Chapter 55

The warehouse Tengis used was busy throughout the day. So Darras planned to infiltrate it after dark when he’d ensured the freight run had reached its destination. Perdolis was awash with rumours about the confrontation in the market, though none were accurate other than cheaper food and other goods were now available.

Another attempt to stop the carts that night was made, though, unlike the last time, these were not hard-core thugs; they were simply numerous. After an initial confrontation, the attackers scattered, not willing to face the controlled violence that Darras and his three helpers were willing to dish out. Darras willingly paid the wages to the three at the warehouse and then set off to the warehouse Tengis used.

‘I’m detecting a guard, ’ Erren warned. ‘Best mask up.’

Darras slipped down a full face-covering mask and darted silently forward. With several blows to sensitive areas, he caught an unprepared guard and knocked him to the ground, where he was constrained with ropes. All this, other than the sound of the blows, was done in silence, and Darras retrieved the man’s keys and opened a side door to the warehouse, dragging the guard behind him.

“This might take a while,” Darras murmured, seeing masses of product stacked on multiple shelves.

‘Yes, but worth it, ’ Erren replied.

Darras grabbed a ladder and used his quarterstaff to sweep the shelves in the first row, sending multiple glass products crashing to the floor. Moving along the shelving, he continued in the same manner before moving to the next row and then the following rows.

‘Good job you are wearing that mask. Otherwise, you’d have glass shards in your lungs now, ’ Erren said.

“Will the guard be ok?” Darras asked.

‘Yes, the gag is acting as a filter.’

“Good.”

Darras spent three hours thoroughly trashing the warehouse contents. To add insult to injury, he also burned any documentation he could find before dousing the ashes. Darras silently left and slipped into his lodgings for a good night’s sleep.

When Darras arrived after a good breakfast to check that the Errenists were not being intimidated, he found the market was in an uproar. The disturbances, however, all appeared to be over where the merchants were selling the more expensive items, not the ones Darras protected. Spotting Mennas, Darras went over to enquire about what was going on.

“Apparently, the warehouse of Tengis was broken into last night, and product worth several thousand gold was destroyed,” Mennas informed Darras.

“Wonder who he upset?” Darras chuckled.

“Apart from our Goddess?” Mennas smiled.

“It may take a few years, but Darmelans will learn to behave around Errenists,” Darras replied.

“Ah, though I suspect my Goddess’s main target will be Fordel.”

“Eventually,” Darras nodded before stiffening as a thin, well-dressed man approached, guarded by several men in armour.

“How dare the temple of Erren involve itself in a trade dispute!” the man snarled to Mennas.

“I’m unsure as to what you’re talking about,” Mennas smoothly replied. “The temple exists for the support and comfort of its followers and isn’t interested in such petty matters as money-grubbing.”

“It was your followers who destroyed my product!”

“Ah, and you have proof?” Mennas asked.

“I need no proof; I know it was the temple!”

“That’s a very serious charge,” Darras interjected. “Slandering the Temple of Erren, that is.”

“Who are you?” the man snarled.

“The agent of Erren,” Darras replied. “I arrived because Erren was concerned about her people being in a dispute over some thugs attacking their goods.”

“I know nothing of this!”

“Perhaps you should have, considering what happened to your goods,” Darras chuckled. “Erren always extracts justice from the guilty; it’s in her book.”

“You cannot win; we can outlast you!”

“Really?” Darras chuckled, pointing to a stall that had been selling overpriced goods but was now selling them at the original price. “Your cartel was easy to break.”

“Seemingly like your glassware,” Mennas added with malice aforethought.

“So, it was you!” the man screeched.

“No, I was mocking you, Tengis,” Mennas replied. “Though no doubt I’ll have to beseech Erren for forgiveness later as my soul is supposed to remain pure in her sight.”

“She’s already forgiven you,” Darras replied. “Just try to avoid such acts in the future.”

“I will,” Mennas smiled.

“I ... I will get the guard to investigate this,” Tengis yelled. “You will not get away with this!”

“Good luck with that.” Mennas chuckled. “It wasn’t my people, I know that.”

“I’d take a closer look at your allies,” Darras suggested. “They certainly had more to gain than we did. It wasn’t an issue for us dealing with thugs.”

For a second, it looked like Tengis was planning on setting his guards upon Darras and Mennas. However, the town guard appeared and moved to calm the Darmelan merchants, whose arguments moved from shouting to scuffles as they tried to prevent some from reducing their prices to match the Errenites.

‘Almost done, ’ Erren commented. ‘I expect Tengis to try and regain control in a meeting at the Merchant’s Guild. But his influence is waning, along with his fortune.’

