Chapter 255: Horse Trading

Chapter 255: Horse Trading

"I am very sorry, my new friends, but I can't take less than 50 gold each for these fine horses. I am taking them to the monthly market in Hurlsford, where I can surely receive a fair price of over 75 gold each. Look at those legs! They go all the way to the ground with a lovely white stocking around each one. You don't find elven-bred quarter horses this side of the mountains! It was a stroke of luck that I was in a position to aid Lady Glitterluck and be rewarded with them. It pains me to think about letting them go, but I am a horse trader, not a horse-keeper." Gili Moonface shook his head sadly, obviously wanting to make a deal but unwilling to budge on the price further.

"Look, mate, I understand you need to make a profit but are you considering the state of the roads? A horse might break a leg or pull a muscle or something, and then you're out all your profit. Hurlsford is still a good two days ride, and slower if you walk these horses over a bad road. And bandits! Think of the bandits! You could lose everything, including those fine horses. Things are getting rougher down that way. We've got a total of 187 gold on us. You saw us empty our pockets. We're only paying this much because we're desperate. We need to get to Thunderhead in the next two days to accomplish the next part of our quest."

Gili, the horse trader, looked again at the four foot-sore mercenaries. The one talking, Thorton Warborn, was a strapping young man in mismatched armor. A strange group accompanied him. A priestess of the hearth goddess, Hestia, a tall barbarian dressed all in black with far too many knives, and a dwarf with a twitchy eye that was holding his hammer tightly in his hands. It occurred to Gili that taking their offer wasn't a bad idea. "Tell you what? How about I accept your offer, and each of you gives me some small trinkets to even things up? A knife, a blessing from Hestia, some iron rations? I can't take less than 50 each, but I can overvalue your trade-ins. It's part of my religion. I can't short-change myself, or I lose Ekwensu's blessing."

"One of my knives? Never."

The dwarf tossed over some iron rations and glared at the barbarian. "Damn you, Silentpanther, hand over a knife. You have 38 of the things, and you never throw more than seven in any fight. I'm nearly out of whiskey, and the shakes are getting bad."

The barbarian sneered. "I told you not to take alcoholic as a trait, Derek. Sure, you got two Toughness points from it and can drink all night long, but you're useless without a bottle. That's half the reason we're almost broke."

The dwarf stamped his foot and glared. "My name is Beerbandit, Tommy, and either hand over a knife, or I'll kick your ass as soon as we get to Hurlsford and get out of these pods."

Aubrey quickly blessed Gili and handed over her share of the money. "Come, friends. Let's make haste to close the deal and ride to the town. As a cleric, I feel we must respect this man's religion. He is obviously working with us the best that he can. I'll buy Silent another knife as soon as we get some treasure exploring the Lost Mine of Olaf Goateater, and we can do the next part of our quest."

He and his mule got to Sedgewick a day and a night later. He stabled the mule, put his gold in the bank, and headed for a meeting with the Baron. He was tired after two days without sleep and wanted a bath. He hurried across the courtyard with the creepy statue, heading for the ACME building. A slight noise alerted him to a giant hand trying to grab him, and he ducked aside. Unfortunately, his dodge had been anticipated, and he was grabbed by the statue's other hand.

"My, my. What have we here? It looks like the little thief who was supposed to be working on my castle. Those traps won't test themselves, you know. Your replacements aren't half as crafty as you."

Mcteeth cursed himself for his carelessness. "Yep, and I was heading over that way. Got to get to work on those traps."

"You lie. I smell the sour smell of travel and mule upon you. You snuck off for a vacation and are now back to talk to my Baron. If I throw you hard enough, can I hit the door to the castle? It's worth a try."

"NO! I'm working for your Baron. Secret mission stuff. I've been spying on the other towns, their rulers, and the other corporations. He really needs me for this."

"Surely he has a group of spies and can spare you? Think of the traps? They need calibrating."

"Sorry, I'll try to get back to them as soon as I hire some more guys, train them, and set up an information network. I'm sure you understand."

The statue looked at him with beady eyes. "Oh, you have no idea how much I understand." It opened its mouth, and Mcteeth screamed as it tossed him down its throat.