Benjamin Ashwood (29 page)

“It
isn’t always as simple as that.  He’s helping us after all, isn’t he?”

“Only
because Lady Towaal paid him,” replied Ben.

“Sometimes
paid help is the best help.  And changing the world, well, when this war
between the Alliance and the Coalition breaks out, people like Lord Reinhold
will be the first ones there with medical supplies, food and other things
people need.  The Lords and Ladies have other concerns and are looking at a
different picture.  Don’t get me wrong, you pay him, pay a very high price
maybe, but when the need is the greatest, it’s men like him who will be there. 
Trust me, when you’re on the front lines and you’re starving, you’d don’t
really care how much the food costs, you just know you need it.”

Ben
shrugged uncomfortably.  He hadn’t thought about it like that.

Rhys
continued, “those locks around Kirksbane?  If it wasn’t for men like Reinhold,
they wouldn’t be there.  You don’t have to like it, but it’s worth
understanding.  Things happen and progress is made when there’s profit at the
end of it.  Making grand speeches, fighting off the bad guys and giving alms to
the poor isn’t the only way to change the world.  Something to think about.”

Rhys
pointed down river to a grey cloud hanging low on the horizon.  “Speaking of
which, we’re coming up on the town of Venmoor.  How do you think a brewer boy
from the country knows all about this roughneck former bandit town on the other
side of the continent?  The people here found a new and better way to make
steel, and in their way, they changed the world.”

Venmoor
had the earmarks of a former roughneck town just like Rhys described.  As they
glided past, Ben could see squat stone buildings spreading out from the river. 
Dark smoke was belching out of many of the buildings where the famous forges of
Venmoor produced the steel the town was so famous for.  The art of forming the
extra strong Venmoor steel was a closely guarded secret of the Blacksmith’s
Guild.  The stories were full of tales of the length the Blacksmith’s went to
keep that secret.

In
addition to the forges, there was a sturdy looking keep built up on a low rise. 
The sprawl of one and two story stone buildings scattered around it had little
organization Ben could see.  He’d heard all the buildings in Venmoor were stone
due to fire risk. 

In
the distance, there was huge structure carved into the side of a hill.  Ben craned
his neck to see and thought there were hundreds or even thousands of seats
built up around a flat space at the bottom.  From the river, he couldn’t tell
what it was for.

“What
is that?” he asked Rhys, pointing towards the large structure.

“Venmoor’s
College Arena.  They have one of the more famous Colleges of the Sword and
that’s where the students show off.  There are regular competitions,
examinations and what not.  Of course, the most attended are trials to become a
Blademaster.  Most of the students are high born and fail the test - which
makes it popular with the common folk,” Rhys shrugged, “the King built it years
and years ago when they first created Venmoor steel.  They needed a place to
demonstrate the superior quality.  They keep it up now because the competitions
lead to some pretty lively wagering and the King takes his cut.”

Other
than the College Arena and the forges, the town itself was unexciting after
seeing Fabrizo and Whitehall.  It was just as large but it didn’t hold the
romance the other two did.  Venmoor was about industry.  They passed under a
series of ugly looking bridges then drifted downriver away from town.  Maybe
another time he thought.

More
tributaries joined the river and it widened south of Venmoor.  The barges still
cluttered the waterway but other vessels began to join them. 

The
barges hung close to the shoreline where on one side they were pulled up river
by horse power.  There was a well-worn path that dray horses slowly plodded along. 
Long ropes were tied to the empty barges and a lone man would be stationed at
the tiller to keep the shallow drafted ships from butting against the bank.  On
the other bank, the loaded barges floated down at the speed of the current with
just a few bargemen on board to steer and keep watch over the goods.

In
the center of the river were wind powered vessels or rowboats.  Fisheye, the
first mate, explained that the closer to The City they got, the more of the
smaller rowboats they would see.

“Keep
an eye out,” drawled Fisheye.  “Going to see the big country estates soon too.”

“The
big country estates?” asked Ben.

“Aye,
where the people like Lord Reinhold live.  At least when they want to get away
from the noise in The City.  Richest place in the world they say, just north of
The City.  They got these big pieces of land called estates.  It’s like a farm,
but the only crop they have is grapes for wine making.  Gentleman farming they
call it.  They build their big mansions and castles there of course.  You’ll
see.”

