Westhaven by Rowan Erlking (best sci fi novels of all time TXT) 📕

Key merely returned a tired glance to say the outburst was not his fault.

Callen continued. “Lady Sadena is our moderator. And she guides the discussion. If you have objections, you can leave immediately.”

Bredin and Pattron remained sullen despite the reminder. Key noticed how they held their heads at slightly unfriendly angles as if they had assumed a certain superiority of purpose that superceded any and all rules of protocol. It was clear to him that no one had been their equal in society before.

“Now, Lady Sadena, if you please.” Callen sat down, nodding to her.

Sadena did not stand. She nodded with pleasure at Callen, then spoke once more. “As I was saying, now that we have met our guests, I want each of you to share your reports. Let us start with the progress in Calcumum. Mr. Butcher and Dinnis, how is the progress in that city going?”

Dinnis grinned, nodding to Dannot as he spoke. “The work is going very well. Though since the raid on the prison during Emergence festival there has been a heightened military presence, we have been successful in establishing posts all around the city for the final upheaval. The Sundri wizard has created a thorough tunnel system, thanks to Key’s timely efforts to recruit her. And we have garnered a strong support with the underground there with Dannot Butcher here.”

The underlord gave a broad and somewhat smug grin that made Key want to turn and vomit. Dannot’s smiles all seemed so phony. There was a sly glint in his eyes that said he would scam every single council member in attendance if he could. Only when the underlord looked at Key did that glint magnify into a defiant taunt, in essence challenging Key to speak up against him if he dared. Already Dannot had gained the favor of those of Mistrim city. It seemed inevitable that the others would soon fall in line.

“Do you have anything to add, Mr. Butcher?” Lady Sadena asked in her solemn way, her eyes resting heavily on him.

That seemed to take some of the smugness out of him. Sadena had that presence that could intimidate any of the proud.

Dannot shook his head. “No, my lady. Dinnis said it all, though, I do pledge my men to the cause with all my soul.”

Key rolled his eyes and leaned on the table with his elbow.

Sadena’s eyes flickered on his movement. She turned toward him. “Do you have anything to add?”

Lifting his head with a quick blush, Key merely shook it, straightening up. “No, ma’am. I think they can handle Calcumum fine without my input.”

Lady Sadena chuckled briefly then nodded to the next one in turn. “Then let us have a report over the situation in Wimanus.”

She looked to Callen who bowed the moment he rose.  

“The situation in Wimanus is rather bad.” He glanced also at the Sundri patriarch who appeared to shrink in his seat. “Since the uprising at Sundri, there has been a heavy migration of blue-eyes into the Northeast Corner. The good news is that we have cleared out most of the Sundri refugees. However, I recommend that we abandon Sundri and Wimanus rule for the time being. Though our escape routes have been close off from the blue-eyes, it is best to wait until the tension in the northeast corner cools down before we return to reestablish the underground there. Unfortunately when my small team first came to Wimanus to assess the situation, we were compromised and had to flee earlier than expected. It also led to the exposure of three of us to the blue-eye military. I’m afraid that I can no longer enter Wimanus without being recognized as an insurgent.”

Frowning, Lady Sadena nodded. “I see. And the others exposed were…?”

Nodding, Callen set down three posters on the table. “They put out these three notices. Mine has no name affixed to it, so I was lucky in that respect. But these two here have been named. However, the likenesses are still poor. They know of Tiler and Key.”

Sadena picked one of the posters up. She peered at the poster drawn up of Callen and then chuckled.

“It isn’t a very good likeness of you either. Any bearded man would be identified with this.” She then took up the one that had the name Tiler under it. “This doesn’t look anything like Tiler either. It appears to be that Bekir man, Loid.”

“Only somewhat,” Callen said, nodding to Key who had reached out and tugged on the poster that had his name. Key peered at it, tilting his head. Callen added, “The image is still in Kolden manner. Loid has been dressing more like a lake minstrel recently. No one would put the two together.”

“And what of Key’s?” Lady Sadena plucked the paper from Key’s fingers. She peered over it then laughed. Setting it down, she said with a glanced to Key, then more to Callen, “Bald and angry. At least they got rid of the bandana.”

Callen bowed, smirking.

Luis lifted the paper off of the table, peering at it. He then nudged Key in the side, whispering for only him to hear. “Not to worry. It still doesn’t look anything like you.”

Edman leaned over, peering at the picture also. “Wow. A price in gold. That should be flattering.”

“I’m not flattered.” Key pulled the poster away from Luis, peering at it more. They had made his eyes look like that of a killer’s, narrow, small and close-set with a glare that was as dark as any demon’s. There was also something about the jaw, too pronounced. His bald brow even had a hard shine to it. His shoulders looked too meaty. In all, the Key depicted looked like a brutish version of Kleston with a shaved head. Obviously they still thought he was Kleston’s son.

Lady Sadena pulled the poster from Key’s fingers once more and set it on the stack. “Enough of that. Onto the next business. The Southwest Corner. Captain Freyman, what do you have to report?”

