Sons of Destiny-4-The Song

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until the mage started visibly steaming. Then they muttered among themselves and lookedaway, shaking their heads.Saber couldn’t blame his second-youngest sibling for playing in the rain, though sometimes hedid wish Kor would grow up just a little more. Turning his attention back to the trader, herepeated, “Why are we selling the salt, rather than giving it away? Because it’s ours, notKatan’s. We’re the ones who cleaned out the pipes and started the water flowing again. We’rethe ones who shift the blocks off of their processing ramps and stack them up in the oldwarehouses. We’re the ones who make sure those warehouses are dry and clean, and we’rethe ones who build and maintain the mage-carts that ship them from building to warehouse todock.”“We’re the ones who cast our magics to ensure the salt blocks stay dry and clean from themoment they come off the ramps to the moment they leave your holds,” Morganen added,backing up his eldest brother. “Let’s just say we got tired of doing all the work and getting noneof the reward for our efforts.”Thorist eyed the younger mage with a shuttered, unreadable look. “Melkin says you’ve declaredyourselves independents. That you no longer recognize the authority of the empire. Now, hedidn’t put that into any official report—none of us would be that foolish, letting something likethat reach the King and Council’s ears—so it’s ‘only hearsay,’ since you didn’t mention it toCaptain Reganon on his visits, from what I’ve heard…but…is it true? Have you goneindependent?”Morganen answered when Saber hesitated. “Katan abandoned us when they exiled us out here.No women, no visitors, no entertainments, no free market trading, just ‘authorized’ trips everytwo or so weeks. We’re tired of it. We want traders to come here when they like. We wantpeople to come here when they like…and if the empire doesn’t like it, they can stuff it where—”“Morg,” Saber interrupted, giving his youngest sibling a sardonic look. “You don’t have to becrude to make our point. And our point, good Captain, is that we’re not going to play by theempire’s rules anymore. Now, you don’t have to break those rules if you don’t want to, since Iknow they’ll come down hard on anyone who sails here without authority…but you can spreadthe rumor that we’ll be looking for traders outside of the full and the new of Brother Moon. It’s just a rumor, after all.”Thorist’s brown eyes narrowed a bit, making his gaze all the darker in his already dark

face.“Out of curiosity…since it’s just a rumor…would there be a discount for anyone sailing here at anon-authorized time, someone who was interested in buying all that salt?”No idiot, Saber caught on to his meaning. The captain wanted to know, if he did it under thetable, would he get a price cut, rather than having to report it to the Empire, and lose tax moneyas the government took its cut of his profits. Smuggling salt, in other words. Nodding slowly, headmitted cautiously, “If there were such an intrepid purchaser willing to take such a risk, Isuppose a small discount could be granted to them. Not much, per block…but it would add up.”“Of course, to make it further worth our while, since we’d be running a risk, too…I suppose itmight be helpful if such a person also came loaded with things not normally permitted on theIsle,” Morganen added in a casual-seeming drawl.

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“Smuggling women would be too risky,” Captain Thorist stated bluntly. “You’d have to give methe salt for free for a year, before I’d consider that.”“We’re not looking for women,” Koranen dismissed, stepping back inside the chapel. His clothescontinued to steam for a few moments more as they finished drying against his heated skin.“We’re looking for farmers and their chattel. People who know how to reclaim orchards run wild,as well as how to cut and plow a field. Carpenters and stonemasons who can reclaim andrebuild houses and other buildings.”“In other words, settlers from Katan,” Thorist observed. “All men? No women? You won’t getmany men willing to come join without any women, unless they’re of a mind to enjoy eachother’s company in full…”“Settlers can be of either gender,” Saber dismissed. “And of any useful age…and they don’thave to come solely from Katan. Families will be welcomed, third or fourth sons and daughterswho want a bit of their own, rather than their elder brothers’ or sisters’ leavings. But we don’twant the lazy or the shiftless here. If they’re not willing to work hard to earn a plot of land,whether it’s for a house, a farm, an orchard, or a workshop, we’re not interested in having them,and we won’t support them.”“It also doesn’t have to be settlers, at first,” Morg pointed out. “We could do with more supplies,first. Things that could entice people to come here. Iron barstock to turn into plowshares, ingotsof other metals and alloys, bolts of cloth, bars of soaps, stacks of pottery, pots and pans, barrelsof oil, sacks of dyes and mordants, and especially bags of seed for the planting season,”Morganen told the trader captain.“And coins; we’d like to be paid at least a quarter of our trade in coins, rather than most of it inbarter,” Koranen stated, as much to remind his two brothers of Serina’s comment about needingcoins to melt and re-mint into their own money. “In return, you can get salt blocks, algaeblocks—though I know there’s not much call for those as autumn sets in and shifts to winter—plus lightglobes, hand mirrors, spell-preserved fruit, the usual sort.”“But only for the intrepid, and the smart. It wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interests to let theCouncil get wind of this sort of rumor,” Saber finished.Thorist snorted. “You think I don’t know that? Melkin talked to each of the other captains and meprivately in person, rather than putting this rumor of your independence down on paper, and I’vechatted with them since. Something’s going on here. You say it’s that you want to recolonize adead and Cursed island, that you’re tired of being exiled

