Blackstone (Book 2) (6 page)

“Yes, I remember you mentioning him before. Who’s the last
person?”

“Oh Jae Pyo. He is a…” Fei trailed off, brows furrowing
briefly. “Hmm. I don’t know the right way to translate this. Commerce Expert?
Main Merchant?”

“Business advisor?” Markl offered, as he joined them at the
table.

Fei gave him a thankful nod. “Probably the best way to
describe him. He will have no vested interest in our coming and will likely not
say much. It’s the other four you must convince.” As an afterthought, he added,
“Or at least that was the case when I was last home. They hold term for ten
years. Assuming that no one has resigned or died unexpectedly, that should be
the people that you will deal with.

“Good luck,” Wolf offered to her.

“Why am I the one doing the talking?” Siobhan whined to no
one in particular. “Markl’s the one with the silver tongue!”

“You’re the guildmaster,” Fei disagreed, although not
unsympathetic. “They will not hear another person speak in your place.”

Wonderful. “Markl, grab something to write with,” she
ordered. “Help me come up a speech. I refuse to go in there unprepared.”

Markl whipped out his handy-dandy notebook and opened it to
a clean page in the very back. “Where do you want to start?”

Rubbing at her forehead with her fingertips, she groaned.
“Good question. Where do we start?”

When a messenger came to fetch them, Siobhan still didn’t
feel at all prepared for the meeting. It wasn’t just a matter of what to say,
but how to say it. Fei had spent half their time drilling customs and such into
her head so that she didn’t embarrass herself. Apparently, he had forgotten the
more formal etiquette until this meeting was upon them.

So typical.

Siobhan hooked a hand into Fei’s arm and let him guide her,
burying her face in her notes. As she frantically reviewed, she prayed the
cramming would stick and she wouldn’t forget anything. She likely would, but
they knew she was foreign, and so would cut her some slack—hopefully. Fei had
assured her several times to not worry if she did miss something, but when it
was this important, his words failed to reassure.

Because of her preoccupation, she didn’t really see much of
the scenery or take any special note of the roads they took to get to the
meeting. It wasn’t until Fei muttered to her from the side of his mouth that
she realized they’d arrived. Hastily shoving the paper into her pocket, she
looked up.

Just how old was this building? It had a solidity to it that
made every other place she’d seen so far seem young and relatively fresh. The
timbers used were stained dark with age, fitted so tightly together that it
seemed as if it had been built without need of glue or nails. It stood a good
two stories tall, the doors to the front already splayed open. Directly in
front was an open space made of stone flooring, and then a wooden floor started
a half foot higher, stretching the rest of the way into the building. By the
gathering of shoes that were neatly lined up along the sides, Siobhan guessed
that all visitors took their shoes off before stepping up onto the wooden
floor.

This was confirmed when Fei automatically doffed his shoes
and reached for a pair of flat, leather slippers that were set nearby.
Following his example, she toed her boots off and found a pair of slippers that
looked more or less her size before putting them on. They felt sloppy and
loose, but would do.

The messenger waited patiently until they were ready before
leading them further inside, past the foyer and into the next room. This
building seemed typical of what she had seen so far—these people didn’t seem to
really believe in hallways. Instead, all of the rooms connected directly to the
next. In a place this old, she expected it to smell musty, but the open windows
on every side kept fresh mountain air flowing in, so it smelled strongly of
pine and spices instead.

In the next room was a single, long table that sat low to
the floor. Cushions were arranged at set intervals all around, but otherwise
the room was bare of furnishings. On one side of the table, facing the door,
sat four men and a woman that had definitely passed their prime. There wasn’t a
smooth face among them. The other side of the table was completely empty and
obviously meant for any petitioners.

Fei guided her directly to the table and then took a single
step back, making it clear that she was the one in charge here.

Trying to hide her nerves, Siobhan put both hands together
over her stomach and gave them a low bow. “I am Siobhan Maley, Guildmaster of
Deepwoods from Robarge. I have come to request something of you.”

“We will hear you,” Bo Sei Jin assured her in formal tones.
He extended a hand toward the cushion in the very center. “Please sit.”

Knowing this would probably take a while, she sat
cross-legged, getting comfortable. Fei often sat on his knees, and said that
was the more formal way, but she wouldn’t manage to maintain that for more than
a few minutes. Not without her knees killing her.

