Free The Storm Maker by Sid K Page B

back. He took a cigar from his front
pocket and lit it up.
           “I
provide personal service to my clients,” Belvyk said, “One of the benefits of
working out in the country.”
           “You
don’t get a lot of buyers, do you?” Sthykar asked.
           “Intermittently,”
he replied. “But I deal in big lots, one sale a month keeps my household
running.”
           Belvyk
turned his car onto a side road. Tall trees abundantly lined both sides of the
narrow country road. Water drops fell off the dark green leaves at irregular
interval from the rain clouds that had just passed by. It was lonely on the
road, with the noise of the cars and the airport far behind. Birds sang in the
distance and a few insects traversed the length and width of the tree branches.
           “What
do folks do for a living out here?” Sthykar asked.
           “Not
much besides logging and fishing,” Belvyk replied. “Folks here have huge land
grants from centuries ago and many have lived generation after generation on
the same ancestral land.”
           Mr.
Belvyk brought the car to an abrupt halt with his breaks sending out a shriek
over the hills. He did not bother to pull the car off the road because hardly
anyone ever came this way; there was not a single vehicle in sight for miles on
both sides of the road. Both of them got out  and Sthykar leaned into the
backseat and grabbed his binoculars so he could take in the 360 degree view of
the surroundings. The land salesman leaned against the front of his car and
grinned.
           “Well…”
Belvyk said and waited for Sthykar to answer.
           But
Sthykar was too busy examining the landscape with his binoculars and after a
few minutes put them aside on the car seat.
           “Colonel
Sthykar, all this pristine natural landscape totals ten thousand acres in all,”
Belvyk said, “And all of it could be yours for asking.”
           “Looks
great so far,” Sthykar replied, “I already saw some game running around in the
woods—looks like a good place for big game hunting.”
           “Definitely.
Is that your primary purpose for buying the land?”
           “Indeed,
but I am also buying as an investment and a quiet place to vacation with my
wife,” Sthykar said.
           “You
won’t be disappointed in either of that. A lot of quality timber grows on this
land, and a lot of big game grazes here. You won’t find any unwelcome intrusion
either, big lot sizes keep people from wandering onto each other’s land
uninvited.”
           “Let’s
drive up some more,” Sthykar said. “Would like to see more of this plot.”
           “Sure.”
They got in the car, and as they drove further up, the road’s elevation
increased. They kept going higher up in the mountains.
           “Let
me ask you a question, Colonel?” Belvyk said, “Why are you buying a land all
the way out here?”
           “My
friend bought a plot just next to this one,” Sthykar said. “He told me they
were selling large plots of land and to get in on the opportunity. You don’t
get this large size of land near where I live for a price a Colonel’s salary
could afford.”
           “What’s
the name of this friend of yours?” Belvyk asked keenly.
           “Relkyett
Wuryt,” Sthykar said, “He was a Capitan in the Mountain Army under my command.”
           “Well,
I sold him that plot three months ago,” Belvyk said smiling, “Ask him if he is
satisfied with the fair price I got him.”
           “I
am sure you will get me a fair price too,” Sthykar said, “You sell a lot of the
land around here?
           “All
of it,” he said, “Although that is not saying much. Most of the land here is
ancestral land protected under the King Starryvk’s law. This parcel of land is
one of the few here that was available for market sale.”
           “Relkyett
bought