Rise of the Blade - Charles Moffat [81]
"Surely they don't cost that much!"
"They're required for my favourite spell and I go through about twenty to thirty a day. At the bargain price of one gold piece per cigar, that's about seven hundred and fifty gold per month. That's more than what a city guard makes in a year."
"Okay! Okay! You've made your point! The vault would run dry if you didn't pull your weight by making the bulk of the money here!"
Draque pursed his lips together and sucked on the cigar. Breathing out, he pointed the smelly thing at Hiram. "While we're on the topic, lets stop and consider how much the Academy costs annually. We've got janitors, guards, cooks, teachers, stableboys, stablemaster, and the dwarves who are still working on the east wing but have quit for the winter to visit their folks and won't be back til spring. We have to provide food, and lots of it cause they're hungry little beggars, for the students who have their dormitories in the north wing. Our heating is based on the wood in the basement which Pierce chops up in his spare time and whenever he's exceptionally angry." He paused and stomped his foot on the marble floor. "Marble doesn't come cheap either if I do recall and this building is made mostly of marble and the occasional set of bronze doors. We had to fix a number of them recently too thanks to our good friend, Mister Chev. If I had my way, I'd sell the adamantite column thats holding up the dome and reinforce the ceiling with some magic. The problem with that is that magic can be dispelled quite easily by even minor mages. We wouldn't want several hundred tonnes of marble suddenly falling because some green apprentise tried to dispel a cantrip and ended up dispelling the whole thing. Until I perfect my Protection from Dispel enchantment, we're stuck with that ugly blue thing in the middle-"
"Actually, I always liked the colour-"
"I'm not finished! Have you seen our budget? Have you counted the zeros? This place is expensive in the extreme! You think my cigars are expensive? Wait til you see the bill when the dwarves finally finish the east wing in the spring! Those greedy bastards could suck gold out of the sand if they tried hard enough!"
Hiram looked about and saw that people were staring. Standing, the cook clapped Draque on the shoulder. "Thank Ao I'm only a chef."
Chapter 12
Korehren sat on the chimney and watched the warrior from above. Chev had proved to be an excellent distraction. While the Harpers were busy worrying about the warrior, his agents had been moving into positions of authority and pulling strings behind the scenes. "Corruption is an art form," he explained to the pigeon sitting beside him.
The pigeon blinked at the god and stepped closer.
"You see, to corrupt someone, you must find their weaknesses and exploit them. Over time this weakness becomes very important to them, to the point of addiction," he said soothingly.
The pigeon took another step closer and cocked its head at him.
"Then, when the time is right, its simply a matter of offering them the thing they most desire in exchange for what you want." He motioned the bird closer and pulled a piece of sweetbread from his pocket.
The bird cocked its head the other way, confused yet intrigued.
"They are always unsure at first, but eventually come around."
The pigeon stepped closer and pecked at the bread.
Korehren's fingers became claws and he snapped his fingers shut and killed the bird. Looking closely at the mess of feathers and blood, he smiled. "Yes, my dead feathered friend, corruption is most definitely an art form." He stood and watched Chev disappear into the crowded streets. "It's a shame Chev doesn't realize that."
"Got a coin to spare Chev?"
The warrior paused in his stride and looked about. His face was hidden under the cowl of his cloak and yet someone had still recognised him.
A beggar motioned the