by NAK Baldron
Ren took the original while Mr. Sato kept the copy and rolled it up to prevent smudging. "Sueun's blessing."
Ren bowed in gratitude.
"If you're looking for a place to stay, you'll best be served on the east side of the city. None of the establishments around here will rent to you."
"I just found that out, before a bartender sent me to you."
Mr. Sato offered a half-smile. "You're welcome in my shop any time." He handed Ren two leather pouches. One containing the Silver Quarters and the other the remaining coinage.
With his business concluded—and a walk ahead of him—Ren ignored his urge to look around the shop and said goodbye after thanking him.
Following the road north he soon found himself butted up against the outer palace walls. Standing sixty feet high they cast a dark shadow upon the street below where Ren stood. The road ran east and west along the stone wall leading to both ends of the island, with the northern three quarters of the island blocked off as the private estate of the emperor and his family.
Ren's legs burned from walking all day, but he kept putting one foot in front of the other, as he pulled his trunk east in search of a place to sleep and a hot meal.
CHAPTER SEVEN
BRANDON HOVERED HIGH ENOUGH OVER the city to see the double spiral pattern formed by the street layout. One spiral emanated from the port, and the other from the new heart of the city where the top companies established themselves.
In the new city core, five buildings stood above the rest, towering over their competitors to show off their wealth and prestige. The largest of these buildings belonged to Pearl Power where Brandon had a morning meeting. Brandon reduced the RPMs of his hoverpod's motor, slowing its six rotating propellers and bringing the craft into a controlled descent. The hoverpod jerked slightly as he leveled off atop Pearl Power. Once landed, he parked in the designated area next to several others.
An egg-shaped vehicle powered by a liquid mercury core, hoverpods were the most efficient means of travel, but financially prohibitive to most citizens. Since they were a means of travel for only the wealthiest of the Pearl Nation's citizenry, Brandon preferred to keep his hidden on his roof underneath a tarp.
Brandon took the stairs down to the executive floor. He was taken aback by the sheer grandeur of the building. Solid panes of glass wrapped around all four walls, giving the impression of floating in midair. To the right of the stairs was an elevator that didn't obstruct his view of the city, spiraling out to the point where it met the Ice Plains. He could even make out the research outpost he visited to hunt for new artifacts.
A receptionist wearing a skintight red dress greeted him, "Welcome, Mr. Everly. If you'll follow me, the other board members are awaiting you."
Brandon followed her and rolled his eyes at the sway of her hips. Knowing Belfry, Brandon suspected it was the reason for hiring her. On the far side of the floor sat a table made of a solid piece of polished cedar, long enough to accommodate twenty people. Today it only sat four.
A middle-aged man, with a thin frame and balding gray hair stood to greet him, "Welcome Mr. Everly, please join us." He wore a well-tailored three-piece suit. Brandon assumed him to be Henry Velden, the man he sent the message indicating he knew how to recover the lost prototype to.
Brandon took a seat on the side closest to where he stood. A woman he didn't recognize—younger than himself—sat on his side of the table, while the other board members sat across.
"Mr. Belfry won't be joining us today," Henry continued. "We felt it would be best to discuss your proposal without him."
"You and Mrs. Monty are our first new board members in nearly five years." Henry and the two other board members bowed their heads in a way of acknowledgment.
The scantily dressed receptionist returned carrying a tray of glasses and drink options. Brandon pondered what the appeal of having such a receptionist might be as she took a seat five down from Mrs. Monty, produced a portable terminal and began to take notes. She was more than a receptionist.
Records of our meeting?
Henry nodded toward his left. "This is Jennifer and Jeremy Kolstad. They've been with us since their father passed. Combined they control 25% of Pearl Power."
"27%" Jennifer interjected. "I acquired the shares yesterday when I heard we'd have new board members." She gave Brandon and Mrs. Monty an evaluating look that reminded him of a frost-wolf sizing up an invader to its den. Mrs. Monty fidgeted under the pressure of her stare.
