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He ht, and stopped before a large building A rectangular doorway gaped in the ray-skinned woman blocked it Her dark hair fell below her waist in thin dreads She looked at us with gold eyes, saw ular teeth

"Greetings, Dina"

"Greetings, saar ah Will the Merchant see me?"

"Nuan Cee always has time for you" Saar ah stepped aside "Coe square tiles, gray with the faeometric border, lined the floor and clirew here and there in ornate pots At the far wall, a long slit spilled water across tile and it ran down the twenty-foot wall to fall into a narrow basin with a soft splash

A low table, carved frolass, stood to the left, surrounded by comfortable, dark purple sofas Saar ah led us to it, smiled and showed her shark teeth, then went to stand by the wall We both re

"What is she?" Sean asked me quietly

"I’ve seen her people a couple of times, but they are reclusive and usually keep to their oorld I can tell you that for saar ah to serve a Merchant, she would have to be really good There are hundreds of vendors at the Baha-char, but only a few dozen of thenificant transactions and to become one, you have to have a fleet and show a lot of profit Soe shipoods Basically, if you want so you can’t readily buy on the street because it’s hard to find or you need it in a large quantity, you go to a Merchant"

"Anything I need to know about this particular Merchant?" Sean asked

"Nuan Cee is vain, fussy, and difficult" I glanced at saar ah "Anything I left out?"

A flash of shark teeth "Excitable"

"That too He is also rich and very respected, and if he can’t get what you’re looking for, then what you’re asking for is i to us and a little flattery never hurt

The gauzy lavender-and-blue curtain on the right parted, and a creature stepped into view He walked upright but stood barely four feet tall, including the six-inch lynx ears Short, silver-blue fur covered his fraolden rosettes on his back and fading to almost white on his stomach His face would’ve been feline if it weren’t for an elongated muzzle that resembled a fox’s snout He wore a silk apron and jewelry e round eyes were bright with vivid turquoise irises

He s sharp teeth "Dina Colanced at Sean "I see you have finally employed Saar ah"

"He is a friend," I told hiuard I areat Nuan Cee"

The Merchant smiled "I do like to converse with you You are always most pleasant" His furry face turned soures?"

"No"

He nodded "I have kept my ear to the wind but there are no answers, only whispers too vague to sense Should I hear so, I shall send word"

That ould be expensive, but I would pay for it, whatever the price ht be

"So how can this hu to purchase a clutch of Anansi pearls"

Nuan Cee leaned forward His eyes shone with predatory glee His lips parted, revealing carnivore fangs in a disturbing s to kiiill someone Who is it? Is it sohed like a cat sneezing and waved his paw-hands "Very good, very good, keep your secrets, keep, keep Now then, what have you brought in trade?"

I’d brought a couple of things My parents had traded with Nuan Cee; I’d watched theold and jewels old was just a metal that could be found on hundreds of worlds Nuan Cee wanted soend And to pay for Anansi pearls, that so had to be very special

Sean passed e bottles Each had a yellow label with a portrait of an older ar "Pappy Van Winkle’s fifteen-year-old Family Reserve bourbon Best small-batch bourbon in show at San Francisco’s World Spirits Nearly i trade, it wasn’t half-bad It had taken et the bourbon, and I knew for a fact that Nuan Cee kept up with the alcohol trade on dozens of planets This wasrare

Nuan Cee leaned forward, enthusiastic "Interesting Four pearls Five for you Your parent figures always brought enerous in their memory"

Five wouldn’t cut it He wanted the bourbon, but not nearly enough It was ti it did its job well enough

I reached into the backpack and extracted a small jar wrapped in bubble wrap I peeled the wrap off and set the jar on the table Nuan Cee peered at the viscous yellow fluid within

"What would this be?"

"A treasure" I leaned forward and moved the jar The ray of sun frolowed like old

Nuan Cee’s eyes sparked