Page 15 of Sweetwater and the Witch

“The Sweetwaters are always happy to do a favor for Arcane and the Guild Council,” Ethan said, gravely polite.

Gabriel raised his brows. “The Guilds don’t have a long history of doing business with the Sweetwaters, but Arcane does. We know how the favors work.”

Ethan smiled a bland smile. “You know that because Arcane and Guild favors work exactly the same way.”

He and Jones, the new Guild boss in Illusion Town, were sitting in a bar at the edge of the gaming floor of a small casino located off the Amber Zone Strip. Way off. They wanted privacy.

It was late afternoon and the establishment was only lightly crowded. No one was paying attention to them. The steady ping, buzz, clang, andcha-ching of the slots created enough background noise to mask their conversation, in any event.

“The Jones family has a saying about the Sweetwaters,” Gabriel said. “ ‘Sooner or later the bill will come due.’ ”

“I’m deeply offended that you are under the impression we would charge for our services. According to Granddad, we only sent bills back in the old days when we were in a different line of work. We’re in the amber business now, in case you haven’t heard.”

“Trust me, I remember that every time I rez the lights or turn on the rez screen.”

“The good news for the Sweetwaters is that there is a lot more money in good rez-amber than there ever was in our old line.”

“So these days you just do favors.”

“Occasionally, and only for a very few, very trusted clients,” Ethan said.

“Moving right along. Did you get the file?”

“Got it and read it. There’s not much in it that isn’t already on the public record. It’s not exactly a secret that Taggert Spooner is the CEO of Spooner Technologies. He has every reason to attend the convention of the Amber Research and Technology Association. His company does a lot of R and D, and his customers include the federal government and some of the biggest companies on the planet. Why are you worried about him?”

“Before we get to that, I need to ask one question.” Gabriel leaned back in the chair and got a considering look. “Has Spooner ever taken a contract with Sweetwater?”

“No. When it comes to amber tech we have our own in-house experts. We don’t use outsiders if we can avoid it.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed a little. “I’m talking about the other kind of contract—the sort the Sweetwaters occasionally signed with Arcane back on Earth and in the Colonial days here on Harmony.”

“No,” Ethan said quietly.

Gabriel nodded. “Didn’t think so. Just wanted to be sure.”

“For the record, the Sweetwaters were never dumb enough to actually sign anything, not when it came to those kinds of contracts. We did business on a handshake.”

Gabriel nodded. “Smart.”

“The Sweetwaters didn’t make it through the Curtain and survive on Harmony by doing dumb shit. Tell me why you’re interested in Taggert Spooner and what you want me to watch for at the convention.”

“Ever heard of Vortex?” Gabriel asked.

“Are you talking about that outfit that gave Jones and Jones so much trouble back on the Old World?”

“Yes. And for the record, Vortex wasn’t just a problem for Jones and Jones and Arcane. According to the archives, an organization known as the Foundation was actively involved in hunting them.”

“Never heard of the Foundation,” Ethan said.

“Some kind of off-the-books government contractor, I think.”

Ethan paused his beer in midair. “I was under the impression that Vortex had been taken care of before the Curtain even opened.”

“You know how it is with legends. There’s always some truth at the core. Apparently there were a few loose ends that were never dealt with. Now Arcane has reason to believe someone is trying to create a new version of Vortex here on Harmony. If so, we’ve got a problem.”

“You mean Arcane has a problem.”

“It’s not just Arcane. The Guild Council is also concerned. Given my job and my family name, I find myself representing both organizations at the moment. What I’m telling you is strictly confidential, Ethan. The bottom line is that we don’t know who we can trust.”

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