Bartered Futures

He raised two long, angular fingers and spoke in a hush. "He's offering twenty tons of coal for the trade."

Marek's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he drew in a sharp, astonished breath. Twenty tons of coal was an astronomical sum in the settlement's current climate.

His mind raced through calculations; if this deal closed, his commission would be nothing short of a windfall.

"Captain Mer