Before
long, Ben did see.  Subtly, the countryside gained a manicured look.  The trees
and terrain remained the same, but it was cleaner and more orderly looking.  He
wouldn’t have noticed if Fisheye hadn’t mentioned it.  They came around a wide
bend in the river and Ben saw a large manse that must have been three times the
size of the Buckhorn Tavern back in Farview.

“Look,”
exclaimed Ben.  “I think I see the first one.”

“Pssh.,”
replied Fisheye.  “That ain’t nothing son.  Probably some gardener’s cottage. 
Wait til we get a little closer.  The City is still a two day trip from here on
land.  The real money guys ain’t gonna travel that far.”

Rhys
joined Ben and Fisheye at the tiller.  He was using one of his wicked looking
long knives to peel a withered apple and tossing the peels overboard.  Fisheye
glanced at the long knife, which was clearly designed for combat and not
apples, and gave a wounded grunt.

The
sailors during their off time liked to get drunk on rum and play cards.  They
all got drunk enough that it turned into a game of chance instead of skill.  Ben
saw they ended up just handing silver back and forth.  By the end of the voyage
a lucky one or two might end up ahead, but there were no hard feelings. 
Fisheye hadn’t counted on Rhys being able to handle his liquor better than the
rest and lost more silver than he had on the ship.  He repeatedly assured Rhys
he’d be good for it as soon as they got their harbor wages.  Rhys found it
amusing to intimidate the poor first mate.

Fisheye
swallowed uncomfortably and stuttered, “telling the boy about the country
estates we’ll pass.  The big ones.”  The little beads of sweat forming on his
forehead made Ben wonder how easily he’d really be able to pay Rhys.

Rhys
took a big bite of his apple and grinned at Ben.

“Why
are all of the big estates on this side of The City?” asked Ben.  He didn’t
really care, he just wanted to break some of the tension.

“Well,
rich folk like to be near other rich folk.  They don’t want to be near the
common class, they don’t like the way we talk…” Fisheye started to explain.

“And
no one who’s halfway intelligent lives down river from a major city,” snorted
Rhys.  He zinged his apple core close by Fisheye’s head and into the water to
make his point.  He must have felt a little guilty when Fisheye cowered from
the apple because he added, “Fisheye is right about what he said earlier
though.  The estates are pretty impressive.  Space in The City is limited so
the Lords and the most successful merchants have places out here.  Gives them
room for their summer galas, fireworks shows, hunts and so on.”

Rhys
pointed up to another building they were coming up on.  “Lord Merley’s new
country estate.”  A white limestone clad building close to the river was under
construction.  “The family’s fallen on hard times.  Bet a fortune on a gold
mining venture that didn’t produce any gold.”

“How
do you know who’s estate that is?” asked Ben.

“It
was all over the Sanctuary when we left,” replied Rhys.  “Large scale miners
will pay a cut to the Sanctuary to borrow a Mage and they delve the ground to
see where it makes sense to dig.  Merley thought he had a sure thing and tried
to cut some corners but all he had was dirt.  The rise and fall of these Lords
and merchants is half the entertainment in The City.  Any tavern you walk into
and they can tell you who’s on the way up and who’s on the way down.”

“If
he’s on the way down, how is he building a new estate?”  Eyeing the swarm of
workers around the structure Ben added, “it looks pretty expensive to me.”

“Oh,
I’m sure it’s expensive.  But it’s way out here.  He had a larger estate closer
to The City but was forced to sell.  Sold the mining interest too.  Any further
and he’ll be laughed out of town.”

“He
should be out already,” chirped an urbane voice.  Ben jumped in surprise and
saw Lord Reinhold had silently joined them.  “His property was run down and the
structures will likely be demolished by the new owners.  I haven’t heard that
last bit about his mining interest.  Any fool knows there isn’t gold in the
Shallock Range, but there could be iron ore – it’s close enough to Venmoor it
might be worthwhile.  Where did you hear he sold it?  You’ve been on the road
for months, right?

Rhys
showed none of the surprise Ben did.  He must have seen Reinhold coming.  “Oh,
we heard somewhere on the road.  With all of the travel we’ve been doing I’m
really struggling to remember who it was…”

Reinhold
grimaced and flipped Rhys a shining gold coin.

“Ah,
it was definitely someone from outside The City, maybe it was a Lord?”

“Come
on man, it’s just a potential iron mine!”  Reinhold grudgingly flipped another
gold coin towards Rhys who winked at Ben.