“First, let me introduce you to the council.” Gesturing to
the far end of the table, Bo Sei Jin said, “This is Sei Ja Na, City Librarian.”

Sei Ja Na was tiny and petite, greying hair wound up in an
elaborate knot on the top of her head, wearing traditional clothes in multiple
layers. Something about her mannerisms, the weighing look in her eye, suggested
she was studying and taking notes even as she bowed politely.

Siobhan bowed back, somewhat awkwardly.

“Hyun Woo,” Bo Sei Jin continued, indicating the man sitting
right next to him.

Hyun Woo, despite being the city general, did not have an
ounce of armor on him. He wore loose-fitting black clothes, hair drawn up in a
severe ponytail on the top of his head, eyebrows so bushy they almost hid his
eyes. He gave her a nod, which she returned, but nothing about his expression
gave her a clue what he was thinking.

“Oh Jae Pyo, our Tradesman Expert.”

He looked like one, too. Something about the expression on
his face, the smile he gave her, all said ‘merchant’ to Siobhan. He was also
the only one at the table that was remotely portly, his face more rounded, and
even his clothing couldn’t disguise his belly.

“Of course you have already met Kim Ra Im.” Bo Sei Jin
folded his hands to rest on the table’s surface. “Guildmaster, we will hear you
now.”

“Thank you.” Siobhan paused and realized in half-panic that
her prepared speech had just flown out the nearest window. She couldn’t
remember a word of it. Sweet mercy above, she’d have to wing it.

“Why have you come seeking us?” Sei Ja Na asked, eyes
strangely penetrating.

Siobhan took a breath and prayed that she had the right
words to explain this situation. “We believe…that the world itself may see war
very soon.”

The room went abruptly still, so still that not even one
person could be heard breathing.

Kim Ra Im leaned forward, the wooden floor creaking under
him in an alarmingly loud way. “Explain.”

Siobhan started from the beginning, with the trade agreement
between the three guilds to rebuild the Grey Bridges, and ended with, “Orin is
now basically destitute. They are struggling just to survive. This situation
will not improve in the upcoming months. If anything, it will worsen. Fei tells
me that he’s seen this pattern before, many times, as he learned history. With
this kind of economic depression, Orin is like a wolf trapped in a corner.
Eventually, they will strike.”

The historian let out a grim sigh. “I fear you are right. We
have, indeed, seen this pattern many times before. When a country is desperate
just to survive, they turn to war and pillaging their neighbors.”

“But can they truly manage a united front?” Hyun Woo questioned,
stroking his beard with thoughtful fingers. His tone suggested he didn’t really
believe the idea impossible, he was just thinking aloud. “How many cities and
guilds will work together?”

“The entire western coast, quite possibly the southern coast
as well,” she responded promptly. “The northern section of Orin doesn’t seem as
badly affected as the rest. Probably because your trade depends on the sea, and
was never based on the bridges to begin with.”

Oh Jae Pyo splayed one hand in agreement. “That is so.”

Sei Ja Na turned to the two men sitting beside her.
“Kim-zhi, Hyun-zhi, do you share Guildmaster Siobhan’s opinion? Do you think
this is likely?”

Kim Ra Im gave a grim nod, looking blindly ahead. “It is not
a question of ‘if’ but ‘when.’ My former student has read the situation quite
well, in spite of his inattention as a youngster.” The quick smile he shot Fei
suggested he was teasing more than reprimanding. “I am glad to know that
something
stuck. But yes, they are right to fear as they do. This is inevitable. We
simply do not know the timing.”

Bo Sei Jin cleared his throat. “Siobhan-jia, when we spoke
earlier, you said that you wished to acquire knowledge, and that is why you
came. What knowledge?”

“Strategy and battle tactics,” she responded promptly. “We
have no idea how to fight as a united front, as an army, or how to defend a
whole city. This world has not seen true war in centuries. But Fei tells me
that you, at least, have not forgotten how to do this. We need your expertise.”

“You need more than that,” Hyun Woo disagreed. “I cannot
teach you everything you need to know in a matter of days, or weeks, or even
months. You need a strategist to go with you. At least one.”

“A historian would not be amiss, either,” Kim Ra Im added
thoughtfully, head cocked slightly as he stared at her. “Perhaps others. We
need more detailed information from you before deciding.”

