‘Why would these sea traders choose such an inimical place to buy and sell slaves?’

‘Exactly because no one claims it,’ Tomash answered. ‘Trading elsewhere would mean abiding by the rules and lore of that place, paying taxes or fines or fees. And what settlement would invite visits by traders who were also slavers? At the Spit the only rule is that all payments and exchanges arranged that day must be finalised by dusk. But more than slaves are sold or bought at the Spit markets,’ he added. He glanced apologetically at Sarn who nodded for him to continue.

‘I mean, ships do go there primarily because of the slave trade, but although gold coin is the commonest mode of payment, certain fabrics and dyes, rare ferments, fine jewels, medicaments or drugs of various kinds and even special handiworks are also used as payment. Slavers can take some of these goods in payment, knowing they can make a profit from them in their own lands. Others take their payment in coin and then use some of that to buy goods.’

‘I presume temporary stalls with these wares are set up as in Templeport?’

Tomash huffed. ‘I forgot to say that food is sold as well. Not just for eating but food to replenish stores for the journey home. Apparently each ship used to carry what it needed for the entire journey, which meant less room for slaves or trade goods, and if a trip took longer than planned, the crew might well starve. But in time, ships from closer lands began to offer food for trade at the Spit, knowing they could sell it for a good deal more than in some more hospitable place.’

‘Tell me, if you can, why the slavemasters bothered going to the Spit when they have an enslaved population in the Red Land?’

‘There is nothing to suggest it in the research but my guess is that the Gadfians were in the habit of going to the Spit markets to buy and sell slaves before they ever knew the Red Land existed,’ Sarn said. ‘I think a storm blew one of their ships onto the Clouded Sea, which lies between the Spit and the Red Land, and they managed to blunder their way across it to the Red Land. Or maybe they followed a Redland ship, though I doubt the Redlanders would have gone to the Spit, for there was no slavery in the Red Land until the invasion. But however the Gadfians got there that first time, all the shipmaster needed to do was to keep an accurate record of the journey, and it could later have been used to make a map. The slavemasters then invaded and took over the Red Land. By all accounts the Red Queen was a civil woman and no doubt she had treated these slavers well while they connived with her consul to overthrow her. I do not know whether the consul had any notion that the slavers meant to take over the whole of the Red Land, but that is what happened. Once they had control, there would have been no reason for the slavemasters to bother with the Spit markets, save maybe to sell off the occasional load of troublesome slaves. Better to turn a profit, after all, than to simply kill rebellious Redlanders. But in recent times the slavemasters have been attending the Spit markets again, trying to buy as many young healthy male slaves as they can.’