“That’s
right, it was Lord Rhymer from Northport.  He’s the one who picked up the
interest.  It was brokered from someone in The City.  Before you dig another
coin out, I really don’t know who.”

“Rhymer! 
What is that fool doing?” Reinhold muttered to himself and he started away
before quickly turning back and barking at Fisheye, “run close to the bank when
we pass.  I want to see how the new wing is looking from the river.”

Rhys
flipped and caught one of his new gold coins as he and Ben walked away from
Fisheye and the tiller.  “That’s life in The City for you.  Gold and power, the
only two things anyone cares about there.”

“Don’t
you live in The City?” challenged Ben.

Rhys
grinned and tossed the coin again, “like I said, gold and power.”

“It
can’t be all bad, the Sanctuary for example helps a lot of people,” said Ben.

“It’s
a generalization, but I’ve found it to be more true than false.  Certainly more
true than other places I’ve been.  And the Sanctuary only helps those who help
them hold onto power.  Think about Towaal in Farview.  She helped that brother
of yours, but it came at a price.  I’m not saying there is no good in the
people of The City, there is some.  Just be prepared.  Everyone there knows
where they stand relative to everyone else and that’s all that matters for some
of them.  Don’t play their games if you don’t want, although that’s harder than
it sounds.  My advice, get good at the games and play them only when it
benefits you.”  Rhys smiled as he tucked the gold coin into his purse.

Ben
shook his head and went to join the other young people and Saala at the bow of
the vessel.  He knew Rhys meant well with his warning.  Maybe The City was
worse than most, but the money and the power.  That sounded like everywhere
else he’d been.

The
rest of the country estates did not disappoint.  They were grand affairs that
sprawled across the hillsides and bluffs overlooking the river.  Further out
they were built of limestone, granite and other field stones but closer to The
City they were uniformly clad in marble and intricate stonework.  Ben marveled
at the time and resources that went into building these massive edifices solely
to house one family and only part of the time.

As
Ben stood on the deck watching the buildings go by, they swept in close to one
particular estate and he realized it must be Reinhold’s.  A veritable army of
workers was erecting a new wing just like Reinhold had stated.  The scale of
the place was unreal and Ben struggled to connect the overwhelming sense of
wealth of the place with the fact that he was on a boat with it’s owner.  Even
after taking Alistair’s money to watch over Meghan, Ben still had more fingers
than gold coins.  A man like Reinhold could probably spend the rest of his
natural life counting and still not know how many coins he had.

“What’s
the point?” Ben wondered to himself.

“That’s
how they keep score,” answered a gruff voice.

Ben
turned to see Captain Fishbone had come up behind him.

“I… 
I didn’t mean any offence to Lord Reinhold,” stammered Ben.

“Ha,
don’t worry about that.  Lord Reinhold knows just as well as you and I that
it’s silly.  Don’t get me wrong, the Lord enjoys the finer things in life, but
he’s building rooms in that estate that he’ll never even see.”

“So,
why does he do it? You said it’s about keeping score.  Score with the other
Lords and merchants?”

“Aye. 
Lord Reinhold isn’t married, doesn’t have any kids that he admits to and spends
most of his time on my boat.  The only reason he keeps building on that estate
is to show the other Lords that he can.  He builds a little, they build a little
more to keep up, he builds again and by the end of it, you have these damn big
houses that no one can even use.  It’s all about keeping score.  Showing who’s
most successful or who’s the most powerful.  You stop expanding one season,
don’t buy a faster vessel, don’t buy your mistress a bigger diamond and
suddenly everyone thinks you stopped because you have to.  You’ve played cards
right?  Sometimes you gotta keep putting more money into the pot if you want to
stay seated at the table.”

“That
sounds awful,” grunted Ben.

Fisheye
shrugged.  “I suppose it is awful.  Awful and addicting.  The most exciting
game out there if you ask Reinhold.  It’s certainly not about the money at this
point.”

They
sailed on and Ben and Fishbone watched Reinhold’s estate disappear around a
perfectly manicured emerald green bend.

The
grandeur of the country estates though, even Reinhold’s, did little to prepare Ben
and the other young folk for the first sight of The City itself.

The
City was located in a natural basin where the Venmoor and the smaller Razen
River met.  It comprised a huge island in the center of the river basin but
over the centuries had expanded to the banks surrounding it.  Technically, The
City referred to just the buildings on the island but most used the term for
the entire sprawl.

