Page 100 of The Study of Poisons
“And they cost a small fortune. If you export them to us, you get the income, we can sell affordable gemstones, and the dealers no longer get rich. Win, win, win.”
“I’ll think about it,” the Commander said. “The Sitian resources that I’m interested in are cotton, coffee, glass, silk, and tea.”
All but coffee was sold on the black market. By legally importing them, the Commander would hit the dealers hard. Not hard enough for all of them to go out of business—there would always be illegal imports—but enough to make a difference. Valek approved. The Commander might not be acting like himself, but his mind was still sharp as ever.
“What types of tea?” Irys asked.
“Anything that’s not black tea. Tea is very popular in Ixia, but with our cooler climate, we can only grow black tea.”
Yelena would be happy to have different teas to taste. She seemed to enjoy the beverage. Maybe he should bring some to Ari and Janco in case she woke up craving the drink, which he hoped would be soon.
The Commander, Irys, and their advisers discussed quantities, timing, and trade routes.
“Only licensed dealers in Ixia will be allowed to purchase from your vendors,” the Commander said.
“How will our sellers know your merchant has a license?” Mevin asked.
“They’ll have a certificate. Your people will need to be trained to spot forged documents.”
“It’s not hard,” Valek added, seeing the concerned looks. “Most criminals don’t take the time to do a proper job.”
“And the ones who do?” Irys asked.
“Don’t know that we treat our parchment with a special dye that will show with just a drop of water.”
“Should we be telling the Sitians this?” Dema asked.
“Do you know what the dye is made from?” Valek asked.
“Uh…no.” She looked at Chelle. “Do you?”
“No.”
“Not many people do,” he said. “All they know is the paper will turn blue when wet.”
The trade discussion continued and Valek’s attention waxed and waned depending on the topic. They took a break for lunch and Valek would have loved to check on Yelena, but he wouldn’t leave the Commander alone with the master magician even though she hadn’t tried to use her magic all morning.
After lunch, Irys brought up another topic. “I’d like to discuss magicians in Ixia.”
Everyone stilled and glanced at the Commander.
“They’re banned,” he said. “Present company excluded for the duration of your visit.”
“I’m aware of your…policies. I would like to negotiate a…trade for them as well.”
Valek expected the Commander to stop all talk of magic, but he said, “I’m listening.”
“I mentioned surges before and how they build. What I’d like to propose is that when we sense these new magicians, we have your permission to bring them to Sitia. You would get rid of an undesirable, and we would gain a valuable resource. We’re prepared to pay a large fee for each extraction.”
“What about whenwefind them?” the Commander asked Irys.
“We’ll pay you an export fee for each person. You set the price for both. Sitia is willing to pay whatever is necessary to save these magicians.”
What a fantastic offer. Valek loved the idea.
“Save the magicians so they can live in Sitia and propagate? Eventually you’ll have an army of them, and they’ll be involved in every aspect of your government, corrupting the Sitian Council. No.”
Valek hid his disappointment, but Irys gave the Commander a steely glare. Valek shifted in his seat, prepared to jump to the rescue if Irys used her magic.
