by Brian Keller
When he went to the counter in the Scribe’s storefront and announced he was Kinsman, the roll of parchment he received said simply, “See me. Vorni.” Cooper dreaded any further interaction with the man, especially one on one, considering the first time they were in each other’s presence Master Vorni was calling for his execution and the second time he looked like he wanted to kill him where he stood. Cooper knew he needed to go alone but decided that it might be a wise choice to inform Master Loril beforehand. At least that way, if something happened, someone would know where to start looking for him. Master Loril seemed amused by Cooper’s precaution, “Do you fear that Vorni will do you harm?” Cooper shrugged, “I think that if Master Worthan hadn’t stopped him after Rukle, Kolrem and I killed those Dreg’s boys, he’d have killed me on the dais. I have no idea why he should feel so strongly about what we did but if I could receive my assignment from anyone else, save Jarell himself, it would be a relief.” Master Loril chuckled, “There are few people that Master Vorni doesn’t seem to dislike. His behavior towards you is not unique, but you’re wise to feel apprehensive. Vorni is unlikely to harm you without some word from the Guildmaster, but he will likely be abrasive, insulting, and might even try to goad you into giving him a reason to discipline you. Behave yourself. Show him deference, and you’ll soon have the experience behind you.” Cooper wondered out loud, “Not so sure I’d feel better with him behind me. After my fight with Jarell, I saw the way he looked at me when Rayna dragged me into the Council Chamber. He wanted me to be punished as severely as possible… And once he saw Jarell’s sword, his expression suggested that he wanted to kill me himself, immediately.” As Cooper said this, Master Loril almost seemed to become thoughtful, but only for a moment, “Go on now. Report to Master Vorni, get your assignment and complete it cleanly. Show the Masters that you’re worthy.”
Master Vorni couldn’t keep the sneer from his voice once he saw that it was Cooper standing at his door, “I suppose you’re here to get information on your target. You’ll likely need to be spoon-fed every little tidbit or you won’t be able to complete it. Do you even know where our library is?” Cooper had been controlling his breathing and managed to keep his voice calm and steady, “I do not yet know where the Guild has its library, sir. If it is as vast as the Duke’s library, then I cannot imagine being able to find the information I need, even if I did know its location. I would be grateful for any guidance you would care to provide, but if all I am given is the assignment details then I’ll do my best with whatever I can discover on my own.” Master Vorni paused, as if he’d expected a different response. He recovered almost immediately and thrust a bundle of papers in Cooper’s direction, “The library is one level down. There is a concealed door near Master Darius’ and Miss Camilla’s classrooms. Either of them can show you where, and how to open it. Perhaps one of them will have time to show you how the library is arranged. If not, then you might try to locate your savior, Felis. He can certainly find time in his schedule, since he so rarely pursues actual targets.” Cooper realized that Vorni was “fishing” to see how much he knew of Felis’ role. Perhaps even Vorni was ignorant of Felis’ duties…? In either case, Cooper’s best reply was a meek, “Yes, sir. Thank you.” He accepted the papers, gave a nod and departed quickly.
As he walked towards the library Cooper was thinking how Miss Camilla was likely one of the busiest guild members he knew of, besides Master Worthan perhaps. How the old man managed to teach first year students, research Magical Theory, manage the Guild, teach Analysis and Sabotage, and maintain the Scribe/Messenger storefront left him feeling fatigued simply at the thought of it. It wasn’t the first time Cooper wondered whether the old Master even slept at all.
Cooper decided to ask Master Darius to show him how to get into the library. The small, wizened man was in his usual spot; sitting at his workbench at the front of his classroom with his legs dangling off the edge of his stool. The workbench doubled as his desk and was perpetually covered in loose papers and various metal parts, lock picks and tools of virtually every size and configuration. As cluttered as his bench appeared, Cooper felt certain that the room could be plunged into total darkness and from his seat, Master Darius could place his hand on whatever item he needed at that moment.
Master Darius looked up as Cooper entered the room. He squinted briefly before pushing his thick glasses higher on his nose and then exclaiming, “Mister Cooper! How good of you to stop in! I was just designing a series of gears that will improve the function of the counterweight system for one of our entrances.” Master Darius shook his head rapidly, “Nevermind that. That is nothing for you to concern yourself with. What brings you here?” Cooper held up the bundle he’d received from Master Vorni and explained he had been directed to do more research in the library but had only been told that the entrance was nearby. Master Darius made a short series of “Tut-tut” noises as he slid down from his chair. With his feet on the floor he nearly disappeared behind his workbench but he covered the distance between himself and Cooper with a speed that belied his stature, “Master Vorni? I understand… There is some material I have been wanting from the library anyway but have been putting it off in favor of working on a couple of projects.” He put a hand to his chin in a thoughtful pose, “Putting it off for about four or five days, now that I think about it. Very well, come along.” He quickly pattered out of the room with Cooper close behind.
