The Sultan's Spy

Chapter 9: The Docks

Dressed in fresh clothing, her basket empty of cloth, Eliska carefully closed and locked the door to her house. It was a nice day, the sun shining with only a few fluffy white clouds to break up the brilliant blue of the sky, the air warm but not stifling. In a few hours she was sure that would change.

Eliska strolled down the street, enjoying the weather while she had the chance. This early in the day, everything was quiet, and only a few people outside. She did notice three of the women she'd met before further up the street. She smiled and waved, but none of them returned the gesture, instead huddling closer together, their mouths hidden behind their hands.

Her smile slowly died on her face, her hand slowly lowering. She frowned but continued her walk out of their street. If they were concerned or disliked her, there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment. She thought maybe if she made some pastries and brought them around, as a kind of welcome offering, that might appease them. For now though, she had far more important things to think about.

She headed out of their district, empty basket swinging from one hand. Walking into the busier streets, she saw the thin crowds of the morning begin to spread out, most heading towards the markets, others to their jobs. A few were already working, driving carts, taking their wares to sell.

As the city came alive all around her, she kept to her path, her feet taking her out of one district and into another. By the time the tang of salt water reached her nose, the city was in full swing. The cries of animals, the shouts of people mixed with the creak of wheels, rumble of carts and snatches of music coming from coffee shops.

When the docks finally came into sight, the market in front of it was packed, the first ships of the day and the fishing fleet already in. With sailors disembarking, fisherman selling their catches, and merchants come to see what new goods had come in to the harbour, the area was ripe with a fresh crop of rumours for her to harvest. If there was anywhere she could find information about local slaves being moved, it would be here.

Eliska headed right into the heart of the market, ostensibly to look at the fish and other seafood. Past servants of rich households and people dressed similarly to her, Eliska kept her ears open as she looked over the bass, mackerel, and anchovies.

"-fish aren't nearly as fresh as they were last week."

"-thinks her baby is going to come any day now but she's just-"

"Her baking is just awful!"

"...the ship left in a hurry last night."

The last one got her attention and Eliska shifted with the crowd to followed the speaker, a bearded man dressed like a merchant. "She was only half loaded when she put out at dawn!"

His companion snorted. "That's because the captain is wanted for killing a man in a fight last year and got word the guards were on the way. Everyone knows that!"

Eliska hid a grimace and stopped, turning her attention to a peddler selling silk scarves, admiring the bright colours and woven patterns. She turned her ears back to what was going on around her.

"-heard he paid more for the horse than his house-"

"...couldn't believe what she was wearing..."

"-they fished a second one out of the sea, this one worse than the first!"

She glanced up at that, identifying the speaker as a middle-aged woman, her face tense as she spoked to a friend of the same age. "My husband was on the boat that found this one, an old man!"

Her friend reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "They might have just fallen in, gotten cut up by rocks and coral."

"No! Those marks were from a knife, too clean the guards said. And after the girl two weeks ago, it can't be a coincidence! What if we have pirates again? People attacking our ships and killing our men! The navy needs to be on this."

"The guards saw the body, took it away. They have to know that something's up. They'll investigate, and if it is pirates, they'll take care of it. The navy has always been good about keeping pirates off us and the Sultan watches over us. Things will be dealt with."

Eliska drifted closer, but when the conversation dried up briefly then turned to when they were going to the hamam next, she stopped. Her eyes narrowed as she looked over the carved wooden trinkets one merchant had, making a mental note to check with her sources among the guards to find out more information about bodies. If cut-up bodies were showing up in the water, she and the rest of the family needed to know.

A strange man's voice caught her attention next. "-heard that the captain of the North Star got taken in by the guards for smuggling. Say he was trying to offload a lot of spices in the middle of the night."

"How'd he get caught then?" asked the second male voice. Eliska couldn't see either of them and to look around to find them would be too risky for her cover.

"Idiot brought a bunch of carts up to the docks to get them, which in the middle of the night, screams of something illegal. Anyone knows better than to do that."

Eliska sighed faintly, shaking her head as if disappointed at what she was looking at. If all the rumours she was hearing about ships had nothing to do with unusual cargoes beyond the usual smuggling attempts and crime that were just part of the life of the harbour. The bodies had promise to be useful, but she'd need more information to be sure.

She'd finish her circuit of the market first, but if she didn't hear anything else, she'd head home again. She'd need to request the reports from the guards through her family, but it would take them at least a day to get them to her, so for now, she put a mental pin in it, ready to come back to it when she could.