When a messenger came to fetch them, Siobhan still didn’t feel at all prepared for the meeting. It wasn’t just a matter of what to say, but how to say it. Fei had spent half their time drilling customs and such into her head so that she didn’t embarrass herself. Apparently, he had forgotten the more formal etiquette until this meeting was upon them.
So typical.
Siobhan hooked a hand into Fei’s arm and let him guide her, burying her face in her notes. As she frantically reviewed, she prayed the cramming would stick and she wouldn’t forget anything. She likely would, but they knew she was foreign, and so would cut her some slack—hopefully. Fei had assured her several times to not worry if she did miss something, but when it was this important, his words failed to reassure.
Because of her preoccupation, she didn’t really see much of the scenery or take any special note of the roads they took to get to the meeting. It wasn’t until Fei muttered to her from the side of his mouth that she realized they’d arrived. Hastily shoving the paper into her pocket, she looked up.
Just how old was this building? It had a solidity to it that made every other place she’d seen so far seem young and relatively fresh. The timbers used were stained dark with age, fitted so tightly together that it seemed as if it had been built without need of glue or nails. It stood a good two stories tall, the doors to the front already splayed open. Directly in front was an open space made of stone flooring, and then a wooden floor started a half foot higher, stretching the rest of the way into the building. By the gathering of shoes that were neatly lined up along the sides, Siobhan guessed that all visitors took their shoes off before stepping up onto the wooden floor.
This was confirmed when Fei automatically doffed his shoes and reached for a pair of flat, leather slippers that were set nearby. Following his example, she toed her boots off and found a pair of slippers that looked more or less her size before putting them on. They felt sloppy and loose, but would do.
The messenger waited patiently until they were ready before leading them further inside, past the foyer and into the next room. This building seemed typical of what she had seen so far—these people didn’t seem to really believe in hallways. Instead, all of the rooms connected directly to the next. In a place this old, she expected it to smell musty, but the open windows on every side kept fresh mountain air flowing in, so it smelled strongly of pine and spices instead.
In the next room was a single, long table that sat low to the floor. Cushions were arranged at set intervals all around, but otherwise the room was bare of furnishings. On one side of the table, facing the door, sat four men and a woman that had definitely passed their prime. There wasn’t a smooth face among them. The other side of the table was completely empty and obviously meant for any petitioners.
Fei guided her directly to the table and then took a single step back, making it clear that she was the one in charge here.
Trying to hide her nerves, Siobhan put both hands together over her stomach and gave them a low bow. “I am Siobhan Maley, Guildmaster of Deepwoods from Robarge. I have come to request something of you.”
“We will hear you,” Bo Sei Jin assured her in formal tones. He extended a hand toward the cushion in the very center. “Please sit.”
Knowing this would probably take a while, she sat cross-legged, getting comfortable. Fei often sat on his knees, and said that was the more formal way, but she wouldn’t manage to maintain that for more than a few minutes. Not without her knees killing her.
“First, let me introduce you to the council.” Gesturing to the far end of the table, Bo Sei Jin said, “This is Sei Ja Na, City Librarian.”
Sei Ja Na was tiny and petite, greying hair wound up in an elaborate knot on the top of her head, wearing traditional clothes in multiple layers. Something about her mannerisms, the weighing look in her eye, suggested she was studying and taking notes even as she bowed politely.
Siobhan bowed back, somewhat awkwardly.
“Hyun Woo,” Bo Sei Jin continued, indicating the man sitting right next to him.
Hyun Woo, despite being the city general, did not have an ounce of armor on him. He wore loose-fitting black clothes, hair drawn up in a severe ponytail on the top of his head, eyebrows so bushy they almost hid his eyes. He gave her a nod, which she returned, but nothing about his expression gave her a clue what he was thinking.
“Oh Jae Pyo, our Tradesman Expert.”
He looked like one, too. Something about the expression on his face, the smile he gave her, all said ‘merchant’ to Siobhan. He was also the only one at the table that was remotely portly, his face more rounded, and even his clothing couldn’t disguise his belly.
