1.18 In Which the Dark Lord Meets his Match

1.18 In Which the Dark Lord Meets his Match

Oh, its all anyones talking about down at the Traders Guild, Cadimer Auldmaer said as he set a plate of fruit pastries between us on the desk in his office, still warm enough to be slightly steaming. They were able to salvage a bit of their stockbut it got thoroughly soaked in the course of salvaging and every bolt of fabric now has to be unwound to be dried and laboriously checked for mildew before it can be sold. To be honest, Im rather glad you left them a bit, Lord Seiji, that was a good touch. That much shimmersatin should sell for enough to cover at least most of the expenses of the trip, but Crown Rose wont be pulling in a profit on it.

And, most importantly? I prompted.

He couldnt hide his pleased grin. Weve already broken even, just since I opened up the office this morning! News like what happened at the North Road waystation spreads faster thanwell, than wildfire. Never mind setting my own prices, the news that most of the Crown Rose shipment was lost has kicked off a bidding war! And since itll be at least two days before their stock is ready to sell, Ive had customers beating down my door. It looks like Ill not have any satin left to bring to the marketplace; between the Clan highladies and the inner ring tailors desperate to be the first among their peers to have real dark elf shimmersatin to show off, theyve been hounding me since before dawn. This will set the Auldmaer Company up handsomely for the foreseeable future.

He took a pastry from the plate and bit into it, gesturing me to do the same.

Im glad this has worked out as you hoped, I said, following suit. Immediately I had to pause to collect myself before chewing. There was that flavor again Tell me something, Master Auldmaer. What local fruit is it that tastes sotart? Ive encountered it in jam, wine, and now pastry.

Ah, youre becoming acquainted with a Dount specialty, he said with a pleased smile. Did you never have the chance to try sour flavors in your home country?

Well, we have sour candy. Its aspecific taste, but not uncommon.

He nodded. Then its very likely that candy was made from Dountol sour syrup. Its one of the islands principal exports. I very much doubted that, but he was on a roll and the last thing I wanted was to explain the lack of interplanetary trade. Its not actually fruit, Lord Seiji. I believe these tarts are strawberry. Its the extra kick youre tasting, sour sap from a type of khora that grows in few places, and Dount is one of only two islands I know of that has an actual plantation to cultivate them. Alas, it doesnt travel terribly well in its raw form, so the processing is done here. What is enjoyed as a rare delicacy for the elite throughout the archipelago is a common seasoning found in practically everything on Dount. We Fflyr do enjoy our strong flavors.

Yes, Ive noticed the heavy spicing in Now that I think of it, everything except the bread.

Well, youll only find bland bread if its being used as a vehicle for sour jam or pepper sauce, he said, eyes glimmering with amusement. The expression faded, though, and he slowly lowered his half-eaten pastry, gazing at me seriously. I hope you wont take offense if I abbreviate the pleasantries, Lord Seiji. I am very much cognizant that I owe my current good fortune to you and I wouldnt want to seem ungrateful

From what Ive learned of Fflyr nobles, youve probably had some bad experiences with them, I said, keeping my voice mild. Just for future reference, I wont be offended if you come right to the point, Master Auldmaer. In fact, Im pretty hard to offend. Its my policy not to get mad at people for having reasonable concerns.

Reasonable, he said, setting down the pastry. Right. Its justI cant help feeling concerned about the initial rumors Ive heard about last nights events, especially as I share some responsibility for them. Burning down a whole Kingsguard waystation

Is that what you heard? I didnt have to fake the amused little smile this brought to my face. Ah, gossipwhether via social media or horseback messenger, some things are universal. Im sure thats the word going out because it makes for a better story than what happened, and that matters to the kind of people who spread stories. But no, the waystation is undamaged. Nobody died, there were only a few injuries, and those caused by panicked animals rather than the fire directly. There was superficial damage to multiple parked caravans, but the fires were mostly put out pretty quickly, thanks to a couple of Blessed on hand and a remarkably well-organized bucket train. The Crown Rose caravan had the bad luck to be right in the path of the only major incursion of wildfire past the firebreak the guards put up. Nor do you need to take my word for it; within a day or two you should be able to get a more accurate account of what happened from others who were there.

Ah. Auldmaer relaxed visibly. Well, I confess that relieves me. Somewhat.

Nor is it my intention to sugar-coat this, I said flatly. Last nights event was a disruption of trade, with all the repercussions that always has. People were put in danger, and property was destroyedincluding that of uninvolved third parties who just had the misfortune to be nearby. You and I bear the responsibility for that, and well have to live with it.

You dont favor subtlety in your methods, do you, Lord Seiji? he asked.

I favor it heavily, I countered, leaning forward. In your line of work, is there a single tactic that always works the best in every situation, or do you need to adjust your approach to each separate event?

Ah. He lowered his eyes, making a rueful expression. Yes, I see your point.

The issue here was the extreme specificity of this job, I lectured. There was one person exactly who benefited from the destruction of that shipment of shimmersatin. If it had been taken out on the road in any kind of targeted attack, Auldmaer, right now youd be getting visits from thugs in the employ of the Crown Rose Company, not desperate customers. I may be new in town, but something tells me a merchant syndicate that rich wouldnt bother reporting you to the Kingsguard. As it is, Im concerned how the outcome of the apparent natural disaster looks to them, even though Im extremely confident no one saw solid evidence it was anything but that. Still, there was no way to do this without it looking at least somewhat suspicious. If Id used a more subtle and specific approach That would have been a dead giveaway.

