by Pirateaba
“Really? The Guilds? No, wait—I see. I’ve heard of the Runner’s Guild, Adventurer’s Guild, the Merchant’s Guilds, and so on. How much power do they wield, politically and economically, I mean? Actually, do they have any standing forces of their own? And how would you compare that to the power of, oh, say, the average landed gentry, an average [Lord]?”
I hear Reynold gulp, but he replies quickly.
“The Guilds are a powerful force in any city, sir, although I would wager most [Lords] have just as much authority in their own way. Well, the average [Lord] doesn’t have the coin to match a large Guild, but he does have his own standing forces, and the Guilds usually don’t actively pick their battles. If it comes to blows they hire mercenaries or fight themselves if it’s the Adventurer or Runner’s Guild, but it’s rare for things to get that bad. Mostly, the worse that happens is someone gets assassinated, or finds themselves out of work or disgraced.”
“I see. Hm. So, correct me if I’m wrong, but a [Merchant] would have a bit of influence on their own, but only the most wealthy ones would be put on the same footing as one of the nobility. Is that right?”
“To an extent, sir. There’s an old saying in the north—‘even a [Shopkeeper] can sell a [Lord]’. The poorest [Trader] has friends, and they can boycott a [Lord] who’s wronged him, or lend money to a [Baroness] who needs it for a gala.”
Politics. I shake my head.
“Sounds like a mess. I had no idea it was this complicated around here.”
Ryoka comments sourly next to me. I’m in agreement with her.
“Is it like this everywhere, Reynold?”
“I do believe so. In Invrisil, First Landing—all the major cities have a hand in the politics of the continent, sir. [Lords] and [Ladies] of the Five Families maneuver with each other while [Shopkeepers] and [Merchants] play the same game on a smaller level. I’ve heard the Drakes in the south do much the same thing, although I’ve heard their version of things is far more direct and…material. But politics is the lifeblood of every continent.”
As in our world, so too in this. I incline my head in his direction.
“Well, thank you. That’s all I needed to know.”
So, if you’re a high-level person with a lot of coin—or you’re nobility, or you’re part of a big Guild you’re a mover and a shaker, but everyone else is subject to the power plays of the continent. I wonder what effect my actions might have, if any?
I stand up.
“If the Guilds have power, they’re the ones I need to go to. I was thinking of going to the Runner’s Guild—Ryoka, Durene tells me you look like a Runner. Do you know if they’d be able to get supplies out to Riverfarm? It’s a ways away, and I’d need a lot of supplies. I don’t think a few people can carry all that—how much would it cost to hire, say, fifty people? Or do the Runner’s Guild have wagons?”
“They’ve got bags of holding.”
I smile, delighted.
“No way. In that case, how fast could they travel, oh, thirty miles?”
Ryoka pauses.
“If you had the coin, you could have someone in Riverfarm within the hour I’ll bet. But…don’t go to the Runner’s Guild.”
“Why not?”
Gamel sounds astounded. It takes Ryoka another minute to reply.
“They’ve got bags of holding and they’re a lot faster, yeah. But if you need to buy supplies as well as have them delivered, the Merchant Guild might be able to cut you a better deal. They’re rivals with the Runners—they’re slow, but if you’re hiring protection as well, it’ll be cheaper.”
“Huh.”
Not something I’d expect to hear from a Runner, but I’m grateful for the advice. I smile around at everyone.
“I suppose that’s our destination, then. Durene, Gamel, we’re going to the Merchant’s Guild. I don’t suppose you’d like to join us, Ryoka, Reynold?”
“I am bound to escort Miss Ryoka wherever she travels. It would be my pleasure to accompany you if she so chooses.”
“…Yeah, I’ll go. I know where the Guild is—it’s a few blocks away from here.”
“I’ll help take Laken, Miss Ryoka.”
Durene’s voice comes from next to me. She sounds…a bit possessive. But Ryoka doesn’t budge.
“I’ve led blind people before.”
