Before heading to the harbour, they popped into the alchemy shop Ari had mentioned. Besides, the soldiers were rather insistent on stopping there. On several occasions, they had pointed out quite emphatically that they were running out of restorative potions, and although Kei had been the least convincing about it, it was clear that he cared about them too. Incidentally, Draco had also been thinking about replenishing—or, more accurately, creating—his own supply of alchemical supplies. Both the basic ones and the more advanced ones he'd read about in the extensive library of the Academy in Dagos. He suspected that in Atlantis he wouldn't find medicines specifically for dragons all that easily, but he could always try his hand at preparing something himself from ready-made ingredients. In many cases, this was not difficult, provided one knew the proportions. Preparing these substances was another matter, however, as for the most part it required quite extensive knowledge and advanced alchemical skills.
The shop was different from what the dragon had imagined. Of course, he knew it was a bit out of the way and not very busy, but he hadn't expected a place with windows so dirty they'd lost their transparency, a door hanging crookedly on its hinges, and a sign informing the visitor that they were standing before the Old Cauldron. What's more, it was all in a side alley, or rather a backstreet.
Ari was the first to jump down from the carriage and looked expectantly at the dragon. It seemed he wanted to get his business sorted as quickly as possible. Draco stifled a sigh and quickened his pace.
Without further ado, they went inside. The interior looked much better than the shop front. The long counters, despite visible signs of years of use, were clean. The shelves stocked with vials, ampoules and small bottles were tidy, and the alchemical ingredients were carefully sorted into various types of containers. The only thing that bothered them was the dim light inside.
'Soldiers from Ed'heer, what lovely customers,' came an old, hoarse female voice from the back of the shop. 'The usual, then?'
'Yes, ten regenerative potions,' Ari spoke a little louder, enunciating each syllable. 'I'd also like something for superficial wounds.'
'We'll find something.' From behind one of the shelves emerged a hunched old woman leaning on a walking stick, her back covered with a dark shawl. Her face was covered in deep wrinkles, her dark eyes sunken, and her skin yellowed. Draco noticed that her hands looked stained with ink that had a metallic sheen, or something very similar. 'A new face,' she added, glancing at the dragon. 'Hello, young man.'
'Good morning,' Draco bowed politely.
'This is Draco Ignis, the Earl's apprentice,' Ari hastened to introduce him. 'And this is...'
'James Lancaster, we've met.' The old woman turned away from them and began rummaging through cupboards below eye level. 'Does Master Vittoro require anything?'
'No, I'm here for company today.' The elf looked around casually.
'And the young master?' The woman straightened up slightly and placed a few vials in front of Ari. Kei grimaced at the sight of them.
'I'd also like ten regenerative potions,' Draco began, examining the displayed products more closely. 'Do you have any semi-finished products?' he asked, not spotting the ingredients he needed.
'Not for some time now.' The shopkeeper looked closely at the dragon. 'My ingredients have ended up in the wrong places far too often.'
From her tone, Draco realised that there was no point in probing further. Nor was there any point in trying to convince her that this was something he absolutely needed. I'll have to look elsewhere, he thought, and scanned the stock once more.
'Do you have any healing balm and Fonita potion?'
'How many would you like, young master?' She gave the dragon a long look and bent down again, almost disappearing behind the counter.
'Four of each should do.' Draco decided it was better to buy more and not use them later than to run out at the worst possible moment.
'Coming right up.' The woman quickly retrieved all the potions and looked expectantly at the rest of them.
'That'll do for now.' Kei looked at the vials with obvious distaste, but seemed resigned to the fact that he would have to swallow their contents anyway.
'Four Dubloons and ten Galeos.' The shopkeeper addressed Ari first. 'Twelve Dubloons and eighteen Galeos.' She added, turning to the reptile.
'I'll pay the whole lot.' Draco managed to speak up before Ari could reach into his inside pocket. The dragon quickly pulled out the little box he'd received from Hunter Erth. Both the elf and the animorph were about to protest, but a single sharp glance was enough, though it seemed they simply didn't want to cause a scene in public. The dragon wrote out a bank receipt, which the shopkeeper accepted without any trouble.
'I offer my services again in the future.' She smiled, which smoothed out her wrinkles a little.
'Thank you. Before Draco could take his purchases, Kei packed them away with the rest and shot the dragon a look that said we need to talk. The reptile decided to ignore it for now and left the shop in good spirits.
