The Artifacts Of Elios (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

provided him time to meditate.  He had finished the extra clean up that often followed the weekend, had placed his orders with his various suppliers, and put on a fresh pot of ragoût; he was ready for the new week.  While whistling happily he polished the long oak bar top.  The sound of the opening and closing of the door earned a brief glance.  He saw a tall middle aged man with short brown hair; very non-descript and unremarkable except for a pair of piercing steel grey eyes, enter the tavern.  Noting the man as a regular the barkeeper continued with his polishing.
    T he man nodded a quiet greeting as he shrugged out of a plain greyish-tan rain coat and hung it on the coat tree near the door.  “It’s a little stormy outside today.  Rains any harder and I’ll need a boat.”  The man smiled.
    “Monsieur Stafford.  Hallo to you.”  Roger smiled looking up from the bar.  “You are back in town again I see.  I have just put on a fresh pot.  Would you care for some ragoût?”
    “It smells delicious.  What kind is it today? - smells like chicken if my nose doesn’t deceive me,” replied the man with a smile.  “A mug of tea also, if you don’t mind- Mint if you have it.  I’ll be sitting in my corner”
    “Oui monsieur, right away – and you quite correct, it is chicken today.”
    The man known only as Stafford to the regulars of the “Ox”, quietly moved to the far corner; away from the door of the tavern’s main room; taking a chair that had its back to the bare river-rock wall.  Sitting with an economy of movement he opened a daily newspaper and began to read the headlines.  One of the headlines caught his eye – ARTIFACT BROKER FOUND DEAD.  The column mentioned that a leading broker of Artifacts was found in an alley on the lower west side of Jehhet.  Law enforcement was still investigating but it was their suspicion that the broker had been trying to buy unlicensed artifacts from illegal importers and the deal had gone bad.  The article went on to provide back ground of how all artifacts uncovered or imported to country of Infin were required by Kings Decree to be reported and certified safe before being offered to the public and that Artifact smuggling was on the rise.  – The Law was very controversial at the moment and opponents to the law had lobbied hard against it but to no avail.  Opponents felt that the Government AKA the King strictly used the Artifact Licensing Decree as a way to monopolize the artifacts trade.
    Roger approached Stafford’s table and with the ease of many years serving his guests he carefully held a tray in one hand and with a flourish deposited a basket of bread, and a steaming bowl and mug on the table in front of Stafford.  “And here we are one bowl of my famous chicken ragoût, and your tea, monsieur.”  Roger said with a smile.   Roger also carefully placed a handful of envelopes beside the dishes; strategically located where there would be no chance of a spill reaching them.  “Here are your messages as well.”
    “Merci, Roger,” Stafford replied with a smile.  You always take good care of me.  
    Roger had been receiving messages for Stafford for years.  As to the content, Stafford never explained and Roger never asked.  All Roger knew was that after Stafford had started frequenting his tavern that his clientele had increased in volume and quality.  Granted his weekend customers still got rowdy from time to time but ale and sports often went hand in hand with rowdy. 
    As Roger returned to his bar to continue his polishing he recalled a time many years ago - a slow rainy Lundi not unlike today when three rough looking men had entered his tavern and started asking disturbing questions about if he was interested in their protection services and how they could ensure his safety one hundred percent.  They insisted that unprotected they were almost positive that that given how vulnerable his existing security was that he could be robbed