Herald of Shalia 5

by Tamryn Tamer

  “No,” Frost said. “I was just thinking of transportation costs.”

  “You have purchased quite a few workers,” Lady Sarra said. “But I must say, I find your judgment very impressive. You completely ignore appearances and purchase purely on the value offered. It’s a fantastic trait in a merchant.”

  “Thank you,” Frost said as the next debtor was marched out.

  Frost reminded himself that he was there to purchase the Prophet of Rilia, not to save every person from indentured servitude. He wasn’t there to be a hero or a savior. He was only there to fulfill his obligation to Riliandra.

  “Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” the auctioneer smiled as he pointed toward the southern doorway. “The contracts you are truly after! The demihumans that formerly served as slaves on the continent of Naran. In their previous lives they were hunted and tormented by the vile Arachne with no hope of freedom. They have been sold to us and we have promised them freedom once they served out their contracts. Because of this, they are more loyal than any other worker you will find! The contracts of these demihumans start at fifty-years and go as high as a hundred!”

  The crowd cheered as the first demihuman was walked out. He was a young Durra male that appeared to be in his twenties and unlike the men and women previously walked out, he looked legitimately happy to be there. His contract was fifty years.

  “Fifty thousand!” a person shouted.

  “Sixty thousand!” another person countered.

  “Shit,” Frost mumbled as the bidding quickly escalated to ninety thousand. “Why is he so much more valuable?”

  “Productivity,” Madam Gardenia said. “Slaves from Naran will work twelve hours every day without complaint. The promise of freedom is enough to keep them going until they work themselves to death.”

  “Dammit,” Frost grumbled as the man was sold for a hundred and sixty-five thousand rel.

  The next four men were Myrran and while they sold for less than the Durra, they all broke six figures by a fair amount. After that a young Florenne child was marched onto the stage. She looked about twelve years old and had pink fluffy hair and ears.

  “You’re fucking kidding me,” Frost groaned as he glanced at Cassia. The white-haired elf was smirking at him. “She definitely qualifies as a cute demihuman but she’s a fucking child.”

  “The bidding will start at ninety thousand,” the auctioneer shouted.

  “Ninety thousand,” a man said.

  “A hundred!”

  “A hundred and ten!” the first man countered.

  “A hundred and twenty,” Frost said while raising his paddle.

  “A hundred and twenty-five,” the first man said while glaring at Frost.

  “A hundred and thirty,” Frost said.

  The man scowled and returned his paddle to his lap. The auctioneer looked around for another bidder but a hundred and thirty for a Florenne was high, even with a fifty-year contract.

  “Going once…”

  “Two hundred thousand,” a woman said from the opposite side of the room as a stunned silence came over the crowd.

  “Two hundred thousand,” the auctioneer chuckled. “Well…I suppose…”

  “Two hundred and fifty thousand,” Frost countered, much to the auctioneer’s surprise.

  “Three hundred thousand,” the woman said.

  “Four hundred thousand,” Frost counted before the auctioneer could say another word.

  “Five hundred thousand!”

  “Seven hundred thousand,” Frost said, doubling his increase to discourage her.

  “One million,” she said, standing up as she shot him a victorious glance.

  “Lord Sebastian,” Cassia reached past Madam Gardenia and tugged on his arm. “That woman has no presence. I don’t know what kind of assassin she is but if I can’t detect her, she’s a good one.”

  “Two million,” Frost stood up and glared at the woman. She smirked at him.

  “Three million,” she said indifferently.

  “Lord Sebastian,” Lady Sarra placed her hand on his arm. “I’m afraid you’re beaten.”

  “Five million,” Frost said as the entire room got unbelievably tense. They were no longer dealing with normal amounts of money. They were dealing in amounts of money that people would happily kill over. If things went south, somebody could be murdered.

  “Ten million,” the woman replied without hesitating.

  “Fifteen million,” Frost said, more out of curiosity of how she would respond than anything else.

