by Brian Keller
As Naro and Balat were taking the healer around the House, making introductions, Cooper overheard the healer’s name, Hendrick. Cooper spoke with the remaining four people. One of these was a farrier, one was a porter, and two were Wharfsiders who proclaimed that they’d be returning home ‘just as soon as they felt able’. Both the farrier and porter were pleased to accept his offer of employment. That made five people staying, and seven needing to be escorted to the other House.
He asked Naro, “The healer’s been paid, and knows to come here twice a day for ten days?” Naro nodded and Cooper continued, “And make sure everyone is eating?” Naro nodded again and Cooper appeared satisfied. He told the Journeymen, “We’re leaving. Seven of these people are coming with us. Gaff, Naro, you two stay to the back of the group. Balat, you stay at the front. I’ll scout ahead. I won’t be moving fast unless we get attacked. Try to keep me in sight, unless I’m leading someone away from you. I don’t expect any problems from the City Watch, but they’re not the only ones out there now. If we get separated, you all know the way to the other House. Protect our new people.”
Cooper then collected the new Guild employees and told them, “We’re taking you to a new place. We don’t expect to be stopped or attacked, but it is possible. If we’re stopped and questioned, you’re all returning home after digging irrigation ditches in a farmer’s field before planting season. If we’re attacked, either defend yourselves as well as you’re able or run. Just know that if you run, we won’t be going looking for you. Any questions?” The porter mumbled, “Is it too late to reconsider that offer of employment?” Cooper focused on the man, “No. It is not.” The porter looked embarrassed as he replied, “You weren’t s’posed to hear that. It was a joke.” Cooper’s expression didn’t change as he stated flatly, “Funny. Are we ready?”
Twenty minutes later they were in the other House and introductions were being made all around. Cooper found Mister Ysel and sat down beside him, “Sir, knowing about ‘society personalities’ was part and parcel of your classes on politics and heredity in Etiquette classes, correct?” Mister Ysel had a thoughtful expression as he nodded, “I suppose that’s true for the most part, but I think you’re about to ask some specific questions.” Cooper confirmed his suspicions, “Yes, sir. What can you tell me about the Royal Spymaster and the Lord General?” Mister Ysel’s expression turned serious, “Should I wonder why you’re asking? These are powerful men.” Cooper shrugged, “After the Guild was raided I recovered some items that Master Loril left behind for me. One of those things was a list of names. Master Vorni’s name had been crossed off. The two other names were Royal Spymaster Yoren Aporigh and Lord General Hennit Arkady.” Mister Ysel nodded in understanding, “So you were left a Contract. Is that what you’re saying?” Cooper shrugged, “Yes, but I’ve also been told on more than one occasion that Assassins are used for more than killing. The last of Master Worthan’s classes also taught that the ‘desired effect’ need not be total destruction.” He paused but Mister Ysel had nothing to add. Cooper continued, “I’ve met the Lord General once. When I was a courier, I delivered a message to him. I’ve been to his home, spoken with people who work for him… he led the forces that destroyed the Guild and killed or imprisoned most of our members, but despite that fact, everything I know about him tells me that he’s a good man.” Mister Ysel had begun to nod. When Cooper finished speaking, Mister Ysel replied, “The Lord General was once a Captain in the King’s Army. He showed real promise and displayed absolute loyalty. For this, the King appointed him to Prince Lancaster and he was promoted to General. I suspect that this was not only the King’s way of protecting his son, but also a way to receive regular reports on his son’s activities. From what I recall, the Prince later bestowed him the title of Lord General, and since that time Hennit Arkady has been loyal only to the Prince. Which is to say, he hasn’t been disloyal to the King, but he likely isn’t providing the King with information either. He is a member of the Prince’s inner council, and is likely one of his closest advisors.” Cooper considered this for a moment then mused, “Killing him would only create larger problems. We don’t know who would replace him and his death would certainly cause the King to respond in some way. Both of those conditions could leave us worse off than we already are.” Mister Ysel was smiling. He seemed proud of Cooper’s observations and asked, “So? Where does that leave you?” Cooper’s shoulders sagged as he sighed, “It leaves me with figuring out a way to coerce a powerful man whose only loyalty is to the Crown… tell me about the Spymaster.” Mister Ysel’s smile grew wider, “Who said it was his only loyalty? The Lord General has a wife and daughter.” Cooper raised an eyebrow, “Let’s not say that I won’t use a man’s family against him… let’s just say that I’d rather exhaust other options first.”
