Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) Read Online Free Page A

Talking business
without food handy was anathema to her. “I will, sir, thank you.”
    “Good luck, Deepwoods. I look forward to having you in our
city.”
    “Thank you, sir.” Siobhan stood, a copy of her contract with
Blackstone in hand, and followed Gage off the porch and toward the compound
gates. As they walked, she dropped back enough to hiss at her two childhood
friends, “And when, exactly, did you two louts decide that I was to be the
guildmaster?”
    “A while ago,” Beirly drawled.
    “It was never an ambition of mine to be a guildmaster,” she
observed tartly. “In fact, I thought it was set that you would be guildmaster,
Beirly.”
    “It’ll be good for you, Shi,” Beirly intoned, not in the
least worried about gaining her ire.
    “And Master Hughes is right, you’re a natural at it,” Grae
opined, trying to keep his face straight and failing miserably. “You spoke to
him so comfortably, like you’d known him for years. Neither Beirly nor I can
manage to connect to people like you can.”
    “You also have a talent for getting people to help you,”
Beirly tacked on. “If I had been the one dealing with the man, we wouldn’t have
a list of cheap guild halls in hand. Or three months of free advertisement from
the main guild of this city, for that matter. You have a charm about you that
makes people want to help you. That’s essential for a guildmaster to have.”
    All of that sounded fine and dandy, but Siobhan knew the
real reason. “In other words, both of you would rather cut off your ears rather
than be guildmaster.”
    “Exactly,” they said in unison.
    Gage, ahead of them, started laughing.
    “A fine pair you are,” she groused. “And quit that, Master
Gage, it’s not that funny.”
    “Just Gage is fine,” he told her, looking back over his
shoulder. “I have a feeling that we’ll be friends before the day is out. Tell
you what, new guildmaster, why don’t I treat the three of you to an early
lunch? And then we’ll go shopping for your new guildhall.”
    “That’d be a fine thing. And introduce me to a good bakery
as we go, as I need something on hand for when Guildmaster Darrens comes.”
    “I will,” Gage assured her. He paused a step so that she was
now walking evenly with him, and took the time to point out good places to
shop, and even called some people over and made introductions.
    Siobhan felt the city settle into her bones a little more
with each step, each new face, as the people did their best to make her new
guild feel welcome. Every corner they turned, people were delighted to hear
that an escorting guild was making its home there, and a few offered little
gifts of welcome, making Siobhan smile and promise a visit later after they
were properly settled.
    Their method of choosing a new city might have been somewhat
haphazard, but Siobhan had a premonition that Goldschmidt would be good to
them. Strange, how it felt like she was having a homecoming to a city she had never
been to before, but that was exactly how it felt.
    “You’re smiling, Shi,” Grae whispered.
    “I am,” she responded, casting him a wink. “Because as
beginnings go, I can’t imagine a better one than this.”
    ӜӜӜ
    “And that is the story of Deepwoods,” Siobhan finished in
true Wynngaardian fashion.
    “It was a good telling, and I thank ya for it,” Rune
responded automatically. “Did they really bend over backwards like that for
ya?” Rune asked in amazement.
    “They truly did. In fact, when Darrens came that first night
to introduce himself, he gave me even more favorable terms and doubled the work
crew for gathering stones. They were that pleased to have a Pathmaker in
residence. Moving to that city was the best business decision we’ve ever made.”
     “I always wondered why it was Darrens favors ya.” Rune gave
a wise nod. “Now I know.”
    “He does not want us leaving.” Siobhan grinned as she
said this. “After all, I’m cheaper than hiring an outside