Chương 24: Chapter 23 - By Title Only

"Now I'm actually a bit disappointed… you're telling me if I had delayed us another few weeks, we could've been the first customers? I feel a bit robbed."

"You'll get over it. Besides, we couldn't finish any of it without you actually delivering all the extra stuff we needed," I said, shaking Dartigan's hand after he parked beside the stable. A second wagon pulled in behind him while Daniel pointed the rest of the caravan toward the Consortium. Dartigan waved them onward, leaving only the two wagons beside Quiet's Hearth. Willow headed toward the second after Dartigan explained that it carried the first of the supplies she'd ordered.

He'd gotten it added to his delivery when he saw the order forms were in his route just to save a different driver the trip out this way… and probably to collect the delivery fee for himself. Only one other person ended up lingering with Dartigan, a man that… Well, let's just say he was easy to stereotype.

While his clothes and the gaudy rings on his fingers spoke to some level of nobility, the slicked-back hair and pencil-thin mustache looked like any number of back-room dealers I'd had the displeasure of interacting with over the years.

"I told you there was more to Danwood than the backwater rumors suggested, Gryphon," Dartigan said, clapping his companion on the shoulder before gesturing toward me.

"Corbin, this is my junior associate, Gryphon De Numont from the Southern Highlands."

"A pleasure, I'm sure," Gryphon said, holding his hand out, palm down like he was expecting me to kiss his rings rather than shake his hand. I'd sooner cut it off than degrade myself for someone like him. I might not like Dartigan on principle–he was constantly putting his nose into people's business and clearly was extremely opportunistic–but he'd so far proven himself to be trustworthy enough to at least honor his word. And that was something I could respect.

Part of me hoped I was just slipping into old prejudices and expectations, but I was already getting the distinct feeling I was right. It was just a matter of how much.

"I'm not familiar with the south," I lied, reaching out and grabbing his hand maybe too firmly.

"Is your family important down there?" He actually sneered and I saw Dartigan shake his head with a laugh.

"Gryphon is the fourth son of Lord Drake De Numont, Sentinel of the Southern Highlands and Lord of Wyrm's Rest. For a man who knows as much as you do, that's an interesting blind spot."

"Never cared to memorize who was the lord of what," I shrugged.

"Well Gryphon here is–""It's Sir De Numont, Mr. Ward. You would do well to remember your titles and your manners," Gryphon said, grating at my nerves immediately.

"I am not here to converse with your local pet project, and regardless of what High Factor Goodin says, I'm not your junior associate. Now, I assumed you were introducing me to the Steward, if this man isn't him, which given his manners he clearly isn't, I'll be on my way." Gryphon quite literally turned his nose up at me, spun on his heel, and went marching off down the road in an altogether ridiculous fashion.

While I absolutely could have stopped and corrected him–I mean the nerve of calling the work done here Dartigan's project–with Gwendoline still in town, I really, really didn't need to be making any enemies that would enjoy some sort of public spectacle. I took a beat, looked from the retreating pompous, rootrotted brat to Dartigan, then waited. He looked at me and actually sighed, his normally jovial front slipping ever so slightly.

"That man is going to end up in a ditch one of these days… Until that happens, though I doubt you actually need the advice, don't sign any deal he tries to put in front of you," Dartigan said, shaking his head, then nodding back to his wagon.

"I've got those seeds you ordered. Barley, wheat, and maize are the bulk supplies. Not sure what that last one is for without any animals to feed, but I'm not about to question a sale. I also got about a hundred hop rhizomes, even got them at Very Good quality like yah asked. Other than that, I managed to wrangle up all the smaller things too. Even found a gentleman selling a small crate of those Nightpulse Tulips you asked me to look out for.

I can figure out some of it from context with all the other reagents, but that's not a very commonly used alchemy reagent. Any hint as to what those are for?" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"And ruin the surprise?" I said with a smile.

"Thank you, Dartigan. I wasn't expecting you to come through with the reagent seeds I'd said weren't immediately needed after I, uh… well, after the crew decided not to take your loan."

"Please, if I was going to be upset with everyone who ruined a deal for me, I'd never make any sales. Besides, there's always other businesses to invest in. Place like this might start seeing a real boom with how things are going. A general store, a good tailor, maybe even a Sanctum where the Sisters of Dawn could offer healing services.