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'What did you need those semi-finished products for?' asked a grumpy Ari once they were on their way. He and Forth were sitting inside the carriage with Draco and James. 'You'll find just about everything you could want in there, and you've already loaded up enough.'
'Not for dragons,' the reptile shook his head. 'She didn't have anything for damaged scales, let alone wing membrane, and I didn't even look for anything for horns and claws.' He explained calmly, glancing out of the window. 'I thought that if she was selling semi-finished products, I'd be able to mix something up myself. I've done it before; maybe nothing too advanced, but with good ingredients, you don't need to know all that much about alchemy.'
'Medicines for dragons aren't really popular here, and you might have trouble finding them; and you certainly won't be able to hide it. If you don't want anyone to realise you're not human, ask your aunt to send them to you from Dagos,' James chimed in. 'Or write to Angus; he'll certainly be happy to help you.'
'Yes, good idea,' Ari agreed reluctantly. 'And definitely don't ask any more about semi-finished products.'
'Why?', Draco was intrigued. He'd never before encountered reluctance when trying to buy such substances. In Dagos, he rarely looked for semi-finished products, but when he needed them, there was no problem buying them, as long as no one had a personal grudge against him.
'The Thieves' Guild often uses various kinds of semi-finished products to produce poisons and alchemical reagents useful for theft.' Forth didn't seem interested in the conversation, but he was clearly following it closely. 'Because of this, a large number of merchants accuse alchemists of supporting the Guild. The alchemists themselves, in turn, complain that the merchants are inflating the prices of raw materials by citing fictitious thefts that they themselves stage. And so the vicious circle closes.'
'On top of that, the City Watch is rushing about all over the place and can't prove either side right.' James shrugged. 'Luckily, it's giving us a wide berth for now. It'd be hard to deal with this seriously with as many jobs as we've got at the moment.'
'I've always thought the Thieves' Guild did everything it could to avoid complicating its own life.' Draco had a limited understanding of such matters. He'd never been interested in them and had no motivation to delve deeper into the subject.
'Usually, yes, but recently someone's been hanging around all the shipments of alchemical ingredients in a rather suspicious way.' James leaned forward slightly. 'I've heard rumours that it's someone from outside the Guild, and they're looking for whoever's causing them trouble.'
'I don't believe they don't know.' Ari shook his head, smiling wryly. 'They're probably responsible themselves; they just want to wriggle out of it.'
'That wouldn't make any sense.' James wouldn't give in. 'Now the Watchman are patrolling the whole area, everyone's keeping a closer eye on things than usual, and the port thieves have to venture into territories that aren't theirs. Nothing but trouble, so why would they do that?'
'For gold, of course.' Ari shrugged, as if stating the obvious. 'For the usual reason.'
'You don't understand…'
The elves argued all the way from the alchemist's shop to the harbour, but neither Draco nor Forth paid them any attention, focusing instead on the scenery outside the carriage window.
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The Atlantean port, Arkien, was vast. Essentially, it stretched from the seashore to the old city walls. The mighty fortifications, which had once formed a line of defence, were truly awe-inspiring. The walls were over twenty metres high and nearly eight metres wide, with a gate set in a fortress tower with a hexagonal base, rising several metres above the crown of the fortifications. To top it all off, the entire old fortification was covered in smooth, white stone that seemed almost to glow with the reflected radiance of the Heart of Atlantis. Halfway up the walls, on both sides, an entire pantheon of gods had been carved – from the inside in poses of blessing, whilst on the outside the divine figures looked menacing and ready to pounce on any reckless daredevil who might attempt to scale the walls.
Draco could have sworn that the path running along the outer side of the fortifications had once been a moat, and now merely separated the historic attraction from the townhouses rising a few steps away. Incidentally, it was also curious that no matter which part of Atlantis one was in, it was always bright, as if the light from the levitating crystal were not hindered at all by the stone structures standing in its path.
Further on, Arkien looked rather ordinary – the tenement houses along the main road were well-kept and also served as shops, whilst those further in were less imposing and poorly maintained. The residents were also somewhat different from those in other parts of the city. The streets were full of labourers, porters and merchants shouting orders or calling out to customers. Everyone was in a hurry, everyone was jostling.
