E08 - Ch 34: A Return to Market

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✣✣✣✣✣ EPISODE EIGHT ✣✣✣✣

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✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣ "Ignition" ✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣

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It seemed like half the village was waiting for me by the time I got back down. They were gathered all around the tree, some of them pointing, their faces a mix of wonder and awe. I spotted a few angry faces among the adults too, and I could guess why. The boys were all looking really excited as they watched me monkey-step my way down.

I was grinning like an idiot as I got to level ground. All the tension in me was gone, and I felt like a million bucks, or a million arcas, as I guess you'd say. Even Chief Clarity's dark scowl couldn't deter the smile on my face.

"What were you thinking?" she thundered, stepping past Elder Sharp and Elder Keen, who had also come. Her words silenced the murmurs and hurrahs from the boys. "You could have fallen. You could have died! What kind of example are you setting for the children?"

I could see her point. I'd been a climber all my life and knew what I was doing, but some young kid could easily take a bad fall if he got any bad ideas.

But before I could reply, someone called, "What was it like up there?"

"What could you see?"

It was Lari and Torek. They had that eager and inquisitive look that young men get when something thrilling and out of the ordinary takes place.

"Everything," I said, grinning and feeling just as young as they were. "I could see all of the Five Villages and even the mountains in the distance."

"The mountains…" Lari repeated, eyes full of wonder.

"Aelric!" Chief Clarity snapped. "You will stop encouraging this foolishness!"

I bowed my head. "I apologize, Chief Clarity. It was a risky thing to do. But I did take precautions. I used the rope here to secure me even on the way up. That way, if I fell, it would catch me."

"How did you unhitch the rope once you went it's length?" Elder Sharp asked. Unlike Clarity, he seemed more entralled by the whole thing.

"I cut the rope with my spell. Just the end though so I wouldn't lose too much," I said. I was worried he was going to ask where I got the rope next. I intended to mend the rope before anyone noticed. I'd lost more than I thought I would, and I'd need to splice it back to its original length. If memory served, my family had some shorter rope at home that would do the trick.

"I've never heard of a rope-cutting spell," Elder Keen said.

"He used the spell he cut Brint's rope with during your duel!" To my surprise, it was Yorge's voice. His face was all purple and blue from the day before, but he looked excited. And he was right, of course he'd have known that I had no other spells. It had been an issue he tormented me with for the past two years.

But I gave him a friendly grin because I knew we were past that now, and he was telling everyone like you would when your buddy just did something amazing.

"It's my only spell," I said.

Elder Sharp stroked his long white beard. "Hold out your rope for me for a moment, Aelric."

I untied the strip around my waist and held the rope up in a loop.

Elder Sharp squinted, concentrating on the rope, and pointed his finger at it with sudden force. "Chop Wood!"

An axe glimmering with yellow arcana shot out from Elder Sharp's finger and struck the rope, passing through it until it dissipated in the distant air.

The rope remained completely undamaged.

"Well… I don't think anyone will be trying this stunt anytime soon," Elder Sharp said to Chief Clarity. "The Chop Wood spell was never meant to cut rope, and I still don't know how he does it, but I doubt anyone will be able to."

She still looked furious, so I quickly added in a loud voice, "I am truly sorry. It was a foolish and dangerous thing to do. If anybody else climbs the world tree, I'll take full responsibility for their actions, and I ask that you reprimand me along with them if it ever happens."

That seemed to mollify Chief Clarity a little. "Be assured that I will do exactly that, Aelric, and it won't be a matter of light chores to make up for the transgression." She spoke that last part of the sentence to the group of jubilant lads who were still grinning excitedly in my direction.

"Alright everyone, that's enough gawking for the morning; we've all got farms to attend to." At Chief Clarity's urging, the crowds began to disperse and head back toward the village.

But not everyone left right away. It wasn't just the boys grinning at me; there were plenty of young ladies smiling too. I'd had enough admirers over the years to know what a stunt like that does to your standing among young women, but I was a little surprised when I caught Feyna's eye. She smiled at me and looked as if she wanted to speak to me.

