Coven Codex

by Taki Drake

  The counted money was wrapped in the same covering the necklace had been in on its way into the store. Zhanna felt a sense of appropriateness as she carefully stowed the payment into her pack.

  The young Witch was aware that she had more money in her pack now than all of the mercenary groups in her entire village brought in over multiple years. Overwhelmed a bit by the responsibility that she was facing, Zhanna couldn’t decide what concerned her more, carrying around this much money, or knowing that she would need it.

  Zhanna couldn’t help yourself from checking the security of her pack once more. Carefully, she took the wrapped package of money down a little deeper into her backpack. It would be secure now, and she could think about the next challenge.

  As she started to close the flap up again, Zhanna brushed her hand against the wrapped orb and hesitated. Alert to her body language at this point, Vadim asked immediately, “I thought you had more than one thing to sell. Or have you changed your mind?”

  Chapter 11 – Deal of a Lifetime

  The young Witch stood frozen for a moment. On the one hand, she was in possession of more money than she thought possible. On the other, she had planned on selling at least two items and had stated to the merchant that she had multiple things to sell. Caught between an overwhelming desire to go someplace and freak out, and the nagging of her intuition that told her that she needed to sell the orb, Zhanna stood frozen for just a moment.

  Her mind raced as she wordlessly weighed pros and cons, examining risk and a sense of obligation. Coming to a decision, Zhanna answered, “I have one other item. However, if you have problems understanding the value of the necklace you just bought, I’m a little reluctant to bring this item out. I may need to save it for when we travel to a bigger city, one with more knowledgeable purchasers and one with a greater pool of money.”

  Dascha’s amused comment of, << Well done, my Witch! >> collided with Vadim’s indignant protests of his professional competence and the fact that he had enough funds to buy any item that she managed to find that was worth anything.

  Shrugging her shoulders in affected nonchalance, Zhanna carefully brought out the wrapped orb. Whether the old man bought this item or not, the young woman thought the rest of the things could be saved for a different day. After all, she didn’t want to run the merchant out of money.

  Once again Zhanna carefully unwrapped the orb on the counter surface, her gentle movements stressing the value of the piece without saying a word. Mikhail took a step closer to Zhanna’s back, keeping a steady gaze on the old store owner.

  Vadim was oblivious to the movement of the large mercenary. The first glint of the metal and the shock of the intricate embellishment on the sphere had mesmerized him. For a moment, the old man just stared at the work of art that sat glinting softly in the dim light. Reaching out a trembling hand, Vadim touched one fingertip to a mark on the line that divided the two halves of the orb. The look on the old man’s face was awe, elemental and strong. Laced around it was naked greed and disbelief.

  So overwhelming were the emotions that the old man was unable to conceal them. The words of his constant chatter had dried up, and all that was left was the unadorned reaction of someone who was close to an item that he never thought to see. Finally, a few soft words wafted out of the old man’s throat. Zhanna leaned forward to hear what he was saying, but only caught part of it.

  Lost in a cloud of surprise, the old man had murmured, “… Fabergé…”

  Zhanna remained quiet, allowing Vadim to settle himself. Watching the old man closely, she saw the exact moment that he dragged himself out of his reverie and back to the business at hand. His gaze sharpening and his posture straightening, the old man looked at her and said straightforwardly, “I have no idea how you managed to get this. This is a piece of artwork that is beyond anything my shop has ever carried. Or hoped to carry. It is something I never thought to see in my lifetime.”

  Vadim’s mouth puckered as if he had bitten into a lemon. Zhanna could tell that the old man didn’t really want to say the next words, but he still opened his mouth and admitted, “You were right when you said that I might not have enough money to buy what you are selling. We could take every dollar from every person in this town and not pay you what this item is worth.”

  Zhanna responded, “Thank you for telling me. Do you have a proposal?”

  The merchant gazed consideringly at the young woman before he answered, “I can give you a base amount of money which will represent a good portion of my available cash. I will also agree to pay you a percentage of any money that I make above a target amount when I resell the item. If that is acceptable, we can draw up documents to that agreement, or you can accept my word.”

  It was Zhanna’s turn to stare at the suddenly different man who was standing across the counter from her. In the space of just a few moments, Vadim had gone from a wily and tricky negotiator to someone who had become a type of ally. Someone who would be joined to her in success or failure. The rapid change in the relationship was both startling and deeply satisfying to the young woman. Only time and reflection would tell her what exactly had happened to make this change, but she found that she much preferred to work in cooperation than against competition.

  Her response was calm and assured, “How much now, and what percentage over what target?”

  The two of them then got back to bargaining. In far less time that it had taken to negotiate the single necklace, Zhanna and Vadim worked out mutually agreeable terms. The old man disappeared into the back to “make arrangements” for payment and transport. While he was gone, Mikhail leaned close to Zhanna and whispered, “Was that some sort of secret code for how much we are being paid?”

  Zhanna replied, “No. That was how much we are being paid.”

  “Wow!”