Chapter 17
The door was very well hidden, in a recess beside a display case. Master Darius stepped on a section of tile and Cooper heard a faint click, then the small man gave the wall a gentle push and an entire section of wall receded revealing a staircase leading down. Master Darius said, “Stay close behind me. Once someone steps on the eleventh or twelfth step down, the counter weights are released and the wall closes. I have no idea what might happen should any part of you become caught as it closes, but I’d advise that we not attempt to find out.” Cooper skipped a couple steps to quickly close the distance between himself and the instructor. As he heard the wall slide closed above him Master Darius continued, “Once the wall has locked itself back in position it can be opened normally from above. From below, those same two steps act to open the door if it has closed and locked itself. That system of counterweights is of my own design, though it required metalworkers and masons to actually construct it.” Cooper joined him at the base of the stairs and Master Darius extended both hands out in front of him, “And here it is; our library.” The room was dimly lit somehow by a series of glass windows in the ceiling. Cooper inquired about the light and Master Darius explained, “There are a series of brick channels through the ceiling that lead up to Miss Camilla’s greenhouse. Light is captured and directed along those channels by a series of mirrors. Needless to say, if you plan to use the library at night bring a candle, or a lamp.” As Cooper’s eyes adjusted to the dim light he realized the size of the room and the vast numbers of shelves and tables that appeared to be heavily weighted with books and piles of scrolls. He was sure that there must be some kind of sorting system or there would be no hope of finding any information except by sheerest luck. That was the subject of Cooper’s next question, “Sir, I need to find information about Lord Talmet. Where should I look?” Master Darius pointed at a placard behind them near the staircase. It was a map of the library that showed locations and categories. The instructor pressed a finger against the placard and spoke, ““Paleros, politics and political figures” is where you’ll likely want to begin. If your research begins to branch out into other topics you can reference this placard to see where to look further. There are other duplicate placards in other areas of the library. You’ll likely see them as you look around. I’m going to look up the material I need. I’ll likely be in here for an hour or two, so if you get lost or confused just call out.” Master Darius began walking away but stopped after taking no more than six steps, “There is a ledger near the stairs. You may remove material from the library as needed, but sign them o
ut in the ledger. If you take them without signing for them, the punishment is severe. When you return whatever you’ve taken, record that as well. The books and scrolls are loosely organized alphabetically, but since we have no dedicated librarian it is not uncommon for there to be some disorder. Try to put things back where you found them, or place them in the proper order if you discover something improperly stored.” He paused in thought and continued, “Yes. I think that’s most of what you need to know about the library.”
Cooper referenced the placard and made his way to the section on political figures of Paleros. It took him nearly thirty minutes to make sense of the very rough system of organization and the better part of an hour before he located anything that referred to Lord Talmet. Much of that hour had been spent scanning documents, discovering they pertained to a completely different person, and then finding where to properly file it.
As Cooper read about his target he was thinking, “Apparently, Lord Aaron Penton Talmet is a man intent of embracing life, or at least embracing as many women as possible; according to this he has sired at least a dozen illegitimate children varying in age from twenty-six to three years of age. It’s wonder that he’s maintained but a single wife. He must be very practiced in keeping secrets, or perhaps his wife knows and either doesn’t care or she simply has no choice in the matter. According to his date of birth, Lord Talmet was now forty-eight years old. At age twenty-nine, he inherited his father’s shipping business consisting of a partially-stocked warehouse and two ships. Over the course of nineteen years he has increased his holdings to three warehouses, five ships and two over-land shipping caravans. He has three children with his wife; two daughters, ages seventeen and eight, and a son, age fifteen. Cooper found no mention of a will or any declaration of which child has been named as his heir. He unrolled the sheaf of papers that Master Vorni had given him and examined them again. Lord Talmet was to be killed, by any means, within the next ten days. Cooper had a theory as to why the next ten days might be significant. He checked the birthdate of the oldest daughter and discovered his suspicions were correct. Her birthday was two weeks away. Paleros law dictated that if there was no document declaring an heir, in the event of death the inheritance would indisputably go to the oldest adult child. The papers did not indicate who the client might be, but to Cooper it seemed apparent. If the Lord should die prior to his eldest daughter’s birthday, Common Law dictated that all properties would revert to Lady Talmet. As difficult as it might be to believe, it appeared to him that Lady Talmet was having her husband assassinated so that she would receive ownership, instead of her daughter. Perhaps she does care about all his infidelities? Still, it might be better to attempt confirming this with Master Vorni, but before that, there was still much more to learn.
Cooper stayed in the library, looking for more information, until the light began to fade. He had not brought a candle so he decided that he’d best exit the library and return again later after he’d observed Lord Talmet’s residence first hand.
Lord Talmet was one of those nobles that had a title but not much in the way of land. While he did have a modest country estate, everything Cooper had read stated that he spent very little time there. According to the thirty years’ worth of notes in the library, he generally visited his estate two times a year. The first annual trip during the spring planting and the second for the start of the fall harvest, with each visit lasting at least a week and never more than two. The rest of the year, it appeared that he divided his time between his home in the Grid and his manse at Lakeside. According to what he’d read, the majority of the time the family lived in the Grid. For this reason, Cooper began his observations there.
