The Empress of Beasts, page 16
part #13 of The Wandering Inn Series
“Damnit! Sorry, sorry. I made a mistake. Let me try again.”
He took a breath, and then he smiled and held up a hand. He slowly clenched it into a fist.
“Hi! I’m Relc. No one but the current Council goes through, got it? I’m allowed to hit you if you disagree. Please disagree.”
And strangely, no one disagreed. The Council hesitated, and thought about bodyguards and mercenaries and shady people. Then they looked at Relc’s fist. The Gecko of Liscor gave them a bright smile.
And that was that. The Council worked on, ignorant of what was going outside. They were talking, debating. And it wasn’t just Krshia and Lism. They had held the floor to begin with; it had been their parties, their ideas. But after the first agreements had been struck, it was anyone’s floor. And contrary to what they’d expected—everyone had something to bring to the conversation.
“Can we agree to pass Watch Captain Zevara’s budget?”
Jeiss tapped a claw on the table, getting the attention away from a discussion of guild fees to the city. Olesm had circulated the proposed budget and Krshia took a moment to wince at the number underlined at the bottom. She hesitated.
“It’s a lot of gold. Gold we will have to ration between all the projects.”
Lism nodded sourly. They were doing calculations of how much they’d need for every project and Zevara’s wasn’t the biggest stone in the basket, but it certainly was large. Jeiss, however, was adamant.
“I am a Senior Guardsman and I know Watch business. I can tell all of you honestly that we could use all the gold we can get—and then some. If you want to defend against the dungeon, the Antinium, or anything else, we need the gold. Consider this an inescapable expense. No reducing the budget. No ‘cuts’ to make it work. That’s how we lost our [Mage] unit twenty four years back. And we could have used them against the Necromancer.”
The Council nodded reluctantly. But how did you make money out of nothing? Sometimes you shook it out of people who’d been hoarding it, but that didn’t work for everything. It was Raekea who raised her arm and grinned around her slightly sooty fur.
“I have an idea that came to me recently. Pallass has [Blacksmiths]. The best I’ve seen. Maughin alone could put all of Liscor’s best out of work, and as one of them, I must admit that.”
She grimaced. The admission hurt, but she went on.
“However, Pallass needs one thing as much as Liscor. Ore. They have mines they control and they import goods, but cheap and good-quality ore is always welcome. More than that, I think some of their smiths might come to Liscor, or teach us their tricks if there was a profit in it.”
“All I hear is how we’re spending more money. And we certainly don’t have any ore mines. We used to, but finding new ones would require [Prospectors]—another expense we don’t have gold for yet!”
Lism frowned. Alonna gave him a reproving look. Raekea rolled her eyes and went on.
“We don’t have ore. But there is a city nearby who does.”
Krshia’s eyes lit up.
“Esthelm? They have mines?”
“Hrm. Yes. I import what I need from them. Cheap. But there aren’t any areas to smelt on a large scale so all of Liscor’s [Smiths] cannot buy what Esthelm produces. However, Pallass…if we could export ore to them and import smelted goods cheaply—”
“On the list! Put it on the list, Olesm!”
Lism waved at his nephew frantically. And Olesm waved at one of the [Scribes] whom he’d brought in because his claw was really starting to hurt from all the writing. She dutifully wrote it down and it was Elirr’s turn. He cleared his throat when it came to the subject of the Adventurer’s Guild.
“I understand pets. Animals. Not much else. But…hrm. I think setting prices on monster parts from the Adventurer’s Guild is a good thing. Lism is correct, yes? Shield Spider parts have uses, but we do not earn much of a profit from them while [Merchants] do. And the adventurers, for all they do harvest monsters for their goods, do not use all of the monster they could because they do not know, yes? Just the other day, I heard that they had killed a nest of Blankipillars and left them to rot!”
“Blanki—what?”
Even Olesm looked blankly at Elirr. The Gnoll huffed.
“Have you never heard of them? Blankipillars. Giant caterpillars. They grow up into…hrm, well, good that they do not grow up. But they have sacs in them, yes? They are very numbing. They can kill in large doses, but [Healers] and [Alchemists] would pay much for them!”
