by Brian Keller
With the furs on their backs and rabbits in their hands, they gave the impression of being either farmer or woodsmen kids. It was an impression they encouraged. They entered Miller’s Flats without being challenged and once they crossed into the Trade Quarter, they continued north while looking for a vendor who was selling fresh meat. As it was late in the day, the first vendor they approached wasn’t interested in buying any of the skinned rabbits but the second man bought six of them, leaving them with eight. Loryn suggested they simply turn those over to Mardon’s family for cooking. Each of the three Guild kids had been keeping watchful eyes on the people around them. Everything appeared normal, but a few of the guards had spent a few more seconds than necessary while observing them, letting their eyes linger over the bow and arrows they had strapped to each of their packs. While Cooper didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in the Trade Quarter, neither did he want it to appear that they were in a hurry to get away. He gathered up a few of the coppers he’d been paid for the rabbits and he stepped over to another vendor and bought a jar of sliced apples in syrup. He waved the other two in close and they dropped their backpacks to pull out bowls and utensils. He divided the apple slices amongst them and encouraged the other two to devour their apples eagerly, as if they were a rare treat and they’d get in trouble if mom and dad were to find out. He returned the empty jar to the vendor and glanced around. The guards had lost interest in them. He gave a quick hand signal, indicating they should hurry and they packed their bowls as soon as they’d been emptied, without even wiping them down.
They quickly covered the distance to the North Bridge and tugged their fur hoods up to block out the chill wind coming off the water. They crossed the bridge without incident and took in the sight of the ship’s masts reaching skyward and the flags, banners and pennants flapping as they scanned the skyline to the northeast. As expected, none of the flags were from Lukasi.
Months ago, Cooper had entered the Wharf City for the first time. Now he was returning here, and this was one of the only safe places they could go. His first priority was to change that. There was so much to do. Depending on what they found, they might need the Wharf City as a temporary base to work from, but needed to minimize Mardon’s involvement whenever possible. He didn’t blame the man for endlessly seeking profit, but not at the Guild’s expense. Especially now that the Guild was all but non-existent and would need to retain all possible coin simply to have any chance at all for growth and survival.
Cooper led his group onto one of the longer piers. He pushed his hood back onto his shoulders and looked for any familiar faces as they walked. They’d passed three ships when they heard a shout, “Ahoy, Kinsman!” All three of them crouched as they spun to face the speaker. Cooper’s hands were already behind him, under his fur cape grasping the hilts of his blades, but he kept them sheathed as he recognized the voice. He let his hands drop to his sides and he allowed himself a faint smile as he stood erect, “Hello, Silas. How have you been?” The large blond man stepped over and extended his hand. Cooper grasped it. Silas was nodding, locks of his long hair fell forward, concealing his face for a moment. He chuckled as he withdrew his hand and pulled his hair behind his shoulders, “I been meanin’ to tie that back all mornin’. Jus’ hadn’t got ‘round to it.” Cooper turned and pulled a short length of cordage that was tucked into Naro’s pack flap and handed it to Silas, “Here. Naro made it himself.” Naro recovered his surprise and gestured that Silas should accept it, “You’re welcome to it, sir. I should have little need for it now that we’re in Paleros.” Silas snorted and looked at Cooper, “He’s callin’ me “Sir”..? I guess it’s just the way you Guild kids are raised.” Cooper nodded, “Yes, you’ll just have to accept it.” Cooper shifted to look northeast, “Do you know if the First is aboard?” Silas followed Cooper’s gaze, “Probably. Does he know yer comin’?” Cooper ducked his head, “He knows I’m coming back, but not that I’m here now. There’s us three. There’s also another three, either already here, or close behind.” Loryn leaned in and whispered, “Are you sure he needs to know that much about our business?” Cooper shrugged, “Silas helped me before, with the killing and capturing of some sellswords that were working for Jarell. I think he’s safe.” Silas took a step back and made a dismissive gesture, “All I did was paddle, and later point them out…” He turned his attention to Loryn, “but I’m trustworthy enough.” Silas turned to the boat behind him and called out, “Gretl! Gretl, you toothless hag! Toss that line of yours over this way!” He confided in the small group, “Her pilot line is tied to a net. We can draw it taut and you can clamber across and up onto her deck.” He turned to Cooper, “I expect you still recall which ship is the First’s?” Cooper stepped to catch the line that had been flung from the boat behind Silas. The group of them stepped in to lend a hand and they’d soon drawn the netting over and secured it. For Cooper, even with a pack on his back, walking across the netting was simple compared to the Contraption, an obstacle that Master Brais had in the Arena, his training room in the Guild. The Journeymen didn’t find it such a simple matter but a few seconds later everyone, along with their gear, made it aboard Gretl’s boat.
