Chapter 28
It became clear after the Sundering that there were goods that the Shadowlanders desperately needed, and goods the Sunlit people wanted just as badly. We were bound by our concord with Ynys Afel not to set up Dragon Web stations in the Shadowlands directly. Three gateways at the Boundary were proposed where the people could exchange merchandise: Greshold’s Keep, Timeria north of it, and Zarusis to the south. Greshold’s Keep was built first. It cost so much in magic and minds to punch the hole in the Boundary for the gate, that the other gateways were abandoned, much to the sadness of the locals.
It took years for the trade concords to be agreed to, what trade was acceptable to both sides. Endless rounds of diplomatic dinners, teas and court missions finally settled on a list of goods both sides could agree to, major trade goods like black silk and medicinal herds. It was a long and hard process.
But as soon as the agreement was made, another problem began to rise. All sorts of goods that would have been perfect acceptable trade items, nothing that either Shadow Landers or the Sunlit would be harmed by but were not on the agreements, began to trickle in. They were often paid for with goods like proscribed drugs. It destabilized the trade communities near the Border and further inland on both sides.
A Sunlit noble of a minor region not far from Greshold’s Keep came up with the solution. Sanctioned smuggling, Theodias Redbeard called it. Each side would sanction a fixed number of traders who would be allowed to ship goods that were not on the list, which meant endlessly fewer diplomatic meetings to have over each new fad.
It was a stroke of genius for the House of Redbeard. Even after the Brightwater Massacre, they remain one of the most profitable of Ynys Afel noble houses.
Let that be a lesson to you, young Dragonkin! Where there’s a will, profit will out!
From No-Space to Everywhere by Flysch Graben , cofounder of Briarwood and Flysch
It took a couple of days for the pixies the ixip chased off to come home. Gan had thought Arne would be the first back, having something of a reputation for bravery in the little pixie clan, and she had been outlook for him soon as the work party finally left.
After two days of being left totally alone, she woke up and decided to do something about it. Smoke poured out of the newly refurbished kitchen fireplace as she she baked apple pie. Nobody came to investigate it. So she moved a table outside to set it on to cool.
Her next step accelerated the attack, and she set up a stew pot near the table in front of her house and made a delicious soup of cabbage and bacon and beans and onions, opening the lid often to tempt them back. While it was cooking, she baked a great loaf of white bread, a smell pixies found almost irresistible. It worked, a little, once she brought the fresh bread outside to cool on the work table she had set up, but instead of being mobbed by the wee folk, the only one who showed up at first was Gilly.
“Pie?” asked the tiny woman hovering over the golden crust. “I love pie!”
“Oh yes, and bread, too, and stew.” Gan took the lid off the pot and gave it a good stir, letting the good smell of her food waft in the air once again. “It’s just about ready.”
“That smells so good. I haven’t had a good meal since the big meanies came in with all that nasty stuff.”
“Well they’re good and gone. No more ixip. I told Lady Elaine that,” Gan replied. “Where are the rest of the pixies? Are they coming back?” she said, dishing some of the soup in a saucer for the pixie.
“Well, Moxie is waiting until the very last bits of that nasty stuff get out of the air,” Gilly said, sniffing the soup with great approval. “She’s a little afraid it’ll make her sick. And Arne went over to Redrock, you know where there’s that spring next to the big red rock on the road to Goblin Market.” She ate a bit of bread crust, then used it as a spoon to eat a bite of soup. Talking in a conspiratorial whisper to the big woman, she said, “There’s another clan of pixies over there, who live next to the rock. I think Arne has a girlfriend there. He’s always finding an excuse to go. Moxie’s going to be so angry when she finds out.”
“Find out what?” Another pixie, Fergus, no doubt following the scent, dropped in, landing on the table. “My, my, that looks good. Bread and soup?”
Mistress Gan handed him a bit of bread, and he sat down next to Gilly.
“Wouldn’t you like to know about Arne’s new girlfriend by Redrock!” Gilly said, then realizing what she said, clasped a hand over her mouth. “Did I just say that?”
“I’m afraid so,” Gan said. She gave the little pixie a sad smile.
“Tell me all about it,” said an enraged Moxie dropped down from a nearby tree. “Tell me all about it.”
As if they heard the noise, Rufus and Dahlia, Rosebud and Bu, Hilby and Cowslip and more popped in, relishing both the bread and the gossip, making Moxie even madder. Poor Arne, when he finally made an appearance was summarily pushed off the table by Moxie. He landed in Mistress Gan’s lap.
“What...what did I do?” he asked.
Gan handed him a piece of bread. “Got here after the rumors,” she said. “Did you go to Redrock?”
“Why would I?” he asked. “I spent all day yesterday trying to get Morvran to give me a feather.”
“Any luck?” Gan asked.
He held up a small black feather. “Caught him when he was talking to Leila.”
