Breakfast was a lively event, and everybody in Iluk was basking in the revelry of the previous day. When he finished his breakfast, Mont ambled over to the laundry space by the stream to help the twins with their work. He took a seat at one of the chairs set up for washing dishes and dried what the twins washed with a baar wool towel before placing it neatly in a storage box. It took some time, but in the end everything was cleaned up and ready to be stored away.
“Thanks for the help!” said Senai.
“Yeah, thanks!” said Ayhan.
The girls then carted the boxes off to the kitchen range. Mont was happy to see them so cheerful, and he was watching them walk away when Joe approached.
“I hear you’ve got a scheme brewing,” he said. “So I’ve got two questions: What happened? And where’d this come from? I didn’t think you had much interest in anything other than building friendly relations with our neighbors.”
“You’re a newly married man, Joe,” snapped Mont. “Why are you here talking about this and not spending time with your wife, huh? Mrgh, but you’re here now, so here’s what’s what—the truth is I’m still not especially interested in the beastkin nation, but there’s a group living over there... A group that drove away a couple girls I hold very dear to my heart. You get what I’m saying?”
Mont was still sitting in his chair, but he’d taken to polishing his wooden leg while he spoke. Joe’s eyes narrowed—he knew exactly what Mont was saying. He took a few steps closer.
“You mean the forestkin who drove away the twins and their parents?” he whispered. “You don’t intend to sneak into Beastland for revenge, do you?”
“Of course not, you damned fool,” Mont snapped back, also whispering now. “You think Dias’d stand for that? You think the twins would stand for that? It’s not about vengeance, but I do want those forestkin to know who we are. I want them to know full well what they’re in for if they dare to try messing with us. I want to do it for both us and them. We can avoid any unnecessary trouble, and the forestkin will hold off from doing anything stupid or suicidal like making Dias angry.”
Joe’s eyes almost bulged out of his head, but after a little thought he nodded. He was on board with the idea, and with a wave he headed off back to his yurt to see his wife.
There’s always a chance that the forestkin will try something, and if I move first as a representative of Baarbadal, I can turn their attention away from Iluk, Dias, and the twins. I can redirect any enmity they might have to us at the border station. That’s the plan, but first I’m going to need Dias to let me go over there in the first place.
Mont continued working on his leg until a dogkin ran up and offered to help. The dogkin must have noticed the troubled look on Mont’s face and assumed it was about his leg. Mont chuckled and thanked the dogkin, and when it was time, he let the dogkin help him to his feet and headed off.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Iberis, we’re going to sell the fish you’ve brought us to our neighbors,” said Ellie, “but don’t forget that you always have the option of selling your fish to them directly. Bypassing us will make it cheaper for them and get you more out of it. If we’re being honest, you could even say there’s nothing in it for you goblins to go through us.”
Ellie was readying salt in empty barrels for the goblins. Iberis was there with her to confirm the number of barrels, and he listened silently as Ellie went on.
“We’re not after a monopoly on the fish market or any unscrupulous business practices like setting sky-high prices as the only seller. Stunts like that are doomed to failure, and as a merchant myself, I just won’t do it.”
Iberis couldn’t quite believe what he’d just been told.
“Yeah, but are you really sure?” Iberis asked. “You’re already giving us salt and barrels, and even specially made scissors to help us dress the fish. Now you’re telling us we can sell wherever we want? I mean, we’re grateful—we’ve opportunities to the east—but still...”
“Of course I’m sure,” replied Ellie confidently. “The more fish you sell, the better off you are. And the better off you are, the better business you’ll do. No complaints here! You’ll pour more energy into your fishing industries if there’s profit to be made, right? And that’ll likely lead to more people exploring how best to prepare various seafoods, I’m sure. It’s all good news for us, and it’ll make you neighbors we can lean on in times of need. So please, don’t feel like you have to hold back out of obligation or anything like that.”
At the end of the day, Baarbadal couldn’t really ban the goblins from selling their fish when the opportunity was there anyway. And even when it was prohibited by law, merchants found ways around the rules and ways to slip through the cracks. Ellie knew this better than anyone, and Iberis nodded and smiled, impressed by her foresight.
“I feel like every day I’m reminded of just how lucky we are to have our ties with Baarbadal,” he said. “You guys here are a treasure unlike any other. We’ll do as you’ve recommended, and we won’t say no to opportunity if it presents itself. We’ll hold our heads high and sell when the going’s good. But at least for the time being, we want to make Baarbadal our priority—we’re proud to be doing our business with you.”
Now it was Ellie’s turn to be impressed, and she couldn’t hide the joy that spread through her features.
“Thank you,” she said. “Truly.”