“Okay, what else did you find, and what is your asking price?”

  “What would you say a fair price would be for a fine to flawless quality 7pt magic cut gemstone?” He asked.

  I sat forward in my seat, which made him smile even wider.

  “The going rate is twenty to thirty platinum, based on both gem quality in those ranges and the rarity of the gemstone type.”

  “I agree, that is a fair retail price on those. You really need to start thinking wholesale, young man. Bulk pricing, jeweler discount, and dubious origins.”

  I gave him a frown.

  “But since you are in a hurry and haggling is beneath you, would you say that twenty-five platinum per gemstone, as discussed, is fair?”

  I replied. “I would.”

  He said, “Please bring me my bag.”

  I got up to retrieve it, but said, “It is empty.”

  He gave me a disappointed look. “An enchanter, and he never thought to look for a second, extradimensional compartment in the magical bag. I sometimes think I am working with amateurs.”

  “Not an amateur, an apt student who is continually surprised by his master,” I replied respectfully.

  “My offer still stands; you could be my student. Even if it is just for a few lessons.” He said with his hand poised over his bag,

  “I am still considering it. You may be wearing me down.” I admitted. “But as a retired Gray Master, I may be past my prime in these matters.”

  “It may just save your life, you know.” He ignored my other comment and closed the bag, turned it around before him, and opened it again. He reached into the bag up to his elbow and withdrew a wooden chest that was roughly a foot cube in shape.

  “Come take it. One hand can be annoying at times like this.” He said.

  I lifted the box from his grasp and set it on the small table before us.

  “It is not locked, trapped, or magical. Of course, if you were trained properly, you could have assessed that for yourself.”

  “Always the salesman,” I remarked as I opened it and then gasped.

  “I believe that one hundred times twenty-five platinum is twenty-five hundred platinum, or-” He paused to let me finish his sentence.

  “Twenty-five thousand gold.”

  “You are good at math. At least with coins, which is the best kind of math, after all.”

  Bella said, You want a wheelbarrow, Gwydion?

  I laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” He asked.

  “Bella asked me if I wanted to get a wheelbarrow for your money.”

  He held up his one whole hand. “That was not in good humor.” He said.

  There was a knock on the door, and Bella came in with a tray of tea and cheeses.

  She placed it down before him. “I apologize.”

  He looked at the tray and smelled the tea. “Darjeeling and smoked Gouda cheese. My favorites.”

  “Yes, it is.” She said as she departed.

  “You may be charming her as well,” I suggested.

  “Then there’s hope for all of us.” He said.

  He poured a cup of tea. “I can so rarely drink with impunity in my line of work. Poison is a constant threat.”

  “And you are not afraid of that here?” I asked.

  “Certainly not. Bella would not permit it. Besides, in her demesne, none would leave if she did not allow it. Certainly not an old, worn-down thief.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  I was not falling for his story, but I did sympathize with his plight. By the nature of his position, some of the everyday joys were probably just vulnerabilities for him. All that wealth and power and little chance to truly enjoy it.

  Do not share those thoughts with him. He would not appreciate them or you for doing so. He knows better than you what he has given up, and in trying to support you and the city against some of his rivals, it has only gotten harder with your usurping his role and then permitting him to get it back. Bella advised.

  “Delicious.” He said after a bite of cheese and a slow, smooth drink of his tea. “These would not normally go together in high society gatherings, but they are two of my rare treats.”

  “I’ll deduct it from your 25,000 gold,” I said.

  He sputtered with a mouthful of tea and then laughed out loud. “That is more of what I like about you. Stop the moodiness and impatience, and stick with who you really are.”

  “And who is that?”

  “My new investment.” He thought hard about what he just said, set the teacup down, and then said, “I apologize, Gwydion. You are more to me than that. Even if that is partly true, also.”

  “No apology needed. We both understand the nature of this relationship. It is more than commerce, but that is an important part of it as well.”

  He nodded. “How is my former apprentice working out?”

  “According to Bella, she sees us as her next meal ticket and is working out how best to manipulate us to get what she wants. Of course, she doesn’t know what she wants, but it's a start.”

  “Please help her find her path. She has a good streak that created some trouble among her peers, and she has been trying to overcompensate for it lately. With time and a patient master, she will find her path.”

  “I am not her master, but she has a family that will help her if she lets us. Bella will tolerate some latitude with her, but there are limits for both of us.”

  “Understood.” He said.

  “So, if that is a no to the wheelbarrow, how do you want the coins?” I asked,

  “I just brought back 14 bolts of cloth and a large sack of thread. The coins will fit in the bag nicely. Bring them in here.”

  “Are we finished?” I asked.

  “For now. I’ll continue to work on our mutual interests. I won’t be joining the trip back to the capital tomorrow.” He said.