Rhys
explained, “in the past, each of the little towns on the bank had it’s own name,
but they’ve all kind of grown together now.  Some of them still have their own
town councils and the like.  I have no idea how they keep it straight which is
which.”

Ben
silently agreed.  The “towns” were the size of about 100 Farviews all strung
together in a huge circle around the water.  It was impressive, if only for the
size and the number of people Ben thought must be living there.

They
saw the towns first and didn’t get a full view of The City until their sloop
entered the river basin.  The island on which it sat was huge.  Ben estimated
at least two leagues long and a league wide.  And all along the length there
were massive buildings, delicate palaces and most striking, thin towers soaring
into the air.  Ben had seen nothing like it before.  Some of the towers must
have had the elevation of Whitehall, but where the port city was built on a
mountainside, these towers reached into the sky with no support at all.  Many
of them looked like a strong wind could send them toppling.

As
they drew closer, Ben’s breath caught.  Linking the towers was a network of
barely visible bridges.  Some towers had numerous connections and some only had
one or two.  He thought that many of those bridges were 15 or 20 stories above
the ground and a few rose even higher than that.  He almost had to look away as
he started to pick out tiny figures making their way across the bridges.

“The
sky bridges of The City”, said Rhys.  “It looks crazy but think about it, if you
walk 20 stories up one of those towers, you don’t want to walk back down just
to chat up your neighbor and borrow sugar.  They say there are people who get
up there and never come back down.”

“Oh
my,” said Amelie in a quivering voice.  “We have towers in Issen but nothing
like this.  How is it even possible these do not fall over?  Is it something
the Sanctuary does with magic?”

“I’m
not the person to ask about that.  The masons of The City are more close-lipped
than the blacksmiths in Venmoor.  I do know it doesn’t have anything to do with
the Sanctuary.  You can’t tell from here, but The Sanctuary doesn’t have any
buildings over four stories.  This is all done by hand.  Look,” he pointed to
one squat tower near the waterfront.

Scaffolding
and ropes dangled from the sides of the structure and Ben saw they were still
building it.  A pallet of heavy looking stones lifted into the air.  There was
some sort of loop and rope apparatus a handful of men were using to pull it up.

“Amazing,”
gasped Amelie.  “I’ve seen artist renderings of what it looks like but none of
them do justice to this.”

“Why
do they build them so high?” questioned Renfro.  “That’s great some genius
figured out they could do it, but that doesn’t mean they should do it.  A
serious storm or little earthquake and this whole place is coming down.”

“Space,”
replied Rhys.  “Like we were talking about with the estates, space is very
expensive here.  Every inch of that island outside the Sanctuary grounds is
built on or designated public space.  You want more room, you build up or you
move out.  As for the safety of it, in my time here there haven’t been any
incidents.  The City and some of these buildings have been around for
millennia, I suspect they will be around for many more.”

“Where
is the Sanctuary in all of this?  Is it away from The City?” asked Ben.  “I
pictured it in some reclusive setting off by itself.  You know, like a
sanctuary…”

Rhys
grinned and pointed to the north end of the island.  Easy to overlook with the
rest of the vista in front of them there was a large patch of green dotted with
low white buildings.

“Physically
it’s not far from the rest of The City, but believe me, it sure feels it.”

The
docks of The City seemed pedestrian compared to the rest of the place.  It
wasn’t the hulking war galleys and merchant ships that populated Whitehall’s
harbor.  These were personal river craft and other small vessels.  The barges
they’d seen on the river must tie up elsewhere.  Still, it was a place bustling
with activity and the First Mate Fisheye did an impressive job steering them
past the clutter and dropping sail before a small pilot skiff darted out to
meet them.

The
pilot eyed Lord Reinhold’s colors then tossed up a heavy rope which Reinhold’s
crew expertly looped around the hawsers.  A handful of men leaned hard on the
oars in the pilot skiff and started inching them towards Lord Reinhold’s open
dock.

Lady
Towaal appeared from below with Amelie and Meghan in tow.  “Rhys,” she ordered,
“show the boys some lodging and report before nightfall.  No carousing!”

Rhys
winked at Ben and mock bowed towards Towaal which elicited an indelicate snort
and eye roll from her.  “At your command My Lady.”

