by Brian Keller
Knowing they were past the patrols and should be out of danger, he allowed himself to relax a little and began watching individuals of the group. As they walked, most of them glanced from shadow to shadow as if expecting some nightmarish creature to come bounding out at them. Even Mister Ysel seemed to have lost his jovial demeanor. Only Miss Camilla seemed calm and content. Cooper commented to her, “Everyone else seems worried, Miss. Why not you?” Miss Camilla smiled, “You said there is nothing left to fear in the Ruins. I’ve known you to jump to conclusions and sometimes act without thinking things through, even willfully break Guild rules, but I’ve never known you to lie. If you say the area is safe, I believe you.” He nodded, accepting her explanation, criticism and compliment all at the same time, then Camilla added, “And if you think you’ll somehow avoid me examining that fresh wound of yours, then you’ve mistaken me for some other healer.” He’d assumed that would be the case and had already resigned himself to it adding, “Probably for the best, miss. Did you see those blades they were using? It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that they’d been deliberately covered in filth.”
Mister Ysel overheard their conversation and had questions of his own, “Excuse me, am I the only person here that knows anything about the history of this place?” Cooper shook his head, “No, sir. But you might know more than I do. Except for the important recent events, that is. The recent events that make me certain that we’re safe here… or at least until the City Officials realize that we’re here and come to levy taxes.” He winked at Camilla but Mister Ysel was not so easily put off, “I’m glad you’re comfortable enough to joke, but for almost a century no one has entered the Ruins, and for good reason. People have died here by the hundreds. It’s the whole reason for building the Palisade Wall, in fact.” Cooper smiled, “And now the Palisade Wall protects us from the patrols that go through the Palace District. You don’t have to believe me now, sir, but you’ll come to realize for yourself that our only threats will come from outside the Ruins. We have a great deal of work to do before we’ll be ready to keep those threats at bay.”
Cooper glanced around and loudly announced, “We are almost home… be it ever so humble.” He heard a series of responses ranging from one person calling out, “Here?!?” to a muttered, “Is he joking?” Birt picked that moment to step from the shadows and answer the last person to speak, “No, he is not joking. In fact, despite the rough outward appearance, you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find. Follow me.” Birt’s sudden appearance and reply was met with a collective sharp intake of breath and Cooper overheard additional responses as Birt reached to shake his hand. Most of those responses pertained to various bodily functions associated with a person getting scared out of their wits while already in a terrified state.
They approached the side of a building and Birt pulled a door open and reached inside to open the shields on a lantern. Light streamed out to illuminate a foyer with a mosaic tiled floor. The image depicted was that of the sun rising over a tower, or some type of monolithic obelisk. Birt waved everyone inside, “Dailen’s inside cooking, or trying to… hopefully Loryn has already relieved him of that task. Go on through, I’ll close up behind us.”
Even Cooper was surprised by the restoration. The space was snug and the roof had been completely replaced. Birt and Dailen must’ve spent most of the day sweeping and cleaning. Some of the floor, like the newly-discovered mosaic entryway floor, had even been mopped. Almost two dozen bunks had been roughly nailed together and pallets of straw and cloth bundled to form makeshift mattresses lay on top of each of them. The former prisoners looked around the room in awe; some of them even looked a little misty. Birt apologized, “We had to make some allowances. We’ve ordered some proper mattresses, but it seemed unwise to have thirty of them brought here all at once.” One of the Guild members replied, “Lad, I’ve been in some fine inns in my life, but right now I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more welcome sight.” One of the ladies seemed to second that notion, “This is amazing”, and she stepped toward one of the bunks. Miss Camilla called out in a clear voice, “No one lays down until they’ve eaten.” Birt had stepped off to one side and had sat on a crate. He spoke over the rest of them while tapping the crate with one hand, “Mister Ysel may dispute that red wine is an inappropriate accompaniment to beef stew, but anyone who feels strongly enough about it can just drink water.” Mister Ysel took a few halting steps in Birt’s direction, “You…have…wine?” Birt stood, flipped the top from the crate and hefted a bottle for Mister Ysel’s inspection. The man reached for the bottle and smiled widely, “Perish at the thought that I’d ever claim red wine should not be consumed with beef.” He leaned forward slightly as he tilted the bottle to cast more light on the label, “In fact, this one might even be one of my first choices.” He paused and stood erect, addressing Birt, “You know this…” He let his voice trail off as Birt smiled and replied, “Never let it be said that I wasn’t an attentive Etiquette student. Welcome home, sir.”
