The Archon's Apprentice (20 page)

“Luckily, we did not buy any.” Bayle smirked. “What do you sell?” asked Bayle.

“Mmm, a little bit of everything. I like to think my specialty is having something for all of my clients.”

“I only ask because I don’t see any boxes or merchandise. This tent is large enough to be a warehouse for most merchants.”

“Hmm, I think you meant that as a compliment. I will take it as such. Yes, this tent is large. But I do not see why I should wait for comfort when waiting for residency to be granted. As for my merchandise, I do not keep it with me. I will have it sent to me when I have my storefront set up.”

“How long does it take for residency?”

“I have been waiting four months now.”

“What? That is outrageous. We don’t have four months to wait to get in to the city.”

“You should not have to wait that long. Only those applying for residency wait the longest. Many travelers only have to wait a few days.”

Wondat poured himself a drink.

“There is another reason I have asked you to dine with me. It is clear you are not from around here. You are probably not even from Sibilova.”

Mikol shifted in his seat.

“What can you tell me of Ternia? Once it has been conquered I should like to expand my business there. What sorts of things do people enjoy there? I presume they all have your fashion sense, and clothing would be a challenge.”

“We are not from Ternia,” said Bayle.

“Where do you hail from?”

“From a small town south of Enhurst,” said Mikol.

“I see.” Wondat took a sip of his wine. “Well. I do like new business wherever it may be. What can you tell me about... What did you say the name of the town was?”

“Folentia.”

“Folentia.” Wondat raised an eyebrow as he swirled his drink. “It must be small. I have never heard of it.”

“Yes. There’s nothing special about it. It’s in the southern plains. It has grown from a small peaceful village into a burgeoning town. It is the last civilization before entering the wastes.”

“That sounds too far south for any real commerce. But, like I said, you should not have to wait long to enter the city as travelers. The council limited access to the city once Kagarin announced it as capital. It cuts down on crime and keeps the city looking clean. The previous united capital was Grey Mount, named such about fifty years ago. The city has still not recovered from the over crowding and crime that ran rampant because of the city’s status. Even so, many of those that lived in Grey Mount became rich.”

“So, people are flocking to this city to try to get rich?”

Wondat nodded and raised his glass in toast.

“Many people here just want to bathe in the wealth of the capital. I see a large untapped potential for the city. Many of the merchants already living in the city are old and do not understand the world around them. Especially with the new restrictions for merchants.”

“Restrictions? Like selling weapons and armor?”

“No. Those are prime sellers even in a down economy. The restrictions are based on how much prestige the merchant has. If they are a good seller they will have higher prestige and bring more money to the city. Those who are not doing well are asked to leave. There are some unspoken rules to the restrictions. Even though there are no taxes, that does not mean you do not have to pay someone. Supporting the council is very important for residency. Though the easiest way to get in to the city for residency is through death.”

“That seems like a savage way to gain residence. Just waiting for someone to die,” said Mikol.

Wondat swirled his drink.

“It is the role one plays in life that matters. Whether that role is savage or civil does not matter. But it pays better to play the role expected of you than to play at something you are not.” Wondat looked at Mikol. “Also, I would not go about bandying the term savage around the city. It is anything but.”

“I didn’t—“

Wondat held up a hand.

“I do not care what you think. That is something else I have learned. Do not judge your client if you want them to pay top dollar. But, if you are to make your way through the city to the mountains, it is better if you are alive to do so.”

Mikol felt suddenly uncomfortable sitting in the same room as Wondat. He only had a moment of fear before servants entered the tent. Wondat stood, as did Mikol and Bayle.
 

“It has been a pleasure talking with you. I hope you have had an enjoyable evening. I still have much to prepare before tomorrow. I have heard there will be an opening for residency tonight.”

Mikol opened his mouth to speak but found he could find no words. Wondat winked at him and left the room. Mikol looked at Bayle to see he had the same astonished expression. They were led out of the tent by the servants.

