Chapter 8

That day there was some more discussion about long term plans, but no decisions were made and I remained silent to that point. I had some ideas but they might be all stupid ones. I needed to know more and, as I now had more or less secured my position here, I would be able to do just that. Besides helping the Elves.

Fainauriel and Bellcauniel very seldom failed to tease me if I looked tired in the morning. The point of that was that they knew that I’d do my best to make them suffer because of that teasing. The problem was that there was only one of me but it didn’t stop me trying. Of course, there were breaks, since Allynna had informed me that, until she had three fully trained assistants, I’d need to make sure that there wouldn’t be ten babies coming close to each other. I could use the breaks.

Besides training with arms, other kinds of lessons started - and sometimes I was the one giving the training. After all, I was the one who had read all kinds of books, and now it was up to me to translate those teachings from Anglon to the Old Language. It turned out to be my task to teach Anglon, too. That hadn’t been part of my plans, but when I complained about it to my unruly spouses, they both just laughed at me. I was supposed to be the man in our house and when I told them that, they laughed even harder. After that, I had to make sure that both of them were punished accordingly. One more reason to look tired in the morning.

Then there were Leilatha and Shalana. I wasn’t sure which one of them was most afraid - those two fearless hunters were afraid that those old memories would be too much, that they would not be able to do this. I was afraid of losing the friendship that I had managed to create with those two women who had first tried to kill me. In the end, it was clear that we were still close friends but there wasn’t the same kind of special connection as there was with Fainauriel and Bellcauniel.

In general, I was quite happy with my life. Even though I knew that it wouldn’t last.

The winter in the valley was so pleasant that it didn’t feel like a winter to me. However, the lengthening of the days told me that we were going towards spring - and summer. I went to talk to Mylaela.

It just wasn’t so easy to do that for real. A quick peek from the Southern pass had told me that there was a group outside the valley keeping an eye on everybody who’d try to come in - or go out. Another indication of the changed status of this community was that the trade with the outside world had more or less stopped, and the few traders who came to meet the Elves at the Southern pass had only second-class products to offer, claiming bad weather or some other things that were clearly excuses. The worst thing was that the rye grains they tried to deliver were contaminated by ergot! All that meant that the community needed to become even more self-sufficient - and in a hurry.

The newly formed administrative group discussed the situation. That group now contained some of the former Elders and some women from the younger generation. This time it was Caladwen - who had been busy reading and translating my books all during wintertime - who explained the situation.

““We are quite aware that the Human population thinks of us as pretty but shallow creatures who don’t need to care about aging or getting ugly. On the other hand, there were people who were grateful to us because of what we could tell them about healing deceases and treating wounds.””

Allynna kept nodding while Caladwen spoke. Mylaela also nodded but also shook her head.

““Now it seems that those things are more or less being ignored and, as Stian here told us, most of the normal people don’t know any of that. We also need to remember that those Ugly People can offer some of the same things we do. Now it seems clear that the current rulers want to get rid of us and also use the Ugly People for their own benefit.””

““They don’t know who they are dealing with. They don’t understand the Ugly People like we do.””

““That’s much too true, Sabariel, much too true. However, I cannot see any way to make them believe us until something really happens. An army of Ugly People is a very bad idea, a very bad idea indeed. Altogether, these things mean that we need to make some preparations for our own future. The first part is the start of direct trade and maybe helping the Humans close to us.””

The first part of our mission was to get away from the valley with something to trade - and some Bonds to cash. There were a few known ways to access the valley from outside and without doubt the Guardians were watching all of them. However, the Elves had had more than enough time to explore their valley and all the routes in and out of it. The only problem with our current Eastern route was that we could not use a cart, just ponies - and Luna. Even Luna needed to be walked and guided through the worst parts of the pass. Those ponies seemed to be more sure-footed than I was - and thanks to the Ugly People there now were enough ponies that could be used.

