Enam wandered through his trading halls, personally inspecting the vast number of crates that filled his warehouse. His products were a reflection of both himself and his traders, so he held both himself to the highest standard. Both in appearance and demeanor. Not a spec of dirt besmirched his Agbada, a gift from the distant Yorubian tribes. This extended to his hair and beard, with both getting carefully groomed by his wives each morning. Gracefully he walked through his warehouses, greeting his merchants as he passed.
He watched as merchants and slaves moved around him, transporting and inspecting the latest goods which had arrived earlier that day. Trade was good, as evidenced by the detailed artistry he had commissioned for the walls. Primarily Islamic imagery filled most of the visible wall space, detailed with fine gold and white paint. While the beliefs of his colleagues generally leaned in the direction of Mecca, his own lay in the old ways of the Orisha*. His own family having direct ties with Aje**, as the Orisha often providing him with guidance or suggestions to further their family''s influence.
With the succession of the Songhai from the Mali Empire many generations ago, the Orisha still had a number of followers with in predominantly Muslim city, continuing to observe and guide the newly former nation. Displayed prominently, in both his residence and his stores, was a small statue of Aje. The carved figure watched over his traders and granted them her blessing for continued success. His peers at other institutions might secretly mock him for his more traditional beliefs, but none could question his success.
As he continued his daily inspection the voice of his patron whispered to him. It was a rare, but valued, occurrence. “A foreign woman is approaching the south entrance of Timbuktu; she goes by the name Victoria... They are not human, however they are peaceful... the other spirits have told of their great deeds... Reach out to them... they may prove useful to you... help them enter the city, as their appearance is quite different to the locals.” It was not unusual for Aje to make suggestions on trade goods, but unknown entities were something he had not encountered.
“Uba! Akanni!” He called out, quickly summoning two of his most trust worthy merchants. “There are guests arriving shortly at the city limits. I want you two to welcome the merchants, before bringing them directly to our stores.” Akanni was the first to arrive, swiftly weaving through the workers transporting goods. With each step Cowrie shells rattled, a sign of his prosperity. “Of course. What are their names and are they affiliated with any other merchants?” “Their leader is a foreign woman named Victoria; she has no affiliations with the neighboring lands.” Enam responded, conveying most of the little information had been revealed to him.
Uba, who tended to dress in a far less extravagant manner soon followed. “Do we know which country she originated from?” He asked, adjusting his kufi. “Her name doesn''t sound like a Malian or Congolese name, is she from a place further north than the Mamluk''s lands***? They must be from distant lands if a woman is leading a group.” Enam did not appreciate Uba''s statement, but understood that it was likely from his own faith and personal observations. There was unlikely any malice in the statement, but it was better made out of their guest''s ear shot. “Regardless of the case, I have it on good authority that they can be a valuable asset. Please... do not speak down to our guest when you converse with them.”
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When Enam saw the foreigners for the first time, it took a few seconds to process his guest''s appearance. While their hired bodyguards and translator carried the usual hallmarks of their region, having dark colored skin and clothing made from local materials, the foreigners were mostly out of place. Many of his workers openly stared at the newcomers, never having seen such complexion in their life****. They would regularly see some of the paler merchants who had crossed the vast deserts, but they shared similar appearance and dress due to the climate. Only the woman, who was likely the referenced Victoria, dressed in line with the local custom. Her niqab protecting her body from most of the sun''s rays.
After dispelling the growing crowd of onlookers, he was finally able to attend to his guests. “Welcome to our Trading House.” Enam warmly greeted, “I am Enam, the owner of this venture. You must have travelled a long way; I promise that your goods will be well looked after here.” Their translator had already stepped forward, followed by the young-looking woman and the warrior in religious attire. “Thank you for both your generosity and assistance in entering your magnificent city. I am Kahina, the translator for our group. This is Victoria and Arthur; both share the responsibility of leading our group.” The pair each bowing in some manner as to show respect.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
After partaking in the required formalities, Enam and Akanni had a chance to inspect the foreigner''s goods. In addition to the standard pots of gold and animal hides that were commonly brought up north due to their stable market value, Victoria also carried a large number of medicinal herbs that had already been expertly processed. The local doctor, who they kept nearby in case of emergency, quickly leapt to initiate the purchase the goods. Several of the plants were rare in their city and others were far larger than normal with exceptional quality.
