones. When she turned back to the merman, all the softness had disappeared from her face. "What news of the goods?"
"They'll be safely stored on Whalebones," Hodatar said. "Minus the pirates' share, of course."
"I told you to take them to Orlumbor!" she protested. "I have agents on that island who can fence the goods. Whalebones is nothing but seal colonies and rock!"
The merman shrugged, unimpressed by her outburst "What I can't sell to the Ruathym, I'll send south in small shipments to Alaron. I have contacts with Moonshae merchants there. Your share should be at least a third of the goods' Waterdeep market value."
"It should be considerably more than that," Lucia snapped. "Without the information I gave you, your pirates wouldn't have known the trade routes and could not have overcome those ships!"
"Information is very valuable," the merman agreed slyly. "I wonder, for example, what Zzundar might pay to learn that these ships disappeared at your command."
Lucia's dark eyes narrowed. "You're very ambitious, Hodatar," she observed softly. She took a small silk bag from her bodice and dangled it before the merman. "It is not enough that you take payment both from me and the city of Waterdeep?"
Hodatar snatched