As they left the woodlands that sheltered the great houses from prying eyes, they realized they were almost at the base of the walls of the massive New Castle. The road turned away from the castle as it slowly gained elevation, and then, after they negotiated a tricky corner, it directly approached the dry-moated gate in the great wall. At the junction where one road led into the castle and the other descended into the valley sheltering Castleton, a man stood waiting at the gatehouse. Hamish pulled the wagon to a halt and let the animals rest for a moment as he walked over to the man and kissed him on both cheeks.
“I have been meaning to visit,” Hamish said, “but I just never get the time. We were hoping to visit your library this morning.”
The immaculately dressed man continued to hold Hamish’s arm as he bowed stiffly to Falkyr. “You will have to forgive my cousin. Only someone so well schooled in etiquette could so completely disregard the simple courtesies. Hamish, are you not going to introduce your friends?”
Hamish stepped back, and quickly saluted his cousin. “Gentlemen, may I present, Ion, grandson of the late Ambassador, Prince Gereham of Sarzana, and acting Ambassador of the Highlands to the Council of Barnabas, the High Mayor of Riversea. Acting Ambassador, please allow me to introduce Falkyr Fhar’son, son of High King Ghent t’Fhar of C’Holm.”
“On behalf of the High Mayor, and all of the people of Riversea, it is an honor to welcome you to our shores and city,” Ambassador Ion said. “We have been expecting the arrival of the son of High King Ghent t’Fhar this season, but your early arrival has caught us slightly unprepared.”
Before Falkyr could attempt to apologize, Hamish continued, “And I would like to introduce Guide Navarra of the Covenant of the Kingdoms and currently resident at the Hall of the Covenant in Haps. Both gentlemen would be seeking an introduction to the Council at the convenience of the High Mayor.”
“Your presence in Riversea has also not gone unnoticed, Guide Navarra,” the Ambassador said, “I believe your Primus wrote to the High Mayor asking that he watch out for you. Since your Primus failed to specify exactly what you wished to achieve during your visit to Riversea I know the High Mayor is most interested to meet you. Perhaps you could speak of it tonight, for the High Mayor has asked that I invite you both to a dinner in your honor, Falkyr Fhar’son.”
“I am greatly honored by the High Mayor's interest,” Navarra said, “but I am here in a strictly private capacity and represent neither the Kingdoms nor the Covenant.”
“I be honored, but I be not able to accept,” Falkyr said.
“Oh ...?” the Ambassador began.
“Actually,” Hamish interrupted, ”before you reach such a decision, Falkyr, you should walk with the Acting Ambassador down the Grand Stairs and discuss his library. In it I believe there are several books concerning the Codes of C’Holm. One, I believe by High King t’Weis, specifically deals with the courtesies appropriate to the exiled sons.”
“His words be not much remembered in these days. Do you truly have a book of his Codes?” Falkyr asked of Ion.
“I must confess that Hamish is more familiar with the library than myself,” Ion said.
“In the leisure of my youth,” Hamish said to Falkyr, “it was the one place my tormenters would never dare venture, for fear some intelligence would infect them. Sorry, Acting Ambassador, that was impolite, but you can ask anyone - the sons of Barnabas never read a book they didn’t have to. Sir, Guide Navarra has asked for some further introductions, but if you could, perhaps, offer Falkyr some advice concerning his current position, I will then be able to meet up with you both within the hour. Falkyr, you will find the Codes of t’Weis bound in green in the shelves under the Window of the Snow Rose. Unless someone has moved it, try three shelves down. It should be the only green book on the shelf.”
“You are cleverer than you need be, Hamish” the Ambassador said, to Hamish’s embarrassment. “Of course, now that you are finished with the brewing business and are returning to the Highlands as Prince Altan, it is good to see you using your mind again.”
“Yes ... well ...” Hamish said.
“Although I am sure it was the former, disreputable ‘Hamish character’ that ignored Madam Eloise’s instructions to immediately deliver her cousin to her care,” the Ambassador said with a wicked smile, “It is the later, charming Prince whom she has asked escort her to the reception tonight.”
“But ...”
“She thought it a suitable punishment.”
“It would be a punishment,” Hamish agreed, “but would it be wise? For her sake I mean.”
“She is a Holder of a House, Hamish,” the Ambassador said. “She decides who will be High Mayor, not the other way around.”
“I know. I taught you that.” Hamish hesitated. “Will Bethor be there? We met him once today already.”
“The presence of that one here in town is known,” the Ambassador said. “The High Mayor is not pleased his second son chose to be Spoken For outside of Riversea in Haps this season. It may be that the father soon decides that if the son chooses to reject Riversea, then Riversea will reject the son.”
Hamish thought for a moment, and then turned to Falkyr and said, “if I remember correctly, the High King t’Weis decreed that sons accepting exile should be held in the highest regard, for they ensure the peace of C’Holm. He proposed that as long as the sons remained outside of C’Holm, they should be regarded as what they are - sons of a King and Princes of C’Holm. Sons that stay and abuse their fathers with their position are clearly another category. I recommended you walk with the Ambassador and see if you agree with t’Weis.”
And, after Falkyr and Ion both decided they would be honored to walk with the other, Hamish kissed his cousin on the cheeks again and pulled his animals back onto the road. They turned away from the Castle and began the descent to the New Harbor, which was, as usual, empty of ships due to the swell breaking on its rocky shores.
Navarra was quiet for a while, and then said, “Why is it that you masquerade as a brewmaster when you are better suited to be a prince?”
“Is that meant to be a compliment or an insult?” Hamish asked with a smile.
