Icons of Greed
by Robyn L. Shaw


The first mate

woke Captain Sturn, shaking him heavily. As he rose, he held onto his head, which felt like a pile of rocks knocking into each other. Been drugged. Never drink more than a cup of wine during meals. After thinking, he asked, “What went wrong?”

“Last night during supper, the whole crew was drugged. While we were all out, someone cut all of the sail hoisting lines and escaped in a lifeboat,” the first mate replied. “He’s also knocked holes in the other boat to prevent us from going anywhere.”

The bushy haired, large framed sea captain cursed long and hard until he was interrupted by the first mate, who said, “I’ve assembled the men on deck for your orders and inspection.”

“Good man. At least we’ll find out who hurt my ship.” Captain Sturn then headed out on deck.

After roll call, the captain had eliminated it down to two men: Makas, a new crewmember taken on at Allegor, and the night watchman, Dirga.

“I don’t think it was Dirga,” one crewman said and gulped.

“I was swabbing the deck and saw a large pool of blood.”

Captain Strurn saw it and picked up a silvered chain. Dirga wore it to ward off storms, never taking it off for any reason, then ordered,"Now Dirga wore it to ward off storms, never taking it off for any reason, he thought, then ordered, "Now, we add murder to that bastard Makas’s list of crimes. Repair the lines.”

After completing this task, which took most of the day, the men rigged the sails and set course for Aspica in Sannovar. Seamaster Lord Bori greeted Captain Sturn after he disembarked.

Bori, an elderly man with small glasses, skipped the normal greetings after gauging Sturn’s pursed lips and beetled eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”

Sturn told him the whole story, ending with, “I need to notify a Council Investigator by messenger bird as soon as possible.”

“I may save you some time,” Bori replied. “Council Investigator Malume’s here on a visit.”

Captain Sturn smiled.

A man-at-arms found the middle aged, slightly plump Council Investigator Malume shopping for a new knife in Aspica’s marketplace. He approached and said, “Lord Bori wishes to see you, sir.”

“A short while,” Malume said, balancing the knife in his hand.

“Are you interested in buying?” the shopkeeper asked.

“Poor balance. Not suited for throwing,” Malume replied,placing it back on the counter. “Speak to your supplier.”

The shopkeeper made a face. “As a regular customer, I can proudly say these blades came straight from Treyvan Pass in Domin.”

Malume made a note of the mark. “Probably apprentices by the way these are balanced.”

At the end of the haggling, Malume headed to Lord Bori’s office with no knife, but a protest that he was starving the merchant’s family still rang in his ears.

He entered Lord Bori’s office and grinned. “Captain Sturn, it’s been an age since we last met.”

“Not since we studied under ‘Stubby’ Dirks together,” the captain agreed.

Lord Bori raised his eyes to the ceiling and gave off a gusty sigh. “Why does that name have to come up now?”

“Because he trained both of us,” Malume replied.

“And the source of all my woes comes from Allegore in Domin,” Captain Sturn replied and told his tale.

“Makas was very careful to strand you in Domin waters,” Malume noted. “I think he wanted an easy boat ride home.”

Lord Bori sighed. “I’ll sign the papers for the trip. Make sure Stubby hasn’t taken on any new roles.”

“That I will,” Malume replied as he and Captain Sturn left.

They arrived in Allegor a day later. “Stubby” Dirks greeted the pair and paced up and down the pier, stomping his wooden leg as he listened to the tale.

“Makas has been stealing things since he was a child,” Stubby explained, “mostly to gain the attention of his parents. I sent him to sea hoping it would straighten him out.”

“What did he steal?” Malume asked.

“Worthless stuff. The only reason people made a fuss was because of personal value,” he replied. “He also treasured his stolen items above all else. Wouldn’t tell me where they were hidden.”

“Do you have any ideas?” Malume asked, knowing Stubby knew his territory far better than anyone else.

“Well, I’ve eliminated it down to one spot,” Stubby replied.

Captain Sturn grinned. “You show us where it’s located, Stubby, and I’ll take you there.”

“Yes,” Malume replied. “It’s time Makas was caught.”

After sailing to the other side of Domin, they arrived at the cave, got into the lifeboats, and made for the shore. Malume silently led the group of picked men to the entrance.

Makas sat polishing a small cup. “Miss me?” he crooned to the object. “We shall never be parted again.”

“Don’t be so sure of that,” Malume replied, forcing Makas to turn in their direction. He clutched the cup harder as he stared at the intruders.

“You? How did you find me?” Makas muttered. “It must be Dirks. You shan’t take me from my babies.”

Malume asked, “Makas, why did you kill Dirga?”

Through a cold smile, he answered, “He wanted to take my babies.”

Stubby then said, “That’s the same answer you gave when you slashed that man in the arm five years ago. What goes here?”

“Your big mistake was sending me to sea. My babies always need me near to polish and protect them.”

Captain Sturn scoffed, “You talk as if you believe that bag of polished cups, jewelry, and whatever had a life of its own.”

Makas scowled. “They listen to me. That’s more than I can say for any human.”

He then went for Captain Sturn with a knife. Malume’s expertly thrown blade soon penetrated Makas’s leg.

Malume walked up to the thief curled up on the ground. “I’m really sorry, but I need you alive to face punishment.”

“Bundle up all of those objects,” Captain Sturn ordered.

“We’ll put them in your care, Stubby, so you can return them to their rightful owners.”

Makas watched as each of his babies was removed. When they came to collect him, a glazed look was in his eyes and he drooled.

“I’ve seen this before on the Island of Knowledge,” Malume said. “I don’t think he would feel the whip if it were applied.”

On the voyage back around Domin to Allegor, the sky was clear and the seas smooth with just enough wind to move the ship along at an even pace. As the sun dipped into the blue sea, Malume took Makas his evening meal. He opened the hatch to the prisoner’s hold, and at first, thought Makas was sleeping. Malume stretched out his hand to touch Makas. As he did, the body fell limp upon the cold deck.

The man-at-arms with Malume asked, “He? How could he? What did we do?”

The Council Investigator gave the guard a consoling look as he said, “What happened to Makas is nobody’s fault except his. When the items he put so much energy in to steal were taken from his possession, his greed – his need for them – reached out and took the life energy from his body.”

“Then what killed him?” the guard asked.

Malume went on, “Somewhere deep inside all of us is a monster that we choose to suppress, not answering to its greed. Makas chose to let that monster become a part of his mortal life, feeding its greed with the objects he stole. When the monster realized its feast was ended, it took the only other thing Makas had to give – his life. His love of his objects was the cause; his inborn greed was the precipitator, and his heart was the victim.”