and shut out of contact with the rest ofthe world. I say there’s something more going on, here.”Morganen smiled wryly, folding his arms over his chest. “Let’s just say that Curses do lifteventually and leave it at that, shall we? So. Are you going to buy the salt now, or later?”The sea trader rubbed his chin. “Now,” he said after a moment of thought. “If these rumors aretrue, then it’ll take a bit of time on the mainland end of things to set things up, find warehousesand the trustworthy merchants who own them to handle sales on the mainland. It would alsohelp if the salt came in a different, less-recognizable form. The algae blocks break down easier;they can be turned into bags of mulch either in transit or as soon as they’re off loaded, but thesalt is a bit more problematical.

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“Of course, transporting settlers is out of the question…at this point in time, same as anywomen…but I could spread the word of that possibility slowly. And perhaps, in time…if acareless, brand-new sailor neglects to get back to the ship in time to be aboard when sheleaves, and the bo’sun doesn’t count noses closely enough before the anchor’s weighed…well,accidents do happen,” Captain Thorist pointed out with a smirk. “And a ship with a schedule tofollow just might not have enough time to turn around and pick up the missing crewman, by thetime their absence is noted.”“I’d jump ship,” one of the sailors muttered. The others glanced at him, and the man shrugged.“Well…if I had promise of a mooring spot on the docks for a fishing boat, I’d at least think aboutit.”Saber eyed the sailor, who was clad in brown-and-cream striped trousers, sturdy brown boots,and a long-sleeved, faded green tunic. His skin was halfway between the darker hue of Thorist’snut-brown hide and Saber’s own golden tan, his eyes were hazel green, and his dark brown hairwas parted and plaited in two thick, waist-length braids. Like most Katani men, he was cleanshaven, which allowed Saber to gauge his age at around his mid-thirties, maybe a little older.“What’s your name?” Saber asked.“Marcas. From Sommerie.”That was a city on the far western coast of Katan. Saber considered the other man, taking in hismuscles and calluses. “What skills do you have, Marcas?”“I can handle any size of ship, and make repairs on ’er. I’ve done everything seaworthy, fromfishing to sea-pearl diving, sailing to boatwrighting. I’m not good at being a boatwright, notenough to make it a career, but I can keep a longboat or a fishing smack sound,” Marcasadmitted with a somewhat diffident shrug. “I’ve also put away a bit, so I could buy a fishing boat,sail ’er here, and start earning my keep with fish-hauls. If I were to jump ship, that is,” he added,glancing at his captain. “Which would be after I found a man to take my place, back at amainland port, since I wouldn’t want to leave our good captain in the lurch.”“You’d better not,” Captain Thorist ordered his crewman, before glancing back at Saber.“Marcas is a good man to have on a ship. He’s not a designer, but he is a repairer, and he doeshave a knack for fixing things. Of course, if I were to let him retire…I’d have to be sure he’d beadequately taken care of: food, housing, getting adequate pay for his catches. Including apromise of protection from the Council’s displeasure. You’re not allowed long-term visitors, justshort-term ones.”“He’d have that, if he were to stay and be a productive citizen,” Saber stated, glancing at his

twoyoungest brothers. “In exchange for vows to obey the laws of the Isle, not betray its people, soon and so forth. There are other advantages that would come with settling on the island, buthe’d have to earn them.”“Advantages?” Marcas asked skeptically. “Like what?”“We’re considering having any settler who can prove they’re an asset to the island and worthy ofbeing allowed to stay dosed with Ultra Tongue, which grants the recipient the instantaneousability to speak and read any known language,” Morg stated, making all five sailors blink. “And