Mastery Is Earned

It was evening by the time the cart reached Elmbridge, though fortunately it was not quite dark yet.

As agreed, Raymond gave the two villagers the remaining copper coins. “Here’s the rest of your payment. We don’t need the goods on your cart either. You can do whatever you like with them.”

The villagers beamed at his words and nodded eagerly as they accepted the money.

Raymond smiled at them, then took out another silver coin and handed it over. Leaning closer, he said quietly, “This is from my two companions, to thank you for looking after them.”

“Sir, you’re all far too generous.” The villager accepted the coin excitedly. “I swear I’ll make sure other people give half-orcs a fair chance from now on. I won’t treat them like I did before.”

Raymond waved a hand with a smile, then added, “And this matter goes no further. Do you understand?”

“Yes. We understand.” Both men nodded repeatedly.

Only after they had left did Raymond return to Henk and Mara, who were waiting outside the inn. He and Mara helped Henk inside together.

They rented two rooms. Once Mara was settled, Raymond returned to Henk’s room.

Henk sat in a chair with his head lowered. Seeing Raymond enter, he sighed. “We’ve really lost out this time. My sword’s broken, we haven’t earned anything, and our wagons are still in Brightwater...”

“At least we’re alive.” Raymond took out a small coin purse and shook it. “And don’t forget about this.”

“What’s that?” Henk asked, puzzled.

Raymond drew out several more purses and placed them on the table one by one. “They belonged to Teddy, Derek, and the others.”

“Oh.” Henk said nothing more.

Raymond emptied each purse onto the table. There were plenty of silver coins, but even more copper, and a sizable pile soon formed.

“Well, that’s...” Raymond glanced at Henk in surprise.

Henk suddenly raised his head and looked at him seriously. “Could it have been Marcus?”

“Marcus?” Raymond paused, considering the question carefully. “I doubt it. Teddy gave me a lead. Tessa, that woman from the black market, approached him and told him to do it. If I’m right, she was the final contact for the bandits trading with the gnolls. The T that Martin mentioned was probably Tessa.”

“So that’s it. No wonder she bought the ore.” Henk rubbed his chin.

“Yes. I think I’ve worked out what that ore is too. Unless I’m mistaken, it’s Ebony ore.”

Henk stared at him. “Ebony ore? Never heard of it.”

“Have you heard of Ebony gear? Ebony weapons?”

“Of course I have. Wait, you mean this Ebony ore is...” Henk understood immediately, his breathing quickening.

Raymond nodded. “Exactly. If I’m right, it’s the raw material for Ebony gear. That’s why they paid so much for it. When she learned we’d wiped out those bandits and continued trading with the gnolls, she decided to silence us. Probably to keep anyone else from finding out about her source.”

Henk gave a wry smile. “I wonder whether Teddy told her that Marcus arranged the trades with the gnolls. The Sheriff of Blackstone. Surely she can’t silence him too?”

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Raymond smiled as well. “Perhaps she really can’t touch Marcus. But a woman who controls Brightwater’s black market must have someone backing her. The question is whether that person has any influence in Blackstone.”

Henk sighed deeply. “I wonder how things are at home. I don’t know whether the Orc Scourge has affected them.”

Raymond could only sigh with him. He said nothing and continued counting the coins.

He soon finished counting the silver. There were forty-seven coins in all, along with a large pile of copper still to be counted.

Raymond smiled at the money. “Looks like we’re worth quite a bit. The five of them still had all this left. I remember they were nearly broke before we set out. Now they’ve bought better equipment and still have this much to spare. That woman certainly is generous.”

Henk looked at the coins with pleasure, but his expression soon turned angry. “There should have been more. I killed the fishfolk leader, and you found the cargo. We should go back to Brightwater and collect our reward.”

“No. We can’t take that risk.” Raymond shook his head. “I don’t think the Watch Commander was involved, but we can’t gamble with our lives. Besides, don’t forget what we still have.”

He nudged one of the crates beside him with his foot. “If they’re offering five gold coins to get these back, the goods themselves must be worth far more.”

“I’d like to see what’s so valuable,” Henk said, looking at the three crates.

Raymond considered it. Opening them for a look did not seem unreasonable. It would be overstepping, but both he and Henk had been betrayed during the job, and people had tried to murder them. Tessa was clearly involved, yet he still could not tell whether the Watch Commander or the owner of the cargo had any direct part in it.

That made finding out what was inside important. He needed to know whether these goods might make him a target. Of course, he had not forgotten that the cargo belonged to Lucas. He certainly had no intention of openly claiming it as his own.

Angering Tessa was one thing. Angering the son of Brightwater’s acting city lord was another.

He could not dispose of the cargo carelessly, but he had no intention of going back on the compensation he had promised Mara. He still had enough money to pay her separately.

What had happened with Teddy had changed Raymond’s outlook. Rules were one thing, personal feelings another. He could no longer afford to confuse the two as he had before.

Did Raymond feel any attachment to Mara? Certainly not. Mara, however, clearly had a deep attachment to money. In that respect, she and Henk were surprisingly alike.

“I’ll open them first, then we’ll decide what to do,” Raymond told Henk. “Once that’s done, I’ll find a physician to look at your wounds.”

Henk waved a hand dismissively. “My body’s different. Even serious wounds heal once I’ve slept a few times.”

Remembering the last time Henk had been injured, Raymond chuckled. “I don’t doubt that for a moment. But I’m still getting you a physician.”

After borrowing some tools from the inn, Raymond used a chisel to pry up the iron fastenings on the first crate. The hard wax around the lid cracked as he worked. Enduring the pain in his left ribs, he forced the lid open.

Beneath the oilcloth lay a thick layer of dry straw. Nine earthenware jars sat neatly inside the crate, held in place by a wooden frame. Cotton had been packed around them, and wax sealed their mouths.

Raymond took out a jar and carefully scraped away the seal. Inside were tiny crimson crystals, which rustled softly against the bottom as he shook it.

He handed the jar to Henk. “Do you recognize this?”

Henk examined it closely, then shook his head. “Never seen it before.”

“It must be valuable, though.” Raymond put the jar back. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have packed it so carefully or offered such a large reward.” He pried open the second crate, which also held nine earthenware jars. Picking one up, he shook it gently. From the sound, it seemed to contain the same substance.

He then opened the third crate. It too contained nine jars, but these were much lighter and made a completely different sound when shaken. He opened one and found a fine, silvery-white powder. It looked a little like salt, but gave off a faint metallic sheen in the light.

Raymond glanced at Henk, who shook his head again. He did not recognize this substance either.

After some thought, Raymond abandoned the idea of taking a pinch to examine. He had no idea what it was, or whether it might be poisonous. Better not to risk it.

He closed the jar and returned it to its place, then smiled at Henk. “These things must be worth a lot. Neither of us has even heard of them, let alone seen them.”

“Not necessarily.” Henk smiled. “Surely they can’t be worth more than Ebony? We’ve both heard of that.”

Raymond chuckled without replying. Whatever the substances were, they were surely worth more than he had imagined. Trying to sell them without knowing more could bring trouble down on his head. For now, it was best to leave them alone.

After resealing the crates, Raymond talked with Henk for a little while longer. When he opened the door, he saw Mara approaching.

She looked thoroughly annoyed. “How close are you two, anyway? You’ve been in there forever. Do you know what time it is? Aren’t we going to eat? Aren’t you hungry?”

Raymond glanced back at Henk, then smiled at her. “Of course we are. Go and order some food. I’ll fetch the physician first.”