by Noah Layton
My gaze slammed immediately to Aden and Oden. Their imposing figures remained still, looking to me for guidance.
‘There is no need to be concerned,’ Artrix said gracefully.
‘I’d be a lot less concerned if I started seeing gold,’ I said, forcing a smile at the edge of my lips.
Am I being robbed?
Had this been the sun-elves’ plan all along?
‘How about we shake hands on it, then?’ I continued, offering a palm, thinking that I could open a window and make the trade.
‘A handshake is a show of respect, but I prefer not to exchange things in this way,’ Artrix replied. ‘Long have I pondered the wealth of this land and the way it is transferred. Tell me, have you ever actually held gold in your hand before? Have you seen it counted and arranged, or thrown into a pile?’
The leader of the sun-elves had been speaking in a poetic, strange way ever since he had opened his mouth, yet even though my teeth were on edge in anticipation of being robbed blind, his words still made me think.
‘I have to admit, I haven’t.’
‘Well, allow me to do you a favour, tribe master.’
Money talks, that was a universal fact, and for the first time Artrix made a motion to his guards – he scooped his hand over his shoulder, indicating that something be brought forward.
The two guards that had been standing watch while the bluestone was removed from the carts moved to the back of their own more formidable wagons and threw back the tarps drawn over their contents. They both removed something heavy from their respective carts and headed across to us.
Both were carrying sacks, which they dropped upon the ground before my feet.
‘Please.’ Artrix held out an offering hand.
I still didn’t trust this new master to not stab me while my guard was down. I ushered Oden over, who silently obliged to open the hefty sack before me.
He wasn’t my scapegoat – he was there so that I could keep an eye on what was going on around me.
Oden kneeled to the ground and ran his gigantic, work-worn hands into the strings, ripping them apart with a harsh pull and exposing what lurked within.
I had never handled gold pieces in their true form before, but now there were hundreds, maybe thousands, right before me in this single satchel.
Despite hardly ever showing any emotion, Oden’s eyes went wide with a shock that he couldn’t repress. We exchanged a look, and I gave him a nod.
He buried his hand deep into the layers of gold, the metallic clinking of the visible layer on top confirming just how tightly packed it was.
He retrieved a single gold piece from the depths.
Even if he was a mute, it didn’t mean he was stupid – we had had the same thought.
What if it’s filled with dirt and the top layer is only for show?
It wasn’t. This piece that he handed me had been plumbed from the very bottom.
He handed it to me and I admired it, feeling it’s weight in my hand. It was heavier than I imagined, thick and solid with an image on one side – one of a woman with wings unfolded from her back and her hands raised, the other a bearded man with his arms outstretched.
I pulled up my inventory and dropped the coin into it, checking its legitimacy.
My GP count rose by one. It was undoubtedly authentic, and having been picked from the pile, it no doubt meant that the rest were too.
I fought to hold my frame at the sight of it all.
‘Are you happy to proceed?’ Artrix asked.
‘I am,’ I said, clearing my throat.
‘Please, help yourselves.’
I nodded to Aden and Oden, and they headed to the back of the wagons to retrieve the rest of the gold.
They returned with one sack each, the weight so heavy that they could only move one at a time.
With each stack of bluestone that was removed from our carts, a sack of gold replaced it.
Democratic and equal right down to the letter.
A few minutes later everything had been shifted over. Aden and Oden returned to my sides, while the sun-elf guards returned to Artrix’s.
‘I hope you do not mind the exchange of wealth in this manner,’ he said. ‘It may be inconvenient, but I find that it gives the exchange a greater sense of importance.’
‘I don’t mind at all,’ I replied. ‘It’s been a pleasure doing business.’
‘Indeed, tribe master.’
We shook hands once more, meeting each other’s gaze.
‘Tell me, from what land did you say you journeyed here from?’
‘My tribe, you mean?’
‘No, to Agraria. You are not of this world, are you?’
I took a pause, wondering how the hell to respond to that.
‘Let’s just say it’s somewhere very, very far from here.’
Artrix raised his head a little, scanning me.
‘That I gathered.’ He paused, his eyes squinting slightly as he stared at my face. Then- ‘As I mentioned, my tribe are a peaceful kind. We will be holding a celebration in two days to commemorate the unveiling of the statue that shall be crafted from this precious stone that you have bequeathed upon me, and it is of no interest of mine to make enemies. If you would be so kind, I would like to invite you, your wives and your guards to this celebration at our land.’
It had been my intention to take the money and run, but this changed things. Artrix didn’t want me dead, that much was clear, but walking into the home of a foreign tribe, surrounded by his citizens?
That was a whole different kettle of fish.
‘If you don’t mind me asking,’ I said, pushing my voice deeper. ‘What role do your wives play in your life, Master Artrix?’
‘The role that any wife should play; advisor, warrior, guider…’
‘I couldn’t agree more, so you’ll understand that I must consult with my wives on such a matter first before even considering.’