Mister Ysel replied, “Alright. The Spymaster, then. As far as I know, his actual network is limited. He gets most of his information from City Watch reports but he has a few people he pays to provide information on a semi-regular basis. This money comes from what is reputedly a very large account held at a bank in the Palace District. How a Spymaster would accrue an account so large is a matter of speculation, but I’ll say this and let you draw the inevitable conclusion; in the year prior to our Guildhouse being raided, his information on many of our activities became suddenly and stunningly accurate.” Cooper spoke a single name, “Jarell.” Mister Ysel gestured to indicate that he’d arrived at the expected conclusion. Cooper wondered out loud, “So should we assume that Jarell was feeding information and coin to Yoren as a means to influence the Watch and the Army? In essence, manipulating the Prince’s forces into attacking us?” He became silent as his mind began making several leaps. He didn’t know if Felis was still alive, but Master Worthan had told him that Felis had started shifting some of his attention to the Palace, since that’s where the Hunter had moved to work for Aporigh. After a few seconds he focused on Mister Ysel again, “That relationship could work for us, rather than against us. An exploitable weakness. I don’t need to coerce the Lord General. I need to coerce the Prince. I just need a way to communicate…” Mister Ysel looked alarmed, “Am I hearing you correctly? You’re talking now about going after the Prince in order to get at the Lord General?!?” His voice took on a slightly exasperated tone, “Excuse me, but these things usually work in the other direction!” Cooper was picturing the model used in Master Worthan’s class, the series of interlocking gears, “It’s the surest way to achieve the desired effect. The Spymaster is the weak link, but the only person in a position to command the Lord General is the Prince. And it just so happens that I might have an idea.” He leaned forward to stand and his speech reflected that his mind was already working to assemble and arrange these new pieces, “The beauty of it is that we might gain the effect we need by doing something we were already preparing to do.” Mister Ysel looked confused and more than a little concerned. He replied uncertainly, “I’m, uh, glad I could help.”
Cooper had stood and was walking away, Mister Ysel had more to add, “Cooper, a couple of these ladies here were Guild seamstresses, and one of the men is a leather worker.” Cooper shrugged, “That’s good to know, I suppose. We’ll have plenty of work for them.” Mister Ysel continued, “That’s just it. We have work for them now. With material, needle and thread, they could craft clothing that might conceal your weapons while still allowing you to move about the city more freely. Across the Bridges and through the Trade Quarter for instance, wearing something other than your Guild leathers…?” Cooper nodded, “I’d lose the protection of the leather, but if I’m not recognized, I might not need it.” Mister Ysel smiled, “Exactly. Furthermore, the leather worker could take care of some of those seams that are starting to separate. And if you don’t mind my saying, some parts of those leathers might do well to be replaced completely.” Cooper looked up and down his legs and inspected his arms. He had to concede that the man had a point, “Alright. Speak to the ladies and the gentleman, put togeth
er a shopping list and give it to Gaff. Don’t buy anything that they can’t easily carry. We should only be here for a couple more days.”
When the Guild was in full operation, it was a simple thing to get clothing for almost any occasion. If Master Loril didn’t have what was needed on hand in the Quartermaster’s Shop then he could go ask Miss Eiler to make something custom-fit. Now, the simplest alternative was the Trade Quarter. He visited two vendors to find what he was looking for; loose dungarees that were the right length and fit in the waist, and a man’s long-sleeved shirt made out of sailcloth. The shirt was far oversized but he could tie the sleeves back and could still tuck in the shirt tail and leave plenty of material to drape down behind him to conceal his blades. He’d just need to reposition them slightly so the grips wouldn’t protrude in the way he preferred.