  “Twenty million,” she said, clearly amused with herself.

  “Twenty-five million,” Frost countered.

  “Thirty million,” she said. “I can do this all day.”

  “Forty million,” Frost said. “So can I.”

  “Fine, Lord Sebastian,” the woman said as she pulled out a golden amulet. “By order of Herald Luciana Sortilega, I will be confiscating that woman. As compensation I will be paying the house a fair value for the woman. I believe Lord Sebastian’s final serious bid was five million rel. Does the house find that amount satisfactory or would they like to dispute it with the herald?”

  “How the fuck does she know we’re here?” Frost asked while glaring at Cassia. “Did you do something?”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Cassia said while glaring at the woman. “You’re the one that’s been picking fights all over town.”

  “It’s of course satisfactory, my lady,” the auctioneer said while bowing his head. “And might I say that I am honored…”

  “I will be taking the girl into my custody immediately,” the woman said. “Is that understood?”

  “Yes, my lady, of course,” the auctioneer said as a man escorted the pink-haired Florenne from the stage.

  “But the bossy lady said I was supposed to go with him!” the pink-haired girl said while pointing at Frost. “The bossy lady said!”

  “Lord Sebastian,” the woman smirked at him from across the room. “My lady told me to bid you welcome to Goldsail and invite you and your friends over for dinner tomorrow night. It will be at seven. Be there early and please dress accordingly.”

  “Any specific friends or all of them?” Frost asked as the woman walked toward the exit.

  “It’s my understanding that you arrived with five associates,” the woman answered, confirming that they’d been watching them for some time. “They’re all invited. Please don’t be late.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Frost said while sitting back down in his seat. “Fuck.”

  “Hm,” Lady Sarra smiled and closed her ledger. “Well, this has been very interesting, Lord Sebastian. I must say, you have completely exceeded my expectations.”

  “Um,” the auctioneer banged his gavel as the room stared at Frost. “Well, next up we have a forty-year-old elf on a hundred-year contract.”

  “Three hundred thousand,” Frost said before the emerald-haired woman stepped onto the stage.

  “Lord Sebastian,” Madam Gardenia grabbed his arm. “Maybe we should settle up and leave.”

  “Um,” the auctioneer looked around the room. “If there are no other bids…then sold to Lord Sebastian. Next we have a Bosa on a fifty-year contract…”

  “A hundred and fifty thousand,” Frost said, raising his paddle as the busty black-haired woman was rushed across the stage.

  “After that we have another Bosa…this one…”

  “A hundred and fifty thousand rel,” Frost raised his paddle again.

  “Sold again…” the auctioneer said. “The last entry of the day is a twenty-four-year-old elf on a hundred-year contract…”

  “Three hundred thousand,” Frost said as the violet-haired elf was rushed across the stage.

  “And that is it for the day,” the auctioneer said, visibly trembling as he stared at Frost. “Everybody that purchased a contract please make arrangements to pick up your slaves and discuss how you wish to make your payment before you leave. Thank you very mu
ch and we wish everybody the best of luck in their endeavors.”

  “Haru,” Frost glanced at Madam Gardenia. “Can you handle the arrangements?”

  “Of course,” Madam Gardenia responded as the onlookers filed out. “I’ll take care of everything and meet you back at the Ivory Lounge.”

  “I truly hope for the opportunity to do business with you in the future,” Lady Sarra chuckled and bowed politely to Frost. “It’s been a pleasure.”

  “Thank you,” Frost said, nodding politely at the woman as her bodyguards escorted her off.

  “Should I follow her?” Cassia asked.

  “Absolutely,” Frost said. “Find out if she was working with that woman from earlier. Also, find out everything you can about the herald. I don’t want to go into this meeting blind.”

  “By any means necessary?” Cassia asked hopefully.

  “No,” Frost said. “I don’t need this to turn into a slaughter.”

  “What if she won’t give up the girl?” Cassia asked.

