“Happy Birthday, Madam King!” Kerr Cerdic handed his boss a small glass filled with the most expensive brandy available anywhere. She downed the liquid with a sour look on her face.
“Thank you for reminding me.”
“Fifty is a landmark birthday and your surprise party is in just a few hours.”
She accepted a second glass, “I’ll be ready, and suitably surprised. What have you got for me? The Gallant is a week overdue from Hadon.” She was fairly tall for a woman, but no longer as thin and shapely as she had been in her youth. She used to wear her blonde hair short; she now let it touch her shoulders and it was more white than gold these days. Even when there were no meetings planned, she still dressed impeccably, her green silk shirt was tucked into black trousers, and she had gold and gems on half of her fingers.
“Might be pirates again. They are hitting almost everything that passes through the main trade lines. The Gallant had a platoon of Marines, but we don’t know how many fighters are on these raiding ships.” He looked worried, “Give it a few more days before we consider her lost?”
“You can wait for bookkeeping's sake, but I think we both know that she’s gone. Who’s coming to the party tonight? I might have to call in some favors to protect our ships. The overseas trade is more than a third of our revenue and can’t be easily replaced.”
“All of the royal families from Chuo, going west will attend, including King Syphon. The Mage is still unaccounted for, and Mage Boorman is otherwise occupied. They stood around a table with all of the ledgers, maps, charts, and other items. She thumbed through a list of the items lost along with the last three ships that were scheduled to return from Hadon, and she knew that the Gallant too, was lost.
“Start looking for talented fighters. Men, women, look for the best, and damn the cost! I am personally funding the lifestyle of this new fleet of pirates, and it has to end now.” Kerr picked up a pen and began furiously taking notes. “Cease all shipments going west. They seem to be concentrated in the trade routes between us and the new world.”
“Right away Madam King.” He gave a slight bow and was out the door. She pondered her next course of action. When she had commissioned a ship to sail west and explore the unknown ocean, she had put together a special crew, a team that would use their special talents to get the job done. This threat seemed even more dangerous than the fear of sailing off the edge of the world. She would have to assemble contractors that had not only skill but special abilities that would surely teach these pirates a lesson they’d not soon forget.
King Trading had offices in every major port city in the continents of Kronos and Tychon, but she called Goldport home. The port was centrally located in Kronos on the north shore of Rubina. Regina King had inherited her company from her father and quickly had it stolen from her by the Laima Group, but none of the old men who ran Laima could match her work ethic or her determination. She put them in the ground, some of them literally. Now she was the dominant trader in Western Kronos. Her wealth eclipsed all the kings of Kronos and was second only to the Vaughan Trading company, run by the sons of the late Lectyr Vaughan.
Her mansion was a heavily guarded compound, set on a hill overlooking the port and the sea beyond. Dozens of carriages arrived at the twenty-foot-tall steel gate, each transporting a titan of industry or a royal person. Those on the guest list were admitted, and those without a formal invitation were sent packing. Scores of armed guards filled the courtyard, smoking, and trading stories while their charges filed inside to be tempted by the dishes from all over the known world, and the finest wines and liquors.
A tall, handsome, older black man approached Regina as she was chatting with a few of her business peers. He was dressed in red silk from head to toe and wore an ermine cloak. In a room full of well-dressed people, he put the rest to shame.
“Regina, Happy Birthday!”
“Thank you, milord,” she said to Kell Syphon, the King of Kings in Kronos.
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“Vaughan Trading stagnates, and yet King Trading continues to grow. You have helped to bring together the ‘old world’ and the ‘new world’,” he said as he raised his glass in salute.
“Thank you, sire. It stopped being about the money long ago. Now it’s the challenge of bringing new goods to our people and selling our goods overseas. There will be more wealth for both sides. Along with great wealth comes great power. I am being preyed upon by pirates, and I do not take insults like that lying down.”
“I’ve heard some reports of increased piracy in the shipping lanes. Is it getting bad?”
“Just today I’ve decided to suspend all shipments until I can assemble a strong enough crew to repel boarders. I have plenty of money and resources, but no one can afford to lose ships and cargo at the rate that I am losing shipments.”