Amelie
stepped over to Ben and waved Saala close.  “Lady Towaal says we’re confined to
the grounds during the first few months of training but usually Newday is a
free day.  She says you can come visit us in the Sanctuary’s parks.  We won’t
be able to do much sword training there, but maybe that can come later.  After
we obtain enough rank that we’re not green Initiates we’re allowed off the
grounds on the free days so I can come visit you.  Here,” she said and passed Ben
and Saala each a small pouch.  “Your pay Saala for another three months.  I
know you plan to stay for a while, but I want you to have this now in case we
don’t see each other for a bit.  Ben, hopefully that is enough seed money to
start your business.  Face time is limited but you’re allowed to write so I
expect regular updates on my investment!”

Her
bitter sweet grin told Ben she wasn’t serious about her investment.  He saw she
already was missing the time they’d spent together.  He felt it as well.

“Of
course Amelie, I’ll come every Newday and write you plenty.  I can’t wait until
you can get out and we can explore the city together.”

“Watch
out for him will you?” a watery eyed Amelie asked Saala.

Saala
nodded, “I’ll keep an eye on him.  I’ll be in town until your father’s agents
in The City tell me otherwise.  You know you only have to call and I will come
running.”

The
goodbyes were interrupted when the sloop nudged up against the dock and Lord
Reinhold’s men slid a narrow gangplank down.  A brisk Lady Towaal was the first
one on the gangplank and she gestured for Amelie and Meghan to follow.  A quick
peck on the cheek from each girl for Ben and rushed hugs for the other men and
they were off.

The
men lifted their few belongings to follow but were stopped by Lord Reinhold.

“Rhys,”
said Lord Reinhold as he glanced to where Lady Towaal was vanishing into the
crowds around the dock.  “I’d offer you a position but I suspect you’re already
well compensated by the Mages.  I have work for a man of your talents.  If the
Veil ever lets you off the leash for some part time work, I can make it worth
your while.  In addition to the gold you got earlier, I have many other special
items a man like you would find useful.  You too,” he said to Saala, “if you
get bored watching Lord Gregor’s daughter, I can find you something more
interesting.”

Rhys
grinned, “well, we both love a challenge of course and I’m sure you’d be a
great boss, but like you say, we’re already happily employed.”

Reinhold
shrugged, “employed now doesn’t mean employed tomorrow.  It’s an open offer. 
Good luck.”  He nodded curtly and stalked off towards his cabin.

“What,
no job offer for me?” chuckled Renfro.

Rhys
gave him a light shove and said, “come on, let’s go see The City.”

What
had looked from a distance like a disorganized jumble of soaring towers, grand
arenas and palaces was actually well delineated in clean grids when they saw it
up close.  Broad tree lined avenues were laid out neatly and small lush parks
dotted the major intersections.

Rhys
talked as they moved along the smooth paved streets.  “Long ago, before even
the current Veil can remember, this entire island was owned by the Sanctuary. 
They must have realized over time that it made sense to have staff and services
nearby so they sold off pieces but still retain leadership of everything on the
island.  They kept a lot of open public spaces.  They collect all of the taxes
on the island and pay for the maintenance.  It’s all planned and managed from
within the Sanctuary.”  He breathed in deep, “you’ll notice it’s the greenest
and cleanest city you’ve ever been.  I have a lot of problems with the way the
Sanctuary does it’s business, but I’ve got to admit, they know how to run a
city.”

“Problems? 
Don’t you work for the Sanctuary?  Or at least for Lady Towaal?” asked Renfro.

“Aye,
I work the Sanctuary.  They pay the best.  Doesn’t mean I always have to agree
with what they do though.  You didn’t agree with everything the thieves were
doing in Fabrizo did you?  Don’t answer, let me guess.  You and your little
thief buddies spent most of your time complaining about that Guild and it’s
policies?”

“Hmm,”
Renfro scratched his head, “you’re right.  When you explain it like that it
makes a lot of sense.”

“So,
what exactly do you do for the Sanctuary?” asked Ben.  He had his suspicions of
course.  Rhys was slippery when it came to certain topics so he hoped to catch
him off guard while he was in a talkative mood.  Saala perked up as well.  He’d
been studying the architecture they passed but he was obviously also curious
about what Rhys would say.

Rhys
laughed, “a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Most of this town is
somehow involved in Sanctuary business, but some things don’t need to be
discussed in public, you know?  Let’s just say they send me where I need to be
to make sure their interests are being protected.  In some cases that means
making sure threats to their interests do not manifest.  Just like our friend
Saala, right?”