She watched eagerly as I picked up the sandwich to eat it. I bit into it and was surprised. The flavor was bland, the spices weren’t quite right, the cheese tasted weird, but it was sort of like the original that she had been trying to replicate.
“It almost tastes like home,” I said in between bites.
“Exactly,” she said. “So close, yet so far away at the same time. Like my magical research.”
“So you’d really give all this up, just to be back on Earth?” I asked.
Savannah nodded at that, putting her food down. “Nothing compares to being with your family. I miss them all so much.”
“So…I must ask, your husband? What is his stance on returning?”
“Harold was a man from a very large family too, except he was the youngest, the smallest and the weakest,” she said, a shadow coming across her face as she sat back in contemplation. “To leave them behind was a blessing. Because in this realm, he is strong and powerful. He loves his armies. He loves taking up a sword and marching into battle. With the divine magic of Elind to bless him in war, he is everything his family told him he couldn’t be.”
“That is understandable,” I said. I thought of Peters, whose entire fate had been staring at the wall in prison for thirty years. The chance at greatness would cause most people without strong ties to stay in Liora.
“Well, but what he didn’t understand is why I wanted to go back. No matter how much I begged, he wouldn’t return with me. I mean, even if that were possible, which I’m still not sure it is. But he wouldn’t even consider the idea. Rather, he was so much more interested in building power for our dynasty as he called it. Dynasty,” she repeated, shaking her head. “Hah. He was a failed wannabe crusader who picked a fight with the wrong warlord. Showed up in my town one day, asking for refuge and acting all sad. I sure picked a winner of a husband, didn’t I?”
I wisely said nothing. She laughed. “You’re smart to not get in the middle of this.”
“I’ve seen my fair share of fights between couples to know that the best place to be is far away from it,” I said. “But if I may ask, why continue this war with him?”
“Harold won’t acquiesce until I admit defeat,” Savannah said. “But I’m not losing. These walls are thick, our security is tight and I built my entire economy to be self-sustaining on the inside. Travel is simply too long for us to rely on external shipments, so everything we need is right inside of these walls.”
“What would Harold gain from winning? What are his terms?”
Savannah shrugged at those words. “They change from time to time. At first, he wanted me to stay. But as the war dragged out, he demanded that I give him my village. Now, he simply wants us to become a vassal state. I can still manage things but I give 30 percent of my resources to him as tribute. And on top of that, he can use my own people to fill his military ranks. No way is that happening.”
I leaned back in my chair again and sighed. This was a tough situation. Savannah seemed perfectly willing to make a deal with me, provided the roads were safe. And that would never happen for as long as Harold was at war. “How strong is he?” I asked. “Could I simply use mercenaries to defend our roads?”
Savannah shook her head. “I built the second village for self-defense. Every unit I created there was meant to generate troops, give us attack bonuses and train the population in war. I gave it to Harold since he was more of a war-type person than myself. The problem was that I also put a few buildings in there that generated quite a bit of income to sustain the local military.”
“Self-sufficiency,” I interjected.
“Yeah, exactly. But that means Harold can always maintain a rather large military.”
“How big?”
Savannah grabbed one of the books off the table and handed it to me. It was the Great Picture, albeit with a green colored cover on it. “Take a look.”
I complied, opening the book to immediately find myself looking above Authos. I had a view of Euthos as well and could see several soldiers patrolling the area. Above each soldier was a number of units, equaling a total of 10,000 men in the area. They were armed with swords and shields, and what looked to be heavy plate mail armor. This was not a patrol; it was a show of force, meant to intimidate Savannah’s people.
I closed the book and let out a whistle. “That is a huge unit.”
“And that’s only one group,” she said. “I don’t know how many he has inside. The garrisons furnish a certain number of troops each month and he may have them fully upgraded.”
Most mercenary forces for hire ranged from three to seven thousand. Anything close to ten thousand or more was unbelievably expensive—both in terms of initial hire and daily cost.
“Mercenaries would be too expensive,” I said, shaking my head.
“Exactly,” Savannah said. “I would love nothing more than a trade route out of this place, because it would give me more resources to build advanced fighter units. But unfortunately, he’s got everything I need.”
“What do you need then?” I asked. “To win this war?”
“Steel,” she said. “He has iron armor, our people don’t. We only have access to leather. I would have put in a mass order for better armaments from the Tradesmen, but Harold took those actions against them before we were under separate banners.”
I pondered that situation. Tomas Peters had access to Iron, which would give us Steel. I could then use that to furnish Savannah’s troops and put an end to this war. Transporting the material would be the hardest part.
“Suppose that I was able to provide you with steel?” I asked. “What happens from there?”
Savannah laughed. “I doubt you can do such a thing. But supposing that you were able to get me what I needed, I’d be able to equip my men with the right gear. Then, we could theoretically use our superiority to secure the trade route, which then means we gain significant resources to fund my war machine. I have all the buildings to fight back, but none of the resources to do so.”