  “We’ll reopen the discussion,” Frost said. “Satisfied?”

  “Very,” Cassia said as she walked after Lady Sarra.

  “I’ll have the slaves taken to a warehouse near the dock,” Madam Gardenia said. “I’ll make sure they’re fed, clothed, and prepared for a voyage. Should I also prepare a ship?”

  “Try to make sure we have one ready and waiting for tomorrow night in case things go poorly,” Frost said.

  “And if they go well?” Madam Gardenia asked.

  “Then we may stay for a few days and handle some of that business we talked about,” Frost answered. “But just make sure it’s prepared to leave at a moment’s notice if necessary.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Madam Gardenia said, pecking him on the cheek before rushing off to handle things. “I’ll see you back at the lounge.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Pluma Academy had dozens of optional courses that villagers could sign up for and Lysandra’s courses for the absolutely most beginner of beginners because everybody needs to start somewhere were some of the most popular.

  The truth was that while Herald Frost was absolutely brilliant, he wasn’t the most emotionally astute of people. He could talk for hours about magical theories and his drunken rants with Shael about combat theory were so insightful they had to start documenting them. But he also tended to make villagers feel insecure about their abilities.

  It wasn’t purposeful and Lysandra knew that he didn’t look down on the villagers. But he had a way of talking about difficult subjects that made those around him feel like they were stupid. It was especially noticeable when a villager was grappling with a difficult problem for weeks and Herald Frost solved it in a few seconds.

  The truth was that less than half of the humans could read and an even smaller percentage of demihumans could. Even the word percentage was foreign to many of the demihumans. They might have heard it in passing but they certainly couldn’t calculate percentages.

  That’s where Lysandra’s courses for the absolutely most beginner of beginners because everybody needs to start somewhere shined. Depending on the course, she started from what she considered the absolute basics while encouraging all of the students to do their best.

  “Is this the class?” Ka asked while walking into the tiny classroom. “Ah! Sister Lysandra! This must be the class, yes!”

  “It’s the class,” Emmy said excitedly as she rushed to a seat in the front row.

  Lysandra’s classes had a healthy mix of both adults and children since they were considered suitable for all ages. The class she was teaching was divine magic for the absolutely most beginner of beginners because everybody needs to start somewhere.

  The classroom consisted of six large tables, each with eight chairs for a total class size of forty-eight students. Which was the type of math many of the villagers would struggle with. Although her class had plenty of availability since many of the villagers that wanted to become clerics had moved past the basics.

  “Did you want to be a cleric, Ka?” Lysandra asked as she watched the harpy look around for a table.

  “Sister Ka,” Ka corrected. “And I am already a high priestess, yes.”

  “I mean the class,” Lysandra said.

  “I wish to learn magic, yes,” Ka nodded. “I’m told that you can teach me spells that freeze predators, cure diseases, and create invisible walls, yes.”

  “I see,” Lysandra said. “Well, welcome to the class.”

  Several more demihumans filed in, some of them children and others that were adults. Imerithiana, a pink slime-woman with bright yellow eyes poked her head in nervously and then found a seat at the only empty table.

  “Oh,” Ka rushed over to the slime woman’s table and began staring at her. “You’re a very pretty color, yes. What is your name?”

  “Imerithiana. Called Meri,” she replied while brushing her mucus-covered hair behind her ear. “Not good talk.”

  “No, no, you’re a very good talker, yes,” Ka said encouragingly. “You’ve communicated very clearly, yes.”

  “Com-mun-i-cat-ed?” the slime-woman tilted her head.

  “Communicated means talked,” Ka said as she reached her large wing out and patted Meri’s slimy head. “Good talker. Very pretty. Very good talker, yes.”

  “Thank you,” Miri said as she turned an even brighter shade of pink.

  Lysandra was admittedly impressed with how well Ka got along with the other villagers. She was also slightly concerned. She quickly amassed a significant following of elves and several Arachne recently became followers of Twi.

