Exploitable Weaknesses

by Brian Keller

  Cooper quickly asked, “Is anyone hurt?” Balat spoke, “A couple minor cuts before Naro showed up. Nothing to be concerned with.” Miss Camilla tilted her head and leaned a little to look behind him, “Balat isn’t the only one hurt, is he?” Cooper raised his right arm and twisted to look behind him, “Yeah.” He looked around the group, finding the leather worker, “It appears I’ll have more work for you. Sorry about that.” Miss Camilla was stepping behind him to look more closely and he shifted the edges of his cloak in front of his shoulders, concealing his wound. There was irritation in his voice, “Yes, their blades were rusty and probably covered in who-knows-what kind of filth. And yes, it’ll probably get infected…but not before morning.” He turned and waved Naro eastward. Miss Camilla abruptly stood erect as if she’d been struck. She looked both angry and offended, but nodded tersely and resumed her place at the middle of the group.

  They moved a few ‘blocks’ further and Cooper signaled Naro to go ahead to the boardwalk as he moved forward to take Naro’s place. He didn’t look behind him, knowing that Balat would be moving forward. He was trying to account for their time. Moving along the road had allowed them to cover the distance faster, but they’d been delayed by the band of roughs. All things considered, he figured they might even be a little ahead of schedule. Still, if City Watch were to patrol this neighborhood, it would be along this road, or one of the others like it. They just needed to get to the boardwalk and hope that the Wharfsiders were a little early, or at least on time.

  This concern increased after they’d walked another couple of ‘blocks’. Naro could be seen up ahead, waving. He wasn’t waving him forward. It looked more like he was waving them away. Cooper stepped into the open and held his hands palms upward. Naro sprinted to him and Cooper asked, “What’s the problem? City Watch? Is the boardwalk compromised?” Naro shook his head while he caught his breath, “No, but there aren’t any boats waiting, either.” Cooper shrugged, “Well, maybe we’re early. We need to get off the road. Dregs or no, eventually a Watch patrol will come through.” Naro looked doubtful, “Well, we might need to get creative. The City Watch patrols the boardwalk more often than the rest of the district.” Cooper shrugged, “Go back and watch for the boats. We’re still a minute or so away, they may paddle in before we get there. If not, we’ll find a place to hide while we sort this out.” Naro continued to look doubtful but returned the way he’d come. Cooper scanned their surroundings before he waved for everyone to follow. Several of them appeared impatient and were quick to respond.

  The path remained quiet and abandoned. As he approached the boardwalk, Naro was nowhere in sight. He worried now that the small group that had followed him before had discovered Naro. He signaled for everyone behind him to find a place to stop and he crept forward. He scrutinized the row of buildings that bordered the boardwalk, to the north and south, and if anything he felt disconcerted with how abandoned the area appeared. He’d taken a few more steps when a head poked up from the waterside edge of the boardwalk. It was Naro. The boy gave a hesitant smile, “I thought I should stay out of sight. Still no boats.” Cooper looked around. The buildings were similar in design with those commonly found in the Trade Quarter, with a storefront on the ground floor, kitchen in the back and bedrooms upstairs. Cooper selected one and quickly picked the lock and lifted the latch. Hearing no noises from inside he signaled to Naro that he should stay where he was and Cooper went to retrieve the group.

  He led them into the storefront, which revealed itself to be a dyer and weaver’s shop specializing in taking scraps of cloth, coloring them vibrantly then weaving them tightly to form absorbent and long-lasting rugs. As his group entered he quickly walked up the stairs, opening a pouch as he went. He hadn’t yet reached the top of the stairway before one of the bedroom doors opened to display a disheveled and angry man gripping a saber. It took a moment for his eyes to focus but Cooper’s movements captured the man’s attention, as did the five gold coins Cooper held in his open palm. Cooper spoke quietly, “We’ll take nothing from you. We’ll be gone in less than an hour. These coins are for the inconvenience of waking you and for rent until we leave.” The ruffled owner looked closely at the young man, then at the coins, “Double that an’ ye can steal whatever ye want!” Cooper smiled and he shook his head, “We’re not here to shop, sir. We’re just waiting.” The man peered over the railing to the floor below, straining his eyes in the darkness, “Waiting?” He then took a closer look at Cooper and shook his head, “Nevermind. I’ll take the coins. Can ye lock up when ye leave?” Cooper grinned, “I’ll do my best.” The owner turned and went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Cooper heard the man say, “Nothing for you to worry about, dear. Go back to sleep.”