  “Neither will I. There are other things that I need to do around here.”

  He stood and offered me his hand.

  We clasped arms.

  “Go check on that grandson of mine. I’ll wait here for the gold.”

  I made a show of checking that my rings were still on my fingers, which made him laugh. And I departed to the next room to see what mischief Red had gotten into with four unobserved hours in the capital.

  Biff was carrying bags of gold into meeting room one for Master Downwin, shaking his head but taking direction from Bella.

  I entered the map room, and Red was standing with his back to me, talking with Simon. They partially blocked the table, but I could see a variety of weapons and armor on it. Old weapons and old armor.

  “Did you rob the museum?” I asked.

  “Not exactly,” Red answered, a bit defensive. “You are supposed to be impressed.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “I remain open to it. Explain.”

  He and Simon exchanged looks, and Red broke into a sales pitch by starting with one of his stories.

  “Short version, Red. I trust you. Just give me the summary. I’m sold out after getting fleeced by your grandfather.”

  He grinned. “He is a good salesman, isn't he?”

  “The best. “ I admitted. “Now, what is all this and why should I not have said, ‘what is all this junk?’”

  “Don’t make me tell your father you were talking this way.” He chastised.

  “You were talking to one of the others about me at the geology department.” I accused him.

  Red gave me an innocent look. “Me? Trying to use prior knowledge merely to make an argument to save the lives of thousands of students, children, and families in Keelwell?”

  “You made your point. Now get to the explaining part.” I said with a sigh.

  He laughed, and Simon smiled.

  “Ok. First, let me introduce you to what we have here.” He began listing off the items as he walked me around the table. “First, meet Chu-Ko-Nu. It is an ancient Third Kingdom Repeating Crossbow on exhibit at the capital museum. This was discovered on a dig in the escarpment several decades ago. How it made its way from the Third Kingdom to the middle of ours is unknown. However, it was discovered in a very promising temple location, but during their second year’s expedition, nobody returned, and it was marked down as too dangerous for future exploration. I have a map of the entire site that I plan to either gift to your father or trade with the Loremaster. I have not decided which.”

  “Somehow, trade seems more probable in your hands,” I stated dryly.

  “You are not wrong.” He agreed as he led us to his next acquisition. “However, Jakar has hinted at a spell that could duplicate maps, and I might get to use both options.

  “Second,” He said as he moved us around the table, “meet the deadly Gladiator Scissor from the Fourth Kingdom arena game,s which were very popular during that age. This also came from the capital museum in an expedition that failed. In fact,” he pointed at all the weapons and armor, “they all ended tragically. So I will skip that part of the rest of our tour.”

  I looked at Simon. “Did he practice this schtick on you, or is he just ad-libbing?”

  “A little of both,” Red answered without looking at me. “This third piece was not from a failed dig but was made at the Capital monastery and is one of our good friend, Monkey Simon’s, favorites. They are called shurikens and, while they do originate from an earlier age which they refused to explain to me, they are very modern, very sharp, and very rune-engravable.”

  I nodded. “At least there is a reason for one of these so far,” I said.

  Red glanced up, surprised. “Seriously, a repeating crossbow? How is that not a thing?”

  “I raised my hands. “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to break the fourth wall on you. Keep going.”

  He shook his head. “Sometimes I think I am working with amateurs.” That line of his grandfather’s, which he had also just used on me, made me smile.

  He walked up to where a single blank rune stone and a blank rune rod sat. “While we got 300 shurikens, I got these two floor models from the rune shop because someone had already cleared the shop out of merchandise. I told Simon we needed to go there earlier, but oh no, we had to pay our respects at the temple. An hour paid a lot of respect.”

  Simon just shrugged.

  “But, fortunately, we did stop off at a name given to me by our illustrious weapons guildmaster, who sold us five thousand sling bullets. Which we can make rune bombs.”

  I nodded. Not all the guards could use a bow, but most had taken sling training along with spears and swords. It was a cheap and easy weapon to use. In a pinch when arrows ran out, there were usually still stones on the ground. They were not as accurate as sling bullets, but ammo was rarely an issue.

  “Moving on to arrows,” Red continued, “I happened to find a dealer, also given to me by the guildmaster, who had ten thousand arrow shafts and a gross of feathers and a couple of crates of military style iron arrowtips and was willing to part with them cheap.”

  “Some assembly required,” Simon added.

  “True, but thanks to Adric, I got a letter of introduction to his counterpart in the capital and their student group and a ton of retired archery enthusiasts are staying up all night to assemble the arrows to be delivered, thanks to your set up and a few coins to one of your little gray robed apprentices, to the museum tomorrow at noon.”

  “What did that cost us?” I asked.

  “We will discuss pricing at the end of the demonstration.” He said quickly.