Tylywoch ~ 05

 Tylywoch ~ 05 Not a bad days work

By Len Morgan 

Weilla and Mynach made two further trips up and down the mountain before Terrek announced they’d collected enough.   “It’s time for me to return to my forge.”   But, Gardon & Spass declared their intention to stay, and no manner of inducement would change their minds.  Terrek was annoyed.  “You were paid for the return trip, now I will have to hire more help to get my cargo home.”   What made matters worse was the fact that carbon is worthless to all intent and purpose, Its value became evident, only when he’d turned his iron ore into steel and turned that into blades.   Only then could he realise a return on his outlay.

“How will I get it all home when I have only sufficient funds to settle the reckoning at the Inn?” He railed.

Mynach smiled, ”We have friends who could help you, and not necessarily require immediate payment.” 

“How far away are they?” Terrek’s asked. 

“I should be back within the day” Mynach answered, “you will need to negotiate payment with my brother, who I believe you met at the Inn?” 

Terrek grinned, “ah! the man with no name, So be it!   Go find your friends, we’ll wait for you here.”

.-…-.

Mynach returned with Galyx, Soren & Hildi.

“They seem a little puny to me, can they do a day's work?” Terrek asked.

 Hildi answered him by lifting a full sack above her head and depositing it on the nearest mule.

“Ok, so what about payment?”

“We work on a quid pro quo basis” Galyx explained.  “We do something for you and you do something for us in return.”

“Sounds reasonable to me,” he said, “let’s get on…”

“Aren’t you concerned not knowing what we might want in return?” asked Galyx.

“Would you ask for some exorbitant sum or make unreasonable demands?”

“No,” Galyx replied.

“Then let’s get to work,” Terrek said.

.-…-. 

Gardon & Spass were not around when they left, at Midday.   Before sunset they were back at the Inn, quaffing ale in the common room, sampling, with their olfactory senses, the fine aromatic meal being prepared in the kitchen by Mistress Karpe. 

Terrek sat back nonchalantly, and turned to Galyx, “have you decided what form of payment you require?”

“Yes, we would like you to teach our local blacksmith how to make that fine steel you boast of…”

“What?” he said incredulously choking on his ale.   “That’s impossible!”

“How so?” said Galyx, “I thought we had a deal.”

“No, you don’t understand.   What does he make, horseshoes, plough shears, tools, hardware, furniture?   A swordsmith's apprentice will spend ten years learning his craft.   He will do little more than look, listen, and make notes for the first five years.   He will start at the age of ten, how old is your smith?”

Galyx turned, and looked askance at the innkeeper.

“HURRUMPH, Grazzek is umm, about my age, forty?”

“And the rest laughed Terrek he’s fifty if he’s a day.  I have spoken with him, he would be dead before he could finish the training, and who will tend his forge for you whilst he is studying with me?”

“We thought you might be able to teach him here before you go?” said the Inn-keep hopefully.  

Terrek and Galyx both laughed uproariously.   “Is there no young ten-year-old you could spare for ten years?"  Galyx asked.  

“You mean some good for nothing lazybones who isn’t worth his keep?” he answered looking towards the fire hearth with a twinkle in his eye, looking at the ever present boy listening in on their conversation.   “Jax!” he yelled, the boy jumped to his feet. “Come here boy, your to be apprenticed to a swordsmith.”

Terrek viewed the soot smeared boy, “your face is black boy,” he said with a smile that broadened as the boy rubbed it with his cuff, only succeeding in making it look worse.   “Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of that working for me.” He tousling the boy's hair playfully. 

“You’ll take him?” asked the innkeeper with surprise and joy mingled on his face.

“Aye, he’ll do if he’s half as intelligent as he looks.”   He turned to Galyx with a quizzical look on his face, “why are you doing this for them?”

“GYRI!   We owe him for past services, he requested that we help his stepson to learn a trade, when I learned of your need it seemed a perfect opportunity to repay a debt.

“Ten years is a long time to be apart from loved ones.” Said Terrek.

“The Inn-keep thinks Jax is worthy of a chance, he does a man’s job, and never shirks his duties, he’s earned it!” said Galyx.   “How long will this black powder last?” 

“A year, possibly a year and a half” he replied.

“There will be a similar quantity awaiting collection in twelve months, and thereafter, in return for its worth in good honest workman-like blades.

Terrek looked into Galyx’s eyes and knew that he spoke true.   “Accepted,” he said offering his hand. They shook on it.

Galyx smiled.   In one transaction, he’d secured a supply of top quality weapons, and a means of payment.   The gold accumulated by Terrek's helpers, would pay local labour for mining processing and hauling the carbon.   Even as they spoke, Fire & Flood quads were making a start on mining the next shipment.   The Inn-keep would warehouse it for collection later when Jax returned with up to twenty good serviceable blades.

Galyx smiled, ‘Not a bad days work’. 

(To be Continued)

Copyright Len Morgan