Chapter 4-5

“If I may have your attention please,” announced Leonas, his voice booming like a divine commandment. “I have in my posession, fresh off the Durobian presses, five genuine copies of the latest chapter of Mahore Ii Dena! Untranslated and with all original meaning in tact, I am selling these mint condition scrolls for only one gold each!”

Almost immediately a crowd formed around him, a gaggle of trend-following obsessives. The first got their scroll for one gold crown, then someone at the back of the line shuoted that they would pay one and a half, and after that it was an all-out bidding war. Leonas sat back with a predatory grin.

“Are you sure they’ll fall for it?” whispered Milly. She and Anjanette watched from the inn lobby. Anjanette sipped cheap ale, while Milly restricted herself to water.

“How many of these people do you think actually know more than a lick of Durobian?” Anjanette scoffed. “Besides which, Leonas could sell milk to a cow. I’ve known him pretty much forever, and he’s always been a great bullshitter. Or ‘the gift of gab’ as he calls it.”

Milly fidgeted. “You two come from the same dutchy?”

“Yep. Haversham, the middle of fucking nowhere. In a town that small you know most of the other kids, but we really got close when we were teenagers in the theatre guild. He was talented, I was hot, so we starred in pretty much everything. The poor old director nearly cried when we told him that we didn’t intend to stick around and grow up into good little pig-fucking farmers.” A nostalgic smile crossed Anjanette’s face.

On the street, the second scroll was sold to an enthusiastic teenage girl as the offers went higher.

“Do you think this is, y’know, right?” Milly asked.

Anjanette shrugged. “Leo says that parting a fool from their money is our solemn duty. I just think it’s fun.”

“Well yeah, but we’re lying to them,” Milly said, aghast. “That’s not right.”

“Whatever. It makes us money, we never get caught, what’s the problem?” Anjanette asked, with a distinct lack of conviction.

Leonas held up the last scroll. “Well, this has been a great success, but I’ll be off.”

“Wait!” cried out a volumous woman. “How much for that one?”

“Oh, this one? This is my own copy. I’ve gotta find out what happens next, you know.”

She slammed down a fistful of gold crowns on the table. “I’ll give you ten gold for it!”

Leonas made a show of reluctance. “Well, I don’t know...”

“Twelve!” She tossed another two crowns at the table.

“I guess,” he said with a sigh. He handed over the scroll to the now giddy woman.

Leonas arrived inside a few minutes later. “Girls, we’re eating steak tonight!”