by P. G. Thomas
“Why do you use it?” As Earth Bonds went, it was very subtle.
“I cannot stop.” Then the lad raised himself up, shaking as he held the building to steady himself, and staggered down the alley.
Logan followed her back out to the street, but once there, she headed to the thief guild entrance. When the Guardians in the carriage saw Lauren, with a slow-burning anger in her eyes, heading back, they stepped out of the carriage with the four blood wolves.
Knocking on the door, from the other side a reply of “Password” was heard.
“Earth Mother.”
Even though it was the incorrect response, the door opened. “Mam, how can I help you?”
“I would like to see the Guild Master.”
The enforcer looked at the female figure, who held a large wooden cane. Behind her, an unarmed male figure stood with six heavily armed dwarves, and four of the biggest dogs he had ever seen. “You can enters, but your friends have ta stay outside.”
“I understand, this is your house, your rules or laws, but I’m an Earth Mother, above the law—even those made by the ones who break them.” Lauren turned to the Guardians, “Please don’t kill anyone since they’re just doing their job like you are.” She turned back to the enforcer, “You can try to stop them, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” Pushing open the door, she entered the dimly lit room, headed to the back where she saw two more guarding another door. Behind her, when her brother and protectors followed, nobody took any actions against them. She looked at the two men who blocked the next door, “I would like to see the Guild Master.”
“Busy right now, ye needs to wait.”
“I don’t enjoy waiting.”
One of them knocked on the door, “Boss, we got a special guest out here. Umm—she wants to meet which ya real bad.”
From the other side, they heard the reply, “I am occupied right now.”
“Tell him that Earth Mother wishes an audience with him.”
“Boss, she done be one of them Earth Mothers.”
It took almost a minute, but when the door opened, Jedimac appeared, smiling. “Earth Mother, I was afraid that—I figured you might be back in town.” Then he moved to the side to let her in. As Logan stepped towards the door, the two enforcers moved to block his path. He politely smiled, “Your friends will have to wait outside,” but then he recognized Logan. “Let the Bastard in,” and then he saw the light reflecting on the metal blades, turned to the doorman, “Do we not have rules in here? Are you blind?”
“You know I’m above the laws, even yours. Just as you travel with your protectors, so do I. Now please let them in or hire new ones.”
He nodded, turned, headed back to his desk, “I dislike it when people bring weapons into my office. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”
Looking at the three crossbow bolts in front of Steve, she shook her head, “I also don’t like it when people fire weapons at my friends.”
“Having weapons that I control pointed at those I cannot trust, that does give me comfort.” He had thought that an elfin Earth Guard was behind Lauren, but when Jedimac scanned the new guests in his office, was surprised to see that they were dwarves. “Panry is looking shorter.”
“While I don’t know about Panry, my patience is.”
“How can my humble guild help Earth Mother?”
“Midnight Sun, can you get me some?”
“I was unaware that Earth Mother would partake of that desire.”
“What Earth Mother does isn’t your concern.”
When Jedimac snapped his fingers, Lauren heard a door open when somebody left.
“What can you tell me about this Midnight Sun?”
“It is bad for business. With so many petty crimes happening, I have had to hire guards to enforce my protection. If I hire anymore, I will be the largest employer in the Bright Coast and legal. Before you say it, yes, I can appreciate the foul irony of a thief enforcing the law.”
As the back door opened, an enforcer walked in, placing a small piece of cloth on the desk in front of Lauren, which held several small crystal-like objects. When she reached for one, he held up his hand. “Would not touch it, Mam. Seen dem kids rub it on demselves, swallow it, even saw one stick it in his ear.”
“Even though his words may be broken, I hired him for his skills with bones, of which he is very proficient.”
Tying the cloth into a knot, she put it in her pocket, “So you’re not selling or making this?”
“No, and we have been looking for the source for well over six years. While we have tried to follow them, there are so many. Just as fast as we lose sight of one, we find them sitting motionless against a building.”
“Thank you, Jedimac,” then Lauren turned and left the office, followed by the rest, including Gayne and Steve.
*******
As they rode back to the house, Lauren looked at Gayne, “Explain it one more time.”
“The Darkpaye invasion began a while ago, but this time, we let them in since they had gold. Our economy had crashed, but we never thought so many would find their way here. Over the years, they have purchased most of the houses north of the Key River, and a few years ago, started to elect officials to the council that governs the Bright Coast. The Council has sixty members, and as of last spring, they had twenty seats, so there is no chance their motion to segregate the Bright Coast will be voted through.”
“That’s not true,” began Steve. “With forty to twenty, you would win, but only if all, well, I guess thirty-five voted in favor of Calicon. Of those still living, I would imagine the majority have probably received suggestions on how they should vote, if they’re given that chance.”
Lauren shook her head, “They want to close off the north end of the town?”
“They have been complaining about the crime, but they patrol the streets north of the Key, so as I understand it, the council cannot validate their concerns.”
“Ryan thinks our daughters are on the other side of the river.”
