by Allan Joyal
The pompous merchant who had pushed his way to the front glared at me. I waited silently until he turned and stomped over to the sled. Once he was out of the way, a young man dressed in well-made, but plain robes scurried forward.
Chapter 11: Closing the Trading Window
The young man looked nervous. “Good sir,” he said. “I hear you need seeds to help found your settlement.”
The man had a pack on. He slipped his left arm out of the straps and swung it around to the front. He used his left hand to release the strap holding the pack closed and pulled out a couple of small casks. “I have wheat and rice seeds,” he said. “I brought these as samples, but I can offer two full barrels of each in addition to these casks. However, only the casks have magic seals on them.”
I nodded. “I’m definitely interested in the barrels; are you willing to wait for me to talk to the other merchants?”
The man frowned, but then looked back across the river. I could see a number of people on the far shore. I man appeared to be looking for someone. After a moment he nodded and turned back to me. “I can wait,” he affirmed.
I waved Jeff over. He and Verval had remained standing on the raft. Once he was by me, I put my right hand on his elbow and led him a short distance up the trail leading to the bluff. “Talk to the man and see what he wants,” I said. “I’d prefer to pay no more than two silver for all his seeds, but we can probably go three. It depends on how much is left after the other trades.”
Jeff nodded and looked for the plain-dressed merchant. The man had walked over by the shore and found a bare rock to sit on. I noticed that the man was shaking.
Jeff stepped away from me and the pompous merchant immediately shouted. “I have a man waiting for this trade,” he said scornfully. “Can we deal with selling this sled? I assure you that I’m the only source in town for some goods you want.”
I sighed and walked over. Three merchants were standing near the sled. One of the other was kneeling down and examining the wheels that had been mounted. “Who did this?” he asked.
“We had an opportunity to befriend the dwarves of Clan Skyve,” I said. “They heard about our journey across Jord and offered to help us. Part of that help required that we take this sled through the tunnels under the plains. They installed the wheels to allow that.”
“And you aren’t keeping it?” the pompous merchant said scornfully.
“On a road it’s great, but we are planning on traveling to the East, where there are no roads. The small wheels would impede us more than they help,” I said firmly. “But it’s valuable, so I figured I should get something for it.”
“Quite valuable,” the third merchant said. He had been the one to protest the pompous merchants demand that I conduct the trade for the sled immediately.
“Well,” I said. “We only have one sled and there are three of you. I don’t want to turn this into an auction. The best I can suggest is that you decide what you are willing to pay. Each of you can come up to me with your offer, and I’ll select the best one.”
“That’s unfair!” the pompous merchant squawked. “If I don’t know what they offered I might be outbid for it!”
“Make your best offer,” I said. “We have a lot of trading to do, and I can’t spend the time allowing the three of you to keep making counteroffers.”
The other two merchants smiled. The one who had been examining the wheels reached out and grabbed the pompous merchant. “Give it up Wrektor. He’s got the right idea. We all know what we think we can get for the sled in trade, so just put together your best offer.”
The merchants each stepped away. All three of them had porters with them. The pompous merchant just glared as his man, but the other two began involved discussions with their servants.
As the men continued to work, one of the other merchants walked up to me. “Do you need tools?” he asked.
I sighed. “We plan on establishing a settlement far from any existing one, so we’ll need to be able to make and repair everything. We need all kinds of tools. We have a couple sets of farming tools and some good carpentry tools, but we hope to be able to do some metal work. More farming and carpentry tools would we welcome.”
“Is that all?” the merchant asked.
I shrugged. “We could use stone working tools. We considered a set of mill stones, but we can’t afford to carry that much weight.”
The merchant smiled. “Ah, I think I can really help. I have some contacts with the dwarves of Clan Forbsel. They handle a lot of metal and stonework. Sometime in the past they provided a set of stone cutting tools. I can trade that, a small anvil, three sets of forceps for holding metal being hammered, and one finishing hammer for two gold.”
“Too rich,” I said. “One gold.”
“I can’t give it away,” the man complained.
“I only have so much gold,” I pointed out. “At least until the end when we can trade away the raft.”
“You are going to trade the raft?” the merchant asked.
“Once we are done with our trading and start heading into the plains, the raft will no longer be of use. But until then we need it so we can move goods and people across the river,” I replied.
“What I offered, a set of wood chisels, and a small mill stone set if I get the raft when you leave,” the merchant said.
“We can’t move a mill stone,” I pointed out.
“A small one. It’s about the size of a wagon wheel and thinner than you might expect, but it works well,” the man said. “It was carved by Clan Forbsel.”
“Done,” I said. “Stick around and we’ll work out how to get the raft to you.”
The merchant smiled and walked back over to the raft. He was looking at it a bit more closely at the raft as one of the three merchants who had been looking at the sled ran over to me. He nodded up the trail.
“Can we walk a bit?” he asked.
“A short distance up the trail,” I said as I turned and started heading that way. I only took about thirty steps before I stopped and turned to look back down the trail. I could see the other two merchants involved in bidding for the sled were watching me intently.