"With the pleasantries handled," Henry continued as if Jennifer hadn't spoken. "Perhaps you'll be so kind as to explain why you think you're in a position to return an allegedly missing prototype."
"I'd like to know why you've taken a 10% stake in our company?" Jeremy asked.
Brandon returned his stare. There was nothing they could do to intimidate him, and he was perfectly happy to let them know it. "You're mistaken. I control 14% of Pearl Power outright and suspect I'll be able to sway an additional 2% for voting purposes if needed."
He took a glass of water from the tray, taking a slow sip to draw out the tension. Jeremy and Jennifer sat uncomfortably in their seats, each playing with their hands. Henry didn't move or give any hint of his emotional state. Either he was fully aware of how powerful Brandon was, or indifferent to the outcome.
"As for your lost prototype," Brandon began. "It's not 'allegedly' lost. It was stolen by a small team. I'm in a position to return the prototype because I've met with the head thief. Turns out Pearl Power has enemies willing to pay for the theft of your technology but unwilling to buy it after the fact. Meaning it was likely a ploy to ruin public trust in Pearl Power.
"I bought into Pearl Power, because I see the value in the company and thought the market would try to over correct itself at the news of your loss. I was right. I acquired my position for a fraction of the actual value. I suspect I stand to make a 200% return on my investment by the end of the year."
Brandon took another drink of water, and the four other board members drank from their own glasses. All five of them were likely thinking the same thing. If Brandon expected to see a ten-fold return on his shares, they too were poised to make a fortune—or rather grow their already considerable fortunes. There were no poor citizens on the boards of the top five companies.
Henry broke the silence, "What assurance can you make that you weren't the person behind the heist in the first place?"
"So, we're in agreement, the heist did take place?"
"Yes." Henry winced, showing real emotion for the first time.
"Excellent, then I don't feel like such a fool." Brandon tugged at his chin. "I've given a small upfront payment for the device and promised half a million credits for its safe delivery."
"Why?" Jennifer nearly yelled her question in surprise.
"Obviously, I believe the device to be the key to our fortune."
"You were in no position to negotiate with thieves on behalf of Pearl Power—" Henry said.
"Quite right!" Mr. Belfry stormed across the floor. The glow of the source-light rising to its early morning position cast a long shadow behind him. Actors in plays didn't make such dramatic entrances. "As CEO I alone am able to negotiate on behalf of Pearl Power."
Mr. Belfry took his seat at the head of the table and slammed his fist an inch shy of Henry's resting hand. "What is the meaning of this? You thought you'd be able to keep this meeting from me?"
Henry recomposed himself after the shock of his hand nearly being smashed. "It was at the request of our newest board member Mr. Everly, that this meeting take place without you. He claims to have access to our lost prototype."
If that's how he wants to proceed.
"Is that so?" Mr. Belfry turned his glare upon Brandon.
Brandon raised his head to look down upon Mr. Belfry. The man was beaten but didn't know it. "To answer the previous question, I didn't negotiate on behalf of Pearl Power. I bought the prototype myself. I'm here to sell it back to Pearl Power."
Henry pulled out a portable terminal from underneath the table. Brandon reached under his section of the table and felt where there was a portable terminal for his use.
"We'd be willing to offer 562,500 credits for the return of the device." Henry said. "A nice profit if I say so myself for passing along information."
"Now wait a minute." Mr. Belfry said. "I'm not agreeing to pay for my stolen property."
"As CFO I'm able to override your vanity in this matter." Henry said. "I call a vote. All in favor of paying Mr. Everly?"
Henry, Brandon, Jennifer, and Jeremy all voted in the affirmative.
"Against?" Henry asked.
Only Mr. Belfry raised his hand. Mrs. Monty abstained from the vote, but her shares weren't needed on either side.
"I'll accept," Brandon said. "On one condition. Upon the return of the prototype, or failing that, the thieves responsible, Mr. Belfry is stripped of his position as CEO and a new head is promoted."
"And I presume you mean yourself?" Jeremy asked in a condescending tone.
