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“We’re not petitioners you need to dazzle,” the other said.
Dwarves appeared as though by magic and closed off the view, then disappeared as suddenly as they arrived.
“Young skyking,” Emde said, ushering in the two, “it is my honor to introduce Vekay and Zedkay, of the original Charter, our senior Partners. I told them we would be happy to join them in their quarters, but they insisted on coming down for a meal and a talk.”
“Ach, most pleased,” the red-faced one introduced as Zedkay said, in an accent enough like Djer’s for Auron to like him better than the other dwarves he had met today. “Don’t stand on ceremony when you can stamp on it, I always say. Dig in, young skyking—there’s an entire roast for you at the end there.”
“Or if it wasn’t for you, it is now,” Vekay added.
Auron and Djer started in to their meal with day-old appetite; Emde and Sekyw ate a polite morsel or two. Sekyw ate with more enthusiasm after Vekay elbowed his brother and said, “That’s a hard-working dwarf’s appetite if I ever saw one,” pointing to Djer.
Djer smiled with grease running down his chin.
“There’s a question of a bargain young Djer made with this dra—skyking,” Sekyw said.
“The dragon is insisting that he’ll keep the bargain with our tradesdwarf alone, and the Partnership rules . . .”
The oldsters mumbled at each other. “Why, yes, he’s young,” Zedkay said, more loudly to the assembly, “but so were we at the Chartering. I hardly had hair below my ears, and Vekay had but a tuft on his chin. The elders treated us as good as any other of the Company, though.”
Vekay tucked his beard in his belt and buttoned his frazzled woolen vest. “Just the other day we were speaking to Emde about the Charter, and how it was modeled on the Ancient’s Riian Partnership. Ages past, long bankrupt, but in those days, the Riians had elves, men—yea, even dragons—working for them. Happier times.”
“Happier times,” Zedkay agreed, before his brother continued.
“They had several skykings, the stories go, young males who were making a nuisance of themselves otherwise to their families. We kept their stomachs full, and they flew as couriers, across the Inland Sea, to the east, to the lost kingdom of Wyang, even. Didn’t lose a single pouch in hundreds of years, or so they claimed. A very lucrative business, courier service.”
“Very lucrative,” Zedkay rasped. “So don’t be so quick to throw away the goodwill of a skyking over a niggling matter of procedure.”
“But the Charter,” Emde said.
“The Charter won’t be hurt,” Vekay said. “There are provisions to add Partners for contingencies in it.”
“That takes a Significant Majority in a Quorum Vote,” Emde said, “and we don’t have anything like a quorum—”
“Or a Simple Majority of the Founding Partners, as you’ll find in Paragraph Two of Article Nine, methinks,” Vekay said.
Emde reached into a pocket, retrieved an ivory scroll-tube, and uncapped it.
Sekyw pulled at his beard, wincing at the pain.
“I move that we make this hungry young dwarf a partner,” Vekay said, looking at Djer.
“Seconded,” Zedkay said as Sekyw fell into a barrel chair with a thump.
“All in favor?” Vekay said, as he and Zedkay lifted their supports high.
The ancient dwarves held aloft their crystal canes, the tips at the base sparkled through some inner incandescence.
“Motion carried by Simple Majority, for the record,” Vekay said. “Off the record, it was a unanimity. I’d like to welcome our new Partner, Djer, and invest him with all the responsibilities and privileges therein. ’Bout time this leaky mountain had some new blood.”
“By my beard, it’s legal,” Emde said, looking at the tightly spaced fine print on the scroll.
“Will you take the bargain, Auron?” Djer said, blinking as if he had stepped into bright sunlight.
“Of course, my friend,” Auron said, inspecting the banquet on the side table. He found a platter of sausages, conveniently linked, and began to eat. After they disappeared, he moved on to the roast.
“Is there anything you’ll require, young Partner?” Vekay asked.
“I’ll need an assistant, to help with sundry matters relating to the dragon,” Djer said. “I’d like Sekyw—he’s a good dwarf, and he could do with a taste of travel.”
