Mountains Vast and a Kingdom So Red

Chapter 78

So Bedivere sings the next day, in a cramped lodging with a bearskin rug and no sofas. But unlike the girls, the fairie folks are not moved. His singing voice is nice, but not beautiful. What is happening? Once the song ends, Xirna gestures that he and she have a private conversation. They end up in the washroom.

"Are you anxious to sing in front of them?" She presses.

"No. I promise. The gift may be used up."

"What? It is a gift. They stones cannot take it away."

"Urisis did not inform me how long the gift lasts."

"I could slap the Purist."

Bedivere smirks. "She would slap you harder, so...at your own peril."

"Sing to me. To confirm it is gone."

He carries a note. She sighs. "Well, our finances, check them."

Bedivere lifts his sleeve to examine his vesTone. 8000 Digicoin remaining which translates to 2000 Fairie sheeves, the name for their paper currency. His companion suggests they go see the banker.

First, they need to make a delicate exit. They thank the thirty plus fairies for their time and rather than receiving bows, claps and cheers, they receive banal nods. Xirna flirts with one of the males, eventually prying the banker's location out of him. He frowns, as if he is short changed. Pigs squeal, caked in mud, naturally the barn is part of the establishment. Bedivere has to wrangle a few chickens so they do not escape. The nymph covers her nose and leads them to freedom. Which is more snowed land.

Once they reach the teller, who is a male bereft of boils, he raises a finger to them. Bedivere begins whispering to Xirna.

"What are we doing here?"

"Bribes," she whispers back and smiles at the teller who is now ready to assist them.

"Fine afternoon," he greets.

"It is evening," Bedivere corrects.

"Pardon me. I lose track of time. Our village could use a new sundial after the looters took it."

Xirna fakes a laugh. "We are here to make an exchange."

"Your establishment reminds me a painting," Bedivere says, trying to be benevolent. The shop passes for a painting, just not a particularly renowned one. It is shabby and cannot quite block the snow. However, there is an office they are led to in which the travelers can sit.

"How great is the amount?" the banker asks. His manner of dress is clean and precise, and his hair cut mimics a common Bewitched in Aux Duvrex. Marbles fill up a jar on his desk and he has folders stacked, labels included.

"7000 digicoin," she says, a sum new to Bedivere.

"No, no, what my partner means..." She gives him a narrow look. He wonders if it is worth the spat. Is Xirna's sanity lapsing? They have a trip to the capitol and still need to eat there.

"Who runs the paper?" Xirna asks.

"My colleague. Wiser Stewert. She is wiser than me," he quips.

"Right, we have a feature."

At this moment, Bedivere's palms hit his face.

"I can write to her. They live on the other side of Boards."

Bedivere removes his hand. "You have a carrier bird?"

"Yes, a lovely quail. Do you need her services?"

"Yes." He pulls an envelope from his pocket: the message for Gerran. On second thought: "Do the fairies here have any spell casting abilities?" It will not be wise for an envelope emblazoned with the Aux Duvrex's address...however, Bedivere remembers Gerran has moved out. "Nevermind." He has to scrap this envelope and work on another for the message. And he will endure the rat's fate.

The banker rubs his face. "You two are giving me a migraine with all these questions."

"We are almost done." Xirna grabs his arm and squeezes. Bedivere swears the male's wings tingle. "Let us start with the sheeves. That comes out to $1540."

"$1549. I will grab that for you." He leans down, the rest of his motions concealed.

Bedivere mouths to the nymph "too much money."

She shakes her head. "We were not endowed with enough. The Roy..." Bedivere shoe steps on hers. In her eyes lies regret for almost fucking them over.

The banker's face is impassive as he hands them the sheeves. He then adjusts a monitor showing swirling lines. He directs Bedivere to angle his vesTone screen to face the monitor. "How does this region shape up to your country?" he asks.

Bedivere's vesTone screen has lines swirling around and around. He has never seen this before. Finally the vesTone beeps. 7000 digicoin gone. The banker's monitor blinks revealing a cute symbol of fireworks. Ah yes, cuteness is perfect for price gouging. Belatedly, Xirna answers the question, stating that Aux Duvrex is lovely and considered their home while this is a vacation.

"Give me a snippet of what the feature is about," the teller says. "For me to tell my colleague."

"My lover's voice. He sang today for a large crowd and their reaction was uproarious. It was as if a beacon of light shone on doves." Xirna says.

"I see," the banker says. He massages his under eye. "I will write to him in two to three days. I have plenty of clerical work to do. I will write to him as a courtesy, but you sir, owe me fifteen sheeves for your letter's delivery."

Bedivere grabs that amount from Xirna's lap. Rebekah and Mikah provided six purses for the journey and Xirna has found a way to evade all of them.

"It was interesting helping you both today. I must close up." The banker stands up and smiles thinly. His arm extends to the left. Bedivere and Xirna rise and depart the facility. 

Xirna dances with the wad of sheeves.

"Hey! Careful with that, please." She stops and smiles at him.

"Tomorrow we bribe those same villagers."

"I do not understand."

"You will be a legend whose name with illuminate every page of history. Because every single one of them will lend testimony to the newspaper writer that you have the best voice across the six kingdoms."

He laughs with joy. He does not have anything clever to say so he embraces her.