“I will let everyone else know what family we belong to,” Jin said with a determined look on his face as he moved from one person to the next whispering something in their ear. Bren noticed each person nod slightly before Jin moved on to the next person.
The other merchants moved their wagons to let them inside the circle. Bren didn’t know what to expect he had always envisioned merchants to be stuffy and businesslike but instead he found a large number of smiling and laughing people around a huge bonfire.
Bren and the others took their place around the fire and were quickly handed a bowl of steaming stew. Just as the older man had said it wasn’t fancy and only consisted of a little meat and a lot of vegetables, but it had a nice flavor and easily filled one’s stomach.
“Does your stomach hurt?” A young girl no more than eight years old asked. She appeared in front of Bren so quickly that he nearly fell off the log he was sitting on. “You’re making a funny face, so I was thinking your stomach might hurt. Mine hurts sometimes when I eat too much but momma gives me some medicine. It’s a bit bitter but your stomach won’t hurt anymore. Want me to get you some?”
“I’m fine,” Bren replied trying to smile. “I was just thinking.”
“You’re cute, wanna get married” The young girl asked as she moved her face in so close to his Bren could see the pours on her face.
“Sara, don’t bother the poor man,” A young lady said grabbing the girl by the back of her shirt and lifting her slightly off the ground. “Sorry about that she has more energy than she knows what to do with.”
“No problem,” Bren said patting the small girl on the head lightly. “It has been a long time since I have seen a child run around so freely. It is heartwarming.”
“I know what you mean, parents tend to try and force children to grow up too fast nowadays,” the lady said setting the girl down. “Sara go make sure the horses have been fed and brushed.”
“Ok momma,” the girl said before taking a few steps then suddenly she turned back and gave Bren a stern look. “No kissing on momma otherwise I will tell papa on you.”
“Sara, horses, now,” the lady said pointing toward the other side of the camp. The exchange between the two made Bren laugh. Turning back to where he sat Bren noticed that the woman’s face was a deep red. “I swear that child never thinks before she speaks.”
“Isn’t that part of the charm of children,” Bren replied laughing. “They can say things straight from the heart without worrying about what other people might think about it.”
“You might be right about that,” She said smiling slightly. “What family are you from? We are part of the Ruman family.”
“We belong to the Torin family miss, though we are still pretty new,” Bren replied slightly unsure of himself.
“Please call me Rena, miss sounds so formal,” Rena said with a slight bow. “A new family, so is this your first trip.”
“Nice to meet you Rena you can call me Bren,” Bren replied standing so that he could bow back. “Yes this is my first trip though it is not my partners.”
Another voice rang out causing Rena to turn around. “Well Bren it seems as if I am needed. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope your first trip is as memorable as mine was.” After giving another bow Rena rushed off to the other side of the camp.
“I swear you are the first natural ladies’ man,” Cass said slapping Bren hard on the back.
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” Bren replied.
“That makes it even worse,” Cass said hitting Bren so hard that he lurched forward. “You don’t even know what you are doing.”
After the meal Bren and the others quickly headed for their bedrolls. It had been a long and tiring day in more than one way and they were ready for sleep.
As he lay down Bren silently hoped that the rest of the journey would be as easy going as the first day had been. Before he fell to sleep, Bren gave one last look to the stars shining overhead and smiled.
CHAPTER XIX
Their trip through Rane was easy and nearly every night they found a group of merchants to camp with. The further they moved away from the capital the less congested the roads became and by the time they neared the border with Toria, it was odd for them to see more than a half a dozen people a day. The villages were also becoming more spread out, forcing Bren to buy more supplies in case they had to go an extended time without the ability to restock.
The longer they traveled the more Bren noticed a difference in the group as well. When they had first left Torin the guards had been quiet and kept mostly to themselves but now they all talked to each other naturally. Brenda had picked a few of the guards it seemed to be her slaves. Bren didn’t know if he should feel sorry for them or not but he decided that he would leave the situation alone. He hated to admit it but every moment they kept her occupied the less trouble she made for him.
It took a bit longer than Bren had expected to reach the border but the slight delay didn’t really bother him. The rainy season was still a ways away, though he knew that each day that passed increased the chances of trouble once they reached the sea. Most of the sea bordering countries kept a small navy to deal with problems but they were unorganized and kept to their own borders making it easy for pirates to pray on any who sailed in the open seas.
Bren had heard his mother complain about the lack of cooperation between kingdoms. More than once she had tried to talk with other monarchs in the hope of making a universal defense force to take care of pirates, though usually these talks only came after a large shipment was attacked. The main problem though was not the other kingdoms but how his mother approached them. She would call all the neighboring countries into a large conference every few years and then demand that a navy protect the coast be made. This would normally create an argument and lately it had been Eloen who had objected the most demanding that the taxes from the goods they transported through the Farlan ports was enough support.
