Benjamin Ashwood (35 page)

“Aye,”
Mathias sighed, “but the expected target will be Issen.  Lord Gregor’s going to
get hit, he’s going to get hit hard.  The Coalition is gearing up to make an
example.  At least, that’s what the rumor is.”

Ben
slumped back.  They’d worried about that too.  Issen was in between the centers
of power for the Coalition and the Alliance.  Amelie said her father had to
join one of the other.  In a war like this, there is no room for the middle
ground.

“They’ve
got half a year to prepare,” continued Mathias.  “Maybe this one won’t be so
bad.”

Mathias
was a veteran.  The network of scars across his body and the limp he had when
he stood after sitting too long spoke to what he knew about war.  His grim face
spoke to what he thought the chances were that this one ‘won’t be so bad’.

“Amelie
will want to return to Issen and be there for her people,” stated Ben.

“I’m
sure she will.  That doesn’t mean they’ll let her go.  Gregor had to know what
was going to happen and I suspect that’s why she’s here in the first place. 
The City is far from the conflict and no one would be stupid enough to come
here with an army.  Gregor’s no pushover and with support from Argren and the
rest, he could make a stand.  Issen may be a bloody mess next year and he
wouldn’t want that for his daughter.”

Mathias
didn’t know Amelie as well as Ben, but he knew people.  His assessment of Lord
Gregor was likely spot on thought Ben.

Thoughts
of Lord Reinhold and his offer were forgotten until Ben saw Renfro early the next
morning. 

Ben
was sitting at a quiet café across the street from their cellar having a cup of
kaf and a fruit and soft cheese stuffed pastry.  The cool of the fall morning
felt good compared the sticky heat that marked summer in The City.  He’d taken to
rising early to enjoy the quiet moment while the sun was rising but the city
had not yet fully awoken.  Unlike life in the country, The City did not really
get moving until midmorning.

“Renfro,”
called Ben.

His
scrawny friend spotted him at the café and crossed the cobblestone street to
join him at the table.

“I
was just coming to see you,” said Renfro.

“Kaf?”
asked Ben, “you look tired.”

“I’ve
been up all night.  I wanted to catch you then I’m going home to crash.  That
stuff just makes me jittery.”

“You’ve
been up all night?  What for?”

“There’s
a gambling den over near the Sunset Tower and the owner is interested in us. 
If last night was any indication, they’d easily be our best customer.  The
place was packed until just a bell ago.  Raffe, that’s the owner, said he’s
trying to attract heavier pocketed clients so he’s improving his offerings and
likes what we’re selling.  The ale he has now is piss water.  I could be a big
deal for us.”

“That’s
great,” agreed Ben.  He inhaled some of the bitter steam off his kaf then took
a sip.  “What’s the next step?”

“We
send over a couple of kegs and if it sells well he’ll put in a serious order. 
Maybe 40 or 50 kegs a week if it goes really well.”

Ben
grimaced, “we don’t have room to brew that.”

Renfro
frowned at his friend, “we can find another place.  That cellar was good for
low rent but that’s about it.  We need to move out anyway.”

“Moving
takes coin and that’s something we don’t have a lot of extra.”

“I
can get us a loan,” growled Renfro.  “I’ve met some people who are connected. 
They can get us whatever we need.”

“There
might be another option,” sighed Ben.  He’d thought about not mentioning
Reinhold at all, but he was certain they didn’t want to get involved with any
of the shady characters who’d loan Renfro money.  “Lord Reinhold came by
yesterday.  He offered to take an interest in the business.”

Renfro
bolted to his feet, “perfect!” he shouted then glanced around the café before
quickly sitting back down.  “He’ll probably try to screw us on the share but if
we negotiate hard that could solve all of our problems.”

“I’m
not really sure we have problems if we don’t want them,” murmured Ben, “but I
think he’ll be just as interested as you in expansion.  Tell me something.  Where
is this Raffe getting his piss water ale from now?”