I gave her a quick nod and just happened to spot Nymet, the old widow and master baker, in the dispersing crowd.

"Matron Nymet!" I called after her, moving to catch up to her.

I avoided looking in Feyna's direction again. Despite how Aelric felt about her, I sure wasn't going to get entangled in some teenage love affair. Not only did I have plenty of work that needed my attention, but Feyna was young enough to be my great-granddaughter. Just the thought of having to talk to her about a past romance was going to be an uncomfortable mess.

"Aelric," Nymet said with a grand smile as I caught up to her. "That was quite the show. Did you really see mountains up there?"

"I did," I said, walking beside her. "They're very far away, but they were snow-capped and beautiful."

"It's a shame my husband isn't here anymore. He never left the village, but he loved hearing about what was beyond our borders. He would have loved seeing Chief Clarity get in a huff too, that almost never happens."

I chuckled. "Given what I've heard, I'm sure he got up all sorts of trouble too."

"Oh, he certainly did." Nymet grinned mischievously, but she didn't elaborate. "Now tell me, Aelric. What can I do for you? You came to walk with me instead of Feyna and the other young ladies all beaming at you."

"Young ladies?" I made a mock show of looking around. "I must not have noticed. I was too eager to be in the presence of mature wisdom and grace."

She laughed and swatted me on the shoulder. "When did you become such a charmer? You must have a big favor to ask of me."

"No, not big. I was just hoping to have some more of that incredible honey cake you made for the harvest festival. It was the best I'd ever tasted, and I'm hoping to bring some of it to the market tomorrow."

"You want to sell my honey cake?"

"Well, not exactly; it'd be hard to transport too much of it and keep all of it fresh. But maybe in the future, if you wouldn't mind sharing the recipe with me."

"I can't give you the recipe, Aelric. Not until I've truly perfected it. It's very close now. But it's not ready."

"Alright, I'm happy to wait for the best it can be. But for now, how about you let me buy a loaf from you? Do you have anything recently made?"

"As a matter of fact, I made a batch just this morning while you were playing monkey."

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It was mid-afternoon by the time I rolled into Greytown. After picking up two loaves of Nymet’s honey cake, I'd taken another hundred litras of wheat to Miller Tabb. He gave me the same deal he gave my father, and I didn't haggle it as I was already feeling bad for making a profit off Sapper Khom. I knew no one in my village was doing particularly well, and I didn't feel good about making my profits off of them.

Besides, Miller Tabb’s prices were already more than fair, having already given my father a discount on his usual price. This time, instead of asking for fine flour, I requested coarse.

As I pulled into the outskirts of the market square, I was surprised to find a short line forming at the checkpoint. At the end of it, two traders stood speaking in hushed tones at the front of a wagon. One was tall and wiry. The other was broader, dressed in a travel-stained cloak.

I could just make out their words as I joined the end of the line behind them.

"I heard it was seven men that died,” the tall one said.

“Seven of Legionnaire Kallow’s men,” his friend replied. “Fifteen in total if you count the village hunters. That demon the three murderers summoned cut through Village Aldin like a blade through butter. Imagine if it had gotten loose in Greytown.”

“Bright Heleric, who would do such a thing?”

“Who else?”

“You don’t mean… the Nyx?” the tall trader said, practically whispering the words. “But why?”

The broad trader shook his head grimly. “It’s like they say, the Dark Covenant lurks in every shadow, and not even the gods understand their evil plans.”

His friend shuddered. Then he looked up and saw that the line was moving again. "I'll see what I learn during the day. Good luck today."

He ran off and collected his mule at the wagon in front, leading it to the market’s entrance.

I'd listened in on the two men with some mild unease. There was no internet here, not that it was ever an arbiter of truth. But Greytown was only four hours from Village Aldin and already rumors had badly butchered the facts.

By the story the trader had told, the death toll had tripled, and it was three dark arcanists who had summoned the demon.

