Chapter Twenty-Five #2
She thought for an instant that Dax wanted to leave with her right now, instead of following Grandmaster Harvo.
No, I’m being ridiculous. Before she could do or say anything rash, Marin made herself turn and walk past the dry fountain toward the way she’d come.
She listened for his footsteps as he left the atrium, and she didn’t turn around.
It didn’t take long to find Ceruli Square. As soon as Marin spotted the array of supply-runner boats clogging the canal, it was clear that this was the location of the job posting board. “Perri, Ree, watch Silver,” Marin instructed.
Just the top of Perri’s head was visible beside the boat, but he ducked beneath, and she felt his sinewy body supporting the sailboat, guiding it to where she could tie off.
It was too busy to tie off at the dock, but she was able to loop a line around a lantern.
A sidewalk—it barely qualified for that name; it was more of a ledge—ran along the side of the buildings, but it was wide enough that she could sidle along it to reach the steps to the plaza.
In the square, the job posting board was far larger and grander than the one on Dew.
It required a ladder to reach the upper postings.
Supply runners were clustered around, arguing over which posting to claim, and various residents were adding requests to the board.
It was tempting to peruse the postings and take a few …
You could make quite a bit of money this way, if you had the time.
She lurked on the outside of the clump, trying to decide where to pin the librarian’s request. Behind her, she heard a voice she recognized and turned to see Tavo, the supply runner, elbowing his way toward the board.
Marin waved to him. “Hey, Tavo! Good sailing!”
“Marin! Good seas!” He bustled over to her. “Glad you haven’t drowned.”
“You too. Hey, I’ve a job to add to the board, and I don’t—”
Tavo laughed. “You got it backward. Our kind are supposed to take jobs from the board, not put them up. But out of curiosity, what have you got and what does it pay?”
She showed him the piece of paper with the request from the librarian’s family. “Minimal pay, but they’re willing to be taken anywhere that isn’t here.”
He shook his head. “No runner will take on cargo for charity. Are you seeing this board? It’s a runner’s market. We can pick and choose. Everyone’s filling up their holds with as many jobs as they can take—the lucrative jobs only. You should too.”
Marin scanned the board again. It was cluttered with job after job, many ordinary but some from nobles who should have had their own fleet of runners to draw on but didn’t anymore.
She could try to cobble together enough high-paying jobs to pay back her parents’ debt.
If she gave up on Dax locating Rijes Velk, left immediately, and just executed as many as she could …
She frowned at the piece of paper in her hand.
It listed an address and said they were willing to travel anywhere they could start a new life, but payment was a pitiful five bronze coins and a promise to work on the ship.
That wasn’t even enough to cover the food they’d consume on any kind of journey longer than half a day.
If Tavo was right, which she could plainly see he was, no one was going to go for that kind of deal.
As far as Marin knew, nobody else was looking for Rijes Velk either.
Dax will find out where she is.
After that … after the job was complete and her family’s debt was repaid …
she could take as many of these jobs as she wanted.
In fact, she could make Alyssium her main source of income—then she’d have a ready excuse to visit Dax at the conservatory regularly.
It was a reasonable plan. So, why didn’t that thought make her happy?
“You still working runs between the southern islands?” Tavo asked.
Marin fixed him with a glare. “Yes, I’m keeping my route.”
He held out both hands. “I don’t want it. I’m northeast now. Easier sailing and pleasanter winds. It’s cold in those islands of yours this time of year. But I did happen to find myself in your region a while back…”
She kept glaring at him. “And?”
“I took a letter that needed to be delivered—you hadn’t picked it up. Fair game.”
She wanted to snap at him, but it was true that she’d been away from her route. If one of her usuals had raised a flag and she hadn’t responded, it was fair game for any passing supply runner—that was how it worked. “Fine. And?”
“As requested, delivered it to Eano, which by the way, has amazing weather. Also you should try the sweet-berry juice. It’s sold on nearly every corner—”
“Tavo, I don’t have all day.”
He pulled out a letter from one of his pouches. “Since Belde is on your usual route, I was hoping you could take it?” He widened his eyes as if he were a winged cat begging for a piece of fish.
She raised her eyebrows. She did plan to go back there to (hopefully) deliver news of Rijes Velk, as well as the spellbook and the gardener’s regular supplies, but he didn’t know that. “You want me to make a delivery for free after that whole speech about how no runner would do charity trips?”
“I’ll give you half the payment for delivery,” Tavo said.
“Half?”
“I took it from Eano to here.”
“And you’re unwilling to complete the job.”
He shushed her. “Not so loud. Got a reputation to protect.”
Marin snorted. Sure, whatever. “Half for me taking it the rest of the way to Belde, and half for my silence.”
“It’s not unethical to hand off a job,” Tavo objected. “Three-quarters.”