Part 29 (1/2)
”No insult,” Paitor added, ”for a 'prentice to bow to the authority of his seniors Liadens understand chain of cohed, short and sharp, then stood up
”Go to bed, Jethri-you're out on your feet Be on dock second shi+ft-” she slid a glance to Paitor
”Dyk?”
His uncle nodded
”You'll partner with Dyk We're onloading seed, shi+p's basics, trade tools Barge's due Port-noon
Stick close, understand ot to his feet, nodded to his seniors, put theinto the wash-up and turned toward the door
”Jethri”
He turned back, thinking his uncle's face looked-sad
”I wanted to let you know,” Paitor said ”The spice did real well for us”
Jethri took a deep breath ”Good,” he said and his voice didn't shake at all ”That's good”
Gobelyn's Market, Loading Dock ”OK,” SAID DYK, easing the forks on the hand-lift back ”Got it” He toggled the io, kid Guard rin Dyk was inclined to treat the double-up and Paitor's even-voiced explanation of disquiet on the docks as a seae of the barge, stopped, theatrically craned both ways, flashed a thu behind, and dashed out onto the Market's dock Sighing, Jethri walked slowly in his wake”Hey, kid, hold it a sec” The voice was low and not entirely unfaainst a cargo crate, hand in the pocket of his jacket and nothing like a s a Liaden on ht somewhere between relief and dis forward ”The card's a fake”
The ainst the crate tipped his head ”Is it, now”
”Yeah, it is I've seen the real one, and it's nothing like the one you've got”
”So what?”
”So,” Jethri said patiently, stopping and showing eave you the card wasn't Norn ven'Deelin He was somebody who said he was Norn ven'Deelin and he used the card and her-the honor of her naainst the cargo bail
Jethri sighed sharply ”Look, Sirge, this is serious stuff The master trader has to protect her naave you that card and told you he was her All you have to do-”
Sirge Milton shook his head, sorrowful, or so it seeet it, do you?” He brought his hand out of the pocket and leveled the gun, us, kid I knoho ot the scrivener last night She'd've had round”
The gun was high-gee plastic, snub-nosed and black Jethri stared at it and then looked back at the ht, curiously calrinned ”You traded another Terran to a Liaden That's stupid, Jethri Stupid people don't live long”
”You're right,” he said, calun at all ”And it'd be real stupid for you to kill me Norn ven'Deelin said I'd done her a service If you killto have any choice but to serve you the same You don't want to corner her”
”Jeth?” Dyk's voice echoed in from the dock ”Hey! Jethri!”
”I'll be out in a second!” he yelled, never breaking eye contact with the guno with you to the ht',” Sirge sneered and there was a sharp snap as he thuly to heed the young trader's excellent advice, Sirge Milton,” a calm voice commented in accentless Trade ”The o forth immediately”
MASTER VEN'DEELIN'S yellow-haired assistant walked into the edge of Jethri's field of vision He stood lightly on the balls of his feet, as if he expected to have to run There was a gun, holstered, on his belt
Sirge Milton hesitated, staring at this new adversary
”Sirge, it's not worth killing for,” Jethri said, desperately
But Sirge had forgotten about hi at Master ven'Deelin's assistant ”Think I'onna be some Liaden's slave until I worked off what she claiot any chance of a fair hearing?”
”The Porte cut hiht it around
”No!” Jethri ju solid slae's deck There was a crack of sound, very soft, and Jethri rolled to his feet- Sirge Milton was cruun in his hand The back of his head was gone Jethri took a step forward, found his arrave blue eyes of Master ven'Deelin's assistant
”Come,” the Liaden said, and his voice was not-quite-steady ”The master trader must be informed”
Gobelyn's Market, Common Room THE YELLOW-HAIRED assistant came to an end of his spate of Liaden and inclined his head
”So it is done” Norn ven'Deelin said in Trade ”Advise the Portmaster and hold yourself at her word”
”Master Trader” The htened effortlessly and left the Market's co like a backward look Norn ven'Deelin turned to Jethri, sitting shaken between his retful,” she said in her bad Terran, ”that solving achieved this form My intention, as I said to you, was not thus Terrans-” She glanced around, at Paitor and the captain, at Dyk and Khat and Mel
”ForgiveIt was s” She showed her palms ”The counterfeit-maker and the, ahh- distributor-are of a mind, both, to achieve more seemly Balance”
”Counterfeiter?” asked Paitor and Norn ven'Deelin inclined her head
”Indeed Certain cards were copied-not well, as I find-and distributed to traders of dishonor These would then use the-the-melant'i-you would say, the worth of the card to run just such a shadow-deal as young Jethri fell against” She sat back, a Jethri's service to lance at Paitor, who clirateful for your condescension, Master Trader Please allow us to put paid, in mutual respect and harmony, to any matter that may lie between us-”
”Yes, yes,” she waved a hand ”In circumstance far otherwise, this would be the path of wisdom, all honor to you, Trader Gobelyn But you and I, we are disallowed the comfort of old wisdom We are honored, reverse-ward, to build neisdo”See you, this young trader illu ie Liaden honor to cheat other Terrans” She leaned forward, catching their eyes one by one ”Liaden honor,” she repeated; ”to cheat other Terrans”
She lay her hand on her chest ”I am a master trader My-my duty is to the increase of the trade Trade cannot increase, where honor is commodity”
”But what does this,” Dyk demanded, irrepressible, ”have to do with Jethri?”
The black eyes pinned hi excellence Jethri has shown er influence the lives only of Liadens Reverse-ward by logic follows for the actions of Terrans So, for the trade to increase, wherein lies the proper interest of trader and master trader, information cross-cultural est rite contract between us, with the future of Jethri Gobelyn in our iveto say that you want to take Jethri as an apprentice”