The remainder of the night was too subdued to be called a celebration but all spirits were uplifted just the same. It seemed that almost everyone had become resigned to, even if still uncomfortable with, living in the Ruins. At least any who still harbored fears didn’t let it affect their enjoyment of a good night’s sleep.
Chapter 15
The following morning, the ladies were excited to have utensils, a proper cooking fire, and the beginnings of a stocked pantry. The air was soon filled with delicious odors as Birt walked beside Cooper and sat down, “We’re going to be drawing more and more attention, the longer the construction goes on.” Cooper nodded as he rolled up his leathers and placed them beside his pack, “I’d have to agree that’s true. And that’ll be a problem that we’ll address as it presents itself.” He pulled the sleeves of his ‘worker’ clothes to his wrists and tied them at that length. Birt smiled, “What if we could get ahead of it? I might have an idea.” Cooper repeated, “An idea? Do tell.” Birt replied, “We need to expand, diversify…” Birt was wearing a clever smile, “and misdirect.” Cooper encouraged, “Go on. I’m listening.”
Birt settled in, “In the Grid, just across the street to the north of the Trade Quarter, there’s a tavern called The Griffin. It shares a wall with a brothel called The Gilded Feather.” Cooper nodded, “I know the places.” Birt raised an eyebrow and Cooper clarified, “I’ve walked past them and read the signs.” Birt chuckled, stood and gestured for Cooper to follow, “I need more information. I know the idea makes sense, I just want to know if I’ve found the right location for it.” Birt led him to Mister Ysel, “Sir, I hate to interrupt your work, but I was telling Cooper about an idea and I need more information.” The man was scribbling on some scraps of paper, trying to reconstruct the signatures for the deeds as perfectly as his memory would allow. He almost seemed grateful to have an excuse to lay down the quill, “How can I help?” Birt repeated the information about the locations, then added, “How much of a percentage do we own of those businesses?” Mister Ysel considered the question and replied, “The Feather, we own thirty percent, maybe a point or two more. The Griffin, maybe twenty percent, but probably closer to fifteen. Why do you ask?”
Birt sat down and waved the two of them closer, then explained, “We need to increase our ownership of these two businesses.” Birt pointed at Cooper, “You mentioned something like this, weeks ago.” Birt resumed his explanation, “We wouldn’t need a controlling interest, but closer to fifty percent, or more, would make our plans a certainty. Or we might simply buy them out completely. Then we close off the street entrance to The Feather.” Both men in his audience took a breath to speak and Birt held up his palms to ask for patience, “Yes, the Madame will protest, but we’ll let the ladies in on the reasons for the changes and I’m sure they’ll all be pleased. The new entrance to The Feather will be through The Griffin. An exclusive entrance. The Feather will still be a brothel, but will now host a higher class of clientele. We’ll also introduce a
few high stakes games, supply some premium wines and liquors, a few choice delicacies. The Griffin will get some improvements as well but the main floor will remain largely unchanged, we’ll just dress it up a little. A bit of paint, some padding and upholstery on the chairs and bar stools… It’ll be the Griffin’s rental rooms upstairs that’ll get completely redone. Something… memorable.” Cooper was uncertain, “This sounds awfully expensive.” Birt stared blankly at him and Cooper ducked his head, “Probably not as expensive as what we’re doing here in the Ruins… I get it. Ok, what’s your reasoning?” Birt smiled, “A new, ‘secret’, exclusive entrance in the Grid? A newly walled off street entrance?” He looked from one to the other as if expecting to see a look of comprehension. He couldn’t bear waiting and continued, “The City Watch, Planning Commission, and Tax Assessors won’t know how to react! There’ll be at least a raid every week for a month! The Madame and The Griffin will cry out for compensation for damages and lost revenue… imagine the distraction!” Birt’s voice was gaining volume in his excitement, “And think of the gossip, publicity and notoriety! Once the initial dust settles, we’ll be turning patrons away because we won’t have seats enough for all of them! Meanwhile, construction continues here without pause. A project like that could buy us another couple months of privacy here, perhaps three, or even more if we play it right. After all, no one really wants to come investigate the Ruins…yet.” Birt crossed his arms over his chest with a satisfied grin, “Well?”