I see. Yes, I follow your logic, Lord Seiji. He hesitated, clearly screwing up his courage before continuing, meeting my gaze directly. Then, with regard to the reason you approached me. You wish to make this a long-term partnership, as I understand it. Must I expect to be complicit in more attacks like this?

Im not going to conclusively rule it out, I admitted, but do understand why this had to happen the way it did. It was a desperate defensive action we had to take because your companys neck was on the chopping block. It would be naive to declare well never be in a similar situation again, but I want to be clear from the outset that I intend to avoid that if at all possible, and Ill expect you to do the same. We must be careful, think ahead, and avoid splashy displays of violence. With the benefit of forethought and time to plan, we can execute more targeted actions at opponents who can afford the losses, and avoid collateral damage. Partly because its just good strategy not to create a fuss or draw attentioneverything we do from here needs to look like the normal effects of Fflyr Dlemathlys not having enough standing forces to purge bandit gangs from the outskirts. But also because messes like the one we just made leave a bad taste in my mouth and I just plain dont want to do that again if we can avoid it.

He let out a short breath. Well, were of one mind about that, Lord Seiji. Yes, I do see your point. AhI have to admit, you are my first ever criminal contact; Im afraid Im not well-positioned at the moment to take advantage of access to your talents. Not that I am putting you off! he added hastily. Its just going to take time to study the situation in Dount and its connected trade routes and identify a good next opportunity. Ill have to create a whole new strategy for my companys growth Especially if, as you say, were to take care from here on out to avoid drawing too much attention. In the short term, IIm afraid I may have little to offer you.

Thats fine, I reassured him with a smile. In fact, I was counting on it. I need to build my own forces a bit before Im ready to start taking on merchant trains with any regularity. Also, you need to lie low. Youve just benefited immensely from a suspicious event; I strongly recommend you keep a squeaky clean image for a while. In fact, the windfall youre getting from our recent success seems like a good opportunity for some nice, conservative, boring investments, at least until the other players in the merchant community get tired of eyeballing you.

I had heard her scream in the deepest extremity of pain. Id been the cause of it. Her name was Larinet and it was going to stay burned into my memory.

Fortunately I was spared the torture of making conversation with my onetime victim: upon my approach, she exchanged nods with Aster, folded down hands at me, and made a discreet departure toward the back.

Ooh, thanks! Aster said as I handed her the spare pastry Id taken from Auldmaers office. She bit into it without hesitation even as we stepped out of the side door into a broad alley. Mm, Ive gotta say this job comes with nice perks. Howd you know sour strawberry was my favorite?

Its just what the host was serving, but I know that now. I fell silent, dithering over whether to ask until we had turned a corner onto a main street. Ultimately, I had to. How is she?

Seems Auldmaer half-took your advice, she said after swallowing a bite. He didnt fire her. Didnt pay her for the job, butwell, thats not so unreasonable. Larinet isnt complaining; I wouldnt either, in her shoes. Guards who run dont get paid. Even when running is the only sensible thing to do, the whole job is to stay and fight. A lot of employers wouldve sacked her, blacklisted her across the whole island and gotten her in hot water with the Kings Guild over that. Auldmaer withheld her wages for that job but is keeping her contract. Could be a hell of a lot worse.

I guess its a hard life all around, I murmured.

Harder if your job involves getting set on fire, a muffled voice said from within Asters coat.

I edged close enough to her to swat the pocket with the back of my hand. Lightly. Relatively lightly. Biribo emitted a disgruntled noise but offered no further commentary.

Hey, hey, keep it above the waist, Aster said mildly, nibbling her tart and stepping away from me. Were in public, here. Speaking of, whats the plan for todays trip to town, Lord Seiji?

Well, Ive lined up the supply shipments we need. Much as Id like to go dither at the luthiers or stop by the Kings Guild to play their keyboard, we need to start making ourselves scarce around the inner rings. Next stage of the plan will be focused on the Gutters, and Im not going to want our activities there associated with Lord Seiji just yet. So if you have any important business here?

What business would I have? she asked around a mouthful of strawberry tart. Well, I guess as a Guild member I should check in from time to time, but theres no reason you particularly need to come along for that. Youre a lot more recognizable in Gwyllthean than I am, Lord Seiji.

Yeah, no kidding. To that end, the only other thing I want to get squared away before we head down to the Gutters to look for Gilder is acquiring some disguises.

Ooh, sounds fun. Also difficult. I have to warn you, I have zero experience with, uhespionage.

Dont worry, all youll need to do is stand back being all silent and menacing. What I have in mind is pretty simplewe should be able to put it together with bits and bobs from any clothiers shop. But not the guy from last time. Some place more low-class, run by somebody wholl just sell me shit I ask for and not turn every interaction into some kind of battle of wills.

Funny. I had the impression from our last visit here that thats exactly how the tailor wouldve described you.

No doubt, but that doesnt make him correct. I am not in the mood to be tested by idiots today.

For you are Lord Seiji, vanquisher of tailors.

Big talk from the vanquisher of strawberry tarts.

That being said, wouldnt it make more sense to just buy stuff like that in the Gutters?

It may come to that, but well see. Like I said, the point is to cultivate a consistent appearance while in that district which is recognizably not the one Im wearing around right now. If possible Id prefer

Omura-san?

I slammed to a halt in the middle of the street. We were surrounded by the anonymous bustle of urban living, guaranteed a modicum of privacy even in public by the universal fact that cities are full of strangers who dont give a shit about one anothers business. The voice which called out to me cut through the noise and seized my full attention, though, and not just because nobody here should know that name. I recognized that voice. I knew what Id find even before I spun around to face the speaker.

Yoshi!