Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) (23 page)

“If I think about it, certainly,” he retorted, not in the
least affected by this rebuke.

Grinning, she shook her head. “You stubborn man. Come up,
Beirly, and let’s get you all to shore so you can dry off.”

Tran liked the sound of that.

Grae managed to squeak the last part of the caravan in
before the sun grew too weak, and so they all made it to Vellshire without any
further incidents. Tran greeted them at the inn with dinner already on the
table. They all thankfully dropped into it, each person beyond tired after
having to cover for two people most of the day.

Siobhan didn’t even give him a greeting, just piled a plate
high with food and consumed half of it. Tran wasn’t entirely sure she was
either breathing or chewing, just inhaling. Only after she had cleaned the
plate, and had another serving, did she look up and properly greet him. “You
were smart to have dinner waiting for us.”

“I wasn’t sure if you would have a chance to eat anything
until you arrived,” he explained with a wink. “Good thing I did. Wolf-maee is
sound asleep upstairs. An apothecarist came and took a look at him and said the
water didn’t do him any good, but he had a strong medicine to combat it, and
the man’s lungs sound clearer now.”

“I’m relieved to hear it. Grae did relay to me before the
last leg that Wolf was seen to. Thank you, Tran. Honestly, Wolf’s one of the
healthiest men that I know, but when he is down it’s a nightmare. None of us
really have the strength to support him. We would have been in serious trouble
if you weren’t with us today.”

Truly. Tran had strained to get Wolfinsky out of the water
and into the barge, and that was with two people helping. How would they have
managed to rescue him alone?

Siobhan set her fork aside and focused on him. “Also, it
speaks volumes that you dove in so readily. I heard what you told Sylvie, about
your lack of confidence in swimming, and I saw that you struggled to keep both
you and Wolf above the surface. It was a true risk on your part, going in after
him like that.”

Tran blinked at her, beyond startled at this observation. He
had not jumped in after Wolfinsky due to some internal calculation. An
enforcer’s instincts were engrained after a certain point. It didn’t matter if
it was a defenseless guild mate or another enforcer. “Of course I had to.”

This won him a smile, a brilliant one that was like a second
sun. “Thank you. Truly.”

Not knowing what else to say, he smiled at her and went back
to eating dinner.

“Siobhan,” Sylvie waited until the woman turned to face her
before speaking, “we are staying a day or so here in Vellshire, aren’t we?”

“Perhaps more, depending on how Wolf does. Why?”

“We were hoping to do some trading, pick up some goods
here.”

Siobhan immediately looked interested. “Who’s we?”

“Tran, Fei, and me.”

“What are you buying?”

“Saffron or white wine, depending on the prices.”

Giving the woman a mock pout, Siobhan pointed a finger
towards her nose. “I don’t get invited in on this?”

“You can if you want to.” Sylvie shrugged, saying she didn’t
mind. “We’re heading into the market in the morning.”

“I’m going with you.” Siobhan said firmly. “Grae, Beirly,
what will you do?”

Beirly looked torn. “Grae and I were talking about doing
some shopping of our own. There are a few specialty items down here we both are
wanting.”

Tran frowned as he heard this. If the men were going out as
well, they would need protection (mostly for Grae) which meant that the
enforcers couldn’t all be in one group. He looked to Fei. “Men or women?”

Fei paused as well, considering. “Beirly-ren, what
specialties?”

“New tools for darksteel forging,” Beirly explained. “I need
Grae to go with me to calculate the weight and make sure I stay in limit.”

“Not to mention he’s promised to make me a few tools,” Grae
put in.

“Men,” Fei decided. “I also want a look at these tools.”

“You have an interest in forging?” He didn’t know why it
surprised him, it just did.

“He often helps me,” Beirly stated. “Between the two of us,
we can get a new hand made for Wolf in under three days, we’ve gotten so good
at it.”

Tran really, really needed to stop underestimating the kid.
“Then I’ll escort the women.”

“Beirly, Grae, you’re welcome to go in on the trade as
well,” Sylvie offered.

“Can’t this trip,” Beirly said, but with a smile to show her
he appreciated the offer. “Have tools to buy after all. But ask me next time.”

“I want to pitch in a few kors,” Grae stated tentatively,
gauging her reaction. “But most of my money needs to be saved for tools as
well.”

