Alamander was also in my employ on this trip, sitting in the back of the cart, ensuring the barrel of beer he had brought along wouldn’t fall loose, or so he had told us. I wanted to have him close by, in case there was any trouble. The plan was simple. By time our convoy reached Authos, the road to both cities would be finished. Hatha would split off and deliver the lumber to Harold, while I personally delivered the iron to Savannah. If everything went according to plan, both parties would be satisfied and then the trade route would be ready to show to the rest of the world. And if everything went off the rails? Well, that was why I had Alamander with me, just in case we needed to make a quick getaway.
It was a real pleasure to be able to admire the handiwork of such an intense amount of effort. My favorite part of finishing any major job was to see the end result up close and personal. As we rode across the wooden road, I could not help but marvel at how smooth the ride was. The horses had no problem pulling the load, the wheels were practically gliding along the ground, at least when compared to the state of the pathways before this. Trees had been cut down along the way, ensuring that the path was perfectly straight. The road itself was large enough for two wagons to ride, side by side. I wanted to be sure that if people were going to be using these roads for trade, that there was enough room for everyone.
I began to think of the potential of putting up Travel Lodges and rest stops for travelers here. Since the property was completely neutral, I would be free to purchase any plot of land I liked. In doing so, I could build more Taverns that would collect even more coin from the trade route. The possibilities were endless.
It took us two weeks to reach the borders of Savannah’s territory. A road had been constructed in her own property, to connect to ours. Just as I had been expecting, the workers had finished up my own road and greeted me on their long journey back home. Everyone had been instructed to simply do their work and stay as far away from both cities as possible. The last thing I needed was for hostages to be taken.
Hatha had departed to Harold’s property, taking the fork in the road that would lead to his village. It was risky, but Hatha knew how to handle herself. She was fully aware of the dangers that could spring up and was ready to escape at a moment’s notice.
“Is this it?” Alamander grunted as he climbed out of the back of the wagon. We had stopped just short of the border. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the great walls. “What a place.”
“One of the most prosperous, self-contained villages I’ve ever seen,” I said.
“Aren’t we going to go in?”
I hesitated at that question. This was tricky. She knew about my dealings with her husband. If she were angry but reasonable, we could work out the problem. But if I opted to stay back, in neutral territory, and force her to meet with me out here, it might show that I didn’t trust her. Which could then trigger even more wrath. I had played out the two scenarios in my head a few times, but in the end couldn’t figure out what to do. But I had Alamander, right?
“You sober?” I asked.
“Sober enough to bail us out when it goes south,” he mumbled. “You’d be surprised how little magic is affected by drinking.”
“Well, let’s not test your hypothesis on that,” I said, pulling him away from the keg of beer that he was trying to pry open. “Come on, let’s move it in.”
I directed the horses pulling our supply wagon to move towards the gates. The guards, who were well aware of my banner at this point, opened the steel barrier and allowed us entry. The streets were bustling with people, town criers were calling out new rule changes, and everything seemed just as I had left it. As if nothing had changed in the time I was gone.
“Now this is a village,” Alamander said, looking around to take in all the sights. “I wonder if they have a wizard.”
“Savannah knows a lot of magic, so be cautious,” I warned. “She might know counters to your spells.”
“It doesn’t work like that at all,” Alamander said. “Each school of magic is divinely oriented, they cannot interact. You can’t cancel another wizard’s spell. That’s absurd.”
My mind flashed to the boy wizard movies my nephew had loved to watch so much. I suppose they weren’t good sources for learning the rules to actual magic as I had thought. I shrugged at this revelation and focused on the greeting party waiting outside the castle.
Savannah and several other men were standing in wait for me. These men wore rough tunics and looked like day laborers. At least they weren’t wielding swords.
“Greetings,” I said, slowing the wagon down to a halt. “I come bearing iron.”
“As you should,” Savannah growled. Her body language indicated that she wasn’t too thrilled, but there was a reservation in her. She nodded to her men who quickly began to unpack the boxes. “Come, there is much you need to explain to me. And leave your wizard behind. He stinks of alcohol.”
“At least I don’t stink of the Surcus magic!” he shot back. I gave him the dirtiest look, which only elicited a chuckle. “You’re on your own, pal,” he said, climbing into the back of the wagon to open up the beer keg. “Her magic can’t do any harm. It’s all transportation oriented. Surcus is the worstest, as we used to say when we were kids.”
I wanted to argue with this point, but since Savannah’s irritation seemed to be mild at best, my gut told me that things weren’t so overblown. I followed after her, waiting for her to speak.
“I thought my deal with you was exclusive. I would provide security for the roads,” she said, her voice quiet and calm. “So I must know, are you really so greedy to seek out a deal with my greatest enemy? In spite of all the civility I showed you?”
“I understand your anger,” I said. “But I fail to see how this is my concern.”