The company needs a man who will place the fiduciary responsibilities first, and Mr. Velden has been CFO for most of its existence. "Not at all." Brandon cleared his throat, "I have no interest in overseeing any company. I suggest we elect Mr. Velden. He seems an honorable man and clearly hasn't lost his head during these troubled times. I think he might be just the man to lead Pearl Power into the future."
"Wait, a damn minute!" Mr. Belfry slammed his fist on the table again. "I built this company from the ground up. This is my company."
"Correction," Henry grinned from ear to ear. "You control 21% and vote in proxy of your son for an additional 3%. Unless I've miscalculated that's a total ownership of 24%."
Jennifer snickered under her breath, and Mrs. Monty gasped.
"I call a second vote, for the approval of Mr. Everly's conditions regarding the return of our lost prototype. All in favor?"
Again Henry, Brandon, Jennifer, and Jeremy voted in the affirmative, Mrs. Monty added her name to their cause—clearly smart enough to see the winds had changed in her newly acquired company.
"Against?"
"Damn you! Damn you all!" Mr. Belfry threw his chair to the floor and stormed away from the table.
"None, against." Henry added as a final jab. "Motion carried."
"I'll need our deal in writing."
"Done," Henry said.
"Excellent," Brandon said. "Well, ladies, gentlemen. I have business to attend to. I'll contact you as soon as the time for the trade has been set."
CHAPTER EIGHT
A MORNING BREEZE RATTLED THE WINDOW shudders of the third-floor room, waking Ren from a deep sleep. The source-light was in its early morning position casting a faint glow, as the taller buildings around him blocked the direct light.
Two days passed while Ren stayed in a rundown inn on the east side of the island. Finding a place to stay had been easy, once he crossed the imaginary line which divided the east third from the rest of the city. During the day there wasn't much difference between the two parts of the sprawling city, but come nightfall the area around the inn came to life. The residents were just as obsessed with making money as their counterparts, but when darkness covered the island, music began, and a nightly celebration would last until the pale gray light of early morning spread across the ocean's surface.
Downstairs, Ren found breakfast waiting for him, courtesy of the inn's owner. One thing Ren quickly learned about the people of the Sapphire Nation, is they took time to enjoy their food. Every morning a large pot of porridge was made for all the guests along with a chunk of pork. The food was nothing fancy, but it was well seasoned.
When he finished his porridge and was halfway through his chunk of pork, he asked for a morning wine. The innkeeper added the wine to his tab as it cost less than a silver quarter. Nearly as clear as water, the wine had only the slightest hint of alcohol, and tasted like a spring dew.
Ren spent his first two days exploring the city and discovered a temple to Sueun. Inside a shrine depicted a figure cloaked in gold cloth, holding a scale in the right hand and a coin-bag in the other. Every citizen of the Sapphire Nation worshiped at an altar to Sueun, but the men around the east side temple claimed theirs was the greatest in the nation.
With his food finished, Ren stretched to help digestion. "What's another must-see for a traveler?" he asked the innkeeper. They'd discussed the temple the previous day.
The innkeeper gathered Ren's dishes. "There's a market in the Bloody Square across the street. Everyone should see it at least once."
"Bloody Square?"
"Yes, it's an old name from long ago. You'll find exotic goods that you can't get anywhere else on the island. But keep your wits about you. It's a no-nonsense place, full of serious people." The innkeeper walked through a curtain, at the back of the inn, into the kitchen.
Ren knew of the square, but he hadn't seen a market. Curiosity tickled his spine, and he walked out of the dimly lit inn onto the bright street. His eyes took a moment to adjust to blinding light. The source-light had moved high enough in the sky that it was no longer blocked by the fifty-foot-tall buildings which collectively made up the squared off section of the city, known simply as the Bloody Square. Aside from the two thirty feet tall, wooden gates—wide enough for six men to walk through, shoulder to shoulder—the square was sealed off from the rest of the city. In effect it was a city within a city.