But I also remembered Kallow's men and wondered if they were the ones who had changed the story rather than a bad case of playing telephone. He may be able to benefit if rumor had gotten around that he'd defended the village and that the attack was worse than it seemed. I didn't see who else would gain from such a tale.

Ahead, I saw the clerk who had given my father and me the paltry stall the last time we'd come to the market. I noted that his posture and expression changed depending on who he greeted in the line. Though he held himself with great poise, I noted that he wore the same blue frock coat as the time before. No one was wealthy here.

“Excuse me,” I said to the trader in front of me.

He nearly jumped, clearly still rattled by demon stories. “Yes?”

“Who’s the man there in charge of the market?”

“That’s Oryan,” the man said, relaxing when he realized I wasn’t asking about demons. “You new here?”

“I’ve come once before.”

“Be careful with him. He’s a stickler.”

“Thank you for the advice,” I said. Then I introduced myself, shook his hand, and we discussed the market until it was his turn, and I had to go back and move my mule up the line.

Supposedly, the market stalls were taken on a first-come, first-served basis, which would be disadvantageous for me given how late in the day I’d arrived again. But given how it went last time, it was likely based on things other than timing.

The trader with the demon rumors went through after the clerk had inspected his wares. Then he turned his eyes to me and looked me over.

Though it was tight on me, I wore my father's best tunic, the same he’d worn to the harvest festival. It was still patched in several areas, but my mother had washed it the day before, and it was the nicest garment we owned. It did not seem that he recognized me.

"Hello!” I said with a big smile. “Do you know if the great Master Oryan is attending the market today?"

The man raised his brow. "I am Oryan."

"Oh!" I said with surprise. "You are? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your reputation for fairness and good business precedes you. I'm Aelric, a flour seller."

The man stood a little taller. "You will be selling flour today? Any other wares?"

"Just the very best flour in the province for me."

The man studied the bags on the cart; he seemed unimpressed by what he found. Most shopkeepers, it seemed, had multiple types of wares.

"A variety of flours, of course,” I added quickly. “Each with unique properties tailored for all manner of breads, cakes, and the like. Please," I said, unwrapping a cake and holding it up to him, "You must try this honey cake. It was baked with a mix of my finest flour."

The man seemed uninterested in taking the cake that I produced, but before he could say no, I added, "I was lucky enough to come upon the great Durden today, and he tried it, saying it was one of the very best cakes he'd ever had. I admit his praise has made my day."

"Who is Durden?" the man said.

I slapped him on the back and barked a laugh. "Who's Durden, he says. Oh, that's a good one. Who's Durden, ha! Here, do take a bite. It's the best thing you'll have eaten all week."

The man blinked at me but took a slice of the golden cake with his fingers and placed it into his mouth. His eyebrows rose, and he nodded as he chewed. "Sweet."

"Why, thank you. I'm sure the market's customers will be very pleased with my flour. Here, take the rest of this half loaf, I've got plenty."

I wrapped the cake back up in the leaf and handed it to him, which he accepted.

"The price is thirty arcas for the full day, eighteen arcas for half a day. We also offer a discount if you pay by the week or month."

I smiled, suppressing the flash of anger that came from within. I knew we had paid full last time. "A half day, please."

I held the remainder of the chit I’d gotten from Sapper Khom and, with my other hand, pressed eighteen arcas onto the pay tab, drawing the payment from the bigger chit through my body. It was the strangest sensation.

Oryan nodded and took my chit. "My assistant will take you."

"Oh, before he does, Master Oryan, could I trouble you for your wisdom on which spot would be best suited for a flour seller such as myself in your market?"

Oryan nodded. "The third row should be good. Find him a spot there, Kit."

I bowed. "Thank you very much. A wonderful day to you."

I led my mule after the boy who took me into the market square.

Who is Durden? said a voice in my head. It belonged to Aelric, the seventeen-year-old in me.

Durden, I replied, is a magician, a master of entryways, and better connected than the Emperor. He's also our best friend. He opens doors, gets you discounts, and lands you the top places in the market. His magic feeds on the fear of looking out of touch.

