01.29.08

10: Jace’s Chance

Posted in Pages at 7:23 pm by Alexandra Erin

Jace’s chance came at an unexpected moment, in a way that only served to reassure him that fate was indeed on his side: Prit sent him away.

“Jace!” Prit called over the crowd. “I’ve just spitted the last joint… go run to the butcher’s shop and wake Coreb. Tell him his boys can earn a few tetrae if they want to help you out tonight, too.”

On the past occasions when the level of business had necessitated bringing on outside help, Jace had been grateful for the respite. Now, he couldn’t help seething inwardly at the thought that he toiled daily for nothing while a couple of village boys would be rewarded for a single night’s labor. How had he never noticed how monstrously unfair that was?

“Well, get a move on,” Prit said when Jace did not immediately run in the direction of the path. Jace snapped out of his funk and took off at once. The old sea dog was not one to stand on ceremony or waste time on a lot of “sir, yes, sir,” nonsense.

The moon loomed low and big in the sky, spilling its radiance over the land. At first Jace found this a good omen, as it lit his path, but then he realized that this would be to his disadvantage once he got into town and put the next phase of his plan into effect.

While he was thinking about that, what was the next phase of his plan? He didn’t even know which ship the girl was on.

But, of course, that was the next phase of his plan… finding out which of the ships in the harbor was Montaldo’s.

When Jace got into town, he realized that without thinking it, he’d been heading towards the building where Coreb the butcher lived and plied his trade. After a moment’s indecision, he continued on that route. Working by himself, Prit would be all too aware of how long Jace was gone from his post. If Coreb’s boys showed up with more meat to roast, Prit might put them to work before he noticed Jace hadn’t returned.
It wasn’t a sure thing, but then, nothing was.

Jace walked past the butcher’s shop window, blocked by the folded-up counter, and around to the back of the building. The butcher and his family lived above the shop. Jace realized his plan—such as it was—depended on the idea that everybody who wasn’t up at the bar was asleep. Rousing Coreb with a cry would wake up his neighbors, who would come to their own upper windows to see what was going on.

He cast about the street for a rock and found several shards of cobble stone. It took three hitting the sill before he got any result.

“Who’s throwin’ stones at my shop?” Coreb bellowed, coming to the window with an ancient blunderbuss in his clawed hands.

So much for the quiet approach, Jace thought.

The butcher was an odd sort of fellow, with brown-gray fur on his back and the top of his head and a scaly front. He looked angry, but then, the broad dark stripe down the center of his forehead made him look perpetually angry even when he wasn’t.

“Please sir, Prit says we need more meat,” Jace said. “And there’s work for your boys.”

“Well…” Coreb said, chewing his lip and hesitating as if he would actually refuse a chance to sell to one of his best customers out of spite for the inconvenience. “I suppose, then. You wait down there. You can help with the carrying.”

“Please, I have other errands,” Jace said. “It’s a busy night, you see.”

“I suppose it is,” Coreb said. “Big doin’s all over the island. I had to rush a side of beef and two whole pigs to the mansion earlier. Must’ve been some kind of unexpected celebration… normally the governor lays in his stocks far in advance of the needing.”

That comment prodded Jace’s mind. What would the governor be celebrating? A successful business deal, perhaps. A valuable acquisition. If so, it was possible Jace was already too late.

“Excuse me, sir, but I shouldn’t dawdle,” Jace said.

“Oh, right,” Coreb said. “Off you go.”

Jace took off in the direction of the harbor. He needed to make up a story to tell the harbormaster, assuming he wasn’t up at the mansion. If he was, he’d have to break into the harbormaster’s office.

Either way, Jace was about to get into it deep. Whether he accomplished his next goal by fraud or burglary, there could be no going back from it.

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