This chapter is dedicated to TiaKisu as a Secret Santa gift. The little fleshback is inspired and at the same time a tribute to her story series Silent Joy
Merry Christmas TiaKisu!
oOo
The rumors and facts
Maeve looked with the satisfaction at the exemplary order that had prevailed on a massive wooden desk. It had taken her a while but the effect was fair. There was no mess, no parchments, no maps, nothing. Everything was on its place. Just like her, comfortably leaned back in the chair. She enjoyed the thought that this order will last intact by about another two weeks. Until Sinbad comes back and makes a chaos out of it again. But for now, it was a perfect harmony, a perfect workplace. She planned that she would use this evening to review some state documents.
With a cotton ribbon Maeve made a messy hair bun and she took a sip of carrot juice. This nectar was her way of surviving, with her pale Nordic skin in sunny Baghdad. She placed one of the parchment in front of her and started to study it. She was scanning the page but her thoughts were not allowing her to concentrate on what she was reading.
She felt a warm touch. She looked down to see their dog putting its fluffy white head on her laps. The pet could not find herself in the new situation.
"You miss Marina, don't you?" Maeve looked into the dog's sad eyes. "Come on, enjoy the perfect silence." She smiled and petted her sad friend.
The sorceress enjoyed the silence and the perfect neatness on the desk but deep inside she also missed her family. She would rather be with them but she badly needed it, needed the space to act. She tilted her head to the side and her thoughts wandered far away, to the Gryphon's Festival.
She had enjoyed it.
"Look!" Sinbad pointed out with his right hand at the sky, holding toddler Marina in his left arm.
The girl pressed her cheek to father's one to exactly follow the direction he was pointing. Seeing the flying creature she clapped her little hands. "It is there!"
"I told you. You did not believe me."
"How it is, that even the child doesn't believe in your fairytales?" Maeve snarled walking over to them with her arms crossed at her chest.
Sinbad smirked at her comment trying to catch her gaze but she quickly looked up at the sky avoiding it.
"And I think, you both do believe." He looked once again and this time, their eyes met. She could find a sparkle of a tease in his look but his smile was warm. Maeve wrinkled her nose in a offended respond but to change it also for a warm expression a moment later. She even smiled shyly when he turned back at the sky. She liked the picture. The small skinny arms braiding his neck, a storm of brown curls almost mingled with his hair and the two pairs of deeply blue eyes following the gryphon's flight. Amazing, how their daughter was very like him. They even were making the same faces.
Sinbad put his free arm around Maeve shoulders pressing her closer. She let him do that. She joined the picture which for her was such perfect one that not possible to be spoiled by any shadow of the past or by any too exposed neckline. She tucked a hair out of Marina's eye but the girl was so fascinated with the creature that did not even notice it. Maeve leaned her head at Sinbad's chest and laid her hand on his one resting on her shoulder. In the same time demonstrating her beautiful wedding ring in front of envious glance.
"No, I am only letting you think I do." Maeve finally whispered with doze of satisfaction.
Lost in her thought, Maeve was playing with the necklace, smiling to herself.
"My Lady!" The servant's voice snapped her out from her reverie. Maeve pushed the picture from the festival aside and looked up at the plump woman. "Maeve, My Lady, you have a guest. The banker - Abdul Hasib. Shall I let him in?"
The sorceress needed a few seconds for the spoken words to get their meaning. She was really surprised with every single one of them like also with the fact that actually such an announcement of her servant had just happened. After a moment of confusion she nodded at the plump woman. "Yes, I will receive him."
When the handmaiden disappeared out the door Maeve hesitantly rose from her chair. Thousands of thoughts in her head were waiting for the answer what was behind such an unobvious visit. And these answers were to be brought by a short and bony older man. A gray-haired old banker in long purple robes has just entered the room. Just from the doorway he bowed and greeted her with a smile. "My venerable Maevelynn"
"Abdul Hasib, please." Maeve also welcomed him with a smile. Abdul Hasid had always been a favorable person for them, caring for their interests and money. With a gesture of pointing at the table, she invited him to take a sit and followed him. "What brings The Head of Baghdad's Merchants Bank to my humble house?" She asked politely but not concealed by curiosity.
