Jioni, p.1
Jioni, page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Acknowledgement
Quote
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Thanks for reading Jioni!
Other books by Honor Raconteur
Author
Published by Raconteur House
JIONI
A Deepwoods Short Story
A Raconteur House book/ published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2021 by Honor Raconteur
Cover by Katie Griffin
This book is a work of fiction, so please treat it like a work of fiction. Seriously. References to real people, dead people, good guys, bad guys, stupid politicians, companies, restaurants, cats with attitudes, events, products, dragons, locations, pop culture references, or wacky historical events are intended to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. Or because I wanted it in the story. Characters, names, story, location, dialogue, weird humor and strange incidents all come from the author’s very fertile imagination and are not to be construed as real. No, I don’t believe in killing off main characters. Villains are a totally different story.
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What great thing would you attempt if you know you could not fail?
— Robert H. Schuller
chapter one
“Siobhan, I need to go home.”
Blinking up at Tran’s dark face, Siobhan pondered that statement, not quite understanding what he meant. As far as she knew, he was home. She was sitting in the newly finished guildhall that very moment. Pete was even napping on her foot. How much more home could they be? Then the meaning clicked. “Jioni?”
Tran ducked his head in a nod, his multiple long braids swinging over his shoulder at the movement. His full lips pressed into a serious line. “It’s past time I reported to my elders and informed them of my decision to stay. My Learning has been over for some time now.”
Siobhan kicked a chair away from the table, silently inviting Tran to take a seat. She knew this conversation would take a while. Everyone was out on their own business, so this was a prime opportunity to talk with him, one on one. “You know, you’ve never told me what your Learning meant—what the standard was to complete it. Just that you were supposed to gain experience of the world.”
“That’s essentially what Learning is,” Tran said as he took the offered chair, although he had to scoot it out further to accommodate his longer legs. “There are two options for Learning. One is to acquire a skill, usually through an apprenticeship. The second, if you choose to strike out, is to acquire an understanding of the world. The elders assume that if nothing at home appeals to you, then there is another path you must take. The only way to find that path is to go and experience everything the world has to offer.”
Siobhan thought about that—how Tran had come to her because he’d been looking to join a traveling guild, and how she’d taken him the width and breadth of the world via path, Grey Bridges, and sea. It had been quite the journey. “I think you’ve definitely done that. If you’re done with your Learning, may I ask what the result is?”
“What my heart sought was the spice of adventure and a family of choice to spend my days with.” There was a twinkle in his dark brown eyes as he drawled, “I’m not leaving Deepwoods, Shi-maee.”
Siobhan put a hand over her heart, the motion not entirely exaggerated. “I’m relieved to hear it.”
He leaned forward and caught her head with one of his big palms, his fingers tangling a little in her red hair, and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Rest easy.”
He didn’t make the gesture often, but she appreciated it. This conversation had worried her. As much as he and Wolf could be at odds, Tran was one of the pillars of the guild. She’d be very, very hard-pressed to replace him. “Bless you, Tran, for staying. I’d sorely miss you if you ever left.”
“I know, but I also have no desire to leave. I’ve grown too much, I think. The idea of staying in my small village for the rest of my life holds no appeal.” Tran scratched at his cheek. “I’m not even sure what I’d do. It’s not like the skills I’ve acquired would be of any use there. Still, I need to go home long enough to report in and finish the Learning.”
Siobhan nodded as that was more than fair. Out of everyone in the guild, Tran was the only one who hadn’t been home since he’d joined. It sat ill with her; she made sure everyone else got at least an annual visit. “I know you were supposed to visit two or so years ago.”
“It’s been put off for good reasons.” There was not a trace of accusation in his voice as he said, “I think they’ll understand when I do go home and explain.”
Her mouth kicked up to the side in a wry smile. Good reasons indeed. In the past two years, they’d been embroiled in politics, wars, rebuilding the guildhall, and—most recently—her and Wolf’s marriage. Which had been a battle in and of itself, in some ways. Both her family and his had insisted on throwing the wedding, which meant having two different ceremonies on opposite sides of the world. Complicated didn’t begin to cover it. “Have you been wanting to go ever since my wedding?”
“Before it, really, but I couldn’t leave while all that was up in the air. I thought of writing a letter, but…honestly, I’m not sure how to get it there. There are no direct trade routes with Jioni, and few people in my village could even read it.”
True. That definitely complicated matters. Tran had put the guild’s affairs first by not mentioning this sooner. Siobhan and Wolf had been traveling so much back and forth, setting things in motion for their weddings, that the bulk of the work had fallen to the rest of the guild in their absence. Siobhan had felt bad about that at the time. Hearing this from Tran just made her squirm a little more.
“If you want leave to go home for a spell, I’ll certainly grant it, but Tran…I don’t feel right about you going alone. Only the insane would think to take you on as an opponent, but there are crazy people in this world. I’d rather not chance it.”
