by AC Cobble
“I can get us a loan,” growled Renfro. “I’ve met some people who are connected. They can get us whatever we need.”
“There might be another option.” Ben sighed. He’d thought about not mentioning Reinhold at all, but he was certain they didn’t want to get involved with any of the shady characters who’d loan Renfro money. “Lord Reinhold came by yesterday. He offered to take an interest in the business.”
Renfro bolted to his feet. “Perfect!” he shouted then glanced around the café before quickly sitting back down. “He’ll probably try to screw us on the share, but if we negotiate hard, that could solve all of our problems.”
“I’m not really sure we have problems if we don’t want them,” murmured Ben, “but I think he’ll be just as interested as you in expansion. Tell me something. Where is this Raffe getting his piss-water ale from?”
“I knew you’d be worried about that,” snapped Renfro. “He gets it from Gulli of course. Where else? Look, Ben, we can’t run this thing out of fear. I’ve been making some friends and Gulli isn’t as secure as he acts. He’s getting pressure from some people who invested with him and he’s making mistakes. We’ve got friends in this town now too. With someone like Reinhold behind us, Gulli is nothing to worry about.”
Ben’s head sank into his hands. “That’s what Reinhold said.”
16
The Sanctuary
The next Newday, Ben headed to the Sanctuary to meet Amelie and Meghan. Their free days had been curtailed again. The note he got from the girls said they could see him in the garden for a few bells though.
He wished he were in a better mood to see Amelie. He knew she’d be worried about her father, but his concerns about Renfro, Reinhold, and Gulli were weighing on him. He wanted to brew good ale, drink good ale, learn from Saala and Rhys, and make enough to afford the little apartment he’d rented. Expanding the business so quickly, taking on a potentially dangerous competitor, it just wasn’t worth it to Ben. It seemed silly though when compared to what Amelie must be going through. Before long, an army could be marching on her home.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” was the first thing she said when he spotted her.
“Okay, uh, sure,” agreed Ben.
“We were worried this would happen and it is not a surprise. My father will be prepared, whether the rumors are true or not. There’s no use us talking about it. It’s best I focus on my studies here and not things I have no control over.”
“Alright Amelie. I want you to know I’ve been thinking about you though. I’m sure this is tough, so if you change your mind, I’m available to talk when you need to.”
“Thank you for that, Ben. I knew I could count on you.”
“I’m just glad you’re still here,” teased Ben with a grin. “I thought you might be stowed away on a boat or something.”
Amelie blushed furiously and Meghan fidgeted uncomfortably, eyes darting around the garden to see who could have overheard.
“You did try to escape!” accused Ben.
“Just the night I heard about it,” replied Amelie sheepishly. “I’ve realized now that wasn’t a good idea.” Amelie surreptitiously rubbed her backside.
Ben wondered how she came to decide running away wasn’t a good idea. The mages of the Sanctuary were famously strict.
“Let’s not talk about it,” continued Amelie. “Let’s talk about something to cheer us up. How is the business?”
“It’s great, I guess,” answered Ben. “We’re finding new customers and we’re keeping the current customers happy. It’s grown enough that we’re looking for more space too. We can’t decide if it makes sense to move off island and pay more porters to make deliveries or stay close and pay more rent. Oh, and Lord Reinhold wants to invest in an ownership share.”
“What!” both Amelie and Meghan cried out.
“We haven’t agreed on any specifics yet,” added Ben. “I was going to check with you first, of course, Amelie. Since you were the first investor, I want to make sure you are on board.”
“Lord Reinhold is one of the most successful merchants in the City, probably one of the most successful in all of Alcott. Of course I am on board!” Amelie exclaimed.
At the same time, Meghan asked, “Reinhold is the one we rode on his boat, right? The one with that huge estate north of town?”
“This is what we needed to cheer up,” gushed Amelie. “Tell us more Ben. How did it happen?”