A cold chill ran down his spine as he thought about the last time one of the talks had been held. His mother had went on a rampage for several days afterward yelling at anyone who made the slightest mistake in her presence. He loved his mother, but she tended to take out her frustration on anyone nearby making it hard to deal with her for weeks after a meeting that went bad.
Bren had made a promise to himself that he would never do the same to his own retainers but in the end more often than not he found himself doing the same thing. Most of the people just bowed and remained silent but Lillian and Cass were different. Whenever he stepped too far out of line they would bring him to heel by letting him know he was acting like a spoiled child.
“I can see the border,” one of the guards yelled from the front of the small caravan. Turning his eyes toward the front Bren watched expecting to find a small building to announce the border but instead he found a small town appearing in the distance.
“This is the border?” Bren asked in a surprised voice.
“Your lack of travel experience is showing. Most borders with Rane have towns, some of them are even quite large. Did you forget that Rane is the largest merchant country in all of Kurt?” Jin asked in-between laughing at him. “Artisans all over the world move to the border towns so that they have a better chance of attracting a passing merchant’s attention.”
“Why don’t they just move to Rane?” Bren asked still not understanding.
“Simple, they don’t want to pay taxes,” Jin replied in a businesslike tone. “Most of the border towns keep taxes low so that the prices will be lower and merchants will be more likely to pass through. In the end, even though the tax rate is lower they still earn more due to the increase in trade. On the other hand anyone who opens a shop in Rane has to sign a contract with the guild and pay a tithe to them, so few artisans want to live in Rane.”
“Sounds complicated,” Bren said as he tried to work everything that Jin has said out in his head. “Why not just move to another country? Then you
could trade without having to worry about dealing with the guild.”
“There are some merchants that do that but it limits their trading routes,” Jin replied. “Rane has deals with nearly every country allowing them to pass through with limited taxes on their goods. It’s a give and take relationship one where Rane keeps their personal taxes high so that people won’t be tempted to move and the other countries give the traveling merchants a break so that they can make a decent profit.”
“How do the common people afford the higher taxes in Rane?” Bren asked as they neared the border town.
“That is where the secret to Rane lies,” Jin said with a sly smile. “Those born in Rane can apply for the king to pay most of their taxes for them. Most years the only taxes that are collected are from the guild itself. Though there have been times in the past where common people were forced to pay the high rate of taxes, though it is uncommon.”
“I think I am starting to understand but honestly it seems too complicated for me,” Bren admitted. “I think it would be best if I let you handle most of the affairs when it comes to business while we our traveling. That won’t be a problem will it?”
“Not at all,” Jin said after a moment of thought. “It is not uncommon for foreign kings to make such a deal with a merchant family. We tend to call them silent partners and it is a great way for a family to get the starting capital for their ventures. Though there are some rules involved but I don’t think they will be a problem since you have a writ signed by both the council and king. Mother might have just done us a great favor if this goes well.”
“You keep calling the different companies families,” Bren said. It had bothered him for quite some time but he hadn’t found the right time to comment on it.
“Most people outside of the merchant guild call us companies or groups but we call ourselves a family. You have to trust everyone who works with and for you so anyone who signs a contract with a trading company is given a second name to show that they belong to that family. Mothers name is legally Monique Rose Torin.”
“That would make you Jin Torin and me Bren Torin,” Bren said with a slight laugh.
“We fall under a different rule since our last name is the same as the family name. If the other members of your group officially join the family though they will have to be mindful of their names. Not stating your family name on official paperwork is harshly punished in Rane.”
“Writ please,” A guard said, startling Bren who had been so absorbed with his conversation with Jin that he didn’t even notice they had reached the outskirts of the town.
Bren pulled out the writ from his pack and handed it to the guard. The Guard opened the writ and gave it a quick look over then handed it back. “May I see your inventory manifest?”
“Of course,” Jin said quickly when Bren looked to him with a confused look on his face. After digging for a few moments Jin handed the guard a thick stack of parchment. The guard took much longer looking over the manifest than he did the writ before handing it back. “You can go inside that building there to pay your taxes,” The guard said pointing to a large building on the left.
“You go ahead with everyone else and wait for me at the Merchant’s Roost Inn,” Jin said before turning to walk off.
“Wait,” Bren said grabbing Jin’s shoulder. “Do you mind if I come with you. I would like to know how everything is done.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” Jin replied smiling.
After talking with the rest of the group it was decided that the others would wait for them at the inn while Bren, Jin, and Cass handled affairs. Bren had tried to assure Cass that he would be fine but as normal the soldier refused to let Bren out of his sight for more than a heartbeat. Bren was half expecting Cass to demand they spend the night in the same room if they ever stayed at an inn for the night.
