Elise listened in silence, watching us so intently that I felt as if I could see the gears turning behind her eyes. “Did you know that all travel between Lybesa and Kaldan is officially blocked until further notice?” she asked after a long moment of silence. “Trade, leisure, military...all shut down for the foreseeable future. Based on the damage done to the gate, my sources aren’t sure if it will ever function properly again.
“However,” she continued before I could offer an apology, “business never stops. My partners in Kaldan still need their emberwood, and the seaports are still open. Hauling the product south takes much longer than a trip through the Gate, but of course, the fees to transport the material increases as well. If a trading company was able to effectively pivot their resources and leverage their established connections…” she trailed off as a grin began to form on her face. “Well, the destruction of the Mountain Gate could prove to be the most profitable disaster in decades.”
Her success is based on far more than just flaunting her natural advantages. I gave her a warm smile. “In that case, I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
She let out a loud, sudden laugh. “Oh, I like you. You did a good job catching this one, Marly. You’d better hold him tight, or someone else is liable to snatch him up,” she said, looking at us over the top of her glasses and waving her eyebrows suggestively. Lia’s hand shot out under the table and clamped onto my knee, but she put on a forced smile and laughed.
“Come on, Elise, take it easy on her,” Marten scolded. “She’s only been—”
“Lunch!” Elise exclaimed as Bella entered the room wheeling a large cart in front of her. As she circled the table, she set out six identical plates covered in silver cloches.
“Finally,” Marin said excitedly as she reached out for her dish.
“Marin, wait a moment, please,” Elise asked, looking at each of us as well. “Before we begin, there’s something we need to discuss.” Her eyes turned to me. “You said you had a business opportunity to discuss with me. I have a feeling I know what it is, but I’d like to hear it from you before we eat.”
“Of course,” I nodded, “although I think Marten would be best suited to explain.” I gave him an expectant raise of my eyebrows.
“Right.” He tapped his fingers on the table for a moment as he prepared. “Elise, you know the situation we’re in; everything we own is in my wagon, and we have nowhere to go. I need to find a place for my family to live, and I need to establish my business again. You have connections that can help on both fronts, and I’m prepared to pay for them.”
“You’ll be paying with Kaldanic currency, I assume?” she asked, and Marten nodded. Her eyes focused on some unseen point far beyond our dining room as she thought through the numbers. “I don’t know of any properties for sale, and while land in the forest is cheap, building a house from the ground up isn’t. I know a variety of contractors and, obviously, have the means to procure the bulk materials necessary, but depending on your price range—”
“Twelve hundred Imperials,” he stated firmly.
Marin choked on her ale at the amount, but Elise simply smiled. “Marten, I can build you the finest house in Mayaan for far less than that. The crew I work with can build a full homestead in four days, and they understand the value of discretion. You’ll be moving in by this time next week, if you’d like.”
“And my business?”
“Well, that’s simple, Marten,” she smirked, leaning forward. “Come work for me.”
“We’ve been over this before, Elise,” he said with a similar curl to his lips. “That isn’t going to happen.” Although he spoke with a jovial tone, his eyes betrayed the seriousness of the statement.
She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. “It can’t be helped, I suppose. I know of a few potential customers whose needs are more suited to your...particular style of business.” Her fingers tapped lightly along the surface of her silver cloche, and my stomach growled in response. “I can set up a few meetings for you once your housing situation is settled, but I have to ask: With that amount of money, why not retire? That amount of gold could last for generations, especially with a few choice investments which I would be more than happy to recommend.”
“Trust me, Ellie, he needs the work,” Hana chimed in with a laugh. “He doesn’t know what to do with himself without it.”
“I know the feeling all too well,” she answered. Picking up her mug, she raised it out over the table. “It’s settled then. Here’s to new lives and new business!” We all raised our tankards in celebration and drank deeply. When our toast was finished, Elise slammed her mug onto the table and removed her cloche with a flourish. “Now, let’s eat!”
The food beneath our silver covers was revealed to be a generous portion of smoked fish lacquered with a dark purple glaze and served atop a salad of mixed greens and multiple varieties of nuts. From my first bite, I could tell it was by far the most exquisite meal I had eaten in decades, and the complete lack of conversation around the table told me that everyone else felt the same. I made a mental note to ask about every aspect of the dish, but by the time I took the next bite, I had forgotten everything except for the flavor.
Food and drink continued to be served over the course of the afternoon, and conversation arose as we eventually stuffed ourselves on additional courses of fruits and cheeses, plenty of mugs of ale, and a dessert of tea cakes with a bright red berry coulis. By the end of the meal we all spoke like old friends, including Marin, who seemed much more confident around Elise after the supplemental bravery of the alcohol.
“My goodness, is it that late already?” Elise asked when she noticed that the sun had taken on a deep orange hue outside. “I still have to make the arrangements for your new home!” She stood up from the table and stared at the door Bella had used. “B-Bella!” she hiccuped, “bring my wagon out front!” There was no response to the command, but she sat back down with a satisfied expression. “I just want to say...I’m so happy to see all of you. It’s been far too long, and I’ve missed you terribly.”
