As Raya approached the bridge towing her small hand cart she felt a sense of unease. Here the road crossed the lower reaches of the river Nume after that point it became the main street of Tungol-Saju. She followed it up past worn looking shops and stalls. The markets were busy but not in an exciting, vibrant way like they were before the Vism. Nowadays they had a harder edge, new stalls and shops had opened where others had fallen, those that held contracts to supply the castle fared the best. It was to one of these stalls that she was taking her honey, collected as her parents had done before her from wild hives deep in the Vior.

The man she was going to see was called Cerberus. He was a nasty trader who had managed to bribe his way into a contract supplying food to the castle kitchens. He paid only what he had to to his suppliers then sold the produce for a great profit to the castle kitchens. Raya was no exception.

“You again you little urchin, I thought this winter would have wiped you out for certain. What have you got for me?” he snarled.

“Only the best honey in the kingdom,” Raya replied in her firmest voice.

“I’ll pay a silver coin for each tankard,” he said in a disinterested tone.

“That’s criminal and you know it!” Raya glared at him.

“That what I'm paying, like it or lump it, I've got loads in store from the keepers on the plains, fine meadow honey” he went on.

“Well, I know for a fact it’s nothing like wild honey from the depths of Vior.”

She poured him a sample from one of her leather skins into a flat stone on the bench. Cerberus swept it off the stone with a horrible greasy finger.

“It's nothing special, I will be generous enough to give you a silver coin per tankard like I said, take it or leave it.”

It was her entire spring supply, and she knew it was worth far more.

“I will take my chances with the trading ships down at the Wharf then.” she said.

She hefted her bag back onto the small cart and started walking, knowing what would come next.

“Hold up there young lass, I can give you four silvers for every three tankards. Just because you are such a wretched orphan, I don’t want the ghosts of your ma and pa haunting my dreams.”

“Three silvers for every two tankards and you have a deal.”

Cerberus squirmed like he was in pain, “you will be the end of me, I'm not a bleedin’ charity.”

“And I know what good honey sells for when it goes to the palace kitchens,” She replied.

“Ok, ok, let's measure it out, highway bloody robbery.”

Cerberus groaned as he bought out the measuring tankard. Each time the tankard was filled he poured it into a large pottery vessel making sure every morsel of honey was taken. Each tankard emptied was noted on a large wooden abacus, five in total.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Squeeze out the rest young one” he insisted.

“Not in a hundred moons. You have never paid out for a partial tankard.” Raya replied angrily.

“You are a tough one to do business with for a squirt of your size. What say I just keep the honey and tell you to get lost.” his eyes narrowed.

Raya felt a chill run through her body. Cerberus was a low life, but he never had stooped so low as actual robbery before.

“Then I will go to the trader's union and report you!” she said standing as tall as she could trying to judge if she could jump over the stall and make off with her honey.

“You try proving it.” he sneered, putting his hand on the honey vessel.

Raya felt like crying, her strength left her, and her knees shook. She was just about to give up, when a shadow fell over the stall.

“You will pay her what she is due, or I shall give you more trouble than the union and the palace taxman combined could rain upon you.”

Raya turned around and there was one of the city guard with his hand on the hilt of his sword, behind him a second guard stood menacingly.

“I was just playing with the kid, you know I meant no harm.” Cerberus said in his most innocent tone as he reluctantly paid over the coins.

“Walk with us a bit” suggested the first guard, “I wouldn’t put it past that slime to send someone out to rob you. I am Thorn and this is Willow. I knew your parents. It's not right that you should be out in the wild on your own let alone dealing with bullies like that.”

“Thank you, Thorn, I find myself in your debt.” She said after collecting herself with a deep breath.

“We will hear none of that talk. Some of us still remember the old ways before the Visam” then he hushed his voice, “and the new management.” He gave her a wink.

She knew better than to carry on such a risky conversation in a public street.

They parted company halfway down the market, Raya felt she had found some new friends she could count on, a rare thing these days in the city guard. Her next stop was the Apothecary. Lee the herbalist had known her since she was a baby, her parents had supplied him with honey, herbs and roots from the woods for as long as he had been in business. Lees place was her base when she was visiting town.

His face lit up when she walked into his shop pulling her little cart behind her. He put down some herbs that he was crushing into an oil filled bottle at the counter and came around to give her a hug.

“How was your spring harvest? Bring your things through, I have a bunch of herbs drying in your room, but we can make a bit of space for you in a jiffy.”

“It's not my room Lee, but I do appreciate you letting me use it.”

Her parents had been gone for two long years since the Visam, Lee had lost a partner and a son to the virus as well so the arrangement suited them both well.

“Your brightness and energy bring this dusty place to life, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” he said cheerfully.

“I have most of the herbs and roots you wanted” she said handing him a bunch of canvas bags.

He took them to the bench and opened each looking into them approvingly. Raya thought Lee looked like a child with a new toy.

“These look great, as usual, you have your mother's skill with plants, let me weigh them and I will sort you some coin. No Starbinders?”

“Sorry, there were massive Spring snows that came right into the upper reaches of the Vior, they should flower strongly after such a late cold snap if the weather warms in time so I should be able to find plenty on my next trip.” she replied.

Starbinders grew at the foothills of the Bastillion mountains along the upper edges of the Vior. They are a daisy-like plant whose flowers are used to heal open wounds.

“That would be great, my supply is running low. Let's get your room organized then we can think about some dinner.”

Like many places at the market, Lee had a shop in the front and house behind it. The room was small but sunny, which is why it was used as a drying room. Raya helped to bag up some of the herbs that were already dried and move the rest to one side of the window.

“You seem a little jumpy Lee, what are you hiding?”

She had gotten to know Lee well after the madness of the Virus had calmed down.