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

chuckled quietly, “Heh-heh. You know me. Concerns for the welfare of others keeps me awake at night.” He grunted in response to the sharp elbow Loryn delivered to his ribs. He muttered, “Just trying to work things out.” He looked over the quarry grounds again, his gaze less and less able to pierce the growing darkness, “I wonder how often they receive wagonloads of firewood? And food?” The others leaned in to listen as Naro asked, “Is that important?” Cooper nodded, “Knowing that might answer how we get in… and out again. For now, just keep watching.”

A few hours before dawn, they’d returned to their own site in the Ruins. Dailen stoked the coals and Gaff retrieved an armload of firewood and set it beside the fire, while the rest of them gathered a few steps away from the fire. They were still feeling warm from the brisk walk. Birt asked, “What was that about blankets? And food and firewood? I doubt the guards are eating the same slop that’s being fed to the prisoners, but you can’t be thinking of poisoning the food, are you?” Cooper shook his head, “Not necessarily. I’m just interested in all plausible reasons we can imagine to get in and out with wagons.” Naro interjected, “Wagons?” Then an expression that resembled recognition flashed across his face, “You think there’re others inside the stockade that can’t walk?” Cooper shrugged, “Maybe. But I also want a way to get out quick… with everyone.” Spen chimed in, “We’ll need to either take the guards’ horses with us as we leave, or sabotage or steal the saddles beforehand.” Cooper looked from person to person, “Who, besides me, has ever ridden a horse?” Each of them reacted similarly, scanning the group with eyebrows raised in expectation. Spen looked like he started to raise his hand, but stopped. Cooper noticed, “Spen?” Spen shook his head, “Once. So long ago it’s just a vague memory. My father placed me in the saddle and led the horse around a pen.” He paused before he continued, his words sounding more like a confession, “All I did was squeal and hold on.” Gaff grinned as he raised an eyebrow, “You squealed?” Spen shrugged, “I was probably three years old, maybe only just.” Balat asked, “Was your father a stable hand?” Spen drew back within himself and simply shook his head, “No.” Spen rose and stepped away from the fire. Cooper watched him leave then looked around at the rest, leaving the question unasked. Loryn offered, “We all know each other’s background to some extent, except Spen. He doesn’t talk about it. In fact, what he’s just said is as much as I’ve ever heard him say.”

Birt brought them back on topic, “Alright, Cooper. Let’s hear it. You’ve got a whole list of ideas going through your head, I’ll wager.” They spent the next thirty minutes adding to, taking away from, and picking apart several ideas. They finally combined a couple of ideas, each with its own difficulties and risks but they agreed that if all went well they had a decent chance for success. The challenge presented to them now was that there were so few of them, and so many places they needed to be.

The plan was to purchase two wagons and the horses and tack needed to pull them, then load firewood on one wagon and a few dozen blankets on another. They would then take the loaded wagons to the quarry, sell the firewood to the guards and offer the blankets to the prisoners. The guards would surely search the blankets, unfolding and inspecting them. This should allow Loryn, the smallest of them, to conceal herself within the stockade as they delivered the inspected blankets to the prisoners. To facilitate this, they’d dump nearly half the load of firewood and need to sort it out before stacking it at the side of the stable. Loryn would remain hidden until the gate was locked after feeding time, then emerge to unchain the groups. All but Loryn and either Spen or Balat, whoever was best able to conceal himself while unloading firewood, would make a show of loading back onto the wagons and driving them back toward town. They would stop once they’d crossed the first low hill. Birt and Dailen would remain with the wagons while the rest of them moved to their planned positions. Once Loryn had unlocked the chains binding the prisoners, she’d douse one blanket with a flask of kerosene she’d carry in with her, light it on fire and drape it over the south side of the stockade. This should be outside the view of the four guards’ observation, but visible to those waiting outside the camp, including three three guards watching the road. Naro, and either Spen or Balat, whoever wasn’t sabotaging saddles, would quickly move to disable or kill those three guards. Birt and Dailen would then begin leading the horses and wagons towards the camp, picking up Naro and his partner along the way. While Loryn worked inside the stockade, Spen or Balat would move through the stable, cutting the girth straps on each of the saddles. Cooper, Rukle and Gaff will have circled in from the west on foot and would await Loryn’s signal. Upon which, they would creep forward to unlock the stockade gate, hopefully without alerting the guards that sat around the fire. Surely, those guards would need to be handled in some way before the wagons approached. Arrows would be best choice, assuming the guards remained unaware. Cooper and Gaff would then keep watch on the guardhouse, preventing any of those men from exiting and Rukle would watch the workman’s hut. The approaching wagons would certainly make enough noise to alert everyone.

Once the prisoners were loaded, they’d all board the wagons and take them back to the city, then south past the University and around to Miller’s Flats. They’d search through the prisoners along the way and