“And it all starts with iron?” I asked.
“Yes, we even have a steelworks here to build the armor and weapons,” she said. “But this begs the question, what’s in it for you?”
“I’m here to trade, to open up a new trading route. My offer would be as such, you sign an exclusive contract with me as your trading partner. You fund 50% of the road and agree to protect it. I have first right of all resources trading with you. And, most importantly, I have full rights to create tolls upon the road for anyone trading with you.”
Savannah slowly nodded at those words, rubbing her chin a little. “What do you mean by exclusive?”
“I mean that you cannot sign any other contracts with other trading partners. You’re free to trade with them, but you cannot make any short or long-term, binding agreement. If they wish to make such a contract with you, they’ll need to go through me.”
“So you become the middleman, then? Why bother with such micromanagement?”
“Because I can control who gets the supplies,” I replied. “And this makes me very, very important. Important enough to compete with the Tradesmen.”
“So, if a village wants wheat from me, I’m free to send them wheat in exchange for something, but if they want to have a regular shipment of wheat, it’s your call?” she asked. “I’m giving up a lot of power.”
“I’m the one building this trade route,” I replied. “If you want to build one, feel free to. But mind you, the steps involved are complicated. I’ll be the one who negotiates price on your behalf, and will take a fee, of course, but it will be a percentage.”
“Which incentivizes going for a higher price…” she said. “You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve talked economics with anyone. It’s refreshing. I’ll agree to everything except funding the road. If you want to control my trade, it’s your road, not mine.”
“Then my percentage will increase,” I replied. “To cover those costs.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Thirty percent with the road. Fifteen without,” I said.
“I didn’t realize that you were actually a bandit in disguise,” she replied. “Ten percent with the road tax. Five percent without it.”
I laughed at that. “Are you really trying to bargain with me? Mind you, I’m the one who can get you all of the supplies you need to finally end this war. And besides, what do you care? You’re on your way out, aren’t you?”
“Hopefully,” she replied. “But until then, I’m not letting you take advantage of me.”
I sighed and stood to my feet. “I’m afraid that if you want to continue this endless war, that’s really your business. I have other things to do.”
“Oh, don’t even try the pretending to walk out routine,” Savannah said. “Sit your ass back down.”
I said nothing and merely made my way for the door.
“This isn’t going to work,” she said. I grasped the handle and pulled it open, and then left without saying a word. It would only be a matter of time before she realized that keeping a hundred percent of nothing wasn’t a good bargain.
By the time I made my way down the hall, she appeared in front of me, mists of blue energy coursing around her. “Fifteen percent, including the road tax,” she said. “Final offer.”
“Twenty and throw in that chair I was sitting in,” I said, extending my hand to her. “And I’ll put an end to this entire war.”
Savannah looked at me and, for a moment, I could see true desperation on her face. “A handshake between champions is binding,” she whispered. “To defy an agreement is to invoke the wrath of our patron gods.”
I kept my hand outstretched. “I always mean what I say. Let’s put an end to this war.”
Chapter 23
I returned to the small camp where Teresa was waiting with two major questions on my mind. The first was how I would possibly manage to get an entire shipment of iron through this roadless stretch of land. The second was how I would be able to keep the shipment safe from Harold’s men. I had agreed to a major undertaking without any clue on how to actually get it done. It reminded me of the time I agreed to a major distribution deal with a grocery store, without enough products to fill those shelves. But the times you have an opportunity are too rare to pass up. It’s better to fail miserably at a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity than to say no thanks.
I would need to act quickly to close this deal. Savannah had agreed to make the purchase of the Iron production unit for me, since she had considerable resources to do so. Since I had the rights of purchase, I would be able to make the deal with Peters to set up the building on her behalf. Since we were now listed in each other’s contacts thanks to the unifying power of the Great Picture, I’d be able to pay for the unit using her money. This was a better alternative than handing me several thousand gold pieces, as the chances of being robbed on the way home was quite high.
This would turn out to have been good foresight on Savannah’s part, for as me and my companion rode home, we were quickly greeted by several highwaymen, armed to the teeth with plate mail armor. They stood in the center of the path, pikes drawn, waiting for us.
“That’s far enough,” the leader said. He was a tall man, with a strong jaw and long, flowing golden hair. He looked like something out of an Arthurian fairy tale.
“Let’s see your hands!” the man on the leader’s left said. I complied, raising my hands to show that I was unarmed. Teresa did the same.
“That’s Harold,” she whispered under her breath. “You better play this right.”
“Harold?” I asked, locking eyes with the leader.
“Who’s asking?” he replied, stepping forward.
“My name is Charles Morris, and I’m a champion, like you.”
“Hah, doubtful that you are anything like me,” Harold replied. “Come on, get off your horses and then we’ll talk.”
I complied, climbing off Smiles, who whinnied disapprovingly. I gave him a gentle pat and slowly approached the warrior king. If he was considered to be the smallest and weakest of his family, how big were the rest of them?
