Web of Deceit

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “This is what I want to do with my time,” smiled Wendal. “It is what I live for. Every time I make a good deal, I am blessed with a feeling of great satisfaction. I suspect you will come to know that feeling.”

  “I did feel great yesterday,” nodded Rejji. “Today will be even better. I will start well before high sun this time and probably do twice as much business.”

  It was not long after the stalls were all set up that a boy came down the row talking to each merchant.

  “I am taking meal orders, Sirs,” the boy said. “Would you care to order a midday meal?”

  Rejji stared, his eyes wide in surprise as Wendal asked, “ How much is the meal?”

  “One gold, Sir,” the boy replied. “It will be fresh from the Wine Press and delivered around midday.”

  Wendal looked at Rejji’s bag from the Inn of the Rose and said, “Yes, I think we will take one.”

  The boy nodded and scampered off to the next stall.

  “How can they do that?” Rejji blurted out. “That was my idea. They would never have thought about it if I hadn’t bought there yesterday.”

  “Any inn you went to would have seized on the idea,” commented Wendal. “You forgot the rule of controlling the supply. In fact, I would not be surprised if tomorrow doesn’t bring other inns to compete for the meal business. It was a brilliant idea and I am surprised nobody thought of it earlier, but food is a common commodity and you remember what I told you about that yesterday.”

  “Yes,” frowned Rejji. “High volume and low profits. Very competitive. Still I wish they had waited one more day. This is my last day here.”

  “If they sell three hundred meals,” Wendal continued, “they will make ninety gold more than selling through you and the merchants will pay half the price. They will probably pay the boy two or three gold coins, which he will be thrilled to get. Everyone will be happy except you. There is a good lesson in this for you, Rejji. Learn to control your supply.”

  Rejji was quiet and Wendal knew that the lad was saddened by losing the business that he had discovered. “I am sorry that you will be leaving,” Wendal stated. “I have come to enjoy your company. When will you be coming back to Khadoratung?”

  “Probably never,” frowned Rejji. “It is most unusual for them to allow a slave to come on a trip like this. I think the Bursar wanted my company, but I doubt I will be working for him much longer. I suspect I will end up in the fields.”

  “That is depressing,” Wendal stated. “To put you in the fields would be a waste of talent. I don’t think that will happen though.”

  “Why not?” asked Rejji.

  “Because you have too much talent, and someone will recognize that,” smiled Wendal. “You do not think like other people. That is your blessing. Lords don’t like to have slaves that are smarter than them either,” he grinned. “Somehow you will figure a way out of your dilemma. One last rule for you to remember. Never give up and never stop learning.”

  “I wish I could be as positive as you,” commented Rejji. “I am going to spend some time browsing the market. Maybe it will take my mind off things.”

  Wendal merely nodded as Rejji walked off and started to peruse the merchandise at the other stalls.

  Rejji spent most of the day browsing. He looked at the type of stalls that he thought Brontos would supply and asked questions about the origins of some of the merchandise. After a few hours he was able to tell where most of the goods came from just by looking at them. Several times during the day, Rejji had the feeling of being watched. He always turned quickly, but he never did spot the mysterious stranger in black again.

  As the sun descended, Rejji returned to Wendal’s stall and said his farewells. He then strode to the Inn of the Rose, had his final meal, and went to bed.

  Rejji awoke to a pounding on his door. He slipped out of bed and opened the door to find the Bursar standing there. Rejji gathered his things and followed the Bursar outside where a huge wagon with four horses was waiting. Rejji recognized the traveling merchant’s wagon as the one he had seen at the estate the day he was sold.

  “This is our ride home, lad,” Wicado said. “Climb up and let’s be on our way and then you can tell me how you fared in the market.”

  Rejji took out his notes and explained what the row and stall numbers meant and what the prices were for each commodity that the Bursar had asked for. Rejji further explained his theory on the placement of the stalls and Wicado seemed genuinely interested. The merchant listened to Rejji’s tales but never spoke.