“Of course you have already met Kim Ra Im.” Bo Sei Jin folded his hands to rest on the table’s surface. “Guildmaster, we will hear you now.”
“Thank you.” Siobhan paused and realized in half-panic that her prepared speech had just flown out the nearest window. She couldn’t remember a word of it. Sweet mercy above, she’d have to wing it.
“Why have you come seeking us?” Sei Ja Na asked, eyes strangely penetrating.
Siobhan took a breath and prayed that she had the right words to explain this situation. “We believe…that the world itself may see war very soon.”
The room went abruptly still, so still that not even one person could be heard breathing.
Kim Ra Im leaned forward, the wooden floor creaking under him in an alarmingly loud way. “Explain.”
Siobhan started from the beginning, with the trade agreement between the three guilds to rebuild the Grey Bridges, and ended with, “Orin is now basically destitute. They are struggling just to survive. This situation will not improve in the upcoming months. If anything, it will worsen. Fei tells me that he’s seen this pattern before, many times, as he learned history. With this kind of economic depression, Orin is like a wolf trapped in a corner. Eventually, they will strike.”
The historian let out a grim sigh. “I fear you are right. We have, indeed, seen this pattern many times before. When a country is desperate just to survive, they turn to war and pillaging their neighbors.”
“But can they truly manage a united front?” Hyun Woo questioned, stroking his beard with thoughtful fingers. His tone suggested he didn’t really believe the idea impossible, he was just thinking aloud. “How many cities and guilds will work together?”
“The entire western coast, quite possibly the southern coast as well,” she responded promptly. “The northern section of Orin doesn’t seem as badly affected as the rest. Probably because your trade depends on the sea, and was never based on the bridges to begin with.”
Oh Jae Pyo splayed one hand in agreement. “That is so.”
Sei Ja Na turned to the two men sitting beside her. “Kim-zhi, Hyun-zhi, do you share Guildmaster Siobhan’s opinion? Do you think this is likely?”
Kim Ra Im gave a grim nod, looking blindly ahead. “It is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when.’ My former student has read the situation quite well, in spite of his inattention as a youngster.” The quick smile he shot Fei suggested he was teasing more than reprimanding. “I am glad to know that something stuck. But yes, they are right to fear as they do. This is inevitable. We simply do not know the timing.”
Bo Sei Jin cleared his throat. “Siobhan-jia, when we spoke earlier, you said that you wished to acquire knowledge, and that is why you came. What knowledge?”
“Strategy and battle tactics,” she responded promptly. “We have no idea how to fight as a united front, as an army, or how to defend a whole city. This world has not seen true war in centuries. But Fei tells me that you, at least, have not forgotten how to do this. We need your expertise.”
“You need more than that,” Hyun Woo disagreed. “I cannot teach you everything you need to know in a matter of days, or weeks, or even months. You need a strategist to go with you. At least one.”
“A historian would not be amiss, either,” Kim Ra Im added thoughtfully, head cocked slightly as
he stared at her. “Perhaps others. We need more detailed information from you before deciding.”
That didn’t sound like if we decide to send people but more as if they had already made the decision already to do so. This abruptness made her head spin. That was it? She didn’t have to argue with them, or convince them, or charm anyone into anything? Fei hadn’t thought it would be this easy. She shot him a quick look only to find he was just as surprised as she was. He glanced at her with wide eyes and an almost imperceptible shrug as if he found this ready decision just as baffling.
Feeling that she had to clarify, Siobhan ventured, “Then…you’ll let us borrow a few of your experts?”
“Yes.” Kim Ra Im gave her a small smile in reassurance. “We removed ourselves into these mountains many centuries ago, leaving the anarchy of the world as the governments fell, because we feared that all knowledge would be lost if someone did not preserve it. But would not all of that effort be in vain if we do not use the knowledge we have to prevent disaster?”
Siobhan let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “I am so glad to hear you say so. Thank you. Thank all of you so much.”
