Exploitable Weaknesses by Brian Keller (best interesting books to read txt) 📕

“I look that different, do I?” Naro nodded and Balat answered, “Considering that we’ve never seen you wearing anything but those leathers under your arm… yeah.” Cooper set down his bundles and extended his arms in front of him, “Which arm has the darts? Quickly. Can you tell?” Both boys answered, almost in unison, “Your left.” Cooper drew back his forearm to inspect it, “Is it that obvious?” The boys looked at each other and grinned, knowingly. This time Naro answered, “Nah. They’re always on your left.”

Mister Ysel had been listening to the exchange with some amusement an added, “I see you’ve elected to retain your boots.” Cooper glanced down and nodded, “There’s just no substitute for a pair of good boots.” He turned his back to the man and raised his shirt, exposing the blades, “And I won’t walk around town without these readily at hand either.” Mister Ysel chuckled, “Of course! I wouldn’t expect it any other way.” He paused and conducted a cursory inspection, then offered, “A bit of mud here and there and some ground-in dust on the knees and elbows, and you might almost become invisible… unless one actually looked.” The man raised an eyebrow, “So consider changing your gait. Drag your feet a little as if you’re tired and a tad malnourished. And let your shoulders sag and your back slump, instead of striding about as if you have nothing to fear.” Naro and Balat seemed to be warming to the topic and added, “What about a limp?”, “Or a club foot?” Cooper grinned, “Easy now… I do have places to be, remember?” He nodded to Mister Ysel and gestured toward his bundles, “I’ll leave those here for maintenance and repair, as we discussed. Mind the cloak. My chain knife is wrapped up in it. It’s sharp.”

As he turned to leave Gaff asked, “Where are you going?” Cooper’s hand was on the door as he replied, “The Waterfront. It’s time to set things in motion.” As the door closed behind him the three Journeymen shared glances among themselves, then looked at the Guild members recovered from the quarry. Balat mused, “I thought things were already in motion…?”

Chapter 13

The air blowing in from the bay was always a little cool, but he thought he could detect a little warmth in the air. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he wasn’t in his customary leathers but if anything, he thought it would feel cooler.

He let his shoulders sag and his back slump, as Mister Ysel had instructed. He had already rubbed dirt and a bit of mud onto his knees and elbows. He’d rubbed some wheat chaff from a nearby miller’s wheel into his hair and onto his right shoulder. Now he looked like he was fatigued from helping a farmer unload his wagon and was on his way to the Waterfront to look for more work. It was doubtful that anyone even noticed him amidst the people crossing the North Bridge.

Further into the Waterfront District, he stepped off the boardwalk, onto a collection of haphazardly nailed boards and beams that spanned almost the entire edge of the docks just above the high tide mark. It was these boards and beams that allowed the smaller boats to tie off and unload their cargo, whether passengers or goods. He hooked an arm and leg over a board and reached down to sweep water into his hair, rinsing the irritating chaff away. He pulled himself back up to straddle the board and shook his head, scattering droplets of water in all directions. He then sat for a moment, letting some of the remaining water drip from his hair as he looked south and west, in the direction of Serpent Tooth Prison. There was enough haze over the water that the island was only barely visible, but it was enough to know where it was. “So much to be done during the next month or two,” he thought, “and worse, not all aspects will be within my control.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He brushed some of the chaff from his shoulder with his wet fingers, then deliberately dragged his fingers across his eyes. He felt the grittiness under his eyelids and he stood and climbed back onto the boardwalk. He wiped a little of the grime under his nose, squinting from the acrid odor of the tar used to preserve the boards. Now, with a runny nose and teary eyes he scuttled up to a City Watchman. One of the guards nudged the other and nodded in Cooper’s direction as he approached. One of the men questioned him gruffly, “Whaddiya want, kid?” Cooper ducked his head, sniveling, and spouted a story in just two breaths, “Apex took my da’ away, so I been follerin’ somma them foreigners what’s been sellin’ it. I’d liketa set one’a them buildin’s they’re stayin’ in on fire an’ jes watch’em burn, ‘cept I don’ wanna go to the work camps fer doin’ it.” The City Watchmen took the bait, “Alright, lad. Show us where it is.” Cooper kept his head down, cursing Apex and all foreigners as he walked, then pointed out one of the warehouses that Mardon had identified. “I seen ‘em comin’ and goin’ a bunch’a times day an’ night. You’ll kill ‘em now, right?” One of the Watchmen snorted and Cooper whined, “What’s so funny?! Their sellin’ poison!” The other Watch man placed a hand on his shoulder. Cooper stiffened but made no move to escape the intended kind gesture as the man spoke, “We’ll keep an eye on the place. If it looks like what you say it is, then we’ll report it. If you’re right, we’ll probably raid it tomorrow.” Cooper shrugged the man’s hand away, “Tomorrow?! How many more kids’ll lose their da’s today?!” He didn’t wait for a reply and stormed off. The other Watch man called out, “Hey, kid. Wait!”