The young woman snorted with laughter and handed them the wine. 'And you'll keep owing him interest until the day he dies.' She pointed to the tables. 'Sit. I'll go and find you some food.'
They sat. Spiro took a pull at his wine cup. 'More water than wine.'
It tasted pretty good to Benito. 'So, what are you doing here, Spiro. Is this home?'
The Corfiote gestured expansively. 'This dump? Ha. Liapadhes is a great metropolis. Broad streets, wonderful tavernas. Wine like a young lion. As far from this place as the sun is from the earth.'
Benito was beginning to get the hang of Spiro by now. 'So it is just like this, is it?'
Spiro gave him a conspiratorial wink and took another pull of his wine. 'Two peas in a pod, really, except this has got a good defensive position. It's about a mile and half south.'
'How did you get home from Venice?'
Spiro raised his cup. 'A Dorma ship, thanks to you. I was with her all the way to Constantinople. I'd have stayed with her too, but when I got back to Corfu, on the return trip, there was a bit of family business I had to settle. A fellow had taken some liberties with my sister.' He swallowed half the contents of his cup at a go. 'So after I had thanked him very politely, I went back to Kerkira, but the ship had left. I couldn't come back to Liapadhes for a while. So I took a job with a fisherman. Taki drinks too much but he's a good skipper. Then this lot blew up. So I thought I'd come home. Only home seemed to be full of Hungarians. And you, Benito?'
Benito's ears had pricked up with the mention of the fisherman. 'Got sent out here to be a factor for Dorma. And then this war blew up. Look, this fisherman friend of yours. He wouldn't like to earn a bit of money? I really want out of here back to the Italian mainland.'
At this point, Anna the taverna keeper arrived with two earthenware platters, fragrant steam curling up from them. 'I had some of last night's
Spiro looked suspiciously at the plate of pearl onion-laced stew that she put in front of him. 'It hasn't got quinces in it again, has it? You know I hate quinces.'
She shook her head as she wiped her hands on her apron. Then she held out a hand to Benito. 'And that's why he ate three helpings.'
Benito handed over the silver. She looked at it very carefully. She was polite enough not to bite it in front of him. 'It seems real enough. You want more wine with that?'
Spiro drained his cup. 'Seems like a good idea. I'm not likely to get this lucky again in a hurry, and I don't see us fishing for a while yet. Which answers your question, Benito. The Dalmatian pirates sink any boat they can find. Even fishing boats.'
Benito waited for the taverna keeper to walk off. 'Even for a good bit of coin? Working at night?'
Spiro shrugged. 'I'll ask around. My old skipper Taki would be your best bet. He's up in the hills with his cousin Georgio. He's probably so sick of the old man and his goats that he'd be ready to try anything by now. I could get word to him. Some of the boys who go out with the goats would do anything for a few coppers.'
Wordlessly, Benito dug out a few copper coins and a silver penny. He held back the silver penny. 'That one is for finding somebody else. A whole bunch of them. Big guys with blond hair and a blond woman with them.'
Spiro stuck his hand out. 'I'll have the silver too, thanks. Easiest money I've ever earned. They're in a cave in a gorge about a mile and a half east of here.'
'What!' Benito started. 'Are you sure?'
Spiro grinned. 'Well, I was fairly sober when I heard about them. That's the trouble with being broke, you know. Do you want them alive or dead?' he asked around a mouthful of stew, still holding his hand out.
'Alive! Definitely alive!'
'Then you'd better get a move on. They stole some of Cheretis's goats and he's got all the men going out this morning. They're planning to burn them out.'
Benito knocked over the chair in his haste to get up. 'Come on! We must find Erik!' He hauled Spiro out of his seat.
'But I haven't finished eating! And the wine is still coming!'
'You want gold, not silver, you'll come and show us the way to this place as fast as possible.' Benito hustled him along, trying to think where he'd be most likely to find Erik. The stables perhaps?
'Where are you going?' yelled the taverna keeper. 'Here is your wine and your change. You haven't eaten your food!'
'We'll be back. Emergency!' yelled Benito.
Sure enough, Erik and Thalia were in the stable. Erik looked up as he and Spiro panted in. 'So nice of you to bother to come and help. Finished in the taverna I saw you going into?'
'Get the tack on those horses! We've got to move, now!'
Erik didn't waste time asking questions, before starting to do that. Neither did the suddenly wide-eyed Thalia. But as he worked, Erik asked what was up.
'Your precious Svanhild is about to get roasted for goat-stealing,' said Benito. 'Spiro here knows where they are.'
Erik didn't waste time on talk. But he worked at a pace that made lightning look as if it moved at a comparatively glacial speed. 'Up.' He hauled the one-time sailor onto the horse, behind him. Thalia was up and Benito struggled and scrambled behind her as they clattered for the gate. Erik nearly rode the stableman down. Benito almost fell off as the man used a pitchfork to make the horse decide to stop abruptly. 'You owe—'
Benito frantically dug out some money and flung it at him. 'We'll be back!' And then Thalia set off after Erik.