The boy got it then. He seemed to be able to access whatever I brought to the forefront of my consciousness, but not necessarily my memories or past experiences that I had not actively recalled.

How did you know that would work?

I didn't. But if he pressed me on who Durden was, I'd just say he's a well-known trader in the area and move on. In any case, snobby fellows like that usually won't risk appearing to not know something.

Oryan's assistant led us to a tent on the main path of the market that was between two stalls that were also selling a lot of flour but with a better variety of other wares than mine. It wasn't necessarily bad to be put next to two shops selling the same thing, but I knew they weren't going to like what I was going to be doing today, and I would rather not be sandwiched between them.

"My dearest apologies, good Kit,” I said. “Do you think it would be terribly troublesome if I took that spot over there instead? I prefer to face the sun when I sell, makes for a happier day."

The assistant shrugged and nodded. I thanked him and sent him back to his master with a piece of honey cake.

The spot I'd taken was beside a fruit seller and another empty stall. He was an older man setting out multi-colored fruits of all sizes and shapes.

"Fine collection you have there," I said, smiling at him.

He gave me a suspicious glance but nodded. "Most of it is local, but the oranges are from Dionrajya. Anything I can get you?"

"Dionrajya, that's amazing! I don’t know where that is, so it must be far. I'd love an orange right now, but I'd better make an arca before I start buying. Perhaps later though, your selection does look mighty refreshing. I'm Aelric, by the way." I stuck out my hand. I would have introduced where I was from, but the rumors of the village probably wouldn't do me any favors right now, so I kept it short.

He took it with a firm grip and a nod. "Gufry. And Dionrajya isn’t that far. Just south beyond the Empire’s border."

“That’s plenty far! The oranges must be very fine to have traveled the distance.”

“They’re good ones alright, I traded a fine batch of furs for them.” He glanced over my wares. “So, you’re a flour merchant.”

"Yes, the very best flour in all of Caelonia."

Gufry gave a chuckle with a knowing smile. "And I've got the best fruit in all of Caelonia."

I shared a grin with him. "You've got it, pal. Good luck today."

"You as well."

I set my wares out neatly in sacks. Then I placed a plate with small cut pieces of Nymet’s cake at the very front. The next thing to do was to write out the prices with chalk on the little wood boards that I had brought.

When we walked through the market, I took note that although there were some stalls selling fine flour for thirty-five arcas, as my father and I had tried to sell before, that flour was put in very small bags. The larger portion of the flour being sold in this market was coarse flour.

That made plenty of sense to me. This wasn’t the fancy merchant market on the richer side of town. People here probably couldn’t afford fine flour on a regular basis. And that price of thirty-five arcas seemed high to me. I guessed that the stalls advertising it at such a price meant to use it as a way to make their coarse flour seem like a better deal at sixteen to twenty arcas.

I thought about it, then I picked up the chalk and began to write on my boards. I would have written better marketing copy for each, but my reading and writing were poor, and I didn't know how to write the words for anything more complex. I even had to ask my mother how to write the word "try."

The one in front of the fine flour read, "Fresh-milled Fine-Fine Flour - 29 arcas."

The one in front of Nymet’s cakes read, "Made with Fine-Fine Flour. Free to try!"

The one in front of the first bag of coarse flour read, "Regular Flour - 17 arcas."

The one in front of the second bag of coarse flour read, "Hand Harvested Flour - 20 arcas."

Then I was ready to sell.

As I’d hoped, the mid-afternoon rush arrived as people got off work, and the market grew busy with foot traffic. Despite my fear about the customer not matching the product, I got lucky with the first person who came to my stall.

She was a middle-aged woman who looked to be some kind of craftsperson, given her garb and the toolbelt around her waist. She approached with her sharp eyes scanning my offerings before settling on the cake.

“Good afternoon!” I greeted her with a friendly smile. “Would you like to try a slice?”

She hesitated for just a moment.

“It’s free?”

“Totally free. Here, take two!”