So saying, she takes my hand. I’m surprised, but I think quickly.
“It’s okay, Durene. I’ll walk with Ryoka for a bit. You can see the sights while we chat.”
“But—okay, Laken.”
I hear the hurt tone in Durene’s voice, but Ryoka pulls at my hand and then we’re off. It must be an odd sight as she leads me out of the plaza. I know Gamel, Reynold and Durene are keeping pace with us because I hear Reynold speaking to them, but then Ryoka begins talking.
“Is she your girlfriend or something?”
“Who?”
“The—Durene. She acts like you two are a couple.”
“We are a couple.”
“What?”
I speak sharply.
“Is there something wrong with that?”
Hesitation. Ryoka sounds guilty.
“No. I—damn it, sorry. I’m just surprised.”
I say nothing in response. After a moment, Ryoka sighs.
“Sorry. She seems protective. She nearly broke my fingers when I shook her hand.”
“Really?”
“She thinks I’m a threat.”
“You did come out of nowhere. And even if you are from my world, that doesn’t mean much to Durene.”
Ryoka pauses, and I nearly run into her. I sense her turn.
“You told her you’re from another world?”
“Of course. I trust her.”
“—Okay. Fine. Sure. You told her. Does anyone else know you’re from another world? That Gamel guy, for instance?”
“No. Have you told anyone? Why is that Reynold fellow following you about?”
“He’s a servant of Lady Magnolia. And she knows. In fact, she knows everything. Her servants followed me—they were probably listening to us when we spoke the first time, and they’re probably listening now. Keep that in mind.”
“I will. But if they’re, ah, ‘friends but spies’, should I trust them or not?”
“…I don’t know. Magnolia’s not evil, but she’s not nice either. She might not care you’re from another world—she’s found other people like us.”
“Really? How many? Where were they?”
Ryoka gives my hand a squeeze.
“Just a few. Looks like a few other people got pulled to this continent. Maybe we all got hit by a rogue spell or something. There are five or six kids around our age—maybe a few years younger. But that’s all I know.”
Another squeeze. I gently tighten my fingers to let her know I understand. So Magnolia knows a lot, but not everything? How many of us are there? Why are we here?
I guess that’s a bad topic, so I go back to Magnolia.
“What’s she like? If she hires [Butlers], can I assume she’s rich?”
“Oh yeah. She’s one of the Five Families—they’re the richest nobles on the continent. She’s a [Lady] with an army of servants, tons of magical artifacts, a magical horseless carriage…”
“Are you serious? First bags of holding, now magical automobiles—are you going to tell me adventurers run around with flaming swords and shields of wonder?”
“Hah. Close. Try flaming daggers. But seriously—watch out for Magnolia. She might appear friendly and nice, but she’s devious. Imagine her as a—a—do you, I mean, did you watch Game of Thrones back home?”
I twitch a bit, but keep walking.
“I did. Watch is a bit strong, but I did a lot of listening to audiobooks and I listened to some episodes with visual description turned on.”
“Then imagine her as a Daenerys except older.”
“Sort of like Cersei Lannister?”
“Sort of. But…smarter. Less arrogant. Daenerys is
a better analogy, especially given that she has one big thing in common with her. I mean, not as a mother, but a friend. And she’s twice as cunning as both Daenerys and Cersei put together—and she’s bold like Catelyn Stark, got it?”
“I get it. And she knows about you, or rather, us?”
“About everyone. She’s met people…like us, before. And she knows about one of my friends. Her name is Erin Solstice. She lives far south of here, in Liscor. She’s an [Innkeeper]…I’d like you to meet her sometime.”
“I’d be delighted. But I do have to help Riverfarm.”
“The village? Why? Because Durene lives there?”
“Yes. And because they’re good people. Well, fairly good. They’ll starve or die without help.”
“And you can do it?”
“I think so. I wasn’t expecting to meet someone from another world, though.”
“Neither was I. I just heard you speaking German and—look, I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this.”