He brought his purchased items to the tavern where he’d found Birt and rented a room, ordered a bath and stripped out of his leathers. Thirty minutes later he emerged from the room with his leathers bundled under his arm and his chain knife coiled and rolled up in his cloak. As he returned to the House in Miller’s Flats, he couldn’t recall a time when he’d felt so naked in public.
As he entered the House, Naro and Balat sprang to their feet but then quickly resumed their seat. Cooper asked, “I look that different, do I?” Naro nodded and Balat answered, “Considering that we’ve never seen you wearing anything but those leathers under your arm… yeah.” Cooper set down his bundles and extended his arms in front of him, “Which arm has the darts? Quickly. Can you tell?” Both boys answered, almost in unison, “Your left.” Cooper drew back his forearm to inspect it, “Is it that obvious?” The boys looked at each other and grinned, knowingly. This time Naro answered, “Nah. They’re always on your left.”
Mister Ysel had been listening to the exchange with some amusement an added, “I see you’ve elected to retain your boots.” Cooper glanced down and nodded, “There’s just no substitute for a pair of good boots.” He turned his back to the man and raised his shirt, exposing the blades, “And I won’t walk around town without these readily at hand either.” Mister Ysel chuckled, “Of course! I wouldn’t expect it any other way.” He paused and conducted a cursory inspection, then offered, “A bit of mud here and there and some ground-in dust on the knees and elbows, and you might almost become invisible… unless one actually looked.” The man raised an eyebrow, “So consider changing your gait. Drag your feet a little as if you’re tired and a tad malnourished. And let your shoulders sag and your back slump, instead of striding about as if you have nothing to fear.” Naro and Balat seemed to be warming to the topic and added, “What about a limp?”, “Or a club foot?” Cooper grinned, “Easy now… I do have places to be, remember?” He nodded to Mister Ysel and gestured toward his bundles, “I’ll leave those here for maintenance and repair, as we discussed. Mind the cloak. My chain knife is wrapped up in it. It’s sharp.”
As he turned to leave Gaff asked, “Where are you going?” Cooper’s hand was on the door as he replied, “The Waterfront. It’s time to set things in motion.” As the door closed behind him the three Journeymen shared glances among themselves, then looked at the Guild members recovered from the quarry. Balat mused, “I thought things were already in motion…?”
Chapter 13
The air blowing in from the bay was always a little cool, but he thought he could detect a little warmth in the air. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he wasn’t in his customary leathers but if anything, he thought it would feel cooler.
He let his shoulders sag and his back slump, as Mister Ysel had instructed. He had already rubbed dirt and a bit of mud onto his knees and elbows. He’d rubbed some wheat chaff from a nearby miller’s wheel into his hair and onto his right shoulder. Now he looked like he was fatigued from helping a farmer unload his wagon and was on his way to the Waterfront to look for more work. It was doubtful that anyone even noticed him amidst the people crossing the North Bridge.
Further into the Waterfront District, he stepped off the boardwalk, onto a collection of haphazardly nailed boards and beams that spanned almost the entire edge of the docks just above the high tide mark. It was these boards and beams that allowed the smaller boats to tie off and unload their cargo, whether passengers or goods. He hooked an arm and leg over a board and reached down to sweep water into his hair, rinsing the irritating chaff away. He pulled himself back up to straddle the board and shook his head, scattering droplets of water in all directions. He then sat for a moment, letting some of the remaining water drip from his hair as he looked south and west, in the direction of Serpent Tooth Prison. There was enough haze over the water that the island was only barely visible, but it was enough to know where it was. “So much to be done during the next month or two,” he thought, “and worse, not all aspects will be within my control.