  << Very well done, my Witch. No one that I know could have done any better. >>

  After a short while, Vadim came back into the room accompanied by two very large men in mercenary uniforms. Zhanna could see Mikhail straighten up and tense by her side as he caught sight of them. The Witch remained calm and relaxed as she waited for the old man to talk. She didn’t have long to wait.

  “I’m sorry for the delay, but I needed to get hold of these two gentlemen that act as my escorts when I’m carrying something valuable. I have your money here, but I’m concerned that you’re going to need bodyguards of your own. I’m not sure that the three gentlemen with you are going to be enough.”

  While acknowledging the two large escorts with a nod, Zhanna felt compelled to say, “I think the three of them will be fine. I need to rent or buy a vehicle to take us on a bit of a trip, so I knew that I was going to end up spending money fairly quickly. They just have to keep me safe enough for long enough for my shopping trip.”

  A bark-like sound emerged from the old man’s throat. For a split second, Zhanna worried that he was having some sort of attack before she understood that he was merely laughing. It was a rusty sound, something that he apparently didn’t do very often because it kicked him off into a paroxysm of coughing.

  After he recovered his breath, Vadim said, “Tell me what kind of vehicle you want, and I will have one of my sons-in-law bring you a car. It’s safer that way, and I will pay them out of the money I still owe you. It will also have the advantage of getting you out of town quickly. You will have plenty of time to deal with the ramifications of today. It is going to be very difficult for you to escape the consequences of what just happened.”

  Zhanna must have looked as confused as she felt because the old man cackled, saying, “I feel so much better now. You look like this young, inexperienced woman, but you negotiate harder than anybody I’ve ever met. Your knowledge of what things cost is amazing and really should come from a professional appraiser. It is reassuring to know that you don’t know everything.”

  “Believe me, I feel my areas of ignorance more than you could possibly know. Since I hate that feeling, I try very hard to fill it in with kn
owledge.”

  Turning a smile on the young Witch that was almost paternal, Vadim gave her an approving nod and said, “You are doing very well. But, there are always people who watch in a town as small as Brasilov. They will notice and tell others that you came here and left in a vehicle. It will also be mentioned that I immediately took off with my bodyguards to go out of town.”

  The young woman nodded her agreement with his assessment, but the old man was not done yet. He continued, saying, “The people that buy that information will easily put it together and know that something valuable changed hands. They will be watching you in the future. It will be known that I have paid you a lot of money. The people that matter will also know that you have the ability to find special and valuable things. As a result, you will be in increased danger for quite a while.”

  Zhanna shrugged, commenting, “I have been in danger before, and it’s becoming so common that the feeling has made itself a constant companion. I don’t think the path I’ve chosen is going to be danger-free so I might as well learn how to cope with it now.”

  Again, the old man made his strange barking laugh. Offering her the first honest grin that she had seen on his face, Zhanna was surprised at the look of childish devilment in his eyes. Vadim said, “Then I think we should oblige all of the nosy busybodies who always want to know what’s going on with everybody.”

  “Oh? How do you propose to do that?”

  Grinning in a manner that provided Zhanna and Dascha with a glimpse of the child he had been many decades ago, the old man said “Wait and see, my dear. Wait-and-see.”

  Chapter 12 – Setting the Stage

  What the old man orchestrated was a sophisticated piece of street theater. Zhanna felt like she was caught in a fairytale where she had accidentally stepped through a doorway into a different reality. Vadim had pulled out a very modern looking cell phone from behind the counter and begun to rapidly call the people he had selected as players in his production.

  Feeling somewhat lost, the young Witch decided that the least she could do was to settle up with Dov. Turning to Mikhail, Zhanna asked, “I think we might as well bring Stefan and Dov up to speed. Is there an out of the way corner of the store where we won’t bother anybody and can talk?”

  Before Mikhail could answer, Vadim interrupted, holding his cell phone against his chest and instructing one of his bodyguards to assist Zhanna, “They can use the small meeting room. Show them where it is and get them water and food. That way they can do what they need to accomplish without being disturbed or trampled by what is going on here. If they need anything, get it for them.”

  Moving away, the old man returned to a complicated discussion with someone that he called Misha. Startled, the young Witch said “Thank you” to his back and turned to follow the big mercenary.

  Shepherding them through the labyrinth of the store, the large, muscular man in the gray and red uniform unbent enough to introduce himself as Kirill Alexin of the Okhotniki Mercenary Force. In response to questions from Zhanna, he explained that the store owner had a long-time relationship with his mercenary group. They provided escort and protection services for the man and his extended family as needed. In return, the OMF got both a retainer and active duty pay. They also got other “benefits.”

  Zhanna was sure that she didn’t want to inquire at the moment into what those other benefits might include. She had an active enough imagination and honestly did not want to have some of her wilder ideas confirmed.

  Flinging open the door to a well-appointed room, the mercenary gestured and stated, “This is the space that Vadim said that you could use. If you like, I will find the other two in your party and escort them here.”

  “Thank you, Kirill, I would appreciate that very much.”