I shrug fractionally.
“Politics. I’d get involved sooner or later, especially considering…well, let’s just say that having your friend here and learning a bit about the city might be helpful. If this Lady Magnolia really is a friend to the people, I think she’d approve of what we’re doing here.”
Ryoka’s quick pace falters. I hear her take a breath as people shout at a rude wagon driver ahead of us.
“About buying supplies. Do you need help with getting supplies for this village of yours? If you need coin I…damnit, I’ve got some, but—”
“I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Silence. Then Ryoka stops.
“I’ll try.”
I tap the ground experimentally with my walking stick, but feel no difference in the paving stone around me. Not that I really expected it.
“We’re in front of the Merchant’s Guild? How does it look?”
“Big. Fancy. They went all out on the architecture around here. Lots of gold paint.”
There’s a sneer in Ryoka’s voice. I hear the others catch up, and then Durene speaks.
“Laken! We’re in front of the Merchant’s Guild!”
Is it just me, or is she right between me and Ryoka? I smile up at her.
“I know. Ryoka, can you give us a second? I want to talk with Durene before we…”
“Got it. Hey Reynold, come over here.”
They retreat. I’m left alone with Durene and Gamel, although he’s standing further away. I whisper up to Durene.
“Do you not like Ryoka?”
“I—I don’t trust her, Laken. Are you sure she’s someone you know?”
“I think I can trust her. But tell me, is there anything I missed back in the plaza? When that man Reynold introduced himself, you and Gamel made a noise.”
“Yeah! When he was speaking he—he bowed to you, Laken! He bowed really low!”
“As one would to a…someone like me?”
“Someone like—oh, yeah!”
“Interesting. Don’t say anything about it for now, okay? It’s a secret. Tell Gamel that.”
“Okay Laken. But…”
I can practically see Durene’s face, upset with confusion and nerves.
“What’s going on? This is all so sudden! What are we going to do in the Merchant’s Guild, hire a bunch of wagons?”
“Close. I actually think we can get done most of what we need to while we’re in there. It’s going to be complex, Durene. But we can handle it. All you need to do is look impressive. I think you can do that.”
“But what should I do? I don’t know anything about—money or stuff like that. Are you sure I should come in with you?”
“What, and leave me alone? I need you, Durene. Will you come with me?”
“Yes.”
It’s a response without a second of hesitation behind it. Just one word, but it blows away my self-doubt and my own fears. I smile as Durene squeezes my hand with the utmost care. She’s with me, and she’s all the help I’ll need. How could I ask for more?
And yet, I have more. Gamel is right beside us, faithfully going along with all of this although he clearly doesn’t understand what I’m thinking. He trusts me. He’s loyal.
What an odd thought. But he is my subject and I’ll do right by him.
So it’s not Laken the confused guy who stops in front of the Merchant’s Guild, it’s Laken the [Emperor]. He’s listened and heard all of what’s going on and he has a good idea of the situation he’s in. And he has a plan.
I gesture for Gamel to come over, and we huddle together in front of the Merchant’s Guild as I explain what I want to do. Politics. [Lords] and [Ladies] and Guilds and [Merchants]. Well, I’m an [Emperor] so I trump all of them. I smile as I speak to my two followers, my two subjects, my two friends.
“Okay you two, here’s what we’re going to do. Durene, I want you to open the doors like this when we go in…”
—-
As the blind young man known as Laken stood with his two friends, Ryoka waiting a few feet down the street with Reynold. She pulled something out of her pocket—an iPhone—and tapped on the screen.
Ryoka glanced down at her iPhone and closed the encyclopedia app she had been using. It had been a long, long time since she’d last used it but she was glad to know that it could still work offline.
“Guess it’s not a waste of gigabytes after all.”
She tucked it away in her pocket and sighed. What a mess. She had no idea what Laken was about to do, but from the way the villager and half-Troll girl were reacting, it was going to be surprising.