At least until they reached the port itself, at the entrance to which they had to leave the carriage and the horses. As usual, the soldiers split up, but this time only one of them remained – it fell on Vi. He seemed to have no objection to this and reluctantly cast a glance at the monstrous crowd surging around them.
James led them on, saying he knew which warehouses they had to go to. Before they had even left the street leading to the harbour, they could see from a distance a veritable forest of masts towering above everything. Once they had passed the last row of tenement houses, they were greeted by an open space – or at least a partially open one. From the residential buildings all the way to the quays stretched a wide, almost five-hundred-metre-long strip of cobblestones, onto which goods were being unloaded from the lazily rocking ships, mainly huge galleons. Impatient merchants were selling crates even before they had left the holds, which meant chaos reigned here. But there was a method to this madness, and everyone seemed to understand the laws governing it. Empty carts drove up to the appropriate spots and were loaded with precisely those goods that had already changed hands, and later, calmly and slowly, they drove off towards warehouses looming somewhere in the distance, or towards further ships to sail even further afield. Queues of carts stretched along the quay, just as James had said, heading for the cargo gates where one could pay customs duties on goods remaining on the island or being transported further by land.
'We could have driven closer to the warehouses,' James muttered from time to time.
'We couldn't,' replied Forth, who was keeping to the very front, constantly answering the elf. 'Ever since the thefts have increased, you can only drive near the warehouses with a permit. Unfortunately, we don't have one.'
'But it's a carriage, not a covered wagon,' grumbled the long-eared one.
Fortunately, Ari was walking right at the back and found it difficult to reply because of the crowd. Draco, accustomed to similar conditions on the Royal Tract and in the commercial districts of Dagos, moved without the slightest difficulty. Kei also seemed to have a very good sense of the crowd, as he didn't stray even half a step from the dragon. James had the greatest trouble getting about; he kept bumping into people, so alongside his muttering came indistinct apologies thrown in the direction of random passers-by.
Amidst the crowd and the mass of goods, it was hard to focus one's gaze on anything. Everything was constantly shifting position, so Draco tried to soak up the unique atmosphere while he could. He didn't think he'd be back here any time soon, and certainly not without a reason. The chaos and the crowd were exhausting even when one knew how to navigate them.
It took them quite a while to reach the first warehouses. As they walked along the row of tenement houses, there was little to see, and even fewer things to look at more closely. When suddenly the unbroken wall of buildings gave way and a line of carts cut across their path, Draco was taken aback. However, they did not change direction and, weaving between the carts, reached the other side of the designated route. It was quieter here. The entire coastal area, from the wall of the thirty-metre tower right to the edge of the dry land, was partitioned off by a palisade that looked brand new. Roughly halfway along it was a gap wide enough for four carts, through which the City Watch was letting the next lorries through. Behind the barrier, there was relative calm. Only the carts continued to glide lazily towards their destinations, and the few pedestrians went their own way, paying no attention to anything.
The tower on the right turned out to be part of a larger structure. Further on, towards the city, a low wall branched off from it, enclosing a large area divided into passages just wide enough for a single wagon. There, the wagons heading towards Atlantis split up in an orderly fashion and waited to be inspected by city officials. Watchmen stationed on raised platforms kept a close watch on everything. There was only one exit from the square, which was blocked by officials dressed in purple uniforms. It was impossible to enter the city without presenting stamped documents confirming payment of customs duties.
In addition to the customs control centre, slightly behind the tower, a single-storey building with tall windows had been added; above its entrance hung a sign bearing the large inscription PORT CAPTAIN'S OFFICE. Soldiers in navy blue uniforms were constantly milling about the door. As Kei casually informed the dragon, they were members of the Atlantis Navy. They all seemed strangely distinguished and somewhat haughty. It was hard to say why Draco perceived them that way.
The whole group headed towards the entrance to the warehouse area. As it turned out, getting past the palisade wasn't all that easy, and it took James a good ten minutes to explain why they were there, what for, and who they were going to see. As they passed the Watchman, he continued to eye them suspiciously. Only the soldiers from Ed'heer seemed not to care. Here they could walk faster and closer together. James grumbled under his breath the whole time about the new checks.