“Calming disputes between drunks would seem to be a waste of your gift for intrigue.”
“Intrigue?”
“I mean ...”
“Last year, late in the evening, you mentioned you’d turned down a life of scholarship and contemplation for exile.”
“I did?” Navarra clearly didn’t remember.
“It was late in the evening,” Hamish reminded him. “But the point being - you renounced your calling because you thought it was a punishment in a prison. Instead you decided to teach a message you confess to have doubts about to people who are not interested in listening.”
“I never said that,” Navarra stated. “Did I?”
“I’m not your Primus,” Hamish said. “And to doubt that things must be how we are told they must be seems a reasonable thing to me anyway.”
“I see your point now,” Navarra said. “You doubt you must be a prince.”
“I wondered if that was all I could be.” Hamish stopped. “I wondered if I could only be what I was born to be. But I’ve learned a trade. Though you may sneer at it, and I agree it may be less reputable than others, I know I can brew and manage a Public House, and make a living on my own talents.”
“You should have been born in the Kingdoms,” Navarra said. “In my land no one is born with anything. There are no titles for sons nor unearned inheritances. Everyone starts their lives as equals and has to earn everything in their lives for themselves.”
“If I remember you correctly,” Hamish said, “you said that in the Kingdoms it is less important to do your job well than it is to convince others that you have done your job well.”
“Did I say that?”
“You were most articulate, considering how much you had
put away.”
“Way too articulate for my own good I fear.”
Since they were getting close to the gate in the wall around Castleton Hamish had to change the subject and asked, “Where did you learn to play the Game?”
“The game? Oh, that Game.”
“The true game.”
“We had a board at the Temple where I was an Aspirant. Some of us played when we were to have been studying.”
“A single board or a pair of boards?”
“A single board.”
“Five sided, five players, eleven pieces each?”
“We only played with two people. Each of us started with two sides with eleven pieces per side, and tried to capture the fifth side.”
“That is the easiest way to play when you should be studying. Five people discussing a Game is hard to disguise, and a pair of boards can stop the business of a public house if you let it get too intense.”
“How do five people play?”
“In teams and then by betrayal. The real challenge is keeping the emotions confined to the board. Mid-winter we have a championship that is meant to get the players out of the inns where real blood feuds have developed. I think the championship just raises the stakes. And it’s bad for business.”
“And how are two boards played?”
“You’ll get as many answers as there are players. I favor cooperation and patience.”
Navarra was silent then as they passed alongside the small stream and fields of Castleton. The wagon was slow enough that several people turned around and walked back into town, rather than towards their jobs in the fields, while attempting to talk Hamish into donating a sample towards their labors. Just before the town gates Hamish had Navarra step down and walk through on his own, as the negotiations with the Guards and the tax inspectors sometimes needed a delicacy that the presence of an obvious foreigner would make difficult.
“This place is not like Fisher,” Navarra said when they were reunited.
“No,” Hamish agreed, “this is not Fisher. People here are a bit ... proud.”
“Why is that?” Navarra asked.
“It may be because the city is so new, and they have no history to rely on as the people in Riverseaton do,” Hamish speculated. “But Newton is old as Riverseaton, and no one there has any pride in anything.”
“Do you have an answer for everything?”
“I wish,” Hamish laughed. “I’ve spent so much time explaining Riversea to Ion - the Ambassador I mean, that I’ve become as boring as all those books I’ve read about other places.”
“Knowledge is precious ...”
“A lot of knowledge might be,” Hamish corrected. “But a little knowledge is only dangerous. I think you are going to learn this lesson when you attempt the Game this morning.”
“Perhaps it would be better if I found a Game in Fisher.”
“Fisher might be a little friendlier, but you’ll do fine. You may even walk away with some of your money. My only advice is - let the locals win the last game. If you’re winning at any point, try to discreetly pocket some of it. They won’t try to take all your money, just most of it.”
“An innocent to the slaughter.”
“That’s your best approach. Let them lead, play defensively, and after a few games you should see their style and be able to act accordingly. Just don’t make them feel you’ve conned them. It’s a long way back to Fisher. I’m delivering at the Castleton Inn,” Hamish said as he pointed to the front door of the establishment. “I’m going around back. I’ll ask the publican who has been playing recently. He’ll find you a Game. You just go on in the front door and order a large meal. It will let people know you have money.”
As deliveries went, this one was always easy. They wanted the remainder of the wagon-load, and the Master had his own lads to do the shifting. It left more time for the negotiations over payment. Hamish listened, and commiserated, but in the end could only agree that the good Master Groggin was a right bastard when it came to money. He declined an early morning drink with a touch to his forehead, saying, “I still can’t drink.”
“A terrible thing, lad, no being able to taste a bit” the publican said. “But then too many in this business are too fond of their own product. Your Master Groggin, for example.”
“Don’t start me on it. I have some business in town. May I leave my wagon with you for a moment?”
“The way my lads work? You’d best put your animals out to pasture and think about your old age. With luck they will have your empties loaded by lunch.”
Just before exiting back door Hamish stopped. “One other thing. I brought a Kingdomer with me...”
“You did what? Here, to my place?”
“He’s someone special.”
“I don’t care, I don’t want him here.”
“He’ll be introduced to the High Mayor tonight, and I would expect him to mention the friendliness of the people he has met.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Far from it. I’m pointing out the benefits of entertaining him for the day. He wants to gain some experience in playing the Game. He seems to be relatively well endowed with coins and it might be a good idea to clip his wings. I was thinking someone like Curtis could trim him gently so that his ability to get up to mischief would be reduced.”
