“From who? The nearby lords are the next best thing to destitute. Hulgaron is kingless and Eloria preoccupied by a myriad of other concerns. We also have agents in place that can make sure anyone looking is distracted if necessary. A group of merchants paying to exterminate some bandits is hardly suspicious anyway. Anyone who even notices will probably applaud us!” the younger man explained.
“Indeed, it would even set a useful precedent. Since no one else is willing to stand up to all the nefarious bandits in the North, why should we not protect ourselves? When Werrick pushes south, none of the powerful lords will care if we raise a small army of mercenaries to protect our interests, and once that happens…” Ressarus drawled on suggestively.
The older man laughed and smiled cheerfully at his companions and poured himself a glass of wine. He then raised his glass up into the air in front of himself. He looked like nothing more than someone’s favorite elderly uncle.
“Then it’s official; I don’t see any need for a formal vote. When the snows start to melt this spring, the Broken Wheel Company will destroy the Black Snake and her band. Cheers!” he happily announced.
The others all raised their glasses, even Ressarus’s empty one, and a chorus of cheers and the sound of chinking glass filled the room. None of the participants had any doubt in their minds that they would succeed. The resources they controlled were simply far too great for a mere bandit chief to stand against.
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Acknowledgments
Thanks go out to all the talented artists whose work I commissioned. The cover illustration was done by Shane Sandulak, the map was created by Jennifer S. Lange, and the typeface for the cover was done by Francesco De Luca.
City of Daggers (The Iron Teeth Book 2) Page 43