Tran was wise enough not to disagree. “Can we afford to go? We don’t have a client going that direction anytime soon, and it’s a pricey journey to make.”
“Then we’ll make it a trading mission,” Siobhan suggested readily. “We can’t leave for another three weeks anyway. We have two clients lined up, but you know Sylvie. Give her three weeks and an idea of the market, she’ll find us plenty of wares to trade. We might not make a huge profit from the trip, but if we break even, I’ll be satisfied.”
Tran blew out a breath in relief. “I’d feel better for it. I made the trip alone when I first set out, and I honestly don’t know how I managed it back then. It was dicey even at the best of times. I’d rather not repeat the experience.”
Tran’s hometown was in the middle of Teherani, nearly halfway around the world from Robarge. Even by path, it would take weeks to get there. Siobhan wasn’t about to let him go alone. “Then let’s set Sylvie and Markl on the task. Sylvie will be delighted by the idea of shopping.”
Tran gave her a relieved grin. “I’ll speak to her. There’s a few things here in Robarge that will sell well at home.”
Siobhan didn’t doubt it. “I’ll let you put your heads together, then. Give me an idea of how much you’ll be spending. We’ve done well the past few months, but I’ve also had unexpected expenses; I’d rather not bankrupt us.”
“Markl will prevent us from going overboard,” Tran assured her with absolute confidence.
That was true. Siobhan’s best decision ever, in her opinion, was making Markl the guild’s accountant. He did a far better job than she ever had, and he knew how to make coppers squirm. Coming from a large guild and wealthy family as he did, no one had expected him to be a pinchfist, but he could put even a miser to shame. With Sylvie doing the bargaining, and Markl guarding the purse strings, it was a wonder anyone trading with them made a profit at all.
“I’ll alert the rest of the guild as well. If they want to do any personal trading on this trip, I’ll need to give them a head start.”
Tran hesitated. “Shi-maee, are we taking Alex with us?”
She cocked her head. “Is there a reason why we shouldn’t?”
“He’s young and it’s a very long journey.”
“He’s young and he needs to see more of the world. This will be the longest trip he’s ever taken, granted, but we can hardly leave him here by himself.”
Tran grunted, neither disagreeing nor agreeing. “It’ll be rough on him, is all. It’s not a quick journey.”
Siobhan stood firm. “We’ll be careful with him, but I think he needs to go. Besides, I can’t think of anyone to entrust him to—not for that stretch of time.”
A light
Should she be worried? Siobhan wasn’t sure what to make of his expression. On the other hand, no one could prepare Alex better than Tran, so it would be best left in his hands anyway. “You haven’t been home in many years, so I expect you’ll want to stay for a while. How much time would you like?”
“Two weeks?” Tran asked hesitantly. “I’m not sure which path our pathmakers will choose to take to Jioni. There’s a few, after all.”
Part of her wanted to give him more than two weeks. At the same time, she didn’t know what paths led that direction or how long this trip would take. Deepwoods couldn’t be out of commission for too long without impacting their budget for the year. A small guild like theirs could ill afford the extended break.
“I think it’s time to consult with Grae. We need answers to those questions before we can make definite plans.”
“When I saw him last, he was in his workroom. I’ll fetch him,” Tran volunteered, already standing.
“If you see Markl, grab him while you’re at it. And Sylvie. Best to plan this all at once.”
Tran double-tapped his heart in understanding as he headed toward the workrooms in the back of the Hall.
Siobhan looked around the Hall and saw all the little half-finished projects. Oh, the walls were up, the floor installed, the furniture mostly in place—but they weren’t done yet. The hearth’s mantel still leaned against the brick, waiting to be stained and hung properly. The front door still needed a second coat of paint. The kitchen door wasn’t hung yet, the jamb only half-completed. A multitude of projects remained that would only take an hour each to complete. Altogether, they needed another solid week to finish the Hall completely.
They had started the rebuild almost a year ago, and Siobhan had expected to be done by now. Between one thing and another, they still hadn’t managed it. After the battles, escorting people back home and picking up jobs again had curtailed most of their free time.
Not that she could complain. Siobhan, for one, was glad things were returning to normal. She’d rather not face another battle and see her home destroyed again, thank you very much.
She had hoped to finish the Hall after their next two jobs were done, but it looked like it would be put off once again. A more realistic expectation might be finishing things before the year’s end. She had almost eight months to work in the little projects that way.
Tran returned with the three requested people, who were all wearing varying degrees of confused expressions. Sylvie seemed to be in the process of going out, as the brunette wore her lucky outfit—a red vest and formfitting black trousers. Whenever she wore that, she intended to hit the markets and clean out the merchants for only a song. Markl, on the other hand, wore only trousers and a white button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up, his feet bare. He had a smudge of ink on his nose, fair blond hair standing up a bit as if he’d run his hand through it repeatedly. Tran must have caught him at his desk, doing whatever it was scholars did.
