The Golden Scepter by Mike Shelton

Author:Mike Shelton [Shelton, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

ROLAND ATE HIS evening meal surrounded by fishermen who continued to toast to his good health. He had saved the small village from certain devastation—either to the losing of its children or to the wrath of Queen Esmaralda.

Rather than sleeping in the village that night, he slipped out and hurried back to where Orelia was waiting for him. With only a few minutes in the sky they covered a dozen miles and came to another fishing village, landing once again a few miles from the city.

First thing in the morning, Roland sauntered into the town and went to a tailor and purchased a different change of clothes and a wool cap to pull over his blond locks. Walking down to the docks, he noticed a few boats returning from a night run and others readying to go out at the next high tide.

As Roland expected, very soon the same official ship came into view. The water wasn’t as deep at the shore here, so the ship anchored out a ways and let down a rowboat, in which the commander and a few men rowed in.

Roland hid at the back of the group once again and listened to a similar conversation from the day before. This village was quite a bit larger than the last, and Commander Luis looked a little more concerned for his safety as the crowd grew larger.

Arguing quickly broke out as the commander once again demanded the taxes to be paid.

“Tell the queen if she wants her taxes she can come and get them herself,” said a robust man with tanned skin and graying hair. “We can’t feed our families after paying her.”

The crowd cheered the man, and the commander took a few steps back. He put his hands up in the air. “Now, Ricco, you know I’m just doing what I’ve been told to do.”

“You’re just a weasel, Luis,” spat a woman twice Roland’s age. She was thin and had a dirty apron tied around her waist. “You sold out your own people. What would your mother say, God bless her soul, working for the queen like you do and stealing our money?”

Luis’s face turned red, and he floundered for what to say. “I have to feed my children too!” he finally spat out.

Roland began to make his way through the crowd. “What if the people had food and could pay their taxes, would that make everyone happy?”

The crowd turned and looked his way.

“Who are you?” asked Ricco.

Roland spread his hands to either side. “Just a man who wants to help.” He turned to the commander. “The queen has storage barns somewhere, doesn’t she?”

Luis looked at Roland carefully, but with the hat on and different clothes, Roland wasn’t sure he recognized him.

“Well, yes,” Luis stammered. “She has stores of food in case of an emergency.”

Roland walked up and put his arm around the man. “Well, I would say the fishermen starving and not being able to pay their taxes would qualify as an emergency, wouldn’t you?”

The crowd’s voices rose as they talked among themselves.

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