The Farmer's Piece

A voice said, "A ruby pendant that you are wearing has given you relief. You are not aware of what it really is, though.

Astra dropped her jaw slightly. The man continued, "It is a warstone piece." Astra closed her eyes, and then saw, in her mind, a tabletop tiled in a hexagonal pattern, with tiles of three colours - red, pink, and white. On each side of the tabletop were fifteen stones, for a total of thirty. The ones on one side of the table were dazzling ruby figures, and the ones on the other were diamonds! One each side of the board eight of the smaller figures looked like hers. She heard the voice say, "Those sixteen small pieces are farmers. There are also six merchants, four brigs, two flags, and two archerons. Beautiful?"

Astra had to agree that it was. She knew in her bones that such a set was valuable. The man seemed to be implying that he or whoever he represented was wealthy. She was tempted to try to get sold to this man. The man in the ermine collar was haggling over the price with the lieutenant, and Astra thought that she would be living a more spartan life if she were sold to that man. But she also remember being warned by someone about a powerful man in Colonia Gallia! She did not know who to trust.

1. Astra tries to answer the silent conversation with the man in the shadows.
2. Astra finds out that she has been sold to the man in the ermine collar!

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