by Brian Keller
Once Birt saw his new accommodations, he dropped his gear against the wall next to the others and began lamenting, “I can’t believe I gave up a bed, and a job,” he swept his gaze and gestured around, “for this?” Naro was quietly laughing. He spoke up, “Cooper’ll give you fifty gold and send you on your way, never to return. At least that’s what he said to us.” Naro covered his mouth, unsuccessfully concealing his smile. Birt swiveled his head to reply, “Fifty? I have more than four times that amount in that bag!”
Cooper turned to Naro, “We’ll need more wood for cooking. Take a small stack of coin and see if you can rent a horse and cart, then load it up with firewood and bring it back here. I’ll stay here and watch the place. I need to be here anyway, in case Loryn comes back with Dailen.” As Naro got up to leave, Cooper added, “And don’t be too generous on the deposit for that horse and cart. We want to rent, not own.”
Birt had walked to the doorway and was looking at his surroundings. As Cooper approached Birt expressed his observations, “We’re on fairly high ground here. It’s a slow, gradual slope down until you get to the Waterfront District. Then it drops quickly and levels off again. I never noticed before.” Cooper shrugged, “Why would you notice? Almost no one even looks into the Ruins.” Birt continued to look around, “There’s a lot of work to be done. A construction project this big will draw a lot of attention. I can’t think of any way to keep it a secret.” Cooper agreed, “I suppose that’s why Jarell was using slaves, and disposing of them on a regular basis. Maybe only eight, or ten sellswords knew anything about it.” Birt nodded, “That may be, but he wasn’t building, he was excavating, right?” Cooper answered quickly, “True.” He considered his next words, “The way I see this, we’re going to need to advance several plans at the same time. I want you to have a full understanding of how the plans fit together, but I’d rather wait to explain it ‘til after Rukle returns and Loryn brings Dailen back here. That way we only have to go through it one time.”
As it turned out they had a few hours, during which Cooper told Birt everything he could remember about the Talmet family. Before killing Lord Talmet, completing his first assignment as an Adept Assassin, Cooper had researched the family extensively. Since they couldn’t get to the Guild Library, Cooper wanted to put as much information as possible in Birt’s head.
Loryn returned with Dailen just as he’d started to mention Master Vorni’s involvement with Jarell and that’d Vorni had sent word to warn Lord Talmet of an Assassin sent to kill him. The warning itself had, in fact, actually assisted Cooper, but that certainly hadn’t been Vorni’s intent.
Dailen’s eyes were wide, his gaze shifted quickly from place to place, as if he expected to find something dangerous in every shadow. Cooper stood and called out, “Dailen, so good of you to come. I suppose you have been hammering away making tools and such, just waiting for a summons?” Dailen glanced at Cooper and then back to the darkened corners of the room, “I might’ve been waiting for something... not sure it was this though.” Cooper wiped some of the dust from his hands, “I’m not one to refute years of taboo and superstition, but you can relax. The most dangerous thing currently in the Ruins is us.” Dailen relaxed a little but still looked uncertain. Cooper walked towards the door, “Dailen, come with me and show me which building you want restored to house your forge.” Dailen looked flustered, “Which building? My for- what?” Cooper looked at Loryn. She explained, “I haven’t told him anything. I just told him to ‘follow me’.” Cooper shook his head, “Then what took you so long?” She shrugged, “Rukle asked me to back him up when he visited a couple of the Houses. It was a good thing, too. But I’ll leave him to report, I just went in if I heard the right noises.” She paused and smiled, “I expect I know how you’ll spend at least part of your day tomorrow.”
As Cooper walked with Dailen, looking around the nearby structures, he explained the main points of what was planned and added, “We’ll discuss it further when Rukle gets back from making his rounds.” He then blatantly changed the subject, “For the Smithy, we’ll want to consider access, since we’re also looking at commercial applications, not just our ‘in house’ requirements.” Cooper was thinking, “Dailen’s a bright young man, but better that he not feel too overwhelmed at the beginning… Plenty of time to overwhelm him later.”
