AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m well, thank you, Edgar.” She always felt better for hearing his voice.
“I called you yesterday to ask when your article in Motham Monthly will be out, but you didn’t pick up.”
“The article came out today, actually. I just bought a copy. And I’m sorry I missed your call. I was out of range.”
“Really, where were you?”
Shona paused. “I was visiting Green Island. Or Orc Island, as… as er, monsters call it,” she finished, feeling flustered.
“Well, well, I haven’t heard it called that for a while. What were you doing there?”
In a voice she hoped wasn’t too gushy, Shona explained about her new client and his crazy idea. When she’d finished, she could almost see Edgar rubbing his pointed beak.
“So what do you think? Will the Counsel of Towns be open to a buy-out proposal?” she asked.
“I’ve done a few land deals with them before. So it does happen. But never something as big as this. Mind you, with the money Tor Arquin has, he could probably buy ten islands and the whole of Tween and Twill if he was so inclined.”
“You’ve heard of Arquin Enterprises then?” Shona tried to sound breezy.
“Sure I have. I like to keep abreast of what’s going on over the ranges.”
“I’m very impressed, Edgar. I didn’t know who he was when his PA rang and requested a meeting. Only then did I check him out.”
“The Counsel of Towns don’t broadcast a lot of information from principalities over the mountains. You have to know what to search for on Moogle. They don’t want humans hearing about monster success stories, particularly Motham monsters. And Tor Arquin’s is a huge success story. It appears he’s a modest guy, though. He certainly keeps a low profile. What were your thoughts when you met him?”
“Erm, he seems nice enough.” Shona could feel her cheeks warming. Thank goodness Edgar couldn’t see her.
“Tor Arquin has proved orcs can be successful in business,” Edgar continued enthusiastically. “A story the humans would like to pretend didn’t come out of Motham. Orcs are supposed to be beasts of burden, not billionaires.”
She frowned. That was so demeaning, especially since Tor was so… magnificent. “In that case, what are his chances of a deal? I mean, as an orc?”
“Well… he’s a very rich orc. You might be surprised, my dear. Rumor is the Counsel of Towns are financially strapped. They haven’t moved with the times and it’s backfiring on them. Not that they’d ever admit it. And frankly, Orc Island is of no use to them. It’s a tiny spot in the sea, surrounded by kraken and other sea monsters hostile to humans. Too many human lives have been lost in that section of water in the past. And it’s way too close to Motham City. The last thing the Counsel wants is for humans from Tween and Twill deciding it’s a good spot to visit.”
Shona digested this news. “Edgar, you are such a mine of information.”
“Just because I’m retired doesn’t mean I don’t keep abreast of things,” the griffin said. “Politics has always fascinated me.” He paused. “Look, I do have a contact in the human world, someone who’s helped me negotiate a few tricky sales for monsters on human lands in the past. I’ll speak to him, see what he can do.’
Shona let out a breath. “Thank you, Edgar. If I could get to speak with the right person that would be amazing.”
“Jolly good,” said the griffin. “I must say, the idea of sinking my beak into a new project is quite exciting.”
“You could always come back and work here.”
Edgar laughed. “Not now it’s Dove Realty, my dear. You’re doing a very good job of running it.”
As she said her farewells and put down the phone, Shona’s mood was already lighter. Maybe, with Edgar’s contact, she could pull this off. And she could impress Tor with her prowess—in other ways than she had last night in the cave. A blush skirted her cheeks. Should she call Tor and let him know she had made progress? Except she hadn’t really. Not yet.
Admit it, you just want an excuse to contact him.
So much for their pact that they’d put this behind them. He might be able to, but she couldn’t.
When her phone rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Reaching for it, she had to quell a little stab of disappointment when she saw that it was Ivy. And then she felt guilty. Ivy was her dearest friend, she always loved hearing from her.
She picked up
“Hey, I’m in town doing staff training for Beast Hunters all day, and I’ve got a leave pass tonight. Fancy meeting me for a bite to eat, around six?”
Smiling, Shona agreed. Then she got on with writing up an appraisal of the sea urchin’s home, trying to highlight its positive points, being careful not to mention the small slimy critters that might be underfoot.