  Cooper rejoined everyone on the ground floor and told them, “Sit down. Relax. Rest. If the boats aren’t here in the next ten minutes, I’ll go look for them. Worst case, I go to the Wharf City and sort this situation and come back with boats.” He’d just finished this statement when there was a soft but rapid knocking on the door. Gaff opened the door a crack and reported, “It’s Naro. He says the boats are coming!” Cooper arranged a few of the people, putting a few stronger ones to the front, saying, “Once you’ve reached the lower walkway, help the others down to the boats.” He then told the rest of them, “I’ll step out to make sure it’s clear. Once the boats reach the poles below the boardwalk, I’ll let you know and we’ll all get aboard as quickly as we can manage. Don’t rush. Step carefully and once you’re seated in a boat, stay in the center unless one of the crew tells you to move somewhere else.” He didn’t wait for a reply as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

  He hadn’t noticed it before, there were too many other thoughts going through his head, but there was almost no breeze tonight. There was almost always a breeze coming in off the water, especially this time of year, but tonight the air was almost completely still. Despite that, he heard no noises that would indicate the approach of longboats. He stepped to the edge to see for himself and gazed to the northeast. “Sure enough, there they are”, he thought. He counted five boats and felt relief wash over him. “At least that’s one less thing to worry about”, he thought. Still, there was no shortage of concerns. He stepped back toward the buildings, studying the boardwalk to the north and south. There were a few people outside but no one appeared to notice him, or perhaps they just didn’t seem to care. He hoped that even if someone did raise some kind of alarm, or if the City Watch discovered the bodies they’d left behind and had widened their patrols, he and his colleagues would already be loaded and paddling away before any forces could reach them. He was also thinking that even if they boarded without raising anyone’s curiosity, they hadn’t yet reached the halfway point for their travels tonight.

  The boats pulled up to the piers and Naro gave him a wave. Cooper crossed to the storefront and opened the door. He spoke to the dark space beyond, “They’re here. It’s time to go.” He counted everyone as they left the building, then closed the door and replaced the latch as best he could before turning his attention back to the north and south.

  Despite most of the members’ frailties, they managed to load and get seated in less than three minutes. In fact, Cooper was conducting his fifth visual sweep of the boardwalk when Naro hissed at him, “Are you coming or not?!” He quickly stepped to the boardwalk above the lead boat and dropped over the edge, clung to the bracing below the boardwalk and hopped down onto the waiting boat. He nodded to the helmsman, “Many thanks to all of you. Do you have a spare paddle?” This brought a subdued chuckle from the Wharfsiders and a paddle was thrust in his direction. He seated himself and dipped his oar in the water as he awaited the signal.

  The longboats set off almost in unison and the men paddled in a practiced rhythm. In the past, Cooper would often exert himself in order to display his willingness to work hard alongside the Wharfsiders. Tonight he acknowledged that when the paddling was done, he still had to escort the group th
rough part of the Waterfront District. That stretch was probably the most dangerous part of their route. Apex, both the selling and the using of it, along with increased City Watch patrols were the reasons for that. His night was certainly not over. He needed to conserve his strength. He continued to paddle and exerted some effort doing so, but didn’t attempt to pull all the water in the bay with his usual vigor.

  As they approached the pier on the east side of the Wharf City, he stopped paddling completely and instead he looked for any activity over the length of the pier, and did the same with the pier next to it. Both structures seemed devoid of any activity at all. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried.

  They drew up to the pier and he quickly climbed up and looked for any signs that they were entering an ambush. The pier had only one landside entry and exit point, there was nowhere else to go except back into the boats or into the water itself. He had known this would be a vulnerable position but considered it an acceptable risk. Now that there was no activity to be seen, he wondered if he’d misjudged.

  He moved along the pier, thanking the crew in each boat for their assistance and asking them to remain in place until they’d reached land. Upon reaching the last boat he was greeted with some familiarity, “Kinsman! When the First informed me that five crews and boats were needed to move between two and three dozen people across the bay at night, I suspected we might meet again.” Cooper smiled when he saw the massive sailor, “Silas! Good to see you again. Thank you for helping us. It truly is appreciated.” He paused and raised an eyebrow, “I wonder if you’d wait until we reach land before leaving the pier? The fact that there is no one on this pier or the next one over is suspicious.” Silas smiled, “I would agree with you, except that I know these piers were cleared out twenty minutes after we left to pick you up and since that time have been guarded by two dozen dock workers. Once you’ve passed, they’ll allow activity to return to normal.” Cooper let his head sag as he shook it slowly from side to side. He told Silas, “Tell the First that I may yet find myself in his debt, and thank him for me.” Silas gave him a brief salute and used his oar to push the boat away from the pier. The other crews took their cues from him and pushed their own boats away, then turned their boats and headed back toward the center of the Wharf City.

