The Merchant’s War

Events started with a phone call shortly after 11p.m. Or rather, they started with what passed for a phone call where the duke was concerned: although he received it on an old-fashioned handset, it arrived at the safe house by a circuitous route involving a very off-the-books patch into the local phone company exchange, dark fiber connections between anonymous Internet hosts, and finally an encrypted data call to a stolen mobile phone handset. Angbard, Duke Lofstrom, might write his personal correspondence with a fountain pen and leave the carrying of mobile phones to his subordinates, but his communications security was the best that the Clan's money could buy.

When the phone rang, the duke had just finished dining with the lords-comptrollers of the Post Office: the two silver-haired eminences who were responsible for the smooth running of the Clan's money-making affairs to the same degree that he was responsible for their collective security. The brandy had been poured, the last plates removed, and he had been looking forward to a convivial exploration of the possibilities for expansion in the new territories when there was a knock on the dining room side door.

"Excuse me," he nodded to his lordship. Baron Griben ven Hjalmar, causing him to pause in mid-flow: "Enter!"

It was Carlos, one of his security detail, looking apologetic. "The red telephone, my lord. It's ringing in your office."

"Ah." The duke glanced at his dining companions: "I must apologize, perforce, but this requires my immediate attention. I shall return presently."

"Surely, sir." Baron ven Hjalmar raised his glass: "By all means!" He smiled indulgently.

The duke rose and left the table without further ado. On his way out, Carlos took up the rear. "Who is it?" he asked as soon as the dining room door had closed behind them.

"The officer of the day in the Thorold Palace has just declared an emergency. The signal is Tango Mike. He crossed over to report in person. He's on the phone now."

The duke swore. "Who is he? On the duty roster?" The officer of the day was the Clan member entrusted with ensuring the security of Clan members in their area, and he would not cross over to the other world to make a report-effectively abandoning their post, if only for a few minutes-without a very good reason.

"I believe it's Oliver, Earl Hjorth."

The duke swore again. Then they were at his office door. He picked up the telephone before he sat down. "Put him through." His face fell unconsciously into an odd, pained expression: Oliver was a member of his half-sister's mother's coterie, an intermittent thorn in his side-but not one that he could remove without unpleasant consequences. What made it even worse was that Oliver was competent and energetic. If it wasn't for Hildegarde's malign influences, he might be quite useful... "Good evening, Baron. I gather you have some news for me."

A quarter of an hour later, when he put the phone down, the duke's expression was, if anything, even more stony. He turned to stare at Carlos, who stood at parade rest by the door. "Please inform their lordships ven Hjalmar and Ijsselmeer that I deeply regret to inform them that there has been a development that requires-" He paused, allowing his head to droop. "Let me rephrase. Please inform them that an emergency has developed and I would appreciate their assistance, in their capacity as representatives of the Post Office board, in conducting a preliminary assessment of the necessary logistic support for execution of the crisis plan in the affected areas. Then bring them here." He sighed deeply, then looked up. "Go on."

"Sir." Carlos swerved through the door and was gone.

The duke half-smiled at the closing door. The fellow was probably scared out of his wits by whatever he'd overheard of the duke's conversation with Earl Hjorth. Who should, by now, be back in Niejwein, and organizing his end of the crisis plan. The duke shook his head again. "Why now'?" He muttered to himself. Then he picked up the phone and dialed the digit 9. "Get me Mors. Yes, Mors Hjalmar. And Ivan ven Thorold. Teleconference, right now, I don't care if they're in bed or unavailable, tell them it's an emergency." He thought for a moment. "I want every member of the council who is in this world on the line within no more than one hour. Tell them it's an emergency meeting of the Clan council, on my word, by telephone." This was unprecedented; emergency meetings were themselves a real rarity, the last having been one he'd called at the behest of his niece barely six months ago. "And if they don't want to make time, tell them I'll be very annoyed with them."

Angbard hung up the phone and settled down to wait. A knock at the door: one of his men opened it. "Sir, their lordships-"