The God's Game

Chapter 14- Welcome to Saltstand tax office !

The search for the scrap metals started the very next day . All three of them gathered around the little table in the tavern room and revised everything they knew so far .

"If this was a valuable object, like,say a piece of jewelery -searching would be much easier" River pointed out "The more mundane the object is, harder it is to find"

Raven looked awfully calm for someone who might get struck down by lightning any minute . His feet were on the table as he dangerously leaned back on two chair legs. Aithan was peeling an apple with his practiced grace while attentively listening. He did not forget to throw disapproving glances at Raven's dirty boots every now and then.

"Does My Lord remember anything distinctive  about them? color? Texure? " Aithan asked.

Raven closed his eyes in deep thought. "they were just really fucking rusty"

"What about the place you pawned them off at ?" River wandered.

"No luck" Raven picked an apple from the bowl and wiped it on his pants. "They have sold it off " he took a bite with a loud crunch.

River furrowed his brows. "To whom ? When?"

"They put all the useless junk that wouldnt fetch much money in this barrel " Raven explained " anyone can take any item in it for five coins. No records"

"Are you sure they are not lying , My Lord?" River probed .

"They have no reason to lie. There really is such a barrel at the front for display. Shopkeeper emptied it and turned everything over too " Aithan pushed the peeled and cut plate of apples to River "Eat"

"Thank you" River accepted the fruit- peeled and diced in to bite size pieces.

"I threatened the ol'fucker that I would pop his eye balls if he is lying and he swore on his son that he wasn't " Raven said " I turned the whole place over and popped one of his eyes just to be sure"

He noticed River looking at him in aghast. "He wont fucking die , relax"

"I suppose you conducted a thorough search past two and half months? "

"We did so as discreetly as we could " Aithan replied. "We couldnt let the search attract too much attention . My guess is that it is already melted and forged in to something else. Thats what happens to scrap metal, usually"

"Don't curse my existence like that !" Raven groaned.

River tapped the table top in thought. The search really did seemed impossible. Aithan could be right. It could also end up in another kingdom in a sack full of simillar scraps. Anything could happen . A playful child could throw it in the ocean. It could be lying around on a street , being stepped on by thousands.

Or maybe they were looking at it all wrong. If a god wanted his descendant to possess them , no matter how you look at it , it can't be just any scrap. Taking its mysterious origins in to account as well, there must be something that sets them apart from other thounds of scrap metals.

"The gold" River muttered . Other two turned to look at him. "What became of six thousand gold rods?"

Raven turned to Aithan .

"100 were paid as taxes at Saltstand harbour , another 100 at Capital Sandgill . All the remaining rods were sent to goldsmiths to be melted and turned in to coins " Aithan explained.

"Is there a chance that I could see one of those rods ?"

The two men exchanged a look and nodded to each other in silent agreement.

"Let's go to the tax office at the harbour and see " the southern king set his legs down and got off his seat.

* * * *

Needless to say , it was River's first time at a market.

The route to tax office fell through the bustling market of Saltstand. The premise was alive with vibrant colors and enticing aromas. Crowds weaved through the narrow street with stalls on either side. They were overflowing with a diverse array of goods ; snacks, fabrics ,trinkets ,fresh produce but mainly fish.

As excited as everything was , River found himself being overwhelmed midst sea of people . There was so much to look at , so much to hear and it thrusted him in to a sensory nightmare.

Raven was not helping the situation at all. He glided through the crowd with practiced ease and would randomly run off to check out a stall or talk with someone, leaving him behind. River would blink and he would dissapear in the sea of heads,making River paralyzed with fear. He would then run around trying to find the king. When he do catch a glimpse of the familliar black clothes,he would have to run some more to catch up to him.

This happened more times than River cared to count. When they finally reached the two story tax office , he was completely spent.

They walked in. There were men in uniforms scurrying around with scrolls and parchments in hand. Some were talking , some were attending to civillians who had came to pay taxes. Everyone was engaged in one task or another.

One would expect everything to come to a grounding halt because the King is here, and technically it should. But the said king was dressed in casual clothes and had no guards or servants flocking behind him. No one grandly announced his presence, either .

Whats more , the king of south, the sole victor of Southern Ring Battle , the slayer of Alistair , was carrying bags full of all storts of goods in both hands. He looked no different than a compliant husband who had been sent out grocery shopping by a nagging wife.

He sat the bags in a corner and walked to the front desk with River on tow. Raven shamelessly cut to the front of the line earning a murmur of disapproval from people in the back.

"Mister," the official at the front desk called him out "please go to the end of line "

Saying that the officer was lithe was polite but calling him scrawny was honest. His eye lids drooped, making him look like he was on the verge of falling asleep while standing.

Raven looked dumbstruck " Why should I ? Im here for an important task"

"Yeah ,yeah everyone here is." The official banged a stamp on a parchment louder than it was necessary. "Now go to the back. I'm not taking you"

Raven huffed in disbelief "Do you know who the fuck I am ,you oily son of a bitch?"

River watched in trepidation. Last thing he wanted was for a fight to breakout. However, the official only regarded Raven with the serenity of a seasoned civil worker.

"Mister I dont care even if you were the king of South. Go to the back "

Raven sighed ,completely stumped "I should have brought Aithan along"

The stamp came to a screeching halt midair. His eyes snapped open.

"Lord Aithan send you?"

He dropped whatever he was doing and came over from behind the counter and bowed "How can I help you today, Mister"

Raven pinched his nose bridge " You gotta be fucking me "

Author has something to say

Raven - Do you know who I am ?

Tax officer - I dont care if you are the southern king or if your ancestor is a god , go to the back , I dont get paid enough for this.

Raven - Aithan said -

Tax officer - The counter is closed for today !