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

It had little in the way of a national army or navy, these forces were employed directly by the ruling merchants. As she read, she remarked to herself about the rarity of finding such a book, “I can only guess that usurpers, or conquerors, must believe that removing any previous traces would imply, by default, that nothing had happened before, and everything that existed could be attributed to the current regime. Either that or it was to create some illusion of finality”. A phrase she’d heard from washer women, “Out with the old, in with the new” seemed to summarize that mentality.

The library had provided a welcome distraction but her mind kept returning to the nagging question, “What will happen to me after we kill or capture the Gifted young man?” Naturally, she assumed she’d be returned to the University, as a neighbor might return a borrowed shovel or saw. But the Spymaster had alluded to continued employment. “Doing what?” she wondered, “I’m barely allowed to do anything now!”

*****

After three days of shifting stones and carrying lumber, Cooper was ready to return to the Waterfront. If he was honest, that thought was prompted as much by the desire to escape the mundane repetition as it was to pursue the Spymaster. He’d decided the best way for him to arrange a meeting was to approach the Secret Police. He could give them the details and be gone while they were still trying to creatively deny being Secret Police.

Considering the remaining preparations, it was too soon to kill the Spymaster. He sat down and unrolled the letter he’d written before commissioning the copper tubes. Much had happened since then and he wanted to make sure he didn’t need to write a new message. Considering the intended recipient, it deserved the extra attention. He read it, and re-read it. Satisfied, he rolled it up and slid it into one of his two remaining tubes, then sealed it and tagged it. He placed the tube in his pile of worldly belongings and returned to working on the reconstruction. It was almost lunchtime when he heard some shouting from the south. He dropped the boards he was carrying and sprinted to the noise. He heard Rukle yelling from his vantage point on top of one of the broken building walls, “Don’t take another step! I’ll kill you!” His voice had a note of uncertainty because Spen was on the ground, shouting at Rukle, “Put down your bow! I know him!” Cooper continued to sprint until he had Spen in sight. Looking past the boy Cooper immediately recognized the intruder. “Utsef!” He blurted the man’s name before he could prevent himself and felt immediately ashamed. Ustef placed his hands on his hips and glowered at him, “So this is what happens when you have no supervision? Discipline just becomes an afterthought?” Rukle had lowered his bow, “That’s Ut-? Nevermind.” He dropped down from the wall and stepped toward the new arrival with an outstretched hand, “Since we’re naming names, I’m Rukle, sir. No hard feelings, I hope.” Utsef vigorously accepted the handshake, nearly pulling Rukle off balance, “None, whatsoever. In fact, you acted as you should.” He chuckled and released Rukle’s hand as he raised an eyebrow at Cooper. Cooper was attempting to recover from the shock of seeing his teacher, “You said you wouldn’t come! I never expected…” Utsef winked, “Sometimes I even surprise myself.” He lifted his head to survey the surroundings, “We discussed your plans at such length… I wanted to see how you’re progressing.” He turned to face Cooper, “And to answer your question before you ask it – No, I’m not staying. I’ve been in the city for a couple of days; spoken to a few people but mostly just listened. I’ve heard a few tales of some unexplained events and learned of the general disgust and frustrations regarding Apex.” Cooper had been watching the man closely. His posture indicated that he was at ease with his surroundings, but his eyes never rested on any single feature for more than a few seconds. He was uncomfortable, but trying hard not to look like it. Cooper swept his arm in a wide arc, as if to present the Ruins with a single gesture, “Let’s show you around. We’ll make introductions as we go.” When they found Miss Camilla, Utsef dug into his pack and drew out a bulging leather sack and handed it to her, “I didn’t know who I should give these to. Seeing you’re here makes that decision easy.” She smiled and greeted him, “Hello, sir. It’s been a very long time.” She accepted the bundle with some hesitation until he explained, “Live herb seedlings - with moist dirt packed around the roots. And not the kind you use for cooking. I have no doubt you’ll recognize them. They need to be planted properly as soon as possible.” Miss Camilla smiled gratefully, “Anything in here that requires special care?” Utsef shook his head, “Not especially. Nothing that should be unsafe to handle, anyway.” Once the tour was complete and most of the introductions done, Utsef asked, “Where are the rest of the Journeymen?” Most of the remaining Guild members returned to their duties as Cooper sat down, indicating that Utsef should join him, “There’s a lot to explain. I’ll try to summarize it briefly. Stop me whenever you like.”

Three hours later, they were still in deep discussion. Cooper had answered many of Utsef’s questions and had been absorbing as much as he could of the older man’s wisdom when Birt entered the building, asking loudly, “So this is the mythical Utsef?” Utsef abruptly stood with a laugh, “Mythical?” He turned to Cooper, “What lies have you been telling?” Cooper remained seated, shrugged and replied, “I’ve been known to quote you from time to time, or credit you when making a valid point, or counter-point.” Birt scoffed and offered, “I’m Birt, sir. And I’d say that