Ren passed through the gates, held wide open by hemp-ropes, the same kind used on Capt. Kaito's ship. From inside the Bloody Square he realized the sheer size of it—nearly a quarter mile squared. The building facade stood in contrast to its outside. Where the outside walls were made of thirty feet of solid stone before tiny windows began–barely large enough for Ren to stick his hand through–the inside walls were more window-holes than stone, most had their shuttered opened to allow the fresh air in. Running from the tops of the buildings were rope lines, with multiple layers of clothes hung out to dry in the morning light.
Ren hadn't walked twenty steps before a group of rough-looking men approached him. Pressed against the stone walls, he had nowhere to go, unless he was willing to walk into a stranger's house.
"Where you from, boy?" The shortest of the men said. The top of his head barely reached Ren's nose, but the two men on either side were built like freight ships, tall and broad shouldered.
"Pearl Nation." Ren offered up in his most convincing, I-have-nothing-to-hide, voice. "Got here three days ago and thought I'd take in some of the sights. The owner of the Pink Dolphin recommended I visit the market and see the Bloody Square."
"You're in luck then." The short man flashed a smile which showed more golden teeth than not. His front tooth caught the light and a tiny sapphire set in gold, glistened blue.
Ren tried to step back but bumped into the railing of the porch behind him. The tall man to Ren's right placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
He'd crush my head with one grasp.
The man's forearm was tanned the dark brown of boat-wood and tattooed with ink as black as coal—a broken anchor with a sword cutting it in half.
"Come," the short man said. "We'll show you the way."
Fearing the worst, Ren allowed the men to lead him through the crowds of people, looking for any opportunity to slip away.
What the fuck had the innkeeper been thinking?
"I'm called Dai," the short man puffed up his chest as if it would make him grow as tall as the twins he kept close by. He wore a brown leather waistcoat over his bare skin, which had darkened to an almost identical fawn hue. "That's Hisoka," Dai thumbed towards the man guiding Ren along. "And that's Jun."
Upon a closer look, the two men were in fact twins. Even down to the tattoos of black spirals and knots on their arms.
"What do you need from our market?"
"I'm not sure." Ren answered honestly. "I was told everyone should see the market at least once."
They stopped walking. Dai faced
Ren and lowered his voice. "The market is not a tourist spot. It's a place where the best people of Shinzo conduct serious business."
Dai and Ren didn't break eye contact for a long enough moment that Ren's eyes began to water, and he blinked. At which point Dai punched him lightly in the arm. "Gambling. That's why you'll visit." He let out a hearty laugh that reminded Ren of Capt. Kaito. "Nothing like a friendly wager to display reverence to Sueun."
They continued walking, but this time Hisoka and Jun directed Ren with hands on his shoulders.
CHAPTER NINE
SWEAT STUNG SHAYA'S EYES. The morning light reflected off the black-tar rooftops turning them into stove tops. A pack of seagulls flew overhead, a lucky sign from Sueun. They blessed her day.
About fucking time!
Her clan had been cursed for so long a good sign was welcome. Maybe her twelve years as Kaito-Tanken were finally starting to pay off. She crouched lower allowing her knees to scrape against the rough gravel protecting the roof. From her vantage point the people in the square below were hard to make out, they were blurs of color.
For three days she'd sensed a sorcerer around their square, but that was absurd. No imperial caster would venture into the east side of the island, much less the Bloody Square. The Emperor knew the consequences, it would mean another war. But just in case, she had to verify. With the examination days away, foreigners would start arriving on the island, but they'd not be staying eastside. If she were lucky enough to find an unsworn sorcerer, she could use them to help her clan.
Akio, her first sworn, mingled in the crowd below awaiting her signal. The bright orange hood he wore—the color of the rising source-light—allowed Shaya to single him out from fifty feet up.
There was a commotion at the west gate. Dai and his damn gang were frisking someone. She'd recognize Hisoka and Jun from any distance, they literally stood out from the crowd. Towering over other men, crowds parted as they led their "guest" away.
