Chapter 19: Auction

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Auction

It was late in the day and Allan was returning to Oakwood Manor, but as he approached the courtyard he was brought up short. The area in front of the entrance was in disarray.

There were three warehouse workers standing stock still, and in the center of them, his collar loose and his hands shaking, was a middle-aged merchant holding a piece of paper.

Allan slowed his steps as he realized who the merchant was. The merchant took a step back in apparent fear at Allan’s approach.

"Lord Oakwood. I...I apologize for coming without an appointment."

The note from House Emberwind stated that all transportation agreements with Oakwood Manor had been cancelled due to their belief that the manor was now bankrupt.

In addition to the immediate return of the advance paid by House Emberwind, all future shipments and payments were also cancelled due to the ongoing investigation into the group known as Hollow Root.

The workers watched him, clearly expecting an outburst.

"Keep the advance," Allan said.

The merchant blinked. "My lord?"

"I’m sorry, but you’ve already spent time and money preparing for this. I won’t be threatened by this. Tell your owner I don’t blame him for this."

The merchant looked shocked. "That is not what I expected."

"It rarely is."

Allan turned toward the manor, then stopped mid-stride.

One contract is never one contract. If they hit the transports, they hit the suppliers next.

He turned back.

"Summon all warehouse managers. I need a list of all cancellations, late deliveries, and suppliers who have told us they are too busy to work with us. Names, dates, quantities. One hour."

"Yes, my lord!" The workers scrambled.

He wandered around as Seris laid out the first stack of papers, pulling out ledgers and comparing columns and names against accounts.

"Starving in a few weeks isn’t going to happen just from cancelling supplies," Seris said. "The kind of supply squeeze they are setting up creates a vacuum, which makes other suppliers nervous. Eventually, the suppliers will either raise their prices or leave. Either way, the end result is that we starve."

There was a look of amazement on Seris’s face as if she had never seen anyone react in this way before. A small smile played on the edge of Allan’s mouth as if he had seen this all before.

"You look almost impressed," she said.

"Yeah, it is thorough though," Allan agreed. "Coordinated perfectly. It would have worked on anyone still relying on the old network of contracts."

"You don’t."

"Obviously not." He studied the papers for a moment. "What’s interesting is that all of these simple contracts were routed through intermediaries and simple agents."

Lira rushed into the room, a large stack of papers in her arms. "Seven more cancellations," she said. "The grain distributor in the east quarter has pulled out. The courier service that handles your correspondence has—"

"’Operational difficulties,’" Allan finished.

She nodded grimly.

Allan laughed once, quietly.

Seris and Lira exchanged a look.

"Master, that is not funny," Seris said.

"Of course I have contracts with merchants and agents," Allan said, gesturing to the documents. "But look here. I also have C-grade, D-grade, and B-grade adventurer agreements." He pointed at the documents.

Lira frowned. "What are those?"

"Adventurer contracts?" Seris said. "Aren’t those restricted? Aren’t all adventurers under the control of the guild?"

"Simple trade is not regulated by the guild, so as long as I act as a private citizen rather than an adventurer, I can negotiate whatever contracts I like. In fact, three weeks ago I started selling Bela’s potions to independent adventurers, setting up transport of the stock through a parallel network of simple trade that I established with three caravan leaders who were disgruntled by the way Emberwind was treating them. They make a proper profit on the potions, rather than the tiny commission that Emberwind was paying them."

Lira’s eyes widened in surprise. "That’s why you’ve been quiet about potion distribution," she said.

"Quiet is strategy." He began to erase the chalk lines that represented the Emberwind houses. Instead of destroying him, his competitors had revealed to him who his true rivals were. And it wasn’t just the other Emberwind houses.

Seris stepped closer. "Who, then?"

"Competition itself. People like to destroy new Emberwinds. They’re higher up. They’d much rather the new house didn’t exist at all. I’m going to grow faster than that. Much faster."

"How?"

"Waiting for the green light of the guild and nobles to crush me has taken too long. We’re going to hold an auction tomorrow night."

Silence.

Lira continued, "You want to auction contracts you do not even have?"