The foreigner, despite her seemingly young age, was an experienced trader. Instead of exchanging the goods for whatever items caught her fancy, she instead sought more information about the region. While she had picked up on the more common trends, her casual probing questions about their trade revealed her true capabilities. Soon they moved their discussion for bartered payment towards his private room that he used to discuss trade away from any onlookers. Supervising his meeting room was an Aje mask, gifted to him from his ancestral home located far away in his family''s former nation. The Orisha''s presence and guidance was a key part of his family''s ongoing success, something which was not lost on him.
“We can recommend a number of products to exchange with your goods, depending on where you are travelling to.” Enam offered, gauging their intentions for personal and professional purposes. “Our group has two purposes coming here.” Stated their translator, calmly translating their works. “The primary one was learning of the culture and fauna of these lands, in the event of future trade routes. The second one was monetary, as Victoria was hired as a partial guide and acts as a merchant to maintain funds. They plan to stay here for ten days, before returning to the western coastline where they landed, a place still controlled by the Mali Empire. Once there half the party will depart for their homeland by boat, Victoria and her party will then look to cross the desert towards the lands of the Sultanate.”
“My family would be more than happy to host your delegation during your stay her and if you are willing to delay two days, our own merchants are travelling towards the border.” Enam stated, seeing a mutually beneficial exchange. “I will take the appropriate amount from our trade if you would like to join their group.” The trio had a muted conversation, spoken in a language far different than the tongues he was accustomed to hearing. Apprehension could be heard in the foreign woman''s voice, he had felt something like that in new merchants. However, there was something different about this occasion. It did not contain the hints of fear one would expect, rather there was a hint of secrecy about it.
“Do not worry little Adze” said a voice beside them. “You should be given some measure of privacy to drink your fill. Strange to hear a parasite practicing discretion and humility.” The voice was that of Aje. She had likely been listening in to their discussion, able to understand the flow of any language. Enam fell silent, as his backing had brought in a cursed creature into his halls. When he initially heard that his guest wasn''t human, Enam''s initial thought went to an Orisha from foreign lands or a lesser Malaikah. Instead, it was an active threat to all those in the city. She was something that could jeopardize his entire livelihood. The foreigners were similarly stunned by the oddly aggressive tone of the statement, only the adze held any semblance of composure.
“I didn''t believe your gods were children,” countered the adze. “Enam, shall we continue this conversation in a more mature environment?” He found that he could now understand the foreigner''s tongue without the need for a translator. Even with this knowledge he was unable to use this newfound skill, as the verbal jabs between the supernatural entities kept his mouth ajar. Enam looked to the translator who shared a similar expression, confused as to the sudden hostility.
Before it could escalate further, Aje''s laughter could be heard from behind her mask. “You don''t flinch, do ya? I scared away many potential husbands like that. The spirits told me of your run in with the scorpion, your initial actions made me question your worth. But you are not as weak willed as I was led to believe. Enam, don''t worry. She is essentially blessed by a Malaikah; you are safe with her around.” There was a collective sigh of relief as the Orisha''s test of character became clear.
“Enam, help these foreigners meet with scholars and medicine men during their stay here.” Aje ordered. “I will purchase any of the adze''s magical inventory and you can take a tenth as a commission. Place them on my statue and I will transfer them to my domain, you will find gold dust in its place.” Not wishing to upset his patron, Enam simply bowed and accepted the proposition. “Of course. Come, let us secure the items before the receive any unwanted attention.” It was a relief to know that their relationship would be fruitful, despite the headaches it would inevitably cause.