  As he walked past the group, the Journeymen gathered around him. He informed them, “Loryn, Spen and Rukle should already be on those rooftops with their bows.” He pointed north toward the end of the pier as he continued to speak, “We need to pick a quick route that’ll allow them to watch over us as we move. If things go badly, stay close to the group or you’ll risk sprouting an arrow. We’ll move in the same order as before. Naro, you take the lead.” Naro looked uncomfortable as he admitted, “Uh, I don’t really know my way around the Waterfront. I mean, I know how to get back to our place in the Ruins, but I don’t know what places to avoid.” Cooper shrugged and told Naro, “Alright, you and I will trade places. The rest remains the same.” He glanced over the group. If anything, they appeared to be invigorated by their trip across the bay but their manner dampened as they realized they were about to enter the city again, and many still harbored uncertainties regarding the Ruins. Cooper spoke briefly, “We’re almost there, but don’t relax yet. Right now, the Waterfront is probably the most dangerous neighborhood in the city.” He didn’t add, “but we intend to change all that”, but he wanted to. He glanced to make sure Gaff was ready before he started walking towards the Waterfront.

  Upon reaching the end of the pier, he acknowledged several of the dock workers with a deep bow of his head. He heard a few of them in hushed discussion as they watched the group approach, “I heared the Guild freed a buncha slaves las’ year. S’pose they done it again?” Cooper couldn’t hear the reply but he hoped that rumor continued. It was far safer than the truth.

  He heard a throat-clearing noise from above and looked up. Spen had leaned out far enough to be seen and was smiling at him. Cooper gave him a nod and Spen answered with a hand sign that meant ‘all was clear’. Cooper could only hope things remained that way. He paused long enough to make sure Naro could see where he was going, then stepped into the shadows of the Waterfront. The streets of the Waterfront were wider and far better defined than those in the Dregs. The trade-off was that they are far more populated and frequently patrolled. Even more frequently now with the increasing problems caused by the Apex trade. Cooper’s main focus now was to avoid Watch patrols. If they got pulled into a fight with a patrol, they’d need to see to it that the blame would also be attributed to Apex. If someone other than the Watch got in their way, they’d be handled as efficiently as possible so they could continue to move.

  He continued heading mostly north, veering west only as much as needed to avoid buildings he knew were being used by the Lukasi merchants. A confrontation with those men was sure to happen, but at a time of his own choosing, and certainly not tonight. He would pause often to make sure that Naro knew where to lead the rest of them, and that everyone was still moving safely. On one occasion, he thought he heard a few raised voices from behind him but they went silent almost immediately. There were no sounds of fighting so he decided it wasn’t worth delaying the movement simply to investigate, only to satisfy his curiosity. He only needed to halt the group one time, for a few minutes, as a Watch patrol made their way down one of the main roads running the length of the district. Other than that, he could hardly believe it when he’d reached the edge of the Ruins.

  He stopped long enough to watch Naro wave to him, then he proceeded past a few fallen structures and waited. He felt he needed to make sure that no one balked at the last minute and refuse to enter. He watched the group cross the road to enter the Ruins, and saw the three archers drop from the nearby rooftops to join them. Several of them clasped hands and Cooper retraced his steps to call out in a forced whisper, “Plenty of time for reunions. Let’s keep moving, if you please.” As the group approached him he asked Gaff, “We have everyone?” Gaff nodded and Balat interjected, “There’re three dead Apex addicts back there, did you know?” Cooper shook his head and looked at Rukle and the Journeymen for more information, “Anything to be concerned about? Was anyone hurt?” Balat snorted, “Just the three addicts.” Balat earned more than one disapproving glance and Cooper replied, “Then tell me about it once we’re sitting around the fire. Let’s go.” As they started walking he asked Loryn, “Will you run ahead and let Birt and Dailen know we’ve entered the Ruins? You know how Birt hates waiting.” Loryn gave him a nod as she handed her bow to him, then sprinted ahead.