Hana cooed softly as she rushed around the table to give Elise a tight hug. “We’ve missed you too, Ellie. But now we’re here, and we’re here to stay. Our little family is back together again,” she said, looking around the table, “and it’s not so little anymore.”
Family. The thought spread a tingling warmth through my chest as I watched the faces of the people who had become my family. This is it. This is what we fought for. Lia’s eyes met mine, and she gave me a wide, genuine smile. It was worth it.
“Okay, okay,” Elise sniffled, wiping a tear from her face as she patted Hana’s arm. “My wagon should be out front; you can all go out and get comfortable while I stay here and make myself presentable again...and take care of paying the bill.”
The room began to clear, but Lia caught me by the arm as I moved to leave. “Aunt Ellie, do you have a second?” she asked quietly when it was just the three of us remaining in the dining hall.
“Of course, Marly. What’s on your mind?”
“When you order the construction materials for the house...could you double the shipment?”
Elise cocked her head to one side. “I certainly could. If you have a project in mind, it wouldn’t cost much more to have my contractors work on it for you. They’ll already be in the area, after all.”
I felt a sudden rush in my chest as I realized the intent behind Lia’s request. “That’s true,” I cut in, considering my words carefully, “but there are some things best not left to chance. Some facts better left unknown.”
“If the second delivery were made to look like a clerical error, and Marten chose to keep the materials for future renovations, I’m sure nobody would inquire further,” she mused. “Aside from me, of course. What’s your secret project?”
Lia slid her hand down my arm and laced my fingers with hers. “Our home.”
***
7. HOMESTEAD
“Please, make yourselves at h
ome! I won’t be gone long, but feel free to indulge in any food or drink you can find,” Elise told us as she shut the carriage door behind us. “All of the bedrooms are open to you as well; just choose whichever ones you find most comfortable.”
“Really, Ellie, this is too much,” Hana insisted, as she had over the course of our trip to Elise’s house. “You’re already doing so much for us, we don’t need to take over your home as well.”
“I don’t want to hear any more about it,” she responded with a roll of her eyes. “It’s really the least I can do. Besides, I never have visitors, and the house gets so lonely all by myself!” She pounded on the carriage wall with her fist, and her driver immediately began to turn the wagon around. “Now, get in there and get comfortable! I’ll see you soon!”
Hana’s face clearly said that she wasn’t finished with her argument, as did the annoyed twitching of her puffy gray tail, but the carriage rolled away before she could respond and put a permanent end to the conversation. “It’s alright, darling,” Marten assured her, rubbing her hand lovingly. “We’ll be paying her handsomely for the services she’s promised us; you can consider our cost of staying here well and truly covered, if it makes you feel any better.”
As we approached the house, I was surprised at how modest the property appeared. Given the level of power and wealth Elise controlled, I had expected to find a sprawling, private estate with manicured gardens and marble fountains, but the building that stood before us was an unadorned two-story house located in the middle of a row of similar, though noticeably smaller, properties. Marten unlocked the front door with a large metal key, and we all pushed into the dark, empty house.
It became immediately apparent why the house was so lackluster as we passed through the entryway into the main living quarters: Elise clearly didn’t spend any time here. A thick layer of dust covered every surface in sight, and the kitchen was bare apart from a few nonperishable items: three jars of fruit preserves in a cupboard, a bag of dried meat, and an extensively stocked wine cabinet. I felt a creeping sense of discomfort as we continued to explore the house, as if we were disturbing a forgotten monument to a person long passed.
The second floor was much the same as the first; apart from a few linen closets, every door led to an identical bedroom, perfectly furnished and made up for guests and left undisturbed for months. None of them seemed more personalized than the others, so it was impossible to tell which was the master bedroom, if one even existed. When I had inspected the entire house, I had no doubt in my mind that Elise lived at her business headquarters full time.
We all reconvened around the large dining room table after our individual investigations. Marten uncorked a particularly dusty bottle of wine while Hana hunted for glasses, and the five of us were soon holding cups of the dark red liquid. “I can hardly remember the last time I could relax with a glass of wine before bed,” Marten remarked, tipping back comfortably in his chair as we drank together. “It feels like it’s been months since we left home.”
Marin swirled her glass slowly against the table. “I think it has been months since I could relax like this,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically subdued. “Things weren’t going well in Attetsia, even before the Company showed up. I was so homesick. Then the rebellion started, and I was running the shop alone.”
Lia put a hand on her arm. “You’re not alone anymore,” she said brightly. “Now you have us!”
Marin turned her eyes up from the table and smiled. “You’re right,” she said, taking a small sip of her wine. “I’ve got a new business partner, new friends...and a new family!”
“And Elise,” I added with a coy smile.
The statement caught her in the middle of another sip of wine, and she visibly struggled to keep herself from choking as she reacted. “What do you mean by that?!” She yelled, coughing.