Cooper looked apprehensive, “I don’t know. It’ll be expensive, and I know we covered that already, but it could also be traced back to us.” Mister Ysel was smiling, “I like it. The first month or two we could double our money on compensations and reparations alone, at the city’s expense. That alone will cause monumental agony for the Merchant’s Council. That coin would be in addition to whatever actual revenue the businesses would generate. Plus, the information flow from a brothel can’t be ignored. Changing to a higher class of patron and adding high-end liquor… the value of that chatter could be immense. Within a few months the information value could outweigh the coin by three to one! We could wall off a couple of private meeting rooms… So-called “reputable” patrons conducting shady business deals… secret alliances… and we’d hear it all.” Mister Ysel was warming to the notion, “We’ll conceal Guild involvement by creating a Developer and Contractor business and submit that charter to the Merchant Council and Planning Commission. They’ll accept, naturally, and we’ll gain the added benefit of receiving stamped seals on the Charter.” He looked at Cooper with an arched eyebrow, “One of those seals will be the very one that you’ve been far too busy to obtain for me.” Cooper leaned backward and looked at the two of them, “Well, I guess it’s decided then.” Birt’s jaw dropped but he recovered almost immediately, “Wha- that’s it then?” Cooper was already standing. He shrugged, “Sure. What else is there? Find out what it’ll take to do it. It’s a good idea. Your good idea. See it through.” Before he turned away he added, “Now that Mister Ysel is here, the two of you can work out how we want to write up lease agreements. Once our secret is out, the best way to conceal our true nature will be to surround ourselves with legitimate, recognized, paying merchants. We could almost become a second Trade Quarter if we’re not careful.” He looked around at all the new people sitting, joking and preparing to eat; all previous cares and fears surrounding the Ruins forgotten, at least for a moment. He addressed Birt, “And you’ll want to get to know these people. Who they are and how to best employ them. Dailen can manage most of the reconstruction efforts for a few days while you adjust to all these recent changes. You’ll just have to convince him to trust the masons and step away from his forge project for more than a few hours each day.” Birt chuckled, “I thought you wanted me to handle Guild business… and here you are giving me instructions.” Cooper knew he was being teased and smiled thinly as he replied, “You can have as much responsibility as you can handle. I’m just trying to keep things in sequence. In two or three months’ time, once our current plans have either succeeded or failed, you can manage everything if you like. I’ll be only too happy to relinquish this management role.” Mister Ysel snorted and attempted to disguise it with a cough as Birt replied, “Not so fast. You don’t believe you can put a shovel-full of hot coals in a box and just put a bow on it and hand it off, do you?” Cooper pressed his palms together and looked skyward, “I can try”, he said with a smile.
