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

apprehension of those three men,” He swept his hand across three nearby cells, “for the crime of selling Apex.” He turned back to the soldier, “Now, please tell her about the informant.” The man shifted his weight from one foot to the other as if uncomfortable, or perhaps expecting to be interrupted again. Still, he spoke, as ordered, “He was a young man, miss. Prolly, older’n thirteen but not growin’ whiskers yet, but gettin’ close to it. No taller’n this.” He held a hand a little lower than his shoulder. “Messy, dark hair. Dirty, tear streaked face, red-rimmed eyes an’ a snotty nose. He tol’ us about these men sellin’ Apex. Pointed ‘em out, he did. He said Apex wuz poison an’ how it’d killed his sister.” Yoren cleared his throat and spoke again, “Tell her again about the boy’s eyes. Tell her what you told me.” The soldier looked at his feet, attempting to recall what he’d said, and then raised up, “He had the saddest eyes… but it was like lookin’ down a well. Black, without any bottom to it.”

Iona glanced toward the Spymaster. He was staring at her, watching for her response. She asked simply, “Do you think so?” Yoren smiled, as a cat would smile if it found an unlatched bird cage, “It’s worth checking into, but first there are a few things to consider.” Iona nodded and replied, “True, but as I told you, it looked to me like the Guild was openly opposing Lukasi efforts to bring in slaves. It stands to reason that they’d also oppose the sale of Apex, as well.” Yoren’s facial expression turned sour, “It could be assumed that the Guild is simply opposing a rival. A competitor. And since the Guild is now a burnt out husk, this young Gifted lad is using us to accomplish what the Guild no longer can.” Yoren’s voice trailed off as he grumbled, “It wouldn’t be the first time that a Guild member co-opted the City Watch, or even the Army.” The closest soldier leaned forward and asked, “Sir?” The Spymaster glared at the man, “Nothing. You’re dismissed.” The guards snapped to attention and marched toward the steps. Yoren called out to their backs, “Wait! Tell the quartermaster to issue three chits to each of you. I’ll check the list later to get your names.” The guards quickly turned to face them, snapped salutes and replied, almost in unison, “Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!”

Yoren turned to face her, “The thing is, he doesn’t know that we know. But considering who he is, and what he is, we’ll need to plan this carefully. First, we need to see if we can bring him in. We’ll make it seem as if we’ve completely accepted his story and simply wish to employ him. If he accepts, we might catch him unaware. Chances are, he’ll recognize the risks involved and have no interest in coming in but we need to try that approach first. We’ve never had a better opportunity than this to capture him. We need to devise a trap suited for him. Soldiers won’t be sufficient, not exclusively anyway. We’ll need to assemble the mages again.” He paused, “And, if your former professor hears about it, he’ll insist that he be included.” He was watching Iona from the corner of his eye. At the mention of the professor she felt her back stiffen. She made a conscious effort to relax and replied , “With any luck, when we spring the trap we can push him out in front to be stabbed dozens of times while we surround the boy.” Yoren smiled widely, “That’s the spirit! Always a silver lining.”

Chapter 16

That afternoon Cooper took the Journeymen to a separate building to discuss their task. Eyes grew wider as he apprised them of several new details and that the messages they carried played an integral role. He re-emphasized, “Be back here in forty days. By then, I’ll either expect to see the results of a successful delivery, or I’ll need to make other arrangements. This might seem like a simple message delivery, but it isn’t.” He held out a copper tube in each hand, “Here are your messages. The recipient’s name is on the tag. You know the rest. Loryn. Balat. Depart as soon as you’re ready. Gaff. Naro. I can tell you a little about Kalistos, if you care to hear it.” Both boys nodded eagerly and Cooper began scratching a diagram in the dirt.

That evening, farewells were exchanged and the Journeymen set off. Birt and Mister Ysel sat beside Cooper after the evening meal. Birt started the conversation, “The owner of the Griffin seemed quite open to the notion of taking on a partner. I suppose that’s a sign that the business might not be thriving.” Cooper had to wonder whether the conversation was leading to something, or if it was simply Birt reporting the results of his day. He replied, “It doesn’t really matter, does it? We’re buying a majority interest in order to create a sense of exclusivity, right?” Both Birt and Mister Ysel smiled. Mister Ysel said, “Agreed. And we’re so glad that you see it that way.” Cooper raised an eyebrow, “We? You’re in on this together now?” Mister Ysel was rubbing his hands together as he responded, “Yes. In fact, I submitted the Charter to the Planning Commission today and cited the renovations as our first project. I submitted the plans. They created quite a stir. Then I went to the Merchant Council with the same information. There was a great deal of initial resistance. Once it became apparent that I wasn’t there asking for funding, or for permission, the resistance quickly died down, but the excitement remained.” Cooper nodded, “So, you got what you needed from them?” Birt nodded but Mister Ysel shrugged, “Well, no one told me “no”, but since we’re independently funded no one is really in a position to