Читать книгу The Last Tariff - Alistair Nunamaker - Страница 6

A few days later, the news, that a customer had given Alaric, was proven true. The new currency was available at the banks. It was printed on a cotton type paper, which would help keep it from disintegrating if it got wet. The currency was still based on gold and silver and the dollar amount that was tied to a certain weight of gold or silver did not change. This was good news for Alaric, as it meant he would not have to pay that customer any money back. At first people felt that it was just devaluing things. In a way that was true. A credit system could be dangerous if too much of the paper money was printed or if too much of the actual gold and silver was spent outside of the country.

The bank was offering to give twenty five percent more money in the credit than the actual gold and silver was worth for anyone who would turn in the metal currencies. To many people this looked like an amazing deal and people flocked to the banks in droves. Alaric however saw that it was only good in the short term. By giving out more money than the gold and silver was actually worth, the economy would likely suffer in the future. Alaric elected to keep the metal coins that he currently had if such an issue were to ever arise.

Another thing that Alaric discovered about the change was that the bank branches in the individual city states made the decision of whether or not to give that extra money. So there was a chance other city states would not suffer while places like Aerahagen could. Thinking about the purchase he had most recently completed made Alaric question whether or not Clint had known that this change was coming and wanted to make the sale before everything changed. After all having the extra gold and silver gave Clint options if things went south. Of course, that would also mean that Clint did know a thing or two about business and money and just didn't want the responsibility of operating a store.

Alaric, of course, would accept the new credit money as he realized most people would likely switch to it. The paper money was also much easier to transport and less obvious to any would be thieves. An issue that would spring from it, however, would be that certain stores would not accept the new currency, at least not right away. Having people that wouldn't accept the new currency could make buying things difficult. Alaric also decided that he needed to visit his property in Ravenburg. Wanting to take things to sell, as well as taking that many goods by train tended to be expensive, so Alaric decided he would go by wagon. He also realized that traveling alone would be dangerous, so he set out to look for someone he could hire on as a guard.

After searching the city for several days, Alaric found that most guns for hire with decent reputations had a very high going rate. Rather than look for an official gun for hire, Alaric began looking for people who were looking for long term work. Alaric paid the dollar to put an ad in the paper, and he also put help wanted signs on his two storefronts in Aerahagen. Within only a few days Alaric had interviewed dozens of people. While most would probably make good shop keepers, none seemed to be what he was looking for. The last day that Alaric's ad was in the paper, three more people came into the shop to be interviewed. The first was a retired soldier. He was not too old; he had simply lost interest in drilling everyday with nothing real to do. The second had worked as a scout for Aerahagen when it had a short conflict with the city state of Dragford to the West, which lay between Aerahagen and Ravenburg. The third had all the characteristics of a common thief.

Alaric rejected the third man almost immediately. The first two, however, both had skills that would be beneficial. Alaric knew he couldn't really afford two more employees, but he couldn't really pass them up. While he needed someone to help defend his cargo, having someone who knew at least half the route, would be extremely important. Alaric decided to hire both of them. He introduced them to Emilia and to each other. Alex, the ex-soldier, shook Ned, the scout's, hand.

“Pleasure to work with you all. When do we leave?” asked Alex.

“We'll be leaving in four days, so make sure you have everything that you need ready.” Alex nodded and walked out the door, saying something about needing to clean his rifle. Ned stood there for a moment, looking at Alaric, before speaking. “You need to get a better gun.” Alaric looked at his father's revolver, “Why's that?”

“Most people in this area of the world are using the cartridge guns now. You'll be outgunned,” Alaric sighed, “This was my father's. I'd rather use it, than a different handgun.” Ned smiled, shaking his head, “Well, if that's the case, I know someone who can convert it to use cartridges. It'll cost a bit more than selling it and getting a new one, but you would still be able to swap cylinders and keep the family heirloom. So, it wouldn't be all bad.” Alaric nodded gratefully and handed Ned the gun. “Take it to him and tell me how much it costs. I'll go with you when it's done.” Ned took the gun and stuffed it partly into his belt, “It won't take more than a couple days. He usually has the parts around for this type of handgun.” Ned tipped his hat and walked out the door.

