Traders and Traitors (Stavin DragonBlessed Book 2)

by Loren K. Jones

  "I demand to see the council at once," he snapped at Jarval, glaring around to see if anyone was going to oppose him.

  Jarval stood and bowed. "I will see if the council is available, Master Trader. Your names, please?"

  "I am Senior Master Trader Jolan Bel'Valat, leader of the Traders’ Guild Council in Valovad. With me are Master Trader Boldan Fel'Lovar, and Master Trader Sarvba Bel'Orlav, the other members of the council."

  Jarval bowed to each of the masters, then indicated some comfortable chairs against the wall. "If you would care to take a seat, I will inform the council that you are here." He bowed again, then left through the door behind his desk.

  Master Bel'Orlav looked at the chairs and grimaced. "I think I'd rather stand after sitting in that carriage for the last six days." The others chuckled, but didn't say anything. They didn't sit down, either.

  Jarval returned after nearly a span. "The council has agreed to stay late and hear you, Masters," he said with a deep bow. "Please follow me." He led them to the council chamber and held the door, bowing as they passed, then closed the door firmly behind them and locked it.

  The first thing the Valovad masters noticed was that the Master's Council members were dressed in their full formal regalia. The second and more ominous thing they noticed were the six guardsmen standing at attention against the back wall.

  "Senior Master Trader Bel'Valat," Grand Master Fel'Warvan said, drawing every eye in the room to himself, "thank you for coming to us so promptly. You must have made good time, considering we only sent for you three days ago."

  The three masters shared looks, then Master Bel'Valat bowed. "We have been on the road for six days, Grand Master. We wish to file a complaint with the guild against a person who claims to be a master trader. His name is-"

  "Stavin Kel'Aniston, Friend of Evandia, Master Trader and head of the Evandian Trading House of Kel'Aniston," the man to the Grand Master's left said, interrupting him.

  "Well, yes, Senior Master Bel'Roval. He came to our caravansary and, without even a by-your-leave, took over a masterless caravan that we had impounded. He didn't apply to us for permission, as was proper, or anything. He just threatened our guards and cut our fence."

  "As is the right of a Master Trader in regards to a masterless caravan, so long as the owners of the caravan have hired him," the man to the Grand Master's right said.

  "They were forbidden to trade in Evandia, so they couldn't have hired him without violating the ban," Senior Master Bel'Valat said with a satisfied smile.

  "Unless he was already under contract to them," the Grand Master said in a hushed tone. "You three miscreants have caused us an unfortunate amount of embarrassment. I have before me Master Trader Stavin's complaint against you. In it he details your seizure of the caravan for being masterless, which was, by the way, rather vicious of you considering their losses in Barren’s Bridge at the hands of Master Trader Fel'Hadar. In it he also confesses his intention to take over the caravan as his primary reason for applying for Master Trader's status. While that is riding on the edge of misbehavior for a master, we chose to ignore it because, you see, he and his comrades were under contract to Zel'Vandar to protect their caravan from bandits. That is, by the way, how he characterizes you."

  The Grand Master paused to let them react for a moment, then continued. "We received his second, more serious complaint against you three days ago. He accuses you of refusing to acknowledge his credentials as a Master Trader. He accuses you of refusing to accept his leadership of the Zel'Vandar caravan. He accuses you of threatening to use force to rob his caravan. And, perhaps most disturbingly, he accuses you of showing him disrespect, not only as a member of a Warrior Clan, but as a Friend of Evandia." Now the Grand Master looked past the masters to the guards against the wall and nodded. Almost as one they stepped forward and seized the Valovad council members by the arms.

  "Friend Stavin has, rather graciously," the Grand Master continued with a heavy dose of sarcasm in his voice, "agreed to allow us to deal with you rather than complain to His Majesty concerning your disrespectful actions. However, his message implied that he would take this matter to the king if we were not to take appropriate actions against you. Since the king's good will is far more important to us than you three, the Master's Council will now consider your punishment. Senior Master Fel'Jondar, what say you?"