“I don’t like this.”
“I’d really appreciate your laying on the hospitality.”
“Are you sure he has money?”
“If he doesn’t, I’ll cover his debts.”
“What’s in this for you?”
“I think the High Mayor would like to know our visitor was safely occupied and not up to whatever he has come here to Riversea to get up to. I’m just trying to do a bit of good. I need all the help I can get with the High Mayor.”
“Aye, that you do. I’ll see who is around. But if there is any trouble, he’s your man.”
On leaving the courtyard Hamish noted that the urgency of unloading his wagon seemed to be understood. Someone had unhitched his animals, but left the barrels untouched. After the initial display of action the lads were now, presumably, rearranging things in the cellar, as they were nowhere to be seen.
Castleton revealed its age by the scaffolding surrounding the numerous unfinished buildings. Trees that stood no taller than two men divided the wide High Mayor's Parade that ran up through the center of town. Unlike Fisherton, with its covered roadways offering protection in the winter and stifling heat in the summer, Castleton had galleries in front of the second stories of the buildings. At the back of the buildings there was a network of alleyways for deliveries, which gave Hamish access to the kitchens of a residence of subtle grandeur. The cook was busy, but the two kitchen maids, who were dressed in their finest, were almost asleep at the servant’s table.
“Hello Hamish,” the cook smiled. “Are you delivering today?”
“No, I’ve come to see the Master.”
“Most people use the front door to visit the Master Banker.”
“But then they miss the chance to talk with you, dear Cook,” Hamish said as he kissed the large lady’s cheeks and sampled what she was preparing. “And this early hour is rather impolite for the front door. Is the Master still asleep?”
“I do not think he has yet retired. They were all at the High Mayor’s welcoming of the Islanders last night.”
“It was awful,” one of the sleepy maids said. “Nothing was prepared. The Master volunteered us to help serve, but there was nothing to serve.”
“The Master should have sent me instead,” the cook grumbled into the bread dough.
“And no one’s gowns were ready,” the maid said. “The Ladies refused to dance in last year’s clothes. Only Madam Eloise would dance. But she is so tall she looks silly when she is not dancing with you, Hamish.”
“That was three years ago,” Hamish
gently corrected. “I doubt if Madam Eloise ever looks silly now. But you will if you don’t see if your Master could spare me a few minutes.”
“Yes, girl, be useful,” the cook added. Turning again to Hamish she asked, “Why did the Islanders have to come early this year? Why did the Prince not come last year like we were told he would? We were prepared last year. This year everything is so rushed. The celebrations were to have been so special. Everyone is so looking forward to seeing the exiled Islander Prince. Why wasn’t he at the welcoming last night?”
“I believe the Islanders had to come early this year in order to leave C’Holm before Falkyr’s birthday,” Hamish said. “It is forbidden for him to come of age in the Islands.”
“What were they going to do to the poor boy?” the cook asked. “Kill him?”
“He only avoided that option by a few days I believe,” a deep voice said from the hall. “Hamish, I thought I heard your voice.”
“Good morning, Master Banker.”
“I’d like a word with you, if you have a moment. Come through to my study. Have you eaten? Bring something for the boy and something light for myself,” the Master said to one of the blushing kitchen maids, and then added to Hamish, “A most dreadful meal at the High Mayor's last night. Everyone drank too much instead. Unfortunately, the Prince also wasn’t able to attend, so we’ll have to do it all again tonight. I do hope he manages to make an appearance this time.”
“Maybe the kitchens will be ready tonight,” Hamish said.
“We can only hope,” the Master Banker said as he settled into a chair. “Are you delivering here? Did I have an order with you?”
“I have ...” Hamish hesitated as a maid entered. The meal she delivered required a complete rearrangement of the Master Banker's desk, so Hamish had to continue in her presence, “I would like to lodge some money with you.”
“Some coins again.”
“It is not much.”
“Sit, and eat while we talk,” Hamish was ordered. The Master Banker then turned to the hovering maid and said, “Get some sleep, girl. We have another dinner with the High Mayor tonight.”
As Hamish tore yesterday’s bread into the cold stew, his host continued, “These coins of yours are a bit of a worry, Hamish. They are not your wages are they?”
“No.”
“Rather more considerable than your wages I would think.”
“Yes.”
“Now Hamish, when you were a youth at the New Castle, I always felt you had great promise. But now ... I can’t be participating in anything...”
“There is nothing to hide.”
“I am not saying there is... but I am not unaware that you Highlanders have an unhealthy interest in our trade with the Islanders.”
“We have discussed it,” Hamish quickly agreed, “and I agree with you that it is a problem, and I will see what can be done about it when I return to the Highlands.”
“If you were not so clever,” the Master Banker said slowly, trying to sum up their previous conversations, “I might believe you. But when you say this smuggling is to the benefit of the Highlanders, and that most of it occurs through Fisher, and even the Beggin Inn, I have to wonder if you are not trying to hide by being obvious.”
Hamish finished chewing and wiped his lips. He then pushed his chair back from the table and stood. “If you don’t want my business, you should just say so. I have always respected your judgment. Perhaps I should excuse myself from your company and call again at your convenience to collect all that I have lodged with you.”
“All of it?” the Master Banker said, shaken.
“It is not even 20 Bronzes.”
“Those coins...”
“You were speaking of ... ?”
“Hamish, please sit down again and accept my apologies. I could say I am tired, but that would not be an excuse for my poor behavior.”