Artrix finally gave a wider smile than the creeping smirk that he had fallen victim to several times since our meeting began.
‘I understand completely. Our celebration will begin at dusk in two night’s time. I would greatly appreciate your presence.’
‘I’ll consider it.’
We exchanged a nod, and with that I, Aden and Oden manoeuvred the carts filled with gold in a full turn and headed back to Cass, Ariadne, Lara and Alorion.
The girls shot me a wide-eyed look, all of them resisting the urge to smile with the combination of relief and overwhelming happiness that we were all feeling. As I glanced over at the twins, even they were exchanging quelled smiles.
The moment we left the clearing we moved quickly and silently through the forest.
I didn’t dare speak – no one did. We all wanted to get as far from the meeting point as possible. I couldn’t believe that we had gotten away alive, and with the gold. I still didn’t believe it, not until we were half a mile through the forest and I pulled our caravan to a halt.
We all paused, remaining perfectly still and listening. There was no sign of pursuit, no semblance of danger anywhere.
Just the blissful quiet of the forests of Agraria.
‘By the gods…’ Ariadne gasped, smiling and clasping her hands to her mouth as her furry ears twitched with excitement atop her head. She hurried around to the back of the cart, as we all did, and dug her hands into the first satchel, pulling the cords and loosening it until it opened.
She dug her hands into the mounds of gold within, raising them up with a collection of coins clasped in her palms, slipping from her fingers.
We all did the same, tearing open satchels until gold was spilling through our fingers.
‘We’re rich…’ Cass said. ‘We’re rich!’
‘I can’t believe that worked…’ Lara muttered.
‘Me neither,’ I breathed, looking at the vast array of gold in the back of the two carts before me.
My inventory could hold all of this without question – I was pretty sure th
at I could hold as much gold as I wanted to, as long as it was stored digitally – but it was difficult to imagine the massive weight sitting in an imaginary space linked to my body, especially seeing it all sitting here before my eyes, requiring a pair of horses to pull it all at a steady pace.
‘Okay,’ I continued, ‘everybody take a breather and drink some water, and we’ll head straight back to the land. I just need to take a break.’
‘Where are you going?’ Ariadne asked. ‘We’re celebrating!’
‘Can’t a man go to the bathroom when he needs to?’ I called back with a laugh, heading away from them to a quieter spot. ‘Besides, we can celebrate back at the land!’
I headed fifty or sixty yards away, finding a small patch of condensed trees and moving among them.
There, finding myself alone, I collapsed against a tree and fell to the ground, panting hard. I held my hands up, watching them shake and taking deep, quivering breaths before they finally settled. I pressed my palms against my pants, smearing them with sweat.
Werger might have been smart in some way, but he was still a psychopath. That I could understand.
Artrix, though? The man was like a human lie detector. I could see it in his eyes with every passing second that he looked at me. He knew which words were truthful, which were false.
Even if we were all still alive, the thought of crossing paths with the guy again set my teeth on edge. I hoped that the invitation to visit his tribe was made in earnest and with good intentions as he claimed, but with a guy that smart there was always the possibility of a much more lethal agenda on the cards.
For now, though, my tribe was safe, and even from my confined space at a distance from them and the carts, I could still hear the shrieks of delight from my wives, the hearty laughter from Cass, and at one point I swore that I heard a deep chuckle from one of the twins as they all marvelled over the hoard of gold that had come our way.
After more than a month of putting my life at risk, it had finally paid off – and I resolved that we were going to enjoy it.
I continued to steady my breathing and my heart rate until both had settled, then moved from the trees and headed back to my group.
All that was left was to pick Elera up and head back to the land.
Chapter Six
We headed to the river and recovered my nymph along a small, sandy patch of shoreline. I had been skinny-dipping with an old girlfriend back on Earth while I was on leave once, and she had remarked that my tall, muscular figure emerging from a river was like watching the Swamp-Thing come crawling out of the depths.
The same would probably go for most others who dipped into the water fully-clothed, but Elera had the advantage of having lived in the water her entire life.
Her emergence from the water was like something out of a fragrance-ad, the graceful goddess of the sea emerging onto land. Her hair appeared first as she rose above the waterline, throwing her head back and scooping her dark, smooth locks behind her.
She walked from the water rather than clambering up, her tight, firm body slowing revealing itself before me in all her unashamed exoticism, wearing nothing but the loose wrappings over her chest and waist.
‘Wow…’ I said stupidly, looking her up and down. ‘Do you do that on purpose just to tease me?’
‘Do what on purpose just to tease you, Tall-man?’
‘I’ll take that as a yes.’ She moved towards me, her shoulders back and her posture perfect as her slender hips swayed from side to side until she reached me. ‘Are you ever going to start calling me Jack?’
‘You are a man, and you are tall. This one serves you much better.’
She wrapped her arms around the back of my neck, pressing her wet body to me and dampening my undershirt as she kissed me, but I didn’t care in the slightest.
