by LeRoy Clary
“First, you may all refer to me as Givens. It is both a title and my given name, so it’s quite appropriate.”
“Not that we care,” Bender said, changing the friendly tone of the conversation to antagonistic.
Givens smiled instead of becoming upset. “Now, as to why you will be concerned with who I am and what I offer, allow me to explain a few facts.”
Tyler settled back and waited, but cast a look that told Bender to shut up for a change.
“About ten years ago, the realm faced extreme financial difficulties, what with a war to win, and other obligations to pay for from the previous king’s extravagances. A pair of brothers named Cabot appeared and provided loans of gold. . . in exchange for a few minor favors, mostly small changes in existing laws that allowed them to acquire land and buildings from others who were in debt. The changes allowed more taxes to be levied and collected, and at first, the partnership benefited both sides. The brothers’ business interests expanded rapidly, even constructing many businesses that burn so much wood and coal that our sky turned gray, along with our beautiful city.”
“The Cabots don’t care,” Bender said, ignoring Tyler’s admonition to be quiet.
“Yes, the Cabots care only for themselves. While they initially brought gold that the crown sorely needed, they soon held papers for a debt that exceeded the possibility to ever be redeemed, yet unfortunately, most of the debt was payable on demand. Are you familiar with that legal term?”
“No,” Tyler said.
“It is a term my brother should have learned before he accepted the first coin from the Cabots. It means, simply, that the person who made the loan can call for it to be paid at any time. But, we don’t have the gold to repay, so the Cabots accept favors until we do.”
Girt said, “That sounds like the king made a poor decision, but was in no way involved.”
Givens said, “In his defense, at the time those loans were made, they allowed my brother to build roads, create jobs, and secure trade routes for our products. It was not squandered, but the expected taxes that were to be used never materialized. We now see where the Cabots had a hand in that, too, because they set themselves up to pay none, yet they owned the businesses that should have paid the most.”
Bender motioned for more wood to be placed on the fire, then turned to Givens and said, “All very bad for you and the king. Now, suppose you tell us why you’re here.”
The abrupt statement froze everyone but Givens. He never missed a beat as he faced Bender. “You’re very direct, and I do not like that.”
“You’re a man who talks around his subject, and I do not like that.” Bender didn’t back down in tone or forcefulness. “You came to us, so I think you want something. If not, you can go back down to the street without fear of us, and then go anywhere you want.”
“I came to negotiate!”
Bender scooted his chair closer to him. “You make demands of people who do not need to negotiate. Now, what is it that you want? I’m getting tired of sitting here and letting the mosquitoes eat me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Givens, the brother of the King James the Second, also known as King Righteous, and holder of dozens of titles, flashed anger before visibly calming himself. He drew in a deep breath and said, “I come to offer you the support of the king in return for certain considerations.”
“King James knows about us?” Bender asked, his tone calmer and softer. “The king? And he wants to make a deal with us? Me and Bender?”
“He does. Your transactions in transferring ownership of land and buildings drew slight attention for a short while, then ministers requested royal appearances, and rumors flew. Your lawyer was clever and efficient in his methods, but word still leaked out. Some say that the pair of you own almost one in three buildings in Aston. Others say you own even more but have yet to file the paperwork.”
“Go on,” Bender said.
“Then there are those who say that you’ve stolen a hoard of gold, and most rumors indicate that it once belonged to the Cabots. The crown asks only one question before these negotiations begin. Are you attempting to overthrow the Cabot empire?”
Bender glanced at Tyler. A nod gave Bender permission to continue. “I, too, have a question to be answered before answering yours. Did you or your king know of the slaves used to work the gold mines upriver? Was he involved?”
The change in the calm demeanor of Givens cracked. His eyes flew wide, and his head shook from side to side as if it did so without conscious thought. He mumbled, “W-what?”
“That answers my question well enough,” Bender said. “You had no idea, but probably should have. Yes, we are planning to overthrow the Cabots and kill all of them. Is that a problem?”
“I see. We may have mutual alignments.” The king’s brother pulled himself together. He squared his shoulders and said, “We’re determined to remove the Cabots from power in this kingdom. After all, they’re actively trying to remove my family, and sit one of their own on the throne. A man who calls himself Lord Cabot, but he is no lord, is the eldest son of a wealthy scoundrel. We want to work together with you if you are also fighting against them.”
Bender placed his hands on his hips, and with his usual directness said, “It seems to me your king made a series of bad deals with the Cabots and now he’s clinging to his position and wants to renege on his deals. He wants us to do his fighting for him. Probably also plans to cancel the debts he owes them.”
Givens didn’t retreat or make excuses. “I think you have a fairly full and complete understanding of the situation.”
The response shocked Tyler. He’d expected some sort of denial or excuse. At least, he expected the man to talk around the direct answer. But it seemed that Givens was too smart and crafty to attempt that sort of drivel. Instead, he told the truth. But, just as obvious, was the fact that the king, and his brother, were not honorable men when it came to keeping their word or making agreements.