This gave her moment to pause. She spun around, stopping in the middle of the castle entryway. “What do you mean?”
“We are trading partners. That much was clear. Everything we agreed upon was for trade. There was no discussion of alliance, or even really friendship. I owe you nothing more than the terms of our agreement.”
Savannah looked at me for a moment, a confusion falling across her. “But…he will destroy me. And then you get nothing.”
I shrugged. “I have hedged my bets appropriately. I apologize if you thought that a trade deal was choosing a side, but honestly I believe that this war is a fool’s endeavor. If you wish to kill one another, fine, but at least let someone make some money.”
“Is that how you see this conflict?” she asked, resuming her walk, taking me up the ramparts of the castle. We were still outside, standing on top of the castle walls, overlooking the entire city. She sighed and leaned forward. “I am not the one who started this war. I am a victim of my husband’s own greed and avarice.”
“So you say. But, and I mean all respect when I say this, Savannah, I have no way of knowing how true that is. Everyone thinks they are in the right, and even if they don’t, they’ll certainly claim to be.”
“What would it take for you to break your alliance with him then?”
“We are not allied. It is a trade agreement,” I corrected.
She waved her hand dismissively at that. “You know what I mean. I can pay you. You can even keep the Iron Mine. But if you give him what he wants, you’re killing me. You’re killing this city.”
“What he wants is for you to submit,” I said. “Vassalage, right? That hardly sounds like murder. Listen, I’m not here to judge or try to convince you to make peace, but if you’re that worried, you should probably just acquiesce before the siege engines arrive.”
“I’ll never give in to his demands!” she hissed.
I shrugged once again. “Very well. Then you continue to fight in this fruitless war. I’m not picking sides.”
“If I had known that, I wouldn’t have signed that contract,” Savannah grumbled.
“Do you want to know why you automatically assumed that I was on yo
ur side?” I asked. It might not have been the best idea, to start giving life advice to someone who had the power to send her guards after me, but I couldn’t resist. She needed some outside perspective if she was ever going to succeed in surviving this war.
Savannah looked at me and sighed again. “Tell me.”
“Because the last twenty years has shaped your views into an us-vs-them mentality. Since I was with you, you automatically assumed I was against them.”
“You have to think that way in a war.”
“But do you?” I asked. “Because you actually both want the same thing. You want to find your happiness, to find your fulfillment. But how you get to those things are so profoundly different, it’s sparked a war between you.”
“So what, you’re a shrink now? I thought you said you were a businessman.”
I laughed a little. “You have to know some of these things. The art of negotiation requires the recognition that everyone wants the same things. How we go about it is where all the suffering comes from. You aren’t ever going to get what you want in this war.”
“I want…” She trailed off for a moment then looked at me. “I just want to go back home.”
“And you need a kingdom to do that?” I asked.
“Its resources, yes,” she replied.
“Could you do with thirty percent less of those resources?” I asked. “Because that’s going to be the cost of finally getting home. The longer you’re fighting this war, the longer you stay distracted.”
“But I can’t let him win!”
“Why?” I pressed. I was really overstepping my bounds here, but I was seeing an opening. If I could get her to acquiesce, I could stop the war from worsening. A lot of lives would be spared.
“Because…I don’t know how to put it,” she said, shaking her head again. “He wants me to stay, and he’d rather keep me here and miserable than let me go on my way.”
“I thought as much. But he knows that he can’t keep you here. If you give him what he wants, you can push him to give you what you want.”
“So what? Surrender, become a vassal and then wait for him to order me to stop researching magic?”
I took a deep breath. “Would you like me to negotiate your peace?”
Savannah stood from her leaning position and looked at me. “What’s it to you? I thought you didn’t care?”
“I don’t care about sides, but I’m going to be honest. This war needs to end. Whoever wins, I don’t really care, but I do care about the lives that could be lost. About the damages done. When those siege engines are ready to go, your village will take a hit. Even if you fight back, it will be costly. Now, you two both seem prepared to pay those human costs, but as an outsider, I’m not too keen on seeing my trade partners hurt their own people so much.”
She nodded at that. “And you wouldn’t have the same emotional reactions as we do whenever we’re in the same room…”
“Let me broker a deal. I can get you both what you want,” I said. “As long as you’re willing to pay whatever it takes to really have a chance to go home.”
“Whatever it takes…” she whispered. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to be so…so humble. This man took the last twenty years of my life.”
“And you’re going to give him another twenty if you don’t do something,” I replied. “Just say yes. Give me carte blanche, anything that it takes to get peace.”
“Anything except for my money,” she said. “I need it for research. Magic is unbelievably the most expensive thing in Liora.”
“Of course, I understand your position,” I replied. “Do we have a deal?”
“Do I have a choice?” she asked.
“Not if you want to ever get back home.”