“That’s what Selys has been saying all along. The Adventurer’s Guild can collect monster ingredients. But it will need a storehouse. More facilities.”
“Spend money to earn money! How does that help us now?”
Elirr gave Lism a reproving look.
“If we have a surplus of goods, we simply store them, yes? The city must own at least one warehouse with Runes of Preservation. Let us give one to the Adventurer’s Guild that we might start putting bounties on the monster parts and selling them at once. Pallass will surely demand rare ingredients.”
Alonna nodded excitedly.
“I could ask the [Mage]’s Guilds in other cities to go over the lists of monsters. Wistram Academy and Fissival’s College might pay for some parts if the creatures are rare. Is there a list of monsters discovered so far?”
“Selys would surely keep one, would she not?”
Lism nodded, drumming his claws excitedly on the table. Krshia was already going over how much the city would take from the Adventurer’s Guild’s as a fee. If [Shopkeepers] had one talent, it was shaving every copper penny they could out of a deal.
“Yes, let’s send for a list! And have it duplicated and sent out, by all means, Alonna. Ore as well, by all means! If we can see we’ll pull in more money, we could allocate Watch Captain Zevara her funds today and fund the rest as we go.”
“I’ll send a Street Runner, Uncle. I mean, Lism. Councilmember. It may take them a while especially if Selys is off-duty. But I’m sure they’ll be here within the hour at most! Will you be breaking before then?”
Flustered and excited, Olesm stumbled over his words. He saw the Council look at him.
“What? Breaking?”
“For lunch. Or adjourning for the day? The Council rarely—”
Lism smacked the table with one claw.
“What are you talking about? We’re staying in session until we see those rents lowered. And get construction underway! Or at least get someone with an [Architect] class working on it! Nephew—er, Strategist Olesm, who’s the best [Architect] in the world?”
“That would be Drevish the Architect. Er, no. Wait. He’s dead. Then it’s…”
“We’re not paying for a world-class [Architect]! What a waste of money, Lism! We don’t need fancy designs either! Hire someone from Pallass!”
Alonna was aghast. Lism shook his head adamantly.
“There are all sorts of things that go into city construction. Not just defensive placements, but sewer management. Aesthetics! It needs to be world-class! Pay for the best, especially if it comes to design. That’s how I do business.”
“What? I thought it was ‘undercut your competition by selling cheap products mixed in with your overpriced goods’, yes? Anyways, I have a better suggestion.”
Lism glared at Krshia. They kept sniping at each other, but neither broke flow. In fact, they were more trying to outdo each other rather than tear each other down. Lism gritted his teeth.
“Well?”
Krshia smirked.
“As a matter of fact, there is someone I found when I was researching how much it would cost. They are willing to work—for a good price!—and can deliver the blueprints within the week! Moreover, they are excited by the idea, and they are specialized in cities that deal with water, such as ours.”
“Really?”
The Council looked at her. Lism frowned.
“And why, if this is so big, did you not shout it from the rooftops?”
Krshia paused.
“Besides the fact that you’d copy my idea? Er, the [Architect] is ah…”
She took a breath. Raekea paused and Elirr sighed, remembering the issue in question that had put even Selys against it. Krshia came out with it in a rush.
“Hexel Quithail, one of the best [Architects] in all of Baleros, perhaps the world! He designed a new palace in Terandria, a city for the Iron Vanguard, and three cities himself!”
She paused. Lism took a moment to digest this. Then he shouted.
“A Lizardperson?”
“Lamia, technically, Uncle. They’re one of the smarter evolutions of their kind—”
“Never! You’ve gone too far this time, Silverfang!”
Olesm winced. Jeiss and Alonna both glared at Krshia. The Gnoll sighed.
“He is the best you will get for such a price!”
“Live in a city designed by one of those egg-headed idiots?”
The argument became a furious debate. Olesm was actually on Krshia’s side in this one, much to his uncle’s horror. Raekea paused and leaned over to Elirr. Very quietly she whispered to him.
“I never understood why Drakes hated Lizardpeople. Aren’t they…?”
