Chapter 11: A new job

My extensive research and recommendations on improving the life of both Elf Maidens and their offspring attracts some tentative support from the emperor. However, like many wealthy and powerful Thurnian men, he and his advisers soon succumb to their own personal interests. The radical changes I proposed in my reports soon get watered-down by the Chief Procurator and his allies. Eventually they are virtually meaningless tokens disguised as progress. I am very frustrated that months of my work is distorted and manipulated, while the original report is consigned to some dusty archive.

As the daughter of the emperor, Cassandra is less constrained in voicing her opinion about the dismissal of my report’s main recommendations. However, her father won’t be swayed. With so many powerful businessmen relying on the cheap labour elves are forced to provide, there is no appetite to make more than cosmetic changes to the law. The Chief Procurator is ecstatic at my name being added to the list of men who have attempted and failed to solve the so-called Elf Maiden problem.

As an added symbol of his victory, the Chief Procurator has the emperor assign me to be a Thurnian trade envoy to the newly discovered elven communities deep in the western forests. Despite a grand title, the role is a meaningless position. The elven communities I discovered are more than capable of trading with local Thurnian towns and villages without the need for an official trade envoy. But the appointment carries the emperor’s approval, so I cannot refuse.

“When do we leave?” asks Cassandra.

“In a few days. I will understand if you wish to remain here, near your father,” I reply.

“Nonsense. I’m your wife. We go together. I think our two Elf Maidens intend to come with us.”

The contracts I have signed with Defina35 and Defina36 don’t require them to follow me to the far reaches of the empire, but I will be glad of their company. Not simply because they are good company and excellent sex partners, but their knowledge and skills will be useful in establishing trust with the remote elven communities.

The Chief Procurator is his usual vague self when it comes to telling me what is expected from a trade envoy to the elven communities. While he doesn’t openly admit that he has created my new role simply to keep me out of the way, he doesn’t say or do anything to dispel that impression. The elven communities of the western wilderness are peaceful, but they don’t regard themselves as part of Thurn. Even the Thurnian cities on the west coast are only nominally part of the empire. Each city fiercely defends its quasi-independence. None of them are likely to welcome an imperial official of any description being based in their city. My previous official trips to the western cities have been received with surly tolerance and minimal assistance. Fortunately my experience in dealing with the Chief Procurator has given me skills at circumventing the obstructions unwilling officials are likely to throw in my way.

“We should establish contact with the elven communities before deciding on which Thurnian city to use as a base,” suggests Cassandra when I pose the problem of where to go first.

Her suggestion is the opposite of what the Chief Procurator had in mind. The Chief Procurator suggested making contacts with local Thurnian merchants to see what products they need, or can sell to the elven communities. That, of course, assumes the merchants are willing to trade with elves; which is far from certain. Not only is there the racial bigotry to overcome, but transporting goods through dense forests, which are the territory of dangerous animals, would make all but the bravest merchant prefer to trade elsewhere.

I value Cassandra’s opinion far more than that of the backstabbing Chief Procurator. We therefore make plans to bypass the western cities and travel directly to one of the elven communities that I visited during my earlier travels. With winter only a couple of months away, we can’t afford to delay or we may end up spending the entire winter snowbound in a remote elven village. The shortest route would be to travel overland by coach along the highway that I used to return to Thurn after my last visit. The eastern part of the route, between Thurn city and the town of Stormguard, follows the wide fertile valley that provides Thurn with most of its food and minerals. But the highway ends at Stormguard. Only farm tracks and forest trails extend beyond it. Even they end after a short distance. Without guides we could never find our way through the wilderness to one of the elven villages. During my visit a few months ago, the citizens of Stormguard made it clear they want nothing to do with elves. Waiting for an elven trader to arrive at Stormguard would be a waste of time.

The alternative route to the elven communities requires us to take a longer, more southerly, journey parallel to the coast. Rugged coastal hills and fast-flowing rivers are obstacles that force lengthy detours, making an overland journey frustratingly slow. However, the route will take us to the southern boundary of the wilderness where there are several small Thurnian villages that regularly trade with the elves. Travelling to one of them and waiting for an elven trader provides a better chance of reaching our destination as quickly as possible.

“What if we hire a small ship to take us as far as Reak?” suggest Cassandra as we study the map.

The Reakie river was once a major trading route in the years before the southern highway was built. It is one of the few rivers that is navigable to small ships far into the hinterland between the sea in the south and the wilderness to the north. The township of Reak was once much larger, and boasted docks and warehouses where trade goods from the western cities arrived overland by caravan, and were transferred to ships bound for Thurn city. These days the trade goods travel along the southern highway, or by ships large enough to brave the treacherous waters bordering the western cities. Reak, and its river, are now rarely used as a trade route.

Since some of the tributaries of the Reakie river pass near several of the villages that trade with the elves, Cassandra’s suggestion has merit. We could travel by ship to Reak, and from there follow the river north-west to one of the villages we seek. It sounds easy in theory, but can we find a suitable ship at short notice, and do we need to transport our means of completing our journey, or can we buy what we need in Reak? The government records about Reak are so out-of-date as to be worthless.