The old man took a sit and he put his old hands in front of him on the table. "Only the sincere intentions, My Lady." He looked into her eyes and the sorceress understood that the case is serious.
The plump handmaiden set two goblets in front of them and filled these with the water. Both Maeve and her guest nodded with a smile of polite thanks. "Thank you, Martha." And the woman disappeared leaving them alone. Maeve turned back at the banker.
The man sighed heavily, not wanting to keep her in suspense any longer. "I have come here because I believe you must know about something." Abdul Hasid started, concern sharpening his voice. "Today, the royal treasurer, Akram ordered making available the accounting books and giving him a view to all the transactions of all the merchants in the kingdom. The order was signed with the royal seal." He reported to her, without mincing words, as if he wanted to get it through himself as soon as possible.
Maeve puzzled, baffled by what she just had heard but she let the man to continue, reading from his eyes that it was just the begging of the story.
"He is infiltrating all the documents that bank possess, tracking all the operation and cruises…" he paused hesitating "including your husband's ones" The banker finally mused sadly.
Maeve swallowed hard in disbelief and pressed lips because her suspicions had just come true. That was how a silent war between the members of the royal council was loudly launched and signed with the Caliph's seal. The royal treasurer Akmar must have been involved in the smuggling crisis. She had been observing his actions for some time already, suspecting him of the corruption. But still having no evidence, she did not know what his role was in all this, nor could she proceed to further steps. Pursuing the thread to the ball, the sorceress had been slowly surrounding him. Without telling anyone, not even Sinbad. Her husband would never allow her to get involved in such intrigues. He always said that politics is worse than black magic and in case of Akmar she had admit there was something about that. Maeve would sense black powers immediately unfortunately she could not say the same about the corrupt politicians. Even if she had had her hunches for a long time, Akmar remained to her a book she couldn't read till the end. Sinbad wouldn't even let her to read the cover, so she had to keep him occupied with something else.
Maeve was aware it was not a safety game she was playing. She knew that Akmar would defend himself and strike, and that blow was about to come. Whatever plan was behind his infiltration of the bank, now Akmar had the view in their interests. Did not matter on how he wanted to use it, he was a few steps in front of her.
Maeve blinked at the old banker feeling lost. Feeling… cornered. Closing her eyes she was trying to sort out everything. "He knows our every transaction… He can read all our correspondence…"
She was counting what kind of documents are now in unintended hands. The merchant bank was not only a place to store money but also an institution that cares about the legality and documentation of the exchange of goods, like also took care of the correspondence flow and the cruises logs… She suddenly opened her eyes realizing it. Not knowing what she could already know, he was about to discover her plans regarding Perch Bay.
"He knows where Sinbad is going" She felt a shiver on her skin and her eyes again met the gaze of an old banker. The gaze which to her surprise was calm and which had a certain twinkle.
Abdul Hasid shook his head gently, he leaned forward and lowered his voice as if he was afraid that someone was overhearing them. "Not exactly…"
Maeve frowned at the old man being totally lost. And she felt even more confused, seeing how he is smiling shyly.
"We did not registered the very last changes in the cruises. According to the books your husband is now on his way to Kepolo."
Maeve titled her head, letting his words to sink in. When she realized what he had just said, she wanted to hug that old little man. She still had the upper hand whatever it was supposed to mean.
"Can we keep it that way?" She asked like a child trying to hide a broken jug.
"Of course, that is why I am here. All your correspondence is also now redirected." Said the old banker and there was a note of satisfaction with the conspiracy in his voice.
"I don't know what to say…" Maeve spoke quietly, being really submissive.
"Say nothing my lady. Some may have forgotten what you and your husband have done for this kingdom but others still remember." He stated sincerely, referring to the events of years ago.
Maeve was trying to form a defense plan in her head. She had to somehow cover her tracks. She could not tell the Caliph yet. Not now that she was so close to unraveling. All her movements must remain confidential, as well as her expenses.
"I need to ask for more." Maeve started quietly and shyly. She knew she was asking for a lot and was dragging the old banker into her risky game. "Some of our current expenses… I'm gonna need a discrete loan"
The old man, however, answered her without hesitating. A small conspiratorial smirk appeared on his face.
"Of course, I will open an anonymous one."