Lowman stood up and bowed to Sadena. His eyes grinned with the opportunity to show off. Telerd sat next to him, but he held a more serious look than his superior’s.

“Lady Sadena, I am pleased to report that our operation in Kalsworth is going as scheduled. We now have three telegraph offices under our influence as well as the Kalsworth and Barnid train stations. The blue-eye captain over that area…”

“Captain Heron,” Key muttered under his breath.

“…is still unaware of any or our shipments to and from the area. Nearly all the countryside has been filled with the Westerlund Hills’ weapons. What we need now are more in-town industrial type weapons.” Lowman then looked to Key.

Taking that as a sign to speak, Key lifted his head and asked, “What exactly are you asking for? Pick axes?”

Telerd set his hand on his mouth to stop a laugh. He and Key had exchanged looks over the table both knowing how much Key disliked Lowman.

Lowman narrowed his eyes a little. Yet he maintained a smile on his lips. “We can make our own pick axes. We want the services of the supposed ingenious Bekir smith to make hidden swords in broom handles or something similar.”

Key leaned back with a grimace. “How many and where do you want them?”

“Are you saying he is the Bekir smith?” Bredin Sefesher suddenly asked, staring at Key as if he were a young fish he wanted to toss back into the sea.

Callen gave Bredin a hard look, but Key nodded to confirm.

The Stiltson man sat back, just staring at him.

However Key turned to Sadena. “How many people came here for weapons orders?”

Lady Sadena sighed and waved her hand to the table. “Well? Men, and lady, with a raise of hands, how many of you have come for specialized weapons?”

All the Wede Mountain city men lifted their hands. Ollev Tallar, and the other southerners did also. Then the woman from Tobi, and Dannot from Calcumum raised their hands. Out of the crowd, it seemed that all the newcomers had come for were superior swords.

Key grabbed his wanted poster from off of the stack and turned it over with a petulant plop. Plucking a graphite pencil they had stolen from a Sky Child office out of his pocket, he set it on the paper. He shoved it towards Dannot. “Write your name, your city, and your need. Then pass it along. I’ll negotiate the details with you all after the meeting.”

“Write?” Dannot blinked at him, picking up the pencil tentatively like he didn’t know what to do with it.

Edman took the pencil from him and whispered into Dannot’s ear, writing on the paper for him. Dannot cast Key a sharp look as if he suspected Key was trying to make him look like a fool, however Dannot whispered in secret to the witch his needs.

 With a nod, Key turned to Sadena. “We can continue while they do this.”

Lady Sadena passed him one of her smiles. She lifted her eyes to the others. “Is there any other business in the Southwest Corner you would like to discuss?”

Lowman watched the paper as Edman made Dannot’s list, slowly shaking his head. “No. That is all.”

Nodding to the rest, Lady Sadena turned her eyes to Pattron. “Alright, then, I am sure the men of the southern area are eager to discuss their needs. Let’s start from Ladis and go eastward, shall we?”

Smirking, Pattron leaned forward against the table, puffing up his chest with all importance as he had done before. “My business is with Key. I heard that he arranged to have tunnels built in Calcumum, and he has connections with the Bekir swordsmith. But since the swordsmith is here and has already arranged an order sheet, we can focus on our first need. What we want for Ladis is what Calcumum and Wingsley already have.”

Key emitted a sigh and leaned forward to look at the swarthy man who was gazing over his head to search the crowd of important faces for the famous Key. Key lifted his chest and said, “If you want tunnels in Ladis you should negotiate with the patriarch of Sundri to use his wizard, Lanona Loe. Lanona is the one who made the tunnels.”

Pattron lowered his eyes with a condescending glare, briefly fixing the look on Key who had already decided that he did not like Pattron any more than Lowman. The man from Ladis had turned his eyes to Sadena with an air of a man intending to charm the matron of the house, ignoring the child below him. “Will Key be available to arrange it?”

Key pointed to the patriarch of Sundri who had grown flustered that Key brought him up. “I said—”

“Boy! Do not interrupt!” Pattron snapped at him. His face turned red at the young man’s ‘impertinence’.

Key sat back in his seat and threw up his hands in exasperation. He looked to the others for someone to speak up. However no one would interrupt Pattron who had bristled to the point of searing anger at being wronged.

“I was speaking to her.” Pattron said through his teeth.

Key glanced at Sadena. She was no help either. The wizard maintained a serious expression as if she felt it was necessary to maintain all pretenses despite the Ladis man’s ignorance.

Leaning to the left and whispering to Callen first, she then nodded to Pattron. “It will be done, if you wish, Mr. Huldrid. But please refrain from shouting at this table.”

The Ladis man bowed and sat back.

Sadena passed a look to Key to keep his peace, which to some of the newcomers could have easily been misinterpreted as a chastening glare. However, she did not say a word to him as she continued on with the meeting.

“From Wendora?” Sadena nodded to Ollev who was clearly suppressing the urge to mock Pattron. Likewise he read her prudence in the matter and consigned himself to that instead.

Ollev said,