NOVEL WEB Chapter 36 : Herdrick Bazaar
Chapter XXXVI : Herdrick Bazaar
Midday of Tertius, Fourth Day of Autumnmoon
Matthias the Ambisanguinous led his two new companions to what appeared to be their first meal in days, judging by their voracious appetites. Bram and Yuri were curious travelers, ostensibly on a journey to reconnect with the girl’s mother. Matthias wasn’t sure he believed the whole story, but the man seemed humble enough, and the child enjoyed his company. He was also skeptical of the father and daughter part, but he’d seen enough scumbags and perverts on his journeys to know that Bram wasn’t one of them. Still, the child ….
As a scholar, Matthias had the ability to detect magic in others, including an individual’s strength. Sweet Yuri had certain qualities he’d seen in other talented children, but when he tried to sense how much, her signal was difficult to read. Kids all had varying amounts of magical potential. Some were like flickering candles; others, radiant bonfires. Yuri, however, was like an eclipse, harboring a power unlike anything he’d ever seen; except, hidden behind an even more powerful veil. He wondered if Bram knew. Either way, he hoped his new partnership would allow him to test the child’s abilities further.
First, he had business at the bazaar, where he hoped to restock on vital provisions. The market stretched nearly a league in length, with merchants adding to it all the time. It became the city’s central arc, and residential boroughs developed all around it. Hundreds of booths, laden with wares, carpeted the main street. And scores of shoppers bustled in between. Vendors, travelers, locals, and foreigners all searched for the finest deals in town, of which there were many.
The venue grew in popularity in the wake of The War. From the ashes of battle sprung a new economy, with survivors aiming to rebuild their lives, bigger than ever before. Demand for wares surged, and merchants heeded the call. It took less than a week of travel from the centralized city of Saladin to all relevant mercantile destinations. The bazaar provided a rendezvous for merchants to trade before setting off on their routes. Vinetans traded with Kitezhians before heading to Angkor, Angkorians traded with Kobans before heading to Vineta, and so on.
As Matthias marched down the central avenue, his thoughts drifted to his daughter, Angela. She had always been a headstrong child, but this time she went a step further and ran away from home. Smitten, no less, by a deceitful knave. Whatever lies the man had told to convince her to leave her peaceful hearth and her loving father, must have been beguiling, indeed.
Even so, Matthias was loath to dwell on the past. Just thinking about it was enough to rile him, and he didn’t want private matters spilling over to new company. Instead, he banished his fears and turned his attention to Bram and Yuri.
“We’re looking for an herbalist,” he explained. “Ah won’t go anywhere without medical supplies.”
Bram was accommodating and didn’t complain. And the bubbly child clung to his side as they walked. Matthias spoke to a few merchants, asking for recommendations. The first was a woman selling clay pots. She pointed east, where they found a small first-aid tent. The nurse there explained that she carried no herbs and referred them to a shack a few hundred spans in the other direction.
Matthias thanked her, and the group headed west. They passed tents selling medical supplies, hypodermic needles, salves, and potions—slowly draining the old magus’ patience. Herbs were very particular, and ‘good enough’ was not a substitute. But as midday progressed, his temper flared, and the urgency to leave for Kitezh grew more pronounced.
Finally, they reached a surgeon who claimed to know the very best shop. “You want herbs? Then find Géorg Töller. I purchase supplies from him for my … eh … anesthetics.”
He pointed with dark red hands that were sticky from recent procedures. A sanitation station was conspicuously absent from the tent, shocking for a man who performed sterile operations. “Is east, that way.”
Bram spoke to Matthias under his breath. “Just how important are these herbs, anyway?”
Yuri looked up and moaned.
“Fine!” Matthias snarled. “It‘ll be the last place. If they don’t have what Ah need, we’ll go without the blasted herbs!”
The shop’s name was Töller’s Herbs. It was a small shack consisting of a wooden half-wall, topped with a canvas tent. A tarp hung across a central pole and spanned the entire length, separating the front from the back. Display cases lined the front, stuffed with green and violet leaves, roots of many shapes and sizes, and dozens of different colored powders. A sharp but sweet odor permeated the air. Unfortunately, the vendor was nowhere to be found.
Bram looked surprised. “Has the merchant seriously left these cases unattended?”
Matthias looked down on his companion, wondering how such an unworldly country rube made it all the way to Saladin. “They do it all the time, Bram. Vendors at the bazaar police against crime themselves, as do many o’ the shoppers. Believe me, if ya steal anything, they’ll cut off yar hands. Theft doesn’t exist here.”
Matthias stretched his neck over the display case, hoping to see beyond the flap.
“Hullo,” he called. “We’d like service, please.”
After a few moments, he called out again. Still no response.
Bram shook his head. “There doesn’t appear to be anyone here. Maybe we should just forget about it and move on.”
Matthias felt his temper rise. “Don’t tell me what Ah can an’ can’t forget!”
It wasn’t Bram’s fault. Matthias’ trustworthy bazaar just wasn’t producing its usual results, and it made him angry. He stomped his foot for emphasis. “Ah’m not leavin’ ‘til Ah get what Ah came for.”
Yuri giggled from her place at Bram’s side, reminding Matthias that others were watching. He had to admit that he was getting ornery in his old age. He needed to cease his childish tantrums.
“Sorry, shop is closed.” A man with one arm emerged from behind the tent flap, carrying a bulging burlap sack.
Matthias eyed him up and down. “Mister Töller, Ah presume?”
The man responded glibly. “Shop is closed.”
Matthias leaned forward. “It’ll only take a moment.”
The man circled the half wall. “Can’t help. Am in hurry.”
“Sir,” Bram quickly cut off the stranger’s retreat. “I beg you. We desperately need to reach Kitezh, and my friend here won’t leave until he gets what he wants. We’ve been searching all day for an herbalist, and you’re the first we’ve found.”
The shopkeeper seemed unimpressed, so Bram put a hand on his shoulder and leaned close. He spoke under his breath, but loud enough for Matthias to hear. There was no mistaking the threat in his voice. “I’m also used to getting what I want.”
Matthias raised his brows, curious about this newly discovered side of Bram.
Mister Töller recoiled, but soon entrenched his position. “I see. You are bold to threaten me in broad daylight, Friend.” He smiled broadly. “It means you are either desperate or stupid. But, since you are here with child, I give you benefit of doubt. Call me Géorg.”
“Thank you, Géorg.” Bram was clearly holding back. “Now, would you please help my scholar friend with the herbs he requires?”
Géorg perked up. “Scholar, you say? Is he sorcerer, by chance?”
Matthias stood tall and proud. “Ah’m Ambisanguinous.”
It was obvious from the look on Géorg’s face that he was another ignoramus. But at this point, Matthias wasn’t in the mood for another introduction. “Aye, Ah know my way around sorcery.”
Géorg brightened. “We make deal, yes? Have patient needing medical attention. You help girl, I sell herbs—okay?”
As a matter of principle, Matthias didn’t like to haggle. But he knew when he had the upper hand. “Sell me th’ herbs, first. Then Ah’ll go with ya t’ heal yar patient.”
Géorg smiled. “Agreed. Tell me what you need.”
Matthias was pleased to have brokered a deal. He breathed a sigh of relaxation while dusting off his robes. Standing a few inches taller, he addressed the herbalist in a dignified manner.
“Well, then. The first herb Ah need is thistlewort.”
Géorg’s expression fell. “Sorry. All out.”
Bram groaned.