  The trip to the Pikata estate took much longer than the barge trip had. They stopped each night and camped. Wicado and the merchant kept up a constant banter about the doings of the various clans, with the merchant asking questions and the Bursar gleefully providing the answers. Rejji was amazed at how much about the clans Wicado knew and they never seemed to run out of things to talk about.

  Rejji did get to talk to Wicado some, particularly about Fakara and what was to become of Rejji, but the merchant and Rejji never spoke to each other. When they finally arrived back at the estate, the merchant and Wicado were good friends. Wicado climbed off the wagon and started to head into the mansion with Rejji and the merchant in tow. Suddenly, Wicado stopped.

  “Rejji,” the Bursar said, “I have quite a bit to do today with reports and getting this merchant set up. Why don’t you go and greet your friends. I won’t need you for anything. Report to me in the morning.”

  Rejji smiled and nodded and turned towards the clova flock to check up on Bakhai before going into the mansion. He was amazed to see how well the flock was doing. The clova were fat and healthy. He looked around the field and could not find Bakhai. Rymaka was not around either and Rejji wondered if there might be trouble. Then he remembered that Wicado had said he would speak to the Seneschal about Bakhai on the day they left for Khadoratung. He wondered if Bakhai might be in the stables as he had suggested.

  Rejji was just about to leave the clova field when he heard a scream. He whirled towards the trees at the far end of the field and saw two soldiers wrestling with something brown. He heard the scream again and it sent chills down his spine. The scream was female and Rejji knew the voice. It was Mistake screaming and his mind flashed back to the conversation he had with her when she had proposed hiding out here during the day and escaping at night.

  Rejji’s heart sank as he realized that he had returned too late from the capital and Mistake had decided to escape without him. He turned and ran towards the screams.

  Chapter 11

  Sebastian

  As Rejji raced across the field, he saw the two soldiers subduing Mistake. His mind raced faster than his legs as he tried to figure out to diffuse the situation, if indeed there was a possibility of that. Everyone had been clear that the penalty for escaping was death, but Rejji knew that he would die fighting these soldiers before he would let them kill Mistake.

  The soldiers heard him coming and one of them rose and drew his sword.

  “Stop!” yelled Rejji. “Don’t hurt her.”

  The soldier holding Mistake shouted, “Leave here now or you will be punished too.”

  Rejji kept running and the soldier raised his sword to strike and suddenly halted his swing as Rejji skid to a halt.

  “Please don’t kill her,” Rejji pleaded. “It is not her fault she is a slave.”

  “I told you to leave,” growled the soldier leaning over Mistake. “Kill him.”

  “He is the Bursar’s boy,” responded the soldier holding the sword. “He is a good lad.”

  Rejji recognized the soldier with the sword as the one he had befriended in the slave quarters. Hope sprang to Rejji’s heart, as he knew the man was not heartless and cruel.

  “I am sorry, Rejji,” Mistake sobbed. “I thought you had left me.”

  “Mistake, stop fighting them,” pleaded Rejji. “They are only trying to do their job. Promise me you will not try to escape if the soldier lets you up.”

  “I
promise,” Mistake sobbed. “I have nothing left in me.”

  The soldier holding Mistake felt her go limp and gave his comrade a puzzled look. “What is going on here?” he scowled.

  “Let me speak,” begged Rejji. “I am sure you will see that everything is alright. If she even tries to flee, I will gladly forfeit my life. You can blame it all on me. I just want to talk this out without anyone getting hurt.”

  “What is going to get hurt is both of you,” growled the soldier holding Mistake.

  “Let the lad speak,” urged the standing soldier. “ She isn’t going anywhere and I told you he is a good lad. He has helped me in the past. He is sweet on this girl.”

  “Well say your piece then,” grumbled the soldier.

  Rejji pulled his thoughts together and tried to figure a way out of the situation. He looked around and saw the clova and an idea sprang into his head.