***

During their dinner the space where they had camped the night before had become less crowded. The small group of people eyed Mikol as he setup his bedroll. They kept looking from Mikol back to the tent. After a time they seemed to realize Mikol was not going to do anything to them and they went to sleep. Mikol could not sleep and stared out over the mass of people. Knowing what to look for now, he could identify some of the merchants, and some of those playing at being a merchant. The biggest indicator was how many armed guards were patrolling a tent.
 

He did not know why many of the others sleeping under the stars would be trying to get in to the city. Some of them would be looking for work. He recalled seeing children earlier. The idea of a city with low crime was certainly appealing, but enough to live in a makeshift camp for months? He could not imagine many would be traveling through Silverhall; there was nothing in the Dagger Peaks for miles. But, having heard Wondat’s story, Mikol realized a lot of things he thought he knew were no longer true.
 

Mikol did not sleep that night. When he was on the verge of sleep he started to cough. This continued through the night. After awhile he sighed and lay awake, thinking only about what Wondat had said. Unless Wondat knew someone with a failing business, he could only have meant someone inside the city would die. Mikol had almost nothing to go on, only a feeling about who this was. Eventually his thoughts wandered to Ternia. He had been so involved in his own life he could not remember any of the merchants in Valefort. This was not something he would be able to live with. He vowed to himself to make sure the Savage Kingdoms was left to these savages.
 

***

The next day played out similarly to the previous one, but Mikol felt exhausted. The guard gave him a sidelong glance when Mikol could not control a coughing fit throughout their exchange. The guard went on to say their names had been accepted and they were on the list to access to the city tomorrow. They had one more night in the throng of people. When they made it back to their camping spot they saw Wondat was indeed packing his camp, or rather his entourage of guards was packing. Wondat left them the hitching post when he took his horses.

The evening came on quickly. As his coughing grew worse, Mikol could not sleep, preferring to watch out over the crowd. The Savage Kingdoms revealed themselves to him as he saw several slowly moving figures at the fringes of the masses. He watched as they moved quietly around the sleeping bodies. He saw a few dart quietly in to tents and back out almost as quickly. He was not sure what they stole but knew they were thieves.

Mikol had been so focused on the edge of the mass that he almost missed someone making their way though the inner part of the group. The ragged clothing hid the man’s features. He only knew it was a man because of beard protruding from beneath a hood. The man carried a small satchel that he held very gingerly. Mikol could hear a faint jingle every couple of steps. The man took a few steps toward Mikol and Bayle. He stopped as he saw Mikol looking at him. There seemed to be some sort of challenge or exchange that happened in that moment that Mikol did not understand. The man nodded slightly to him and turned away. Mikol still stared after the man and watched him work quickly at another group. He felt something strange and found he had been holding his breath. When he let out his breath it only caused another coughing fit that hurt his sides and made the thief looked back in surprise.

***

The next day they were indeed let in to the city. They were instructed to leave their horses in a stable near the front of the city. The nearest inns were located in the center of the city. They took all of their gear except for saddles with them. Neither of them trusted their gear to still be with their horses if they left it. The city was packed with people. Even with the restrictions from the council, Mikol could see why there was a wait to get in. Every street had barely enough room to maneuver and was full of people walking about. Almost every building they came across was a shop of some sort. People even hawked their wares as they walked the streets. Even as large as the city was, Mikol could not see where all of these people had homes. When they passed a few alleys he found that not everyone had been granted residency, it seemed. Mikol was beginning to give up hope of finding an inn for the night after the seventh inn turned them away rudely. But at the next building they were lucky to find a room that had been recently vacated.

The room was very small but still had two beds. Mikol’s cough had become worse, and the innkeeper was hesitant to let them stay until Bayle handed him another three Tarens. They were shown to the room. Bayle immediately put some logs in the small stove in the corner of the room. It did not take long for stove to light and begin heating the room. Bayle began to unpack their items to lay them out to dry. Mikol attempted to help but was easily pushed into bed by Bayle. Mikol tried to stay awake but was asleep before Bayle had fully turned back to their equipment.

