Two days had passed since the merchants began their activities in Valenreach. Gold and supplies started to circulate, but the air in the territory seemed to have grown denser and harder to breathe. Lygni was still in the capital, and her absence left a security vacuum that I felt in every shadow cast by the new visitors.
I was sitting at my desk, reviewing the investment clauses the merchants had signed, when Obrem entered. He didn't bring productivity reports, but rather a countenance heavy with concern. Obrem walked to the table, the sound of his heavy boots against the wooden floor seeming louder than usual in the silence of the room. He said nothing immediately, merely resting his calloused hands on the map of Valenreach, his glass eye catching the pale light streaming through the window.
"Your Highness, something is not right," he murmured, his hoarse voice carrying an urgency that made me drop my pen. "I observed their escort during the shift change. They don't act like mercenaries hired to protect cargo. They act like men who are mapping a battlefield".
I dropped the parchment and faced the old veteran. "Are you saying their interest isn't the profit I promised in the contract?".
"Profit is a distraction, sir," Obrem replied, pointing to the spots where the wagons were stationed. "They've positioned themselves near the warehouses and the village entrance. If a fight starts now, they'll control the exits before we can even raise the first alarm".
A chill ran down my spine. My administrator's mind had focused so much on moving the economy that I had ignored the tactical arrangement of the pieces on the board. "I invited them in, and they are mounting a siege from the inside," I whispered, standing up.
"We need to act with caution, Your Highness," Obrem warned. "They are many, and they are well-armed. I saw that their blades bear the seal of the Capital—quality steel that no common road merchant could afford".
Dammit.
I went to the office window; so there were wolves in my fold, and I needed to drive them out. I looked at the wagons parked strategically near the warehouses and the village entrance. The profit I had planned so carefully now seemed like a fatal distraction.
"You mean they are setting up a siege from within, Obrem?" I asked, without taking my eyes off the movement outside.
"Exactly, sir," Obrem replied, his hoarse voice filled with an urgency I rarely heard. "They've mapped every escape route and control the exits. If a combat begins now, we will be cornered before we even give the first shout of alert".
A shiver went down my spine as I realized my administrator's mind had focused so much on the movement of the economy that I had ignored the tactical disposition of the pieces on the board. I had invited them in and given them the keys.