“Well, he just came by one day and said he was interested.” Ben didn’t think it was prudent to mention the situation with Gulli. “He thought with our ale and his connections there were some good opportunities. It makes sense. With his capital we have plenty of gold to expand, and he does have access to certain markets that we just can’t get into by ourselves. I talked to Renfro and he supports it. We were just waiting on your okay and need to work out some final details with Reinhold.”
“Oh my, that is amazing Ben! I can’t believe how well you’re doing with this. When I suggested you start a business here I was thinking small. I never thought it could grow this quickly.”
“I’m impressed too,” admitted Meghan. “Back in Farview, I didn’t know you had the business skills to do something like this.”
Ben shrugged. “it might be more luck than skill. I’ll take what I can get though.”
On the way back from the Sanctuary, Ben walked with a little more pep in his step. Having the two girls gush over how great his business was doing made him feel silly for being so upset about it earlier. Gulli was a concern, but with Reinhold backing them, he wasn’t a big one. Renfro would come around too. Ben thought that finding this Raffe might be the confidence booster the former thief needed. He wondered if part of Renfro’s dark mood was because he was thrust into a foreign place with no idea how to succeed here. A big sale could pull him back to the old Renfro.
When he turned onto the pebble path from the breezeway, Ben caught one of the guards out of the corner of his eye. The man was about one hundred paces behind Ben and staring intently at him. He didn’t look familiar, but it was obvious his entire attention was focused on Ben.
Ben tried to brush it off until he saw all of the guards at the gate looking his way also. They spared only a glance at a new arrival who strolled in from the city. The guards all found something else to look at when Ben drew close. Ben shot a glance over his shoulder before he passed through the gate and saw the first guard had come to a stop, still about one hundred paces behind him. The man’s hand was lightly resting on his sword and he hadn’t lost his focus on Ben.
No one tried to stop him or speak to him, so Ben thought he must be imagining things. He’d never had any trouble with the guards at the Sanctuary and couldn’t recall meeting any of them outside the friendly nods when he came to visit. Maybe they were on edge since he’d come to visit Amelie. Surely they had heightened protection around her knowing she was Lord Gregor’s daughter.
The hustle and bustle of the City quickly washed over him once he got away from the high walls of the Sanctuary and he forgot about it. He was headed to the Flying Swan to meet with Rhys. Rhys seemed to be growing busy recently and frequently vanished for a few days at a time. Ben wanted to run the Reinhold idea by him before accepting the merchant’s proposal.
Rhys wasn’t a businessman, but he had an uncanny sense for trouble.
“Reinhold?” Rhys asked incredulously. “As in, the Lord Reinhold?”
“I must have made an impression by gawking at his estate when we passed it on the river,” joked Ben.
“Well, you could certainly do worse. The man has more gold to throw at a business than you’d ever know what to do with. I’m sure you’re doing a great job and all, but I’m a little surprised he’s interested. I figure he’s got bigger fish on the line than a small brewery.”
Ben shifted uneasily. “Well, that’s where I have the question. He’s doing it he says to thwart Lord Gulli. He says Gulli is reaching too far so he wants to give him some compe
tition locally and cut into his sources of income.”
“Hmm,” said Rhys before reaching over to the pitcher, refilling his mug, and, without asking, refilling Ben’s too. “I’d hoped this situation with Gulli was over with. He’s a dangerous man, as I’m sure you know.”
“As far as I know, we are out of the situation with Gulli. His men came by just once and we heard he spoke to most of our customers. A few begged out of their deals with us but the majority stayed on. There hasn’t been any trouble since then, at least that I know of. I’m worried that Renfro is stirring the pot down by the docks. He said he’s spoken to some people who work with Gulli and that they aren’t very supportive of the man.”
Rhys unconsciously tapped on the hilt of his long knife and paused before speaking again. “If Renfro is going to get himself in trouble then he’s going to take you with him. If Renfro won’t stop, then I think you have two choices. You may not like either one.”
Ben frowned and leaned forward on the smooth oak table.