“It’s the similarity, I think. Similarity among the differences.”
“Hrm. Yes.”
It took Krshia nearly an hour, and everyone had to stop for tea to soothe hoarse throats. But at last, Lism agreed with a look of disgust. He checked the list they’d made as the [Scribe] shook out her writing hand.
The list had ideas, numbers, concepts, and laws ready to go into effect yesterday. That should have gone into effect years ago. But the Drakes and Gnolls hit on a problem as they stared at the paper. Elirr cleared his throat as he looked around the meeting room.
“So. How do we get it all started?”
The Council looked at each other. Then they turned to Olesm. He looked up.
“What? Oh! Well, I can handle some of it. I suggest sending a Runner to Watch Captain Zevara. She’ll need to be consulted on some of this. And Guildmistress Tekshia as well. It would be polite to request her presence at her convenience. For the rest—you have [Secretaries], [Scribes], [Negotiators], and more at your disposal, Councilmembers. Just send word you need someone! We might need to expand the staff, actually. You’ll need to approve the budget!”
The Council paused as they took this in. Jeiss groaned as he imagined another budget. Raekea just blinked at Olesm.
“We have [Negotiators]?”
Olesm nodded.
“Three. Would you…do you need one?”
He hesitated. Krshia looked at Lism who looked at Alonna who looked at Jeiss who looked at Elirr who didn’t bother looking at Raekea. The Gnoll just smiled.
——
The Drake who strode into the Council’s meeting room had black, glossy scales patterned with spots of yellow leading up from his tail. He was slim, thin, and he had a smile all charm and delight. He spread his arms and gave Olesm a hug.
“Olesm! Pal! And what a beautiful new Council! Councilmembers, a delight.”
He bowed to the bemused Council, sweeping a fancy bow to them. Bemused, the Council watched him straighten.
“Teliv Witherscale, at your service. I’m a part-time [Host] working at Wishdrinks—let me know, anytime, and I’ll be happy to work for any crowd, group, or smaller party! I do dinner-parties too, and I can even liven up a birthday or level-up party! I don’t do funerals.”
“Teliv.”
Olesm sighed, resigned. His old friend winked at him. Olesm hadn’t seen Teliv in a while, but the Drake hadn’t changed. He looked around, irrepressibly cheerful as ever.
“To what do I owe the honor? Actually, scratch that. I’m delighted to meet the new Council! But if there’s anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask!”
“Mister…Teliv, we actually summoned you because we need a [Negotiator] to perform a variety of tasks. We have several Guildleaders who need to understand a variety of rules we’re about to put in place, a neighboring city we need to er, negotiate with for their trade goods, and more. Is that what your class does? Have you done this for the Council?”
Lism frowned at Teliv, glancing at Olesm. He vaguely remembered the younger Drake, but he didn’t remember someone so ostentatious. Teliv’s eyes widened.
“You have work for me? Actual work?”
“You didn’t aid the previous Council in your official capacity often?”
Nothing would have surprised Alonna anymore, but she managed to sound even more disapproving. No one had seen Tismel or Zalaiss so far, or the rest of the old Council. They were no doubt trying to figure something out, but Relc’s fist had kept everyone away so far. Teliv laughed until he realized she was serious.
“Well, yes. I’m part of Liscor’s very small, very underfunded diplomatic office. Normally, the Council just needs its Watch Captain, Olesm to boss about all the scribes and make sure all those tidy laws get enforced, and a few [Runners] to make sure the system keeps moving. But sometimes, very rarely, once in five blue moons, they need someone to negotiate a deal with the [Merchants], or talk over things with another city. Then they call for me! Or Mavei. Or Aless. Don’t call them. I’m the best.”
The Council looked at Olesm. Raekea coughed.
“Is he?”
“Well…probably. Teliv’s the highest-level I think, and he’s good at his job, despite how he acts.”
The [Strategist] ignored Teliv’s hurt look.
“What? Olesm, that hurts! We’re old friends!”
“How do you know my nephew?”
“Uncle!”
Lism narrowed his eyes, but Teliv’s laugh made even the [Shopkeeper] relax.