“Nothing specifically,” I answered casually. “Between her being a family friend and running the largest trading business I’ve ever seen, I’m sure we’ll be seeing her basically every day, at least for the foreseeable future.” I sat back and drained the last of my wine. “After all the stories I’ve heard, I can’t wait to get to know her. She’s so interesting, don’t you think?”
“No!” she said defensively. “I mean, yes, she’s, uhm, very interesting. As a, erm, businesswoman. And as a person! I just...just don’t know her yet. As a person, that is.” She let out a loud, frustrated sigh and rested her head on the edge of the table with a loud thunk. “I think I need to go to bed.”
Hana and Marten laughed, but Lia gave me a dirty look. “I agree,” Lia said. “After sleeping in the wagon for two weeks, I’m sure we’ll all sleep well tonight.”
Marin stood up quickly and gave everybody a quick nod—apart from me, who she glared at through squinted eyes. “Goodnight, everyone,” she said, taking her wine with her as she hurried out of the room towards the stairs.
“I suppose we should get some sleep as well,” Marten chuckled. “We’re not on the run anymore, but we’ll still be plenty busy.” He and Hana stood up from the table, each planting a kiss on the top of Lia’s head as they made their way upstairs after Marin.
I reached across the table, grabbed the open bottle of wine from Marten’s spot, and poured myself another serving. The glass of wine I had finished coupled with the multiple mugs of ale from our extended lunch combined into a warm, comfortable buzz, and I rocked my chair gently back and forth on two legs. “What about you? Are you ready to get some sleep?”
“I’ve been ready from the first moment I saw one of those beds,” she laughed. “There’s nothing like a few weeks on the road to make you appreciate just how comfortable a bed can be.” She reached out and stole the wine bottle, pouring herself another full glass.
“Easy, now,” I warned her. “We have plenty of work to do in the morning.”
She huffed and waved me off. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said, spilling a few drops of red onto the floor as she sipped from the overfull glass.
I shook my head, grinning, but held any further comments to myself. Scooting my chair closer to hers, I took her free hand in mine and took another drink of wine. The sunlight had long since faded from the windows and left the room dark apart from a single flickering lamp on the opposite wall, which seemed to grow dimmer by the minute.
“Lux?” Lia asked, breaking our long, comfortable silence. “Do you think Elise is attractive?”
“Sure,” I answered honestly. “She’s not really my type, but I can’t deny that she’s a beautiful woman, either.”
“Not your type?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.
I shook my head and took another sip of wine. “Nah. She’s a bit too...forward, for my taste.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she giggled. “So...what is your type?”
“You are.”
“Well, yeah, but...what specifically?”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “Would you like a detailed list of features in order of their appeal? Maybe a poem illustrating your undying beauty and charm?”
She blushed and turned her face away. “Okay, alright, I get it.”
I stood and walked behind her chair, leaning heavily on its high back for support as my head spun. “I love everything about you, Lia. I never want you to worry that anything, or anyone, will change that.” I leaned down and hugged her, resting my forehead on the top of her head. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me, and you always will be. I promise.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, squeezing my arms. “You know I feel the same way about you, right? I know it’s silly to be jealous, but I just...I haven’t felt this way about anyone before.”
“I know,” I murmured into her head. “You’re pretty cute when you’re jealous.” The familiar scent of her hair filled my nostrils and set my mind at peace, and I let myself relax into it.
“Lux?” she asked after a long pause.
“Hmm?”
“Ar
e you falling asleep?”
“Mhmm.”
“Maybe you should have gone easy on the wine,” she laughed. She got up out of her chair, forcing me to stand on my own instead of leaning on her shoulders. “Let’s go to bed.”
“I’m fine,” I said, drawing out the words as I followed along behind her towards the stairs.
“Sure you are.” We made our way quietly up to the first bedroom with an open door. It was furnished like the others: a large bed with two bedside tables, a chest of drawers on either side of the room, and a single cushioned chair in the far corner. Despite my protests, Lia helped me unbuckle and remove my armor before attending to her own. I stripped down to my underwear, leaving my clothes in a messy heap on the floor, and slipped into bed.
While the room was plainly furnished, what little it did have was made of the highest quality materials. I sank down into the thickly cushioned mattress and pulled the sheets up over my shoulder, marveling at how soft the fabric surrounding me felt. My head was perfectly supported on a stack of down pillows, which were miles ahead of the straw or cotton stuffed pillows I had encountered during my time in Kaldan. “Oooh,” I groaned as my body relaxed, releasing tension I hadn’t realized I was holding in my joints and muscles.
Lia joined me in bed after she finished changing; as most of her belongings were still in Marten’s wagon at the warehouse, she was stuck wearing her underclothes without her usual nightgown, and she let out a soft yelp when the cold blankets touched her skin. “How d-do you sleep like this all the time?” she asked through chattering teeth.
“You get used to it,” I said, clamping my arm around her waist. She squealed as I pulled her across the silky sheets and held her close against my chest. “It helps if you have someone next to you, though.”
Restart Again: Volume 3 Page 14