All the warehouses looked exactly alike, as if they'd been built to a single design. Single-storey, with six-metre-high walls, small windows set almost right up to the roof, and an entrance wide enough for two carts. Each building was surrounded by a road just wide enough for a single horse-drawn cart, whilst every other one was wider so that two wagons could pass each other. The warehouses stretched one after another towards the town. In the orderly rows of buildings, it was difficult to find a specific one if you didn't know exactly where it was. Luckily, they had James with them; otherwise, they wouldn't have known where to go.
The elf led them between the warehouses situated quite close to the Captain of the Port's office and a little further inland. Finally, he stopped in front of one of the buildings and knocked firmly on the door. Someone must have been bustling about inside, as the sounds of crates being moved and heavy labour could be heard from within. Nothing else happened, so James banged on the door again.
Inside, someone shouted, and after a moment the door swung open before them. A weary porter appeared in the doorway, wearing a stained shirt and sporting a rather unfriendly expression. He looked annoyed at having his work interrupted.
'What is it?' he said with a thick accent from the far south.
'I'm looking for Mr Debroth.' James tried to peer inside the warehouse, but the porter was effectively blocking the entrance. 'We had an appointment.'
The man first sized up the elf, then the soldiers and Draco. Whilst his expression didn't change with the first, he hesitated with the others. He thought for a brief moment.
'Wait here,' he said to the blacksmith's apprentice. 'You honoured ones as well,' he added, addressing the dragon in particular.
The warehouse door closed.
'You command respect,' Kei joked, pretending to look at the reptile with surprise.
'Not me, just the crest,' Draco corrected, glancing at his shoulder.
'Whatever, he can believe what he likes.' James looked resigned. 'I thought it would be quick, but I'd probably have been arguing with that bloke for the next half hour. I've had enough for today,' he added wearily.
'Didn't you get a letter from Master Vittoro?' asked Forth, looking around, though nothing was happening in the immediate vicinity.
'No, I don't think he expected there to be such problems here.' James spread his hands. 'And not just at the entrance to the storerooms, but even here.'
The door opened again, but this time a short goblin stood in the doorway. Short, wiry, with dark green skin and large, protruding ears. On his head was a small tuft of pastel-brown hair. His face, furrowed with wrinkles, betrayed little emotion, though his rust-coloured eyes, darting quickly from person to person, seemed cold and calculating. He was dressed rather richly, in a robe trimmed with gold thread, and held a slender cane with a handle shaped like a clenched fist.
'I was hoping to meet Master Vittorio,' he stated bluntly. The goblin's voice was harsh and unpleasant, and the added arrogance in his tone only made the first impression worse.
'Good morning, Mr Debroth,' James tried to be as polite as possible. 'Unfortunately, my master is currently occupied with other matters of the utmost urgency. At his request, I have come to inspect the goods we ordered from you.'
The goblin shot the elf another disapproving glance, this time also taking an interest in who else had deigned to disturb him.
'I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you, young master.' The merchant perked up. He seemed to recognise the crest on Draco's shoulder. 'I am Syneghis Debroth, a small-time trader and a helpful assistant to my most valued customers.' He bowed, simultaneously pushing James aside. 'I specialize in procuring materials that no one else can obtain.'
'Draco Ignis, apprentice to Earl Darius Bleist.' The dragon tried to infuse his words with a touch of superiority.
The goblin took a step forward, as if to greet him, but Kei almost accidentally blocked his path. The merchant blinked rapidly a few times and hid his displeasure behind a brief fit of coughing.
'I am immensely pleased to welcome such a distinguished guest to my warehouse.' Debroth bowed again and gestured towards the door. 'Please come in; it may not be a palace, but believe me, I know how to look after my guests.'
Draco didn't reply; he simply walked inside. The werewolf slipped in right behind him, followed by Ari. The merchant hurried after them and set about showing them round. And there was plenty to see. The warehouse didn't look as ordinary as it did from the outside. On either side of the entrance stood piles of plain crates, intended to block the view of the rest of the interior. The hall seemed empty, save for the neatly arranged lacquered wooden crates of various sizes. Each was placed on a wooden pedestal covered with thick, dark green fabric. All around, along the walls of the warehouse, stood guards at regular intervals. Each of them looked dangerous, and Draco could have sworn that at least two of them were dragons.
'That's perfect timing; a new shipment has just arrived today.' The goblin stepped in front of them and began leading them towards several chests placed to one side, close together. 'These are truly exceptional items.'