***

Mikol jolted awake in bed. He reached for his sword but it was not where he had set it. He fumbled around, growing more frantic when he could not find Raythrael. In the dim light of the room he saw a figure standing near him. Mikol looked around for Bayle, then heard his voice. It took several deep breaths before Mikol was able to tell Bayle was standing in front of him.
 

“Did you get everything set out to dry?”

“Yep. I did that before I went out for more supplies.”

“Out?”

Mikol coughed hard and Bayle waited for him to stop.

“Yep. I was gone for several hours. Came back after it was dark.”

“Oh. Well, I guess that takes care of that. You should get some sleep then. I am still tired.”

“I can’t. We need to leave tonight. I let you sleep while I packed the bags.”

Not fully awake, Mikol took a moment to understand what Bayle had said. He tried to get out of bed quickly but ended up sliding out of bed.
 

“Why do we need to leave?”

“While getting supplies I thought I would ask the guards if anyone strange had been let in recently. Before I got to the gate I saw a group of mounted horsemen enter the city.”

“I’m sure that can happen. Maybe we should have paid the guard more.”

“I don’t think they paid off the guard. I think they were let in. As soon as they were let in they split into three groups. They immediately started to ask people questions. I was going to make my way back right then but saw one of the men go in to the shop I had come from. When the man emerged from the shop he had the shopkeeper in tow and they were looking around. They didn’t see me, but I know it was one of the groups that was looking for us.”

Bayle had finished packing the bags and handed one to Mikol. It was noticeably lighter than before. Mikol started to protest but found it hard enough for him to carry the bag. He buckled Raythrael on and marveled again at its feather weight. Bayle made sure they had everything and led Mikol out of the inn. The common room of the inn was empty, to Mikol’s surprise. Then he realized the time.
 

Mikol wanted to admonish Bayle for letting him sleep as long as he did but he was too exhausted. Although the street was dark, there was still enough light from the street lamps to see clearly. He paused as a moment of vertigo passed over him. He looked up at the flickering light to see the lamps were using fire for light. He knew runes were not used outside of Ternia but for some reason he had only thought it applied to people using runes. He was pulled out of his own thoughts as Bayle dragged him forward.

The city was laid out in a straightforward manner, but Mikol took out the pendant to be sure of their direction. They followed the arrow north to the outer section of the city. They started to see more people on the streets as they progressed. The larger streets of the outer ring of the city were packed. Mikol frowned. There would be no easy way for them to see whether they were being followed now.
 

“What about our horses?”

“I checked that first. There was someone posted at the stable.”

“We could take him.”

“Maybe if you were feeling well. But we need to escape unseen.”

Mikol’s neck began to itch. He looked around frantically at the people on the street. No one gave them more than a passing glance. He took a deep breath. This only caused him to cough, which drew curious looks from several passing people. He closed his eyes as his coughing passed. The feeling went away. Mikol looked at Bayle to crack a joke when the feeling came back suddenly. Bayle dragged him to the side of the street and indicated the pendant. When he looked down, Mikol saw the pendant was glowing, something it had only done when he was holding it. The arrow that had been pointing north was now flashing, and pointing to a nearby alleyway. Mikol looked at Bayle to make sure he was seeing the same thing. He received a shrug in response. Mikol saw no reason to doubt the pendant, since they had followed it this far. They hurried to the alley.

The alley was about the quarter size of the road. Boxes, crates, and barrels lined the buildings on either side. They had to walk carefully to avoid toppling anything. When they had progressed halfway down, the flashing arrow split in two, pointing to either side of the alley. They split up to both sides of the alley and waited. The arrows became a flashing dot. Mikol wondered how many other times the pendant had tried to give him directions.