This was not a man Tyler would wish across a table playing in a game of Blocks against him. While Givens wouldn’t cheat, he would win. Before playing, Givens would learn the rules, all in detail, and would figure ways to bend them to fit his needs. He would use the rules to defeat his opponents. Despite his foppish, rich clothing, his soft hands lacking a callous, and his friendly, polished demeanor, the man sitting across from them was as dangerous as any snake.
Givens waited for them to digest his words before continuing. “Despite the bad financial choices my brother has made with the Cabots, and the fact that he never saw through their deceptions and goals, does not mean he is not a fair and good ruler to his subjects.”
Bender said bluntly, “So, you want to use our gold to unseat the Cabots?”
“No, but we would like to cooperate with you by defeating and banishing them from our city and kingdom. My brother, the king, can make laws that will benefit you and work against them. We share a common enemy. Your gold will be a welcome and necessary addition, but the deeds you’ve already filed will cripple the entire Cabot financial structure if handled properly. That is the real path to their defeat.”
“Our solicitor, Jenkins, expects them to hire every lawyer in the city to work for them and overturn the ownership of the deeds,” Tyler said.
Givens said with a smile, “That process was begun before the sun sets today. The heads of the Cabot family met with the king and demanded immediate payment of our outstanding debts, or that he pass a new law that requires your stolen deeds to be returned to them. In that case, they will forgive a portion of the debt, but not all.”
“Your king does not have the gold to repay, so he has little choice,” Bender said with a shrug.
“One might have that opinion, but it would be incorrect,” Givens said. “Based on the results of our meeting on this nasty rooftop, if you join with us, King James will accept their pay-on-demand option, instead,” he paused and allowed a slight smile to form.
Tyler said, “Meaning he will b
e forced to repay the loans. How does that benefit him, or us?”
Givens continued, “For the realm to repay a portion the enormous loans, he will order an emergency tax levied on all buildings, land, and businesses, due to be paid immediately by the owners. The tax will be very heavy.”
“We can afford it,” Bender said.
“Existing law states that he cannot tax property that has changed ownership in the last thirty days. It’s only fair when you think about it.”
“That’s all our property,” Bender said, a sly smile threatening to widen.
Givens refused to smile any more than he had before. But, his smile had become thin and sinister. “The taxes will be calculated on the value of buildings at this time last year, payable by the legal owners of the property last year.”
Bender said, “Let me guess, the new tax for the Cabots will surprisingly equal the amount of the loans?”
Givens settled back with a smirk as if the conversation was over. He looked ready to stand and depart as they accepted his offer. The king was probably waiting anxiously for his return and agreement. King James had gotten himself backed into a corner, and it seemed Givens had managed to provide him some wiggle room, possibly even a method for ridding the kingdom of the potential usurpers.
Tyler scooted his chair closer to the center to draw attention and to make his words more intent. “This new tax will hurt too many innocent people. Families and businesses that have nothing to do with this. I don’t like it.”
Givens shook his head as if sad, but understanding. “True, the taxes will be owed by all property owners. However, you fail to understand the details. The king’s tax collectors will spread out and collect the taxes, as is the law, but there is no law that requires them to collect them in a specific order.”
Bender chuckled, “They will attempt to collect only from properties the Cabots owned first.”
“Who can say which door the tax collectors will knock on first? And when the Cabots cannot pay what is owed, but the property has been transferred to new owners, the crown cannot rightfully seize the property, so it will seek other means for nonpayment of the legal taxes.”
Bender said, “Where I came from, they put debtors in prison.”
“When citizens cannot pay taxes and do not own property for the crown to seize, what other recourse does a king have?” Givens crossed his hands over his ample stomach and laced his fingers together.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Franklin called from the hatch to the roof, “They got out.”
“Who?” Bender demanded, leaping to his feet.
“Rage and Thunder!”
Tyler ignored the surprised look on Givens’ face. He demanded, “How?”
“Rage stuck his head out an arrow port and somehow managed to squeeze through,” Prim said, rushing up to them, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. Thunder followed him.”
Tyler looked at Girt, “We have two dragons running the streets of Aston. Ideas?”
“Kill them,” Girt said, “Before innocent people die.”
“No,” Prim wailed. “I’ll get them back.”
“You can’t leave this building, and that’s final,” Tyler said. He turned to Givens, who was calmly watching them. “What about you? Can you help?”
“I am not in the business of catching dragons, no matter how young they are. However, I am not leaving this rooftop until you have your vicious animals under control.”
Bender snapped, “He’s right. We’re their mothers.”
Tyler reached for the loop of rope that Givens had used to climb up. While slipping it around himself, he ordered, “Let us down and when we call to you, open the front door to let us inside. Franklin, you get those arrow ports blocked.”
Franklin handed him the whistle as he raced past. “They are not yet trained, but they do know this sound.”
Tyler went to the edge of the roof and looked down. None of the Cabot soldiers were in sight, but that didn’t mean they were not there. He placed a leg over and sat on the parapet ready to be lowered.
Givens stood beside him. “Am I to believe you are willing to support my brother and me?”