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He brushed some of the chaff from his shoulder with his wet fingers, then deliberately dragged his fingers across his eyes. He felt the grittiness under his eyelids and he stood and climbed back onto the boardwalk. He wiped a little of the grime under his nose, squinting from the acrid odor of the tar used to preserve the boards. Now, with a runny nose and teary eyes he scuttled up to a City Watchman. One of the guards nudged the other and nodded in Cooper’s direction as he approached. One of the men questioned him gruffly, “Whaddiya want, kid?” Cooper ducked his head, sniveling, and spouted a story in just two breaths, “Apex took my da’ away, so I been follerin’ somma them foreigners what’s been sellin’ it. I’d liketa set one’a them buildin’s they’re stayin’ in on fire an’ jes watch’em burn, ‘cept I don’ wanna go to the work camps fer doin’ it.” The City Watchmen took the bait, “Alright, lad. Show us where it is.” Cooper kept his head down, cursing Apex and all foreigners as he walked, then pointed out one of the warehouses that Mardon had identified. “I seen ‘em comin’ and goin’ a bunch’a times day an’ night. You’ll kill ‘em now, right?” One of the Watchmen snorted and Cooper whined, “What’s so funny?! Their sellin’ poison!” The other Watch man placed a hand on his shoulder. Cooper stiffened but made no move to escape the intended kind gesture as the man spoke, “We’ll keep an eye on the place. If it looks like what you say it is, then we’ll report it. If you’re right, we’ll probably raid it tomorrow.” Cooper shrugged the man’s hand away, “Tomorrow?! How many more kids’ll lose their da’s today?!” He didn’t wait for a reply and stormed off. The other Watch man called out, “Hey, kid. Wait!” but Cooper had already rounded a corner and was out of sight.
Cooper circled back toward the boardwalk. He thought, “Now to force them to move.” It was simple to recognize the Lukasi drug peddlers and their methods, once you knew what you were looking for. They would hover together in groups of three or four, one would take the coin and count it, then nod to one of the others who would then hand a packet of the drug to the customer. The remaining one or two would watch the surrounding area for any threats. If any City Watch or Army soldiers approached, only one man needed to step away. The man with the drugs. Cooper kept an eye on one of the groups of men and within twenty minutes a Watch patrol walked by. One of the men stepped to the nearest building and walked into the narrow passage beside it and waited. As soon as the patrol had passed, the man emerged and rejoined his colleagues. Cooper moved behind that same building to await the next patrol.
It was nearly forty minutes before the man walked toward him. A soon as the man paused and turned, Cooper knew he had less than a minute to strike and be gone or risk being spotted by the patrol. He silently crept forward and stabbed the man in the back just above the beltline, in a slightly upward motion, then withdrew the blade and slashed the strap holding the satchel that held the drugs. The man groaned as his knees buckled and he attempted to turn, raising his arms slightly as if he planned to grab whoever had stabbed him. Cooper pushed the point of his blade into the man’s armpit and pressed until most of the blade had disappeared into the side of the man’s ches
t. He had some difficulty withdrawing the blade and ended up pulling the man toward him slightly as he retrieved it. As the man crumpled he uttered something between a whine and a whimper and Cooper could see the man’s partners, frozen in place on the boardwalk, wanting to react but not certain what they could do with the Watch patrol so near. One of the men, apparently a little quicker of thought, cried out, “Murder! Murder! Right there!” as he pointed right at him. Cooper gripped the satchel strap firmly and darted away. He sprinted down alleys and sidestreets for a few minutes before slowing to a walk. It was unlikely that the Watch patrol had even discovered the body before he was already well out of sight.
He went through the sequence of events in his mind. The Lukasi peddlers wouldn’t want to get embroiled in lengthy questioning as witnesses, so they’d have likely run off immediately; and the closest place for them to hide and re-stock their drug supply was the warehouse that Cooper had led the first two Watchmen to stake out. Word of this would surely reach the ears of the Spymaster. If not today, he could do this again tomorrow, and the next day, until the peddlers changed their methods. It was only a matter of time.
He quickly walked back toward the warehouse so he could observe the guards while they watched the building. He might be too late already but it would be doubtful that the peddlers would take the most direct route back here. It was almost ten minutes later when Cooper saw the two-man Watch patrol perk up. The three men from Lukasi had arrived and gone inside. Cooper watched the patrolmen converse for a minute before they reached an agreement and departed. He wished he could’ve heard the conversation and wondered how soon he should return. He didn’t want to carry around the satchel for any longer than necessary but neither could he simply discard it. He walked northwest to the Ruins.