  “I assume you think she was trying to escape,” Rejji started nervously. “She, of course, will tell you that she came to this field seeking Bakhai, who is a friend of both of ours. Bakhai has the job of tending the flock, or at least he did before I left for Khadoratung with the Bursar. I just got back so I am not sure what his status is now.”

  “Hiding in the bushes does not sound like a friendly visit to me,” scowled the angry soldier. “Others have tried to hide here until nightfall and I think your girl is doing just that.”

  “Perhaps,” mused Rejji. “Maybe she was doing just that, of course she will deny it and it will be up to somebody else to decide what really was going through her head. They may decide she was trying to escape and praise your efforts to stop her. Or they may decide she was really here to visit and let her go, which would not look favorable on you.”

  Rejji let the thought sink in before continuing, “I am willing to wager three hundred in gold that she was trying to escape.”

  “Rejji!” Mistake screamed. “What are you saying?”

  Both soldiers looked at each other with confused expressions.

  “Are you saying that she really is trying to escape?” quizzed the friendly soldier.

  “Not exactly,” explained Rejji. “She says she was not trying to escape. I am willing to wager three hundred gold coins. This is what I am prepared to wager,” he said as he fished out his pouch of coins. “My bet is that you will determine that she was trying to escape. If you determine that she was not trying to escape, then I lose three hundred gold coins. If you determine she was trying to escape, then I win and you owe me three hundred gold coins. Will you take the bet?”

  “Are you daft?” growled the angry soldier.

  The friendly soldier started laughing. He laughed so hard that he dropped his sword. He bent down and retrieved the sword and shoved it into its sheath.

  “What are you laughing at?” asked the angry soldier. “Is he trying to bribe us?”

  “Not exactly,” chuckled the friendly guard. “He is making a simple wager. There is nothing wrong with that. The funny part is the wager is based upon what we determine. Clever. Absolutely clever. He is offering us the chance to earn three hundred gold without breaking any rules. He is right that whoever decides her guilt or innocence is only going to have the two accounts to go by and she hasn’t really left the estate yet. They may believe her. They may not.”

  “And if we let her go free and she does escape, it will be our necks,” the angry soldier declared. “Three hundred gold is a lot of gold, but I don’t need gold that badly.”

  “On my word,” Rejji stated, “if she so much as thinks about escaping, I will not only alert the guards, but I will take my own life. Hear me, Mistake. On my grandfather’s soul, I will take my own life if you ever try to escape this estate.”

  Mistake started crying hysterically and the angry guard rose. He looked at Mistake and then Rejji. He finally looked at the friendly soldier and nodded his head.

  “I believe her,” the friendly soldier declared, “but I will certainly keep my eye on her in the future. I am afraid you lost your bet lad.”

  Rejji expelled the breath he had been holding and smiled grimly as he handed the pouch to the soldier. “I am indebted to both of you,” he said softly. “And I will keep my word, I promise.”

  “The two of you need to get back to the mansion now,” the angry guard stated. “Right now.”

  Rejji nodded and helped Mistake to her feet. She clung to him and he walked her across the field. He walked her slowly and the two soldiers dallied behind them. When he reached the mansion, he went around to the kitchen entrance to avoid being seen. Rejji sat Mistake as far away from the kitchen workers as he could and then went and got her a cup of tea.

  “I am going to be in trouble anyway,” sobbed Mistake. “I did not do my chores today.”

  “So you will be in trouble,” soothed Rejji. “Take the punishment and be glad you are alive. Mistake, these people have hundreds of years dealing with slaves. I am sure prior slaves have tried every trick in the book to get out of here. The soldiers know them all. If there is way out of this bondage, I will find it, but it will not be by escaping. That just isn’t going to work.”

  “I thought you were dead or sold off,” sobbed Mistake. “It has been weeks and nobody knew where you had gone.”

  “I am sorry,” Rejji said. “I had no warning myself. The Bursar took me on a trip with him to Khadoratung. We just got back and he told me I could have the rest of the day off to say hello to my friends. I was heading for Bakhai before returning to the mansion. I am glad I happened along when I did.”