The old woman was indeed toothless but the baskets filled with gutted fish and buckets filled with fish guts attested to the fact that several fishermen brought their daily catch to her. As they boarded she called out in a raspy voice, “Silas! You overgrown bastard! Send fer that boy wi' his salt bucket. He’s late! These fish ain’t gonna preserve themselves now, are they!?” The big sailor called back, “I’ll tell ‘im, ma’am. In fact, here he comes. Get your coppers ready.” A young boy could be seen holding a bucket at his hip as he scuttled along the pier as fast as he could without upending himself or his bucket. The boy slowed himself only slightly as he stepped onto the netting that led to Gretl’s boat. By the time he’d boarded, Cooper and his colleagues had already crossed to the neighboring boat and were on their way to Mardon’s ship. They’d crossed five ships and were nearing their destination when they heard a voice call out, “Kinsman! How good to see you. It’s been a little longer than you’d led me to believe it would be, but I think you’ll find all matters on my end of our agreement are in order.” Mardon was visible at the gunwale waving at them as he shouted. As they walked, Loryn asked, “You have an agreement with this man?” Cooper confirmed it, “Yes. In fact, I have had several agreements with this man. Some have been resolved and a few remain open. Further, there will be more to follow. As I explained before we left the Forest, this man is the First Merchant of the Wharfsiders. He is an intelligent and potentially dangerous man, and worthy of respect.” Cooper waved back as they drew nearer, “Yes, sir. It took longer than I’d expected. Certain unavoidable circumstances.” He paused, glanced around, and continued, “You knew to expect us?” Mardon grinned, “Mister Gaff awaits you below. He arrived some ten minutes ago. I’ve already sent someone to inform Mister Rukle of your return. If he had arrived before you, I’d have suggested to him that he should search for you.”. As they walked belowdecks, Cooper replied, “We were delayed as we played our roles, for the benefit of the Watch.” Cooper deposited his backpack onto the floor and opened the flap, “Thankfully, that necessity no longer exists.” He peeled off the fur coat and hood, revealing his Guild leathers underneath. He’d pulled his cloak from his pack and wrapped it over his shoulders. He slipped his hands along his lower back, to make sure his blades hadn’t shifted . Satisfied that all was as it should be, he turned to the Journeymen, “Get changed. We’ll wait for Rukle. He’ll need to be included in our plans. There’s much to be done.” He spoke to Mardon, “The rabbits and firewood are for you and your family. It might provide a welcome change from fish. We’ll just want to hang onto two bundles of firewood for ourselves.” He turned and gave a nod to Gaff, who then separated two bundles and carried the remaining firewood and piled it near the cooking pot. Naro gathered the rabbits, tied them together, and draped them over the cooking spit.