“One, you disassociate yourself from Renfro,” suggested Rhys. “Buy him out of the brewery, sell him the brewery, whatever it takes to cut ties. Gulli is a thug, but he’s also a businessman. If he sees you’re not involved then he will leave you alone. You may think you have nothing to worry about now, but if Renfro is talking to Gulli’s men, then you should be worried.”
Ben sighed. “Renfro is still enough of a friend that I can’t do that to him, not yet.”
“Option two then. You do this partnership with Reinhold. I don’t think Gulli is stupid enough to cross his path. Reinhold is a fair man and he will do what he says with you. He’s a hard man too with nearly unlimited resources. He won’t back down from a fight if Gulli makes it one. He’s the protection you need.”
“I can’t abandon Renfro and I don’t think he’ll stop,” replied Ben with a grimace. “So it’s not much of a choice. We partner with Reinhold.”
Rhys smirked and raised his mug in cheers. “To bigger and better things.”
He took a long pull of his drink then smacked it down for a refill. “Now, let’s talk about something important. When I was downriver last week there was this barmaid with the biggest…”
Three days later, Ben grinned and shook his head as he followed Rhys and Renfro up a wide dirt track into the hills. The early autumn heat and humidity of the City was fading as they ascended away from the river. The quiet of the road would have been a welcome change for Ben after the constant noise and commotion in town, but Rhys and Renfro hadn’t stopped talking since they left.
Each one was comparing exploits that had grown more and more lurid as the sun rose higher. By now, Ben was certain that everything coming out of the former thief’s mouth was a lie, but it didn’t stop Rhys from cackling at the tales and then coming right back with another to top it. By their accounts, there couldn’t have been an unspoiled barmaid or wash girl within two days walk of the City.
Ben suspected Renfro had been a virgin when they’d finished their journey, but it seemed since then he’d grown in experience, or at least expanded his imagination.
“What about you, Ben?” called Renfro. “Did you ever manage to close the deal with that sweet lady or the country girl? What’s her name? Meghan? I bet the Sanctuary is locking those two up tight.”
Renfro had never made it to the Sanctuary to visit the girls and it had been five months since they arrived in the City, but that was just ridiculous. “Renfro, that country girl is my sister.”
“Oh, right.” Renfro paused to catch his breath and pull up his pants, which had been slowly sinking as they walked. “I guess I knew that. It’s too bad really. I bet she’d be a handful.”
Rhys caught Ben’s eye and mock slapped his forehead. Rhys glanced at Renfro and said, “Maybe you should get a belt, Renfro. Or are you staying prepared for any wayward wenches we stumble across?”
“A belt?”
“Your pants are falling down. It’s not befitting a man of your carnal aptitude,” explained Rhys.
Renfro looked down and asked confusedly, “My what?”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get moving. We’ve got business to do and I want to see the legend in action once we get to the tavern.”
Renfro flushed then scrambled after Rhys.
It dawned on Ben that Renfro was trying to be like Rhys. He probably saw the older man as a role model, but where Rhys flouted all conventions because he had self-knowledge and confidence in his abilities, Renfro seemed to be doing it because he thought that was the way to gain respect.
“Why can’t I find some normal friends,” muttered Ben as he fell in behind them.
They were heading to the small village of Vis, which was in the hills a two day walk from the City. Rhys vaguely mentioned he had business there and invited them along because it was a logging town with a bevy of timber mills, carpenters, and coopers. They hoped that by going further out from the City they could find a better price on fresh, empty ale kegs. They collected, washed, and reused the old ones when they could, but Reinhold’s investment would launch another round of expansion and they needed new materials to keep up.
Contrary to Ben’s hopes, Renfro continued to spend more and more time in seedy establishments by the docks. The few times Ben had stopped in some of the places, he’d immediately wanted to leave, and was always a little surprised when he checked his coin purse and found he hadn’t been robbed. Ben hoped a short trip away from there and amongst real people outside of the City would do Renfro good.