  “Where did you get the gold?” she asked.

  “I earned it in the capital,” Rejji smiled. “I learned a lot about trading while I was there.”

  “And I just caused you to lose it,” she sniffed. “I am sorry, Rejji.”

  “You don’t need to be sorry for that,” Rejji said. “I only earned the money in hopes that I could buy your freedom. I have no other use for it. If it paid to give you another chance then it was worth it. I have no regrets over it.”

  ***

  The gaudily dressed merchant stood looking out the window in the Bursar’s office. He saw Rejji and Mistake go by and disappear into the kitchen entrance of the mansion.

  “That makes twenty of them, Sebastian,” the Bursar said as he piled the last piece of paper on top of the others. “I see now why you have such a large wagon, but are you not afraid they will escape? The wagon has no bars to keep them in.”

  “I use chains,” Sebastian said as he turned from the window. “Much easier to deal with. I can release one without worrying about the others getting free. It eliminates the need for helpers to watch them. I like traveling alone.”

  “Yet you were kind enough to deliver me and the boy here from Khadoratung,” reminded Wicado.

  “Well, I had to return here anyway to pick up the slaves you are selling me,” smiled Sebastian, “and I do enjoy your company. I meant the typical guards you can hire these days. I don’t like dealing with them. I would rather travel without them.”

  “I understand and appreciate your service,” smiled the Bursar. “The return trip by barge is much too slow and boring.”

  “My wagon can hold more slaves,” hinted Sebastian. “Are you sure those are the only ones available?”

  “I am afraid so,” answered Wicado. “Trang desires to keep the rest, whatever they are worth. Perhaps on your next visit we will have more, although I doubt we will be purchasing anymore of them.”

  “Many around the country have decided that they are not worth the cost of their keep,” nodded the merchant.

  “Well I am glad you have found a market for them,” Wicado said. “I will mention your name to some of the other estates. Perhaps they will want to dispose of the worthless creatures.”

  “Perhaps,” smiled Sebastian, “and I thank you for spreading my name around.”

  Sebastian picked up the papers from the Bursar’s desk and inspected them. He turned to leave and hesitated before returning t
o stand before the Bursar’s desk.

  “There is one other thing you may help me with,” Sebastian said.

  “Name it,” smiled Wicado. “I will do what I can.”

  “Seeing as I have empty slots in my wagon,” Sebastian began, “I could use some other types of slaves. I have a customer who is interested in the goings on in Fakara. Would you happen to have three or four recently arrived slaves from that barren land?”

  “We get a great deal of our slaves from Fakara,” nodded Wicado. “I am sure there are some we can do without.”

  “They must be recent arrivals to satisfy this customer,” reminded the merchant.

  “Hmm,” Wicado said. “We have only had one shipment recently.”

  Wicado walked to the window and stared out as if he was thinking upon some important matter and wished to dwell upon it. He turned and looked at the merchant.

  “I do not think we are ready to sell those in the last shipment,” the Bursar stated.

  “I would offer a fair coin for them,” pushed Sebastian.

  “It is not the price that troubles me, friend,” smiled Wicado. “I am sure the Seneschal would sell them as your offer is generous enough. It is personal I guess. The boy Rejji is among them and I have grown attached to him. He reminds me of myself in my youth. The other two are his friends and I would not like to see the sorrow in his eyes if they were sold. I hope you understand.”

  “It is not good policy to become attached to slaves,” reminded Sebastian. “Only ill can come of it. Farewell until next time.”

  Wicado nodded as a courier came in and handed him a note. He read the note as Sebastian was leaving.

  “Wait,” called Wicado. “Let me speak to Trang and I will return promptly. Have the wagon loaded, but do not depart yet.”

  The merchant nodded as Wicado crossed the hall and entered the Seneschal’s office. He emerged several minutes later and saw Lam coming down the stairs.

  “Lam,” Wicado ordered, “find Rejji and send him to my office right away. Then gather up the slaves, Mistake and Bakhai and bring them around front. They will be leaving with the merchant.”