“No, it is I who should apologize,” Hamish said. “I quite understand that you are not a pawnbroker and do not trade in small bags of coins. I also understand that you are concerned with the welfare of Riversea. It is now 70 years since Granit first arrived. Things have changed, and are still changing. Castleton and the New Castle were both build on the wealth of the increased trade between our two lands.”
“The follies of our High Mayors were supposed to have been built with the taxes on the legitimate trade between our lands,” the Master Banker corrected. “But I fear they have been built more upon borrowing against the possibility of this trade rather than its actuality.”
Hamish sat back down. “I can understand your worry about any diversion of goods directly to the Highlanders. It might directly affect you. But all I can see that has happened is that what used to be given to the Dark Forest People to then trade to the Highlands is now directly going to the Highlands. Fisher has always had a right to the eleventh ship.”
“But what about the activities in Newton and the ships that trade with the Five Houses?”
Hamish was caught. “I don’t know ... I have not been into Newton in years. I should have thought of that. I mean ... all along I’ve been watching Fisher. But the eleventh boat was never for the Houses and it was never taxed by Riversea ... I’ve been so clever, and yet completely missed the problem. I am sorry, sir, for having argued a case I know nothing about.”
“You can not be everywhere.”
“How bad is the problem?” Hamish asked. And then he quickly added, “I mean ... I don’t mean, rather, to inquire into your business, but are the Houses complaining?”
“Come now, lad,” the Master Banker said as he pushed his finished meal away. “What did I teach you about the money business?”
“No one ever mentions they are having problems until it is too late?” Hamish said, hoping it was the correct lesson.
“Precisely,” the Master Banker said. “And my survival depends on knowing things people don’t even know about themselves.”
“At least you treat people’s secrets with the same discretion as you do their finances,” Hamish said, preparing to depart. “You probably hear more impossible stories than I do serving drunks.”
“That I do ...” and then the Master Banker sat up straighter. “That reminds me ... I would like your advice on a matter you may not wish to discuss.”
“I would be honored to help you in any way that I can. You should know that.”
“It is about Lord Belthor.”
“I am not the best one to discuss his circumstances. We don’t see much of each other these days, you know.”
“But you grew up with him. You know his character.”
“And I can’t say much good about it.”
“I understand, and agree that there is much about him that is less than desirable. But I do not inquire about his morals, but rather his determination. In your opinion, would he finish something he started?”
“Such as his development in the New Ground?”
“You are as quick as ever. He has approached me for a line of credit to cover the expenses of his people until their crops come in.”
“And how long does he think it will be before he actually has a crop?” Hamish asked.
“He thinks his people would be able to bring in a full crop in their third year on the land. He is willing to support them for up to five years.”
“His generosity surprises me,” Hamish said, “as does the length of his proposal. I would have thought he would have planned for a year, or maybe two at the longest. The last time I was in the New Ground it was completely forested. It’s going to take a lot of sweat to turn it into ploughed farmland free of rocks.”
“He says he’s found open land that just needs to be ploughed.”
“He’s probably claiming the Summer Ground,” Hamish said. “That won’t sit well with the grazers and the haymakers.”
“No, his New Ground is beyond the Summer Ground.”<
br />
“That’s hard country out there.”
“He says he plans to commit his life to this project,” the Master Banker said.
Hamish thought for a moment and then asked, “And you want to know if I think he would actually stick to his commitment so that you stand a chance of getting your money back?”
The Master Banker leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Yes, that is my question to you. You have known him for much of his life, and yet you are not a friend nor eager to become his friend.”
“He will do exactly what he publicly commits himself to do,” Hamish said without hesitation. “In fact I would expect him to do more than he said he would, and he will do it sooner than he said he would. He is extremely driven to best his brother. Creating a new County would be better than working on, but not finishing, the castle their grandfather started.”
“So you would be willing to put your money in his hands, even though you do not like him?”
“No,” Hamish said. “I would not back him. I would back his project in such a way that it would not depend upon him.”
“Why?” The Master asked.
“Because he may drive his people so hard that they leave him,” Hamish said. “In that case you would have to be able to replace him with someone else equally inspired, but with a gentler style of leadership.”
“I think he understands that his greatest problem will be attracting skilled people to leave their current farms for his new lands. That is why he needs the money.”
“If this was something he could do without having to be nice to people, I would think about backing him,” Hamish said. “But his personality is his greatest liability. And then there is the problem of insuring his life.”
“What?” The Master Bank asked, suddenly completely alert.
“I, for one, would very much like to kill him before I depart for the Highlands,” Hamish said.
The Master Banker sighed and fell back in his chair. “I was afraid that might come up.”
“I can think of several people in Newton who also feel as I do,” Hamish said. “But I think dishonored daughters have lower priority than murdered fathers.”
“Hamish ... you know ... It was an awkward moment.” Hamish didn’t respond. So the Master Banker continued, “I don’t think either of them intended harm to either your father or you. Hamish, the two of you just got caught between the sons of the High Mayor. You should have let them kill each other.”
“Everyone tells me that,” Hamish said.
“I think everyone believes it, which is why no charges were ever pressed,” the Master Banker said. “They both also barely survived the injuries you gave them.”
“As I barely survived my own injuries,” Hamish said. “I’ve been told I was actually dead for a while.”
The Master Banker didn’t reply.
“I met Belthor this morning,” Hamish said. “We almost came to blows. In terms of your investment it’s not his past you need to worry about, but his present. You should sit him down and tell him that if he starts his County he’s going to receive a fair measure of abuse. From now on he’s going to have to realize he’s too important to respond to petty insults. People are going to insult him, and he’s just going to have to take it. And he’s also going to have to start living his own life as one of his position should.”
