Taraquin

Chapter 60

Zane and Baschera gawk for quite some time at the large amount of coin in the vault at Shadow Court. A smile forms across Zane's face as he realizes the coin is his. "I didn't think this much coin even existed in the world. How is it possible to gain so much wealth?" asks Zane breaking the silence.

"Let's eat and I will explain," insists Ademar.

"Alright," agrees Zane as they follow Sage toward the dining hall.

A large feast awaits them as they enter the giant dining hall. Zane admires the large room and the five massive tables that can comfortably seat more than a thousand guests. He finds it ironic that their small group is about to feast in a hall intended for much more. He smiles as he notices four spots are set at the very end of a table meant to seat around two hundred people. Sage motions to the chair at the head of the table as he looks at Zane. The group waits for Zane to sit, and then they seat themselves as they show respect.

Two young servant girls enter the room and start placing food on their plates. Smiles fill their pretty faces as they pour glasses of wine for each of them. Their beauty instantly captivates Baschera, but they pay him no attention as they stare at Zane. He smiles and nods to them as their staring starts to make him uncomfortable. "Thank you," Zane acknowledges as they finish.

"You're welcome," they respond in unison while giggling as they exit the room.

"The staff here at Shadow Court have been very eager to meet you since King Asher sent word of your impending visit," reveals Sage.

"Please let all of them know that I regret I cannot stay long, but I will be back soon to meet each and every one of them," answers Zane as he begins to eat. "I am highly impressed with how well kept this castle is, especially since it is a very large place to keep up."

Sage smiles. "They will be pleased to hear it."

"Now what were you going to explain Lord Crispin?" asks Zane as the topic starts to fade from his memory.

"Ah, yes. To answer your question about the Brinon finances, Hagan was very smart when it came to creating wealth. There are many things most people don't know about him. He did inherit the Brinon wealth, but he actually gave half of it to Charles," reveals Ademar. "Your father took his half and started investing in a lot of things. He bought or built many of the taverns across Taraquin, Pontius, and even some in Farook. He bought grape farms in Chora and Chenah, and then he created a business in the city of Stockton to create his wine."

"No wonder he had an extremely large wine cellar built in his castle," interrupts Baschera.

"He also went into business with me," continues Ademar. "He funded and helped me start my ship production business in Pineville, which is why Gershom Bay is now known as Naval Bay. He used our business to not only build war ships to sell to the nobles of Taraquin, Pontius, and Farook, but he also built fishing vessels, transport ships for the distribution of his wine, and many other types of vessels. He also made deals with King Vassileus. He agreed to produce war ships at a cheaper cost for him, and became Chancellor of Training to properly train the Soldiers and Guardsmen of Taraquin. In return, Vasilleus signed a treaty with Hagan to pay the Brinon family for the use of Brinonberg Palace and Crayhaven."