The Spare's Empire - a Lilium volume

[lum]

This was the awkward moment where she couldn’t understand what this man was.

“I said I don’t make a habit of it,” his voice remained calm, but his eyes had grown hard. “If someone brings me an animal that belongs to another person, and I have reason to believe it, I want the matter settled before money changes hands. I have worked too many years to have my name dragged through the mud because some fool thought he could make a quick coin.”

Lilium considered that.

“So… if someone were to bring you a cat of which you know it’s stolen… you’d send them away?”

“I’d send them away with a warning on top. And if I knew for certain who the rightful owner was, I’d send that animal personally to the owner’s home in the case where I already bought it.”

Lilium could see where this was getting to. She nodded once.

“With a reward, and adding to your reputation.”

“Indeed. Now, I have to be absolutely certain all this isn’t some coincidence.”

Lilium lowered her voice further. “So… have you seen a grey cat? Green eyes, darker markings around her ears and tail, a little silver charm?”

The Baron did not answer immediately.

Behind them, a cage rattled. They both glanced over.

The thin man had stopped pretending to inspect it.

“Perhaps I was about to. But I’ll need to compare that fur, without scaring off the supplier. Give it to me. And do you happen to have anything else that proves that lady Cassalanter sent you?”

She could show him the ribbon. But the thin man might be picking up some words, and she had no intention of letting him see it. She didn't know whether it would be enough to identify Maribelle, or whether it might give him another reason to interfere.

“Lady Cassalanter gave me something that belongs to the cat,” she said. “Something she likes.”

The Baron's gaze sharpened.

“Good. Keep it hidden for now.”

“W...why?”

“Because that fellow over there has interest in our conversation, likely with what you said out loud earlier.”

The thin man turned away at once, but not before Lilium caught the quick glance he sent toward her pocket.

A cold little knot formed in her stomach.

“H-how are w-”

But before she could continue the Baron straightened and raised his voice just enough to carry.

“Now, young miss, I can't help you find a missing cat without knowing more about the circumstances. But if you believe someone has stolen an animal and intends to sell it, then perhaps you'd best leave the matter to people who understand how these transactions work.”

Lilium stared at him.

What… was this?

For a moment, she thought he was dismissing her after all. She believed it at least.

Then she noticed that he had shifted half a step, placing himself between her and the thin man.

It was a sign of sorts. She wasn’t sure if she got it.

“Oh,” she said,”... of course, I wouldn’t want to cause trouble to anyone.”

“Quite.”

At that point the thin man approached before either could say more.

“Everything alright here?” he asked, wearing a smile that looked decidedly uncomfortable on his face.

“Perfectly” the Baron answered. “The young miss is just looking for a missing pet.”

“Oh, it’s a pet,” the thin man looked at her with ‘sudden’ interest. “It may be a coincidence, but I may have heard something about a certain cat.”

Lilium’s heart gave a hard thump. This guy was clearly after a reward. The cat might be found real soon now.

The Baron didn’t move.

“You do?” she asked.

“I believe it’s a grey-ish thing. Green eyes… perhaps. There are often cats around the yards, but if it’s the one I’m thinking of, I might help.”

For the right price, probably.

“How fortunate,” the Baron said.

It sounded dry, but only Lilium seemed to have noticed that.

“Of course, finding it takes time. And time is worth something, isn't it? Especially when a noble household is involved.”

There it was.

So, either he didn’t have the cat… yet. Or he was pretending he didn’t have her, perhaps in order to dodge the offer he had been trying to make to the Baron earlier?

He probably had already begun calculating from the moment she had announced herself.

Question was, how legal did this guy operate?

Lilium looked from him to the Baron.

She could tell the man was waiting for her to offer a reward. Perhaps he expected her to promise payment on behalf of Lady Cassalanter. Perhaps he thought a frightened girl would be easy to persuade.

She took a careful breath.

“Lady Cassalanter asked me to find her cat,” she said. “She didn't ask me to negotiate a price with anyone who claims to have heard of it.”

The thin man's smile faltered.

The Baron's expression remained unchanged, but something in his eyes suggested he approved. “If I didn’t knew better, I’d say you are a merchant’s daughter.”

“I am a merchant’s daughter.”

The Baron nodded. “Then, you understand the value of a good name.”

“I do. And how important it is to keep it.”

It didn’t make them more friendly, but at least she and the Baron shared some common ground at this point.

The thin man’s smile had returned at hearing that, though said smile had lost some of its confidence.

“Well then,” he said while rubbing his hands together, “since you are a merchant’s daughter, you know something about time and money.”

“Usually,” Lilium replied.

“And finding a lost animal takes time. A good deal of time, sometimes.”

“Now that you mention it,” she said as she suppressed a smirk.

