Benjamin Ashwood

by AC Cobble

  Ice was barged down from Northport but at this time of year nearly two thirds of it may melt before it got to the freezer rooms in The City. It was not a luxury Ben could afford and not one that was even available outside of winter in Farview. It was a luxury he was happy to enjoy though as he sipped on a delicate crystal glass of the cool, refreshing wine.

  “It shouldn’t take more than a month, maybe a month and a half,” said Saala. He was discussing a trip he would take with Seneschal Tomas to Akew Woods, the westernmost city on the continent of Alcott. The forest around Akew Woods was rumored to be populated by lawless tribes of primitive peoples. No one really knew though because there was limited commerce over land and little reason to travel there.

  Tomas’ mission wasn’t explained to Ben, but Saala and Amelie both thought it was worth the extra protection the Blademaster could provide. Amelie, behind the walls of the Sanctuary, was as safe as she could be.

  “Well, I’m sure Ben would be happy to continue my tutelage in your absence,” Amelie said.

  Saala replied, “I’m sure he will also. That’s a whole new level of skill, Ben. To be able to teach, you must know something very well.”

  “I’m not sure how well I can teach the sword, but I am happy to try.” Ben was confident he could help teach Amelie to hold the blade and she really wasn’t far advanced past that yet. He also looked forward to having one on one time with her. He enjoyed Saala’s company, but the man had little sense of humor – particularly when it came to Amelie.

  “Do you think Meghan will come next week?” Ben asked Amelie.

  “I’m not certain,” she said. “She says learning to become a Mage will make the sword an irrelevant skill. Maybe she’s right, but harnessing energy takes a lot out of you and knowing practical skills I think will always be beneficial.”

  “I do not claim to know much about these things,” started Saala, “but I do know that understanding your own physical limits and gaining control over your body will be helpful to you. Magic is about will power and control. Skill with the blade can improve both of those things.”

  Amelie smiled at him, “I hope you’re right. Meghan and many of the other girls spend their free days studying. I worry I will fall behind.”

  “From what I have seen with Mages in the past, it is not a talent only learned behind walls and closed doors. Few talents are. Experiencing life is just as important as knowledge from a book.”

  Ben groaned as he lifted another sack of barley out of the hand cart and tossed it onto a pile of identical stacks against the cellar wall.

  He winced as he saw a fresh cloud of dust puff up from the impact of the barley sack. Keeping the cellar clean was getting to be a near impossible task with the amount of work they were doing down there. He or one of the growing number of employees swept it out daily now. He knew he’d regret leaving this place with it’s cheap rent, but soon they would need to find a place that was less apt to collect dust.

  “That’s the last of this load,” announced Martin as he wiped sweat from his brow.

  It was early fall and starting to cool but the humidity had not quite broken yet.

  “Thanks Martin.”

  The man waved and rolled the cart off. They had found space in a nearby merchant’s warehouse to store their carts because they’d run out of space in the cellar. Ben started rearranging the barley sacks against the wall.

  “That’s a lot of material. How much ale will it make?” called out a confident voice from the cellar stairs.

  Ben turned and blurted, “Lord Reinhold!”

  “Yes, that’s what they call me,” drawled Reinhold with a sly smile. He nodded to the stack of barley sacks, “how much will that make?”

  “Uh, about 60 kegs sir.”

  “And how often do you produce that much ale?”

  “It takes a couple of weeks to ferment, but we’re starting a batch a week.”

  “And you have no problem selling that many?” quizzed Reinhold.

  “Oh, no. We could probably sell a good deal more, but we’ve run out of room. This is the biggest batch we can make in this space.”

  “I see. What kind of margin are you making on each of these kegs? Ale is almost entirely water of course, but surely it’s expensive to purchase these wooden barrels and transport the stuff across The City. There are a lot of taverns on this island but I see sailors drinking whatever swill they serve down by the docks and the high born and other wealthy citizens are inclined towards wine. How do you compete in that market profitably?”

  “We do Ok,” answered Ben slowly. “Excuse me sir, but why are you asking all of these questions?”

  Reinhold stepped the rest of the way into the cellar and made a show of examining it’s contents before responding. “I’m considering going into business with you.”

  “I, uh…” Ben was stunned and didn’t know how to answer.

  “I’ll pay fair value for a stake of course. If what I’ve heard is true, then it’s certainly more gold than you’ve ever laid hands on. I also have access to capital for expansion and networks you could leverage to get into places you are currently not welcome. The Foreigner’s Barracks for example. The visiting soldiers spend more on ale than the rest of the city combined. I can get you on their taps if you can stomach a lower price than what you’ve been asking. Most importantly, I can offer protection from Gulli.”

  Ben eyed Reinhold suspiciously. The man seemed to know a lot about the business.

  Reinhold continued undeterred by Ben’s silence. “I’m aware of what your current partner has been doing and you and I both know it’s dangerous business. Your friend the Blademaster is leaving town and while Rhys is dangerous, he’s unreliable. When Gulli sees an opening he will take it. You are not prepared for the type of competition that man is. Partner with me though and you have no worries.”