Stars, if that stream could be widened a bit or there was a tappable aquifer hiding somewhere close, a bathhouse would make a killing," Dartigan said, listing off the ideas like he was making a wishlist. I tried my best not to groan in annoyance. It was surprisingly easier than expected though.

"A boom feels annoyingly inevitable at this point. But I'm starting to realize that there are certain annoyances that I'll have to tolerate to have the life I'd like to have," I explained, looking from the cart, where Willow had already grabbed two of the men from our work crew to start unloading, back down the road again. Gryphon's arrival was already souring what should have been a good day.

"Why is the De Numont brat here anyway?"

"No filter? Okay, I like it," Dartigan laughed.

"Gryphon's father decided his son needed to have some actual responsibilities after a few too many… let's just call them scandalous parties and leave it at that. So officially, the man's here as an apprentice merchant who unfortunately has no interest in learning."

"And unofficially?" I pressed, staring up the road again.

"He believes that since the nearest chapter of the Royal Merchants is in Hedgely, he can convince Daniel to let him open up the chapter here. Technically as a noble, he has the authority to open one and become the primary taxing authority for trade leaving Danwood," Dartigan said, and if I wasn't mistaken, I thought I heard just a bit of annoyance in his tone.

"But it'd have to be in accordance with the Steward in charge. He thinks with enough pressure though, he could convert that into a regional chapter." I looked back at Dartigan, my brow pinching together.

"You're just letting him go and try?"

"What part of Gryphon's attitude makes you think he'd have listened if I told him not to?" Dartigan sighed. He turned and walked over toward the pit, looking down into it.

"You could have left him back in Gold's Lodge or somewhere else if he really doesn't listen…" I offered and Dartigan let out a bark of a laugh loud enough that Willow looked over from where she'd been directing the wagon unloading.

"I honestly think he'd be dead had I left him there alone."

"Okay… but is it a good idea to let him even talk to Daniel and try to push him into agreeing?" Dartigan looked back over, a brow raised.

"Would you make a deal with him or even entertain the idea?"

"No, probably not," I admitted.

"Then what makes you think Daniel would, especially when every deal I've tried to make with him always starts with 'I'll need to call a vote.' I can't imagine the people who have done all this in such a short period would be daft enough to let him root his way into the community like a parasite," Dartigan said, being unusually frank.

"That's… a fair point," I said, still feeling a bit of concern as I looked up the street. There was something I was missing that was bothering me and– "Dusk take me""Huh?" Dartigan asked in response to my muttered curse.

"Would you say Gryphon is primarily concerned about… say… anything that might give him more status? Just in general…"

"Yeah, I'd say that's pretty obvious, why do you ask?" Dartigan asked and I cursed under my breath again.

"There's someone in town right now that he would… well, he might try to worm his way in with if his main priority is status," I explained without saying it out loud. If somehow it wasn't common knowledge that one of Frederick's party members–one of the ones who hadn't run away at least–was in Danwood, I didn't want to be the one who did it.

"What… wait, I thought they were just telling tall tales, are you suggesting Sister Gwendoline is actually in town?"

"As she lives and breathes," I said, slowly starting to walk up the road.

"This is either going to be really interesting or really… really terrible." I couldn't exactly say much more than that… Honestly, walking toward it was a bad idea. I knew it was. But there were too many unknowns and if Gryphon was going to create a problem, then I needed to be able to get ahead of it.

"Can you… uh… finish this up with Willow? I've given her authority to release payments for deliveries," I said, trying not to explain much more than that. Dartigan just shook his head.

"Please, and miss whatever is happening here? Not on your life," he laughed, causing Willow to look over at us again.

"Wait where are you going?" she called out, confusion evident.

"To make sure your brother doesn't strangle Gryphon," I called out. It wasn't necessarily the truth, honestly I wasn't sure how capable of violence Daniel actually was, but given how casually Dartigan had commented on the likelihood of Gryphon getting hurt in Gold's Lodge… Well, I personally wouldn't insult Danwood in front of anyone who lived here.

I probably should have left her brother out of it, because before I knew it, Willow was waving the workers away from the wagons and back toward Bram–who was looking increasingly confused–before she started chasing after us with a call of "wait for me!" We made our way up the road, past the homes and over to where Daniel was just loading one of the large sections of Great Oak into one of the wagons.

Gryphon was standing, looking particularly aghast when Daniel went from wiping his brow, to holding his hand out in greeting. Well… looks like we made it in time for the show.