The man glanced at the Baron but didn’t get anything from him. He just looked at them for now.

“So, I believe I may know where this cat of yours is. It would take a little effort to bring her here, of course. And some arrangements would have to be made then, of course.”

“Of course. Only, what sort of arrangements?”

“Oh,” he shrugged,” nothing unusual. Just a fair compensation for the trouble and time.” He held his hand out.

Lilium crossed her arms in front of her chest. She had seen Father deal with men who wanted to be paid before they had done anything useful. Sometimes they had a legitimate reason. Sometimes they simply wanted to see how much they could get away with.

“I’d have to know if it’s the right one.”

“Grey fur, green eyes, silver charm… it should be right.”

Her stomach tightened a little.

It really could be Maribelle. Had to be.

The man noticed her expression and smiled as though he had just confirmed something important.

“We're talking about the same animal.”

The Baron had been watching him with an expression of mild boredom. Now he straightened slightly.

“You've seen this cat, then?”

“Possibly.”

“Well. Neither of us is paying you until we've seen the cat.”

“Well, I wouldn't want to promise something I couldn't deliver.” The thin man spread his hands. “But I know people. I hear things. An animal like that doesn't go unnoticed for too long.”

This guy was acting really odd. Lilium looked at him carefully. He was speaking as though he had only heard rumours, but there was more to his body language.

He already knows where Maribelle is. Probably even has her.

The thin man took their silence for uncertainty.

“I could make inquiries,” he offered. “I can bring the animal here, if she's the one. But naturally, I can't be expected to do that for nothing.”

The Baron gave a quiet, humourless chuckle. “Of course not. Gods forbid you should lift a finger without being paid for it.”

The thin man's smile stiffened. “Hey. I'm only trying to help here.”

“I'm sure you are.”

The thin man turned back to her. “Tell you what, young miss. You wait here. I'll see what I can do. If fortune favours us, perhaps we'll have your little cat back before the evening is out.”

He was already stepping away when the Baron spoke.

“Just one moment.”

The thin man stopped.

“If you… find this animal,” his voice lingered a moment, “bring her directly here, and don’t make any arrangements or promises to anyone in my or Lilium’s name.”

“Of course, of course.”

The Baron raised his finger higher. “And if the cat is injured, you'll tell me before we agree to anything.”

The thin man gave an impatient little nod. “Naturally. But honestly, I think she’s gonna be just fine. Maybe a little bit… uuhmm… well, you’ll see… we’ll see.”

He turned and hurried between the wagons, disappearing behind a canvas-covered cart.

Lilium watched him go.

“He knows exactly where she is,” she said.

The Baron kept his eyes on the gap between the wagons.

“I suspect so.”

“So, what if he comes back with the right cat?”

“Not if, when. He’s after money. In any case, then we’ll have something to discuss,” he said, eventually turning to look down at her. “And now that I know you are a merchant’s daughter, I may go less easy on you.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t panic.

All she could think of now was a frightened animal sitting in a dark cage somewhere, uncertain about its fate.

[lum]

The Baron watched the yard silently.

“What you think he’ll ask?” Lilium wondered.

“Money. Almost certainly money.”

She hesitated and briefly looked at her hands.

That is what she feared for. She had a few coins in her pocket. Enough to buy a meal, perhaps, or pay for some small necessity on the way home. Certainly not enough to purchase a cat from a man who had already begun calculating how much a noble household might pay to get it back.

Great. A lady sends me after her cat. I find it, eventually. And now I need money to get her back.

She certainly couldn’t go back and tell lady Cassalanter that she had found Maribelle, but had been unable to afford her return, could she? And she couldn’t travel home and ask her father for coin without explaining why she needed it? Not unless she wanted him ask a lot of questions, and with that waste the window of opportunity.

She glanced at the Baron.

He stood tall with a straight spine, his arms folded, looking quite content to wait. He had the air of a man who knew he had the upper hand, and he probably had already decided how the next part of the business would go.

Probably fair.

After a moment she cleared her throat.

“So, are you going to buy her?”

The Baron looked at her. Likely he had been assuming she’d turn to him.

“If she's the cat we're discussing, and the price is reasonable, I may.”

“And if the price isn't reasonable?”

“Then the seller and I will have a disagreement,” he looked meaningful at her.

Lilium glanced toward the wagons.

“And if you agree on a price?”

“Then I pay it, and the animal becomes mine.”

He said it plainly. No boast, no threat. Just the simple terms of a transaction.

Lilium considered them.

“And what happens with the cat?”

“That depends.”

She looked up at him. “Does it?”

“One doesn't generally buy something without deciding what to do with it.”

“No, of course not.”

She had meant to sound casual, but the answer came out a little too quickly. The Baron noticed. She could tell by the slight lift of his eyebrow.