“I have no idea what the hell is going on.”
“Ye never do.”
Ivolethe poked her head out of Ryoka’s belt pouch, chewing on a walnut. She was actually eating the shell as well as the nut itself. Ryoka eyed the small blue faerie. She wondered if Laken could hear Ivolethe like Erin. If so, that might be a better way of letting him know important details.
But what did he really need to know? Everything Ryoka knew about the other people scattered across the world, about Erin and the dangers of the Antinium and so on—that was for a much longer conversation, later. Right now she could only trust he wouldn’t blurt out anything important.
She didn’t think he would, honestly. She was surprised by how fast he’d caught on to everything.
“At least I got the message to him. Thank god for monoglottism in this world.”
Ryoka saw Ivolethe’s small head turn towards her and laugh.
“Hah! I heard thy terrible attempt at language. Deine Aussprache ist schrecklich.”
Ryoka scowled down at her belt.
“How the hell do you know what I—no, don’t tell me. I guess you lot were all over Europe back in the day, huh?”
“I travelled to many lands, and learned many tongues! You sound as if you were speaking with mud and worms in your mouth!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Ryoka scowled and closed the belt pouch over Ivolethe, ignoring the tiny faerie’s shout. She turned her head slightly, and regarded Reynold.
She hadn’t had time to ask, but she was intensely curious to know why he’d bowed like he had when meeting Laken. The man was still pale and shaking a bit even after their short walk.
“Hey Reynold. What was that, back there?”
The [Butler] jumped as if Ryoka had shouted in his ear. He jerked his eyes away from Laken, and stared at Ryoka. Then he stepped over and hissed at her, completely forgetting about politeness or decorum.
“Who is that man?”
“Laken? I have no idea.”
“Don’t give me that! He is—I’ve never felt—”
Reynold’s cheeks were flushed. He kept staring at Laken.
“What did you feel?”
Ryoka eyed him closely. Reynold opened his mouth and shook his head.
“He was like—I suppose it was like standing before Lady Reinhart, or Lord Veltras. One of the high nobility, Ryoka. Only more intense. It’s a sense mo
st [Servants] have—I felt as though I should have been prostrating myself at his feet.”
“Really?”
The young woman’s eyes narrowed. She stared at Laken and saw him step back from the huddle with Durene and Gamel. Durene carefully took his hand and they began moving towards the Merchant’s Guild.
“Hold on, here we go. Let’s see what he’s about to do.”
This was what Ryoka saw. She saw Durene march up to the doors and then let go of Laken. He grabbed hold of Gamel’s shirt instead, and waited as Durene stood in front of the two ornate double doors.
She attracted attention. For all the half-Troll girl was wearing rough clothing, Ryoka had to admit that she was impressive. Durene was the tallest person around, and when she stood tall and didn’t slouch she was a true giant. She grabbed hold of the door handles and flung the doors wide open.
“Now that’s an entrance.”
Ryoka commented as she followed Laken and the others inside. The dramatic opening had made the entire Merchant’s Guild go silent, or maybe it was seeing Durene come striding through the doorway. Either way, suddenly all eyes were on Laken and Durene and Gamel.
No, they were all on Laken. For all of Durene’s height, there was something about the blind man that drew the eye. Ryoka blinked and rubbed at her own eyes as she stared at his back. Was he…taller? No, but he seemed like it.
What was going on? She frowned hard as Laken walked forwards.
The Merchant’s Guild was as gaudy and plush on the inside as it was on the outside. It had [Receptionists] as well, but they had other counters as well, places to exchange coin, sell goods, take out loans, and so on. Impressive brass scales were a fixture of the room, as well as other handy measuring tools and things like abacuses—all aids to calculating the worth of an item down to the last copper coin.
Ryoka expected Laken to march up right to one of the receptionist’s desks, but he didn’t do that. He took ten steps into the room and then stopped there. With all eyes on him and his companions Laken stopped and waited as Durene bent down to whisper in his ear.