  "Guilty of disrespect to Friend Stavin. Guilty of disrespect to a member of a Warrior Clan. Guilty of malfeasance under the auspices of the Traders’ Guild, bringing shame to the Guild," the man to the Grand Master's right said.

  "Senior Master Bel'Roval, what say you?" the Grand Master asked.

  "I vote guilty on all counts."

  The grand master nodded. "I also vote guilty on all counts, as well as being the biggest horses' asses I've dealt with in a long time." The Grand Master's voice had risen to a shout, and his face took on a look a rage like few men had ever seen. "Gods Below, don't you realize what having someone like Friend Stavin as a master trader means? He has the king's ear! He could have been our ambassador to the court, a friend to the Guild as well as the king. But instead of honoring his position, you three greedy fools only saw the caravan you wanted to seize slipping through your fingers." The Grand Master stopped talking as the men in front of him realized just how deep a hole they had dug for themselves.

  The Grand Master stood, as did the senior masters beside him. "There have only been seven times in my tenure as Grand Master of the Evandian Traders’ Guild that I have had to take this action. I had hoped to never do so again, but you have forced it on me. Senior Master Trader Jolan Bel'Valat, Master Trader Boldan Fel'Lovar, Master Trader Sarvba Bel'Orlav, you are stripped of your Master's Credentials, your bond with the Guild forfeit due to your misbehavior in this matter."

  All three of the Valovad masters shouted "No!" more or less simultaneously. Senior Master Bel'Valat tore free of the men who were holding him and stepped forward, holding his hands up beseechingly.

  "Grand Master Fel'Warvan, you can't do this!" he cried. "We were upholding the traditions of the Traders’ Guild! You can't punish us for that!"

  "Traditions set by you, not the guild. The Traders’ Guild Bylaws guide us, not the Valovad tradition of taking the least excuse to seize the goods of the unfortunate. We've ignored the complaints we've received about you before, but this time you chose the wrong caravan." The Grand Master shook his head sadly. "If you had just accepted Master Trader Stavin's credentials and not tried to face off against him, we would have ignored it this time as well, embarrassing as it would have been for the guild. However, you didn't. You chose to dishonor the Traders’ Guild by ignoring his rank and status. Then, to make matters worse, you threatened the well-being of a Friend of Evandia. It is in the interest of the Traders’ Guild as a whole to punish you to deflect his anger. It's unfortunate that we can't tuck you away in prison somewhere and avoid any further embarrassment by your actions becoming known, but that will have to wait until Friend Stavin decides to lodge a formal complaint against you with a magistrate or His Majesty."

  Master Mage Caril stepped forward and frowned in concentration. His voice seemed to echo as he said, "Evat Kal Covat. Dovan Kal Covat. Savil Covat Ev Canal." There was a flaring of light from the master's glyph on each of the three trader's vests, and when it faded their glyphs had disappeared. "Your credentials are withdrawn," he said with a slight bow, then turned and left the room.

  Grand Master Fel'Warvan once again addressed the three former traders. "I'll allow you to spend the night and return to Valovad with the carriage. Rest assured that my message concerning your dismissal will be there before you. Expect to remove your belongings, at your own expense, from the guild offices within a day of your return." That having been said, he turned and left the room, followed by his associates and the sound of men weeping.

  Chapter 20

  THE ZEL'VANDAR CARAVAN CONTINUED ITS CIRCUIT, circling north toward Twin Bridges again and trading as they went. Stavin
split his time between sitting on the wagon seat beside Rahlina and riding his horse beside her wagon. In either case, she kept up an almost continuous monologue about the duties and responsibilities of a Master Trader.

  After the fifth day on the road, Stavin escaped from Rahlina and found Karvik. When he was sure they couldn't be overheard, he let his expression turn sour. "Gods Above, Kar! I didn't know anyone could talk like that. She hasn't stopped for more than a span at a time since we left Seravan, and that's usually just to eat."

  Karvik sniggered. "Orana's little sister Naris is like that. She can talk about nothing for span after span."