I held up the plate, and she took two pieces of the cake that I’d cut. As she bit into the little square, her expression softened, and her eyes widened in surprise. “This is... wonderful,” she said, her voice filled with genuine delight. “You must tell me your recipe.”

“Ah… I’m afraid that is a secret I have been sworn not to divulge. However, I can tell you that it was made with my Fine-Fine flour here. It’s double-milled for a finer texture and richer taste. I’m Aelric, by the way.”

I gave her a light wave, and she was slightly taken aback by the introduction. I guess it wasn’t too common between shopkeepers and first-time customers in the market.

“Oh… I’m Taela. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Taela. I’m sure you’ll bake something just as delicious with this Fine-Fine flour. Would you like to take some home to give it a shot?”

Taela shrugged. “Very well, I’ll take a litra, but I’ll be very sorry if I can’t reproduce this.” She popped the second piece in her mouth and handed me a bag that she produced from her purse as she eyed the other sacks on display.

As I prepared her order, a sun-scorched older man approached. He was drawn in by the cake samples, and after trying a bite, he grunted in approval as he eyed my flour.

“What’s the difference between the coarse flour and this hand-harvested stuff?”

His curiosity was exactly what I hoped for. I gestured to the different bags. “The hand-harvested flour is gathered by hand rather than by spell. It’s a labor-intensive process where farmers pick each grain with care, ensuring only the best are chosen for milling.”

“Sounds like a waste of time to me,” he said. “I’ll take a litra of the regular.”

“Certainly,” I said, shoveling a litra into his cloth bag and then weighing it on my father's scale.

Taela still stood there, looking at my signs. “But what does hand harvesting do for the quality?”

“Oh, allow me to explain...” I accepted the payment from the man, who then gave me a nod and walked off. Then, in a slightly hushed tone, I said, “Hand-harvesting results in a finer product. Only the very best wheat is harvested because the farmer directly works with each and every crop. It’s a completely different method of harvesting. Spell-farmers cut and thresh their wheat in great batches, from afar, sometimes not even seeing the full effects of their incantations. But the hand-harvested wheat is collected one stalk at a time and threshed by the flail. As you can imagine, it takes much more time and care, which explains the higher price than the regular coarse flour.”

She seemed mightily intrigued but also cautious. “I’ve never heard of hand-harvested flour before.”

“It’s not for everyone,” I said with a shrug. “Which is why I also offer the regular flour that’s harvested with spells.”

Taela nodded, her eyes alight with curiosity. After a moment’s thought, she smiled again. “I’ll give it a try. A litra of the hand-harvested flour, please.”

"Right away!" I said and began preparing the order, feeling happier than a puppy. The truth was, all my flour was hand-harvested, of course. I had no certainty that my hand-harvested wheat was indeed better than spell-harvested wheat that the other stalls were selling. I just know I sure believed it was given all the back-breaking and painstaking work it had taken me to harvest it with my bare hands. But I also tipped the odds in the favor of the hand-harvested stuff by adding combining fine flour into it to comprise ten percent of the bag. That made my profit all about the same, and it guaranteed the customer was in fact getting the added benefit of a smoother flour.

Taela was going through her purse when she looked up and frowned. “I’ve only brought the one flour bag.”

“One moment,” I said, and quickly went to my cart to get a spare bag. It was the only extra one I had, but I held it up and began filling it with the hand-harvested flour. “You can take this one and bring it back to me the next time you come to the market. And if you forget, don’t worry about it.”

She smiled at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring it back.”

As I handed back her cloth bag in exchange for the chit she gave me, I said, "Thank you so much for your business, Taela. Also, be sure to check out my friend Gufry's fruit stall. He's got things all the way from Dionrajya, and all at good prices."

Taela thanked me and walked over to Gufry's stall to take a look. He'd overheard me and gave me a nod of thanks before giving the woman his full attention.

She didn't end up buying anything from him, but from that moment on, he recommended my wares to anyone who had finished a purchase with him, and I continued to do the same for him.

Then more customers arrived to try my free samples, and I was off to the races.