“That’s going to affect the economy of much of Kronos. I use you to ship livestock and vegetables to the Uzor.”
“I was hoping that ‘the mage’ or his former apprentice might help. Some magic would go a long way. Do you know of anyone that would like to earn their weight in coin?”
“Actually, I do,” the king replied. “The mage’s mansion is in my own country of Chuo. He’s been away for almost three years now on some… sabbatical, but they continue to train mages there and I know of an up-and-coming mage who might be interested in protecting your ships… for a price.”
“Please, send him to me. With your recommendation, consider him hired.”
“Her, she’s quite powerful and I think you’ll get along,” Kell said smiling at his host.
“Please show them in,” Regina said to her clerk. She had waited weeks for the help she’d been promised. She had already assembled some of the best fighting men, the most grizzled warriors she could find, but the pirates always seemed to be a step ahead of her and she wanted to finally win an encounter.
The clerk ducked his head through the door and waved for someone on the other side to enter. Pulling back, he allowed the two visitors to pass into Regina’s office. Regina had only been expecting one person to arrive, but there were two of them, and… they were elves. The woman was taller than she was, nearly six feet tall with light-colored hair and skin that was beautiful, despite being a light shade of grey. She wore robes of light and dark green, cut into a pattern that reminded one of a forest glade in bright sunlight. Her companion was a few inches taller, with the same coloring. His long hair was tied with a leather strap. He wore baggy clothing that looked almost like clean rags. He had a scarf across his nose and mouth and wore a longbow on his back.
“Miss King, I present Dulcinea and Indrani,” the clerk said before leaving and shutting the door behind him.
“Welcome, please have a seat.”
“Thank you. King Syphon tells me that you are losing ships to pirates and that you might need additional resources to protect your assets,” Dulcinea said before sipping a glass of champagne.
“He tells me that you are a magic user. He didn’t tell me that you were an elf.”
“I hope that’s not a problem. We’ve faced a lot of fear and suspicion everywhere we’ve tried to settle.”
“No, of course not. You come recommended by Kell Syphon, that’s good enough for me. I asked for the help of a mage. I assume you have ‘the gift’?” Genia asked. “And this gentleman?”
“I have been a magic user since birth. Since leaving the shadow world for your world, my magic strength has grown exponentially. Indrani here does not do magic, but his immense skill with a sword is only surpassed by his skill with a bow.”
“He doesn’t speak for himself?” She eyed the silent elf suspiciously.
“Indrani was injured long ago. He’s capable of speaking but does so very rarely.”
“I’m interested in having both of you join the crew of one of my ships. I’m just curious…”
“What my powers are? How strong my magic is?” Dulcinea smiled broadly, knowing that a demonstration would be necessary. She waved her hand casually, and an amber crystal appeared across the room. Trapped inside was a statue of Regina that she had commissioned a few years before. “This is my natural ability, to create crystal. In the shadow world, I could only make them the size of, at best, a piece of fruit. Here in your world, our world now, I guess, I can make them large enough to trap a man, and even larger. They are strong and I can make them shells or solid. If I trap a pirate inside, he’s essentially dead.” She waved her hand again, and the crystal disappeared. “I also know many spells that Michael Boorman has taught me. I can create portals to transport myself and party great distances, and of course, I can conjure food, drink, fire…”
“You could have used magic to come here weeks ago?” she asked, perturbed by the delay.
“The spell only works if you know where you’re going, if you can visualize the other side. Now that I’ve been to your lovely home, I can move back and forth between Goldport and the plains of Pyrros where my people are struggling to create a home.”
“I’ve seen your quote for a job this dangerous. A hefty sum, but I’m willing to pay to have these pirates dealt with. There will be bonuses for capturing ships and taking prisoners.” Dulcinea nodded. “Do you think that you can get this situation under control?”
“Perhaps, and I’ve been told that you have hired some skilled fighters, but I know a couple of sellswords that will help to round out the crew.” She smiled and finished her drink.