“If I do this, you will not seek your revenge?” the Master Banker asked.
“If I were simply seeking revenge I would have had it by now,” Hamish said.
“That is a great relief to know,” the Master Banker said.
“But before you relax you should remember the true animosity was between the half-brothers. When Basson becomes High Mayor he may not take kindly to his younger brother sitting in the Council and able to veto his actions.”
From the look on his face it was clear the Master Banker hadn’t planned that far into the future. “But that won’t happen. We already have our 25 Counties. There is no space on the Council for another Mayor.”
“He could take the seat that Haps occupies,” Hamish said, “since they don’t belong there anyway. They are supposed to be part of Fisher.”
The Master Banker laughed. “I always thought Fisher was supposed to be part of Haps.”
Hamish smiled too. Everyone knew that was why the two had never joined. “Either way, the point is Haps is not part of Riversea. By sitting in the Council they get all the benefits ...”
“... without paying any of the taxes,” the Master Banker finished.
“Exactly,” Hamish said. “If Belthor creates a 25th County for Riversea then Haps will have to stand on its own like it should. I know Fisher would welcome a new trade partner without the restrictions Riversea imposes.”
“To get from Fisher to Haps you still have to cross Riversea and use our roads,” the Master Banker reminded Hamish.
“We’re watermen,” Hamish corrected. “We could go by sea.”
“You’ve already thought this through then have you?” The Master Banker asked.
“Everyone in Fisher speaks of reclaiming what was once theirs after they’ve had a few,” Hamish said. “Maybe with the two half-brothers in the Council there will be a civil war and Fisher’s dreams can come true.”
“Hamish! That’s not even funny!”
“Actually ...” then Hamish changed his mind as he remembered, “Belthor can’t be a Mayor of Riversea since he was Spoken For in Haps. I wonder if he’s even thinking of being part of Riversea at all? Maybe he’s planning on being a second County of Haps. Then he could become his brother’s equal - both High Mayors.”
The Master Banker considered this new problem, and then said, “This project could cause more problems than a simple financial risk.”
“There is always that possibility when you attempt to start something new,” Hamish agreed. “If you turned Belthor away nothing would have to change.”
“Yes ...” the Master Banker seemed to agree. But then a look of sadness crossed his face. “But I fear it may be to late to stop this project. Based on the sum Belthor was asking of me, and his other hints, I believe he has other backers. I got the feeling that although he wants my participation, he’s not dependent upon it.”
“That sounds like his arrogance and slippery tongue to me,” Hamish said.
“Perhaps,” the Master Banker said. He then looked directly at Hamish and asked, “Tell me, how much do you think this project would cost?”
“Well ...” Hamish said, “you said he wanted to start a full County and support the 500 families for up to 5 years. If we assume the average wage of 3,000 Coppers a year ... that comes to ... something like ... 7½ million Coppers - 7½ Golds, right? I’m assuming the other 125 families of the County would be immediately self-supporting with their trades and businesses. He’d only need to support the farmers.”
The Master Banker smiled. “You know Hamish, after your injury, Ion approached me to take you on as my apprentice. I think I will always regret my cowardice.”
“Thank you,” Hamish said. “But you were wise to have turned me away. You avoided declaring yourself against Barnabas, and you avoided having wasted your wisdom. I really am leaving Riversea this year. Groggin is not too happy about losing his heir. Now he’ll have to find someone else to support him in his Seniority.”
“I’ll believe you’re leaving when you no longer come calling for these breakfast chats,” the Master Banker said with a fond smile. “What do you think would be the least amount of money he would need?”
Hamish though for a moment. “Well ... he’s not going to get 500 families to up and move all at once. In fact he’d be smart to start slow. If things work then people will come without the offer of money, or only need the support for a year or two.”
“Remember,” the Master Banker cautioned, “we’re bankers here, not dreamers.”
“Right,” Hamish accep
ted. “If he only supports people for his projected 3 years, and settles a Clan a year for the next 25 years - no, 20 years, since the tradesmen once again can be assumed to be self-supporting, at most he’ll be funding 3 Clans, or 75 families, right? So that would be ... about 225,000 Coppers maximum.”
“That’s the way I figured it,” the Master Banker agreed. Then he chided, “But you’re forgetting that for the first three years he’ll have no income at all. And you seem to have completely ignored how he’s going to repay the loan - since he’s said he’ll not be asking anything more than the normal taxes from his people - and only that once their crops come in. That should have been your first calculation.”
“The numbers are too big. And the only calculations I do these days are to try and remember how many days have gone by since the customers last paid for their drinks. Lets see ... 1 clan in the first year, then two clans, and then 3 clans ... 6 clan/years before he has an income. That would be 45 Silvers needed in the first 3 years. After that he’ll need 22½ Silvers every year. And as for your repayments ... you taught that farms are supposed to produce 120 Measures every year, with 1 part in 6 going to taxes. County Mayors get 1/5 of the taxes to pay for what ever useful things it is that they do. That comes to 4 Measures - worth 160 Coppers per family farm, returning to Belthor every year. If he’s supported them for 3 years that’s 9000 Coppers invested returning 160. That’s about a 5% rate of return isn’t it? I would have thought you expected more.”
“I would expect 2 to 3 times that much. And I would expect my money to have a chance of returning to me.”
“Right,” Hamish said. “The numbers don’t work do they?”
“As a loan,” the Master Banker said, “I can do more rewarding things with my resources. As an investment towards a better Riversea, however ... say if the choice were between building a New Castle with my money or a new County ...?”
