Elminster_ The Making of a Mage - Ed Greenwood [45]
"Oh, gods," Elminster said quietly, "and I've felt sorry for meself a time or two. Farl, ye-"
"Can tell you to belt up and not say whatever tearful mush you were about to spout," Farl said serenely. "When the feebleness brought on by my advancing dotage requires sympathy from thee, Eladar Mage-Killer, I shall not keep thee unapprised of the fact."
His grandiose tones brought forth a chuckle from Elminster, who asked, "What's it to be now, then?"
Farl grinned and, in one smooth movement, rolled to his feet. "Rest time's over. Back to the wars. So you won't let me take advantage of ladies of the evening or innocent folk-well, that's not a hard bind. There can't be more than two or three of the latter in all Hastarl-an' we've hit the wizards and the high-and-mighty families overmuch. If we roost too often on the same perch, 'tis traps we'll find waiting, not piles of coins ready for the taking. This leaves us with two targets: temples-"
"Nay," Elminster said firmly. "No meddling with the affairs of gods. I'd rather not spend the rest of a short and unhappy life with most of Those Who Hear All furious with me-to say nothing of their priesthoods."
Farl grinned. "I expected that. Well, then, there's but one field we've not touched: rich merchants."
He held up a hand to forestall Elminster's coming protest about plundering hardworking shopkeepers and said quickly, "I mean those who lend coins and invest in back rooms and behind secure doors, working secretly in groups to keep prices high and arrange accidents for competitors… ever notice how few companies own the barges that actually land here? And the warehouses? Hmmm? We've got to learn how these folk operate, because if we're ever to retire from plucking things out of the pockets of lesser folk-and no one's fingers stay nimble forever, you know-we'll have to join the folk who sit idle and let their coins work for them."
Elminster was frowning thoughtfully. "A hidden world, masked by what most see in the streets."
"Just as our world-the realm of thieves-is hidden," Farl added.
"Right," El said with enthusiasm. "That's our battlefield, then. What now? How to begin?"
"This night," Farl said, "by handsomely bribing a man who owes me an old favor, I plan to attend a dinner I'd never be allowed in to. He'd be serving wine there, but I'll be doing it in his place, and listening to what I should not hear. If I'm right, I'll hear plans and agreements for quite a bit of quiet trade into and out of the city for the rest of the season." He frowned. "There's one problem. You can't come. There's no way you can get close enough to hear anything without being caught; these folk have guards everywhere. I've no excuse for getting you into the place, either."
Elminster nodded. "So I go elsewhere. An evening of idleness, or have ye any suggestions?"
Farl nodded slowly. "Aye, but there's great danger. There's a certain house I've had my eye on for four summers now; 'tis home to three free-spending merchants who deal in exchanging goods and lending coins but never seem to lift a finger to do any real work. They're probably part of this chain of investors. Can you skulk about the place without being seen? We need to know where doors, and approaches, and important rooms and the like are- and if you can overhear anything interesting while they dine…"
El nodded. "Lead me to the place. Just so long as ye don't expect any great tales when we meet on the morrow. I think it's only in minstrels' tales that folk sit around explaining things they already know for eavesdroppers to understand."
Farl nodded. "Just slip in, see where things are, try to find out if there's anything of import befalling-and get you gone again, as quietly as the thing can be done. I want no dead heroes in this partnership; it's too hard to find trustworthy partners."
"Ye prefer live cowards, eh?" Elminster asked as they dropped lightly