He walked to where Rukle was sitting, “I’ll need that decision. Today would be best; tomorrow at the latest.” Rukle sighed, “I’d like to keep Loryn here. She knows the Houses better than the others, but she’s also the best archer so maybe it’d be best if she was one of those traveling…?” He looked up as if to ask for help with his decision. Cooper shrugged, “They’re all Journeymen, but Balat won’t be drawing a bow at all for another month or two. Until Miss Camilla decides he’s healed and takes that plaster sheath off his arm.” Rukle nodded, “I’ve been working with Spen, too. He’s smart. Really smart.” Rukle paused then asked, “Why do I have to be the one to decide?” Cooper sighed, “Because you’re the one handling the Houses. And Collections will need to start again in a few days. You need to decide who you want to watch your back. Do I need to come back and ask you later?” Rukle almost looked ashamed, “No… I’ll work with Spen. Loryn knows the Houses better, like I said, but Spen will likely work out better when it’s time for Collections. Besides, I think Loryn really wants to travel.” Cooper nodded, “All right. I’ll tell them.” Rukle looked relieved. Apparently he’d thought that telling the Journeymen would be his task as well.
Cooper stepped away and got the attention of the Journeymen, waving them to him. Once gathered, he informed them, “Spen, you’re staying. You’ll be assisting Rukle with the Houses and with Collections. I know that’s Enforcer work, but there’s likely to be some resistance with regard to Collections so Rukle shouldn’t go alone. Usually the Enforcers go out in teams of six or eight, but they also visit four or five shops on the same street simultaneously. Use this as a chance to learn where our interests are and scope out merchants that might be looking to expand.” He swept his arm in a slow but brief arc, indicating the Ruins, “We may be able to offer them an opportunity for that.” Spen looked slightly disappointed but he nodded. Cooper added, “And don’t be afraid to offer your input. Rukle respects you. Got that?” Spen perked up slightly and nodded, “Got it. What about them?” He gestured to the other four.
Cooper turned to face them, pointing at Loryn and Balat, “You two are taking a message to Temidan. I’ve never been there so I can’t offer any advice. I also don’t know if the intended recipient will be there; you’ll just have to look. If they’re not there, wait a few days, ask around to see if you can learn whether they’re expected or if you’ve missed them. Wait a week maybe, but no more than ten days unless you know for a fact that they’re coming.” He turned and pointed to Gaff and Naro, “Same goes for the two of you, except you’re going to Kalistos, and I have been there so I can give you some details about how the city is arranged. Both teams will need some coin for expenses. Each of you will also receive a single gem to be used only if needed in order to get out of trouble. After breakfast, get the coin and gems from Birt. Hire or buy the horses, and get your supplies today. I’ve already arranged to have the copper tubes made and I’ll write the messages before lunch. The courier tubes might still mean something on the road, though conceal them until you’re out of town. In Paleros, they would mark you as Guild. You should be ready to leave tonight; tomorrow morning at the latest.” Naro raised an eyebrow, “Courier duty?” Suddenly Spen didn’t look quite so disappointed as Cooper answered, “Yes. Not glamorous enough for you?” Naro shrugged, “Well, we all kinda thought that you had contracts…” He let his sentence fade as Cooper smiled, “We have plenty to do here without sending Journeymen out on contracts. In fact, you need to get back here as quickly as you can manage. If either of you are able to de
liver your message, return immediately. If you’re gone much longer than a month, you might miss out on all the fun. I’ll give you more specific instructions once I have the messages written.”
He left the Journeymen to discuss developments among themselves and he returned to speak with Birt. If coin was to be drawn out, it needed to come from either him or Birt; and he had places he needed to be. Birt’s distraction plan could wait another hour, besides Mister Ysel needed to draw up the charter and all that went with that. Birt was cleaning up for breakfast when Cooper found him and asked, “Spen is staying here to help Rukle. The other four Journeymen are leaving for Temidan and Kalistos, as planned. They’ll need coin and a gem each for travel. Do you have time to disperse the funds?” Birt dried his hands, “Do I have a choice?” Before Cooper could reply Birt amended, “Sorry. I’m just tired. I should keep in mind that you’re pushing yourself even harder than the rest of us. Of course I’ll get them the coin they need.” Cooper shrugged, “I slept a few hours a day ago; and then broke one of Utsef’s, Skran’s and Master Loril’s rules and slept before I cleaned my weapons last night. I’ll wipe them and oil them before I get in line for breakfast, but after that I need to pick up some things in town… then it’s back to the Waterfront for me.”
