Exploitable Weaknesses by Brian Keller (red queen free ebook txt) 📗

The crews attempted to work in silence as much as possible. Shouting commands only as much as necessary. Most of the men knew what needed to be done, and the storm surely prevented the sound from carrying over the water. Kinsman couldn't hear any noises from the neighboring ship and could barely even see it's crew working to get the ship underway. The direction of the prevailing wind made it easy for two of the ships to sail from their moorings, but the second ship was being blown toward the pier. Despite this, the Wharfsiders aboard pulled away after only rubbing the pier for half the length of the ship. Kinsman walked to the bow of the first ship and looked in the direction of the islands. They were much too far away to see them in the darkness and the storm did nothing to improve visibility. He turned to see who was aboard with him and his gaze settled on Gaff. Since raiding the first warehouse, the boy hadn't spoken. He appeared to be no happier now. Kinsman sat beside him, “Anything you want to talk about? We have a few minutes.” Gaff's eyes hovered somewhere between anguish and an accusing glare, “We burned those men alive. You just poured in fuel and dropped a torch on top of them... There's no honor in that.”

Kinsman shifter position and faced him directly, “Honor? You might be in the wrong profession. As a soldier you could fight for the glory of the realm and perhaps someday be knighted. Go speak with the Lord General about that. You remember him – the honorable man who led the raid on our home? I'm sure he believes he did the honorable thing. Any of us that fought were put to the sword or were themselves locked in and burned. Those that survived were shackled to be imprisoned, tortured, forced to work in the quarry, or were simply executed. And those are just the ones we know about.” Kinsman paused to see if Gaff had a reply. Gaff remained silent so Kinsman continued, “We are Assassins. Honor doesn't even factor into it. Utsef should've taught you that. Our job is to weigh every possible factor in our favor, and then fulfill our contract. That's it.”

Gaff thought about what he'd said, then carefully formed his reply, “You imply that the Lord General is no more honorable than us. So how does burning those men make you any better?”

Kinsman shook his head, his tone was incredulous, “Better? I'm not trying to be better. I'm not on some quest for a higher purpose. I'm just trying to free our people. There's nothing I won't do.”

Gaff wasn't satisfied, “Why not kill the Lord General then? As you killed the Spymaster?” Kinsman sighed, he'd hoped that Gaff would've worked that out for himself. He leaned in closer to be heard over the wind and rain, “We don't want Paleros to be weakened any more than she has been. Take too many legs from a chair and it'll fall. The Lord General is a known entity and he's predictable. I can work around a predictable man. Besides, Hennit Arkady is in service to the Prince because King Argravel assigned him there. How would the King respond if Arkady was assassinated?” He waited for Gaff to answer. Gaff merely shrugged and Kinsman responded, “I don't know either. That's why the Lord General is still alive.”

Gaff became thoughtful. The island was in sight by the time he spoke again. He asked, “Do we stand a chance? Against the Army and the Watch, I mean.” Kinsman thought for a moment then replied, “Have you ever watched a wolf chase a rabbit? If you're ever asked to bet on that outcome, a wise man told me, “If you know nothing else about the event, always bet on the rabbit.” When I asked why, his reply was profound, “Because the wolf is only running for his dinner. The rabbit is running for his life.” Gaff chuckled, the ice broken, “It kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?” Kinsman didn't reply. He didn't have to.

The ship being run aground had been gaining speed. Silas' crew had piled on sail and they were well ahead of the other two ships. It was too far away to see whether the flag had been raised or whether the longboat had already been lowered, but there was no mistaking it when the ship came to a sudden halt against the rocks. It sounded like another crash of thunder. The mast shuddered and the ship almost appeared to break free of the rocks. The sails had sagged for an instant as the ship impacted but they filled again almost immediately and the force of the winds slammed the ship against the rocks for a second time. The mast seemed to dip as the ship listed and filled with water. The wind pushed the vessel upright once more and as water rushed to fill the ship's hull the wind continued to force the vessel past an upright position to lean away from the rocks. The damage to the hull must have been significant. The ship sank at a surprising rate.

Kinsman would have liked to continue watching until the ship settled on the rocks below but they were quickly approaching the island. He peered forward to look for the docks. He knew that large ships could moor at the prison since many sailors told stories of Paleros warships docking there to drop off pirates and smugglers that had been captured out at sea. He hadn't sailed this far from Paleros except when the Sundancer had brought him home from Kalistos, and on that occasion he'd only glanced in the direction of the prison. His eyes had been fixed on the city itself as they entered the bay. He trusted the sailors to know their business.

He felt a moment of panic when the