Ten minutes later, the Guild kids were dressed again as Guild kids, and Rukle was dropping down from the deck above. He rushed forward to clasp hands with Cooper and Loryn and was then introduced to the other Journeymen. Rukle tilted his head towards Mardon as he spoke to Cooper, “The First said you’d paid him to watch out for me. That was unnecessary, you know.” Cooper nodded, “I know, but I wanted to make sure that Mardon assigned a value to what I was asking from him. Plus, I couldn’t know whether you had come away with coin enough to provide for yourself. It seemed the best way to manage the uncertainty. I knew I wasn’t going to need any coin for awhile.” Mardon was close enough to hear the conversation. Cooper addressed him, “I’ll ask that you retain my remaining balance on account for a little while longer. Do you happen to have a filled lantern I could buy, or borrow?.” Mardon laughed, “I do, and as for your balance on account, I’ll certainly ‘hold it’ for you. And I’m putting it to good use in the meantime.” Loryn looked from one to the other and Mardon laughed again, “Not to worry, Miss. While it isn’t a paltry amount, I am prepared to pay the balance any time the Kinsman requests.” Cooper directed everyone to strap their packs, “All of you come with me. I have something to show you.” He looked at Rukle, “And much to explain to you. You might not know it now, but you have a lot to do over the next few months.” As Cooper led them above, he turned to Mardon to receive the lantern being handed to him, “I thank you, sir. If the weather turns colder than I expect, we might return tonight. Otherwise, it might be several days before you hear from me again. I might need to send a messenger. Knowing that anyone can mention a name, any messenger I send will have this image.” He extended his hand to display his token for Mardon to see. “No one else has this. Right now, this is the only one of its kind. If you see or hear of someone displaying it, or describing it without my permission, I would consider it a professional favor to be informed about it.” Mardon’s expression turned serious as he nodded. It appeared that he understood the importance that Guild Assassins placed on their tokens. He wondered just how much the First Merchant understood about the Guild.
He joined the others on deck and led them onto the pier and into the Waterfront District. As they proceeded, a few of the Journeymen started to appear apprehensive. Rukle broke the silence, “Ah, Cooper? Why does it look like you’re leading us into the Ruins?” Cooper stopped walking and turned to address the group, “Because that’s exactly where we’re going.” He held up his hands to interrupt the protests, “There is no reason to fear. The Ruins are ours. We actually own most of the land, and we had the deeds to prove it; though those documents might be lost now. There is no longer a dangerous presence in the Ruins.” He turned and faced the fallen buildings and piles of rubble, “This is where we will rebuild. This will be our new home.” Rukle grumbled, “You mentioned we had a lot of work ahead of us. I didn’t think you had this in mind.” Cooper smiled, “Not to worry, Rukle. Your tasks have nothing to do with masonry or carpentry. Your tasks are suitable to your skill set. But first, as we walk the rest of the way, tell me about any Guild members that escaped but are still living in the city.”
By the time they’d reached the site of Jarell's remains, Cooper was excited by Rukle’s information. He’d already known that Dailen had escaped and had taken a position of a smith’s assistant in a Smithy that was primarily owned by the Guild. He now knew the location of that Smithy. He also learned that Birt had escaped and was now working in an Inn and Tavern here in the city. Rukle hadn’t seen or heard anything of Kolrem, and was still fairly certain that he’d seen Aden loaded onto a prison cart.
As for Jarell’s corpse, there was little remaining that could be used to identify the man. Scavenging animals and insects had stripped most of the carcass clean. The only tissue that remained were residual bits in the crevices of the vertebrae and many of the long bones had been pulled away and been gnawed upon. It looked like most of the bones were still present, or at least nearby, but the presence of a nearly complete skeleton did little to calm the nerves of his colleagues. Cooper spoke, “This is all that remains of Jarell. Our former Master of Coin, and traitor to the Guild. It is because of him that we find ourselves in this situation. I don’t want to trip over his bones as we rebuild, but neither do I want to provide him with anything that resembles a proper burial.” Spen interjected, “Not letting the soul rest. Might that not welcome him back as an evil spirit?” Cooper shook his head. He couldn’t explain any of it to them. Not now, and maybe not ever. He simply said, “There is no spirit remaining to haunt this place.” Having no desire to touch the bones with his hands, he shuffled, kicked and nudged the bones into a pile with his feet. He pointed out the excavated opening he’d noticed months ago, “I want to take a look to see what’s down there. No one need come with me, but I at least want someone up above who can pull a rope in case I need some help getting back up.” He rummaged through his bag as he spoke to Rukle, “Starting either tonight or first thing tomorrow, begin visiting the Houses. Inform them that the Guild is still functional. I doubt anyone should attack you, but some may resist. They might not be happy about paying dues again, since no one has enforced it for a few months. If you are physically attacked, kill them. If you are verbally attacked, let me know and we’ll decide how it should be handled. Keep in mind, if you kill them all then they provide no value to us. Let them know that the most recent directive issued to the Houses is still in effect. We’re more interested in information than we are in the flow of coin; in the case of the Houses, that is. Until we can verify whether the Guild Library is still intact, the Houses are our main source of information.” Rukle looked doubtful, “Why are you telling me this now?” Cooper looked at the hole as he handed one end of a rope to Rukle, “Because if something happens to me down there… you’re in charge. Unless you go and convince Birt to take the reins.” Rukle raised an eyebrow as he replied, “Me? Well, be careful down there, alright?”