“I
knew you’d be worried about that,” snapped Renfro.  “He gets it from Gulli of
course, where else?  Look Ben, we can’t run this thing out of fear.  I’ve been
making some friends and Gulli isn’t as secure as he acts.  He’s getting pressure
from some people who invested with him and he’s making mistakes.  We’ve got
friends in this town now too.  With someone like Reinhold behind us, Gulli is
nothing to worry about.”

Ben’s
head sank into his hands, “that’s what Reinhold said.”

The
next Newday Ben headed to the Sanctuary to meet Amelie and Meghan.  Their free
days had been curtailed again.  The note he got from the girls said they could
see him in the garden for a few bells though.

He
wished he was in a better mood to see Amelie.  He knew she’d be worried about
her father, but his concerns about Renfro, Reinhold and Gulli were weighing on
him.  He wanted to brew good ale, drink good ale, learn from Saala and Rhys and
make enough to afford the little apartment he’d rented.  Expanding the business
so quickly, taking on a potentially dangerous competitor, it just wasn’t worth
it to Ben.  It seemed silly though when compared to what Amelie must be going
through.  Before long, an army could be marching on her home.

“I
don’t want to talk about it,” was the first thing she said when he spotted her.

“Ok,
uh, sure.”

“We
were worried this would happen and it is not a surprise.  My father will be
prepared, whether the rumors are true or not.  There’s no use us talking about
it.  It’s best I focus on my studies here and not things I have no control
over.”

“Alright,
I want you to know I’ve been thinking about you though.  I’m sure this is
tough, so if you change your mind, I’m available to talk when you need to.”

“Thank
you for that Ben.  I knew I could count on you.”

“I’m
just glad you’re still here,” teased Ben with a grin.  “I thought you might be
stowed away on a boat or something.”

Amelie
blushed furiously and Meghan fidgeted uncomfortably, eyes darting around the
garden to see who could have overheard.

“You
did try to escape!” exclaimed Ben.

“Just
the night I heard about it,” replied Amelie sheepishly.  “I’ve realized now
that wasn’t a good idea.” 

Amelie
surreptitiously rubbed her backside and Ben wondered how she came to decide running
away wasn’t a good idea.  The Mages of the Sanctuary were famously strict.

“Let’s
not talk about it,” continued Amelie.  “Let’s talk about something to cheer us
up.  How is the business?”

“It’s
great, I guess,” answered Ben.  “We’re finding new customers, we’re keeping the
current customers happy.  It’s grown enough that we’re looking for more space
too.  We can’t decide if it makes sense to move off island and pay more porters
to make deliveries or stay close and pay more rent.  Oh, and Lord Reinhold
wants to invest in an ownership share.”

“What!”
both Amelie and Meghan cried out.

“We
haven’t agreed on any specifics yet,” added Ben.  “I was going to check with
you first of course Amelie.  Since you were the first investor I want to make
sure you are on board.”

“Lord
Reinhold is one of the most successful merchants in The City.  Probably one of
the most successful in all of Alcott.  Of course I am on board!” Amelie
exclaimed while at the same time Meghan asked, “Reinhold is the one we rode on
his boat?  The one with that huge estate north of town?”

“This
is what we needed to cheer up,” gushed Amelie.  “Tell us more Ben.  How did it
happen?”

“Well,
he just came by one day and said he was interested.”  Ben didn’t think it was
prudent to mention the situation with Gulli.  “He thought with our ale and his
connections there were some good opportunities.  It makes sense.  With his
capital we have plenty of gold to expand and he does have access to certain
markets that we just can’t get into by ourselves.  I talked to Renfro and he
supports it.  We were just waiting on your Ok and need to work out some final
details with Reinhold.”

“Oh
my, that is amazing Ben!  I can’t believe how well you’re doing with this. 
When I suggested you start a business here I was thinking small.  I never
thought it could grow this quickly.”

“I’m
impressed too,” admitted Meghan.  “Back in Farview I didn’t know you had the
business skills to do something like this.”

Ben
shrugged, “it might be more luck than skill.  I’ll take what I can get though.”