“The County feeds people, provides employment and generates taxes,” Hamish said, “while the New Castle employs people now, at some point it should be finished, and it always consumes taxes, generating nothing.”
“It is a thing of beauty, inspiring the people, and offering security ...”
“... against an enemy who has never existed,” Hamish said. “There hasn’t been a war in 1000 years.”
“That doesn’t mean there won’t be one in the future.”
“True, but if a war comes will a stone castle be useful? Would it save us from a Dragon?”
“So you think a new County would be a better ... use of my money, even if it may not make me much money?”
Hamish looked around the room they were sitting in. “Do you really need any more money?”
“Making money with money is what I do,” the Master Banker said. “Building a better society is supposed to be the job of our gentry.”
“Are you sure?” Hamish asked. “I thought they were meant to be colorful imbeciles whose decadent lives provided entertainment and diversion for the working people.”
The Master Banker burst out laughing.
“I guess I’ve been living in Fisher too long,” Hamish said, “and listening to Robeart too much.”
“Sometimes it is hard to remember that the Highlands has a true aristocracy,” the Master Banker said. “Your position comes to you simply because of the circumstances of your birth, while we elect the sons of our Mayors to the positions of their father.”
“Even more amazing,” Hamish said with a smile, “is that my power is absolute. Not even the High Council can interfere within Sarzana.”
The Master Banker leaned back and looked at Hamish. “Is that why you are afraid to return home?”
Hamish also leaned back. “You know, it's not having the power that worries me, but rather what I'm allowed to do with it.”
The Master Banker also smiled, and nodded his head. “Tradition is a wonderful thing, isn't it?”
“When I get back home,” Hamish said slowly, “Sarzana and I will become one. Every moment of my life will become a scripted act of the state. I will never again have a single moment of freedom.”
“You are not thinking of hiding from your duties for another year are you?” the Master Banker asked sternly.
“Is the size of the loan Belthor asks for ... er, beyond, shall I say, your means?” Hamish asked.
“Hamish, do you know the dealings between your grandfather and my father?”
“No. Should I?”
“At some point, yes,” the Master Banker said. “As you proposed, Lord Belthor seeks to settle a Clan each year. Even that is probably ambitious with our labor shortage. He has asked for a line of credit not to exceed 10 Silvers. As you pointed out, it would seem he’ll need more like 45 Silvers in his first three years, and then an additional 22½ Silvers a year for the next 20 years. And as for returning my money with a reasonable profit ...”
“Actually,” Hamish interrupted, “if Belthor were to remain independent from Riversea, then he could apply his brother’s share of the taxes from his farmers to repaying your loan. And we haven’t considered the taxes he’ll receive from his tradesmen he’ll be needing in his new town. Don’t forget, he’s going to have to be completely self-supporting out there. I believe you once told me the County Mayors received 10 times the taxes of their farmers in taxes on their tradesmen. Although his farmers may not be able to pay their way - they won’t be able to return your money to you with a profit, the taxes on the tradesmen they attract will probably make the creation of a new County a viable investment.”
The Master Banker leaned back in his chair and shook his head with disbelief. “You know, Hamish, I think you are probably the only person I have ever known who could reach that conclusion.”
“What do you mean?” Hamish asked. “Belthor must have arrived at the same conclusion. He’s not one to take risks or attempt things he doesn’t know he’ll succeed at.”
“That may be,” the Master Banker agreed, “but he never had your ability to think with numbers as if they were simple words.”
“It’s just a little adding and subtracting ...”
“No, it’s much more than that,” the Master Banker said. “It’s something even I struggle with after spending my whole life at it. It’s not just the thinking with numbers that you are so good at, it’s the ability to think without hesitation that you have ... it’s completely unique.”
“I think you are overstating things,” Hamish said.
“I wish I were, Hamish, I truly wish I were. I wish I could do what you can do, but I can’t. Whenever I think I have thought through a problem I find I either cannot re-trace my thoughts, or when I do they do not arrive at the same conclusion. And before you say it - it’s not just age catching up with me. It’s something I’ve always known.”
The Master Banker held up his hand to forestall Hamish’s interruption. “And it’s not just a fault in my own faculties. If you ever stopped solving everyone’s problems around you, and listened to their attempts, you would realize most people simply cannot think. I don’t mean that they are stupid. I mean it’s as if something in their minds is actively preventing them from logically analyzing a problem and deriving a valid conclusion leading to an efficient plan of action. If you look around you’ll find most people simply do a very limited range of activities that they have memorized - wake up, eat, work, eat some more, visit the pub and talk in circles, and then go to sleep.”
“Maybe it’s because I reverse that sequence,” Hamish said. “I start my day in the pub ...”
“I’m being serious, Hamish. I’ve had a long life, and this is about the only bit of truth I’ve managed to discover; we men are not meant to think. We are meant to live out the lives of our fathers, in an endlessly repeating cycle, nothing more.”
“Now you are getting into religion,” Hamish said.
“And I shouldn’t be,” the Master Banker said. “I should be spe
aking from a shared knowledge, rather than merely shared belief.”
“Speaking of knowledge,” Hamish said, “I think we both agree that Belthor was never well endowed with the substance. Since he’s asking for not nearly enough money to start, or sustain his project, I would wonder if he has any idea of what he’s attempting - I mean numbers-wise.”
“But didn’t you just say he wasn’t the kind to take risks - especially at something as large as his whole future?”
“You think it’s someone else’s plan, don’t you,” Hamish said.
“Just like that,” the Master Banker snapped his fingers, “you figured it out.”
“No,” Hamish said. “I just remembered you told me you thought he has other backers. Before you had me figure out the math to prove your point.”
