"I need people who know the area, who will have some insight into how to make money here, people who are known to the traders who use the pass. The people of Learneth won't have all the information I need, not by a wide margin. It's a practical decision, nothing more. I think I can make more money out of what you know than from selling you into a market already saturated by Alendi." Like all the best lies, it was partly true.
His expression lost any warmth it had had. "You are a hard people."
"Harsh but fair," I shrugged. "And honest." Ha! "I could lie to you if you would prefer but I'd rather not."
"So, you don't want to sell me for a slave because you think you can make more money out of me as a free man? It's true what they say about you city men, isn't it? Ruled by greed."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," I couldn't resist baiting him. Besides, I wanted to know what kind of man he was, to know what he believed.
"That you think money is the solution to every problem." He flushed a little and his tone of voice had hardened.
"It is, and if you don't know that, it is because you don't understand what money is, what it represents and or what it is for. I do and I will make and use it and there will be no losers for that. You can stay and watch if you wish and when I'm gone you will have learned something."
He took a step closer to me but checked as two swords left their scabbards with the intense ring of quality steel. "I'll stay and watch, as I watched Orlek," his voice had become low and intense. "You were right; I should have acted against him when I saw his actions would harm my people. I won't make the same mistake twice." He put the cup he'd been holding carefully down and turned to the door and the two guards standing close by with naked steel in their hands.
I watched as they stepped back from the door and gestured him through. One of them took up the gear that had bound him and I caught that man's eye, shaking my head and pointing to the rod and ropes that had restricted his movements. The guard nodded acceptance of the silent order and followed Kathan out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Was that wise?" Meran said, moving to the table and taking a seat.
"I got what I wanted. He will set himself up as a watchdog; represent himself to the rest as a guardian against tyranny. They'll trust him, and as long as he seems content to accept my rule, they will also accept it."
"And if he decides you are a tyrant he may try and slip a knife between your ribs."
I shrugged. "This job comes with a target painted on your tunic; if you can't accept that you shouldn't be doing the job."
"Was that rhetoric or did it mean something? About money, I mean."
I shrugged, lifting my cup. "What is money? What is it for?"
"I just think of it as being easier than carrying a cow around when I want to buy something."
He almost got me that time.
"And if the man you are buying from already has a cow?" I held up a hand to stop him from answering. "Forget it, I'll just tell you. Money is a medium of exchange, a unit of account and a store of value. People always want money because with it they can buy anything else needed, provided they have enough. Putting enough money into circulation is what governments do."
"By loaning it out, as you said."
I nodded. "And buying things, goods or services, and funding big projects like roads. A good road through the pass would increase trade." I noticed that he'd stopped listening. "What?"
"A unit of account, a store of value and a medium of exchange? All in one coin?"
"Effectively, yes; also a standard of deferred payment or debt but that's..."
"Irrelevant to my problem. If you store something you keep it. To be a medium of exchange it has to circulate."
I found myself smiling. Just because he was an ugly barbarian, that didn't make him stupid. "Exactly. It's a problem that happens all the time, money in conflict with itself. That's why we tax only the wealthy, where money tends to become stacked up, no longer performing its primary purpose. It's also why we use silver for coinage and encourage gold to be used as a store of value instead. It can't be forced, nothing can be forced despite what some people have written and the laws some damn fools have enacted, people are what they are and will do what they will do... Come!" I'd been warming to my subject but decided it was just as well to be interrupted by the knock at the door.
One of the centurions came in and shut the door behind him. "You instructed me to find representatives of the people, Commander."
"That was quick work," I said.
He hesitated for a bare instant before responding. "From the population of Learneth, we selected from those who were waiting to have their grievances addressed." I let the implied criticism of Meran's inaction pass without comment. "For the others we had to make a selection based on other factors. The refugees you brought here with you were asking for instructions, I picked the healthiest and least frightened of them. For Darklake, there is only one reasonable candidate, Commander."
I knew who that would be. "How many for Learneth?"
"Four, Commander."
So, six in total. There was space enough that I could see them here. "Who organised the census and when can I expect to see the result, centurion?"
"Our seconds, Pendat and Yahret, took the information and listed complaints, Commander. They are making copies, as instructed." Two more implied criticisms; too many to ignore. I knew Meran had done a competent job of leading the men in a combat situation; I also knew that he had managed them well in the mop up. But I had seen and inferred that he was out of his depth dealing with the administration of the aftermath. The centurions knew it too, having seen it dealt with often enough in their careers to know how things were supposed to develop. Herding people together into one place, feeding them and using your military as vigils wasn't enough. Meran should have been organizing things and keeping people busy from day one, and he hadn't. Admittedly, I didn't have any direct experience myself, but I'd been brought up in an environment where these things were discussed and, when I had been forced to pay attention, actively taught. Meran hadn't.