The sky had been mostly overcast all day, and this late in the day, the sun offered very little useful light. As they stood at the edge of the hole and looked down, the bottom was barely visible. Some rocks looked like they’d been arranged to form makeshift steps leading down. Cooper looped the rope around his waist and tied it, “Jarell was behind the poisonings. If he was going to all the trouble of bringing in slaves to excavate this hole, then it’s not unlikely that there may be some traps down there. If I fall, haul me up.” He tied the lamp to the rope around his waist and Rukle voiced his concerns, “Shouldn’t we wait? Check this hole out later?” Cooper had started backing down the rocks, gesturing to Rukle to pay out rope to give him some slack. He studied and then prodded each rock before he put any weight onto it. He answered, “We need a place to work from. If this hole is safe, then it might give us a place to start. Why wait? Have you grown comfortable living in the Wharf City?” The journeymen joined Rukle at the edge of the hole. Gaff spoke, “What’s wrong with living on a boat?” Cooper stepped down one stone lower, “Not a thing, but it doesn’t suit our needs. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to focus on the task at hand.” Everyone remained silent until Cooper reached to bottom. Then Loryn called down, “How’s it look?” Cooper squatted down and panned the lantern across the floor as he replied, “Must be the housekeeper’s day off. Be a dear and toss down a broom, won’t you?” The unexpected jibe brought a chuckle from everyone above ground.
He couldn’t see anything that indicated a used, safe pathway. Everything was covered in a layer of dust and rocks. He stood and held the lantern off to one side, to check whether anything might show when the light was oblique. It yielded nothing new. He stood and began walking, using very small and carefully placed steps. All went silent again but within a minute Rukle called down to let Cooper know that he was now out of sight. He raised the lantern to cast the light a little further and called back over his shoulder, “It goes on quite a bit further. A passageway, almost like a hallway. Another ten feet and it branches out.” Cooper kept the lantern mov
ing, up and down, side to side; looking for any light reflecting off trip wires. So far, it looked like it hadn’t been trapped. As he turned the corner to the right, he stopped short. Twelve feet ahead of him, there were two crates and a locked chest. “If there are traps anywhere, it would’ve been on the rocks coming down, or they’ll be right here.” He crept up close to the chest and examined it from a few angles. Aside from being covered in dust, it looked new. He stood and carefully made his way back to the opening where he’d climbed down. He called up, “Poke around where Jarell’s bones were. Look for a key. There’s a chest down here. It’s probably got a trap set on it. No doubt it can be picked, I’d rather use a key, if we can find one.” Naro and Balat stepped out of sight. Cooper called out again, “And I know I was joking about the broom before, but now I’m serious. I’d like something I can use to reach out and brush the dust off the chest, and a length of rope to loop around it to see if I can pull it. I’d rather not just walk up and grab the handles. I’m sure you’d feel the same.” Moments later a cooking spit with a fur hood tied to one end and a coil of rope were tossed down. Balat’s voice echoed down from above, “No key. We even sifted through the bones a little bit.” He gathered the rope and the makeshift brush and within a few minutes he had the chest dusted off, somewhat, and had determined that it was too heavy for him to drag. He returned to the stone steps and called Rukle down to join him. Once he’d led him to the corner, he pointed out the chest, “I’m taking the lantern so I can see to work. You stay here and watch me. If a trap goes off, grab the rope and pull me out of there. There are a few vials of antidote in my pack.” Rukle took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “Alright, but I still think we should