[Misled, Tension]
Why had Michael Brown lied? Was he ashamed that he was going from a rich playboy to working for a stonecutter’s tombstone business? It really didn’t make any sense at all. When I spoke to him as he gave me the keys for the mansion, I hadn’t prompted him for where he was going or what he was going to be doing. That’s of course assuming we actually find him. Brown is a common enough name it’s quite possible that the Brown that owns the tombstone company has nothing to do with and is no relation to Michael Brown.
We followed the tax collector’s directions to a sprawling yard scattered with pieces of granite, marble, along other stone types I couldn’t readily identify. Amongst the stones were overalls clad workers each holding chisels and hammers. The sound of the hammer hitting the chisel hitting stone was almost musical and not at all unpleasant. Most of the workers appeared to be working on standard tombstones, but a few worked on statuary and a couple on gargoyles.
There was a small building at the back of the yard with a crooked path to a weathered front door and that’s where Opal and I aimed for. I opened the door and went into a dim and dusty interior. An old gap toothed woman sat at a desk that was covered with paper. It was the kind of desk that would drive me crazy when I was writing, I needed a particular spot for character lists, my settings, and my finished chapters. The rigid adherence to an ordered desk, let me use a pantser chaotic style when it came to my actual writing process. If I had to use this woman's desk for writing, I’d be lucky if I got a paragraph a day written.
“Hi, I’m Rose and this is Opal. We’re looking for Michael Brown. Does he work here by chance?”
“Yeah, he just started again yesterday. But he’s busy working and can’t chat with no girls. If you want to talk to him, you can come back at five o'clock.”
“It’s quite important and really won’t take much time.”
“I’m telling you, I ain’t paying the bastard to chat up no girls, now get lost unless you want a tombstone.”
“Perhaps I could pay you, for a few minutes of his time.”
“Girlie, I don’t know what you think he’s got for you that’s worth actual money. He ain’t rich, as soon as he heard he inherited a big estate, he came in here and quit, but when he came crawling back here yesterday without two coppers to his name. I gave him his old job back, at half the wages he got before. So if he’s got you pregnant, that's all on you. Don’t be expecting any help from him.”
Poor Michael thought he was lucky when he inherited an estate, but when he found out all he really inherited was a debt that was worth much more than the estate he must have been devastated. He’d been a real jerk when he thought he was rich but when he found out he was poor, he became a rather pleasant young man. But still one who had lied.
“I’m really not expecting any help from him ma’am perhaps if I paid you a gold I might have thirty minutes of his time?”
“Let’s see it, honey.”
I handed her a gold coin, which she immediately bit. I was rewarded with a gap toothed grin.
“He’s working on the gargoyle in the right front corner of the yard, at least the bastard better be or he’s fired for good this time. You got thirty minutes, not a second longer, course if you need more time and you got another of them gold coins we might be able to come to an understanding.”
“Thank you ma’am. If we need more time, I’ll of course pay for it.”
Wow, she was a greedy old woman. I wondered if Michael even made one gold a day. She’d get work out of him and be paid at the same time. We walked out the front door, I’d remembered seeing a workman carving the gargoyle when we’d come in. So we made directly to the six feet tall hunk of granite. Michael didn’t see us approach from the office, he seemed to be engrossed in his work.
“Michael, why did you lie to me?”
“Rose,.. What.. are. you doing here?”
“First, I’m here to find out why you lied. Second, I’m here to help you.”
He didn’t speak, he looked extremely embarrassed to have been found in a lie. His face was flush and he seemed on the verge of shouting.
“I didn’t lie, you must have misheard me.”
“I heard Brown and Associates and you actually said Brown and Sons Tombstones. Is that what you mean, because yes they both have the word Brown in them, right.”
“Look, I don’t owe you an explanation.”
“No I guess you are right you do not owe me an explanation, of why you lied. But seeing how I just paid your boss a gold coin to talk to you for thirty minutes. I have some questions for you and this isn’t the place to ask them.” I was mad, I don’t know if he had anything to do with the house compelling me but I was tired of this conversation and I’d do something about it. I turned to Opal. “Take my arm sweetie.”
She did and I whipped out my portal wallet, took a hold of Michael’s arm and we portaled directly to Enigmatic Parchments.
“Where the hell are we?”
“You are in Enigmatic Parchments in Wyldwood, now the questions I have for you. What did you take from the mansion?”
“That has nothing to do with you, I read over that contract that your lawyer drew up. You paid for the grounds and the mansion. Family heirlooms were not included in the sale. Besides I only took the smallest stuff that’d fit into my suitcases. I didn’t take anything that belongs to you.”
“EG, is he telling the truth?”