  Stavin's expression turned rueful. "Well, she's not talking about nothing. She's telling me everything a Master Trader is supposed to know, but I'm reaching the point where I can't absorb any more information. She's been apprenticing under one or another of her family's masters for seven seasons, plus being immersed in the trader culture during the rest of the year. There are concepts that she's known most of her life that are totally foreign to me."

  Karvik just grinned for a moment. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear Scribe Stavin admit there are things he doesn't know." He was already moving when Stavin's hand brushed past his armor. "None of that, now. You'll just hurt your hand."

  "If you knew what I was thinking--" Stavin snarled.

  "Oh, I think I do. That's why I moved. But really, Stave, you do tend to act like you know everything. And you should be grateful that Rahlina's trying to teach you everything a Master Trader is supposed to know. If you're going to be a trader--"

  "I'm not going to be a trader, Kar," Stavin interrupted in a sour tone. "I don't plan on ever leading another caravan."

  "That's a waste, Stave."

  "Indeed it is," Barvil said from behind his son. He stepped forward and smiled at the boys. "The council is likely to have something to say about you using your new status, Stavin. If nothing else, your Master Trader credentials will save us on cartage when we buy the town supplies. You know that we pay a trader to deliver our grain and other goods. What you might not know is that we do it because we have to, not because we want to. Farindia, like Evandia, requires that caravans be led by a Master Trader, so we have to pay a caravan to haul the goods. Now, with your new status, we can send you with our wagons and haul it ourselves."

  Stavin and Karvik shared an eloquent glance, then turned back to Barvil. "I'd have to be back early, then, wouldn't I, Sir?"

  "Yes. Or, what is more likely, you'll be scheduled to end your expedition in one of the towns we buy from and meet our wagons there. They can travel empty without a Master. Given the Zel'Vandar contract, we may be switching to Aravad for our primary supplies. Then you can continue as you have been and bring our supplies back with you at the end of the season."

  Stavin and Karvik shared another glance, then Stavin heaved a massive sigh. "I guess I'd better pay attention to Rahlina, then. I had actually hoped to just hang this vest with my winter clothes and never worry about it again."

  Barvil actually chuckled at that admission. "You've got too much invested in it to do that, Stavin. And you can expect the Elders to get full value out of it, and you, even if it means using you as a trader instead of a warrior."

  The look on Stavin's face reduced both Barvil and Karvik to tears as they laughed.

  * * *

  The three former traders arrived in Valovad to find that their one-time subordinates had very thoroughly turned against them. Where once they had received respectful bows from the rest of the traders, now they received only sneers of contempt. There was another shock waiting for them as well: The Master's Council had sent three new men to take over rather than promoting any of their protégés.

  Master Trader Haral met them as the climbed down from the carriage. "This is your doing," he snarled. "Your disgrace has tainted us all. Grand Master Fel'Warvan has made it clear that no one who served under you will ever serve on the Traders’ Council." He paused to spit at the feet of his former masters and friends. "Senior Master Kerran Bel'Caman leads the Valovad Council now. His orders are simple: you will have your belongings removed before sundown, or they'll be auctioned off in the morning."

  "Haral, no, you don't understand," Jolan began, but Haral cut him off.

  "I understand quite well," he snarled. "I understand that I may as well retire now, before I lose my bond with the Guild as well. Remove yourselves and your belongings from the Guild offices, or by the Gods Below, I'll bid on your furnishings myself."

  Jolan Bel'Valat felt his control slipping as his one-time friend stomped away. Three Guild Guardsmen came forward then and the leader looked him in the eye. "This is Traders’ Guild Property. You must leave immediately."

  "You worked for me for eleven years, Avan," Jolan snapped. "Don't you dare speak to me that way."

  "I've been demoted from Captain to Sergeant because of you," the guardsman snarled. "Do you really think I'm in the mood to put up with you right now?"

  Jolan swallowed convulsively, then looked at his friends. They all decided that it was better to leave than be beaten. "We will return with workmen to remove our goods," he finally said, then led the way out of the Guild Offices as fast as he could without appearing to run away.

