“Maybe I’d be more enthusiastic,” I said, carefully, “if the kingdom’s finances weren’t at rock bottom. Doing something unpleasant to acquire a stack of debts doesn’t strike me as all that great a deal.”
Okay. It was hitting below the belt. But that just happens to be where Pervects such as Aahz are the most sensitive . . . which is to say where they keep their wallets.
“You’ve got a point there,” my partner said thoughtfully, wavering for the first time in the conversation. “Still, you managed to finagle a whole month before you have to make a decision. I figure in that time we should be able to get a pretty good fix on what the real financial situation around here is … end if it can be turned around.”
“There’s just one problem with that,” I pointed out. “I know even less about money than I know about magik.”
“Just off hand, I’d say you were doing pretty well in both departments.”
I caught the edge in my partner’s voice, and realized that he was on the brink of taking my comment personally . . which is not surprising as he was the one who taught me nearly everything I know about magik and money.
“Oh, I’m okay when it conies to personal finances and contract negotiations . . . more than okay, in fact . . . and I have you to thank for that.” I said hastily. “What we’re looking at now, though, is high finance … as in trying to manage the funds for a whole kingdom! I don’t think that was covered in my lessons, or if it was, it went over my head.”
“Okay. That’s a valid concern,” Aahz conceded. “Still, it’s probably the same thing you’ve been doing for M.Y.T.H. Inc., but on a larger scale.”