Chapter 44: Silver Rum and Silver Tongues

Scindo rubbed his chin, entertained by Clove’s playful question.

“Well,” Scindo said, “I suppose the last good gulp of water I had was earlier this afternoon, to hydrate after a morning of loading a ship with crates of tea to be shipped out East.”

Clove smiled and raised a brow.

“Tea?” she asked, in a charming yet prying sort of manner.

“Yes,” Scindo grinned. “Tea, though I far prefer rum.”

Clove nodded and swiftly replied, “Ah yes, your rum! I’ve had quite a few bottles of the stuff you brew myself, and I must say, it’s quite good. And I’m sure a natural seafaring man such as yourself has tried many different rums, and has quite the advanced palette, has he not?”

“Flattery, my dear Ms. Clove, will get you everywhere. I’ve had my share of fine rums, from as dark as a puddle of mud to as gold as the sands on our beach.”

He set his hands on his hips and laughed. “All have gotten me a good bit drunk. Now aren’t you supposed to convince me to buy that jar of water?”

“I’m glad you’ve brought us there!” Clove exclaimed. “See, you say you’ve tried all sorts of dark rums, but did you know that there’s a silver rum, so clear it may as well be the same color as the water inside this jar?”

Scindo perked up, and the Seahorses listening to the parlay leaned in closer.

“I haven’t heard of such a silver rum,” Scindo said, “and I’d be dubious if such a thing exists.”

“Well then,” Clove said, starting to pace away from the blanket of expensive wares and hold the water up to the sun, so it reflected like a beacon, “what if I was to tell you that my mother, a noblewoman with plenty of time and resources, happened to develop a rum in her spare time, and she thrived for it to be as exotic as the platinum bangles that jingled on her wrist.”

Scindo looked around at the crowd, then responded, “I’d say you’d have my interest, though I’m not certain how such a fascinating topic might help you to pass your exam.”

Illia crossed her arms, then gave Clove an analyzing look. In the short time that Clove had been studying under her, she’d picked up many tricks of the trades. And indeed, Illia thought that there was something special to Clove’s abilities as a merchant, and possibly even that the woman had a tongue as silver as the rum she spoke of.

“I’ll say this,” Clove chuckled, “the water in this jar is worth only as much as what somebody knows what to do with it. You couldn’t drink it, for it’s from the sea and is therefore a good deal salty, so it’d only get you sick after training, not refresh you. But, and this is a big BUT, this type of water would be perfect for my mother’s distilling recipe, which would, after a few simple steps, turn the salt in this rum into a delicious, spiced beverage.”

Scindo laughed, knowing he was being played. He spoke as somebody who had figured out Clove’s tricks. “Why, then I would not just offer to pay you for the recipe.”

Clove raised a finger, bit at her lip, and said, “Ah, but I can’t do that, as the recipe is bound to my mother’s estate, and if I were to sell it, I could be torn apart by the magistrates, should she wish to extract such a vicious vengeance upon me.”

Scindo glared at Clove, and Illia murmured to herself, “She’s a smart one, after all.”

Ronan and Ike elbowed each other, not wanting to miss a second of what Clove would say next. Maritza leaned in with them and whispered, “I think she’s just figured out the test.”

“Now what I could do, Mr. Scindo,” Clove said, continuing to walk in a circle around Scindo with the jar of water held outright, “is sell you this water, and once I do, I might be so clumsy as to drop the recipe on the floor here, once the transaction would be complete.”

Scindo shook his head, feeling a fool, and asked, “So you expect me to buy the water to get the recipe? Fine. Then how much for the water?”

Clove grinned wide, and it was the kind of victorious ear to ear smile that spread to her friends, filling them with the same kind of infectious joy.

“Well Mr. Scindo, what’s the best rum you’ve ever tasted worth to you?”

“Oh bolly to this!” Scindo said, snatching his coinpurse out from the pocket of his trench coat. “I’ll give you three silver coins for it, and that’s it!”

As fast as the snap of a finger, Clove produced a scroll from within her sleeve. She handed over the water to Scindo, took his money, then made a big show of dropping the scroll onto the floor. The seated Seahorses pounded the wooden furniture beside them and stomped their feet. They chanted Clove’s name.

“Very good,” Illia said, walking forward. “You’ve passed.”

Ike collapsed in his seat, hugged Ronan firmly, then stumbled over to Maritza, and hugged both her and Ronan tightly in his arms. Ronan and Maritza grunted as they were squeezed, and their legs dangled off the ground.

Illia gave Clove a stern look and asked, “But, Clove, what would you have done if Scindo had indeed tasted a silver rum, or if he was not interested in doing so?”
Scindo excitedly unrolled the scroll, then frowned.

Clove shrugged and said, “Maybe I would’ve tried to lure him closer to the fire so his curtails caught aflame, then try and sell him the quick solution of water in a jar.”

Ronan, Ike, and Maritza cracked up with laughter, proud of their friend.

“What’s the deal here?” Scindo asked. “This scroll is in gibberish! I can’t read this.”

Clove raised her hands and said, “It’ll cost you extra for me to decipher that scroll you just happened to find there.”

Scindo slumped his shoulders and sighed, and Illia wrapped her hands around Clove and rubbed her shoulders.

“I’ve taught you well!” Illia exclaimed. “And let this be a lesson to everyone: Merchant or not, what Clove did to collect information was ask questions. This is the key to being a successful Seahorse Nightblade. If you don’t ask the right questions, you’ll never get the right answers. Good work Clove.”

Cutting through the applause was Scindo shouting, half-sarcastically, “Good work? She robbed me!”

“Come now, Scindo,” Clove laughed, “Of course I’ll teach you how to brew the silver rum, and in far more quantity than what’s in that little jar.”

“If it’s a bigger quantity,” Scindo said, “then perhaps I can forgive you for being the charlatan that my wife has raised you to be.”

“Speaking of charlatans,” Illia said, “since Scindo has stocked our ship with tea, it’s time to set out to the East, check up on the large ports, and see if we can catch word of any more Black Blades or Hellsworn contracts. We leave in the morning, Clove, so take the rest of the night to spend with your loved ones.”

Clove shot a look to her friends, and smiled especially hard at Maritza.

Clove mouthed the words, “Thank you,” to her, and Maritza mouthed them back.

Clove turned back to Illia and said, “I’ll be ready, ma’am.”

“Good,” Illia replied, “because you’ll be the first mate on our trip.”