“I wanted to be sure the others don’t hear,” the man said. “I’m going to make a big bid, but they could beat me easily if they tried.”
I nodded as the merchant continued. “I handle trade for some nearby farms and ranches. I can provide five cattle; four yearling females and a yearling bull. After that I’d add in a dozen goats, one being a ram. I can also add in two dozen rabbits. It will be a solid start if you can keep them alive.”
“Does this include cages for the rabbits and any fodder?” I asked.
The merchant nodded. “Three barrels of oats and six bales of good hay,” the man replied. “The rabbits would be in wooden transport crates. Some of my caravan’s use them so they don’t have to hunt. They’ve been able to keep a rabbit alive for sixty days or more.”
I nodded. “I still have to hear the others, and if you don’t win, I might be willing to offer silver for some of the animals.”
The merchant smiled. “I should have thought about asking for the raft, but I could not have afforded to beat that trade.”
I started walking back down the trail to the riverside. The pompous merchant took a couple steps toward me, but it was his other competitor who raced forward. “Twenty barrels of grain, a mix of wheat, rice and corn. Three barrels of tubers. Two shovels, three scythes, and seven hoes for farming. I’ll even throw in six spare harnesses to allow a mule to pull a plow.”
The pompous merchant snorted. “I see you didn’t offer a plow, Vendorl. And they need more than just a ton of food. How about weapons? I can give them three swords, two bows, and four hundred arrows.”
I looked right at the pompous merchant. “Interesting offer, but swords are not going to feed us or help us build once we get to our destination. So I have to decline. Your competitor there offers us food to help us while we travel and once we start to build.
That is worth far more to us. I’m going to take his offer.”
The pompous merchant spat at the ground. “Then I’m done here.”
I nodded and looked for Jeff. He was standing next to the one merchant who had offered seeds. The man had a forlorn expression on his face. “Jeff!” I called out. “Take any merchants wanting to head back to the city. I think some are done here.”
Jeff said something to the merchant who had offered seeds and then turned to walk to the raft. The pompous merchant, the one who had offered food and the one who was going to get the raft all hurried over. A moment later the forlorn merchant with the seeds stood up and followed the rest of the group.
That left three merchants still standing on the shore. One was the one who had offered livestock. He was frowning as I walked over to him. “I’m sorry, but the food with the tools was just too good an offer,” I said.
“It was,” the man admitted. “And in the long run it’s worth more than the petty amount Wrektor offered.”
“Swords tend to be overvalued,” I agreed. “I think we’ll have some gold I can offer for at least some of the livestock. If you can be patient and allow me to talk to these others.”
The merchant nodded. “I would welcome that.”
I nodded and looked at the other three merchants. One was frowning. When he realized I was looking, at him he stomped over to me. “What is this?” he yelled. “I’ve been lied to! You have no gold!”
I sighed and then reached into the coin pouch I kept. This merchant was another with a manservant. The porter had an almost embarrassed expression on his face as he stood behind his master.
The coin pouch had gotten a bit tangled, but I was able to extract a gold coin. I held it firmly in my left hand and raised it up between the merchant and me. “I believe this is a gold coin,” I stated. “What do you offer to trade for it? You’ve heard the kind of things I’m looking for, and I’ve already traded for.”
The merchant scowled and then stammered. “I mostly deal in cloth. I might have some flax seeds. Maybe some needles and thread. I’m sure I have some cloth.”
“A barrel of flax seeds would be welcome,” I said. “Needles and thread would definitely be something we are looking for, as would a few rolls of cloth. If you have any kind of spindle or spinning wheel, we could talk about that. We already have some sheep and will need to convert the wool into thread someday.”
The merchant looked even more confused. His servant tried to talk to him only to be brushed away. To my surprise the merchant turned and walked away shaking his head. The porter offered me a short bow and then followed his master to the riverside.
I looked at the last two merchants. They walked up together stopping a short distance away. The one standing on the right was shaking his head. “I’m just a wandering trader,” the man admitted. “I’ve been resting in the city because with the snows no one would have much to trade. I’m not sure what I can offer.”
“If you are a wandering trader, I’m sure you have cooking items,” I said. “And even small amounts of seeds or preserved food will go over well. If you have soap I wouldn’t say no to that.”
The man stroked his beard. “I do have four casks of seed. Two are for some kind of reddish soft gourd. One is for barley, and the last was supposedly alfalfa.”
I looked around for a moment. Heather had been talking to the family, but ran over and whispered in my ear. “That gourd sounds like it might be a tomato. That would be popular. We might be able to do pizza or pasta.”
“Two silver for all four casks?” I asked. “And what about the cooking items. We’ll take cauldrons, pots or even cooking grates.”
“Can I go back to my cart and see?” the merchant asked. “I have some things. And I’ll accept the two silver for the casks.”
I nodded. “Just wait at the riverside. Verval and Jeff will be bringing the raft back shortly.”
The merchant smiled and walked away, leaving me with one final merchant standing there. He frowned as he looked at me. “I’m mostly a seller of knives,” he admitted. “I might have some axes, but I have a deal with a couple of the blacksmiths who work for the farmers and others.”
