by Brian Keller
Iona saw the prince’s shoulders sag as he sighed heavily. He then pulled himself upright in his chair and appeared to mentally brace himself for the series of conversations ahead.
****
It took a couple days before Cooper managed the opportunity to visit the Sundancer, by that time the ship was already taking on cargo in preparation to depart. Captain Rigel's face tightened into a grin as he informed, “All vessels were restricted from leaving for the last few days. I can't imagine why. We took that opportunity to arrange our next shipment, and now that the bay has been re-opened, we're leaving... and placing healthy distance between us and Paleros for a few months. I'm sure you understand.
It only took a few minutes to agree on terms regarding the former Lukasi ship now being piloted by men from Captain Rigel's crew. The Guild retained owner shares and the right to dictate cargo as needed.
Cooper stood and grasped Captain Rigel's hand, “Nine stones... next time?” The ship captain nodded, “Practice up. It's easy to forget the flow of the game.” Cooper nodded, “The same can be said for a great many things. Until then, sir. Fair winds.”
Epilogue
Over the next weeks, Cooper had expected Felis to join them in the Ruins, but the enigmatic Assassin remained conspicuously absent. It had taken two days and nights to get the prisoners shifted, either to the Ruins, or to the Gilded Feather.
Much of the glassware, lab material and notes from the Dreg's house was recovered. Aden was slowly recovering, and many of the child-like qualities that he was remembered for had disappeared. Still, he and Miss Camilla were both excited and grateful to get their hands on anything that could be used to begin plying their trade yet again. They immediately went to work inventorying and cataloging materials.
The vault was nearly complete, though the building that would be built around it was still in its early stages, and there was a roof above the smithy . Dailen was already stoking coals in the forge to test it, and “season” it, as he called it.
Birt was less than a week away from unveiling the new Gilded Feather, and construction crews were dividing their time between actual Guild structures, and rebuilding stores and homes for those few folks who were brave and ambitious enough to accept lease terms and start moving in. Not unexpectedly, those properties along the western and southern edges of the neighborhood were the first to be spoken for.
Two or three times daily, Cooper stopped himself from going to the Grid, to look in on Master Darius and the contents of the Library. Each time, he convinced himself that he shouldn't go until they had a place prepared for the new library. He'd considered a few structures, but kept coming back to the vault. The walls could be extended and connected to the building foundation next to it. Arranged properly, it should give them even more space than the previous library. He was pacing off the distance for the fourth time when he heard raised voices from over near the main building.
He walked quickly and increased his pace as he heard a voice he recognized. As he rounded the corner and saw one figure towering above most of the people around him, Master Loril. The huge man stopped scanning the faces around him and raised his eyes to focus on Cooper and broad smile split the bottom half of his face. He stepped to the side, causing several people to jostle each other getting out of his way. His movement revealed another figure standing behind him. Cooper couldn't stop himself from calling out, “Master Worthan! You're alive!” The old man's face was mostly concealed behind his thick, white beard but there was no mistaking the glint in his eye. There was a gravely quality to his voice as he called back, “Kinsman! It seems that we have much to discuss.” Cooper had questions and he was not to be deterred, “Where have you been.. both of you?” He looked from one man to the other. Master Loril managed to say, “Gajeril.” before Master Worthan began explaining, “When the Army attacked the Guildhouse, Master Loril cut through a few squads to get to me and pull me out through one of the hidden exits. I won't bore you with details, simply suffice it to say that those clothes needed to be burned afterward. No laundering could ever hope to make them tolerable.”
The old man looked around the Ruins, “It looks different than I expected. And it feels different as well.” He arched an eyebrow and gazed at Cooper. The young man nodded, “It won't look like The Ruins for much longer, but it's probably had that name for too long to be called anything else.” Master Worthan made a dismissive gesture, as if to say the name was unimportant, “Is there a place we can sit and talk? A Council Chamber? Or Library?” Everyone became silent except for a couple of chuckles. Cooper replied, “There's no Council, sir. So there's no need for a Chamber. A Library? Well, you might say it's under construction.” He looked at Master Loril, “The forge is nearly functional, sir.” The big man nodded in reply as Cooper faced Master Worthan and continued, “and we sleep in a 'communal' hall, which is also our kitchen and dining hall.” He swept an arm to indicate the neighborhood, “And several stores and homes are under construction as well. Mister Ysel is building an office to the south which will also serve as a District Hall, a single place for the City Assessors to collect taxes for the entire neighborhood.”
Master Worthan gestured with his hand, indicating Master Loril, “We learned weeks ago that at least a few of our members were still active. From the description we received, we assumed at least one of them was you.” He pointed at Cooper. Birt chimed in, “Description, sir?” The old man became thoughtful, “Yes. Members from the Guild in Gajeril were sent here to assess the state of things. When they returned, a couple members fewer than when they departed, they reported someone matching Kinsman's description, and that they'd been drawn into an ambush. This told us that you were assembling... organizing... but we weren't prepared to return yet. Not until we knew what we might find...” He let his words trail off.
The old man was nodding as he reached into the folds of his robes and drew out a roll of parchment and gave it a shake, “This is what prompted our immediate return.” He held it out so all could see but didn't offer it to anyone. He simply explained, “This is a message to King Argravel, from Hennit Arkady. We've intercepted three others like it. There will surely be others. It describes a growing drug problem, a “Resurgence” of the Guild, piracy, a prison break, allegations of corruption regarding select members of the Prince's council, and a few subtle hints indicating a degree of mismanagement... oh yes, and a direct reference to some kind of agreement between the Palace and the Guild.” He paused long enough for everyone to begin forming opinions of their own, then added, “It's inevitable that one of these messages will reach the King. To predict how he might respond would be pure conjecture, but I'll say this much... Paleros is of utmost economic importance to the Kingdom. It's for this very reason that we originally established ourselves here.” He stopped speaking for the span of two breaths. No one else spoke. Guildmaster Worthan spoke again, “In any event, we must prepare, even while not knowing what we might be preparing for.
Master Worthan gestured to Master Loril, then pointed at Cooper, “Felis managed to track me down, and has spoken with me. It seems that at least a few of the clouds above you may have parted. The two of you need to find a place to practice. Master Loril needs to assess your abilities… your full abilities.” Master Loril raised an eyebrow as he turned to ask Cooper, “Do we even have a place like that?” Cooper grinned as he shrugged, then spoke the words that had almost become a regular saying, in fact Master Loril chimed in and finished the sentence with him, “It’s under construction.”
Guildmaster Worthan then turned to Birt, “As for you, I am not quite ready to give up my position yet. That means your duties are about to change. Unless of course you’d consider a position as my assistant… I’ve never had an assistant before. I’m not even sure how that would work. In either case, I’ll need you to bring me up to date on all the latest developments. You’ll need to be as thorough as possible.” He paused and smiled warmly, “Consider the synopsis to be your interview for the position.” For the fi
rst time in months, Birt appeared speechless.
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