“Yes Rose, he took a few suitcases of small odds and ends, trinkets, jewelry and the like.”
“Do you still have all the stuff Michael?”
“That is none of your business.”
“It very much is my business, because that house literally took control of my mind, before my friend burned it to the ground with dragon fire.”
“Ha, I knew there was something wrong with that house from the minute I entered it, I had a headache. It was only after I left, that the headache went away. But you really burned the house down?”
“Where is all the stuff Michael, it all needs to be destroyed.”
“Well that’s too bad Rose, because I sold it all.”
“EG, is he telling the truth?”
“Partially, Rose, he sold everything except for a diamond ring.”
“Where did you sell the artifacts?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“I’m trying to keep people safe, don’t you care what might happen to the people who buy that stuff. You said the house gave you a headache, so you know, it is not something to play around with. I will buy the stuff from the vendor. No one is going to try and take whatever you got for it. But Opal and I need to see that ring, Opal can tell if it’s cursed. If it is, I’ll pay you a fair price for it, and we will destroy it. We need to find every piece you took from the house. Where did you sell the stuff?”
“To a pawnbroker in Duskhaven, I couldn’t find anyone in Wyldwood to sell to, otherwise I wouldn’t have lugged all that stuff to Duskhaven. I thought I’d finally had some good luck when I inherited that estate, but I should have known that the place was cursed.”
“Alright, we’re finally making some progress. Do you have the ring on you?”
“No it’s with my things in the room I’m renting.”
“EG?”
“It’s true Rose, he has rented a room in some widows house.”
“Okay Michael, first we’re going to the pawnbrokers where I’ll buy back everything you sold them. Then we’ll go to your room and look at the ring. If it’s cursed, I’ll buy it from you at a fair price. If it isn’t cursed, you keep it. Fair enough?”
“I have to be at work, it’ll have to wait until closing time. She will fire me and won’t hire me back.”
“How much does she pay you?”
“Two gold a week, I used to get four, but then I inherited the mansion and quit. Yesterday when I asked for my job back, she said no until I agreed to half my old salary. She is a witch but I’ll starve if I lose that job.”
“Aren’t you related to her?”
“Yes she is my aunt.”
“And she still treats you so badly?”
“Yep, maybe now you see why I was so excited to inherit from my uncle. I knew he wasn’t a nice man but I didn’t think he’d actually curse his house.”
“Come on, I’ll go pay off your aunt so you are mine for the day. Then you show us to the pawnbroker and the ring you kept.”
Mossbeard came out of the backroom.
“Rose, do you want me to go back with you?”
“No thanks, Mossbeard the racists won’t let you into the town anyway. I hope this is the last trip I have to make there, between the gate guards and Michael’s aunt. I'm so glad I live here in Wyldwood.”
Opal, Michael and I portaled to the Duskhaven frontgate.
“Hey, how did you get out of the city, I remember you two, you were with that dirty gnome.”
“Mossbeard is not dirty and he is my friend. He is also not a racist, and a very talented artist. Now we’d like to enter and we have business at Brown and Sons Tombstones.”
“That’ll be three silver to enter, for the three of you.”
“We weren’t charged to enter before.”
“It’s a reentry fee.” He laughed at his own wit.
It wasn’t worth the bother arguing with him, we didn't have the time for it, the pawnbroker might be selling the cursed items as we stood here conversing with the xenophobe, it’s not like I could ever change his opinions. Which were probably formed in childhood by his father. That’s the way it usually works with racism. That’s why they are so proud, parroting daddy or mommy.
“If you can get me the rest of the day off, I’ll take you to the pawnbroker and my boardinghouse to see the ring.”
“Could you carve a building on top of a stone pedestal four or five feet off of the ground?”
“Easily why?”
“Because I want to rent you. Let’s hurry, I don’t want any of those items to be sold while we’re fooling around with your boss. How long will it take to finish that gargoyle you were working on?”
“A day.”
“How much will it sell for?”
“Around two gold.”
“So the most she can make on you in a week is ten gold minus your two gold salary and whatever she pays for materials?”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yeah that sounds about right.”
We soon reached Brown and sons and walked straight to the building.
“Hey, that was more than thirty minutes, you owe me another gold, Mikie you get back to work.”
“I have a proposition for you, I want to rent Mikie for a week, I’ll pay you twenty five gold, every minute that you think about it my offer goes down by one gold.”
“If you’re willing to pay twenty five perhaps you’d pay fifty.”
“You are now down to twenty four gold, wanna keep bargaining? Personally I hate haggling."
“Wait, you said I had a minute?”
“And now we’re down to twenty three, the most you can make with him here is less than ten gold, so a smart woman would take the twenty two gold I’m offering. I did explain to you that I start high and then go down, did I not. Twenty one gold going once, going twice.”