The moment when I again saw the forest and the eastern plains that seemed endless was almost surreal. It was just a bit less than three years ago when I set my foot on this side of the mountains for the first time and I left the area almost a year later - less than two years ago, now. When I came to this side for the first time, I was a naïve village boy and now ... well, I guess that I still was a village boy, but not so naïve anymore, after losing one fiancé and two homes. I closed my eyes but I was still able to feel the morning sun on my face. Only then, I concentrated on the area in front of us.

I was already sure that there was nothing that would threaten us, but I still wanted to check my skills and a part of me wanted to cry out in joy about everything I found there. Two herds of deer, a pack of wolves and one bear further in the north. Up here, the nature reminded me a bit of the more harsh surroundings of my old home village, just as some small patches of snow in the ground did.

There was a smile in my face when I turned to face the rest of the group.

““There should be nothing threatening close by. I’m certain that there’s a game trail nearby going in the direction where we want to go.””

Previously we had agreed that trade trips would be made separately from my Bond cashing trips. I would start cashing my remaining Bonds on the western coast, as close to my old home as possible - and that trip would take place immediately after this trip. Trade had priority, since people couldn’t eat money - or Bonds. Besides, we needed to know the value of the goods we wanted to trade. We had dried herbs, very good honey and high-quality wine and liquor. Even with the ponies, there was a limited amount we could carry, but the quality of the products was so good that it probably compensated for the limited quantity.

My job here was reconnaissance. I would go to the town first, and maybe buy some samples of the products the Elves would come to sell. That would give us the possibility to compare our products to the ones available and I would also try to find a reliable buyer. Or rather, someone who would be willing to trade with the Elves and ignore the officials and their demands. Such an easy piece of work. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to do that. Yes, I had more recent experience of some merchants, one good, one bad and a few others. That didn’t really make me an expert; but at least I could go to them without any trouble, unlike the Elven women. So, my expertise wasn’t really the point. I just happened to be the only one who could do it safely. Trying to find an honest merchant who’d be crooked enough to do some business with the Elves, even if that kind of behavior was probably discouraged by the authorities ... like I said, an easy piece of work for a village boy who had never visited a real town.

““Stian, we know that it has been a long time since any of us visited any town but we Alfar have a long memory - and certain things stay in our minds probably forever. As far as we know, towns and cities are more or less the same in all worlds, there are good areas and not so good areas. Places to go and places to avoid. Some of us even spent a few moments in the capital city before we moved.””

I listened to Meldainiel and tried to absorb all the information I could from her. At the end we found out that my knowledge probably equaled hers even if mine was solely from my mother’s teachings and warnings. Still, I didn’t really know what to expect when I rode into the town. There were some stables outside the town where I could buy care for Luna during my stay in town. I accepted the second place I checked, but only after checking their stalls and after a promise that the horses are walked during the day. I paid for four days with a promise that I’ll get some refund if I could finish my business in shorter time.

Nothing that was said, and nothing I was told, had really prepared me for what I was facing when I entered the town. Since this was an inland town, there were no walls or gates for protection, but still there was a clear border separating the town and the outskirts. From the direction I entered the town, the houses were immediately two floors high and there were even higher buildings closer to the center of the town. There were some wider roads separating the blocks - they didn’t want the whole town to burn down in case of fire - and instead of open ditches they had mostly covered drains. Very clever.

But the first thing that really hit me wasn’t the height of the buildings or the innovations they used to keep the town cleaner. No, it was the number of people. I had never seen so many people in my life at the same time - and not only seen, but also felt. If my skill in detecting living beings was an asset while hunting; here, inside this town, it was something terrifying. I had never before really had to close myself down in the way I had to do now. If I was going to visit towns or other places with lots of people I really needed to learn to do this. Oh, I could do it - but I had to actively keep on reminding myself to do it and that was exhausting.

At the stables, I had asked for a recommendation for accommodation, and I surprised myself by finding the place without a problem. Well, it helped a bit that the streets were straight and perpendicular. Still, I was proud of myself for finding the right guest house - or inn, as it was called here. It also helped that they had a big, hanging signboard that could be seen from a distance. Also, the reason for the recommendation became evident as soon as I entered the house, since the owners were clearly related. Well, if they took good care of animals, maybe they would take good care of people, too. At least I’d have a solid roof over my head - unlike the Elven women hiding in the forest.