"Not contracts," he stated. "Opportunities. To buy transport, storage, security, and distribution of the most rapidly growing opportunity in Viperos. For Bela’s potions, growing like a weed through the cracks in the monopoly, there will be rooms in Emberwind to rent, and then space to buy. These ’packages’ will represent growing stakes in an enterprise which will, over time, represent considerable wealth. Later they can be sold to someone else who wishes to seize the chance to grab a slice of the expanding pie of this little operation."

Seris frowned. "Tomorrow evening is—"

"Soon. Yes. Cancel all my remaining meetings for tomorrow. Runners must be sent to everyone on the list and be here by nightfall tomorrow. Clear the courtyard and put up lots of lanterns. Put up awnings too. See that there is plenty of food and drink to keep them here."

"Yes, master."

By the next evening, the courtyard of Oakwood Manor was filled with lanterns casting gold and shadow. Servants carrying trays of bread, cheese, and roasted meat weaved between the crowds of interested parties and under the hastily set-up awnings.

Allan stood stiffly at the top of the steps, his heart racing furiously as he steeled himself against the way he felt. Twenty-four hours had never seemed so little, yet he was ready to put everything on the line. He had no time for hesitation.

"Seris, they are all here."

"Curiosity is cheap," he answered. "I need commitment."

"Master, Amelia von Arclight has just arrived."

Allan’s eyes suddenly shot towards the gate.

Amelia emerged from her carriage in the soft glow of lantern light. She was resplendent in a dark silk dress that added to the mystery of her presence. A simple circlet rested upon her head, her hair drawn up from her face in precise coils.

As he descended the steps, he offered her his arm. "Thank you for coming, though you were not invited. I sent out invitations yesterday evening."

She smiled. "Good partners arrive anyway. I was rather hurt to learn you had invited nearly everyone here tonight except me."

"I expected your father to object."

"My father was rather taken with your idea and said if you succeeded here tonight, something interesting would finally begin to stir among the nobility."

"I see."

Amelia’s hand closed around Allan’s arm as they entered the courtyard. Her fingers felt cool against his, and he looked down at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the crowd of faces pressing forward to get a look at him and his guest.

"Isn’t this wonderful," Amelia murmured. "Their staring. Their speculations as to why we are here tonight."

"Watching merchants calculate risk is always entertaining," Allan said.

The nobleman pulled her into him, his hand holding hers tightly. "Be careful what you wish for, my lady," he said. For a moment he held her close, then he released her hand and stepped back. "When I take hold of something, I rarely let go."

A faint flush showed on her cheeks for a moment before she regained her composure and pressed her palm to Allan’s chest. There was a murmur of surprise that ran through the gathered onlookers at her forwardness.

Her expression turned serious.

"Arclight will support you tonight provided you carry out your duties to the best of your ability, but my father believes that Emberwind has overstepped its bounds. He intends to withdraw his support of you and expects you to retract your involvement as well."

"So that is why he sent you."

For an instant her mask slipped and she gazed at him with quiet intensity. "It’s not just that," she said finally. "I have invested far too much in you, Lord Allan. I shall not let you fail tonight."

The sudden interest in them as a pair would have to wait.

"Another one to pay off, no doubt?"

Diva emerged from the gloom of the night, her hair a mass of untidy locks, a smudge of dirt on her left cheek. She looked as though she had just returned from a long and brutal battle.

Amelia’s eyes flashed with annoyance as she looked from the adventurer to Allan.

"Lord Allan, who is this?"

"Diva. A-class adventurer. I hired her for the evening."

"Of course," Amelia said, her voice smooth as silk. "Protection against those who might try to remove you."

Diva’s smile was mild. "Or against those who might try to claim him."

Amelia’s fingers closed more firmly around Allan’s arm. "You speak as though he belongs to someone."

Diva’s eyes flicked to the hand holding Allan and she smiled sweetly. "Not yet."

Allan closed his eyes for a brief moment.

This is going to be a long evening.

Allan headed to the large table in the center of the yard. There were stacks of prepared documents on it.

Allan raised his voice just enough to carry.

"Thank you for coming. Let us begin."