“Stop, yes, fine Twenty one, plus the one you owe me for being gone more than thirty minutes.”
I didn’t feel like arguing, so I paid her twenty two gold. Mikie, Opal and I walked out the door.
“Lead the way Mikie.”
“Don’t call me that, call me Mike. Why did you hire me for a week, you still have to pay me my two gold, I need to pay the boardinghouse widow or I’ll be homeless.”
“I’ll pay you six if you do a good job, Mike.”
“Do you mean that, Rose?”
“Of course, I’m not in the habit of lying to people, unlike some people I know.”
“Look, Rose, I’m sorry I lied. I came to Wyldwood, expecting to be some big deal land owner then some girl made me pay her to take my land. I wasn’t very nice, but if you’d spent a week living in that house with a constant headache, maybe you wouldn’t be so nice either. I was embarrassed that I went from wealthy land owner back to stonecutter.”
“Personally I have more respect for stonecutters who are good at their jobs than rich brats whose greatest achievement is having a father with a healthy sperm count and actually surviving childbirth.”
“You mean that don’t you? I knew you were strange that day I met you at the lawyers office, but I didn’t know the half of it did I?”
“No you are probably right, how much farther to this pawnbroker?”
“It’s just up ahead on the right. With the three gold balls.”
“Good, how much did he give you for all the stuff you sold him?”
“Three gold, five silver and seven coppers.”
“Did he give you tickets for the items?”
“No I sold him the stuff outright, he knew I wasn’t coming back to buy it back.”
We walked into the store, a bell ringing as I opened the door. Warning the clerk that a customer had arrived. A very large half orc stood behind the counter. I turned to Mike and asked. “Is that who you sold the items to?”
“Yeah, that's him Rose.”
“Hello, I’d like to look at all the items that this gentleman sold you yesterday.” He went to get them. “Opal honey just point out the cursed ones, we’ll buy them and leave the rest.”
The ample clerk was back with a tray of goods and a suitcase Opal pointed at a few of the items on the tray of goods and the suitcase.
“That’s not everything I sold you.” Mike said.
“No I bought this stuff outright, you didn’t want the tickets, remember. I already sold some of the items.”
“We’ll take these.” I pointed to the ones Opal had, “and the suitcase. We’ll also need to know who you sold the other items to. Some of these items were cursed. Mike had no idea, until this morning so don’t go trying to blame him.”
“I can’t tell you who bought them, my customers expect their privacy to be respected.”
“That’s too bad, then my best advice to you is to try and find a priest of Seth. I think I heard there might be one in Quintessence. But catch the fastest stage you can. Better bring fifty or one hundred gold, those priests are pricey on curse removals.”
“Why would I need the curse removed?”
“Well if you sold the item you are linked to the curse, if another employee sold them you don’t need to worry, it’s only the buyer and seller that are in danger. There Mike, we’re buying the last ones with any links to you, you won’t have to worry. It won’t fall off now. How much do you want for these cursed items?”
“No, I no sell, I don’t want to be linked to the curse.”
“Sorry Pal, you are already linked, sell the stuff to us and we’ll destroy it. That breaks the curse. I will have to report you to the guard, so when the people you sold the cursed items want you arrested, I can testify for them. We’ll just have to wait and see if you and they actually survive the curse or not. Look on the bright side, they can’t sue you if you already died from a cursed item you sold someone else.”
I was having a hard time keeping a straight face as the owner looked more and more alarmed.
“I will sell you, but you must destroy items before you leave the shop, do we have a deal?”
“We’ll need a fireplace and a large hammer.”
He lifted part of the counter, moved from behind it, and walked over to the door, putting up the closed sign. Then he gestured to us to follow him into a backroom, a fire was laid but not yet lit in a small pot bell stove.
“How much do we owe you before I destroy this stuff?”
“Ten silvers.”
I paid him and he lit the fire. I took the hammer to the suit case, the largest object that he had. Once it was broken up into small enough pieces we started feeding it into the blazing stove. Once the flames had consumed the suitcase I set to work on the smaller pieces. Smashing the bits of jewelry and odd nick nacks was strangely exhilarating.
When we had finished, I turned to him again.
“If I were you I’d get on the afternoon stage and take plenty of gold, you don’t want to travel all that way and not have enough to get the curse removed and not have enough gold. Good luck my friend. Mike, at least you are off the hook.”
“Wait, I can give you a few names but a couple of people I don’t know who they were, they weren’t regular customers.”
