Islands in the Sky

3.20

“But why?” Sema said, a little desperately. “I don’t understand. Why do this for me? Why do you care whether you do more trades with me later?”

“It is good to keep trading. It always is.”

“But why with me?”

“As I say, I think you will have more ideas. I think you will wish to trade more, and I think I will wish to trade with you, too. So we shall do business properly. We shall try and always each give the other what is fair, to keep that partnership going. And I shall start doing this first, so that you know I’m sincere.”

“Oh,” Sema said.

“Does that make sense?” Quen Tosal said.

Sema considered. “I think so.”

“And do you accept?”

 “Yes,” Sema said. “All right. If you’re happy with that, I do.”

“I am happy,” Quen Tosal. “Are you?”

Sema nodded.

Quen Tosal stood, and held out his hand. Sema understood why, and took it. They shook one another’s hands, solemnly, and that seemed to be that.

They seemed to have reached an agreement.

Sema wondered for a moment if she ought to have asked to make their agreement in front of one of the witnessing guards, but she decided not almost right away. It might offend Quen Tosal, by implying he was dishonest, when they were being so trusting and amicable with one another. It might offend him, and besides, although it was a clever system, arranging witnesses, Sema had no real idea if it actually worked. She had no idea if she could actually rely on a witness, particularly with someone as wealthy as Quen Tosal. Until she knew otherwise, Sema thought, she had to assume a guard could be bribed, and so there was no real purpose in trying to arrange a witness right now, especially not when it might cause offense.

“When do we start?” Sema said instead.

Quen Tosal looked at some papers on his desk. He shifted a few, and hunted around, and seemed to find the sheet he needed. He ran his finger down a list. “There is a ship leaving from the dock outside two mornings from now, to gather wood. Bring your little boat around, and be ready. I will tell the captain to expect you.”

Sema nodded, surprised. “I will,” she said. “And thank you.”

Quen Tosal shook his head. “There is no need for thanks. It is trade. It is good business, that’s all.”

“All the same,” Sema said. “I am grateful.”

“Go,” Quen Tosal said. “Make ready. You have a lot of work to do.”

Sema nodded, and said thank you again, and then she left, saying thank you to the guards as well on her way out of the warehouse.

She was quite surprised, almost stunned, by just how well that had gone.

She was pleased it had, but she was surprised as well. She walked back to her boat, to her dock, to tell her dock manager the good news.

And to ask his name.

She walked back to her dock, and as she walked, she looked around, and thought about this city, and what a bustling, baffling, confusing place it was. It was almost a paradise, she thought, with its ancient buildings and ancient wonders. It almost was, but it was an overfull paradise, where too many people were too crowded together, all taking away slightly from its perfection.

An overfull paradise, she thought. She quite liked that as an idea.

An overfull paradise which seemed to be her home for now, and she was very glad of that.