“We might yet be able to prevent this war from even happening,” Oh Jae Pyo suggested, sharing a speaking look with Kim Ra Im. “If the economy is the problem, then surely the trend can be reversed?”
“I would think so,” Kim Ra Im agreed. “Perhaps we should sit down with Siobhan-jia and gather more information.”
“My trader, Sylvie, is the better person to ask about this,” Siobhan denied. “She’s the one that has her finger firmly on the pulse. Markl would also be a good person to confer with, as he’s been making extensive notes and graphs on the matter.”
“We will require an introduction…” Oh Jae Pyo trailed off suggestively.
“I will be happy to get you acquainted with them, of course.”
“Excellent.” Bo Sei Jin clapped his hands, gathering their attention. “I believe we have reached a unanimous decision. We shall send experts back with Deepwoods Guild with letters of introduction to their main guildmaster, and try to nip this problem before it blooms. Tonight, we shall dine together, and become better acquainted. This is agreeable?”
Siobhan put her hands to her stomach and bowed to them, hoping she did the gesture right even as she moved. “Very much so. You have my gratitude.” When she looked up again, she was faced with nothing but smiling faces. Oh good, she must have done that correctly.
“Come,” Sei Ja Na invited, extending her hand toward the door. “Follow me, and we shall eat together. Man Fei Lei-gui, go and fetch the rest of your guild and your family. We shall all eat together.”
Fei bowed in acknowledgement before disappearing silently out the door.
Siobhan got to her feet and was barely able to cross to the door before Kim Ra Im appeared at her elbow. In an undertone he asked, “As we walk, tell me how you gained my former pupil as a guild member.”
Another person that wanted stories on Fei? Oh, fun. She hid her eagerness behind a demure smile as she agreed, “As you wish.”
ӜӜӜ
Wolf was a simple man. Anyone that offered to feed him was a friend, and they stayed a friend until they tried to stick a knife in his back. It was as simple as that. It didn’t matter if they were from a different culture, or the food was something he’d never seen before, or if guests sat on cushions instead of proper chairs. If there was food available, he was fine.
This gathering proved to be better than a simple ‘fine.’
The meeting that’d had Siobhan’s hair in knots had turned out to be short, sweet, and—judging from that satisfied smile on her face—victorious. He hadn’t heard the details yet, but didn’t need to in order to know that she had gotten her way. In fact, that expression said she had done better than hoped for. That was enough for him.
The building had a large, open floor in the middle of it, with a part of the room built up a half-step from the rest of it. No one sat up there, which Wolf took to mean that rank didn’t matter tonight. This relieved him, because while Fei had drilled manners into Siobhan’s head, he hadn’t exactly been paying attention. He’d hate to ruin Siobhan’s hard work with a careless remark.
As the guild filed in, Siobhan went from person to person, introducing them to the council. Wolf bowed politely, murmured a few words, and kept his eyes on the room in general. It was because of this that he caught the lowering of the table.
Someone had put together a rig so that the long, rectangular table could be lowered by pulley to the floor and back up to hang on the ceiling. As he watched, two men were working the ropes, carefully lowering the piece of furniture. Why…why in sweet mercy would you hang a table from the ceiling? Granted, it would be handy during the day, to just put it ‘up’ when you didn’t need it, but it seemed beyond strange to do that.
With the table settled, the same two men scurried about grabbing cushions and set them out at intervals.
“Please, sit,” the woman councilor—he’d forgotten her name—invited in that cool, clear voice.
Wolf had no idea if there was a proper place for guests to be, so hung back until half the guild had found a spot, then he sat with his back to a wall and a clear view of both doors. It was also on the end of the table, so he could stretch his legs out.
The councilor that was introduced as a strategist, Hyun Woo, came and sat directly next to him. Under those bushy eyebrows were sharp eyes, weighing and measuring Wolf without censure. “Eric Wolfinsky, was it?”
“Or Wolf,” he invited, “As you prefer.”
Hyun Woo’s eyebrows arched. “In this land, we call people by nickname only if we share a very close relationship with them.”
