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

eyes off the three men on the other side of the river. He replied, “Sorry about that.” The flatness of his voice indicated a complete lack of apology. As soon as the men were out of sight, they crossed the river. The guard made it apparent that he took no interest in them but he watched them intently once they’d passed him.

Spen was the first to catch sight of the three men, pointing south into the Trade Quarter. They followed them for a few blocks, then the men entered a stable. Several minutes passed and Cooper was preparing to direct the others to find locations to surround the place when the large doors opened and the three men emerged on saddled horses. They trotted west without even looking left or right and quickly disappeared from view. Spen leaned in and repeated his earlier question, “What now?” Cooper shook his head, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on trying to keep up with a horse. I’m going to bed.” He turned north with the thought, “If they were going to the University, they wouldn’t have gotten horses. Where, then?”

Birt approached, walked beside him, and observed, “I wouldn’t bother getting a horse unless I were leaving the city.” Cooper confirmed, “I was just thinking the same thing. But what does that really tell us? We already knew that they weren’t local.” Rukle and Dailen grumbled their assent and Spen wondered out loud, “So should we assume they left town? To do what? Report to their employers? To request reinforcements?” Rukle replied, “Only one thing we can assume. If they’ve left town, we shouldn’t see them again for about three weeks.” Cooper reasoned through Rukle’s claim and nodded, “That’s probably correct.” They were approaching the Whitefoam and Cooper took a moment now to secure his quiver. Dailen and Birt exchanged glances. Birt shrugged and Dailen asked, “Three weeks? How do we know that?” Rukle answered first, “Kalistos is the closest city where an Assassin could be hired. It takes about ten days to get there…” Dailen answered, “Ah. I see.” Birt commented, “You’re ignoring the possibility that an employer might be staying at an inn somewhere in between, waiting for a report.” Cooper shook his head, “Possible, but highly unlikely. They’d have no idea how long they might be waiting. It’s been how long? A month, maybe longer since we first saw them? That’d be a long time to simply wait at an inn.” Spen asked, “Does Temidan even have a Guild?” No one answered him for several seconds before Cooper replied, “Mister Ysel or Miss Camilla might know, or we can ask Loryn and Balat when they get back. Maybe they’ll have learned about that while delivering, or at least attempting to deliver, their message.” Rukle asked, “When do we expect them back?” Cooper was grateful to be crossing the Whitefoam. It gave him time to think about the answer. It was something he should know right off-hand and was a little ashamed that he needed time to calculate the days before he could answer. As before, the man of the Watch ignored them as they passed him on the bridge. Once across, Cooper replied, “The soonest I expect them back would be within the next thirty days, but if everything worked out perfectly they could be back in about three weeks.” They remained silent until they reached the Ruins. Rukle and Dailen stopped at the kitchen to see if there was any food that remained from dinner. Cooper made no such detours and fairly fell into bed, stopping only long enough to unstrap his quiver and unclasp his belt and let it fall to the floor. He was asleep before Rukle and Dailen entered the room.

The following morning, the question weighed heavily enough on his mind that he sought out Mister Ysel almost immediately. Before Cooper could open his mouth to speak, Mister Ysel held out a piece of polished ivory for his inspection with the warning, “Careful. Don’t drop it.” Cooper immediately realized he was holding a stamp that would produce a seal every bit as genuine in appearance as the original. Ivory have been a good choice. Soapstone might have been easier to carve but ivory would hold the details and clean lines better, and for a much longer duration considering the temperature of the wax it would be pressing into. Cooper smiled as he returned it, “Excellent. How long did it take you to make?” Mister Ysel’s grin faded, “Two full days…of doing nothing else. It’ll take a week before I’ll gain full use of my fingers again. I still bear the impressions of the carving tools on my fingers.” He held out his hands with fingers spread. A few of his fingers still bore angry red marks and dents from the tool shafts and handles. Cooper sat beside the man, “Yes. The sacrifices we must make for our craft. A wondrous thing, isn’t it?” Mister Ysel withdrew his hand and cradled it with the other. His face bore an almost pouting expression, “I never took you to be a sadist.” Cooper chuckled and Mister Ysel’s face took on its usual cheerful expression, “You saw right through my charade, didn’t you?” Cooper nodded, “It was good, though. Believable, except for the fact that I know you too well. Pouting? That stretched my willingness to believe too far. If I were a stranger, I’d have been fooled completely.” The man smiled, “Well, thanks for that. That’s something, at least. Now tell me what has prompted you to come looking for me before breakfast. It can’t be so that you could inspect my handiwork?” Cooper replied, coming right to the point, “Does Temidan have a Guild?” Mister Ysel continued to quip, winking, “Yes. Why? Are you thinking of relocating, again?” Cooper shook his head, “No. What can you tell me about them? Are they like us?” Mister Ysel became thoughtful for several seconds,