I thought quickly. “Can you perhaps get us six spears and a plow? Those would be worth more than swords.”
“Spears?” the man asked.
“Easier to learn, and if you hold a tight formation they are more effective than swords,” I said. “Or at least that’s what someone once told me. He said more people were killed in wars by spears than by swords.”
The merchant seemed lost in thought. “Yes, I can probably do that. I might only have four full spears, but I know a blacksmith who should have some spearheads.”
“We have rivets so we should be able to attach them,” I replied. “One gold for the set?”
The merchant nodded. “I’ll go and get them.”
The merchant ran over to the shore. He seemed pleased by the trade. I checked for the raft and found that it was still at the far dock. Some of the merchants we had traded with were working with people on the shore to load the raft.
The only remaining merchant on this side of the river was the one with livestock. I walked over to the man. “I’m sorry I couldn’t accept your bid for the sled.”
He nodded. “The food is definitely more important. You got a fairly good deal too.”
“I do want the livestock if we can afford it, but funds are running low, and we probably want to get more food,” I said. “I can offer one gold and five silver.”
The merchant frowned. “I’ll admit that this time of year these are culls. A couple ranchers had too many animals survive, but they lost too much weight to be used for food. But I have to get some profit. One and ten?”
“One and seven,” I said. “That’s the limit I can offer at the moment.”
The merchant paused and then looked across the river. “I can make that work. It might be late tonight before I bring the animals here.”
“That will work. I’d have to call one of our shepherds to lead the animals to our flock,” I said. “And thank you for your time.”
The merchant nodded and then walked to join the other three. As he walked away Hencktor walked up. He was escorting the three urchins I had seen on the raft. As they approached I realized that these were young adults of probably eighteen years. Even more surprising was the swelling on the chest of one of the trio. I looked her in the eyes. She had a haunted look as she approached me.
Hencktor got the trio to line up. The female was on the left, as far from Hencktor as she could manage. “Ron,” Hencktor said. “I’d like to introduce Borlan, Trexco, and Joel. They have asked if we would consent to have them join our expedition.”
I scratched my chin. The roughness reminded me that I had not shaved for a couple of days and probably looked intimidating to the trio. “We can use more people to help with things,” I admitted. “But food is going to be tight. And once we do get set up they have to be willing to work.”
To my surprise the female stepped forward. “I have no fear of work,” she snarled in a deep and husky voice. “But the whole reason I want to join is that I’m starving in Saraloncto. There are no jobs.”
“Do you have skills…” I paused, as I was unsure of her name.
“Joel,” the girl supplied. “My family had a farm in a valley near Rockspire until slavers came. I tried to find work at the farms near here, but none will hire me for more than the harvest.”
“Have any experience with young trees?” I asked. “We have some seeds for trees and hope to include an orchard.”
The girl frowned. “Not really,” she admitted. “But I’m willing to learn.”
I looked up at the bluff. Lydia was still watching the raft and the merchants on the beach, but Aine was looking down at me. I waved to her. “Aine, get Natalie! One of these kids says they have experience on a farm. She’ll know what questions to ask.”
Aine nodded and disappeared from my vision as she headed
towards the camp. I looked back at Joel. “I’ve called for one of our members who knows a bit more about farming than I do. You’ll be asked a few more questions. If you want, you can wait just up the trail.”
Joel nodded and dashed away. Henck was watching her run up the trail so I looked back at the other two. “Do either of you want to go next?” I asked.
“I don’t,” the one on the left said. “Oh, I’m Borlan, he’s Trexco. We are from Saraloncto. My father was a weaver, and Trexco’s father had a small carting business. But our parents were ruined by some of the merchants who moved into town in the last few years.”
I looked at Trexco. He nodded. “My father couldn’t get anyone to hire him. Eventually, he had to sell our horses and then the carts. He’s still in town, but he’s down to one cart, and my brothers and sisters are hungry all the time.”
“Why don’t you find work and help support the family?” I asked.
“I tried, but there is no work,” Trexco said. I noticed that Borlan was nodding. “And when I talked to my father about this, he said he couldn’t accept the money I might make anyways. It was his idea that I ask if you would allow me to join your expedition.”
“You’ll probably never see your family again,” I said.
“I know,” Borlan said. “But when you are always hungry, you stop wanting to be around others who are hungry. I know a bit about weaving and making clothing. I can even mix dyes if you can find the herbs I require.”
I looked at Hencktor. The big man nodded. “I see,” I said slowly. “I’m not sure how much Hencktor explained, but I’m willing to allow you to stay here for a day or two. If you can adjust to how we do things, we’ll talk about you joining.”
The two men smiled. Borlan offered me his arm and I grasped his forearm as we shook hands. Hencktor then stepped up and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Come, I’ll take you up to the camp. Kariy probably has a stew going, and we can offer you some food.”
The group walked up the trail. I could see Heather accepting hugs from the three children who had crossed with the single father. He was kneeling on the riverbank. His shoulders shook as he clung to my wife. I glanced up at Lydia and she just offered me a thumbs up before looking back at the river.
