Chapter 31: Crossed-Out Accounts
The next morning, Violet went to find Hagen.
Not in Water City. At the Frost Claw camp's salt mine entrance. She didn't wear the old cloak. Clean clothes. Hair tied back. She looked like a merchant who had come to do business. Hagen was overseeing the mine. He saw her. Froze a moment.
"What are you doing here?"
"Come to see your roads."
Hagen's face shifted. "What's worth seeing about roads?"
"Your people say the water-hauling road gets blocked by Frost Wolf. The detour takes two extra days." Violet crouched down, picked up a stone, and drew two lines on the ground. "This is the current road. From Frost Claw to Water City. Skirts the edge of Frost Wolf's hunting grounds. Frost Wolf thinks your wagons roll over their territory."
Hagen stared at the lines on the ground. "You came to find me to tell me to give up the road?"
"Not give up. Switch roads."
Violet drew two new lines. "From Frost Claw southeast. Go around Frost Wolf's hunting grounds. Take this dry riverbed to the east. Half a day longer than the current road. But no need to cross Frost Wolf territory. You won't get blocked. They won't be annoyed."
Hagen was silent for a moment. "The dry riverbed to the east is rough. Full of loose stones. Wagons tip over."
"Pave it. Frost Claw provides the labor. Water City provides the stone."
"Water City provides stone?"
"The eastern mountain by Water City has loose stone. Gray Bone's men have been digging for three months. Piled up a heap with nowhere to use it. Take it and pave the road. Once paved, more than just you walk it. Ironwood's ore carts can use it too."
Hagen raised his head and looked at her. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"I want your people and Frost Wolf's people to stop quarreling. Quarreling wastes time. Wastes energy. Wastes water. One day of quarreling, ten fewer barrels of water hauled. Ten days, a hundred barrels fewer. A hundred barrels is enough for Frost Claw to drink for two days."
Hagen opened his mouth. He lowered his head and looked again at the new line drawn on the ground. Calculated a while. Raised his head.
"Before the road is paved, what if Frost Wolf blocks us again?"
"They won't. I'm going to find Eve right now."
---
Frost Wolf camp
Eve was drying pelts. She saw Violet. Her hands paused. "What are you doing here?"
"Come to talk about roads."
"What's to talk about roads?"
Violet crouched down and helped her spread a wolf pelt flat. "Frost Claw wants to take the dry riverbed east. Won't cross your hunting grounds anymore."
Eve stared at her. "They're willing to yield?"
"They are. On one condition."
"What?"
"Once the dry riverbed is paved, Ironwood's ore carts will use it too. Ironwood provides iron. Water City provides stone. Frost Claw provides labor. Frost Wolf doesn't need to provide labor or stone. One condition. No more blocking Frost Claw wagons. Water carts. Salt carts. Iron carts."
Eve's fingers tapped twice on the wolf pelt. "What you're describing. This is a road?"
"This is business. Roads cleared, goods move faster, trade route profits rise. Didn't you want to raise the share? Ten percent can't rise. But goods move faster. The number of times you haul pelts increases. Total profit increases."
Eve calculated a moment. "Haul pelts twice as often, total earnings surpass raising the share by even half a percent."
"So will you yield?"
Eve stood and brushed the dust from her hands. "Yield."
---
Outside Water City's south gate
Violet sat on a stone outside the city gate all afternoon. The map spread before her. Charcoal in hand, she drew a new road. From Frost Claw to Water City. From Frost Claw to Ironwood. From Ironwood to Water City. Three lines converging on a single point. The midpoint of the dry riverbed. A flat open space.
She drew a circle at that point.
Leon walked over and sat beside her. "You've been drawing all afternoon."
"This location. Build a water station. Frost Claw hauls water here. Frost Wolf takes over and continues hauling. Frost Claw no longer needs to cross Frost Wolf territory. Frost Wolf no longer minds Frost Claw. Each walks their own path. No more quarreling."
Leon looked at the circle. "You thought of this alone?"
"I went and looked. Frost Claw minds the long roads. Frost Wolf minds being looked down on. Not a water problem. A road problem. Road problems can be solved."
"When did you go?"
"Yesterday. You didn't notice I wasn't here?"
Leon was silent for two seconds. "When you weren't here, I searched the city wall for a long time."
Violet's hand paused. She didn't raise her head. Kept drawing. "Did you find me?"
"No. You were wearing a cloak. No one recognized you."
"Then why keep searching?"
"Search. What if I found you."
The charcoal in Violet's hand snapped. She looked down at the two broken halves. Said nothing. Leon pulled a new piece from his coat and placed it beside her hand.
"You still haven't answered me."
"What question?"
"When you weren't here, I searched for you. Now you know. What do you feel?"
Violet picked up the new charcoal stick and sharpened the tip against the stone. Sharpened a long time. Sharpened it very sharp.
"I don't know." She said.
"Still don't know?"
"Still don't know."
Leon stood. "Come on. Back to eat. You haven't eaten all day."
Violet didn't move. She stared at the circle on the map. Inside the circle were written two characters. "Water Station." Today she had solved the road between Frost Claw and Frost Wolf. Tomorrow she would solve Shadow Clan's "fear of losing face." The day after she would solve Ironwood's "fear of not being worth the price." The day after that she would solve Ulric's "wanting face." Then she would solve Astrid's "not wanting to lose again."
Five lines. Five accounts. Today she crossed out one.
Four left.
---
Night
Violet sat in the small house beside the granary. The small notebook spread before her. With charcoal she drew a horizontal line through the row "Frost Claw: Roads." Crossed out. But crossing out wasn't solving. It was only the beginning.
In the distance, the sound of stones being moved stopped. Wind crept through the cracks in the window. Cold. Her small house had no coat. A new Gray Rock Tribe hide robe hung on the wall corner. Leon had ordered someone to make it. Delivered yesterday. Gray. No markings. A small piece of soft leather sewn at the collar.
She hadn't worn it. Not that she didn't want to. Wearing it would be like saying "I don't need that one anymore." She wasn't ready to say what she couldn't yet say.
She closed the notebook and placed it under her pillow. Blew out the lamp.
In the darkness, the egg moved against her chest. Stronger than yesterday. She pressed her hand to her chest and felt the faint vibration. A month now. The translucent patch on the shell had grown larger. The thing inside could now be seen clearly in outline. Curled up. Four limbs. A tail. Didn't know what it was. But it was growing.
She turned onto her side. Closed her eyes.
Tomorrow, to Shadow Clan.
---
End of Chapter Thirty-One
She crossed out the first account in her notebook. Frost Claw's roads. The water station location is marked. Stone has its providers. Labor has its providers. Frost Wolf won't block anymore. Frost Claw won't detour anymore. But the problem isn't solved. It's become a new problem. Once the road is paved, who oversees it? Violet hasn't thought that far. She's only thinking about going to Shadow Clan tomorrow. Shadow Clan's account can't be solved by paving roads.