“My point?” the Master Banker asked. “And that point was ... ?”
Hamish counted the steps on his fingers, “First, that Belthor hasn’t asked for enough money. He can’t support his people on what he’s asked for. That’s rather simple. He could figure that out himself. Second, his levies will not be large enough to pay the interest on his loans, let alone return the principal. That might have been hard for him to figure out. I doubt if he would have realized he could lose money on the farms and make it back on the taxes on the tradesmen who will be attracted to supply the needs of his farmers. Third, based on the fact we know he would not take a risk with his future, there must be someone else who has explained the project to him, is supplying the rest of the funds he’ll need, and whom he actually trusts that they know what they are talking about and are able to deliver upon their words.”
“I hadn’t thought about that ‘trust’ part,” the Master Banker said.
“I don’t think he’s ever actually trusted anyone,” Hamish said. “All of us were always on guard when we played. His own brother, half-brother I mean, tried to kill him don’t forget.”
“After being insulted.”
“Insulted?”
“You must have heard the stories of that evening, even if you can’t remember what happened to you,” the Master Banker said.
“Oh,” Hamish touched the scar on his forehead. “Actually there were many other times ... when our ‘games’ got a little too ‘real’. If you want to find his other backers, I would look for someone whom he’d trust with his life. He’s betting his future here, right? It’s a chance to best his brother - become the High Mayor of his own country, not just a Mayor of a County in Riversea.”
“So who do you think it is?”
“I have no idea,” Hamish said. “The only time I’ve set eyes upon him in the last three years was this morning. And even when we were children he never confided his plans to me. Especially since I was usually on the receiving end of them.”
“Could I ask you to think about it?” the Master Banker said.
“Of course,” Hamish said as he stood. He’d already taken up more of the Master Banker's morning than he should have with his deposit of Prudence’s earnings. But before he turned to leave he asked, “But do you really need to know who his other backers are? You’re just a banker, right? You just need to know if he’ll return your money, and give you a decent bit of interest don’t you?”
“Yes, but as you pointed out, I should plan on backing the project and not just the man. I feel as if I’m being asked to commit myself to something I do not completely understand. And the proposal is to create something new. That’s very different for most of my dealings, which are to replace or repair things. New things can be very unsettling. Have you thought about what we should do with the Riverseaton Castle now that we have the New Castle? We can’t just leave it empty - it could be occupied by our enemies, and yet if we knock it down we leave Riverseaton, and especially the harbor, defenseless.”
“We have our 25 Counties,” Hamish agreed. “Why would we want another if it just means displacing Haps? And what would people really think of someone setting up a new country on their doorstep? Fisher already seems to insult most of the people of Riversea. Empowering Belthor so that he is a threat, or at least a thorn in his half-brother's side, would not be to anyone’s benefit.”
“Now you’re beginning to actually worry me,” the Master Banker said. “I thought someone else was backing him, but I never thought it might be against the best interests of Riversea, let alone myself as his banker. Could you spare a few more minutes of your time while we discuss this?”
Hamish sat back down and said, “I don’t know who he’d trust with his future. In fact I would go so far as saying I don’t think there is anyone in Riversea he’d trust. So we need to think about who has the means, and then think about understanding their motives.”
“I’m listening. Please go on.”
“Well, there are not that many sources of financial backing in Riversea are there? I mean this is stuff you taught me. The only wealth that there is in Riversea is in the hands of the mayors of the 25 counties, and especially in the hands of the High Mayor.”
“I think you can count the gentry out. Not even the High Mayor has the resources we’re discussing.”
“Really? I’m surprised.”
“Come now, Hamish, what did I teach you about the value of money?”
“That it has no value, unless it is invested and working for you?”
“Precisely, and what else?”
Hamish though for a moment. “And that a wise man believes in himself and invests in himself rather than a stranger?”
“You really were a joy to have as a pupil. Although it’s taken several hundred years I think our Mayors have also finally learned that lesson. It’s not logical that any one of them, or group of them, would invest in a future competitor when their own holdings always are in need of money. They’ve only recently stopped fighting each other over those sorts of issues.”
“Surely you do not think one of the Five Houses is backing him?”
“Neither the gentry nor the guilds would tolerate it. Nor would the other Houses, and all five will never agree on anything. It was planned that way.”
“Then who ... ?”
“I would like you to figure out whom I suspect. You know more about Riversea than anyone I know, and would have been a valuable advisor to our future High Mayor Basson.”
“… If not for almost killing him ... I know. We’ve ruled out the High Mayor, who has more debts with building the New Castle than he will ever have income to cover. We’ve ruled out any one of the Five Houses, knowing the reactions of the remaining Houses. One of the guilds wouldn’t be backing him, would it?”
“None of them has enough money to even meet the needs of their members. And the Farmers themselves are not organized, even if they are the fifth power block of the land.”
Hamish remembered his lesson with his five fingers. “It’s not the High Mayor. It’s not the County Mayors. It’s not the Five Houses. It’s not the guilds. And it’s not the farmers themselves. That rules out everyone in Riversea doesn’t it?”
“It would seem so,” the Master Banker agreed, “which is why I am rather worried. But we have agreed that there must be someone. Try again.”
“Foreigners? The Highlanders? That wouldn’t make much sense. Belthor’s New Ground is on the other side of Riversea from the Highlands. It would make more sense for the Islanders to want to develop the Great Bay, but it wouldn’t help them much because their goods would still have to cross Riversea to get to the rest of the World. And when I was there the Great Bay wasn’t all that great. The weather was awful. Our harbors, except for the Mayor's New Harbor, are much more protected.” Hamish though for a minute. “Damn! It’s the Kingdoms isn’t it. They are trying to set up a colony right on the borders of Riversea, aren’t they? The New Ground is even near to Haps where they already have a Hall of the Covenant. The Kingdoms want to trade directly with the Islanders, don’t they?”
