Wind Blown Ashes: Episode 4 Working for Golden Needle

Working for the Gnome isn't letting Ashes rebalance her scales, but if she is careful will not push her further into the black.

As Ashes struggled out of her hammock two towns later, she knew there was no way out of her contract without breaking her word. But that had too many consequences that she would not like unless the gnome did something evil and gave her an excuse. She shivered with dread as Golden Needle’s door opened as she packed up her hammock and bedroll. Without a word, she fell in behind him as he made his morning rounds.

His eye lit with delight at the third wagon down and the man sleeping under it. He poked the sleeper with the staff he had replaced the one she’d burned. “Get up, you lazy human. Give me my copper bit and start getting ready to move out.”

His gravelly speech was still hard to follow, but she was getting better at it. She hated helping him collect those one copper bit fines for people not being up, getting ready to move out by the time he left his wagon. The man glared at them with anger but paid the copper bit without a word. The latter she suspected was solely because Golden Needle had a mage backing him up.

Five wagons down, the spice wagon was closed up tight.

Golden Needle bang on its door with his staff, “Open up and give me my copper bit.” He kept banging until Ho opened and handed him a bit, glaring at the two of them.

Ashes had no friends here. Not even Golden Needle. At best, he disliked her the least.

At the cook’s wagon, he laid into the cook. “You had the fire too large. You don’t need to build one up that everyone can put their pots in overnight unless they are paying for the fuel. Before you ever build one that big again, you pay me two bits for fuel first.”

“Then it won’t be big enough to melt your copper. Any fire I build big enough to do that is big enough to let other people cook in.”

“Then I guess I need to find a more skilled cook,” the Gnome snapped at him.

“Guess you do. Let me know when I can take my wagon elsewhere,” he shot back, not fazed by his threats.

“You don’t think I will?” Golden needle barked

The cook shrugged and kept his voice calm. “I don’t care if you do. I can have another place, at as good a pay, even here, though it might take a couple of days.”

Ashes made note of him. So far, he was the only one to stand up to the gnome.

“You want your breakfast, or not?”

“Yes, you son of a rock lizard, give me my breakfast, and my copper.”

The gnome took his plate and copper and left Ashes standing their waiting on hers.

“Here’s your plate,” the cook said once Golden Needle had left, his voice full of suspicion tinged with anger.

“Thank you.” Then, in a much softer voice, she said, “I am glad to see someone who stands up to him.”

His voice stayed cold, but he replied, “Most of them dare not. Besides hiring enforcers, his clan runs nearly a third of the caravans on the most used routes, and a third more won’t hire people that his clan has banned as troublesome. I am an exception. My reputation is such that even others in his clan would hire me unless he could prove breach of contract. “

The way he said enforcers, she knew they would never be friends. Sighing to herself, she took her plate to the seat she sat guard in. Once more, she ate alone, and in silence.

Stone came by and without a word began hooking up the mules just as she was mopping up her plate.

That was her cue, and she climbed to the top of the wagon.

The moment those were hitched, he signaled for the lead wagon to move out.

A few moments later, the mule followed the second wagon out, without her needing to tell them to.

**

Ho’s yelling, “Stop! thief!” snapped her out of her seat outside Golden Needle’s wagon. The dim firelight made seeing the two boys running from him difficult.