Once Dailen had the forge site selected and the layout pictured in his head, Cooper explained to him how Utsef had built a draft forge. Dailen commented that in order to use it to work metal, an assistant would still be needed. Instead of working the bellows, they’d be occupied by regularly feeding kindling into the draft chamber. The draft would replace the bellows, but it would take some practice to learn how that heat would compare to the coals found in a forge. Dailen doubted that the heat would be regular and uniform, “but it would probably work well for melting down ingots” which would then free up the actual forge for welding and forming work.
They were still stacking bricks to make the draft forge when Balat interrupted them, “Rukle just got back. We thought you’d want to know.” Cooper leaned back to stretch and gave Balat a wave, “Thanks. We’ll be right there.” He positioned a couple more bricks and Dailen said, “I’ve got the idea. I can finish this up later by myself. We all need to sit down and talk, right?” Cooper nodded, “We do. Everyone needs to know what they must accomplish, but I also want everyone here to have a reasonable understanding of the entire plan. That way, if something doesn’t go quite right, then everyone still has an idea of how to make it as close as possible to what we need.” Dailen raised an eyebrow, “But if anyone gets caught, they know enough to damage everyone…” Cooper was already walking to join the rest of the group. Dailen caught up to hear Cooper’s reply, “An acceptable risk. Besides, if anyone gets caught, we likely won’t have enough people to see it through, anyway.”
Naro and Balat had scavenged some boards and scraps, and had used those to block the largest of the gaps and cracks in the walls. This allowed them to keep a small fire, rather than having to maintain a large one. Cooper and Dailen joined the rest of the group and seated themselves in a circle around the fire.
Cooper looked at Rukle, “You start.” Rukle tightened his lips as he sighed, “A couple of House Fathers threatened to harm me if I didn’t leave. You told me not to press too hard, so I left. I had the impression that they are supporting each other, cooperating. Another House Father actually pulled a knife. He was dead before Loryn even knew what was happening, but she came in quick when she heard a couple of the kids shouting. In all, eight Houses are ‘with us’. All five in the Waterfront and three in Batter’s Field. Those House Fathers said they’d expected someone sooner, and frankly they almost seemed relieved to see me. The two remaining Houses in Batter’s Field will need another visit, and there’s four others in the Dregs that I haven’t been to yet.” Cooper’s expression hadn’t changed and he’d made no move to interrupt. He was silent for several seconds, then took a breath and spoke, “We’ll go visit those two Houses before dawn tomorrow. You pick which one we visit first. I’d prefer we get there before the kids leave for the day. I want everyone to see us and hear what we have to say. Loryn, you come along but wait outside as you did today. Afterward, go with Rukle to the Dregs.” Loryn wrinkled her nose but acknowledged her task. Cooper emphasized the point, “The Dregs is where we’re likely to find the most resistance. They’re also of the least value to us. If a House Father threatens you, kill him. If any kids pull knives, kill them too.” Rukle raised an eyebrow and Cooper held up a finger, “I’m telling you to use your judgement. Don’t kill anyone that wants to stay with us, but we can’t afford any threat to remain in the Dregs. Right now, an empty House in the Dregs will serve us better than a dissatisfied one.” Loryn asked, “What about you? What are you doing tomorrow?” Cooper looked at Birt, “Birt and I are going to Miller’s Flats. We need to buy a couple houses that are in need of repairs.” Birt’s mouth dropped open, “Wha-?” Cooper kept talking, “We
’ll need to hire a few stone masons and carpenters for the repairs. We won’t let them know that they’re actually interviewing for continued employment here in the Ruins. Plus, once they’re finished, we might find a couple more House Fathers to occupy those locations in Miller’s Flats.” He took a slow breath before he continued, “Managing those projects will be your task, Birt. Pull in Dailen if you need to. The workers we hire for construction here will start with building his Smithy, so he has an interest in who we employ.” He turned back to Rukle, “Speaking of ‘interests’, once you’re done with Houses, you’ll be visiting those businesses where we have part ownership. We won’t be demanding ‘back dues’, tell them to consider that coin as a Harvest Festival bonus, but that they shouldn’t expect that to be an annual event. Any resistance, handle it as needed. Be wary though. Back off if Lukasi agents have muscled in during our absence. Their time is coming, but we’re not ready to confront them yet.” Rukle gave a firm nod.