Siobhan waved them into chairs around the table, turning back around in her chair to face them. “Did Tran tell you why I’ve called a meeting? No? Then I’ll start there. Tran’s Learning is complete—has been for a while—and he’s requested the right to go home and report its conclusion. I think he’s past due, so I’ve agreed. We’d like to leave in three weeks, after our last scheduled job is done.”
Markl lifted a finger into the air to draw attention to himself. “Sorry, I’m not sure if I’m remembering this right. Tran, you’re from Jioni? Is that right?”
“You are correct, Markl-mae.”
“I thought so. That’s going to be quite the trip.”
“It will be,” Grae agreed ruminatively. He looked similar to Markl, with bare feet and a smear of ink on one cheek. Some errant thought must have grabbed him early that morning, as the buttons on his white shirt were in the wrong holes. Siobhan could see the wheels spinning as he thought of routes and paths.
“We want to make this a trading trip as well as a visit home to offset expenses ,” Siobhan continued, directing her words mostly to Sylvie, but also to Markl. “Tran’s got some ideas of what will be good wares for the market, so confer with him. Markl, don’t invest too heavily into this, but give Sylvie enough that we’ll be able to at least break even.”
“Understood. I’ll talk to both of them,” Markl assured her.
Siobhan knew she could leave it up to those three to figure it out. “Grae, the question we need answered is this: What is the best path to Jioni?”
“They’re mostly in northern Teherani,” Grae responded. “Two natural barriers prevent the paths from being useful throughout most of the continent: the desert stretch of the Exiled Lands and Pryiam’s Waters. Now, there are two possible routes to Jioni. First, we can go across the top of the continent from Dykes to Cymer to Wade, then take a ship down to Hamre. From there we can take the path to Jioni. Well, I say to Jioni, but the path actually crosses to about halfway down Pryiam’s Waters and then stops dead. I think it would take another four days to travel the rest of it on foot.”
Siobhan tried to add up that distance in her head. “So two days to get across the Grey Bridges, a full day to get to Wade, a day aboard a ship to get to Hamre, another day on path toward Jioni, then four more days? Is that about right?”
“That’s correct.” Grae bobbed his head. “Nine days total, if all goes well.”
Things never went completely smooth on a trip, so Siobhan had to assume it would be more like ten. “What’s the alternate route?”
“Same trip across the Bridges and the top of Teherani. But instead of taking a ship to Hamre, we just sail all the way down to Jioni.” Grae grimaced saying this, which was understandable considering how seasick he got.
The second option sounded easier to Siobhan. “How long will that take?”
“Roughly the same amount of time, I think. I’ve never traveled that direction myself, of course. I’m going off the reports I’ve received from the other pathmakers, but it should be about ten days.”
“I know which route I prefer,” Sylvie said decisively. “Let’s go by boat as much as possible. Less walking.”
Grae gave Sylvie a long face. That meant he would spend days sick as a dog.
Siobhan was inclined to agree with the plan. “It’ll be safer and less taxing—if we can afford the passage.”
Sylvie put a hand over her heart as if wounded to the core. “You doubt me, Guildmaster?”
Laughing, Siobhan shook her head. “Never mind. It was a silly worry.”
“We have three weeks to plan,” Markl said, clearly already doing calculations in his head. “I think we have enough time to do all you’re asking. How long will we stay?”
That was a good question. “I’d like to give Tran as much time as possible, considering this will be the first time he’s been home in over a decade. How much time can we afford to give him?”
“Ten days there, let’s say ten days back. I think we can stay a month.”
Tran beamed. “A month? Truly?”
“We’ve been paid quite handsomely for the last few jobs we’ve taken on,” Markl said, smiling back at him. “Our savings are quite plump, and we’re in the early stages of spring, so we’ll still find a lot of work this year. We can take a month and a half away from work without it impacting our savings much.”
Siobhan’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. A month and a half? When had they become so financially secure that they could afford to take off during the middle of trade season without it impacting them much? Maybe she shouldn’t just blindly trust Markl with the books without asking questions. Interesting things happened without her knowledge.
“Then a month it is,” she said. “I’ll inform the rest of the guild. Considering our two upcoming jobs will take a week and a half altogether, that only leaves us about a week to prepare before we go into Teherani. Best start preparations today.”
Tran took that to mean ‘start right now’ and almost leapt from the table, launching into a half-trot.
Watching him go, Siobhan had to chuckle. The man was certainly excited, but then, who could blame him? As for her, she needed to go and speak with Blackstone’s guildmaster and alert him Deepwoods would be out of touch for a month or so. If he wanted something sent to Teherani, now was his chance to speak up.