“Well if they come back, buy the stuff back from them and destroy it just like we did, do you understand. If your manhood falls off, come to Wyldwood we have a wonderful surgeon she might be able to sew it back on again. It probably won’t work anymore but at least you’ll still look normal. Are you married?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t worry, just explain to your wife, it was an accident at work, she’ll probably understand.”
He gave us a list of names and the streets that he thought we could find them on and asked us to promise to come back and report our progress. I almost felt sorry for the guy, well at least religion was actually useful for once. He never would have given us this list of names if he wasn’t worried what his bride would do when his manhood no longer was attached.
Once we were outside Mike turned to me. “You know Rose for someone who isn’t in the habit of lying to people, you certainly are good at it.”
“Thank you Mike that sweet of you to say, isn’t that sweet Opal?” She just giggled. I handed Mike the list and asked. “Do you know who any of these people are?” He looked down the list, and shook his head negatively.
“Well Mike, how about you direct us to the nearest street and we’ll just start asking people. Opal honey, I know it’s a long shot but while we’re walking around looking for people on the list, just keep looking around at people in the crowd and see if you see anyone that matches the magical field.”
“Yes Rose.”
“Thanks honey.”
“Mike, what is the name of the woman on this street and what did she buy from the pawnbroker?”
“Her name is Tracy Elland and she bought a pearl necklace for one gold. The thief of a pawnbroker only paid me one silver for that. I wish he was cursed, the thieving money grubber.”
I asked a woman walking by if she knew where Tracy Elland lived, she’d never heard of her. Once we made it to the middle of the block I started knocking on doors. I kept Opal with me but sent Mike on the other side of the street to start knocking. We got a positive response from a neighbor after knocking on our eighth door. She helpfully pointed to a house across the street and about five houses down.
I yelled to Mike, that we had the address so he’d stop annoying the neighbors. Meanwhile Opal and I made our way to the door and knocked.
“I don’t buy from street peddlers.”
“No ma’am, we’re not selling, we were sent by the pawnbroker, he inadvertently sold you what might be a cursed pearl necklace. If you’d just let my seer, Opal have a look she can tell on sight of an item is cursed. If it is, we’ll refund your money, and destroy the necklace. If not then you’ll still have a fine pearl necklace and peace of mind. About one third of the items that he purchased were cursed, we already destroyed the ones that hadn’t yet sold.”
“What’s the curse?”
“The pox, ma’am, the longer you own it the more chances you’ll catch it.”
“I want my money back, right now, I don’t care if it’s cursed or not.”
“Fine yes ma’am we just need to see the necklace ma’am.” I held up a gold coin before her eyes.
She held up the string of pearls, Opal shook her head indicating that they weren’t cursed.
“Ma’am my seer says they are fine, if you prefer keeping them but here is your gold coin if you prefer.”
She snatched the coin and tossed the pearls in my direction before slamming the door in my face. How rude.
“Okay Mike, where is the next closest street and who and what are we looking for?”
“Gemma Alton she bought a small ruby pendant for one gold, that thief paid me seven silvers. Arg.”
According to the pawnbroker Gemma Alton lived on a narrow crooked alley, it was a short alley that abutted the town wall. By the looks of the houses I was surprised that Gemma had a spare gold coin to spend on jewelry. We followed the same procedure as the last street. Mike took one side and started going north, Opal and I took the other side and started going south.
Mike hit paydirt before us this time, so we hurried to join him. I went through the same spiel I’d used on the other woman.
“I ain’t no idiot, girlie, you can’t catch the pox from jewelry.”
“Okay, you are right, please let my seer look at it. If it is cursed I’ll pay you five gold coins for it, if it’s not cursed, you keep it and I’ll still give you one gold coin, just for a look at it.”
“How do I know that you got five gold coins, girlie.”
I pulled the five coins from my purse.
“Wait here.” she said.
We waited less than a minute, she was back with the pendant in hand.
“It’s cursed, Rose.”
“Thank you honey.”
I handed over the five gold and she handed me the pendant.
“Ma’am do you have a hammer I could use to destroy this?”
“I’ll sell you one for a silver, or rent it to you for five coppers.”
“I’ll buy it ma’am.”
“Wait here,” she commanded again.
It was almost twilight, I wasn’t going to drag Opal around dark streets of a strange city, after this pendant was destroyed we’d portal out of here. The woman came back and handed me the hammer. I gave her the silver coin. I found a large stone in the center of the alley, placed the pendant on it and smashed it with the hammer.
After making plans to meet Mike at nine am in front of Brown and Sons and reminding him to bring the ring for Opal to examine. Opal and I portaled to the bookstore to report on our progress. I showed Sparky the list of people we still need to visit tomorrow. Then we both gave our report on the differences between gathering magic here in Wyldwood and in Duskhaven.