“Gilly!” Moxie said and a new chase began.
Laughing as she went, Gan got some more saucers out of the house and began dipping up soup for all of them. “Ah, my little pixies,” she said. “I have truly missed you. Things are always more interesting when you’re around.”
As Gan fed the growing crowd of pixies, two people rode up the pathway that led to the King’s highway. The pixies, far more interested in food and Moxie’s wrath, paid them no mind, but Gan did.
“Arriane!” she said, as the two drew near. “I thought you had gone home to the White Island.”
“I did!” the younger women said, dismounting. “But now I’m back.” She handled the reins to the young man who had ridden with her. “Oh, the pixies are here!”
Gilly flew over to her, glad to be out of Moxie’s reach and landed on her hair. “You were with the meanies who chased us away! They aren’t coming back already, are they?”
“No, no. It’s just me and Rob. But I didn’t do the chasing,” Arriane said, her eyes rolling up trying to see who was talking to it. “I just came with them to meet Mistress Gan.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Seamus, still holding a crust of bread in his hand, flew over. “Can you cook?” he asked, taking a bite of the bread while hovering in front of her.
“Alas, not very well,” Arriane said, amused. “My nanny never let me get near the kitchen very often.”
“That’s a shame,” Seamus said. “Cooking is the best magic.” He finished the bread and wiped his face on his sleeve.
“Seamus, think of something besides your tummy,” Gilly admonished, before flitting off of Arriane’s head, giving him a little shove. “That’s rude!”
Rosebud floated over to the three of them. “Your hair is so pretty.” She lifted up a couple of strands. “I wish I could have a whole dress made of it.”
Dahlia butted in. “Hair dresses itch. Had one once.” She flew up in front of Arriane’s nose. “Do you like pixies?”
“I think so,” she said, smiling at the little woman. “I think you are the first pixies I ever talked to. I like you! Is that good enough?”
“She likes us!” Dahlia said, hurrying back to Gan and the food. “Did you hear her? She likes us!”
“I’m not surprised,” Gan said, fishing Rosebud out of her soup saucer.
“What’s not to like?” Arne said, stuffing his mouth with soup and bread.
More pixies – Bu and Cowslip and Hillsy – beelined it over to the younger woman and began to examine Arriane’s hair and dress and gloves. Bu crawled under her freeflowing hair.
“Ooh, that tickles,” Arriane said.
Rob, uncomfortable around the little feys, and still on horseback, turned the collar of his livery jacket up.
Having portioned out enough soup and bread to feed the whole tribe, looked up and saw the mobbing going on over Arriane. “Enough of that,” Gan said, hurrying over to rescue her guests. “Pixies are welcome here, and Lady Arriane is welcome, too. And so are you, Rob Woodway. Do you need a place to put your horses? Are you hungry? Would you like some tea? What can I do for you?”
The pixies, almost reluctantly, backed off.
“Sorry, Ma’am,” Rob said. “Lady Elaine just had be ride as Lady Arriane’s groom today.”
“We can’t stay long,” Arriane said, nodding. “My sister asked me to have you drop by to discuss starting tutoring lessons for my nephew, and me too.”
“I didn’t think you were that interested? It can be a lot of work.” Gan said, surprised.
“My advisor at the White Circle told me that if you were willing, I should take those lessons you were talking about. She told me that practical magics were the basis for what they teach there, and you were one of the best masters of practicals, especially domestics, and I’d be a fool not to jump at the chance. She sent me right back.”
Arriane gave Gan a beautific smile, heavily laden with her own glamour. The effect hit the pixies hard. Before she finished speaking, she had a crown of six of them on the top of her head.
Gan, on the other hand, felt a large twinge of feeling like there was more going on than Arriane was telling her, having been hustled by a countless number of children over the years who were trying to butter her up while hiding their real motivations. Still, she knew they had discussed this, and she could read not the slightest bit of malice in the young woman.
“How about tomorrow afternoon?” Gan said. “Tell Edylken I’ll bring the tea cakes.”
Arriane raised one eyebrow at that one. “You’re a brave woman, Gan Thistleberry, to take on Edylken on tea time edibles!” she said. “But oh, we’ll all get to eat the results of the war this is going to cause. I’ll be sure to mention it!”
Laughing, she remounted her horse. “Until, tomorrow!”
The two rode off back to the King’s Highway. Gan took that moment to cut the apple pie she had made, and all the pixies gathered close, rather than following Arriane as she left. Right as they reached the end of the property, Arriane stopped and dismounted.
“Is there a problem?” Rob asked.
“Just got a rock in my shoe,” she said, leaning against the fence. “I’ll be fine once I get it out.”
She took off her boot, and made a big show of emptying it out. He shrugged and looked down the road. While his back was turned to her, she managed to attack a small touchstone device to the fencepost. With a touch of a button it activated. “Nobody will sneak up on her here for awhile without me knowing,” she whispered, then slipping on her boot, she and Rob made their way back to the Allynswood estate.