That didn’t sound like
if we decide to send people
but more as if they had already made the decision already to do so. This abruptness
made her head spin. That was it? She didn’t have to argue with them, or
convince them, or charm anyone into anything? Fei hadn’t thought it would be
this easy. She shot him a quick look only to find he was just as surprised as
she was. He glanced at her with wide eyes and an almost imperceptible shrug as
if he found this ready decision just as baffling.

Feeling that she had to clarify, Siobhan ventured, “Then…you’ll
let us borrow a few of your experts?”

“Yes.” Kim Ra Im gave her a small smile in reassurance. “We
removed ourselves into these mountains many centuries ago, leaving the anarchy
of the world as the governments fell, because we feared that all knowledge
would be lost if someone did not preserve it. But would not all of that effort
be in vain if we do not use the knowledge we have to prevent disaster?”

Siobhan let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.
“I am so glad to hear you say so. Thank you. Thank all of you so much.”

“We might yet be able to prevent this war from even
happening,” Oh Jae Pyo suggested, sharing a speaking look with Kim Ra Im. “If
the economy is the problem, then surely the trend can be reversed?”

“I would think so,” Kim Ra Im agreed. “Perhaps we should sit
down with Siobhan-jia and gather more information.”

“My trader, Sylvie, is the better person to ask about this,”
Siobhan denied. “She’s the one that has her finger firmly on the pulse. Markl
would also be a good person to confer with, as he’s been making extensive notes
and graphs on the matter.”

“We will require an introduction…” Oh Jae Pyo trailed off
suggestively.

“I will be happy to get you acquainted with them, of
course.”

“Excellent.” Bo Sei Jin clapped his hands, gathering their
attention. “I believe we have reached a unanimous decision. We shall send
experts back with Deepwoods Guild with letters of introduction to their main
guildmaster, and try to nip this problem before it blooms. Tonight, we shall
dine together, and become better acquainted. This is agreeable?”

Siobhan put her hands to her stomach and bowed to them,
hoping she did the gesture right even as she moved. “Very much so. You have my
gratitude.” When she looked up again, she was faced with nothing but smiling
faces. Oh good, she must have done that correctly.

“Come,” Sei Ja Na invited, extending her hand toward the
door. “Follow me, and we shall eat together. Man Fei Lei-gui, go and fetch the
rest of your guild and your family. We shall all eat together.”

Fei bowed in acknowledgement before disappearing silently
out the door.

Siobhan got to her feet and was barely able to cross to the
door before Kim Ra Im appeared at her elbow. In an undertone he asked, “As we
walk, tell me how you gained my former pupil as a guild member.”

Another person that wanted stories on Fei? Oh, fun. She hid
her eagerness behind a demure smile as she agreed, “As you wish.”

ӜӜӜ

Wolf was a simple man. Anyone that offered to feed him was a
friend, and they stayed a friend until they tried to stick a knife in his back.
It was as simple as that. It didn’t matter if they were from a different
culture, or the food was something he’d never seen before, or if guests sat on
cushions instead of proper chairs. If there was food available, he was fine.

This gathering proved to be better than a simple ‘fine.’

The meeting that’d had Siobhan’s hair in knots had turned
out to be short, sweet, and—judging from that satisfied smile on her
face—victorious. He hadn’t heard the details yet, but didn’t need to in order
to know that she had gotten her way. In fact, that expression said she had done
better than hoped for. That was enough for him.

The building had a large, open floor in the middle of it,
with a part of the room built up a half-step from the rest of it. No one sat up
there, which Wolf took to mean that rank didn’t matter tonight. This relieved
him, because while Fei had drilled manners into Siobhan’s head, he hadn’t exactly
been paying attention. He’d hate to ruin Siobhan’s hard work with a careless
remark.

As the guild filed in, Siobhan went from person to person,
introducing them to the council. Wolf bowed politely, murmured a few words, and
kept his eyes on the room in general. It was because of this that he caught the
lowering of the table.

Someone had put together a rig so that the long, rectangular
table could be lowered by pulley to the floor and back up to hang on the
ceiling. As he watched, two men were working the ropes, carefully lowering the
piece of furniture. Why…why in sweet mercy would you hang a table from the
ceiling? Granted, it would be handy during the day, to just put it ‘up’ when
you didn’t need it, but it seemed beyond strange to do that.