“So, where you from?” Harold asked.
“Earth, Baltimore,” I replied.
“I don’t give a damn about that,” Harold said. “Easy with the lady!” he barked at his guards as they went to restrain Teresa who had also climbed off her own horse. “No need for ropes.” He turned his attention back to me. “I meant where are you from here?”
“Tine,” I said. “In the Amber Forest.”
“You are a far way from home then,” Harold said. He sized me up for a moment. “So what did my wife offer you?”
“She offered me nothing,” I replied. “I came to make her an offer.”
“A trader?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m trying to build a new trade route here, through these woods.”
“My spies said as much,” Harold replied, shaking his head. “I’m afraid I can’t let you make deals with that woman. Anything you give her will be advantageous in our little war.”
Perhaps Savannah had been right to worry about spies after all. I did not know the full amount of information they had provided Harold, but I knew that this was a dangerous situation. If I played my cards wrong, my head would be sticking on a pike on his castle walls. But still…I knew enough about him to make a proper judgment call. First, I knew he only cared about his life on Liora. Second, I knew he was a gentleman, because of the way he ordered his men to ease off of Teresa. And third, I knew that all he wanted was to have more in this life. To build a name for himself. I could exploit this somehow, to at least get out of these woods alive.
“Then make me an offer,” I said. “A better one than I negotiated with her. Then you can win the war.”
Harold laughed. “Aren’t you a regular Clint Eastwood then? Going back and forth between two squabbling parties, playing both sides against each other. I’m not an idiot.”
“I never claimed for you to be one,” I replied. “But let’s look at the facts. You don’t know who I am. You don’t know where I hail from and you certainly don’t know what I’m capable of. All you know is that I arrived earlier today to make an arrangement with your wife, one that would be mutually beneficial. If you think you have the advantage here, you might be sorely mistaken. You simply don’t know what I am able to do.”
Harold squinted at me. “Are you threatening me?”
“Neither of you have allies. No one bothers to come all the way down here because there’s no incentive. But if you were to harm me in any way, well, now my own people would have cause to fly a flag of war. Are you willing to roll those dice then, to give up what could be a potential advantage in making me a friend, by just making me a foe?” I asked.
Harold said nothing for a moment. I was right about him not knowing who I was. I could be the leader of a small, useless village, or I could be the leader of a much larger, stronger one. He did not know.
“What do you have to offer me?” he asked cautiously.
“I came down here on a mission of economic prosperity and to build a trade route,” I continued. “That’s all I give a damn about. You two can continue to war with one another for all eternity, as long as wagons come rolling in and out of the road I’m building. As long as trade happens.”
“I’m afraid I’m not in the position where I’d be able to allow wagons coming in without taking what they have,” he explained. “We need all the help we can get.”
“Then why aren’t you asking me for help?” I said. “After all, I came all the way down here. Why waste time with trying to scare me in the middle of the road?”
“Aren’t you a curious man,” Harold said. “Fine. I need lumber, and lots of it. Euthos is in a large valley and what little trees that existed have been long destroyed due to our need for siege weapons. We can’t move our units into these woods because we’d have to get past the castle to a
ccess it. Small parties can slip in or out undetected, but to build a lumber mill here? It’d be destroyed before construction even officially began.”
“I have plenty of lumber for trade,” I replied. “And I’d happily give you whatever it takes to keep your men from attacking my wagons.”
“But I know those wagons will aid my enemy,” he said. “So it’s a moot point.”
“Wouldn’t the lumber give you siege engines?” I asked. “That should solve the problem quickly enough. Whatever trade deals I’ve made with her aren’t your concern. They benefit me the most.”
“Except for the steel you’re giving her,” Harold replied, shaking his head. “You think I’m an idiot? I have eyes and ears all over that castle.”
“You have steel, don’t you?” I asked. “So if anything, she just gets a level playing field. But you get lumber and what happens? You can finally get over those walls. So on one hand, the fight will be a little harder, but on the other…you can finally breach her defenses.”
Harold shrugged at that. “True…true…”
“And you are the superior commander, are you not?”
“I am. She only attacks when she sees an opportunity. She’s never pulled off a successful siege.”
I crossed my arms. “So why worry about her troops suddenly having steel? It won’t save them from your invasion.” This was an appeal to his ego, of course, but the fact that he was in front of his men would mean he couldn’t admit fear of his enemy.
“You speak truly. But how would I know the quality of my lumber won’t be sabotaged?”
“I said before, I have no dog in this fight. As long as you leave my road workers and wagons alone, you won’t receive any problems from the supplies I send.”
Harold eyed me a little. “I don’t know if I can trust you.”
“So don’t trust me then,” I said. “It’s no concern of mine. Am I free to go on my way? Or do you want to see what will happen when you kidnap me?”
CivCEO: A 4x Lit Series (The Accidental Champion Book 1) Page 14