“That is a problem, you see,” Harold growled. “If she leaves, this whole thing goes to waste.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” I said.
Harold shrugged and walked over to the map of Liora, pointing to his own town. “Authos was created by the goddess Finsara, long ago. Finsara appointed Savannah as her champion, granting her the power over Authos. If a champion is killed by another champion, control of their original city is revoked by the controlling goddess, along with control of any city they founded.”
“Included Euthos…” I said. “Interesting.”
“The reason for this rule was to prevent champions from killing one another during conquest. While it’s perfectly fine to steal someone else’s land and their cities…”
“Killing a champion makes all the effort for naught.”
“The village goes back to their original state, a neutral village that’s only level one,” Harold said. “So, if killing a champion causes this to happen, who’s to say that if a champion were to leave the realm, it wouldn’t be the same effect? I can’t let Savannah go, because I already lost my own territory. If she leaves, Euthos might revert and then I’m done for.”
“So why not just take your territory back? Why focus on fighting her at all?”
“Because fighting her keeps her busy and distracted. If I had her locked in a dungeon, I could focus on building my army and taking my own lands back. But for now, I need to ensure that my own interests are secured.”
“So this is what all the fighting has been about?” I asked, almost incredulous. This was ridiculous, to say the least.
“Well, that and a supreme anger at one another,” Harold admitted. “I went into my marriage with her thinking that we’d be living together in this wonderful land. She never told me she was planning to go back home. I would rather die than go back to where I’m from. I’m a nobody back home. This place? I have true power. For her to hide that from me for years upon years…” Harold clenched his fist and shook his head. “I wanted her to see reason and to stay.”
“Are you still in love with her?” I asked, breaching all sense of appropriateness.
Harold laughed. “Hah, that died ten years ago. But my fears of her fleeing burn strong.”
“I understand your position,” I said. A question came to mind. “I must ask though, what happens when a champion dies of old age?”
“Old age?” Harold repeated. “What are you talking about?”
I merely shrugged, prompting a head tilt from the man. “Did your patron deity not tell you these things?” he asked.
“I can’t say she did, no,” I said. There was no reason for me to admit I was not chosen by the gods, especially when there seemed to be a strong rule against killing each other in order to preserve some level of peace in the realm.
“We don’t age here,” he said. “I’ve been this way since the day I arrived.”
Come to think of it, both Harold and Savannah did look pretty young to have been fighting in a twenty year long war.
“Interesting,” I said. “So…we can’t die?
“What, were you just dropped here on accident?” Harold asked. “These are things to ask your patron deity. Build a damn shrine. Yes, it might cost a bit of gold, but it clears up everything immensely.”
“Got it,” I said. “Let’s get back to the negotiations. The problem then is that you’re afraid of losing both villages, right?”
“Correct.”
“So, what if we made a simple condition of peace? Savannah is to refrain from returning to her own time period until after you have reconquered your home territory. Then you could transfer all resources there and not lose much.”
“But I would still lose two villages,” he said, crossing his arms. “And I don’t much care for that.”
“Are you really the kind of man who would force a woman away from her family for all eternity, just so you could own two nice villages?” I asked.
Harold tried to maintain a steely demeanor at that question, but I could see the weakness there. He wasn’t so cruel of a man in the least. “No, no I’m not.”
“You have plans to conquer, right? Taking the land from other champions?”
“Most of these attack plans are on neutral villages, actually,” he explained. “I’d rather not cross a champion for a long, long time.”
“Whatever, point is, when you conquer other villages, you gain control under your banner? So, you can use Euthos and Authos as a staging ground to get back on your feed, expand your empire and then take back your capital. How long would it take you?”
“To get my hometown back?” he asked, looking at the map. I realized that the plans on the board were not random attacks on different towns, but rather a means of carving a supply line straight to his homeland. “If everything goes as planned, less than two years.”
“Then she agrees to stay for three years,” I replied. “She is free to conduct her research as she pleases, but until those three years expires or you reacquire your capital, she stays here. You both agree to peace until the end of this three year period.”
Harold rubbed his chin. “I’m on board with this, I suppose. But I doubt she’ll agree to it.”
“She gave all rights of contract making to me. I speak as her voice today,” I said. “She doesn’t need to be here to make the deal.”
“What’s all this peace to you? Don’t tell me that you’re doing this out of the kindness of your heart?”
“I’d rather have both of you at peace,” I explained. “It would prevent any disruption in my trade route.”
“Is that all? No hidden agendas?”
“I am a man who only wishes to build a prosperous road to the west,” I replied. “And war between two gigantic vessels full of resources will only cause collateral damage. Merchants tend to avoid trading in war-torn areas as well, too many bandits who prey upon lawlessness.”
“Truly a man of business. Very well then, peace for three years, provided she stays until I am able to gain my capital back,” Harold said. “And I gain vassalage of Authos.”
