Free The Book of Deacon by Joseph Lallo Page B

his shirt and the plank of a
counter, it had been his sole activity for some time. The sight of
a customer stirred him from his seat. The fellow had a head of wiry
gray hair that had grown wildly out of control. He was
exceptionally thin, but moved with considerable speed at the
prospect of a sale. He glanced past her to the closing door, but
when it shut without another customer, his eager look to a step
toward confusion.
    "Ah, hello, little lady. What can I do for
you?" he said, in a voice to match his withered features. "Have you
lost your way?"
    "Do you sell these weapons?" she asked.
    "I do," he assured her.
    "Then it would seem I have found my way," she
said.
    "I see. My apologies, miss. I don't get many
young ladies through here. Truth be told, haven't had many people
at all through here," he said.
    "Then I would think you would be happy to see
me," she said.
    "Oh, that I am, miss. As a matter of fact,
I've got just what you'll be wanting right here," he said.
    The feeble old man tottered to one of the
cases behind the counter, mumbling all the way.
    "Just the thing for dainty hands. Nice and
light . . . and small," he muttered.
    He hobbled back to the counter with a leather
pad with an array of small knives arranged on it. The eager
salesman placed it down, beside where Myranda had placed the
cloth-wrapped sword while he walked. The hidden prize drew a
curious glance from the old man.
    "Did I put this here?" he asked, scratching
his head.
    "No, sir, I did," she assured him.
    "Oh . . . why?" he asked, the years having
taken their toll on his mind, it would seem.
    "I would like to sell it to you," she
said.
    "Oh, well, we can settle that later," he
said, shifting quickly back to his sales pitch. "First, take a look
here. A stiletto, and a fine one, you can be sure of that. Nice and
thin, but tough. Toughest metal made. Won't bend, not one bit, you
can be sure of that. Someone tries to bother you, young lady, you
just put this little knife right through their ribs. Won't take
hardly any effort, you can be sure of that. Push it in right up to
the hilt. Won't have any trouble from that troublemaker any more,
you can be sure of that."
    "That is very nice, but I would really like
to show you this sword," Myranda said.
    "Now, now, miss, I am not in the habit of
picking up rusted relics from the public, even from those as lovely
as yourself," he said with a wink.
    Myranda weathered the unwelcome compliment
for the sake of the deal she hoped to make.
    "I think this sword will pique your
interest," she said.
    Myranda pulled the ragged cloth from her
prize and carefully watched the merchant's face. His eyes widened
briefly in astonishment, but dropped quickly back to their cool and
sullen state. Now the game would begin. Uncle Edward's advice often
echoed in the place of her mother's in Myranda's head, and when it
came to haggling, he had a wealth of advice to give: "The only
difference between a ten-copper price and a five is confidence. You
can give them the most unreasonable of prices, but if you are
confident about it, that price will not move an inch."
    For Myranda an additional requirement arose
that made her perhaps a bit less of a skilled bargainer. Certainly
confidence was essential--but, for Myranda, honesty was required
for confidence. She was an excellent liar, but she simply
functioned better with the truth on her side. As such, she had
become something of an artist at sculpting the truth into something
she could use.
    "Where does a little lady get such a big
sword?" asked the old man.
    "It was left to me by a very dear friend,"
she said. That soldier in the field had saved her by leaving the
sword. That made him a dear friend in her book.
    "So it is old, then . . ." he said, searching
for a reason to drop the price.
    "The age has no bearing. This blade is
immaculate and in perfect condition," she said, careful not to fall
for his trick.
    A few words crept up from her memory.
    "Note the clean edge and excellent