The next few days seemed to go quickly. Alaric was climbing onto his wagon with the other two men, before he knew it. Emilia waved them off, as Alaric got the horses moving. Ned was sitting next to Alaric with what seemed like a long barreled revolver with a stock attached to it. When he caught Alaric looking at it, he explained that it was a custom weapon he had made by his gunsmith friend. Alex was riding alongside the wagon, armed with a shortened version of the Maitland Rifle. Making the weapon shorter made it easier to carry and use on horseback at cost to long distance accuracy. The three of them set off in the direction of Ravenburg, hoping to not run into any trouble.

It took only a few days to make it to the border of Dragford. It made sense that Aerahagen and Dragford had been at odds, since they were fairly close to each other. Ned suggested they avoid going through the city itself and to simply go around it, camping outside when it got late. The group had just made it to the other side of the city, as the sun was setting. They moved for another few minutes before stopping for the night. Ned got to making a fire, while Alex tied up the horses to a couple of nearby trees. Alaric checked the cargo in the back, which consisted of many different things, including another clothes machine. As the men sat around the fire, having a small dinner, they saw someone approach their camp.

“Good evening, be you heading for Ravenburg?”

“We are. Why do you ask?”

“I must warn you there are bandits on that road. Ravenburg hasn't been able to trade for some weeks now.”

“Thank you for the warning friend. We will take it into consideration.” The man nodded, excusing himself as he walked away. It was decided that they would continue forward and deal with the bandits if they should come. Ned suggested they stay off of the main road and travel through the grasslands as a precaution. Alaric agreed to it, although traveling off the road would also mean possible damage to the wagon wheels.

The chosen route paid off. With no bandits in sight they entered Ravenburg unmolested. The guards checked the wagon to make sure there was nothing illegal coming into the city, gave them a note approving their entry, and let them pass. Alaric was grateful that they were able to make it into the city without any difficulties. This was the first time he had been to Ravenburg, and he had been nervous at the idea of carrying goods through lands unknown to him. While he had done something similar when he had gone to Aerahagen, it was different in that he also knew that he had no future if he didn't go. This was just for business and, thus, created an entirely different feeling of anxiety. Alaric had to stop for directions a few times, before he finally found his new storefront. He walked up to the door and found it locked. No one was inside and it didn't seem as if anyone had been in weeks. Alaric had been given a key to the store, which he now fished out of his haversack and unlocked the door. The three of them began to unload the wagon, while some people, who were passing by, stopped to see what was going on. Alaric was concerned that perhaps no one had been able to shop there for some time and planned to get to the bottom of why.

After they had finished unloading, Alex went off to find a bar. Ned went into the back to get some sleep, while Alaric checked around for the money that should have been there. It was not, which meant that someone, most likely the person who had worked there, had taken off with it. Alaric began cleaning the store, trying to make it more presentable for people that might have wanted to shop there. After a couple of hours, a woman realized that the store was suddenly open and came inside.

“Good afternoon, are you the owner here?”

“I am, as of a couple weeks ago.”

“Well, I'm sure you noticed, no one has been in here going on two months now.”

“I did. Why isn't anyone working in here?”

“Well, Todd decided that since the owner never came to check on the store, he could just close it up and take the money that was there. He gloated something fierce when he first did it. If you want to talk to him, he's usually at the bar around the block every night. Can't say there's any money left though. He's a drunkard, and you know those types always spend all their money they do. I can give his momma's address too. Maybe she could talk some sense into him. He used to be such a good boy and then that girl, adulterous she is, she went and left him for another man. Such a shame, oh and one more thing, she-...”

“Thank you for the information,” Alaric interrupted. “I'll look into finding him. You have a good rest of your day.”

“Oh, not a problem young man. Good luck to ya.”