  “There are many very smart and very pretty people in this class, yes,” Ka said loudly while glancing around the room. “There are pretty elves and pretty lamia and even a pretty werewolf.”

  “I am not pretty,” the werewolf said while glaring at the harpy.

  “Werewolves have very pretty eyes and fur, yes,” Ka said cheerfully as the werewolf gave up and turned his attention back to Lysandra.

  “Thank you, Ka,” Lysandra said while stifling a laugh.

  “Sister Ka,” Ka corrected.

  “Sister Ka,” Lysandra sighed. She wondered if she was ever going to get the harpy to break the habit. “If everybody is here, let’s start the class!”

  Lysandra started by checking in on all of the participants to find out if they were able to read, write, or do basic math. Then she asked them each why they wanted to learn divine magic.

  Most students wanted to learn divine magic because they disliked hurting others but still wanted to help hunt monsters. For those that preferred to take passive roles in combat, it was ideal. Others, like the werewolf, wanted to learn it because it was a prerequisite to another class, typically holy knight.

  Once that was completed, Lysandra taught them the most basic runes and explained to them their meanings. She repeated them over and over for the class until everybody had them memorized. Then she showed them a formula for a spell using only those runes.

  “You are very talented, yes,” Ka said excitedly as she watched Meri cast a very tiny barrier spell. “Very talented, yes!”

  “Tal-ent-ed?” Meri asked while tilting her head.

  “Very good, yes,” Ka said, nodding excitedly as she glanced at the barrier. “Very good magic, yes!”

  “Thank you!” Meri said happily.

  “What about you sister Ka?” Lysandra asked. “Aren’t you going to try?”

  “I am, yes!” Ka said as she concentrated on an empty area on the table. Within seconds a similar barrier appeared and Ka jumped up on her stool and spread her wings. “I did magic, yes!”

  “That’s very good,” Lysandra said while admiring the barrier.

  Lysandra stared at the tiny barrier and smiled. She gently patted Ka’s head and moved along to the next student.

  “High Priestess!” Emma shouted as she created her barrier. The tiny elf hopped excitedly as she pointed at her tiny translucent rectangle.

 
“That’s wonderful Emmy,” Lysandra said, clapping her hands as she walked around the room. “Now, you don’t need to worry about creating huge spells or learning thousands of rune combinations. I understand that sometimes those other classes go really fast but it’s okay to take things slowly. So, rather than trying to learn more runes right away I want us to work with these runes. There are three different combinations of barrier spells that you can do using them and I’m going to teach you all three. You should all be very proud of yourselves.”

  “You heard Sister Lysandra!” Ka said proudly. “We are all amazing, yes!”

  “That’s right,” Lysandra said as she smiled at Ka. “Now, I’m going to walk you through the other variations and that’s all we’re going to practice today.”

  Lysandra taught them the three different spells that they could perform using the combination of runes she taught them. The first was the small barrier they created, the second was a barrier that was slightly taller, and the third was a barrier that was slightly thicker. The taller and thicker variations were accomplished by doubling up certain runes.

  “What if we use three?” Ka asked while raising her wing. “Will it get thicker?”

  “That’s a very good question,” Lysandra said, noting the harpy’s enthusiasm. “But it will not. The runes that I’m showing you now are just one part of the actual barrier spell. For those of you that can read, think of this combination of runes as learning a single letter.”

  “So, the tall barrier is like a capital letter and the thick barrier is like a lowercase?” Emmy asked.

  “Exactly,” Lysandra said while patting the tiny elf’s head. “But also imagine that there was a capital letter, a lower case, and a backwards letter. Certain combinations make up the core of larger spells!”

  She walked them through a rough explanation of how certain combinations acted as the core and how adding additional words modified it and eventually created a spell. She even drew pictures of letters on the board and matched up to specific rune combinations to show how the word dog might only be three letters but each of those three letters might consist of over thirty runes.