The Disjointed Tales Of Renryre Island

04-2: A Little Too Much Salt [continued]

"He got away? Did you all pay for his board too?"

Now she let go, and the mob quietened down quickly, sheepishly looking at each other.

"Well, he... gave us the water. Freely."

"Freely? You paid for his way out of this place."

Rhytheport really was full of idiots. Tailfin had played them. Had played her too, but at least she managed to get away without being robbed in the process.

"Any of the other panners okay to work tomorrow?" she asked. "No? Well then you better let me get a good night's sleep!"

She didn't. Instead, she spent the entire night cursing herself, rolling over and staring at different flaws in the darkened bedroom walls. She knew Tailfin was planning on screwing her over, but she was supposed to screw him over first. She was supposed to be the town's saviour, not the one thrown to dirt for a trampling.

Well, she did at least gain something from the experience. A new goal in life. Not only did she need to get out of Rhytheport, but she needed to find Tailfin and stick a sharp blade through his testicles. One by one. Slowly. It would be a sweet revenge.

"Morning, Tally," said the man in the gatehouse.

"Good morning to you, Ma... Jollo?" she replied, more curious than concerned.

"Maz is off sick," said Jollo. "Same thing as the rest of us. You still good?"

"Seems I have a stronger gut than the rest of you."

"I guess. Hey, sorry to hear what happened last night. Nothing like being stabbed in the back by your own neighbours."

Jollo had a pitiful expression. Had he been there the night before, he probably would have been stupid enough to help her. Besides, she didn't care about the townsfolk. Being betrayed by the foreign trickster was far worse.

"Yes, well, they were desperate. It's over now. Anyone else at work today?"

"No, just you and me."

Perfect. Jollo was going to follow her around all day. Whining and pining.

"What say we split up, cover as much ground as possible?"

The tides were bad. Not enough time between high tide and sunset to get sufficient water. The stockpile would last the town a few more days, but they would need to get ahead of production if they wanted to avoid another riot.

Putting her back into it, Talyreina had resigned herself to the hard grind when she heard the sound of chains clinking coming from inland. She picked up an iron bar, the closest thing she had to a weapon, and followed the noise.

She found a man wandering towards her, stumbling meekly from the desert. She didn't recognise him – another foreigner! But this man had chains on his ankles, each one dragging an iron ball. He looked parched. Well, actually he looked half dead. Like he had been wandering the desert for a few weeks, burnt half to death.

Cautiously, she offered him some water. He stared at the bottle for a few seconds like a man who was trying to figure out if he was being tricked. Or in a dream, perhaps.

"Lytette?" he asked.

"Er, what?"

He smiled, and took the bottle. Took a deep sip, tipping his head over backwards. Then spat the water out.

"Yuk. Tastes like bloody salt!"

Talyreina smiled and chuckled softly.

"Everything tastes like bloody salt!" she agreed. "I'm Talyreina. Tally for short. Who are you? What are you doing out here?"

"Madrik. I had a run-in with an old nemesis. Probably thinks he's won. But it's the last time. This time I will hunt him down, lock chains around his ankles, and drop him into the deep ocean."

Madrik stared at the chains at his feet.

"You help me out, I will make it worth your while. I have money back in Helen's Bay. Enough to make you smile for a very long time."

Helen's Bay? Money? Maybe she could convince a trader ship to take them there, agree a price to pay on delivery. Rhytheport money was useless, but coin from Helen's Bay might just do it. She felt a smile widen on her face, ignoring the voice in her head reminding her that it was impossible to escape from Rhytheport. She had to try.

"I'll help you get back to Helen's Bay. For a price."

"Done."

They hadn't agreed a price, but her smile continued to grow regardless. Getting to Helen's Bay was good enough for her. From there, she could track down the slimy bastard that screwed her over.

"Who are you going after, anyway?"

"The slimiest bastard you'll ever meet. Goes by the name of Tailfin."

She nearly squeaked in her excitement.

"Tailfin!"