Bren looked over the manifest as they entered the large building. He had seen a few of the goods that Monique had given them for trading purposes but he hadn’t given them much thought. The paper that the guard had requested had not only the names of the items but the suspected price of each. At the end the overall cost of everything was tallied. Most of the goods were simple things that could be traded almost anywhere for a decent price but a few of the items were magical in nature, meaning only those with a large amount of gold could purchase them.
Inside the building they found a stern looking man hunched over a large ledger. “Writ, and manifest please,” The man said without ever looking up. Bren quickly handed the man both papers. After a few moments the man looked up handed the papers back along with another paper. “The basic tax is ten gold.” Bren handed the man ten gold coins and turned to Jin who nodded and they turned and left.
As they walked out of the building Jin sighed. “I am glad they weren’t too busy. A lot of times it can take hours just to talk to anyone.”
“What is this for?” Bren asked, handing Jin the paper that the man had handed back to him.
“That shows how much of a value the county puts on our goods. If we leave with the same amount then we won’t have to pay further taxes but if we leave with a higher value than we entered with we will have to pay taxes on the change in value.”
“I see,” Bren said handing the other papers to Jin. “I think it would be best if you held onto the manifest and writ for now.”
“If you insist,” Jin replied. “Why don’t we head to the inn for now? We need to do a little trading and find out what is selling in the north right now. It won’t help if we bring goods that don’t sell with us.”
“Our main goal isn’t really trading,” Bren said with a smile.
“That doesn’t mean that we should slack on our jobs,” Jin said with a look of disgust on his face. “If we don’t act like proper merchants people will notice, so we might as well try to make as large a profit as we can. I just wish you would have brought more magical items with you to trade. No matter where in the world you are, they will sell.”
“We might be able to get more,” Bren said after he remembered the chests that he had brought with him. “But I thought that magical items were still seen as evil in most of the north.”
“That isn’t completely true,” Jin replied. “Those that rely on magic are looked down upon as cowards but for the most part enchanted items are seen as tools the same as a sword or bow. The question is how are you going to get more? Can you make them?”
It was the first time Bren had heard such excitement in Jin’s voice. He almost sounded like a child who was about to get a new toy. “No I don’t have the skill to enchant but I do have ways to get more items if we need them. What kind of magical items do you think would be best?”
“From what I have heard the people of northern Kurt like items that help with their everyday lives as well as Vathari and dwarven made weapons. The weapons are highly prized and will fetch a high price among the members of the warrior class.”
Bren reached up and touched the earring that hung from his right ear. “Flynn can you hear me?” He asked loudly.
“For the love of the gods don’t scream at me out of nowhere,” Flynn’s voice said sounding as if he were no more than a few paces away. “I about pissed myself.”
“I need you to talk to crusher and see if he has any weapons or armor for sale. Also I need you to procure as many common magical items as you can and send them to me.”
“Just how am I supposed to do that?” Flynn asked irritably.
“The magical chest that is in my study. Anything put in there will be sent to the chest that I have with me.”
“I forgot about that,” Flynn admitted. “Ok I will see to that immediately but first while we are talking there has been a few things going on that you should know about.”
“What would that be?” Bren asked with a slight hesitation in his voice.
“The tower has been challenging me every chance they get on my authority. I just thought I would let you know that on Sae-Thae advice I sent a letter to the Farl
an Queen asking for her support in my position. I haven’t received a reply yet but I thought you should know about it.”
“I see,” Bren said his voice showing his displeasure at the news. “No helping it now but in the future try involving my mother as little as possible, otherwise I will never hear the end of it next time I see her.”
“You’re the one who wanted to go traipsing around on the other side of the world, so don’t blame me for what happens in your absence. I will do whatever I can to keep from having to pull my hair out in frustration. I shaved my head once and I can assure you I don’t look good bald.”
Bren didn’t reply knowing that if he got into a war of words with Flynn he would start attracting stares. It wasn’t every day that you saw someone arguing with someone who wasn’t there, and since Bren was the only one that could hear Flynn’s voice it would cause even more problems for him in the end. “I think we will have as many magical items as we could possibly sell,” Bren said turning to Jin with a large smile. “Though we will have to send some gold back to cover the costs otherwise it will cause problems for Flynn. My countries coffers are not as deep as I wish they were.”
“Then why don’t we try to solve that problem. We can pay the cost of the items plus ten percent and put the rest of the profit into the company. After the trip is complete we can decide how much each person will receive as pay for their work. That way we can help the family grow, though if you really have an endless supply to magical goods straight from Torin I think this will be a very profitable trip indeed. Ah, though our taxes might be a bit higher than normal.”
“Our manifest also states how much we sold. If the countries find that we are hiding goods then we could find ourselves in deep trouble so it will be best to tell them about the use of the magical trunk. They will put a price on it and we will have to claim the gold that you send back on your manifest even if we don’t have it with us. It will mean a lot more paperwork but it’s better than ending up in prison for tax evasion.”
Silver Mage (Book 2) Page 16