  Moving quietly and very quickly for such a large man, the mercenary disappeared leaving Mikhail and Zhanna to stare at each other. Mikhail opened his mouth to ask a question, but a gesture from Zhanna closed it again. The young Witch said, “Let’s wait for the others to get here so we can go over this once. Frankly, I’m exhausted and feeling disoriented, and I don’t want to go through the situation repeatedly.”

  “I understand. I was standing right there, and I still don’t believe what went on.”

  << Me either! That has to have been the weirdest experience that we’ve had, and that’s saying a lot. >>

  Zhanna jerked in surprise and then flushed with embarrassment. First I lose situational awareness, and now I forgot my own Familiar! What’s next?

  << Like talking to yourself and waiting for an answer? >>

  <<<>>>

  It did not take Kirill very long to return with Dov and Stefan. Although both men’s faces were alight with curiosity, neither said anything until their escort had left the room and closed the door. Before either of them could break into speech, Zhanna said, “Please, sit down, all of you. We have a few moments to talk about things while Vadim organizes the rest of his planned bit of street theater. I think that we need to make our own plans at this point and those plans include Dov at least to the level that he needs to know what’s going on.”

  Everyone took seats at the table in the middle of the room. Zhanna sank into her chair with a sigh of relief as kinked muscles relaxed explosively. Until that moment she hadn’t realized how tense her body was. The brush of fur on her arm and a feeling of reassurance along the Familiar bond announced that Dascha had been more aware than her Witch.

  << Relax for a moment, then tell them. They can wait on you for change. After all, it might be useful for their character development to experience dying of curiosity, at least for a few moments. >>

  Zhanna laughed, the spurt of amusement escaping to lighten the mood and further inflame the inquisitiveness of Stefan and Dov. Mikhail didn’t help the situation. He was grinning like a jack-o’-lantern with an expression that clearly telegraphed that he was privy to information that the other two didn’t have.

  Deciding to stretch the relatively quiet moment a bit longer, Zhanna turned to Dov and said, “I would like to pay you your percentage now. Is that acceptable?”

  “Of course. I am pleased that you and the Vadim managed to come to an agreement,” commented Dov in a surprised voice. After a slight pause, he continued, “Frankly, you’re the first person that I know of that hasn’t come out of his store looking somewhat cowed. He’s reputed to be a very stern negotiator.”

  Mikhail started to laugh. Holding his hands against his rib cage, the ordinarily quiet mercenary was chortling so hard that his head almost touched the table surface. Catching his breath in hiccups, he managed to gasp out, “You… you had better never… try to bargain with… Zhanna.”

  Confused, Dov stared at his convulsing friend before swinging his gaze over to Stefan, who was also displaying a broad grin. Finally joining in the laughter himself, Dov admitted, “That will teach me to make assumptions. I’m glad that you managed to get a good deal.”

  Zhanna answered him, “Yes, I think we got a good price, and now Vadim and I have a good basis for doing more business.” Opening her pack, the young Witch reached in and pulled out the bundle of currency that she had carefully placed in there just a short while before. Calculating the amount based on the agreed percentage and the total funds received from Vadim, Zhanna began to count the money out in front of the stupefied Dov.

  As she kept counting and counting, the middleman protested, “You don’t have to count out everything you got. You can just pay me my percentage.”

  Zhanna continued to count until she reached her target. Putting the rest of the money back in her pack, she said, calmly, “That is your percentage.”

  Stefan and Dov stared at the pile of money on the table. Neither of them said a word, mouths hanging open and eyes glazed. Still grinning broadly, Mikhail reached out and waved a hand in front of each one of their faces, saying, “Hello?”

  The city man extended a hand that noticeably trembled, laying it gently on top of the pile of currency. The reality
of what he could touch widened his eyes and sparked the fire of questions in his face. Whipping his eyes around to Zhanna, he seemed to be searching for some sign deep inside of her. The young Witch didn’t know what he was looking for, but a sharp change in his posture and his expression signaled when he saw his answer somewhere within her. At almost a whisper, he said, “This is more money than my entire mercenary group made in a year. We had 48 people working to earn that, and you pay me this for a few hours effort. I don’t understand.”

  Suddenly serious, Zhanna and Mikhail looked at each other before the Witch continued, explaining gently, “Just because we are from a small village doesn’t mean that what we do or have is not worthwhile. I had some assets to sell that were quite valuable. This is the agreed-upon percentage for the immediate sale.”

  As the impact of her words reached Stefan, he straightened into an alert position and asked, “There’s more money coming?”

  Mikhail was the one who answered, saying, “Yes. We only sold two of the items we brought. The second is so valuable that Vadim will be traveling to a much bigger city to find a buyer for it. We got a small down payment on it, and once he sells it, we will receive a percentage of what he makes.”

  A flash of amazement lit Stefan’s face up before it settled into his usual, controlled expression. Allowing a small smile to perch on his lips, the older mercenary asked, “So, you only sold two of the items right?”

  “Yes, she only brought out two. After all, she didn’t want to run Vadim out of money.”

  Dov was oblivious to the byplay between Stefan and Mikhail. The middleman was still looking stunned, obviously grappling with something in his mind. The silence was broken as he erupted into questions that showed Zhanna just how difficult it was to believe what they had accomplished so far.