Cooper turned to Gaff, “I seem to recall that you’re a Waterfront kid, is that right?” Gaff nodded and Cooper continued, “Over the next three days take one of the other Journeymen, a different one each day, and spend time in the Waterfront. Try to learn where the Lukasi traders are storing their cargo. I’m confident that they’re not keeping it all on the ships but I doubt they’re moving it very far from the docks. I’m guessing that with Jarell dead, there’s no remaining demand for slaves. That means their main trade is drugs. The facilities and warehouses are going to be guarded, if for no other reason than to keep the addicts from trying to break in. It might be worthwhile to keep an eye on a couple of addicts, even donate a few coins to them and then watch where they go.” Gaff squared his shoulders, obviously proud to have been entrusted with a task. Cooper added, “You’re observing only. No confrontations. Fight only to defend yourself, then escape. Clear?” Gaff nodded his understanding, but looked no less proud than he had before.
Dailen interjected, “You said something earlier about explaining the whole plan…?” Cooper let his shoulders sag for a moment and then took a breath and let it out slowly, “Yes. Alright. Get comfortable. This’ll take a few minutes.”
Fifteen minutes later, Cooper had finished speaking and everyone was looking around the circle in silence. Birt was the first to speak, “A jailbreak!?” Dailen quickly followed, “Not just that! How do you expect to get to the Spymaster?” Loryn almost interrupted Dailen, “Do you really think the Library is still there?” Spen added, “And your plans for the Lord General?!” Spen shook his head in disbelief. Cooper held his palms toward them as if to divert the flood of questions and exclamations. He faced Birt, “Yes, a jailbreak. And, some day soon, we’ll also need to take a look at the quarries. That’s where they keep the work gangs, right?” He turned toward Rukle, Dailen and the Journeymen, “As for the Spymaster, the Library and all the rest, those problems are mine. That’s why I need all of you to manage the construction, collections and information gathering. I’ll come ask for help if I need it.” He paused and raised a finger to emphasize his next point, “Birt will be the central point for all gathered information. Take your directions from him.” He lowered his finger but continued speaking, “I’ll want to be kept informed too, but I’ll be focused on those tasks that you’re all concerned about. As you finish your tasks, let me know and we’ll assign you wherever you’re needed in order to keep things progressing at the right pace. Whichever Journeymen aren’t ‘employed’ will be guarding this place. Sorry, I know keeping watch isn’t exciting but in a week or three you’ll likely be looking forward to a restful day. As we expand, expect that our competitors from Lukasi will start nosing around. There’s no superstition preventing them from entering the Ruins. Guard duty will be a task of increasing importance as we move forward.” Everyone fell silent as they considered those words. Reality was setting in.
Chapter 6
The following morning, Cooper and Rukle rose early. Each took a few minutes to stretch and then Cooper jerked a thumb towards the door. Rukle nodded and they went outside. The sky didn’t look like it was getting lighter yet, but the stars had already faded. Cooper said, “Let’s spar for a few minutes to loosen up. Then we’ll go to whichever House you liked the least.” Rukle raised an eyebrow, “The least?” Cooper nodded, “We’re unlikely to be making friends.”
They sparred using well-rehearsed combinations at a pace that was unchallenging for both of them, but sufficed to get their heart rates up. Cooper gauged Rukle’s movements and assessed that his colleague’s technique hadn’t suffered much in the last few months. After a few minutes he felt prepared, and had learned what he’d needed from Rukle. He stepped away and sheathed his blades. Rukle followed his example. They woke Loryn and waited a minute as she got dressed and ready. Once she’d stepped outside Cooper faced Rukle, bowed at the waist and moved his arm in a sweeping gesture, “Lead the way.”