"The combination of civic building and barracks is a bad one. Tomorrow you will take the men outside the town and build a temporary fortification to control the gate, then start making it permanent. Meran, you will base yourself there with your men. We will split the duties, military command for you, civil duties for me. Any questions?" I directed the question at the centurion and watched him swiftly change his thinking. He could patrol the walls from there, control the gate, patrol the town, but it removed him and Meran from the immediate situation, putting Meran firmly back in control of what he was clearly competent to deal with; and that I had put him in control of them would end any undermining of his authority.
"None, Commander."
"Good. Send me Pendat and Yahret, and send the representatives in."
Meran cleared his throat and made to speak as soon as we were alone.
"Later," I told him. "I'll keep ten men for my own use under Pendat or Yahret, whichever you decide. Apart from that, the military aspects of this administration are yours. You'll still be required to spend much of the day in my company," I gave him a grin, "if that's okay with you? I want you to be able to handle this kind of situation on your own, and there's a lot to learn."
"That was a punishment, wasn't it?"
I sighed as the door opened and the prospective leaders of the town were admitted. "Not quite," I told him, "but it was close. Welcome," I raised my voice slightly to stop any attempts they might make to speak, "and thank you for joining me. There is a lot to cover, so with your agreement, I'll start with the basics. The people here have a decision to make and I will explain it to you so that you can present the choices to them and then we will meet each day until all is decided. The choice is between client state and protectorate..."
"The people of Learneth are a free tribe of the Geduri nation!"
I faced the man who spoke. "So you personally are choosing protectorate st
atus, which means I loan you some value of goods and you go away. I have no problem with that, in fact it suits me well enough to have fewer people here to accommodate. But, you might want to hear me out before you decide and I will be sure that you will represent the choice to be made honestly to the people. In fact I will be going among them myself as soon as time allows. Let me make the current situation clear before we continue. Darklake and the lands of the Necromancers are mine by right of conquest, having attacked my people without provocation and been defeated. The town of Hederan will bend the knee to me for similar reasons. As you know, Learneth is effectively no more, but I hope it will be rebuilt in time. For now, the people of Learneth are my responsibility because some of them are my clients already; having sworn what is in effect an oath of fealty to me that is as binding for me as it is for them. Also, as I have the lands between here and the former stronghold of the Necromancers under my control and Learneth lies within that region, not to mention that the people of Learneth are here in my territory, relations between us had better be good. The simplest and best solution would be for the people of Learneth to claim friend and ally status as my clients. This has many advantages for them and no drawbacks."
Anista wasn't listening, I noted, as I scanned the faces before me. I would have to go over the same ground again, but that could wait. The rest were listening but with the air of people who were merely waiting to speak. I held back a sigh of exasperation. They had been given time to think and make decisions, and once people have decided, they stop listening and stop thinking. I would need to make them listen and think, and persuade them to my point of view.
This was going to take time, and I'd made the mistake of pausing for breath.
"Our people have lost everything," one of the men stepped forward and spoke up boldly. "Their homes and possessions, their goods and livelihoods, livestock and money. This man," he pointed at Meran, "has looted the ruins of Learneth and taken great quantities of goods and livestock. Lendrin Treleth has been among the people each day preying on the people’s misfortune by offering tools and raw materials for their work in return for a portion of their profits, damning them to lives of perpetual debt to add to their misfortune. Who will pay for their goods when none here have coin to pay? They will end up selling their product to him at prices he sets and being in his debt in perpetuity. What are you going to do about it?"
He was right, of course, and doubtless that was what Treleth had in mind. I got to my feet. "By the end of the day you will have a fair idea of what I intend to do. For now, you will go back among the people and make it clear to them that there is a choice to be made. They will begin to make it today," I was done wasting time. Treleth had made a start and was effectively stealing my people. I should have guessed he wouldn't wait. That would have to stop. I didn't want these people indebted to him. I wanted them indebted to me.
"I have a stock of timber in Learneth. Treleth is moving it and using it to he's build a warehouse!"
Damn. I wanted them out of here. They were going to be no use to me yet, I could see that now, but I couldn't send them back in foul temper. I needed them to look unified; I needed them to walk out in my company looking like they had already decided to back me. "Present him with a bill and I will ensure he pays it if you can prove your claim."
"I lost all my records in the fire," he growled. "How can I prove that man is stealing my goods?"
"Find two men who will vouch for the veracity of your claim and have them put it in writing. If Treleth does not accept it, then you may prosecute him. Should I find against him he will be fined and you will be compensated."
"I lost a tavern and all my stock to the rioting," another man made swift to insert his words into the pause that followed my statement.