On
the way back from the Sanctuary, Ben walked with a little more pep in his
step.  Having the two girls gush over how great his business was doing made him
feel silly for being so upset about it earlier.  Gulli was a concern, but with
Reinhold backing them he wasn’t a big one.  Renfro would come around too.  Ben
thought that finding this Raffe might be the confidence booster the former
thief needed.  He thought part of Renfro’s dark mood was because he was thrust
into a foreign place with no idea how to succeed here.  A big sale could pull
him back to the old Renfro.

When
he turned onto the pebble path from the breezeway, Ben caught one of the guards
out of the corner of his eye.  The man was about 100 paces behind Ben and
staring intently at him.  He didn’t look familiar, but it was obvious his
entire attention was focused on Ben.

Ben
tried to brush it off until he saw all of the guards at the gate looking his
way also.  They spared only a glance at a new arrival who strolled in from the
city then they all found something else to look at when Ben drew close.  Ben
shot a glance over his shoulder before he passed through the gate and saw the
first guard had come to a stop, still about 100 paces behind him.  The man’s
hand was lightly resting on his sword and he hadn’t lost his focus on Ben.

No
one tried to stop him or speak to him, so Ben thought he must be imagining
things.  He’d never had any trouble with the guards at the Sanctuary and
couldn’t recall meeting any of them outside the friendly nods when he came to
visit.  Maybe they were on edge since he’d come to visit Amelie.  Surely they
had heightened protection around her knowing she was Lord Gregor’s daughter.

The
hustle and bustle of The City quickly washed over him once he got away from the
high walls of the Sanctuary and he forgot about it.  He was headed to the
Flying Swan to meet with Rhys.  Rhys seemed to be growing busy recently and
frequently vanished for a few days at a time.  Ben wanted to run the Reinhold
idea by him before accepting the merchant’s proposal.

Rhys
wasn’t a business man, but he had an uncanny sense for trouble.

“Reinhold?”
Rhys asked incredulously, “as in, The Lord Reinhold?”

“I
must have made an impression by gawking at his estate when we passed it on the
river.”

“Well,
you could certainly do worse.  The man has more gold to throw at a business
than you’d ever know what to do with.  I’m sure you’re doing a great job and
all, but I’m a little surprised he’s interested.  I figure he’s got bigger fish
on the line than a small brewery.”

Ben
shifted uneasily, “well, that’s where I have the question.  He’s doing it he
says to thwart Lord Gulli.  He says Gulli is reaching too far so he wants to
give him some competition locally and cut into his sources of income.”

“Hmm,”
said Rhys before reaching over to the pitcher and refilling his mug.  Then
without asking, refilling Ben’s.  “I’d hoped this situation with Gulli was over
with.  He’s a dangerous man, as I’m sure you know.”

“As
far as I know, we are out of the situation with Gulli.  His men came by just
once and we heard he spoke to most of our customers.  A few begged out of their
deals with us but the majority stayed on.  There hasn’t been any trouble since
then, at least that I know of.  I’m worried that Renfro is stirring the pot
down by the docks.  He said he’s spoken to some people who work with Gulli and
that they aren’t very supportive of the man.”

Rhys
unconsciously tapped on the hilt of his long knife and paused before speaking
again.  “If Renfro is going to get himself in trouble then he’s going to take
you with him.  If Renfro won’t stop, then I think you have two choices and you
may not like either one.”

Ben
frowned and leaned forward on the smooth oak table.

“One,
you disassociate yourself from Renfro.  Buy him out of the brewery, sell him
the brewery, whatever it takes to cut ties.  Gulli is a thug, but he’s also a
business man.  If he sees you’re not involved then he will leave you alone. 
You may think you have nothing to worry about now, but if Renfro is talking to
Gulli’s men, then you should be worried.”

Ben
sighed.  “Renfro is still enough of a friend that I can’t do that to him, not
yet.”

“Option
two then.  You do this partnership with Reinhold.  I don’t think Gulli is
stupid enough to cross his path.  Reinhold is a fair man and he will do what he
says with you.  He’s a hard man too and has nearly unlimited resources.  He
won’t back down from a fight if Gulli makes it one.  He’s the protection you
need.”

