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

Ysel thinks I‘m avoiding him.” Miss Camilla’s eyebrows raised, “Mister Ysel was taken prisoner! I saw him being shackled as I slipped away.” Her gaze lowered as she remembered, her voice filled with shame and regret, “There was nothing I could do… so many dead… and dying. So many others being taken away... I had to escape!” Cooper gave her arm a squeeze, breaking her reverie as he assured her, “And it’s a good thing you did, otherwise you’d not be in a position to help them now.” He gently took hold of her elbow, “Come with me. Gather your things. I’ll help you carry them.” She looked around, “None of this is mine. I left with nothing. And I haven’t tried going back.” Cooper considered telling her that there was nothing to go back for, but that was probably a conversation better saved for later. He kept her focused, “Come with me. Come take a look at everyone and tell me what you’ll need.” Miss Camilla followed him back out to the shop floor. Cooper told the owner, “She’s coming with me.” The owner looked aghast, “But my business! What will I do?” Cooper bristled, “The same thing you did before she arrived.” Miss Camilla stepped between them and spoke, “Kinsman, please.” The proprietor appeared to choke, his eyes darting from him to Miss Camilla and back, then he blurted, “Kinsman?!” Cooper shrugged and walked toward the door and waited. She spoke to the shop owner, “You took me in and gave me a place to live. I know you did this at some risk to yourself, and I am grateful for that. In exchange, I helped increase your business. It was the least I could do, but you knew I wouldn’t be staying.” The apothecary looked dejected, “So things will go back, just the way they were?” He looked at Cooper, who replied, “You will be expected to honor your obligations to your partners. It need not be more than that.” Miss Camilla gave him a slightly pleading look, and Cooper added, “It won’t be a priority to send anyone around to collect any time soon. Fair enough?” The owner nodded vigorously, though his original question had been posed to Miss Camilla. She smiled in response.

As they walked, Miss Camilla looked around her, “It’s been awhile since I’ve been outside.” Events and the earlier conversation caught up with her and she almost blurted, “But Mister Ysel! How did you-?” He held up a hand, cutting her off, “I’ll explain soon enough. Not here in the street.” She recovered her composure, “Of course. Silly of me. But it’s quite a lot all at once, you understand.” One corner of his mouth turned upward as he replied, “You don’t know the half of it, miss.” They continued in silence. They had almost reached the first House in Miller’s Flats when she asked, “Aden?” Cooper replied simply, “I wish I knew.”

When they entered the House, they could see that almost everyone was awake. Several were even in good spirits. Mister Ysel got up and shuffled toward them. He managed a few steps before he recognized Cooper’s companion, “Camilla! I didn’t know you were here!” He immediately faced Cooper, “You should’ve told me!” Miss Camilla stepped forward and gave the man a brief hug, “He only just found me and brought me straight here. He hasn’t even seen fit to explain any of this to me yet.” She looked sideways at Cooper with one eyebrow raised. The gesture was not lost on Mister Ysel, who chuckled in reply, then added, “I don’t know yet either, and I’ve been here most of the night… but I suppose there’s plenty of time for that. I imagine you’ve been brought for them.” He made a sweeping gesture to the Guild members behind him, a movement that nearly caused him to lose his balance. Both Cooper and Miss Camilla stepped in to steady him. She replied, “And I’ll count you among that number until you’ve proven I’m no longer needed.” Cooper interrupted their reunion, “Miss, take a quick look around and put together a shopping list. We have a fair amount of coin but no equipment. Please keep your list to necessary items only. We’ll outfit your classroom later, once it’s built.” This brought a rise from both of them. They spoke almost in unison, “Built?” Cooper hung his head. He hadn’t meant to reveal so much, so soon. He replied, “We’re in the process of rebuilding in a new location.” He spoke to Miss Camilla, “You have patients that need you, miss. Those in this House, and in one other. We’ll get you caught up soon.” He let the sentence end abruptly. She acknowledged and stepped away to begin examining the other Guild members. He then turned his attention to Mister Ysel. The teacher spoke first, “Last night you told me that I was one of the reasons for freeing prisoners from the quarry…?” Cooper nodded, “Yes, sir. Originally, the “you” would’ve been plural, but once I learned that you, Mister Ysel, were among the prisoners, the short-term goal of the quarry raid changed to an imperative. We have need of your skills.” Cooper revealed the other purchases he’d made on his way to Cleor’s; several rolls of fine parchment, ink, quills, sealing wax, carving tools and a chunk of ivory. Mister Ysel looked across the small collection then back to him. Cooper explained, “The Library has been emptied. Not destroyed. Emptied. I know that we held deeds to most, almost all, of the Ruins. I know you’ve seen the documents, sir. We need you to reproduce those deeds.” Mister Ysel’s eyebrows pulled together, “The Ruins?” Cooper nodded, “Yes, sir. That’s where we’re rebuilding. Construction has already begun.” Mister Ysel started to protest, “But the Ruins-” Cooper interrupted, “The Ruins weren’t safe. They are now. And they belong to us. We just need to be able to prove it.” Realization dawned on the