“We met in Manus’ academies. Olesm was the studious one. I decided being a [Tactician] wasn’t for me! Manus trains [Diplomats] too. I uh, haven’t made it to that class, but if you’ve got work for me, maybe I’ll finally level up!”
“Why would Manus need to train [Diplomats]? Wouldn’t Fissival be better?”
“Oh, Fissival only trains [Scholars]. We [Diplomats] have to be a bit sterner! There are threats that come with the class! Assassination, poisoning, assault, intimidation, blackmail…”
Teliv trailed off as he saw the blank looks on the faces of the other Councilmembers.
“It’s more of a problem between other Drake cities. Liscor didn’t have anyone to talk to until recently. Except for the Humans. And do we talk to them? No, seriously, am I talking to them?”
Krshia smiled. She approved of Teliv’s attitude. She looked at Lism and held a thumbs up. He scowled as Jeiss, grinning, did the same. Alonna shrugged, Raekea nodded, Elirr scratched his head—it was only after looking at Olesm that Lism sighed.
“Very well, you’ll be present when we negotiate. First with Guardsman Klbkch—then we’ll send you to the Guildmasters. Then to Esthelm. Here’s what you need to know. We’re trying to strike a deal—”
Teliv’s face fell. He backed up slightly at Klbkch’s name.
“Antinium? I uh, don’t do Antinium. Now, Mavei…”
He turned to go. Olesm shut the door. Teliv looked at him and then patted him on the shoulder.
“So, how’s the new Council?”
Olesm grinned.
“What do you think?”
Teliv looked behind him and saw three Drakes and three Gnolls staring at him. He hesitated, and then checked himself.
“If you’ll allow me, Councilmembers. I think I need to get my suit. And a protective amulet.”
——
Erin Solstice stopped and stared. For once, it was her stopping and staring at something else. And for once, the people gathered around City Hall weren’t there because of something they had done.
And they were gathered. It wasn’t that they were waiting for the Council or an election. It was just that the charge in the air was here. The excitement. And on the winds, the smell of change.
It was coming out of the Council with every Street Runner dashing to deliver a message. In bursts of gossip—and then pieces of parchment being distributed to sections of the city. Erin saw it hitting places like the Adventurer’s Guilds first. The adventuring teams looked up, crowded around the board of bounties and then exclaimed.
“They’re paying how much for a Blankipillar’s venom sac? Dead gods! Wings of Pallass, we’re getting right back in that dungeon! There’s a fortune rotting away down there! On me!”
Bevussa flew out of the mob and raced out of the door, faster than any of the other teams. Keldrass charged after her as Selys and another [Receptionist] tried to gather her scattered notes.
In the street, Drassi was gossiping with a bunch of Gnolls as she somehow had the latest news before anyone else.
“A mysterious [Architect] of note has agreed to design the expansion to the city? Does that mean they hired someone cheap or it’s a secret?”
“Hey, can I have some of those bulletin-things? You can put them up in my inn?”
Erin waylaid one of the Street Runners and got an armful of scrolls, the ink still drying. She hurried back to her inn and realized she didn’t have a board to put them on. So she stuck them to a wall with bits of sticky dough and the Horns of Hammerad got up from their table to read.
“Wanted. Adventurers to open a route around the Bloodfields. [Builders], [Miners], and other helpful classes also encouraged to apply. Pay is guaranteed per day and per monster slain?”
Ceria blinked as she soothed hot-tub burns on her back. Yvlon looked at Pisces. He frowned.
“Intriguing.”
“Yes. I am intrigued.”
Ksmvr imitated Pisces, glancing sideways at him. Erin laughed. There was a freshness in the air she could feel. From the unhappy [Landlords] in the streets to those cheering the new jobs, the possibilities opening up, or just the fur now present in city hall.
It was also in the Watch. Zevara stared down at the letter hand-delivered by the Street Runner from the Merchant’s Guild. She held her breath as she unfurled the scroll. The new Council didn’t even bother stamping it with wax. And they’d finished a budget in the first day? They were fast, she had to give it to them. But was it—