'Mr Debroth.' James tried to draw attention to himself. 'I'd like to check the goods.
'You'll be enchanted, young master.' The merchant continued, paying no heed to the elf.
'Mr Debroth.' The long-eared one tried again, this time in a slightly irritated tone and louder.
'Yes?' The goblin shot a sidelong glance at the young blacksmith's apprentice.
'The shipment. I wanted to check it.' James had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying anything else.
Draco watched them both. He hadn't liked the merchant from the start, but his attitude towards the dragon's friend only made that impression worse. However, it seemed that the elf, though annoyed, didn't mind being ignored by the goblin.
'Hans!', Debroth shouted towards the pile of crates near the entrance.
'Yes, sir?' From behind the barrier blocking the view emerged a dwarf in a quilted tunic, with a monocle over his right eye and a neatly braided chestnut beard, in which silver ornaments glinted.
'Show Mr Lancaster Master Vittoro's order. Let him confirm that everything is correct.' And once again, the goblin turned towards the dragon. Out of the corner of his eye, Draco noticed that James breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he realised he couldn't expect any further attention from the merchant.
'Follow me, I'm sure there's something that will interest you, young master.' The goblin smiled artificially.
Resigned, Draco let himself be led on, whilst James walked off with the dwarf to attend to his own business. Debroth very quickly found himself by the displayed chests and began to open one of them.
'That's an interesting find; you don't see many like this.' The lid swung open, revealing a dwarven warhammer. It looked quite old, but the runes covering it still sent a shiver down his spine. The weapon looked well-maintained, though it also bore plenty of signs of use. 'A 15th-century officer's hammer forged in the smithies of Lower Abbis. It has seen more than a few battles.'
'I don't think this is really my cup of tea,' Draco remarked casually, giving Gler'thys's head a rather suggestive pat. 'Though I must admit, it's quite an interesting... exhibit.'
'Yes, yes. Of course.' The goblin persisted in his efforts and was already opening another chest, this time a smaller one.
'A necklace with a medium-sized alchemical crystal.' He pointed to the object inside the container. Indeed, the golden trinket looked intriguing. The medallion, made of precious metal, encircled a turquoise stone with a delicate mesh adorned with additional symbols in a language the dragon did not recognise. Runic symbols were also engraved on the crystal itself, and within it flickered a faint light that occasionally formed a circle of a complex spell. 'It comes from the East; it was found in the ruins of the temple of the goddess Inui in the Tianshan Mountains. A very valuable artefact, especially for lovers of the history of magic. Perfect as a gift,' suggested Debroth.
'Is it active?' Draco leaned slightly over the necklace and tried to make out something inside the crystal.
'Absolutely, it is,' the goblin visibly delighted in the magic apprentice's interest. 'We haven't yet managed to uncover what secrets it holds, but I assure you it is completely safe. The specialists I work with have assured me of this.'
'Owning an amulet with an unknown function can be risky,' muttered the dragon, thinking more of his own incompatibility with certain types of magic than of the dangers that might arise from activating an unknown spell.
'In that case, perhaps this will interest the young master more.' Debroth opened another chest. 'A beautifully crafted, carved music box, playing a moving melody. Goblin work.' Indeed, the little box lying on the lining was beautiful, painted with floral patterns that beguiled the eye, making them seem to undulate. Here and there, some creatures seemed to peer out from behind the design, but they were hard to make out. After a closer look, Draco concluded that the music box really was magical, and not just metaphorically. The patterns not only created optical illusions, but actually moved. The creatures hidden behind the thick foliage only after a moment began to peer out from their hiding places with interest, before later emerging and stretching out in plain sight. When the goblin reached for the music box, all the creatures fled and hid behind the painted foliage. Debroth opened the little box and a nostalgic melody flowed from it. For a moment, they stood and listened to the sound of the small device.
'All done.' James approached them unnoticed. 'The order matches the list I received from the master.'
'That's great.' Draco immediately seized the opportunity to slip away from the merchant. 'Mr Debroth, it was a pleasure to see your wares. I'm sure I'll pop in to see you again sometime.' He nodded to the goblin and turned to the elf. 'We've wasted too much time on all these checks.'
'I've got a few more...'
'Thank you very much, but we really must be off now.' The dragon smiled warmly at the merchant. 'Goodbye, Mr Debroth.' He said his goodbyes and hurried towards the exit.