After some bargaining and then agreeing on the price for four nights, I was finally able to close the door behind me in my room. As soon as I snapped the latch into its place I collapsed to the floor, closing my ears with my hands and squeezing my eyes tightly closed. Of course, it didn’t really help anything, but I could imagine that would help. Then, I forced myself to calm down by focusing on my breathing first. Then, only then, when I felt calmer, I really tried to do something with my sensing skills. The problem was that most of the time I had trained myself to sense more, more accurately and from a greater distance. Since the Elves around me had automatically hidden their magical signature, their presence didn’t really bother me. A town full of people was quite a different thing.

The uneasy feeling didn’t quite go away, but after some time, I decided that I would be able to tolerate it. Besides, I had a job to do and I needed to eat.

I decided to eat first. The inn offered breakfast and dinner but if I wanted to eat something during the day, I was on my own. However, I was on my best behavior when I greeted the owner’s wife before heading outside. The story was that I was there working for my two aunts, finding new markets for their products. The woman had laughed when I had quickly described the benefits of the work when compared to working with my cousin, who was a fisherman. A smelly one.

I was almost terrified to figure out how easy it was for me to lie now while speaking Anglon!

However, when I had told the woman my problem of finding suitable business partners, she asked me to wait for her husband. After a moment, a man appeared and I could see him evaluating me. I got a feeling that I might have looked a bit under-dressed to be a representative of some businessman - or woman. I smiled at the man.

“I know the way I look, but I’d rather not be robbed while doing business. However, we aren’t selling me, but our products. If the potential buyer cannot see past my age and looks, I cannot help it.”

“What kind of products are you selling?”

I looked at the man, trying to estimate how much I could or should trust him. On the other hand, I needed to start somewhere and I had absolutely no idea where to go and who to meet.

“Some herbs, some honey - and wine. All premium quality.”

“So they all say.”

“Unlike them, I can meet the promises - do you want to taste them?”

“Why not? But we will not be able to buy huge amounts of those products.”

I was able to see that the man a slightly interested. I made my decision.

“Tell you what - You’ll sample what I have to sell and then, if you can give me some good recommendations where to go that I’ll be able to make a good deal, I can make sure that you’ll get some of the products at the same price as the merchant or distributor.”

After that I opened my backpack and took out the two bottles of wine and the different honey and herb jars I was carrying. I couldn’t help wondering if I was doing this just to avoid going outside to the streets filed with people. I pushed those thoughts to the background and concentrated on presenting the products we wanted to sell.

There were some top-quality herbs - more intense than those commonly available, thanks to thousands of generations of plant breeding. The top product was something that looked like a miniature sweet pepper. Except that they weren’t sweet - but ... tasty. Tasty like peppercorn but multiplied by ten. Or more. Sometimes quite a bit more. It was something that started as a tickling at the back of your mouth and if you weren’t careful you ended up having your nose and eyes thoroughly cleaned. I knew, I had tried.

I took some of dried pepper from the jar and put it on a plate.

“If you have some bread... - or some slices of meat might be even better - you can taste this. I have to warn you, however - this stuff is hot.”

“I’ve tasted some hot stuff before. Or something that was claimed to be hot.”

I shrugged and looked at the man who went back to kitchen to get some meat or bread. His wife sniffed the honey jars and I noticed the way her eyebrows rose while doing that. I wasn’t that surprised since I knew that those were really something special. When honey is collected during a period when almost all the flowers are of same kind, the aroma of the flowers can be smelled from the honey. Yes, they were special.

“Okay, let’s taste that hot spice of yours.”

My eyebrows rose when I saw how the man put that dried hot pepper on the thin piece of dark meat he had brought from the back. I was about the say something but then I saw the woman shake her head slightly behind him. So, I just shrugged and waited for the reaction that I knew would be coming.