&nb
sp; “That was my conclusion ...”
“Did you warn the High Mayor?”
“I felt it was my duty.”
Then there was a pause in the conversation. Finally Hamish had to ask, “Is the High Mayor going to do anything about the treason of his son?”
“‘Treason’ is a rather strong word for his display of initiative, do you not think?”
“The Houses won’t allow it,” Hamish said with passion. “Neither will The Lady of The Silver Lake.”
“The Lady ...” The Master Banker noted the chime of the clock on the wall, and then continued. “I do so enjoy speaking with you, Hamish. It is always a pleasure to test your mind. It is always good to see if you arrive at the same conclusions as I do.”
“Thank you,” Hamish said. He looked at the clock. It was supposed to be the only one in Riversea. He wished he knew how it worked. But he really didn’t want one for himself. It was only useful to remind people to leave.
“But I am going to have to cut this story short,” the Master Banker said.
“Yes, please,” Hamish agreed. “Just get to the part where Belthor is going to be punished.”
The Master Banker laughed. “Come now, Hamish, that’s no way to treat your old playmate now is it?”
“He’s not going to be punished is he?”
“Of course not. He is the High Mayor's son after all.” The Master Banker was enjoying himself. “Since you are departing, it was suggested that Basson should be brought back from the Kingdoms and prove himself worthy to follow after his father. That would leave a vacancy in the Kingdoms for Belthor to fill.”
Hamish clapped his hands. “I like it. A reward for his good effort in the New Ground. This had to have been your idea - so simple, so elegant, so hard to refuse.”
“Unfortunately, Lord Belthor did refuse,” the Master Banker said, “on the grounds that he could not betray the commission - his exact word - that his patron had given him.”
“Then he must have had to reveal who’s backing him, didn’t he?” Hamish asked. And then he waited for an answer. It didn’t come.
“I am sorry,” Hamish said. “You can’t tell me. I understand.”
“No, I cannot tell you,” the Master Banker agreed. “But I think you will figure it out.”
“The Lady of The Silver Lake is behind Belthor’s plan to open up the New Ground as a County,” Hamish blurted out.
“Why do you say that?” the Master Banker asked with surprise.
“She is the only one with the resources who has not been ruled out.”
“But does she have the resources?” The Master Banker asked.
“Of course she does ...” and then Hamish reconsidered his immediate answer. “I mean ... she must ... doesn’t she?”
The Master Banker didn’t say anything.
“You think Belthor is lying, don’t you?” Hamish realized. “He named The Lady of The Silver Lake as his backer knowing it would be impossible to check, and thinking that you would be so impressed you would lend him money which won’t complete the project. You are afraid that you will have to keep giving him more and more in order to protect your investment aren’t you?”
“You should have trained with me,” the Master Banker said. “Your insight has been wasted on Master Groggin.”
“I wish it might have been possible,” Hamish said.
“But you have missed the most obvious question of Lord Bethor’s claims,” the Master Banker said. “The one you used to always ask first. Why?”
“Why?” Hamish asked. He thought for a moment. “You mean ‘why’ would The Lady of The Silver Lake wish to open the New Ground? Why she would back someone as unsuitable as Belthor?”
“I was thinking of why would Lord Bethor risk this claim.”
“Belthor probably believes you are as incapable of approaching The Lady as he is. But you are not, are you?”
“The Secretary of The Lady of The Silver Lake has always been available to me,” the Master Banker said. “Have you ever met her?”
“No,” Hamish said. “I do not believe so.”
“You would remember if you had,” the Master Banker said. “She is quite lovely to the eye, and has a mind as sharp as yours, maybe sharper even. She is less prone to distraction.”
“I never consider time spent with you as a distraction, although I should be going soon,” Hamish quickly replied. “It’s more of an education.”
“Are you really going to be leaving us for the Highlands this year?” the Master Banker asked. “You’ve been saying you were leaving every summer since you recovered.”
“And every summer something seemed to hold me back,” Hamish said. “But this summer Ion has made it clear. I will be leaving.”
“Before you actually depart I would like to meet with you and your cousin, the Ambassador,” the Master Bank said as he rose to escort Hamish to the door. “We need to discuss the administration of the assets of your family here in Riversea that you will inherit.”
Hamish sighed. “I suppose we do.”
“You are going to be responsible for much more that just yourself very soon.”
“That reminds me,” Hamish said, as he made ready to depart. “After I am gone, a young lady may approach you about the monies I have lodged with you. The name her mother gave her was Jessica, which she would rather not be known, for she calls herself Prudence now. All that I have given to you to hold for me I want you to make available to her.”
“All that you have lodged with me?” the Master Banker asked. “Are you sure of this, Hamish?”
“Yes, that is the arraignment she and I have between us.”
“Is this wise?”
“I hope it won’t cause you any problems,” Hamish said. “I just wanted to help her out as best I could.”
For some reason the maids of the Master Banker, who had also come to the door and overheard Hamish’s instructions, found his words very funny. The Master Banker then had to stifle their giggles, as well as return Hamish’s formal departing bow.
It is said
that everything that happens -
happens for a reason.
But is this reason
predestination,
or the whim of the Gods?
And we men attempt
to assign causality
to explain events.
But does that
actually bring us any closer
to discovering the true author?
4 ... and the Attack