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

might be a step too far. There’s little enough that can be done about the wreckage right now, but could someone at least go out and remove the flag?”

The Captain of the Palace Guard, Myric, was a very imposing man. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the prince to invite him to sit and have a drink at the end of a harrowing day. On those occasions, the prince would ask Myric about his observations regarding events of the day. The first time Iona witnessed Myric picking up his goblet, she noticed that the cup fairly disappeared within the Captain’s grasp. Yet despite his size, or perhaps because of it, the soldier spoke little unless prompted. When he did speak, his rumbling voice bespoke a good vocabulary and a surprisingly subtle nature. It was the Captain that bowed in response to the Prince’s command, “I’ll see to it, my liege.” The Prince sounded apologetic, “I’d delegate someone myself, but I can already hear a crowd of citizens milling about on the other side of that door. They’ll need attending before they manage to whip themselves into some kind of frenzy.” Myric’s half-smile indicated that he shared the prince’s view, “My Prince, I’d wager that over half of them are here to complain about the various activities during the night. No doubt any damages caused by the storm will be attributed to berserk Guildsmen with fiery brands and flashing swords, and therefore will be laid at your doorstep for reparations. It might be..., well, efficient if we were to let them in all at once?” The prince looked rather un-regal as he rubbed a hand across his face, then replied, “Efficient, yes. But several of them may well have legitimate claims. They deserve to be heard and addressed. Even those with questionable claims should not be summarily dismissed.” He paused, then winked, “But making a spectacle of the first few that make blatantly fraudulent claims should efficiently disperse others with similar complaints.” The Captain bowed his head, “As you say, my liege.” As the Captain walked to the doors, the Prince turned his attention to Iona, “And do not for a moment think that I've overlooked your absence. We'll discuss where you've been in due course. For now, just position yourself nearby and draw attention to anyone who may pose a threat.” Myric opened the doors and stepped through. He left them slightly ajar and Iona could hear his commanding voice, “The Prince will hear all your grievances. All legitimate claims will be addressed.” There was a favorable murmur of assent through the room, then Myric spoke more forcefully, “And those wasting the Prince’s valuable time with fraudulent claims shall be dealt with accordingly. And I shall see to it.” Though he was facing away, Iona could imagine the transformation that had come over his face with that announcement. She felt his power build. She was not surprised to sense a powerful Earth affinity, what she hadn’t expected was the extent of his affinity for Fire. The voices outside diminished significantly as nearly two-thirds of the people decided they had matters elsewhere that demanded their attention.

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,