“She stays for three years maximum,” I said. “That is the deal.”
“Fine, fine. She stays for the duration of the peace treaty,” Harold said, stretching his hand out. “Is it a deal?”
“This is a deal that requires more than a handshake,” I said, drawing out a pad of paper and a quill. “Everything must be spelled out to the letter.”
“Whatever,” Harold said, turning his attention to the table, beginning to move pieces around. “Write it all up then. It’s time this war ends, and an even greater one begins.”
Chapter 30
Savannah read over the terms that Harold had signed. I had signed the peace treaty as well, having been granted the authority to do whatever was necessary for peace to be ensured. The power of delegation had enabled me to do so, but now I watched in silence as the woman I had been representing went over the paperwork.
“Three years?” she groaned, putting the paperwork down and shaking her head. We were back in her study, sitting across from each other. “Three more miserable years?”
“Look at it this way, it’s three years or another twenty,” I replied.
“You did good on this,” Savannah said, sighing deeply. “You did real good.”
“I was able to figure out what he wanted and gave it to him, just like you’re getting what you wanted,” I said. “Everyone wins.”
“But you’re the one who wins most of all here,” she replied. “Getting us to play nice means you make a lot more money.”
I smiled at that. “Don’t think my heart doesn’t go out to your cause,” I said. “I truly believe everyone here wins.”
Savannah shrugged. “Are you keeping the Iron Mine?”
“It’s all yours,” I replied. “You were the one who bought it.”
“Good. I’ll need as much as I can get, just in case he goes
against his contract.”
“I thought you couldn’t break these contracts?”
Savannah shook her head. “You can, but there are penalties, namely falling out of grace from your patron deity. But I wouldn’t put it past him to…”
“To what? The only reason he wanted to keep you here was to ensure he would still have power,” I said. “You need to let this all go.”
“Let it go,” she scoffed. “Easy for you to say. You didn’t just roll over after twenty long years of fighting.”
“You didn’t roll over. You changed strategies,” I said, pointing to the large stack of books on the table. “Now you can read as many of those as you like, all day. You can find a way home.”
“I know, I know…I’m just disappointed,” she replied. “For so many reasons.”
“What did you hope was going to happen?” I asked.
Savannah shrugged. “I was hoping that he’d realize that…that he had done me wrong. That he’d at least apologize.”
I was hesitant to say any more on the subject. I was a negotiator, sure, but not a therapist or a counselor. “I’m afraid that, in the end, we have to make sacrifices. There’s a place for you in Tine, should you desire privacy in your studies.”
“No, no, I’m still running this village,” she replied. “For the next three years, and not a day more.”
“You think you’ll find the spell by then?”
“I should hope so,” Savannah said, standing and bowing to me. “I should really hope so.”
I signed over the rights to the mine to Savannah, then took my leave. Peace would reign between the two kingdoms for now, and with such peace, now I could set about my next serious goal: selling the trading rights to various other champions.
With both villages in exclusive trade deals with me, I was their representative, in a way. I could see all of their resources, then make deals as I saw fit. Once I signed off on a trade deal, I would collect a percentage of the fee per unit each time a shipment was made. I was a broker now, and it was wonderful.
My next series of challenges would be based around making connection with villages in the north and south, then convincing them to make deals with me. The main obstacle there would be the fact that the Tradesmen had blacklisted me, but the sheer amount of resources both Euthos and Authos had to offer would most likely make champions think twice about their dealings. And it didn’t hurt that my prices would be significantly lower.
And so, with my business in the west concluded, I returned back home. There was still much to do. Harold had plenty of orders that needed to be fulfilled, and most of which he needed I could not provide him. A map was drawn up in my office, a war-map of my own. These were battles of trade, and my targets were four villages and the city to the south, Manithor.
As I worked, Teresa came in, watching silently for a few minutes.
“What do you need?” I asked as I continued to work out my route. If I planned effectively, I’d be able to travel in a circuit.
“Word has reached Tine about the state of the Tradesmen,” she said.
This stopped me from my work and I turned around to face her. There was little joy in her expression. “Well?”
“They have managed to consolidate their forces and end whatever civil strife was affecting them. Their leader still sits in control.”
Of course, Tanders would find some way to escape his fate. This was most unfortunate. “He knows?”
“We received a delegation while you were away, well, more like an inquisition,” she explained. “They were asking around, trying to find if there was any link between you and Henderson Aims.”
“I hope they didn’t find anything,” I said, relieved that the drunken wizard had been with me during the trip.
“I was able to dissuade them from outright suspecting you, but they did deliver a series of demands,” Teresa explained. She reached into the satchel at her side and drew out a letter. Unfurling it, she read aloud. “In accordance with recent conflicts with the Tradesmen chapter of Igithor, these sanctions shall be imposed. Number one, all trade with Tine is barred from any member or contract-holder of the Tradesmen. Number two, the Western Road shall not be utilized by any member or contract-holder of the Tradesmen until this sanction is lifted. Number three, a tax shall be imposed upon Tine in the number of 300 gold pieces per week, for the duration of six months, as repayment for the grievous bodily harm inflicted upon members of the Tradesmen chapter of Igithor.”
