A short chapter in a new idea I’m writing out. A fantasy story. This should be troublesome, since I don’t even read fantasy.
This isn’t assigned writing.
“These barrels are all that I have on hand,” he said. His voice was smooth for a dwarf - still quite gravelly.
"Who is expecting these?" Sheyen inspected the three casks that the dwarf had meticulously rolled in front of her. In these parts, dwarves were rare, and that this dwarf was in the business of wine making made these barrels of even more peculiar interest to her.
"The proprietor of the Bridge of Ulfland Inn. Do you know it?"
"Yes," she replied. Her companions had insisted on visiting there on their way through Sembia, due to its reputation for exotic ales and even more exotic prostitutes. A smirk of discontent crossed her face as she recalled the experience, which she hoped would improve the response to her next question. "How much?"
"It's 300 gold per cask. I'll offer a discount in my shop if you need additional supplies for the trip."
As she paused, she noted the craftsman's mark on each of the barrels - a circle of 2 inch radius with five inward spikes spaced irregularly along the inside. It brought images to her of a large carnivorous worm.
For the past hour, Sheyen had been waiting for the dwarf to collect the casks from his stores in the caves below his shop. The shop, having been attached directly to the hill side by its builders, provided easy access to the caves from a door behind the sales counter. Apparently, whatever fruit from which this wine was made grew in the depths of the cavern.
"I have no doubt that I am being swindled," she replied nonchalantly. "What offer can I expect the innkeeper to make for these?" she asked the dwarf, showing a clear distaste for any potable liquid that might have been squeezed from moss or earthworms.
"Fine. 210. You should easily get double that from the innkeeper. But the deal is for gold up front." The dwarf began packing the barrels into a small wagon that sat in the shop as if the deal had been concluded and agreed upon.
Rather than argue, Sheyen took several gems from a hip pouch and placed them on the counter. "This will cover it," she said. The dwarf looked at the gems, grunted, and placed the last cask into the cart.
Sheyen showed what might have appeared to others as squinting from the sudden reintroduction to sunlight upon exiting the dark shop. She was thankful that her reputation as a smuggler and fence was more well known than the fair market price for Understone Wine.