“How badly did we hurt him? Darras asked.

‘It will take him years to recover. It’s not just the loss of esteem in Perdolis, but the contracts are now in abeyance because he cannot supply the promised goods, ’ Erren replied. ‘All coming with penalty clauses.’

“No doubt his rivals will be scrambling to make inroads on his business too,” Darras nodded.

‘Naturally.’

“Given a chance, you can always trust a Darmelan to knife a rival merchant in the back,” Darras chuckled.

‘Yes, her book provides few counterbalances to unethical behaviour.’

“So, basically, he’s screwed unless he can regain control of the cartel?”

‘Yes, though that’s not set in stone as yet.’

“Guess I’m here for one more run,” Darras nodded, feeling Erren’s agreement.

That evening, Darras and his three helpers met the two carts carrying goods and escorted them through the streets. As he had expected, Darras was faced with what he hoped was the last throw of the dice by the Cartel.

‘Careful, ’ Erren warned. ‘I recognise some of the bodyguards of Tengis; they will likely have some training.’

“I’ll be careful,” Darras replied, moving to intercept the charge from the group.

With the aid of his helpers, Darras contained the charge and used his strength and speed to force them back, leaving several injured on the ground. The one dangerous moment came when one of the bodyguard types slashed at him with a short sword only to find that Darras’s armour, underneath his leathers, prevented any penetration. This took the wind out of the attacker’s sails when Darras felled the man with the sword.

There was then a delay as the town guard made an appearance. Other than taking statements and hauling away the injured, the carts were permitted to continue with their cargo to the warehouse. There, Darras was met by Mennas, who appeared to be very happy.

“Tengis lost a vote in the Merchant’s Guild this afternoon; the cartel is broken,” he announced.

“The town guards also arrested one of his bodyguards after they attacked us tonight,” Darras replied. “I suspect he’s in a bit of hot water now.”

“He used one of his bodyguards?”

“At least one,” Darras confirmed. “The town guard was more interested in the short sword the man was carrying as the city edicts do not permit any other than the guard to carry one.”

“No, they don’t,” Mennas agreed.

“It was his last throw of the dice,” Darras replied. “You’ll not need me now, though you can always ask the three men working with me to keep an eye on things for the rest of the week.”

“Hmm, good idea,” Mennas nodded, then looked surprised as Darras handed over the wages for the men.

“Erren doesn’t expect them to work for nothing,” Darras chuckled. “Nor does she expect the temple here to be out of pocket, considering the help you freely gave.”

“We shall raise a special prayer of thanks to her in the morning service,” Mennas replied.

“Do so, that’s all the thanks she wants.”

After a good night’s sleep, Darras checked the market to find it busy, if peaceful. The other stalls that had been part of the cartel had lowered their prices and attempted to regain their customer base from the Temple-sponsored merchants. The central theme of the gossip network was the arrest of several of Tengis’ guards and servants who had been part of a late-night ‘robbers band’, something Tengis was claiming to know nothing about, embroiled as he was in trying to salvage his business from potential bankruptcy.

“Welcome back, my love; that went very well,” Erren greeted Darras on his appearance.

“It did, though I suspect Darmela is a bit upset with you,” Darras smiled, then kissed her.

“She is, though her complaint to Serulon ended up with her being chastised for wasting Serulon’s time with a matter that did not breach our rules,” Erren replied as she led Darras to the bathing pool.

“Serulon’s becoming more than a doormat for our foes?” Darras chuckled.

“Yes, my love,” Erren grinned. “It remains to be seen how long it will last.”

Darras relaxed in the pool, allowing the stresses of the mission to wash away as Erren scrubbed him down with gentle kisses and caresses. Darras then reciprocated with Erren, and the pair enjoyed some intimacy.

“Oh dear, we have an unwelcome visitor,” Erren sighed.

“Who?”

“Darmela.”

“Any idea why?”

“Nope, but we’ll find out,” Erren smiled.

“Doubt it will be a plea for forgiveness,” Darras chuckled.

“Me too.”

Dressing, Darras escorted Erren across the lawn to the pergola and comfortable seats. At a table, a decanter of chilled wine awaited Darras to pour two glasses for them. They then sat and waited until Darmela fully apparated onto the law.

Darras’s first impressions were of a remarkably beautiful woman, shapely, dressed in a polished golden dress that shone in the sunlight. Long dark hair and massively bejewelled with necklaces, bangles, earrings, and a few other items. Her eyes, though, gave Darras pause; they glinted with what he could only describe as a combination of cunning and usurious malice. Erren gave Darras a glance and a smile when he thought this, clearly agreeing with him.