“That’s fine. We’re looking at triple returns, unless the
market has changed.”

“Then I’m definitely giving you a few kors. When do you need
it by?”

“Morning is fine.”

“Understood.”

Siobhan stared uncertainly up at the ceiling. “Who thinks
they can be back first?”

“Worried about Wolf?” Beirly’s tone said he already knew the
answer. “I don’t think we’ll take more than one or two hours, truth told. I can
only buy so much because of the weight restriction.”

“Then I’m counting on you to sit on him and make him take
his medicine.”

“Me?” Beirly asked doubtfully. “Ah, Shi, you realize that
the only person that can make Wolf do anything is you, right?”

“Threaten him with her,” Grae suggested.

“Oh, now that’s a good idea.”

Under her breath Siobhan muttered, “Why am I always the
heavyweight in this guild. I swear.” Clearing her throat, she raised her voice
back to a normal speaking tone. “Alright, everyone, I’m off to bed. Sylvie, we
meeting here?”

“Sure. We’ll leave after breakfast.”

“Alright then. Good night, everyone.”

ӜӜӜ

If women have the promise of a shopping trip to look forward
to, they can be ridiculously early risers. Tran only realized this because his
room was in between Sylvie’s and Siobhan’s and he heard both women get up at
minutes apart from each other. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he threw on clothes
and came out into the hallway at almost the same time as they did.

“You’re up,” Siobhan greeted, chipper. “Good. Let’s snag
breakfast in the market, it will be hot and fresh that way.”

Agreeable, he trailed after them, listening as they
conferred on where to go and what to buy. Of course, his eyes roved all around,
taking in the place and looking out for trouble, but he had a smile on his
face, listening to them talk. Hearing happy women was always a kernel of
happiness to men.

The Vellshire market was not the largest that Tran had ever
seen but it certainly wasn’t the smallest either. It didn’t crowd in on itself
as some did, but instead seemed to stretch in all directions, like a spider’s
web would. Also like a spider’s web, it trapped the unwary, enticing you to buy
things you probably didn’t need or couldn’t really afford. Tran was just as
glad that his money was in Sylvie’s hands because it kept him from several
impulse buys. Mostly food. The smell in this place would make any gourmet beg.

Sylvie stopped dead in the street, orienting herself.
“They’re usually near here…Tran, do you see a cinnamon bun vendor?”

“Ahead two stalls to the right,” he responded promptly. It
was that smell that was driving him the most insane.

“How about that for breakfast?”

“I’ll need at least six,” he informed her seriously. Six
might not be enough either.

Siobhan laughed and led the way. “Six it will be. I can
barely eat two, which is a shame, as that never satisfies my mouth at all.”

The vendor had a little bit of a line, but he had plenty of
rolls, so he handed over a dozen to their group without any haggling. Tran
didn’t think the girls had bought that many in case his six didn’t tide him
over to lunch. Likely, they thought to bring at least a few back for the other men.
It was very, very hard to restrain himself, though, as six filled his stomach
but did not curb his mouth’s impulses.

They ate and walked, for all the world appearing like
nonchalant tourists. Sylvie stopped several times, fingering something, or
asking questions, before she took them off to the side and lowered her tone to
a more confidential one. “Bolts of fabric are cheap here.”

Both Tran and Siobhan leaned in, immediately interested.
“How cheap?” Siobhan pressed.

“Almost dirt cheap. I just remembered that they have a great
many cotton fields southeast of the city. That’s likely why. But I’m seeing
bolts here going for a fraction of the cost in Goldschmidt. Even if the market
has fluctuated while we’re gone, we’ll still make a very nice profit from it.”

Siobhan chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s true the cloth would
be easier to transport. Less fragile.”

“Also not as heavy. I also haven’t seen much selection of
wines so far. I wonder if they had a bad crop this past year?”

“They might have.”

Sylvie turned to peer down the street. “Really, when
investing, it’s best to diversify as much as possible. Two products are good,
three are better. Besides, if we buy cloth here, that means we can set two or
three bolts aside and make Tran some better clothes.”

Blinking, he stared down at her. “When did we decide I need
new clothes?”

“When I realized I haven’t seen you wear one thing that
doesn’t have either a mended tear in it or a frayed hem,” she responded
promptly.