“In Robarge, you only hear your full name if it’s official business or you’re in trouble with Siobhan,” Wolf responded dryly. “I answer to Wolfinsky just as well, if you’re more comfortable with that.”
“I am, thank you.” Hyun Woo gave him an inclination of the head, meaning he was grateful for…something. Wolf didn’t know the nuances of this culture well enough to figure out what. “Man Fei Lei-gui introduced you earlier as an enforcer. I am not familiar with this word. Could you explain?”
“Warrior, or fighter, that is a set protector over a guild.” Wolf tapped a finger against the table’s surface, trying to find the words to explain something that he just naturally did. “Guardian might be the best word. The safety of the entire guild is in my hands. I am responsible for them.”
Hyun Woo’s head cocked to one side, then to the other, showing that he had heard, even though he didn’t understand completely. “Is not your guildmaster in charge of that?”
“Well, she is, but she runs the guild as a whole. The business side of it is what she does, and looks out for her members on a general level. But if there’s danger near any one of them, I am the one to respond. Well, either me, Fei, Tran, or Rune. We’re all enforcers in the guild.”
“Then, if the guild was a kingdom, you four are its soldiers?”
That seemed an odd analogy to make, in this land that had not seen governments of any sort in hundreds of years, but Wolf flipped over a hand in agreement. “Yes, I suppose.”
“Then it is you four that I must teach how to fight as a unit.” Hyun Woo sat back, satisfied. “Siobhan-jia stated earlier that the knowledge of how to fight as an army, in a united front, was unknown to the world now. This is true?”
“Very,” Wolf grimaced. “Even in a guild, we don’t always fight that way. We watch each other’s backs, sure, but our fighting styles don’t blend well together. We’re more likely to get in each other’s way.”
Hyun Woo nodded, not surprised. “Then first, to teach you how to fight in a unit. That must be done before we talk of battle strategies. An army that cannot be broken into smaller units is not an army at all. It is a mob. Siobhan-jia said that you will stay at least a week? Good. Then gather your fellow enforcers and meet me at the main field in the morning. We will
begin learning then.”
Wolf felt a thrill go straight up his spine at the idea of learning more tactics. That was always a pleasurable way to spend a day. “I will.”
Fei came around the table and leaned down next to Wolf’s ear long enough to whisper, “Pour the man’s drink. It’s a polite way of saying thanks for the offer he just gave you.”
He gave him a glance, showing that he heard. Satisfied, Fei moved off, going around to sit at Siobhan’s side again. Wolf reached for the small decanter of clear liquid sitting on the table. Lifting it up, he gave Hyun Woo a look that asked, can I?
Eyes crinkling up in a smile, Hyun Woo held out his glass, which was no bigger than a man’s palm, and held it steady as Wolf filled it. Putting the glass down, he took the decanter from Wolf before filling up his glass in return. There seemed to be some sort of significance to the gesture, but Wolf filed it under ‘making friends’ and just let it ride without asking. No doubt Markl would figure it all out, and would explain it to him later.
From the other side of the room, a door opened, and men and women came in carrying platters of steaming food. Wolf made way as best he could, giving them room to set the platters on the table. It seemed not to be just one main dish, but several smaller ones, all of them arranged in a way so that both sides of the table could share. Or so he gathered, watching how people were picking up spoons and eating out of every dish within reach.
He ended up sharing food with Hyun Woo, which didn’t bother him.
“Wolfinsky-gui, if it is not bold to ask, may I have the story to your iron arm?” Hyun Woo gave it a look of open admiration. “It seems it would be formidable in battle.”
Wolf gave him a grin. Now this was a man after his own heart. “So, you want my story? I will be glad to tell it.”
Hyun Woo leaned forward and filled up his glass again, a gesture that Wolf immediately reciprocated. “Please do. The night is long, there is good food to enjoy, and I wish to hear a good tale.”
Yes, Wolf had a feeling he’d like it here just fine.
Blackstone (Book 2) Page 6
