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

the ship to accept the next group. Kinsman divided his attention between helping to hold a rope keeping the longboat snug against the hull of the ship, and watching the slow ascent of the cage as it was pulled from above. A short series of lightning flashes revealed the cage was tilted against the rocks instead of ascending. There was a sudden lurch as the cage broke free of whatever outcropping had halted its advance and through the wind, he almost thought he heard the metal frame screech and bang against the rocks. He turned his attention back to the task immediately at hand. A few of these men and women needed some help moving from one vessel to the other.

The efforts continued. As soon as one group was loaded onto the boat, Kinsman and the others began preparing the next. He lost count of the people that had made the trip up the cliffs, but he thought it had been either seven or eight trips when he turned away from the rail and saw only a few people remaining on the deck. It was still night but in the light of the false dawn, he could see their expressions were a mix of fear and hope.

Silas approached and leaned down to speak into his ear, “I don’t know when we’ll sail back into Paleros Bay. It’ll likely take weeks, even months, to get the ship refitted. I certainly don’t want to come back until the ship’s appearance has been changed. The First sent some sacks of gold for fixing up the ship, and enough to restock and provision it but little extra. If you want us to bring back any premium goods, I’ll have to ask you to invest a little beforehand. After our first run, we should be able to finance our own ventures.” Silas stood to his full height with his eyebrows raised and shouted over the wind, “Will you be wanting anything?” Kinsman wished he knew what ingredients Miss Camilla and Aden might need, but no one had even considered that with everything else going on.  Besides, he had nothing to write on and doubted that Silas knew enough about herbs or distillates to remember them if he told him now. Instead, he extended his hand and as Silas gripped it he replied, “No time now. Maybe next time.” He then passed a small pouch of coins to the large man, shouting, “Some operating expenses. We’ll settle up later.”

Kinsman then turned to the rail and descended into the boat below. As the smaller vessel pitched and tossed he wondered how well the prisoners had fared. They’d already been through so much while incarcerated. As the Wharfsiders brought the boat to the rocks, Kinsman helped others across the slippery rocks. The repeated spray of salt water drenched everyone and made his eyes sting. Once everyone was safely into the basket he turned to give the Wharfsiders a wave, but they were already paddling back to the ship.

Kinsman climbed into the basket and they waited about ten seconds before the slack was taken out of the chains and they began to rise. The grating screech of the cage scraping against the rock made him grit his teeth but it was better than climbing, especially during this storm.

Two surprises awaited him at the top of the cliffs. As the basket cleared the cliff face, it was turned onto its side, almost dumping the people onto the wet grass. Cooper recovered quickly and noticed Utsef was there, along with Loryn and Gaff, helping collect passengers who were less able to stay ahead of the basket, which was still moving. Birt and Dailen got the horses stopped after a few steps but it was apparent that the horses were not pleased to be out in the weather. The flashes of lightning and booming of thunder had become less frequent, but each instance still caused the horses to lurch. The hooves had torn up much of the grass, turning a strip leading from the edge of the cliff to where they now stood into mud. Kinsman helped an older man reach the wagon before he turned and scanned the surroundings for Utsef. The Assassin had knelt next to Kolrem, who was seated with one leg extended. Kinsman stepped to them and was about to greet Utsef when he noticed that his mentor was wrapping Kolrem’s right ankle very tightly. Kolrem’s face was drained of all color. He’d been pale from the last few months in a cell, but now his pallor was even starker. While Utsef tightly wound strips of canvas around Kolrem’s ankle, Gaff firmly pulled on Kolrem’s foot, keeping the injured leg straight. Once Utsef tied it off, he stood and faced Kinsman and nodded, “His ankle’s almost been crushed. His Earth Talent should help him heal once he’s got some food in him. Make sure Camilla knows, right away.” Kinsman looked to his friend, then back to Utsef with a questioning expression. Utsef shrugged, “I’ve been camped over on the point overlooking the bay for a week now, watching the prison and the bay. Did you know that a tower is being built over there? Anyway, when I saw the Naval flagship sail out into the bay, lower the flag and return, I knew you be soon to follow. I hadn’t expected you to conduct the prison break during a storm, but I suppose it might make pursuit a bit more difficult.” Kinsman asked, “Are you coming with us?” The man shook his head, “No. I only came back around to see how things developed. As soon as the wagons start moving, I’ll head back to the Forest.” Kinsman knew there was no convincing him otherwise so he simply gripped the man’s arm and told him, “Thank you for helping. It’ll probably be a year or two before we’ll have students for you… if you’re still planning on teaching…?” He turned the statement into