Lord Talmet’s home was surrounded on three sides by a high stone wall. The south side was a tall fence made of wrought iron. The series of poles had plenty of metal decorations, designed to look like vines and flowers, threaded among them. The decorations weren’t so close together that Cooper couldn’t see into the grounds beyond, but enough that Cooper wondered which had cost Lord Talmet more, the stone wall or the iron fence. Once Cooper had finished his walk around the perimeter, he chose a residence that was easily scaled and found a spot on the rooftop, tucked alongside a gable. From this spot he was able to see over the wall and observe the patrols. The waning moon was just under half full. Crescent was the term he remembered from his studies. It provided a fair amount of light, but not enough to cast clear shadows. Still, it was enough to be able to monitor the guard’s movements. After a few hours of observation, he felt frustrated. There were lamps hanging from the side of the house, positioned every twenty feet or so on, and one at every corner besides. It appeared they were set to burn all night. Also, the guard patrols were very tight. It wasn’t just one or two walking around the grounds every so often only to return to the house for the majority of their shift. These guards were formed in roving patrols that never went inside until they were relieved by a fresh set of guards. This happened every hour. After watching a few shift changes, Cooper decided he wouldn’t likely learn anything further that night. He waited for the next City Watch patrol to pass, then descended and returned to the Guild.
After breakfast the following morning, Cooper went to Master Vorni’s room and knocked on the door. Within seconds the door was pulled open briskly and Master Vorni’s expression changed from expectation to disdain, “What do you want?” This was the greeting he had expected, “I think I can guess the client, sir, but I’d rather hear it from you… just to be certain.” The man squinted at him, “That’s all you want?” Cooper shrugged, then wondered whether shrugging was a disrespectful action, “That’s all I’m asking for right now, sir. I may have more questions later.” As Master Vorni backed away, just before he closed the door Cooper heard him say, “Wait a minute or two. I’ll look it up.” Cooper hadn’t expected to be welcomed inside Master Vorni’s room, nor would he have accepted the invitation, if offered. But to close the door in his face? Well, to be honest, he didn’t actually feel surprised. In a little over a minute the door opened again and the answer he got was so clipped and abrupt it could only be intended as rude, “The client is his son, Penton.” The door closed immediately. Cooper remained in place for a minute as he gave this new information some thought, “Penton?! His fifteen year old son?” He turned to go to Miss Camilla’s classroom, thinking, “Well, that was unexpected… but does it change anything?” A few more classes today and he’d return to the library. Maybe he’d find something else of value. Yesterday it had started getting dark before he could look through whatever might be available about Lord Talmet’s businesses.
In combat class, Mister Skran almost hinted that Cooper might not have much more to learn in his classes. He’d made sure Cooper learned all the standard fencing movements and techniques, and could name them. He had also familiarized him a few specialized styles that could easily include the use of a second blade. Today, Mister Skran had told him, “Perhaps Master Loril might have more to show you.” Cooper knew his movements lacked precision and grace, but that would come with time. Most of the drills he could do himself, but it still helped to have someone knowledgeable watch and point out poor technique.
After lunch, Master Worthan’s class continued delving into Philosophy and Rationalization. It was only the second time that Cooper remembered wondering why he was expected to learn the material being taught. The only other occasion was near the beginning of Etiquette class a couple years ago. It appeared that Kolrem was eagerly absorbing the material, but Cooper simply wanted to ask if he might be excused.
After class, Cooper decided instead of going to the library he should go take a look at Lord Talmet’s home in the daylight. He stopped by the sleeping bay and picked up a few extra items of clothing.
While almost all the vendors congregated in the Trade Quarter, there were always a few here and there along the edges of the wider thorofares in most neighborhoods in the city. This seemed to be less common in the Grid, possibly due to its proximity to th
e Trade Quarter, or perhaps higher fees made it less appealing but obviously some merchants still found it profitable. Cooper walked behind the stall of a textile merchant and sat down. He sat far enough back that prospective customers wouldn’t likely ask him about the wares, but close enough that an observer would assume he belonged there. His presence didn’t appear to sit well with the merchant at first, but a few silver coins calmed his concerns. From his location, Cooper could see through the iron fence on this side of the Talmet family’s grounds and had a clear view of the gate. Cooper sat and watched for a couple of hours. In that time, several wagons and solitary porters entered the gates, making deliveries to the home. Wagons went around to the side. Porters went right up to the door and were either allowed entry or sent around the same way as the wagons. Cooper stepped back, removed his hooded cloak and stuffed it into his bag. As he pulled on a hat, he gave the cloth merchant a tap on the shoulder and a nod as he left. He’d spend the remainder of the afternoon following a few porters to learn from where Lord Talmet was getting his deliveries.
