Chapter 34 #2
A simple tube top covered her breasts, and the effect of the fabric over her shoulder turned the usually provocative garment into something subtle.
Her bare midriff peeked out, and though one shoulder was completely covered, the other shoulder was naked and exposed.
Half of her new tattoo and one folded black wing were visible.
My beautiful wife. And she was patient enough with me to understand that we had to have a business dinner on our wedding vacation.
Or maybe she liked the chance to dress up and show off. Judging by the sway of her hips and the smile…
A man and a woman greeted us. The woman was dressed similarly to Podni but wore green instead of yellow.
The man wore long, loose robes made from silver fabric and stitched with gold thread.
She was curvier than most women and wore it well, while her husband seemed decidedly average.
He had a sharp beard and a hard brow, but were he not adorned in fine fabrics and expensive jewelry, I wouldn’t have taken him for a king.
“King Jillias and his wife Queen Ophonia,” the servant announced with a flourish and bowed.
“Welcome to our home, Lord Byron and Lady Podni,” the King said with a raspy voice carrying the rhythmic accent of the language we heard spoken throughout the city. “Please, sit. May you enjoy our company as much as you enjoy our drink.”
I sat on the floor with my legs crossed while Podni folded hers to one side. Servants poured us glasses of wine.
“I have read your proposal and the letters from your Queens,” King Jillias began, “but I like hearing a man speak in his own words. Tell me, Lord Byron, why should I agree to connect the capital of our great land to your city?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t,” I replied.
The King tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”
“I’m not here to tell you that you should or shouldn’t do something.
You are a wise man who runs a beautiful country.
I don’t pretend to know the complexities of your culture or the challenges your people may face, so I’m not here to tell you what’s best for your kingdom.
I’m simply not qualified. I can tell you the opportunity I see, but I can’t say whether you should or shouldn’t agree. ”
After thinking for a moment, enjoying a drink of his wine in the meantime, the King said, “You are more humble than the stories suggest.”
“I promise you that I am not humble.”
The King laughed. “Very well. Then describe the opportunity you see.”
“Distance creates unnecessary conflict,” I began.
“Sending a letter from one kingdom’s capital to another can take months.
By the time a letter is read, it's outdated, and the response that comes after even more so.
At the same time, good men lose their lives on the roads and on the seas to transport wares across those same distances, and when those goods do arrive, the customer pays more for the journey than the product itself.
“With my gate system, you and your people can do business with anyone in the world. What used to take months by caravan would scarcely require an afternoon. Instead of distant, impersonal negotiations with far-off rulers, you are a short walk away from discussing matters face-to-face. The result? Fewer conflicts and more trade.”
“But you would own the nexus. A skeptic might argue that gives you an enormous amount of power over all of us should the kingdoms of the world commit to this idea, and that is before we discuss the implications of demonkind living and trading in Sanctuary South.”
“You worry I would hold those gates hostage or levy a brutal tax on all the goods and people who travel through Sanctuary.”
“Indeed,” the King said with a nod.
“Sanctuary South is a true neutral zone. In the hells, that is a sacred idea backed by the guarantee of someone strong enough to enforce that neutrality. A toll would violate that neutrality. Why do you suppose I chose the wastelands of the south for my city?”
“No one could dispute your taking the land, and a wise leader understands the role terrain plays in a city’s defense, if one has the exceptional means to build and survive in that terrain.”
“Exactly,” I replied. “I didn’t have to take that land away from anyone who already lived there.
No conquering. No lengthy trade negotiations.
I could build something new without hurting a single person.
I assure you, King Jillias, conquering a city in a pleasant climate would have been far easier than building a new one in the harshest corner of our world.
I don’t want your kingdom because I built my own. But you know what I do want?”
“What’s that, Lord Byron?”