Chapter 3.3 Caution

"You know they'll just send another one after a while, and this one will be much more cautious than before," Barbrey commented; she learned of the plan a few hours ago, precisely because, knowing his mother, Wolfgang inferred that Barbrey also had a plan to get rid of the Master, but he was going to expend expensive, and hard to find, poison, and Wolfgang didn't think the man's death was worth that much. Therefore, the young man told his mother about the plan. "It's obvious they'll figure it out," the woman added.

"They might, but there is no evidence that can link me to his death. The man was already old, besides, and you underestimate the importance the Maesters give themselves. They won't send someone more vigilant or more capable, for them that would be doing me a favor. They will send, on the contrary, a useless person, someone who is a nuisance and who can contribute nothing to Barrowton, but it doesn't matter, I don't need them for anything, they just don't know it."

"Have you set off with your hospital project yet?".

"Not with the construction, no budget I'm afraid" the boy commented, and gave a sigh. "However, I already have someone nurturing the healer generation. That takes longer than gathering the resources to build the place and get the necessary supplies."

"That's good, everything seems to be turning out pretty well."

"Well within expectations, but not excellent either. I'm still thinking of a way to produce the sugar without it leaking."

"You don't have a solution yet? That's odd coming from you, son," Barbrey scoffed.

"Well, my alternative was Skagos."

"Skagos?"

"Take control of the island, enslave the population, and put them to work for me. The island is totally isolated, and it would be easy to distinguish the spies from the locals, plus no one would have to know that's where the production is coming from."

"But it's too far away. Besides... I don't like this idea of yours about enslaving, I don't agree with your idea."

"I can accept your judgment, mother. In the North enslaving is very much frowned upon. But it doesn't matter to argue, since logistically it is impossible. Skagos is too far away, and it would be impossible to go unnoticed. The work would have to be done by the men who serve the Karstarks, but there is no such trust with them as to give them that task. In fact, our house has no connection with them."

"You have no alternative?"

"Not at the moment, I fear we will have to hold out longer depending on farming alone, so, once our savings are depleted, moderate spending."

"It looks like it will have to do." 

"Now... let's wait a few weeks before notifying the Citadel. There are plenty of things to make good use of the time while there isn't a, as you like to call them, gray rat present."