  What the hell had Renfro gotten them into now thought Ben. He hadn’t even seen the former thief in days. Renfro spent most of his time down by the docks from what Ben had heard, recently he had only been coming by to collect his share of the profits and encourage Ben to keep hiring more strong backed porters. Renfro had taken to treating the men to a night on the town and always footing the bill, which Ben knew was a tactic to buy their loyalty. He just didn’t know why. When they’d last spoken, he confronted his friend about it but Renfro blew him off saying it was just a way to recognize the help everyone had been on their way to success.

  “I see you need time to think,” declared Reinhold. “I can accept that. But do not take too long. Gulli is sticking his nose in business that does not belong to him. He’s reaching outside of The City and disrupting trading arrangements that have been in place for years. His income is still almost entirely on island though, so it’s time to send him a warning. With you, I plan to take his beer business from him. That is the way I do things. His way of dealing with competition is more violent. Keep that in mind when you decide what to do”

  Reinhold swept up the stairs and Ben heard a clatter of arms and armor move as the Lord made it to the streets. He had a team of heavily armed guards up there Ben realized. He looked over at his sword leaning against the wall and felt like things were spinning out of control.

  That night at a candlelit table at the back of the Flying Swan, Ben shared a pitcher with Mathias. His thoughts swirled around the earlier conversation with Reinhold but Mathias brought him back to the present with news.

  “Well, I hate to be the one to mention this, but since you haven’t brought it up I guess you haven’t heard.” Mathias stared down at his thick hands wrapped around a tankard. “The Coalition is mobilizing. I’m hearing there will be a Spring offensive.”

  Ben shrugged, “we knew that was coming, right? I mean, that’s been the talk at least. Both the Coalition and Alliance are building up armies. You don’t do that unless you’re planning to use them.”

  “Aye,” Mathias sighed, “but the expected target will be Issen. Lord Gregor’s going to get hit, he’s
going to get hit hard. The Coalition is gearing up to make an example. At least, that’s what the rumor is.”

  Ben slumped back. They’d worried about that too. Issen was in between the centers of power for the Coalition and the Alliance. Amelie said her father had to join one of the other. In a war like this, there is no room for the middle ground.

  “They’ve got half a year to prepare,” continued Mathias. “Maybe this one won’t be so bad.”

  Mathias was a veteran. The network of scars across his body and the limp he had when he stood after sitting too long spoke to what he knew about war. His grim face spoke to what he thought the chances were that this one ‘won’t be so bad’.

  “Amelie will want to return to Issen and be there for her people,” stated Ben.

  “I’m sure she will. That doesn’t mean they’ll let her go. Gregor had to know what was going to happen and I suspect that’s why she’s here in the first place. The City is far from the conflict and no one would be stupid enough to come here with an army. Gregor’s no pushover and with support from Argren and the rest, he could make a stand. Issen may be a bloody mess next year and he wouldn’t want that for his daughter.”

  Mathias didn’t know Amelie as well as Ben, but he knew people. His assessment of Lord Gregor was likely spot on thought Ben.

  Thoughts of Lord Reinhold and his offer were forgotten until Ben saw Renfro early the next morning.

  Ben was sitting at a quiet café across the street from their cellar having a cup of kaf and a fruit and soft cheese stuffed pastry. The cool of the fall morning felt good compared the sticky heat that marked summer in The City. He’d taken to rising early to enjoy the quiet moment while the sun was rising but the city had not yet fully awoken. Unlike life in the country, The City did not really get moving until midmorning.

  “Renfro,” called Ben.

  His scrawny friend spotted him at the café and crossed the cobblestone street to join him at the table.

  “I was just coming to see you,” said Renfro.

  “Kaf?” asked Ben, “you look tired.”

  “I’ve been up all night. I wanted to catch you then I’m going home to crash. That stuff just makes me jittery.”

  “You’ve been up all night? What for?”

  “There’s a gambling den over near the Sunset Tower and the owner is interested in us. If last night was any indication, they’d easily be our best customer. The place was packed until just a bell ago. Raffe, that’s the owner, said he’s trying to attract heavier pocketed clients so he’s improving his offerings and likes what we’re selling. The ale he has now is piss water. I could be a big deal for us.”

  “That’s great,” agreed Ben. He inhaled some of the bitter steam off his kaf then took a sip. “What’s the next step?”

  “We send over a couple of kegs and if it sells well he’ll put in a serious order. Maybe 40 or 50 kegs a week if it goes really well.”

  Ben grimaced, “we don’t have room to brew that.”

  Renfro frowned at his friend, “we can find another place. That cellar was good for low rent but that’s about it. We need to move out anyway.”

  “Moving takes coin and that’s something we don’t have a lot of extra.”

  “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,” sighed Ben. 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 now?”

  “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.”

  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 was 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.

  “Ok, uh, sure.”

  “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, 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!” exclaimed 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 and 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, 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 while at the same time Meghan asked, “Reinhold is the one we rode on his boat? 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 waiti
ng on your Ok 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 thought 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 100 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 then they 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 100 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.