Alaric sighed and sat down for a moment. That woman certainly knew how to talk at a tiring pace. He checked his pocket watch, five o'clock, good enough time to head over to the bar and wait for the man to show up. If he couldn't get his money back, he could at least confront him. Alaric searched the desk in the shop and found the paperwork showing who had worked there for how long and how much they got paid. He would use it as proof against the man if need be. Negligence and thievery was bad for business, and Alaric intended to make the man understand that.

Alaric walked to the bar, paperwork folded and tucked away in his haversack, revolver on his hip. When he walked through the doors, there were only two other people there, the bar tender, and Alex. The bartender nodded to Alaric, “If you be wonderin where everyone is, most folks don't show up for another hour or so.” Alaric nodded to him and walked over to Alex. He explained to him what he had discovered and asked for his help, should things get out of hand. Alex agreed, but suggested Alaric get a drink or some food and sit off somewhere else, so that they didn't look like they were together.

Alaric walked up to the bar and ordered a small meal of chicken and fried potatoes. It would take a little bit for the food to be made, so he went and found a seat. He was a bit surprised that the bar served food, though it made sense if the bar wanted to keep people drinking more. About twenty minutes later the food was brought to Alaric's table. About the same time, a couple of people walked in who seemed to work here. One was a large man, who took a seat on a stool near the entrance. The other was an average sized man, who stood at the bar talking to the bartender for a time, before moving over to the piano in the room. He sat down and began pushing keys, as if warming up.

Alaric finished his food just as more people started to meander into the bar. As more people came in, the man at the piano began to play for real. He was actually pretty good considering the state of the bar. While sitting there, Alaric had the chance to look around the bar. He found that it didn't seem to get cleaned very often. Some of the wallpaper was torn, and there were a couple of bullet holes near the doorway. This was obviously a rough place, or at least had been at one point. Alaric was glad that Alex was in the bar with him, though the number of drinks he had already downed concerned Alaric. Alex might not be in the best of shape to help should something go wrong.

Alaric also had no idea what Todd looked like. He was going to have to just ask around as the place got more crowded. He decided that it might be a good idea in the future to pay for a photo to be taken of every employee, just in case situations such as this arose again. Photography was a long, generally expensive process, but for Alaric it would be worth having the extra security and peace of mind. After a little while in his own thoughts, Alaric noticed a group of rough looking men come into the bar. There were three of them, and they had a scared looking man following behind them. The men sat down at a table on the other side of the room from Alaric. He could see one of the men gesture for the scared man to go to the bar. A few minutes later, the man was taking a bottle and three glasses to the table. The bartender gave a concerned look for a moment, before going back to serving other people.

Alaric decided it would be a good idea to go and speak with the bartender. Perhaps he knew something about those men. He approached the bar and the bartender nodded to him, “What can I get ya?”

“I was wondering what you knew about that scared looking man over there.”

“Oh him? He's owes those men a lot of money. He has a gambling problem and when he couldn't pay them, they turned him into their own personal slave.”

“How much does he owe them?”

“Not quite sure anymore, but anything he makes he spends on drinks for them. He does pretty much whatever they tell him to.”

“What about those men, what can you tell me about them?”

“Well they're part of a large group here in town. Supposedly, they have people in most of the states. No one likes to cross them, at least not if they want to live that is.”

“That's quite a bit of power they hold over people. What's the poor man's name?”

“That's Todd.”

Alaric sighed and nodded. “Thanks for the information, excuse me.” With that he began walking towards the group. The bartender's eyes widened in shock. “You don't want to be doing that boy. You don't know what you're getting into.” Alaric turned and smiled to the bartender, before continuing to walk towards the group. He caught Alex's eye as he made his way over. Alex had an eyebrow raised before putting his hands behind his head, as if looking forward to seeing what happened. As Alaric got closer, one of the men tripped Todd and they all laughed. They looked up as they saw Alaric arrive at their table.

“What do you want kid?”