I was too busy running my hands over her pert behind and up her back as I felt her soft lips against mine.
‘Aren’t you going to ask how it went?’ I said, shortly after we pulled away from each other.
‘I have been following you along the river since you left.’
‘So that was you in the forest? They knew you were there!’
‘I know, and the moment I did I realized that was so, I took off back to the river. I know how to make a quick escape, Tall-man. And if that wasn’t enough, I have seduced men on enough occasions to know how to do it.’
‘These were sun-elves,’ I said. ‘They’re not like humans, or even other magical beings. I don’t think your tricks will work on them.’
‘Even so, what is life without a little risk? You do it every day.’
‘Yeah, but that’s me. You know that I put all of you first.’
‘Too often.’
She kissed me again, a little harder.
‘Come on,’ I said. ‘We should get back to the group before they start to think we’re going at it right here on the shoreline.’
‘Going at it?’ Elera repeated in confusion.
‘Making love, fucking, whatever you want to call it.’
‘Oh. Could we not? I am sure that I could make you finish quickly.’
‘I’ll bet you could, but that’s a risk even I’m not willing to take.’
We returned to the group and readied the horses once again, making the journey back to the land. Even with our armor stowed away and more and more distance being put between us and the clearing, I couldn’t help but keep my weapon in the scabbard at my waist, and as I looked around at the group in between laughing and joking and comments about the improvements that we were going to make upon arriving back at the land, I noticed them doing the same.
But for once, surprisingly, things had gone our way, and it had come without the price of a scar or a broken bone or a snapped fingernail.
And we were going to enjoy every bit of it.
***
We moved quickly and carefully for the rest of our journey, keeping an eye out for any potential attackers. There would be no aiming to wound; it would be a triple threat of being set on fire, then thrown by a telekinetic blast, then stabbed to death.
No way was I letting a haul like this get into the hands of anybody else, especially after all of the stress and danger we had been through to acquire it.
When we returned to the land, Tormus opened the gates to allow us in and looked into the cart.
‘Good gods… Is that what I think it is?’
‘It is,’ I said. ‘Do me a favour?’
‘Of course.’
‘Round up Eri and the rest of the fox-people and get everyone over to the tree.’
Among them all, though, there was only one person I really wanted to see.
Santana hurried through the crops to meet me, the rose-coloured dressed she was wearing whipping behind her, along with her flowing red hair.
She jumped up and wrapped her arms around me as she embraced me hard.
‘Thank the gods.’
‘See?’ I remarked. ‘I told we’d be fine.’
‘Shut up,’ she laughed, before kissing me hard on the lips. ‘How did it go?’
‘Take a look and see for yourself.’
Santana managed to drag herself away from me long enough to look into the heaps of gold piled in the back of the cart.
‘My father would be unhappy if he knew the full extent of my blaspheming, but good gods…’
A few minutes later the entire tribe was by the tree, and I was standing on the steps overlooking everybody by a few feet like a spokesperson.
No, not a spokesperson – a leader. A tribe master. This was my job, to organise my people, and while eating dinner together was fine, sometimes whole meetings had to be called for more serious purposes.
‘Okay, listen up everybody,’ I called out loudly. ‘As tribe master its always been me who’s in control of our gold supply – sure, I occasionally offload a little to people for trading purposes at the outpost, and everybody is kept well-fed and well-housed, but otherwise it usually rests in my hands.
Everyone stared back at me with shocked or confused expressions.
‘What?’ I continued. ‘Do I have something on my face?’
‘No,’ one of the fox-people said. ‘It is just… We have never been provided with control over gold supplies, big or small, even in our own tribe. It was always the job of the tribe master.’
‘I get that, but life here revolves around working, guard duty, eating and sleeping. We all deserve to make this place a little more comfortable.’
‘And occasionally taking moonseed,’ Eri said. ‘Although it is wise not to make that too much of a regular habit.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ I replied, pointing at her and winking. I returned to look out at the small crowd. ‘So… What does everybody want that doesn’t cost an extortionate amount of gold? Name it.’
Another round of sceptical expressions, before-
‘A new house would be nice,’ one of the fox-people said quietly. ‘We have been living well in the large wood dwelling in the south-west of the land, but another domain would be very useful…’
‘Don’t even give it a second thought,’ I said. ‘In fact, I’m an asshole for not getting a new house built earlier. We’ll pick up the supplies shortly. Anything else?’
‘Well…’ Cass said. ‘Some cushions for the chairs at our dining table wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. The wood is awfully rough.’
‘Cushions?’ I repeated, almost in disbelief. ‘As many as you want. Come on, you guys can do better than this.’
‘We could use some new saddles for the horses,’ Ariadne said. ‘Santana and I were just talking about that the other day, weren’t we?’
‘We were, in fairness.’
‘That’s small change,’ I said. ‘Come on, what would make this place feel more like home?’