When they stopped at a major intersection, Gayne called a young lad over to the carriage. He was one of the many enterprising runners in the Bright Coast, who for a reasonable fee would deliver messages. Stepping outside of the carriage, Gayne had a quick conversation with the young lad, handed him a few coins, and then returned to his seat. “I have sent for Councillor Rimple, who I supported for years, as he might be able to provide real facts instead of rumors. He should stop by tonight.”
Chapter 21
The night before, Mirtza explained that to travel north they would have to ride in an open wagon, as carriages from Calicon were denied permission to cross the bridges. It was their way of both maintaining control of where the undesirables went, and it also helped to overstate their perceived dominance. Early that morning, as Lauren bundled Sam and Hope in warm clothes, Mirtza went to the stables to materialize the wagon. Then he guided the two children, Ryan, and Eric, who was without his sword, towards the bridge where they had found the plastic soother. Once there, the rains began to let up as he crossed, leading the small group into the part of town that few midlanders entered, unless it was for underpaid jobs. As the wagon left the bridge, Ryan and Eric had a hard time grasping the contradiction between the two sides of the river, as it seemed like they were in a different world. All of the buildings well-maintained, the streets clean, the people well-dressed, and no destitute citizens or beggars were present. The shops they passed were plentiful, clean looking, with food and wares displayed in front of each, including Darkpaye armed guards.
Mirtza nodded towards the armed men, whispered under his breath, “They employ their own security here, but avoid looking at them.”
As they headed north on the same street, one of the Darkpaye Watch stepped off the curb, blocking the wagon.
Another approached from the side, “What business do you have here? Where are you going?”
Eric had a quick flashback of his capture, but then their first protector replied, “I am taki
ng them to the old field of graves, as they wish to pay tribute to their great parents. This is still a public street, is it not?”
The Darkpaye Watch turned and walked away.
Mirtza scowled, “Damn immigrants! Just because they bought the houses does not mean they own the roads.”
“What happened here?” asked Eric.
“After the war, everybody returned, reclaiming what they could. With so much damage to the east and no more trade with Darkpaye, everybody focused on making goods for the reconstruction. When that ended, so did the economy. Most had made their wealth before the great war, but they now found themselves overextended, living in big houses beyond their means, which came with large tax bills. When Darkpaye invaded the second time, legally, they let them off the boats because they had gold. Over the years, 400,000 received permission to purchase lands, houses, and other properties, and most even started up their own businesses. Which was good, but the pay, if you could call it that, was minimal at best. Those displaced purchased smaller properties south of the Key or shared their accommodations, but when the trollmares caused the farmers to flee, several hundred thousand ended up here. The immigrants do love to hire house servants, as some buildings are so small that the servants have to take turns going in to do their jobs. Since most of the midlanders fled the Newlands, there are barely enough farms this side of the range to feed all, so some simply go to steal what they cannot afford, which has caused the growers to hire guards, resulting in higher prices for all. While there is still wealth this side of the Key, if the trend continues, we figure in another five or so years they will own every house north of the river.”
“Can’t you stop it?” asked Ryan.
“Last spring there was an election for the town government, and they won a third of the seats. Even though they might not control it, they can stop what they dislike, and they are very persuasive at getting support for their motions. Recently, rumor has it that they are trying to close off this end of the town, complaining about the crime.”
Ryan shook his head, “I never imagined that this would happen when we left.”
“Nobody did. Now, let us see if we can find any signs of your daughters.”
As they drove down the streets, they saw numerous midlander servants performing their assigned tasks, though each looked defeated. The Darkpaye residents they saw all displayed a cold arrogance, and all of them had servants holding up an umbrella-type device, as if such a simple task was beneath them. The buildings on the north side were older, mainly constructed of stone blocks and most were larger.
“Shouldn’t we try some other streets?” asked Ryan.
“We cannot,” replied Mirtza.
“Why not?”
“We are being followed, Uncle Ryan,” responded Sam.
Before Ryan could turn, Mirtza grabbed his arm, “Do not look! Let us go to the graves, and have the children pretend to cry a bit before we leave. We will see if we can take a different route back, but I was hoping to ride as far as we could before using a portal to get back home, as I never thought they would follow us.”
“Sam, Hope. Have either of you smelled anything?”
“No, Uncle Ryan. Unless they drop something else, there are just too many scents in the air.”
After another hour, Mirtza pulled the carriage in front of a large cemetery, tying the horses to a tree. As he led them to the main path, he explained, “I am going to look for a common name, so just stay close to me and do not wander. Because they will still be watching, we need to look like we know where we are going.” Then he turned north. “These markers are older, harder to read.” Halfway down the row, he stopped, “Here. Bow your heads for a few minutes, and then Sam and Hope, you go up and kiss the marker. It is how respect is paid to dead relatives.” After several minutes, the children did as asked, and the five headed back to the carriage where two mounted Watch waited for them, advising them to take the same route back.
*******
It was late when they arrived at the house, and as Lauren rushed out, she saw the look on Ryan’s face, the look of defeat.
