The Quartermaster's Counter-Tally

aka Pell's counter-tally, Orin's book

Orin Pell's answer to Vera's wall — a ledger of every crate he says she held back, ending in the offer he doesn't sign: for the right coin, he'd sell a buyer the location of Vera's share-hole.

For the record, since Herself won't keep an honest one. Held back from the common cut, by the chief, this season's counting: — the Highbridge cart bronze, four crates. Marked 'road not safe.' Road's been safe a fortnight. — the Vandahl officer's kit off the eastern robbery. A saber worth more than any of us. Went straight to her deep chamber. Not seen since. — salt-barrels, nine, come up two short at the market, two short in exactly the chief's favor. She walls me off and calls ME the thief. Fine. The near galleries eat because of my market, not her hoard. Let the crew count who actually feeds them. And for any careful sort reading over my shoulder who deals in this kind of knowledge: I know precisely where in the deep her share-hole is dug, behind which brace, under which stone. A man who kept that to himself would be a loyal fool. A man offered the right coin for it would only be doing the counting Vera won't. Ask for Pell. Bring silver, not opinions. — O.P.

This world ships in Valenfeld. Play the game →