"But this is may be a big amount" Maeve said in a low voice. Her words sounded almost like an apology. She lowered her gaze sheepishly. Being aware she is asking for a lot, she needed that help.
"I can give you some warranty in jewellery" She proposed desperately grabbing the gold bracelet on her hand. But before she could remove the ornament, she felt a warm, wrinkled hand holding her back from that.
"It won't be necessary." Abdul Hasid said softly. "As I said some still remembers what debt this kingdom owes to you" Still smiling warmly, he took his hand back.
Maeve gave him a grateful look. "Thank you" She whispered softly, not knowing what else could she say.
"I am glad, I can help. We all hope the crisis will end soon." He stated. "Many merchants have already gone bankrupt."
"It is true that the crisis is painfully affecting all of us." Maeve confirmed sadly.
"Not all…" The old banker's sentence was shrouded in mystery again. She raised her eyebrow.
"Wildlife importers are not complaining."
If Maeve was disgusted with someone as much as with the slave traders, these were the wild animal importers. It was one of the many reasons why she had not joined her husband. The Perch Bay was full of them.
"They are never complaining"
"No, My Lady." Abdul Hasid corrected her. "I mean really, I haven't seen them doing so well for quite some time. Just like the mines of precious stones."
She looked at him with even more interest.
"Everyone who has any savings left is rushing to exchange them for stones."
"The stones will not lose their value in the price crisis?" Maeve asked, being puzzled.
"No, because the stones are easier to travel with when suddenly you need to do so."
OOo
After arranging a few more details in terms of the discrete loan Maeve asked for, Abdul Hasid left her with a new portion of revelations that needed to sink in. She was sitting like that alone with her thought for some time. From among the maze of suspicions, plans and various facts, the voice of the servant summoned her again.
"My Lady, you look so pale. Maybe you should eat something." She asked Maeve with motherly concern. "I have cooked a soup for you. It is not that spicy."
'Not the spicy' for Maeve meant, still as spicy as hell, but possible for her to eat. She had never used to Arabic cuisine. She smiled shaking her head.
"Thank you, Martha. I am not hungry."
"When you have been receiving your guest, the commissionaire from the palace was here."
"Anything for me?" Maeve raised an eyebrows.
"No, for miss Marina. The baklava." The servant shook her head.
"What?" Maeve asked, being surprised.
"With the message that it is her due for winning the race, from Prince Mehmet…" The woman answered. "…and from Prince Mustapha" She added trying to hide a cheerful grin.
Maeve just smiled to herself. She even managed to read the message already.
Being busy with cleaning the table and still smiling under her breath and avoifing Maeve's glance Martha was continued. "Some say our Miss Marina would be a perfect queen one day…"
The sorceress rolled her eyes at an old gossip woman. "Martha, at least you don't keep repeating such nonsense."
The handmaiden accepted the reprimand but she knew hers anyway. Trying to get out of it, she brought a conversation on a different topic. "Prince Mustapha will be a great ruler anyway. Much better than his father, they say. Under his reign there would not been such a deep crisis like we have now. Everything is so expensive and shops are getting bankrupt one by one. A bread seller from the northern part of the city closed his stall and left Baghdad last week." A plum lady was speaking the words like shooting. "And yesterday on the market the tax collectors took all the money from the woman who traded flowers."
"The tax collectors?" Maeve raised an eyebrow again. Something caught her attention in this unbelievable flow of words.
"Yes, My Lady I swear, I saw it myself. The royal tax collectors. They left her without a cent and with no flowers."
The sorceress narrowed her eyes. She was trying to learn this new puzzle piece.
"But I hope You, My Lady will bring the end to that crisis soon. Like you always do."
Maeve only nodded. Not knowing what to think about all these. "I hope so, too, Martha. I hope so, too."
There was a moment of silence in the room. Maeve was trying cope her thoughts. The handmaiden watched her with interest and concern.
"Maybe I will prepare you a hot bath?"
She did not need a bath. She needed to stay alone with her thoughts.
"Thank you, Martha. I think, you can go home." Maeve proposed politely. "And please, take the baklava for you grandchildren."
"Thank you, My Lady. Thank you." Martha bowed gratefully and left Maeve alone.
Alone with all the revelations of today. She had to sort it all out and plan her steps wisely.