"Everyone has lost something," I told him. "We start here anew. You want to build and stock a tavern? Tell me how much it will cost you to do it and, as my client, I will fund you the money to get it done. This is the offer I will make to every man or woman who steps forward. What is lost is lost. Remember that Learneth was in chaos when I arrived and what happened before then is none of my doing. But here we begin again and every individual will find in me a patron who will back them in their efforts to rebuild. Beginning today in an hour, I will hear petitions and grant them, some immediately and others in time when costings are presented."
"What about my people?" Anista stepped to one side of the table that was between us and glared up at me. "The lands here belong to my son and are granted to the people by his will. These intruders take their homes, eat their food, steal their possessions, and now you are offering them money to build here and take further advantage of them?"
"The offer I make, I will make to all. Any who have the skill and desire to rebuild will be provided with the means to do so, be they of Darklake, Learneth or refugees of the Necromancers’ former rule. As to your son, Anista, I have already made it clear to you that I rule here. Your people will be provided for should they accept that, and the sooner you accept it, the better for them. There will be no group that takes precedent over another. Under city law all have equal freedom, and make no mistake that city law prevails here. This conversation is over. You will all wait for me in the hall and I will join you when certain preparations are made and we will begin to put things right. Am I clear?"
"What of those who wish to return to Learneth?"
I raised an eyebrow at the man who has spoken. I would have to get their names, I realised. But first things first. "Free men make their own choices," I told him. "But I would recommend they wait until I have secured Hederan to ensure that there is no threat to them from that quarter. You should advise your people that those who wish a return to the lands around Learneth will be supported in their efforts to reclaim what is there, but not until I have determined that Hederan is no threat to them. The sooner order is restored here, the sooner that will be. As the magistrates of this region, you will each take up duties and responsibilities to be determined. In time there will be a vote that will determine who holds public office, but for now those roles will be yours simply because I am informed that people look to you already." I locked my gaze with Anista. "It is a grave responsibility, to look first to the welfare of your people and the first step is to learn and recognise what is in their best interests. Right now, cooperation with me is certainly that. Do you agree?"
She didn't respond. I could see the anger and resentment in her expression and decided to leave it for now. I would keep her with me, I decided. I already knew she would take time to persuade; she had the most to lose, indeed, had lost everything already, and she believed she had the least to gain. I swept my gaze over the rest of them, noted their considering expressions as they realised they could make advantage to themselves out of the situation. "Well?"
"I am Vedat, Patron," the prospective tavern keeper spoke up. "Let me be sure I understand you. You intend that this region be a province of the city? That all the people here, regardless of origin, be free citizens under your rule? That each may make claim to you of goods and materials to rebuild their lives? That we, here in this room, will have authority to represent the people and act in their name under your rule and that we will be recompensed for our efforts?"
I had given a sharp nod to each of his points despite their inaccuracy in detail. Time enough to clarify the legal status of the area later. "In essence, Vedat, that is what I intend, yes."
He looked to each of his fellows in turn, judging their reactions. "And as magistrates we will have the power to promulgate and enact laws?"
"The laws of the city will pertain here, during my rule. They are few and clear and mostly pertain to protection of person and property. They will be made clear and posted, and read aloud for those who cannot read. They will not be added to or changed during my rule, but I will depart in time and how this region administers itself will be left to those who have ruled here previously under my authority," which by then, I did not add, will probably not be you.
"The people of Darklake should be given precedence," said Anista, fairly vibrating with suppressed rage. "The land here is theirs, inherited through generations, and now is for the use of the families of the dead. The people of Learneth are nothing but thieves if they remain here and take what is ours."
"Mine," I corrected her once more. "Your brother was right; you really don't listen to what you don't want to hear. Well hear this; if I decide that the people of Darklake would be better served by your absence then I will sell you and you alone into slavery. Now stop thinking about how things were and think about how they are. What role will you play for the next part of your life? A magistrate here with responsibilities and benefits accrued to yourself and what you think of as your people sounds like the better option. I would grasp it firmly were I you, while the offer still stands."
Her chin came up defiantly. "You make us slaves with your soldiers and your swords and your words that steal our land and property, but I will remain and protect my people from your tyranny as best I can."
Not quite the rousing endorsement I could have hoped for. "Good enough. Encourage them to obey the laws and keep the peace. Now, this meeting is over. If you would wait for me in the hall, I have some things to organise before we take our new found unity before the people." I couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my voice; hell, I didn't even try very hard.
#
"This is all of it?"
Meran and I stood in a chamber that held the combined wealth of Darklake, the Keep of Duprane, the settlement of the Necromancers and what had been recovered from the husk of Learneth. Meran had selected a key from the large bunch he carried. The two sentries acknowledged us as we entered, accompanied by Pendat and Yahret. Chests and bags and sacks of coin and finger-bars and larger bars of silver and much less gold, all split into two roughly even parts. There was also a desk and chair; on the desk were assaying equipment and a written record of everything there, in my treasury.
The Invisible Hand Page 3
