Read Monsters for Free Online

lower her voice.
    “This is an outrage. You have no right to triple the tax. Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to bully us like this?”
    The tax collector standing below Bruce suddenly didn't seem so intimidating anymore. Even the armed guards on either side of the gate seemed befuddled by this woman. No one had challenged their authority before. A moment's hesitation on their part had undermined their credibility and they seemed to realize that the longer this went on the less sway they held over everyone else. The chief justice must have sensed the unrest as well as he was trying to appease the woman and get her to move along. Bruce watched as she settled with five credits, which was barely half the regular tax. She had some moxie. She yelled abuse at the collectors as she stormed off, pulling her horse along behind her.
    The tax collector tapped Bruce's boot again, saying, “Come on. Pay up.”
    “Sure,” Bruce replied, and he tossed a couple of coins through the air, deliberately sending them wide of the collector so they landed in the dust. He wasn't even sure how much he'd tossed, it certainly was no more than ten credits and may have been less than five, but that didn't matter, Bruce was riding the wave. “And that's all you'll be getting from me this fine day.”
    Behind him, he could hear other traders calling out similar sentiments. The magistrates had their hands full. With a chuckle, Bruce prodded his horse, sending it forward, smiling at the guards as he passed through the gate.
    He lost sight of the feisty woman and spent the rest of the day wondering about her. He'd only seen her from behind, but he was sure he'd recognize her voice if he heard her again.
    By mid-afternoon, Bruce was down to two barrels of corn and one crate of chickpeas, having made forty nine credits. The dried insects had been the first thing to sell, and he regretted not bringing more, having underestimated the interest in them. He'd told a couple of the women at the markets about the incident at the gate and they said it was probably Jane, the blacksmith's daughter. They rolled their eyes, saying she was trouble.
    Bruce had his head down when Jane walked up to his stall, but her presence demanded his attention. As he looked up, he recognized her from the way her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and the soft flower pattern on her dress. He wanted to say something about the morning, but she got straight down to business.
    “I'll give you six credits for the lot,” she said, pointing at the two barrels and the remaining crate.
    “Six credits,” he cried, somewhat offended that she hadn't asked for a price first and had just assumed she could impose one of her own. “I can't sell you all this for six credits. I'd be running at a loss.”
    “Make it five,” she said sternly, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
    “Now, wait a minute,” he said, pointing at her, both his voice and his ire being raised. “You can't just come at me demanding an absurd price, and then drive an even lower one. What do you think this is? The tollgate? I'm not some tax collector you can push around.”
    “Four,” she said without a hint of emotion on her face. With narrow eyes and pursed lips, she looked as though she were ready to take him on in a fight.
    “Hang on,” he said, holding his hand out, appealing for her to let him speak. “You can't keep going down. That's not the way bartering works.”
    “Three credits. That's my final offer,” Jane said, her hands set firmly on her hips.
    “Oh, you are infuriating,” Bruce said, running his hands up through his hair. “How on Earth do you think you can get away with offering me three credits?”
    Jane went to say something, but Bruce cut her off. “No wait. I don't want to know.”
    “You were behind me at the gate,” Jane said, regardless. “So I figure you owe me at least twenty credits.”
    “You are outrageous.”
    “Three credits,” Jane said, repeating her