Read Online The Balborite Curse (Book 4) by Kristian Alva - Free Book Online Page A

profit in it for ‘im, I guess. I wasn’t paid to ask questions, and nobody told me what the oil was for. They just told me where to deliver it.”
    “What were you told to do with the vial when you got here?”
    “I was supposed to leave it at the cathedral, on the first level of the city. I was meant to wrap it up in colored parchment, like a prayer scroll, and leave it at the altar, disguised as an offering to the goddess.”
    Out of the corner of her eye, Sela caught Tallin’s worried gaze. They were both thinking the same thing—if the cathedral priests were complicit in the smuggling, it was bad news indeed. The priests operated with almost as much freedom and impunity as the dragon riders, and it would be devastating for the citizenry’s morale if any of them were found guilty of high treason. “How much did Druknor pay you to smuggle the kudu?” she asked.
    “Fifty silver crowns—half when I left and half on delivery.”
    Tallin whistled softly. “That’s a princely sum—more than a journeyman earns in a year.”
    “Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Fifty crowns is a small fortune,” said Sela.
    Endrell shrugged. “I wouldn’t ‘ave risked such a dangerous journey for less.”
    Sela sat back, a bit puzzled. Druknor’s fortress was a little thing, a mere speck on the northern horizon. It seemed inconceivable that he could be behind this. “How can Druknor possibly afford to pay so much?”
    Endrell grunted. “Are ye serious?”
    When Sela did not respond, Endrell snorted with disdain. “Ye really have no idea what’s happening in the north, do ye? Druknor said as much, and I thought him a braggart, but he spoke truly then. Ye people are fools.”
    “Calm yourself,” said Sela quietly. She didn’t appreciate Endrell’s tone, but the man was speaking freely now, and she allowed him to continue.
    “Druknor’s smart. He keeps quiet and doesn’t ruffle any feathers, so everybody leaves him alone,” said Endrell. “He’s very good at using his connections to his advantage, and he bribes everybody. He’s the biggest slaver on the continent. He’s just gotten better at hidin’ his routes. He smuggles people and goods right up through the Frigid Waste, even in winter. A lot of the slaves die on the route, but he don’t care.”
    “I see. So Druknor's a slaver and a smuggler?”
    “Yes, and he's smugglin' more than ever. He never stopped smugglin ’—he just got smarter. Druknor smuggles everything. Balborite glass, silks, poison, slaves, gemstones—anything that makes a profit. It’s freezing in Sut-Burr most of the year, and the roads are in terrible shape. Druknor keeps ‘em that way on purpose. Nobody likes how cold it is up there, so he just goes on doin’ whatever he likes.”
    “How does he do it?” asked Sela. “How does he transport goods and slaves through the Frigid Waste?”
    “Those precious sled dogs of his. There are more dogs than people in Sut-Burr. Druknor breeds ‘em, and he’s got dozens. Everyone is expendable to him, except those damn dogs. He likes ‘em more than people.” Endrell paused to wipe his nose on his sleeve.
    “Miklagard is near the Frigid Waste. How come the High Council never mentioned anything about this? I’ve never heard anything about Druknor’s smuggling from them. They must have noticed something.”
    Endrell scratched his stubbly chin for a moment. “Well, rumor is that Druknor’s paid off the High Council, so they turn a blind eye to his shenanigans up north. Not sure if there’s any truth to it, and I’ve never been to Miklagard myself, but Druknor can afford to bribe just about anybody. Always has. Ye may think he’s just some little nobody, but in the Frigid Waste, he’s a king.”
    “I see. Tell me about the other smugglers—how many of you were hired to transport kudu oil into Parthos?”
    “Not sure how many were hired altogether, but there were five men in our group. We weren’t allowed to talk with each other