“Something troubling you, young lady?”

“No.”

He waited.

Lilium sighed. “Yes.”

“Much better. What is it?”

She glanced around. “I don’t have enough money on me to buy her in order to take her back to Lady Cassalanter. I never expected to end up in this situation.”

The Baron regarded her for a moment.

“I had rather suspected as much. Only few people schedule such things in advance.”

“Few?”

“As in almost nobody.”

Despite herself, she almost smiled at his reaction.

“But you can afford her,” she started, growing more serious again, “and… and if he wants to sell her, you could buy her, he gets his money and you get the cat and… and…”

“An accurate summary,” he smirked. “And then?”

“And then…” she stopped.

The Baron waited.

Lilium had rehearsed the idea in her head while the thin man had been talking. It had sounded rather clever then. Now, with the Baron watching her, it seemed a little less certain.

“And then,” she continued, “perhaps you and me could come to an arrangement.”

“Oh? What sort of arrangement?”

“I… I haven’t decided on the details yet…”

“At least that is an honest answer, young miss Lilium.”

“But I know what I want.”

“That you do. You also appear willing to pay a price or make a deal over a noble’s cat, without knowing how they will repay or reward you.”

The Baron looked at her for a long moment.

Then, to her surprise, he laughed. Not loudly, but with genuine amusement. “Well, you want the cat, so that saves us a great deal of negotiation.”

Lilium couldn't tell whether he was making fun of her. “I mean it.”

“I don't doubt that. But you understand, I hope, that once I have purchased an animal, I cannot simply give it away because someone else wants it.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I do.” She straightened a little. “That's why I suggested an arrangement. I just don’t want you to take or sell the cat elsewhere.”

The amusement faded from his expression, though not the interest.

“Very well, merchant's daughter. Let's hear what you have in mind.”

Before Lilium could answer, a voice called from behind the wagons.

“Here we are! I told you I could find her!”

The thin man emerged from between the wagons, carrying a small cage by its handle.

He was breathing a little harder than before, but he had returned in less time than Lilium had anticipated. The cat had been very nearby and already caged the moment this guy pretended he’d check around and bring her if he found her.

He held the cage away from his body, as though he wasn’t particularly keen on whatever was inside.

Something grey moved behind the bars. Lilium’s heart jumped.

Suddenly a paw reached through a gap, briefly catching a wire from the thin man’s coat.

For a moment she could see the cat.

“Oh…” she said, for a moment forgetting the men.

Maribelle was a mess.

Her fur stuck out in every direction, with little tangles along her flanks and a particularly dreadful knot near the base of her tail. One of her ears was flattened while the other was turned sideways. She sat hunched in the corner of the cage, hissing as the man attempted to pull back the wire. Green eyes were open wide and watchful, while a silver charm still hung around her neck.

Likely no one ever managed to take that off of her. Not without fearing the cat’s temper. And by the looks of it, she had already lashed out before.

All in all Maribelle looked frightened, furious, and thoroughly offended by the world.

Lilium felt a pang in her chest. For some reason, she had to think back about her time in prison.

She wanted to take a step forward but stopped herself from doing so. The cat had already endured enough strangers trying to get their hands on her.

The thin man set the cage down a little away from his feet. Like he didn’t trust the cat at all.

“There. See? As promised. Fine little creature, isn’t she? Hehe.”

The Baron crouched beside the cage and inspected it without touching the bars.

“Fine?”

“Eh, a little dishevelled maybe?”

“A little?”

The thin man gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Cats have a way of getting themselves into trouble, and when someone then tries to do what is best for them… well…” he scratched the back of his neck.

“Funny,” the Baron said. “I was under the impression that people generally helped them along.”

The man's smile faltered.

Lilium barely heard them talk. Her attention was on the cat, on the charm, on the familiar markings around her ears and tail.

She slipped her hand into her pocket and found the ribbon.

Carefully, keeping it low so the thin man couldn't get a good look at it, she drew it out and held it near the cage.

“Maribelle?” she whispered.

The cat's ears twitched.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the green eyes fixed on the ribbon.

The animal rose somewhat unsteadily, slowly stepped toward the bars, and pushed her nose through the gap. One paw followed, carefully reaching for the ribbon. When it couldn’t reach it, the paw produced a small, impatient movement.

Yes, this was Maribelle alright. Had to be.

The cat gave a short, rough meow, then pressed her face against the bars as if she had every intention of forcing her way through them.

“Easy,” Lilium murmured. “I've come to take you home.”

Behind her, the Baron nodded.

“Well,” he said, his voice now quite businesslike. “It seems we now know what animal we're dealing with.”

The thin man rubbed his hands together.

“Then I suppose we can discuss price.”