Chapter 29
I rode a noble steed, adorned in the noble garb that belonged to the House Savannah Nelson, accompanied by a few riders who carried the traditional banners of a diplomatic envoy. I was not speaking on behalf of Tine today, but rather, had been empowered with the full deal making abilities of Savannah herself. My goal was to negotiate peace with Euthos, no matter what it took.
Truthfully, I had been hoping for such an opportunity for quite some time. The fact that both sides now had unrestricted access to shipments from the outside meant that the war would no longer be in a stalemate. The idea that someone would lose brought panic out in Savannah. I wondered what it would bring out in Harold.
We rode to the imposing, spiked walls of Euthos. Archers lined up the walls, aiming their weapons at us, but recognized our flags and held their fire. To attack a diplomatic envoy would be a crime punished by the gods, and no one would dare to do such a thing. At least, until the envoy had completed their mission. There was no rule against killing them on the way out, however. This much Savannah had informed me as I was riding out.
The gates were opened and we were brought into the village. Immediately, I could see a stark contrast between the two villages. Authos was bustling and full of people trying to make a living, Euthos was a place only for war. Soldiers trained constantly, running through the yards in groups of nine, smiths worked out in the open, carefully forging weapons and armor. And in the center was a team of engineers carefully building their first siege engine.
Hatha was sitting by the engineers on her cart, happily eating what looked to be a cheesesteak. She waved at me, but paid no mind as we rode past, content to just rest. The long journey had been the longest she had ever undertaken, and no doubt she was relieved that Harold had received her well.
Euthos’ champion was standing outside, admiring his newest weapon of war as the engineers carefully put it together. He turned to face me and waved me over.
“Ahhhhh, there is the man of the hour!” he said. “I took a leap of faith with you, and you certainly delivered.”
“Your men work quick,” I said, dismounting the horse. Harold seemed to be in a great mood and was beaming at me.
“As they should! They’re eager to finally win this thing. You know a lot of these men and women have families on the other side. It’ll be nice to reunite them,” he said. He paused for a moment and looked at my clothes and then at the banners. “What’s this? You’re working a side job as a diplomat?”
I took a deep breath. I had overseen many mergers, many hostile takeovers and way too many conflict resolution sessions, but never had I handled peace between two warring villages. “I have come on behalf of Queen Savannah, as her lawfully and dutifully elected delegate,” I said. “She has recognized that the time has come for peace.”
“What in the hell?” Harold asked, squinting at me. “Are you for real? I mean, is she for real?”
“Indeed. I have been given the full power to negotiate on her behalf. If you would prefer to speak in a more private area, it would be best if we began these peace talks as quickly as possible.”
There was a glint of frustration on the man’s face, or was it disappointment? I couldn’t tell but he didn’t seem pleased with this news. Was he that much of a warmonger? Was he really so looking forward to the thrill of battle that the prospect of peace had disappointed him? I would have to exercise extreme caution moving forward. If he outright rejected any notion of peace, I had little doubt that I would not be leaving this village alive.
“Negotiations, eh?” he said. He looked around for a moment. “We don’t have a castle here, but I do have an office. Will that do?”
“Of course, just somewhere private,” I said.
Harold nodded and waved me on. I felt my heart begin to race as only the two of us made our way to the office in the corner of the village. There was a thrill to the idea that my words were representing the fate of two powerful entities. I was nervous, sure, but most of the time those butterflies are really just excitement for what lies ahead. This was going to be the negotiation of a lifetime.
We entered into what Harold had referred to as his office. In truth, it was more of a war room. There was a
large map of the region covering a table, complete with small red and blue flags and wooden carvings of soldiers upon them. It looked similar to a board game, except I knew for a fact that these pertained directly to real life.
Upon the wall was an even larger map of Liora, with markings made to display Harold’s brilliant plan to conquer most of the West, with enemies prioritized based on their size, strength and champion status. These were the plans of a man who truly wanted to conquer.
“Here we are,” Harold said, waving to a wooden stool by the war table. “Have a seat if you like.” He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
Instead of sitting, I opted to take a more casual stance, resting against the table itself and facing Harold eye to eye.
“So what is the meaning of this then?” he asked. “A negotiation for peace, what’s the catch?”
“It’s not an unconditional surrender,” I explained, “so the catch will be the terms.”
“Get on with it then, what are your terms?” Harold growled. Was he so bloodthirsty that the idea of surrender was disappointing to him? I was beginning to wonder what the long-term effects of trading with him would do to this country.
“They are as follows. The city of Authos agrees to surrender to your authority, opting to become a vassal state. This grants you the right to muster their troops, collect 30 percent of their wealth and assign new leaders should you see fit. However, you must sign a peace agreement and a guarantee with Queen Savannah that she be granted full safety and immunity from any law or decree that you pass while under control of the new state.”
“Immunity? I’m not going to kill her,” Harold remarked. I could see that he was relaxing now, upon realizing that this really was a surrender.
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