wait.” Cooper positioned the lantern so the light shone on the lock, and he knelt on the ground to more closely examine it, “Wait for what? Who do you think might be coming?” Rukle was grumbling some kind of non-committal reply as he bent down to grasp the rope. Cooper slid a pick into the lock’s keyway, upside down, and depressed all the pins fully, then slid the pick out, listening and feeling for the pins to click back into place. There were only three. He’d assumed if Jarell were using this chest for something valuable, he’d have fitted it with a lock of his own design. Cooper had to consider, “Maybe he was in a rush…? Or maybe this chest doesn’t hold anything of real value? But then, why conceal it down here?” He inserted the tension wrench and tested the cylinder. He then worked the pick and felt the first two pins click into place. He called back over his shoulder, “Almost unlocked. I dislike sounding cliché, but it’s been too easy.” He could almost sense Rukle unease through the rope that connected them. He felt the third pin fall into place and he rotated the cylinder. The lock disengaged with a click and he realized he was holding his breath. He wondered if the chest was designed to launch a cloud of poisonous dust when opened unless some release was triggered before opening it. If there were a hidden catch, it might be anything. A screw in one of the hinges might need to be removed. Or what appeared to be the head of a bolt might be a button to be pressed. But a button might just as easily trigger a trap. There was simply no way to guess. Cooper stood and faced Rukle, “I’m going to fling the lid back and sprint toward you. As soon as I start running toward you, get out of the way.” Rukle’s only reply was a firm nod and a slight tug on the rope. Cooper crouched down and hooked his fingers under the lip of the lid. He accessed his Talent and prepared a burst of speed. He took a deep breath and held it, closed his eyes and flung the lid upward and back. Keeping his eyes closed, he sprinted toward where he knew Rukle was standing and took two strides before opening his eyes. Rukle was already around the corner and out of sight, dragging the rope with him. The tension in the rope was almost enough to throw Cooper off his stride, but he adjusted quickly since he was going that direction anyway. He paused at the corner and looked back. He hadn’t heard any unusual noises, and the lantern revealed that there was no cloud of dust in the air, other than the small swirl he’d created by his own movement. He expelled his breath forcefully and took in a lungful of the damp, musty air. He took another step to relieve the tension on the rope and called Rukle back, “It looks like nothing happened. Follow me back. Stand where you were before.” He approached the chest and picked up the lantern to illuminate the contents. There was a vial of poison affixed on the underside of the lid. He examined the mechanism and it looked like it was designed to shatter and spread it’s contents if the lid was forced open. Turning the lock cylinder had disabled the trap. Still, there might be more poison yet inside. He shifted the lantern to reveal that the chest itself was filled with many cloth bags, some were the size of a flour sack, while others were no larger than a tobacco pouch. All the bags, regardless of size, were tightly filled and the openings tied closed. Cooper nudged a few bags with a single finger before carefully lifting one of the smaller bags. He could tell by the sound of the shifting contents that the small bag was filled with coins. He set that bag on the ground beside him. One of the smaller pouches sounded like it was filled with marbles, “Gems.” Cooper said to himself. He replaced that bag and drew out a different one, also filled with coins. He withdrew from the chest, retrieving the bags as he stood. He walked over to join Rukle, leaving the chest open behind him. They both breathed a sigh of relief and Cooper reported, “Certainly not all of the Guild’s lost wealth, but suddenly the path ahead doesn’t seem quite so steep. Let’s get back above ground.”