Fallen Ward (Deepwoods Saga Book 3) (12 page)

“I sent her to Orin to see if she couldn’t ferret out more information. Well, that and to get a better feel for the economic conditions.” Darrens gestured for her to stand. “Please tell them what you found.”

“Well, it was mighty bad, I tell you that.” Alianore shook her head, mouth set in a grim line. “I took mostly food with me, that and some cheap wine, as I figured that’d sell best. I barely made it through the city gates before I’d sold most of it. People were giving me a pretty penny for it, too. Or so I thought, until I got into the market and found that inflation was on the rise.”

Inflation?

Markl groaned, the sound full of understanding. “Of course. Of course, it would.”

Alianore cocked her head at him. “You see the problem already, do you?”

“I do, at least I think I do.”

“Hoo. Well, I’ll explain to the rest, then.” Alianore held up two fingers. “The problem’s two-fold, as it be. Attacking Robarge as they have, everyone’s stopped trading with them. So there’s precious little food and such coming into the major cities. Not much food to be had. On the other hand, those scoundrels that pillaged our cities are returning with loot, but it’s all valuables. Gold and jewels, and things like that. It’s overloaded the market and made value decrease. Worse, most people won’t buy it, as it’s not in demand right now. Food is.” Pausing, she added almost as an afterthought, “A woman could make a killing over there right now, if she played it right. Go in, buy all that stuff in lots, and ship it back here. Sit on it a few months, till things go back to normal, and sell it back.”

She was likely right. Played well, a good profit could be made doing that. Of course, no one was in the position to do it. At least, not from the northern section of Robarge. Maybe the southern edge, or Wynngaard, would be able to pull it off.

“None of this sounds good,” Emalee groaned.

Alianore gave her an unhappy shrug. “I know it. Now, strange thing is, no one knows who the new guildmaster of Fallen Ward is still. But, he’s now issuing edicts and commands and such. Most of them don’t make sense to me. In fact, a few even contradicted themselves. I got the impression that whoever it is, is untrained. He’s new to power, new to ruling, and hasn’t a clue how to go about it.”

The change in leadership in Fallen Ward had happened nearly half a year ago, and people still didn’t know who he was? “Like what?”

“Well, you know how they were all set to build that bridge and connect it to Wynngaard? The building’s stopped.” She lifted her arms to form an ‘x’ in front of her chest. “Stopped dead. Word is, they don’t plan to finish it.”

Rune lifted both hands into the air in a staying motion. “Wait, I thought the whole point of this was so they’d have the money to finish the bridge!”

“We all did, lad,” Alianore grumbled. “That’s what I mean about not making sense. It’s like, he’s trying out ideas to see which one will take, and if they don’t reap immediate profit, he hops to the next idea. It’s a dangerous trait for a leader to have.”

Siobhan felt a headache coming on. How could they predict what this man, or woman, would do next if they were constantly changing plans on a whim?

“How did this man become guildmaster if he’s this indecisive and inexperienced?” Tran asked in a rhetorical fashion.

“Oh, didn’t you know?” Alianore responded in mild surprise. “The position of guildmaster in Fallen Ward is hereditary.”

“WHAT?!” several voices screeched at once.

“Oh aye, been that way since its founding,” she continued, not missing a beat in spite of their reaction. “It’s why, I think, the city has never prospered through most of its history. How can it, when for every generation it’s a throw of the dice whether you have a capable guildmaster or not?”

“Makes sense,” Wolf allowed. “The success of a guild, of a city, depends on the guildmaster.”

Wolf had lived through both good and bad guildmasters, so he would know that more intimately than most.

Darrens looked ready to bang his head against the table several times. “How do I reason or bargain with a guildmaster that changes his mind based on the color of the sky?”

Alianore’s smile was thin and depressed. “You sent me in to find an answer, but all I found was more problems. Apologies, Master Darrens.”

“No,” he negated, staying her apology with a hand. “No, I sent you in there for information and to answer my questions. You did that.”

“You did that even after I tried to find out information and couldn’t,” Siobhan supported. “We appreciate what you did find out. It gives us a better feeling for what’s going on and how to combat it.”

Alianore’s expression suggested that she wasn’t sure if they were sincere or just being kind to her. But she squared her shoulders and faced Darrens straight on. “Sir, I want to go back. I think with more food, and more things to trade, I might get to the right people.”

“I don’t see how it’ll hurt to try,” Darrens allowed. “But wait until we’re into Goldschmidt. I’ll give you something from our stores so that you can trade that. And next time, I’ll send you in with someone else, someone who knows the city a little better than you.” He gave a sidelong glance at Siobhan that suggested he was thinking of someone from her guild.

Markl obviously caught the look and the implications as he said firmly, “Not Sylvie.”

Darren’s brows rose in sharp surprise. “Why not?”

“She draws the wrong attention from men on a regular basis, and sending her into that city while it’s in such turmoil is a terrible idea. It’ll be a disaster.” Markl shook his head roughly. “She’s a good trader, and she knows the city, but she’s the wrong person to send in there right now.”

Siobhan had to agree. Granted, her reason for feeling that way was slightly different from his. Markl was saying this out of protective instinct. Sylvie was his woman, after all, and his reaction was completely understandable.

A twinkle in her eye that spoke of devilish amusement, Alianore leaned in over the table and stage-whispered to Markl, “Are you in love with this girl?”

