Chapter 3: An Unintended Acquisition

It is late afternoon by the time I reach the Guild Hall. I’m not hopeful that I can find the Elf I am seeking. According to her sister she was rounded up with about twenty Elf Maidens last week and brought here. It’s highly unlikely that she’ll still be in this building. But maybe somebody knows where she is now. I explain my situation to the man sat at a desk near the door.

“Room 32, down the hall,” says the man in a whisper while looking around nervously in case somebody hears our conversation.

I promptly go to find room 32. It’s a tiny office located next to the stairs. There’s a light on inside the room although the corridor windows are too high to see inside. The wooden door has a small glass window at chest height, but visibility it is obscured by a curtain. I knock on the door and someone moves the curtain aside. Instead of opening the door, the man opens the small window in the door.

“I’m looking for an Elf Maiden called DF36,” I say when it becomes clear that the man isn’t going to say anything. “She was brought here last week with about twenty other Elves.”

“Wait there while I check,” says the man as he disappears into his room.

I can hear him rummaging through papers in his office. Finally he comes back to the small window with a document in his hand.

“You’re in luck. Follow me and I’ll take you to her. I’m Horace, by the way.”

Horace leaves his office and escorts me up several flights of stairs to the huge attic. The area is poorly lit but I can make out four Elf Maidens busy working. Two are working with leather, while the other two are engraving metal ornaments. The area has the look of being lived in for a while. The Elf Maidens look up as we enter.

“DF36. This gentleman is interested in acquiring your contract.”

Before I can correct the Horace’s statement, one of the Elf Maiden’s comes rushing over to where we are standing. As she moves into the better lit area, I immediately recognise the likeness to her sister DF35. Horace checks the name tattoo on her arm to confirm that she’s the right Elf.

“Let’s go downstairs and go through the paperwork,” says Horace.

By now I’m starting to worry about what I’m getting myself into. But if I call a halt to his banter, I might lose the opportunity to free the Elf Maiden from whatever shady business is going on here. We go down one level to a spacious office and we sit on the padded chairs arranged around a low table.

“This is her contract,” says Horace, handing me the document he has been carrying. “It’s the standard wording with no special clauses.”

“Do you understand what this contract says?” I ask the Elf Maiden after I quickly read through the document.

“She’s signed the form,” interrupts Horace. “As you can see, her mark has been witnessed.”

“Then she can explain to me what the contract says,” I say firmly, remembering that Elves aren’t taught to read so she could have been told a lie about the meaning of this document.

“The document means that you will provide me with food and a place to sleep. In exchange I will work for you and be your companion,” says DF36.

I feel relieved that she at least understands the basic nature of the contract even though some of the details are heavily weighted in favour of the man. Slavery is illegal in Thurn, but this contract is the nearest thing to a slave contract that I’ve come across. Horace clearly expects me to sign the contract and then the Elf Maiden becomes my responsibility.

“The contract doesn’t mention any payment to the Guild.”

“The Trades Guild provides this service free of charge,” replies Horace.

“That’s unusually public spirited of the Trades Guild,” I reply. “The competition to your members businesses from the handiwork of the Elf Maidens must be more serious than I thought.”

“No. No. Not at all,” stammers Horace. “The Guild welcomes the competition the Elf Maidens provide.”

A ridiculous lie, but I let it pass. The Guild have been complaining for years about better quality Elven metal and leather work putting their members out of business. If signing his form will get the Elf Maid out of here then I’m okay with that. I sign the contract. Horace witnesses my signature before handing me the contract to keep. DF36 collects her few belongings and I leave the Guild Hall with her in tow.

“Do you have a name?” asks the Elf Maiden. She is clearly as talkative as her sister.

“My name is Alexandrescu but you can call me Alex. Did they treat you alright at the Guild?”

“Oh, yes. They took all the craft work we made in exchange for food and a blanket each, but that was okay. Thank you for choosing me, by the way. Usually an Elf Maiden needs to be in heat before the Guild let men view her.”

“Your sister sent me to find you and, if possible, free you from the Guild’s clutches.”

“Which sister?” she asks.

“DF35,” I reply, still feeling awkward about referring to Elves by a serial number.

“Oh! I wish she hadn’t done that. If that’s why you’ve acquired my contract, I ask that you take me back to the Guild and ask them to cancel the contract.”

“I don’t understand,” I say. It’s not the first time that I’ve said that in my dealings with Elf Maidens. “I thought you were taken against your will and were being traded for some dubious purpose.”

“Not exactly against my will. I didn’t ask to be rounded up. But if I had refused to sign their contract, I would have been returned to the ghetto with the others who refused. But I saw it as an opportunity to better my life. Have you see how we live in the ghetto? All crammed together in small workshops that double as our homes. Having to sleep in whatever space we can claim as our own. One in ten of us in the ghetto freeze or starve to death each winter.”

“That’s the sort of problem I’ve been tasked with solving,” I say. “The so-called Elf Maiden problem.”