  It took half the day to find someone who would haul their goods, and they had to pay three times the going rate for even the most basic help. The clumsy commoner laborers took no care to properly handle the fine furniture and delicate porcelain from their offices. Almost everything was damaged in one way or another. When Sarvba objected and threatened not to pay, he was told, "Pay up before we unload. You don't pay, we'll keep the goods." They paid, and the goods were unceremoniously unloaded onto the ground outside their homes.

  The next day the three met in Jolan's study. Boldan was shaking his head in sorrow as he spoke. "My account with the Gold Merchants isn't as substantial as I had hoped, but I'm in decent shape."

  Sarvba nodded. "Much the same with me. I would return to Reynadia if I could. But I can't. Not as I am now, a failure."

  "We are not failures," Jolan snapped. "Oh, we've lost a little bit of prestige. A little authority. We're not dispossessed. We're not broken, stripped of funds. And, perhaps most importantly, we're not friendless." He looked around and smiled at his friends. "I've sent several messages to people who owe me favors. I will have my revenge on that little barbarian."

  "Jolan, what have you done?" Boldan asked.

  "The little barbarian has enemies as well. Enemies who will be more than happy to help us with our revenge--for a price, of course."

  Boldan and Sarvba shared a look, then turned their attention back to Jolan. "What price?" Sarvba asked.

  "I don't know, yet," Jolan answered honestly. "I imagine that, given who he is and what he's done in the past, it will be reasonable."

  "I'm in," Boldan said.

  Sarvba nodded. "And I."

  * * *

  The caravan approached Twin Bridges once again and stopped in the East Bridge caravansary. Rahlina and the rest of the traders set up their wagons to trade, but it wasn't long before a Royal Guardsman came looking for Stavin.

  "Friend Stavin, his Majesty desires a word with you at your earliest convenience," the man said and looked at Stavin expectantly.

  Stavin grinned. "Earliest convenience, as in as soon as I can get there?" he asked.

  "Yes, Friend Stavin," the guardsman answered with a grin.

  Stavin turned to find Barvil behind him. "I'm off to the palace, Sir."

  Barvil nodded. "Watch your mouth, Stavin. This sounds like a more serious summons than the first one."

  Stavin snapped to attention and bowed, then saddled his horse and joined the guard for the ride back to the palace. They rode straight into the royal stables, and grooms took their horses. Stavin looked at his Dragon's Tongue, then shrugged and handed it to the guardsman along with his knives as they walked, saying, "I should have left them with the caravan."

  They walked in silence thro
ugh the palace until they reached a guarded door. "Friend Stavin is here in answer to His Majesty's request," the guardsman said as they stopped. "He has already surrendered his weapons."

  The guardsman at the door knocked once, and the door opened a little almost immediately. "Friend Stavin has arrived," the guardsman said, and the door opened the rest of the way.

  "This way please, Friend Stavin," the man said, bowing to let Stavin pass him.

  Stavin found himself in a large chamber and took off his helmet, tucking it under his left arm. A long, oval table all but filled the room, but only the king sat there. The king looked up and smiled when Stavin stopped.

  "Ah, there you are. Come in," the king said and Stavin walked to his side and went to one knee, bowing his head.

  "I am at your service, Your Majesty," Stavin said without looking up.

  "The traditions of Farindia live on," the king said. "Stand, Friend Stavin. I have been hearing interesting tales about you, both from last summer and this one as well. From your vest, I see that one of the stories is true. I'm reliably informed that you have been making a name for yourself, though some of the names I've heard you called weren't at all complimentary." The king chuckled and smiled at Stavin. "You seem to have set a good portion of the Traders’ Guild at one another's throats."

  Stavin bowed his head. "The Traders’ Guild officials in Valovad tried to steal our caravan, Your Majesty. It is our sworn duty to protect them from bandits, in the wilderness or city as the need arises."

  "Well said, Stavin. The Traders’ Guild has let it be known that the three traders who were responsible for that incident have been stripped of their credentials. I get the impression that they were hoping you wouldn't come to me about it." Stavin didn't say anything in answer, so the king continued. "Why didn't you?"

  Stavin swallowed to moisten his suddenly dry throat. "Your Majesty, I felt it was beneath your concern. I felt I could deal with them myself, to fulfill my duty to our employer."