The dirt track they were on was wide enough for a wagon and not much else. If two of them were to meet on this road, one would need to pull off into the tall grass on the side. The road followed a broad zigzag that gently rose and cut through thin stands of small trees.
“There can’t be much of a lumber town up there with these trees,” Ben shouted to Rhys.
Rhys held back to walk beside Ben then answered, “They’ve got bigger trees. Used to have big trees down here too. They cut them all down.” Rhys gestured to low lumps in the grass that Ben hadn’t noticed. “Tree stumps. This land isn’t much use to anyone until the forest grows back some.”
“Wow. So who logged all of this? People came down from Vis to do it?”
“This was Vis, or near it. Over the years the town has moved with the tree line. Three hundred years ago the forest ran almost down to the river. Back then, lumber came to the City from Venmoor. It was further but easier to ship on the water. Then someone invented Venmoor Steel. They all started making swords and using the lumber to fire the forges so Vis got started in the logging business. They come back through down here from time to time when the trees grow big enough.”
The lumpy fields of tall grass spreading out around the road looked different all of a sudden. It had looked peaceful and open before. Now Ben couldn’t help imagining what it had been when the forest extended for days in all directions.
“You know a lot of history. How did you learn all of that?” queried Ben.
Rhys smirked. “The world changes. I just know enough to say we’ve got to change with it.”
That night, they camped near one of the stands of young trees and collected a pile of fallen branches to make a small cook fire.
Renfro was worn out from the physical activity and his blustering finally faded. As soon as their dinner of ham and beans was done, he curled up on his bedroll and was snoring before they finished cleaning up and putting away the frying pan.
“How is Amelie taking the news about the offensive on Issen?” Rhys asked in a quiet voice.
Ben flipped out his bedroll and answered, “She’s not taking it well, I don’t think. I got a note from Meghan saying the Sanctuary is keeping Amelie busy with studies to distract her but I know she wants to be home. Her family and all of her old friends will be at risk when the Coalition moves. Her father moved her to the Sanctuary because that’s the one place she’d be out of harm’s way, but you know her. She’s not worried about her own safety.
”
“Stay close to her, Ben. Be the friend she asked you to be. That’s what she’s going to need. I have a weird feeling about all of this. It just doesn’t feel right.”
“Do you think the Coalition will prevail against Issen? I thought with Argren and the Alliance behind them they’d be safe. At least, that’s what Amelie seemed to think in Whitehall.”
Rhys rummaged around in his pack and produced a short tobacco pipe, which he took his time stuffing and lighting before replying. “No man knows what will happen in battle. That’s why they have to fight the things. Just because a few overdressed frumpy old men signed some papers in Whitehall doesn’t mean anything. Keep close to her and be there when she needs you.”
In the morning before breakfast, Rhys was up early and prodded Ben and Renfro to show him how they’d progressed with the Ohms. Renfro collapsed in a tangled heap after the fourth one. Ben got to thirteen before he reached the end of his knowledge.
“Very nice,” acknowledged Rhys. “I see I need to come by and teach you some more. A little shaky toward the end. You’ve got the idea though. The movements get progressively more difficult, but once your mind and body fully understand what is needed, you will learn them quickly.”
Renfro sat down to breakfast of hard crusted bread and a hunk of cheese. He griped, “I don’t get it. If you want to fight, you learn to use a sword, a spear, or an axe. What’s the point of these Ohms? Shouldn’t you be practicing your sword? While you sit there stretching, the other guy is going to come up and chop you in two.”
Rhys grinned. “I haven’t been chopped in two yet.”
Around a mouthful of cheese, Renfro snorted. “Yet, he says.”
Ben remarked, “It’s for balance, Renfro. It also builds speed, strength, stamina, and flexibility.”
“Aye,” agreed Rhys. “Holding and swinging a sword is one thing. Swinging it faster, harder, and more accurately than the other guy is how you win a fight. As for practicing with the sword, I’ve done that. I’ve learned over the years that the better I know how to move my body, the better I’m able to move my sword.”