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The land near Tantis was dry country, and rocky on the side that faced the Boundary, far away from the river that gave Brightwater its name and fertility. It was a country for miners and shepherds, rough and broken, with small streams and the occasional oasis of a spring fed lake. Smugglers, as well as bandits who worked for or preyed on the smugglers, miners and shepherds also made their homes here.
And then sometimes, there were others, like the group of tents that set up in the high country overlooking the landscape below.
Byrony Gabbro sat in one of those tents, well away from the target area, and carefully out of line of sight from below, and, as an extra precaution, hidden behind state of the art Dragonkin concealment magic. In fact, the whole compound was, and only those who had been given the right key could even find it.
At the moment, he was surrounded with the other leaders of the operation at hand – Bedwyr, called the Birch, Sael Havron, his right-hand man, and Ruell from the White Circle. Orderlies hovered near, ready to aid, but not underfoot. In front of him was a table holding a large map of the location, every draw and spring and rock formation and trail clearly indicated on it. It too was of Dragonkin make – only people who fly could have gotten all the bumps and rises properly indicated.
“If our information is correct, our target will be showing up here,” Byrony said, pointing to a highlighted place on the map. He placed a marker pin over it. “We have discovered that he brings his people in with his half of the goods and waits there while the couriers make the pickup. He probably warehouses the contraband there, although on the surface, it just looks like a cabin. It’s said he uses it as a retreat when he’s not there for...business...reasons. There’s a small lake nearby. I hear he likes fishing. And to entertain a certain lady friend. Surprisingly, frequently these little trips have him bringing wagon loads of goods from Greshold’s Keep to stock his pantries, the records say. His lady friend must have unusual tastes. ”
“And you’re sure he’ll be there this time as well?” Bedwyr asked.
Byrony shrugged. His wings flickered a bit, just a little, showing a little of the tension building. “I can’t be totally sure, but it’s his usual practice. It’s what he’s been doing. If he does what he has done in the past, he’ll arrive at the cabin several hours before the deal is set to take place. I take it that the White Circle is going to surveil this place and let us know when he arrives?”
“My people are already in position,” Ruell said, “although I might have brought more if I had known what we were doing in advance.”
“I wish we could have had this meeting earlier, but there are leaks somewhere. We don’t know who or how they’ve been getting some of their information. This is why Redbeard wasn’t let in on how we’re doing it. His network’s the most likely source,” Bedwyr said. “We decided the fewer who knew until the last minute, the more likely everything would work as planned.”
“Odd how what’s been going on this is aimed at Redbeard’s power base,” Havron said. “You think he’d be anxious to help.”
“He himself would be, but that’s why I said his network,” Bedwyr replied. “Happens to a man who has a history of playing both sides against the middle. Loyalty there isn’t a guaranteed thing. Some of his people may want to see him fall, for revenge or greed.”
“Or both,” said Byrony, nodding. “That’s why he doesn’t even know what we’re planning, I hope.” He turned around. “Umber, bring me that box over there,” he said, pointing to a wooden box sitting on a pile of supplies.
Umber Madrona, who had been watching attentively but quietly to the back of Byrony, hurried to the box. It was heavier than he expected, but he grabbed it and handed it over. Byrony opened it up, and began to take out small markers and figurines.
“The Shadowlanders and their agents will be moving up from Tantis after our target settles in at the cabin. Their people are expecting to rendezvous with the Sunlit smugglers here.” He put a marker on a spot on the map. “It’s a fairly defensible space, the bottom of a canyon, wide enough to camp in, but with cliff faces on either side that allow whoever’s there first to set up defensive forces. We need to be there first.”
“I have two squads out now,” Sael said, nodding. “The first should grab the people coming up from Tantis. I have them stationed here,” he said, pointing at a place on the map near the entrance of the canyon. “The second group is waiting for his couriers. We’ve done take outs like this before. We’ll look like the group supplying the goods, while controlling the heights.”
“And once you have them?”
“That’s when we’ll leave them for squad one after dopplegangering them.”
“Dopplegangering?” Byrony asked. “Shapeshifting? Isn’t that dangerous? People caught in other forms sometime have trouble being their own selves again.”
“I’ve seen Bedwyr’s people use that technique,” Ruell said, nodding. “He has a special method that’s not exactly shapeshifting. But the effects are so good that even the mothers or wives of the copied wouldn’t be able to tell their bodies from the original. Even their voice sounds the same. But it can be tricky if they don’t act like the originals, sometimes.”
“Should be close enough to let them let us into the cabin.” Sael gave Byrony one of his wicked grins. “Once we have them, it’s all up to you.”
“We’ll be there soon as you signal,” Byrony said, nodding. “Now we wait.”