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

a weapon yet, and once someone did the City Watch were likely to respond regardless of the allegiances of the parties involved in the fracas. Either way, the presence of the City Watch did nothing to improve his situation and would only make his escape more difficult. He needed to move them to a new location, or better yet, a place where he might have an advantage. The closest pier was where the Lukasi ships were moored, their false Caldori flags fluttering proudly in the stiff morning breeze.

He abruptly changed direction to the east and wove quickly through the crowd. The closest ‘sellsword’ was still twenty paces away but depending on their intentions that was certainly close enough. He stepped quickly to the edge of the boardwalk, thinking to drop off and use the lower pathway to slip past but as he peered over the edge, he saw that his move had been anticipated. He’d found a fourth sellsword. The man raised a hand and opened his mouth to speak but Cooper was already moving on, skirting the edge to quickly slip past the makeshift cordon. He spared a glance behind him and saw two of the Assassins, for how else was he to think of them, almost sprint between two buildings to the north. He knew that they’d immediately turn east and attempt to either move parallel to him or get ahead of him to box him in again. “That’s fine,” Cooper thought, “That only leaves one here on the boardwalk with me, and one on the catwalk below.” Then another grim thought crossed his mind, “Assuming there’re only four of them, that is.” He cast a nervous eye around him, scanning the crowd for additional threats. He saw that a few nearby members of the City Watch had taken notice of this flurry of activity but hadn’t yet determined whether it was anything they needed to respond to. He had initially outpaced the man on the catwalk. The man had apparently tapped into his Talent and had caught up. Cooper wondered how long the man could keep it up, but after ten more rapid strides the question ceased to matter as Cooper reached the next pier. He turned and sprinted five steps down the pier, then turned to face his pursuers. He continued walking backwards, south along the pier, drawing closer to the Wharf City with every step.

The two men who’d run north emerged and soon all four men had gathered at the end of the pier. The man from the catwalk took a step to follow Cooper further but he was held back by a single, discreet hand signal from one of the others. The one that had signaled then nodded his head toward the Wharf City before he turned to walk back down the boardwalk. Cooper took this moment to better examine his pursuers. He tried to convince himself that they weren’t trained Assassins, that perhaps they were just specially trained soldiers, but there was no denying it. Soldiers, not even sellswords, moved like that. At least not four of them, all the same.

As he turned his attention to those around him, he searched for any familiar face. He’d already reached the inevitable decision. With all else that was happening, these Assassins, whoever they were, presented too much of a threat. They obviously knew to identify him on sight, which meant they were here to serve someone’s intentions. Four Assassins, working in opposition, could derail the whole process if they were allowed to continue. Something had to be done about them.

A brief wave from one of the Waterfront citizens got his attention and recognized an oarsman from one of his longboat rides. Cooper returned the wave and as he approached, the oarsman glanced back toward the boardwalk then spoke, “Ye have the look of sum’un seekin’ transport. Am I right?” Cooper gave him a nod. The oarsman squinted as he looked toward the Waterfront, “So, what’ll it be? East, west, ‘r south?” Cooper followed his gaze, looking to see if anyone was watching, “East, I think. Just to the edge of the Wharf City, but I’ll meet you at the end of the pier.” The man grinned in response, “A cagey one, aren’t ye?” Cooper smiled, “The First seems to think so as well.” Cooper stepped back to the north a few steps, trying to see whether any of the Assassins had walked up the neighboring pier, where the Lukasi ships were moored. If any had that, by itself, wouldn’t confirm they were hired by the Lukasi, since they might simply be trying to stay parallel to him, but if any of them boarded a Lukasi ship… well, that’d be more definitive.”

The boat ride was both brief and uneventful. He disembarked at the edge of the boardwalk and quickly crossed it and entered the Waterfront District. He continued north until he’d almost reached the Palisade Wall, then turned west to the Ruins. He then walked leisurely along the paths and roads where the Ruins joined the Waterfront District, looking at his surroundings then made a circle to approach from a different direction to look again. He identified a few spots he considered suitable and tried to imagine how they’d appear during different times of day, as the angle of the sunlight changed. He selected the best location for his purposes and walked to the Trade Quarter to make a few purchases.

That evening, before meal time, he gathered Rukle, Spen, Birt and Dailen. He was wearing his newly-purchased leather armor. He’d had to cinch the straps almost as tight as they’d allow in most places, to allow for his smaller size. Rukle whistled softly and placed a hand on Cooper’s shoulder, turning him slightly so he could look at Cooper from behind. The reddish-haired boy chuckled, “Nice outfit, but don’t they also make these for men?” Cooper brushed Rukle’s hand away and gave the young man a playful shove, “All will