Fifteen minutes later, Rukle was pointing at a house that looked like any other, and in Batter’s Field that meant it was only slightly more livable than their base camp in the Ruins, but at least this House had a working door. They made a circle around the building, not expecting to find anything out of the ordinary, and walked right up to the door and went inside, leaving Loryn to wait outside. The sky was just turning gray.
A few of the kids inside looked up in alarm as they entered. Rukle pushed back his hood and smiled, “Remember me? I was here yesterday and your House Father made in necessary for us to come back for a second visit.” He looked at Cooper, “We shouldn’t be long, right?” Cooper pushed back his hood, “I’d say that’s up to him.” He nodded his head towards where he knew the House Father’s room had to be. He looked around the room, “You all stay seated, no matter what you might hear. Your House Father probably won’t like what I’m here to say to him.” They stepped across the room and opened the door to the adjoining room. None of the kids made any move to stand as they passed.
The House Father was seated at a small table. He had several short stacks of coins in front of him and he was jotting some notes on a sheet of paper. His head jerked up in response to his door being opened, “Just who in the he-”, his gaze shifted to Rukle and his eyes revealed his recognition, “You?! I thought I was pretty clear what would happen if I ever saw you again!” He drew a wicked looking blade and slid his chair backward a couple inches as he prepared to stand. Cooper tapped into his Talent and surged forward. He upended the table and flipped it back into the House Father and pushed it forward, knocking the unbalanced man backward into the wall behind him. Cooper continued moving forward, drawing his blades and kicking the table to one side. The House Father had regained his composure enough to use his Talent as well but Cooper was already upon him. The House Father swung almost blindly in an attempt to keep Cooper at a distance. Cooper quickly lashed his left hand forward, dragging the edge of his blade against the man’s wrist, severing the tendons and causing him to drop the knife. Cooper’s right arm extended swiftly and slashed the man’s throat. He swiftly stepped to one side to avoid the blood spray and pushed the man’s shoulder to assist him in falling to the floor.
Cooper turned to see Rukle in the doorway, watching the common room they’d just left. Several small pairs of eyes were attempting to peer past him into this room. The hurried whispers that Cooper could overhear announced that at least some of them had seen what had happened. He walked back to where Rukle was standing and spoke to him in a hushed tone, “Take a recognizable souvenir. We’re going to the next House in a minute.” Rukle looked a little alarmed as he looked around the room, then to Cooper and back to the room, “It might take a little more than a minute.” Cooper shrugged, “It shouldn't. I’ll speak to the kids.” As Cooper stepped through the doorway several of the occupants scuttled back against the walls. As Cooper scanned the room he saw that Loryn had stepped just inside the door and had leaned against it, waiting patiently. He spoke in a calm, even voice, “Your House Father had decided to break away from the Guild. My
colleague spoke with him yesterday, to warn him. He rejected our terms and refused to acknowledge Guild ownership of this House.” He turned and gestured to the room behind him, “Look well. See what it means to deny our claims.” He paused, giving them a few moments to glance past him before he continued, “Right now, you’re without a House Father. Go about your normal day. You won’t be charged dues until a replacement can be found. A colleague of mine will visit each day to look in on you, to make sure you have food and to see if you have any information worth passing on.” He could hear Rukle behind him, rummaging around the room. It must be almost time to go. He pulled his hood back up over his head, “Think whatever you like about the Guild. At some point when you’re older, each of you will either advance, if you have potential and desire, or you’ll be sent out to make your own way. Until then, take care of each other.” Rukle stepped up behind him and Cooper turned, “Ready?” Rukle nodded, “Ready.” Before they walked out of the House, Cooper had one last thing to say. He turned to the oldest boy, “Dispose of the body. I recommend the Whitefoam River. Take him at night. Don’t weigh him down. Just dump him and let him float away.” The oldest boy ducked his head as he swallowed, but he remained silent. As they stepped outside the House, Loryn’s eyes held a mischievous glint, “How’d it go? It sounded kind of rough.” Cooper shook his head, “You know quite well that we now have two vacant House Father positions in Batter’s Field, and no suitable candidates.”