“There’s no way that you will be able to find ready-made
clothes to fit you,” Siobhan stated confidently. “I know this because of Wolf.
He’s impossible to shop for. But there’s a tailor near our Hall that can whip
up a set of clothes quickly. If we bring him bolts as payment in kind, we can
likely get at least three new outfits sewn up for you at a fraction of the
cost.”

“Three?” Sylvie gave her guildmaster a dismissive snort.
“Who do you take me for? I can get at least five. Especially if we bring him
glass buttons too.”

“Oh, now there’s a good thought.”

Tran knew when he was outmaneuvered. And it was true that
most of his clothes were becoming rather threadbare. Besides, it made him happy
that both women had not only noticed what he was dressed in, but thought enough
of him to do something about it. “This, I take it, will cut into my
investments?”

“Only by a little,” Sylvie promised. “Not even a half a kor,
I think.”

That cheap? “In that case, I’d be a fool to pass it up. Are
you sure, though?”

“Positive,” she assured him, patting him on the arm. “Let’s
go back to the second merchant I spoke with. He has the best selection.”

Tran completely turned into a beast of burden. If something
went down, and he was called to protect the women, it would take him a solid
minute to put all of the purchases down, and the fight would likely be over
before he could even draw a sword. He ended up carrying a rack of ten bolts of
fabric on his back, plus another five under his right arm. Siobhan and Sylvie
both carried five bolts on their backs as well, of course, as he couldn’t carry
everything. But in his left arm, he had two cases of dry white wine that Sylvie
had somehow managed to get for a song. Siobhan carried two large bags of
saffron in her arms like a mother would her children. Sylvie kept her hands
free until the very last minute, then she darted into a kiosk and bought a
variety of glass buttons that sparkled in multiple hues.

Siobhan stopped before they left the mercantile section of
the market completely. “Sylvie, can you carry one more bolt?”

“I think I can, why?”

“I think I can as well. Maybe two. It just hit me that
Wolf’s wardrobe isn’t faring any better than Tran’s. Perhaps we should buy a
few more and get him outfitted this winter as well.”

“It’s a good thought,” Sylvie agreed. “Guard my buttons,
I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Get blue!” Siobhan called after her.

Tran shifted so that he was in between both women, not ten
feet away from Sylvie, ready to drop the cloth if he needed to in order to
react.

Siobhan frowned in growing concern. “I realize she’s not
far, but the crowd is getting thicker. I can’t even see her.”

“I can,” Tran assured her, eyes locked onto the brunette’s
back. “Although I don’t like the look of things. Siobhan-maee, can you get that
bag of buttons?”

“Yes. Do we need to get closer?”

“Just in case.” Tran’s instincts said to move now, but he
couldn’t leave Siobhan behind. He didn’t think that way just because Wolf would
kill him for it later.

It took a little pushing to forge a path through all of the
people. Tran was five feet away and closing when Sylvie thrust a hand up into
the air. “HUSBAND!”

Swearing, he bulled his way through the rest of the people
without care for who he knocked over, not stopping until he’d reached Sylvie’s
side.

Unlike the previous times, it was not a driver or some other
caravan worker that was trying their luck with a pretty woman. This was another
enforcer from the looks of him, and while not as tall as Tran, he had a wide
girth of strapped muscle that matched the battle axe at his side. He sized up
Tran with narrowed dark eyes. Tran returned the look and judged that he could
probably take the man although it wouldn’t be a quick or easy fight.

“Husband?” he repeated suspiciously.

Sylvie found an open spot on Tran’s chest and pressed up
against him, a pout on her face. “Darling, this man won’t leave me alone.”

Siobhan, behind them, coughed suspiciously as if she was
suppressing a laugh.

Tran tried to roll with this new twist on their signal and
glared at the man in what he hoped was a jealous manner. “He’ll do that now. He
doesn’t want to tangle with a married woman.”

With a huff of frustration, the enforcer turned and melted
into the crowd.

Only after he left did Siobhan lose control and start
chortling. “Husband? Darling? Wait, when did you agree on all of this?”

Tran blinked, then realized that when he and Sylvie had done
this before, Siobhan hadn’t been a witness to it. “We talked it over in
Goldschmidt.”