As they were reviewing the events of the day, Lauren asked Gayne for a set of tweezers. When she had them, picking up a piece of the Midnight Sun, she pushed it into the cracked bark of the staff. Explaining her visions to John, she described the strange image of the contaminated blood with the black worm-like visions in the brains. How she was hoping the staff could taste the abnormal drug itself, and possibly, “I don’t know, tell me something.” Then she gave him the remaining pieces, asking him if he could analyze them somehow.
“Sure, I’ll put them through my mass spectrometer.”
There was a knock at the front door, and a few minutes later, a servant led Councillor Rimple into the main room. Gayne walked over, greeting his friend, and as Rimple held out his hand, Gayne reached into his pocket and pulled out a small heavy bag, obviously filled with gold. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
He felt the weight of the coins, tucked them away, “You have always been one of my favorite supporters.”
Then a servant brought out a tray of glasses with several bottles of wine, and all took a seat in the front room. Gayne quickly introduced everyone, turned to Rimple, “What is the mood of the council?”
“You have heard the news?”
“Five dead. Yes, I think everybody has heard it by now. Do you have any details?”
“They were five of the ten that held council seats north of the Key, and the Darkpaye section of the council is pushing to temporarily appoint five of their own, claiming this is an emergency, and that special actions are needed to deal with it.”
“Well, even if they elected five of their own,” began Gayne, “it would still be twenty-five to thirty-five. Their motion would never pass, would it?”
Not responding to the question, he looked at the floor.
“How many have received threats?”
Rimple turned to Steve, “Threats? None have, but I believe most have received suggestions to vote in favor. I know of two who advised the council of extended trips to the south, and I bumped into a prominent member of the Council today, who was acting very strange. When I inquired about his wife, he told me she had gone to visit family. Considering that she has lived here all of her life, I think the trip was somewhat unexpected.”
Gayne reached for a bottle, “Have you received any suggestions to vote in favor?”
“I have sent my wife and children to spend some time with an old friend, hired extra guards.”
Steve sighed, suggestions or threats—that’s still a yes.
Rimple was still talking, “I have been trying to meet with the other members, with little luck,” And I am positive that someone follows me. “Will their motion pass? The better question might be this: will any show up to oppose it. This is no longer the Bright Coast, and it is just a matter of time before they change the name to the Dark Coast.”
“There has to be something you can do?” asked Ryan.
“A few days ago, I would agree with you, but today—There are some that are trying to muster support, or I should say, were some. Most I think would rather live south of the Key, with the emphasis on live.”
“So what happens next?” inquired John.
“There is a meeting scheduled in two days where they are going to try to force their temporary candidates onto the council. The actual vote on segregation is planned for the following week.”
*******
It was the next morning, and Lauren pushed her breakfast plate away. “It sounds too dangerous.”
Ryan pleaded, “We only have a week to continue our search before that vote, so we don’t have any time to make other plans. We need to try whatever we can as fast as we can. We only have one point of reference for our daughters, and we have a lot of streets to search. We need to be able to travel where we want, so if Gayne can help us find a delivery wagon, Sam and Hope will just ride in the back, and I’ll do all of the hard work. All th
ey have to do is sniff the air.”
“No,” Lauren announced, “if something goes wrong—it would be different if we had been here longer, and the magic had found you but if something happens—no!”
“Then Logan can come with us,” Ryan pleaded.
“I’m not doing any heavy lifting.”
“I’ll do the hard work, and you just protect Sam and Hope.” Ryan kneeled, “We have to try. While Mother might be able to find our daughters, their father would like to try first. Please!”
“I don’t like it,” replied Lauren.
He was running out of options, “Gayne, can we borrow some portal bracelets?”
Nodding, he turned to Steve, whispered, “That part of town is free of pickpockets.”
Lauren, still not sold, continued her protests, “What happens if the driver turns you in for a reward?”
“We will take Eric,” advised Gayne. “I will make sure the driver does not talk or take any actions against them. Page Start is right—”
“What?” Lauren interrupted.
“It’s Rage Heart!” exclaimed Ryan.
“I am sorry, it is a new title. I liked it better when you were the Unnamed.” Gayne turned to Ryan, “Your whining husband—is that better?” Then he turned back to Lauren. “He is right. I will help him find a delivery wagon, and then offer them a sufficient amount of gold so they will not talk. Eric will help reinforce that thought, and I will give each a portal bracelet, ring, and something to bring them back here. If anything happens, the Bastard and Newly Named can protect them, but if they must retreat fast, the bracelets will provide the fastest route back.”
“While I don’t like it, I don’t like not knowing where my daughters are even more. Sam, Hope, you’ll both do exactly as your Uncle Ryan says.”
*******
It was still raining as Gayne dropped Mirtza, Steve, and John off at the school, then headed into the bright Coast with Eric, Ryan, Logan, Sam, and Hope. He pulled the carriage into the back lot of the most popular dwarf distillery, blocking three wagons before heading inside. Ten minutes later, he returned with the dwarf in charge, calling to Eric. All three talked with the driver for several minutes, and then Eric walked to the back of the delivery wagon, opened the doors, ushering Sam, Hope, Logan, and Ryan into the back of it.