“Saw this guy doing whatever you told him to. I wanted to know how you find someone to do that.” The men laughed and pulled out a seat for Alaric to sit with them. “Well I'll tell ya, this guy here likes to gamble. He's absolutely terrible at it though and always loses. So, he owes us a lot of money, see?” Alaric nodded slowly and smiled, “And he's too spineless to tell you no?” The men all laughed again, one of them put his arm around Alaric's shoulder. “You're new here ain't ya? I'll let you in on a public secret. Everyone is too spineless to tell us no. You best remember that.” Alaric nodded again, and grabbed the man's arm, moving it off of his shoulder. These men made Alaric uncomfortable. They smelled of smoke and alcohol and were very arrogant. “How much does he owe you?”

“Well with the currency change, I couldn't rightly tell you for sure.” The man looked at his companions as he continued, “I'd have to say he probably owes us a thousand, right boys?” The other men nodded, “Why? You thinkin about payin his debt?” Alaric shook his head, “I might have been, but that's way too much.” The men laughed. One of them poured something from the bottle into a glass and slid it to Alaric. “Have a drink and spend some time with us.” Alaric sighed, but decided to go along with it for the time being. He was technically too young to be drinking, but he didn't think anyone was going to stop him at that point in time. Alaric took a sip and grimaced. It was terrible. The men laughed at the face he made. One of the men next to him put his hand on the bottom of the glass, “drink up kid.” Alaric tried to keep up with the flow of liquid coming from the glass, but the man had it tipped too much and some of it spilled onto the table and onto Alaric's clothing. “Look what you did boy!, You just wasted good whiskey. Clean it up!” The man put his hand on the back of Alaric's head, pushing it towards the table. Alaric had had enough, He drew his revolver and pointed it at the man's face.

“That's enough I think. You've had your fun. Now get lost.” The man took his hand from Alaric and moved backwards slightly. “Who do you think you are boy? Put that gun away before someone gets hurt.”

The room went silent. Some people stared at them, while others slowly made their way towards the door, not wanting to be around if bullets started flying. The other two men at the table reached for their guns, at which point Alaric pulled the hammer back. “If you want your friend to live, take your hands away from those guns.” The men hesitated long enough for Alex to get behind them without them noticing. He bashed the one in the head with a bottle and took the man's revolver off his belt. The second man drew his gun, only to get shot by Alex. The man, who had Alaric's gun in his face, put his hands up slowly. “Hold on now. There's no need to be so reckless. We'll get going. Get up Bobby; let's go.” The men got up and left quickly, leaving their dead companion on the floor. As they exited, one man called back in, “You just started something kid! You'll be seein' us soon.”

Todd stood there shaking. “W-why would you do that?” Alaric holstered his revolver and stood up, “Because Todd, you owe me some money.” Todd stared at Alaric, dumbfounded. “W-what?”

“I'm the new owner of the old Beggley store; the store that you stole from.”

“Oh, you don't understand, I-...”

“I know. You owed these men money and probably tried to use the store's money to pay them back. Either that or you used it just before you got into this mess.” Todd nodded slowly, still in shock over what had happened. Alaric inspected the dead man's revolver, it was just cap and ball like Alaric's had been. The bartender walked over to them shaking his head. “You gents just got yourselves into a world of trouble. You better take the back door when you leave and I'd like you to leave now, before I have more bullets flying in my bar.” Alex nodded and guided Todd out the back. Alaric reached into the dead man's pocket and pulled out fifty dollars, ten of which he pocketed and then handed the rest to the bartender, “Sorry for the trouble.” He followed Alex and Todd out the back and they made their way back to the store. They took a convoluted path, trying not to be followed. A few people did still see them and if any of them knew or were part of that group, then Alaric knew that they would be meeting with some rather angry people, fairly soon.

They walked into the store, where Ned was sitting on a stool waiting for them. Alaric explained what had happened as Alex had Todd sit in the back. Ned only shook his head before getting up and grabbing his gun. “I guess we should be ready then, shouldn't we?” Alex walked back out with his Maitland carbine, the taken revolver stuffed in his belt. “Let's get some tables moved and be sure we're ready. They might not hit us tonight, but its better we be safe than sorry.” Alaric nodded and they got to work preparing for a possible attack on the store.