“These are absolutely ridiculous,” I said, shaking my head. “How did they find out about the road?”
“How they noticed it so late in construction is the real miracle. You tore up 300 miles across the West,” Teresa said. “Did you think no one would notice?”
“I suppose I was hoping they’d stay distracted.”
“So what are we to do about these sanctions?”
“Even if we could pay, we’re not going to,” I replied.
“They are counting on your resistance. Refusal to pay would give them just cause to invade Tine,” she replied.
“We can erect a mercenary force to fend them off,” I said. The expression on my diplomat’s face did not change one bit.
“If you wish. But they have infinitely more resources than we do,” she replied. “A long, protracted war will cost us everything and them nothing. Besides, if Tanders believes you to have betrayed him, which is most likely true, he will stop at nothing to ensure your village is taken away from you.”
“That is true…” I mumbled. “So what should I do?”
“My suggestion would be to send them what money you can, as a sign that you are willing to obey their sanctions,” she said. “In doing so, it will ease them off of you for a while. They’ll simply use the payments to deduct from our total, then charge us interest.”
“They wouldn’t attack?”
“Not if they think you’re paying. It’s more about the submission than the price,” she said. “Then, use that time to build the rest of your trade route.”
I gritted my teeth at the idea of having to temporarily pay the Tradesmen. I understood the wisdom behind her words, and knew that we were still very vulnerable to attack, but giving in now felt like losing. But I couldn’t go with my feelings on this, that much I knew. I could not allow my own pride to get in the way of Tine’s protection.
“We can afford to send them 100 a week, and nothing more,” I said. “Go to the chapter and negotiate those terms.”
“A wise decision,” she said, bowing to me. “It will ensure that we have all the time to prepare for the inevitable.”
“You really think they’d go to war with us?” I asked.
“I know they will,” Teresa replied, looking at me with a grim expression. “I know they will.”
Chapter 31
Four villages, one city. These were my only hope for building a wall around my own city. A wall’s basic cost was 1,000 gold, something far beyond what I could generate. With the payments going out to the Mercenary Lodge as well as the money heading straight to the Tradesmen, we were fairly poor and that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon. But, in my opinion, the hardest part of my mission was over. Building the road and securing peace granted me a tremendous amount of power, and now I could exercise that power to garner the funds necessary for the wall. Best of all, if I only sold a third of the resources Authos held, I would be able to get those funds.
My first stop was the larger, champion run village of Sitago. Sitago was entirely focused on magic. I realized this from the moment I spotted the nine Wizard’s Towers in the village. There was not a farm to be found, nor were there any industrial buildings. Only towers and temples. Was this a sign of a highly focused champion? Or a madman? Either way, I could work with it.
I was riding alone, for Teresa had business to handle in Igithor, and Alamander had turned himself invisible at the suggestion of him coming along with me. My only companion was Smiles, who seemed to hav
e no interest in entering Sitago of his own accord.
I struggled to urge him forward, but each time he would rear up and neigh. His rearing was not enough to throw me off, but certainly enough to suggest he would. Fortunately, Smiles was too lazy to follow through with his threats and instead planted all four hooves and refused to move further.
“Fine, have it your way,” I grumbled, climbing off the horse. “I was going to have them brush you in their stables.”
Smiles shook his head at me, not believing my lies. I waved at him dismissively, tied him to a nearby tree and made my way into the village.
As I walked along the empty streets, I noticed that several of the towers were glowing red at the very top, as if they were reacting to my presence. An elderly man stuck his head out the window of one of the towers.
“Go no further, lad!” he warned. “Or these babies will annihilate you where you stand.”
It looks like my horse was right to not just blindly dash into the town square. “I come in peace,” I said. “I am the Champion of Tine.”
“Peace or not, we can’t quite get these things to recognize outsiders just yet,” the old man said. “Just hang outside, I’ll get Yusuf.” He stuck his head back into the window and I backed up a few feet, causing the towers to slowly grow less red.
After a few minutes, a tall man, who was clearly of the Turkish nationality, emerged from a tower. He wore long blue robes and a tall, pointed hat with stars on them.
“The signs and symbols were right!” he said, as he approached, eagerly bowing to me. “The stars in the evening spoke of your arrival. A man with a great caravan, full of heavy wagons to sell me that which I need.”
That could be no coincidence. It would seem this man was quite skilled at seeing the future with his magic. I bowed back. “My name is Charles Morris, of Tine,” I said.
“Yusuf Avni, at your service,” he said, vigorously shaking my hand. He looked behind me and narrowed his eyes. “Are you hiding your heavy wagons somewhere?”
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