Blush staining his cheeks, Markl nevertheless met her eyes without flinching. “Yes. Problem?”

“Not at all, lad, not at all.” Satisfied, she didn’t hide a smile of feminine satisfaction before turning to Siobhan. “You’re this girl’s guildmaster, I take it?”

“I am.”

“What do you think?”

“That Markl’s right. Sylvie catches the wrong attention in the city when it’s relatively stable. Right now, from your description, every city in Orin is anything but. Sylvie would be more of a liability than help.”

“Then I’ll look for someone else.” Alianore nodded, and with that, the matter was closed to discussion. “Master Darrens, anything else you need me to tell them?”

“I think you covered it.” Turning to them, he said, “Please encourage people to move back into Goldschmidt if they can. I realize that most are dragging their feet because I’m still here, but we really shouldn’t inconvenience Converse any more than we already have. If you see someone that you know, talk to them, and if there’s a problem that can be solved, tell me. We need to move back home.” Seeing several nods of understanding, he leaned forward, as if preparing to stand. “Anything else? No? Dismissed. Siobhan, see me for a moment.”

Having an inkling what he would say, she came around the table and leaned against the top so they could converse easily. “Sir?”

“How are the preparations for rebuilding your hall?”

“Going well. We have the plans more or less drawn up, although we’re still making tweaks. We’ll clear the area out and salvage what we can tomorrow. Rune and Grae will, of course, still be doing their jobs as Pathmakers. I won’t need them for the grunt work.”

“You knew I was going to ask about them.” Darrens gave her a swift, fleeting smile. “But I want to ask about Markl as well. He was the one, or so you reported to me, that actually managed to find out information the rest of you didn’t. I know he’s adamant about Sylvie not going, but would he go?”

She cocked her head and wondered why she hadn’t thought of that before. True, when they’d done reconnaissance for Jarnsmor, it was Markl that thought to check the record halls. He’d come back with information no one else had. He was also the one she sent out when all doors were closed, because he could usually charm people into opening them again.

“That is a very good question. I think he might. Let me speak with him about it.”

“If he does go, I assume you want to send an enforcer with him.”

“Of course.” Although as to who would go would be an interesting debate. Rune, maybe? By using the paths, he could get them there quickly, and get them out again just as quickly if trouble arose. She didn’t know if they could spare him right now though.

“Then I’ll leave you to talk to them. Let me know before the day’s out what decision you reach.” Lowering his voice even further, he asked, “And what about our Saoleord guests? How long can we keep them?”

“A very good question,” she admitted. “I have no idea. None of them seem particularly motivated to go back home right now. They’re having fun, I think, seeing the outside world.”

“So if I offer one of them a temporary position to train my men…”

“I think if you offer all of them temporary positions, you could probably keep them for another six months.”

Darrens gave her a very greedy grin. “I’ll do that.”

Siobhan had spoken with Hyun Woo and Ryu Jin Ho on a daily basis since they’d left the Saoleord mountains. She’d seen the changes in them. Hyun Woo was having fun teaching a whole new batch of students and wasn’t slightly interested in going back home right now. Ryu Jin Ho, unless she missed her guess, was very torn about going back at all. He was becoming more and more like Fei, and seeing the four continents with his own eyes was becoming irresistible to him. Cha Ji An was the only question mark in her mind.

“Then, I’ll go talk to Markl.”

“Tell him to advise me on how to thank his father, as well. That man’s aid has been invaluable to us. We would have been lost without him.”

Truly. “I will.”

Rune had done a lot of dirty work in his life, but clearing out the charred remains of the hall had to be the dirtiest. Only an hour in, he had black arms, chest, and thighs. Two hours in, he was fairly sure he tasted soot on his tongue. He kept spitting it out, but it didn’t seem to help much.

Denney glanced his direction and burst out laughing.

One arm full of what used to be a support beam, he rolled his eyes at her. “What?”

“Look!” she insisted, holding an arm next to his. “We match!”

Ah, was that it? True, his normally pale skin looked dark next to hers. Even with her smeared with soot. Still, he had to shake his head in disagreement, lips kicked up on one side. “Does not. I’m black, you’re brown.”

“You’re white and black, I’m brown and black,” she corrected, not giving in. “See? I’m right.”

“If that’s your argument, we all match.” Rune jerked his head to include the rest of the guild, all equally as dirty. Although, granted, it was hard to tell with Tran. He was so naturally dark that a dirty smear on his skin was barely visible, even with your nose an inch away.

While looking about, he once again noticed that Sylvie and Markl were arguing about something. Those two didn’t always see eye to eye, but Markl wasn’t the type to prolong an argument and usually found a compromise quickly. Yet this was the third time he’d caught them exchanging heated words. Forehead wrinkling in a frown, he lowered his voice to a more confidential tone. “What are Sylvie and Markl arguing about?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Darrens apparently sent someone to Orin to gather information. They came back yesterday morning and asked to be sent out again, but this time, they wanted someone else to go with them. Darrens asked if Markl could go.”

All things considered, Markl wasn’t a bad choice, but… “What about Sylvie going? It’s her hometown, isn’t it?”

“Sylvie was actually the first one Darrens requested, or so I hear.” Denney gave a rueful shrug. “But you know, Markl isn’t about to let her go into that city right now. Too dangerous.”

Ah, right, that would be a bad choice at the moment. He knew the woman well enough to predict how she’d react and guessed, “But Sylvie wants to go.”