NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter-167 Traveler’s Bed—Trade Meet
The innocence of ignorance saved Ewan so far. All his moves for the cave fell under the blanket of ‘not knowing’, and the reasonable Governor let him be. But that shield faded away today, and now his decision to steal from that omniscient man would make his days risky going forward. So, Ewan called Kidd over.
“I’ll keep it brief,” Ewan said, sitting on the edge of the recliner, and looked up at him. “From today on, if what I do gets exposed, the Governor and everyone under him will become my enemy.”
“Are we finally fighting them?” Kidd asked with sparkles in his eyes. “Don’t worry Boss, I’m ready, I won't weigh you down.” He pumped his chest, Walyn’s shadow flickering on his face.
“No one’s fighting anyone, lemme finish,” Ewan said. “If I follow his words, if I’m obedient, and if I forget about the cave, nothing will happen. But I don’t intend to do that, there’s something in that cave that I want, and I will take it.”
“Are we sneaking in Boss?” Kid asked. “Let me go in, I’m becoming better at stealth.”
“No, you’re not. You can't escape even my Ryvia, let alone his,” Ewan said, then clicked his tongue. “Don’t distract me. What I wanted to say was that I’m giving you a choice.” He stared at Kidd. “You might die if you keep following me. Do you still want to come with me?”
“Do you…not want me around anymore Boss?” Kidd asked, clutching his t-shirt’s hem.
“What I want doesn’t matter, I’m asking what you want to do.”
“I-I promise I won't annoy you anymore,” Kidd said, his face scrunching up, and his lips arcing down. “W-Willy agrees with me too. W-We won't do the role playing anymore either, we won't be a burden Boss. C-Can you not make us leave?” Walyn’s spectral face surfaced again, and he too almost cried at Ewan.
Ewan sighed; he couldn’t bear to continue with a pragmatic front when the two looked like abandoned puppies.
“Fine, I won't make you leave,” he said. The unconditional acceptance and the reliance were a little different from the loyalty the books described. Instead, even if to a much lesser extent, it resembled his relationship with Nana, his Pa, and Uncle Keith and Aunt Ella. Though the time was short, the days they spent together weighed their ties and was erasing the fickleness. So much so that a year of contact melded Kidd into Ewan’s shadow, even his dressing style mirrored Ewan.
This was what it was like having a little brother. No, two little brothers, Ewan chuckled.
“What about Stefan? Did you settle him down?” he asked.
“Yeah, he fell asleep,” Kidd said. “Are we bringing him along Boss? Wouldn’t it be risky?”
“Have him move his things over and stick with him these days, make sure he really wants to come with us,” Ewan said. The cave issue took a left turn, the secret wasn’t a secret anymore, so he didn’t need to silence the man if he refused to come with them. Regardless though, he still needed a navigator. “Ship or no ship, I need him on the ocean,” he said.
“Leave it to me Boss, I’ll find out everything about him,” Kidd said, smacking his puffed chest.
“Don’t force him, go easy. I want him to be willing and not fall out with us in the middle of the ocean,” Ewan said.
“Got it,” Kidd said.
“Also, keep an eye out for the trade meets or any meeting.”
“Okay Boss!” Kidd said and dashed away but did a U-turn a few steps later and rushed back. “Which one should I do first?”
“Do both at the same time,” Ewan said.
“Yes Boss!”
…..
Traveler’s Bed—trade meet.
The inn lacked its usual traffic and the ‘Reserved’ sign outside drove away any potential customer—the Ashevas had booked it for the day.
The faint piano notes of Drarith’s famous symphony led the ambience in the room and the hint of sweet citrus in the air set the mood as one Asheva after another took their seats on the snug velvet sofas, some munching on the ginger cookies. Kiev arranged the trade meet in the same room again, and the attendance almost touched a hundred percent, for the invitation this time accompanied an announcement.
“We all are familiar faces here today, so I’ll skip the introductions,” Kiev said, standing at the figurative head of the round table with Avis fidgeting on his seat beside him. “Before moving on to the trades, I have an announcement to make, I’m sure many of you are here just for that.”
“Today will be the last day you’ll deal with me,” he said. “I’m starting my preparation for Step-1, and henceforth, Avis will deal with any situation that needs an Ensil.”
“Kiev, things are not stable right now,” the curly blonde-haired native Asheva said. “Are you sure Avis can handle the church? Maybe you should consider someone else.”
Avis shrunk in his sofa at his words and buried his head in his chest. “Don’t worry, have some confidence in my brother, he’s also an Ensil and has learned everything I have,” Kiev said. “And the Step-1 lords will support him, including me when I succeed, you just need to follow his decisions.”
“I don’t mind,” Ewan said. “I’m sure he’ll be up to the task.”
“I agree too,” Mize said, filing his nails with his dagger.
“Same,” the young foreign Asheva said, now peaking at the limits of Step-0. And the other foreign Ashevas soon followed suit and concurred, only the natives voiced their concerns.
“Who do you think you are?” Kiev flashed a smile and chuckled. “Whether you mind or not.” He looked at Ewan. “Whether you agree or not.” He faced Mize. “And whether you have any concerns, do you think I care about any of it,” he said, running his eyes over everyone else. “I’m here to announce it, not take your opinions. Avis is an Ensil, so keep in mind the difference between our status.”
The spark of hostility quietened the room, and the piano notes took the lead again.
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