“Not the time,” Tyler said, slipping over the side and feeling the stone wall scrape against him as he was lowered. However, he heard Bender tell Givens that they were partners, as long as the king didn’t stand in the way of a few Cabot deaths.
Feet on the ground, Tyler slipped free of the rope and blew the shrill whistle several times. But neither dragon heeded his whistle or calls. The rope was pulled back up, and Bender was soon standing beside him. Tyler said, “Split up and meet back here after you go a few streets away.”
He heard running feet and reached for his sword. Getting captured now would cause too many problems. Besides, he felt like a good fight might help calm him. The blade cleared his scabbard with a snick of sound, and he turned to face those charging him.
Judge pulled up short. “Hey, it’s just us.”
Relief swept over him. Then he recovered and said. “Our dragons are loose.”
“They went that way,” One of the men who had helped at the Cabot compound pointed.
Helm led the way, Judge behind, and Tyler after him, blowing the whistle as he ran. He heard more feet behind, but didn’t turn to see if Bender was coming. There were few lights in the windows to help them see the darkened streets, and nobody had a torch. When they reached a debris-filled alley, a commotion in the dim light drew his attention. Tyler darted inside the alley, which was filled with refuse. A creature ran past him from left to right, a dragon in hot pursuit.
Bender shouted, “Block off both ends of this alley.”
One of the men hissed to another, “So, they can eat us?”
“Do it,” another voice ordered.
“How do we get to the other end without the dragons attacking us?”
Tyler heard the question, and understood the man’s concern, but ignored it as Rage appeared out of the shadows and suddenly stood before him, red eyes alert and eager to play and chase more cats, rats, and whatever else lived in the alley. The dragon’s legs danced in anticipation. He leaped as he heard something slither nearby, and his head spun in anticipation of another chase. Damn, their leashes are inside the armory.
He pulled off his shirt and tied a sleeve around the neck of Rage, while talking gently to it, and ordering everyone to step back out of the way. A shirtsleeve was all that held the beast, and one bite of its jaws would sever that. But he was Rage’s mother, and he used that relationship to demand obedience, as any mother would do with a wayward child.
The dragon did as he asked. It stopped pulling, tugging, and trying to give chase. Instead, it snuggled next to Tyler’s leg, making it nearly impossible to walk. As he began to feel he’d accomplished something, he caught sight of the other dragon.
Bender shouted from inside the alley, “Okay, I have Thunder under control. Did you notice I didn’t even have to use a whistle to get him to come to me?”
“Rage came to me first. Did you happen to notice that?”
“Okay, but Thunder has the better, more friendly personality. You can’t deny that,” Bender said proudly, leading the other dragon by a short length of rope he’d found somewhere.
Judge and Helm exchanged looks that didn’t require them to roll their eyes. Helm said, “Do you want us to come with you or stand by?”
Tyler said, “Come inside. We have food and places to sleep, and we can use more men, but we think there may be no fighting, at least with swords and arrows.”
At the armory, the door opened at their approach, and eleven men slipped inside with Tyler, bender, and the two dragons. On the second floor, Franklin was supervising the arrow ports to be partially blocked, and he apologized again. “With your permission, I’d like to chain them when we sleep, so they don’t find themselves more mischief.”
“Do it,” Tyler said, with intent on getting back to the roof. When he climbed out the hatch, he
didn’t see Givens. He made a full turn searching for him.
“He’s gone,” Girt said. “You were no more than on the ground when Givens went down. He seemed to be in a hurry.”
“We weren’t done talking,” Tyler protested.
Girt tried to look confused, but it just made him seem in pain. “Bender accepted his offer. What else was there to discuss?”
“I don’t know! Details. Whatever. We weren’t done.”
“As you say,” Girt mumbled and stepped away to end the confrontation.
Tyler called after him, “We brought in eleven more men. Can you have someone feed them and assign them to duties?”
“That cuts our supplies almost in half,” Girt said, but also gave a curt nod of agreement.
It had been more of a statement of fact, than a complaint. If the armory was attacked, Girt would welcome the men. Tyler tossed more wood on the fire despite the agreement Givens had made with them. He didn’t fully trust Givens yet. Bender came to stand beside him.
Bender said, “What would you do?”
“Do?”
“If you were a Cabot?”
Tyler slumped into a chair. That was the problem. Bender had identified what was wrong with one simple question. What would he do if he was a Cabot?
There were several possibilities, no matter how slim the chances were for the Cabots to come out of this ahead. He and Tyler had stolen their most valuable assets, along with gold and other valuables, not to mention destroying their income from mining. The new property tax would be an expense they couldn’t afford, which was the purpose, but it left them without homes, gold, or income.
The Cabots would realize they had lost their valuable properties, and the king had betrayed them, as they had planned to betray him. They could accept their losses and move on to a new city, but Tyler didn’t see that happening. They could fight them for their rights in the royal courts, but had made themselves unpopular in the palace and would find little sympathy. They could mount a frontal attack on the armory, but that seemed unlikely considering the king’s probable reaction with royal troops and the city’s reaction to a war being fought on their streets.
