The Orb of Wrath

by Nic Weissman

Zyrhaz sat in the great parlor of the Industrial Association of Bor and waited impatiently. The IAB was one of the most powerful institutions of the country, and grouped a significant part of the private businesses: of course the large ones, but also the small ones that had been coordinated in cooperatives or associations. Also, a myriad of artisans and small independent businessmen existed and functioned on their own. They were too small for them to be integrated into the Association, but nothing was lost by not doing so, because these independent entrepreneurs had little power or influence.

  The carriage should have arrived already. It was very important to get to the palace early and secure a privileged place in the King's table. Especially considering he had paid a small fortune to a secretary of the King to enjoy that privilege. A butler approached him and confirmed that the carriage was at the door. He practically jumped up and crossed the huge and luxurious living apace. He left the Association building and climbed into the carriage.

  He had always liked that building. It was one of many that the Association had throughout the Kingdom, but this one was special. To begin with, it was the headquarters and, therefore, the place where important meetings were held. It was also the first that the Association had purchased and also was a singularly beautiful classical building located in the best area of ​​the capital, near the Royal Palace. It had excellent service which included rooms for the major entrepreneurs who may be visiting the capital, a high-class restaurant where you could arrange business lunches and large salons available if you wanted to organize any meeting. In theory, only the members of the Association had access to the building, but they could invite others to their discussions or deals. It was one of the most exclusive places in the capital.

  But none compared to the Royal Palace, to where he was now headed. In Bor, the Crown held a very considerable power. And most of the decisions that the Crown controlled were decided within those walls. The King was holding a complimentary lunch today, for a diplomatic delegation of Darphem, the kingdom of the dwarves. The exchanges between the two kingdoms, both politically and commercially, were very limited. Some members of the Court, as well as in other nearby circles, aspired to improve the relations.

  Zyrhaz had been lucky to have been able to get a chair at that lunch. Actually, neither he nor the Association had any special interest in the dwarves, but the Association urgently needed to access the King and participating in this meal was the only way he found to gain a foothold on his agenda. Normally you needed to notify the royal secretaries over a month in advance and you also had to have, obviously, something of importance to discuss with the King. This time, he had only a few days to spare, so his very presence in the meal, and in the same royal table, could be considered a great success.

  Zyrhaz was restless. The anonymous letter to the president of the Association, which they had received that same weekend, had caused quite a stir. The informant explained to them that the Chamber would have a meeting with the king the following week with a single item on the agenda: the deregulation of the quarry and stone sector. The objective of this measure was to significantly increase the competition in the sector. In the kingdom of Bor, the Central Chamber of Commerce managed and controlled most of the trade, which was led by the sixteen most wealthy and influential merchants.

  At first they had their doubts about the letter, but the author gave some very specific information about the Chamber and the Association itself, which proved he was very knowledgeable. So they concluded that they should assume the worst and think that everything that was being said was true. The nervousness increased when the next day, they were able to verify that the meeting of the Chamber was indeed on the King's agenda. It was then when the President of the Association called him into his office and explained what was happening.

  He had a mission: to find a way to meet up with the King before the reunion with the Chamber and make an attractive-enough proposal so that the merchant's encounter wouldn't be held. Some members of the Association participated in this process, especially Pieter Mason. His family owned the largest stone company in the country, which had numerous quarries in various counties and controlled most of the business. Mason led the company with skill and a steady hand. His family had strong ties with the conservative wing of the Chamber and, through them, found out that traders had decided to take this step, despite the opposition of their allies. Pieter Mason sent an urgent email from Kiyats to the President of the Association, which proved to be the final confirmation. The mail had arrived that morning. If they had not received the anonymous tip previously, they wouldn't have had time to react.

  The meeting with the Chamber was scheduled for that afternoon, so he'd only have one chance. Luckily, Zyrhaz was a close friend of one of the King's sons and knew that, at least, this one would listen to him. The carriage stopped. They had reached the main courtyard of the Palace.