“I
can’t abandon Renfro and I don’t think he’ll stop,” replied Ben with a
grimace.  “So it’s not much of a choice.  We partner with Reinhold.”

Rhys
smirked and raised his mug in cheers, “to bigger and better things.”  He took a
long pull then smacked his it down for a refill.  “Now, let’s talk about
something important.  When I was downriver last week there was this barmaid
with the biggest…”

Three
days later, Ben grinned and shook his head as he followed Rhys and Renfro up a
wide dirt track into the hills.  The early autumn heat and humidity of The City
was fading as they ascended away from the river.  The quiet of the road would
have been a welcome change for Ben after the constant noise and commotion in
town, but Rhys and Renfro hadn’t stopped talking since they left.

Each
one was comparing exploits that had grown more and more lurid as the sun rose
higher.  By now, Ben was certain that everything coming out of the former
thief’s mouth was a lie, but it didn’t stop Rhys from cackling at the tales and
coming right back with another to top it.  By their accounts, there couldn’t
have been an unspoiled barmaid or wash girl within two days walk of The City.

Ben
suspected Renfro had been a virgin when they’d finished their journey, but it
seemed he’d grown in experience.  Or at least expanded his imagination.

“What
about you Ben?” called Renfro.  “Did you ever manage to close the deal with
that sweet Lady or the country girl?  What’s her name, Meghan?  I bet the
Sanctuary is locking those two up tight.”

Renfro
had never made it to the Sanctuary to visit the girls and it had been five
months since they arrived in The City, but that was just ridiculous.  “Renfro,
that country girl is my sister.”

“Oh,
right.”  Renfro paused to catch his breath and pull up his pants which had been
slowly sinking as they walked.  “I guess I knew that.  It’s too bad really.  I
bet she’d be a handful.”

Rhys
caught Ben’s eye and mock slapped his forehead.  Rhys glanced at Renfro and
said, “maybe you should get a belt Renfro.  Or are you staying prepared for any
wayward wenches we stumble across?”

“A
belt?”

“Your
pants are falling down.  It’s not befitting a man of your carnal aptitude.”

Renfro
looked down and asked confusedly, “my what?”

“Don’t
worry about it, let’s get moving.  We’ve got business to do and I want to see
the legend in action once we get to the tavern.”

Renfro
flushed then scrambled after Rhys. 

It
dawned on Ben that Renfro was trying to be like Rhys.  He probably saw the
older man as a role model.  But where Rhys flouted all conventions because he
had self-knowledge and confidence in his abilities, Renfro seemed to be doing
it because he thought that was the way to gain respect.

“Why
can’t I find some normal friends,” muttered Ben as he fell in behind them.

They
were heading to the small village of Vis which was in the hills a two day walk
from The City.  Rhys vaguely mentioned he had business there then invited them
along because it was a logging town with a bevy of timber mills, carpenters and
coopers.  They hoped that by going further out from The City they could find a
better price on fresh, empty ale kegs.  They collected, washed and reused the
old ones when they could, but Reinhold’s investment would launch another round
of expansion and they needed new materials to keep up.

Contrary
to Ben’s hopes, Renfro continued to spend more and more time in seedy
establishments by the docks.  The few times Ben had stopped in some of the
places, he’d immediately wanted to leave and was always a little surprised when
he checked his coin purse and found he hadn’t been robbed.  Ben hoped a short
trip away from there and amongst real people outside of The City would do
Renfro good.

The
dirt track they were on was wide enough for a wagon and not much else.  If two
of them were to meet on this road, one would need to pull off into the tall
grass on the side.  The road followed a broad zig zag that gently rose and cut
through thin stands of small trees.

“There
can’t be much of a lumber town up there with these trees,” Ben shouted up to
Rhys.

Rhys
held back to walk beside Ben then answered, “they’ve got bigger trees.  Used to
have big trees down here too.  They cut them all down.”  Rhys gestured to low
lumps in the grass that Ben hadn’t noticed.  “Tree stumps.  This land isn’t
much use to anyone until the forest grows back some.”