Chapter 17: The Alliance
Five days after Seraphina left, the four northern tribes came together.
Hagen of the Frost Claw Tribe slammed a whole block of rock salt onto the ground. "One hundred and thirty people. With you."
Eve of the Frost Wolf Clan laid a white wolf pelt at her feet. "Two hundred people. With you."
The Shadow Clan's shaman placed medicinal herbs beside her feet. "One hundred and fifty people. With you."
The Ironwood Tribe's blacksmith drove an iron ingot into the earth. "Three hundred people. With you."
Hagen looked at her. "At the Trade Market, we won't buy Astrid's grain. We'll buy your water."
"My water costs nothing."
"If it costs nothing, then we follow you even more." Hagen took a step forward. "You give water. We give our lives. Fair."
Violet did not pick up what lay at her feet. "I don't want your lives. I want you to live."
Hagen's eyes reddened. He said nothing more. He turned and walked away. The other three followed him. None of them took back what they had brought.
Hoofbeats. A hundred horses.
Astrid burst from the dark. Her golden hair was loose. Her white dress was covered in mud. Her eyes were shot through with red. She jumped off her horse, stumbled once, and walked up to Violet.
"You won. Frost Claw Tribe. Frost Wolf Clan. Shadow Clan. Ironwood Tribe. None of them will buy my grain."
Her hands were shaking.
"What do you want?"
"Your grain. I'll buy it. Half the market price."
"Half?"
"Half. If you don't sell to me, it rots in your granary."
"Your trade routes. I'll rent them. Ten percent of the annual profit."
"Ten percent?"
"Ten percent. If you don't rent to me, they're just empty roads."
"Your people. Those willing to come to Gray Rock, I'll take. Full wages. Those unwilling, you keep. Silver Spring remains Silver Spring. You remain Silver Spring's chieftain."
Astrid's pupils tightened. "You're not annexing me?"
"If I annex you, your people won't accept me. I can't hold your trade routes. I can't manage your granary."
"Then what—"
"I want your tribe as my partner."
Astrid's tears fell. "You planned this step from the very beginning."
"No. I started planning the moment you pushed me off that cliff."
Astrid stared at her. A long time.
"Deal."
She held out her hand. Violet took it. Her hand was cold. But it did not shake.
Astrid let go and turned to leave. After two steps, she stopped.
"Your city. What will you name it?"
"I haven't named it yet."
"Call it Water City. Where there is water, there is a city. Without you, there is no water."
She walked into the dark. A hundred riders followed her.
Gray Bone walked over. He took off the bone tooth necklace from his chest and placed it in her hand.
"You saved me. You saved him. You saved everyone."
He turned and walked away.
Finn pushed through the crowd. He shoved a hide covered in writing into her hand. Ten words. Each written ten times.
"What you taught me, I'll teach others."
He turned and ran.
Darryl walked over. He lowered his head until his forehead nearly touched her shoulder.
"Enough."
He walked away.
Violet stood where she was. The bone tooth necklace in her hand. The hide pressed to her chest. Salt, wolf pelt, herbs, iron ingot piled at her feet.
Leon crouched down. He unwrapped the bandage on her foot, which had come loose, and wrapped it again. Around and around. Tied a knot. Tight. It would not come loose.
He stood and looked down at her. "You're crying."
Violet touched her face. Wet.
"I didn't notice."
His thumb brushed across the bloodstain on her cheekbone and wiped the tear away.
The sound of carts. From the north.
A hundred carts burst from the dark. Not empty. Loaded with salt, wolf pelts, herbs, iron ingots.
Hagen jumped down and walked up to her. "You won't let us follow you, but we'll follow you anyway. You won't let us repay you, but we can't sleep."
Eve laid the white wolf pelt at her feet. "Your city will need pelts."
The shaman placed the herbs beside her feet. "Your city will need medicine."
The blacksmith drove the iron ingot into the ground. "Your city will need iron."
Hagen looked at her. "Your city. What will you name it?"
Violet bent down and picked up the salt. Rough against her hand. Painful. She did not let go.
"Water City."
Hagen's eyes reddened. He turned and jumped onto his cart. The hundred carts left. Their wheel tracks stretched from the well all the way north.
Leon stood beside her. "Water City. A good name."
From the southern dark, a figure walked out. Astrid. Her golden hair was tied back. The white dress was gone. She wore a gray hide coat. No soldiers. No blade.
She walked up to Violet.
"The first shipment of grain arrives tomorrow. The first goods will move along your trade routes. The first workers come tomorrow."
She stared at Violet. "Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"
"No. If you go back on your word, the people of Silver Spring won't forgive you."
Astrid's lips trembled. She turned and walked away. After two steps, she stopped.
"Water City. A good name."
She walked into the dark. Alone.
The camp fell quiet. The bone tooth necklace rested against her chest. Cool. Her hands no longer shook.
Violet pulled her coat tighter. Leon's coat. Warm.
From far off came the sound of water. Four wells. Six hundred barrels. Rising from the earth.
"Tomorrow, we build the city."
---
End of Chapter Seventeen
She won. The enemy became a partner. Four tribes brought their resources and pledged themselves. Water City has a name. But building a city is harder than running for your life. Grain. Roads. People. Coin. Each one is a new battlefield. In the next chapter, she will make this city rise from the page.