Blackstone (Book 2) (17 page)

“Depends which one you’re talking about.” Rune leaned
forward, tapping a finger against the city map laid out across the table,
explaining and pointing. “There’s two here that aren’t much bigger than a
watermelon. There’s another here barely large enough for a small man to crawl
through. There’s one long one here where multiple people could get through, but
you’d have to belly crawl ta manage it.”

“It’s the same story on the southern side,” Wolf added
morosely. “Over the years, the section built near the beaches has eroded out at
the base, leaving gaping holes that a determined force can use to enter the
city with. I’ve got six of them altogether, ranging in size from a narrow path
a man could barely squeeze through to something large enough a wagon could fit
in.”

“Where?” Ryu Jin Ho asked.

Going off memory, Wolf grabbed a pencil laying nearby and
marked them. “Here, here, here, here, and two here. The largest one is here.”

Ryu Jin Ho didn’t say a word, but Wolf was laying odds the
man was swearing up a storm in his head. “We don’t have time to fix all of
those.”

“No, we do not,” Hyun Woo agreed. But the man didn’t sound
dismayed, but instead thoughtful. “Alright, my students, what are your
thoughts?”

“I don’t think we should worry about the ones a man can’t
even get a weapon through,” Rune said slowly.

“Wise,” Hyun Woo approved. “We are not builders, after all.
Let the city repair its own walls. What else?”

“It’d be nice if we can somehow turn the biggest breach into
a trap.” Wolf rubbed a hand along his chin, trying to think quickly. “I’m not
sure how to do it, though.”

“It is good you see the possibility.” Hyun Woo’s expression
was befitting of a hungry wolf in that moment.

Wolf and Rune shared a suspicious glance between the two of
them before they accused their master in near unison, “You know how.”

“I have a notion,” Hyun Woo responded modestly.

Rune cocked his head. “Wait a minute, didn’t ya tell me that
no plan survives enemy contact, and that the best thing a good fighter could do
was ta plan how ta start the fight and then adapt quickly after that?”

“If it is a small scale fight,” Ryu Jin Ho corrected.

“If it is a large scale battle, like this, then you make as
many plans as possible.” Hyun Woo added almost casually, “And then you make
even further plans for when your original plans go wrong.”

Wolf filed that information away for future reference. “So
the largest breach, what do you want to do about it?”

Hyun Woo rubbed his hands together, as calculating as a fox.
“Something devious.” 

ӜӜӜ

They spent more than three hours at that table, planning and
then making even more contingency plans. At the end, they all had their
specific tasks to carry out. Rune was sent back to the northern section to
inform people what to do. The first task, of course, was to do something about
the breaches in the wall. Some of the people in the city would be assigned to
those holes and ordered to fill them with anything they could find.

All but one, that was.

Wolf paused and looked out over the southern edge of the
city, toward the flat plains and the sandy beach. He still didn’t know if the
two strategists had concocted the best plan. Oh, it would no doubt work, but
how well was the question. From the grimaces on their face, it wasn’t one they
would actually choose to employ, but in only three days, there was a limit to
how many preparations they could make. This strategy was radical but could be
implemented in the time they had. It had certainly made Darrens and Siobhan
nervous.

Rune hadn’t been able to stay on task, as his skills as
Pathmaker were still needed to get the last of the refugees out. He had instead
explained everything to Markl, who had then taken over. Markl hadn’t been
trained as thoroughly as they were on strategy, but the man had a mind that
could be taught anything, and he’d gotten the hang of it quickly enough. It
left Wolf in charge of the southern side with Fei, and Markl and Tran in charge
of the northern section.

Tarik came to join him at his side. “What are they doing?”

Hmm? Following the man’s pointing finger, his eyes fell on a
group of a hundred men that were running at full speed toward the city from the
shoreline. Tran was in the lead, his long legs effortlessly devouring the
ground, with everyone else gamely trying to keep up with him.

“Oh, that. They’re working out the timing.”

“Of?” Tarik prompted impatiently, giving him an exasperated
look.

“You know how we’re sending a group of five hundred around
by ship to the southern shore, just in case the army comes around to this
side?” Wolf waited for a confirming nod before continuing, “The timing of that
has to be precise. We need to know exactly how long it will take for them to
get here. So Tran volunteered to run practice runs with them all day until they
had it down to the minute.”

With a grunt, Tarik took this in, eyes narrowing as he tried
to see over the distance. From here, people looked to be about as tall as
Wolf’s pinky. “Isn’t that tiring?”

“Not for a Teheranian.” Wolf chuckled, noticing that no one
else was quite able to match Tran’s pace. They lagged behind severely now. “I
think he’d best stop soon, though, otherwise it’ll just be him fighting the
army off when they get here.”

“I’ll say.” Tarik turned and pointed to a group of archers
that were standing on the inner side of the wall. “And what are they shooting
at?”

“Oh, them? They’re practicing and figuring out the best
vantage points.”

“For what?” Tarik responded in confusion, scratching at the
back of his head. “I heard we were going to take advantage of that huge hole in
the wall on this side, but no one explained to me how.”

“It’s not that complicated. In a nutshell, it’s—”

From a distance, near the head of the stairs that led up to
this section of the wall, Rune called out, “WOLF!”

Was the kid back already? Wolf clapped Tarik on the shoulder
and said, “Go ask Fei, he’ll explain it to you.”

“Will do.”

Moving off, Wolf quickened his step so that he went to Rune swiftly.
“You’re back already?”

“Grae is getting the last of the refugees out now,” Rune
responded, a tired but satisfied smile on his face. The way his shoulders
sagged ever so slightly, and the circles under his eyes said he hadn’t gotten
enough sleep in the past several days. But then, none of them had. “What do I
need ta do?”

Excellent question. But Wolf wasn’t in charge of anything
but this one section of the wall, so he didn’t know. “Track down either Ryu Jin
Ho or Hyun Woo and ask them. They might need you somewhere. I only know about
this part of the city.”

Rune stopped and really looked around him, taking in the
sight of all of the weapons leaning up against the stone walls, the people that
were rushing up and down the stairs, and the preparations being made. “Are ya
ready, then?”

“The walls are. Our special surprise isn’t. It’ll take
another day at least.”

He followed Wolf’s gesture toward the breach in the wall and
studied it with raised eyebrows. “That looks…interesting. Like a nasty surprise
for them.”

Of course Rune would understand what he was looking at, as
he had helped plan it. Wolf grinned at him, the expression dark and without
humor. “Indeed it will be.”

“I’ve been popping in and out of the city, so I haven’t seen
much of what ya’ve done, but do ya think that we’re ready to fight them off?”
Rune seemed nervous asking this question.

Wolf just snorted. “They don’t stand a chance of taking us.”

Siobhan watched the last of the non-combatants leave with
Grae and heaved a bone-weary sigh. Mercy, was she ever so glad that
that
chore was done. Early this morning, when she had been faced with a sea of
people, it didn’t seem like they would ever be able to shift everyone over to
Winziane, even with five Pathmakers working nonstop!

How she’d gotten stuck organizing the whole evacuation was
what she’d like to know. Sure, Darrens had requested that she help with it,
which only made sense as she was the guildmaster to two Pathmakers. But how had
she become the head cook of the whole kitchen? Before she could turn her head,
everyone was coming to her and asking questions, most of which she hadn’t a
clue how to answer. Desperate, she’d drafted Sylvie and Cha Ji An to help her.

The only way they’d found that worked was dividing Converse
into sections and just clearing out one section at a time. Convincing people to
not pack everything hadn’t been an easy job either, and she must have repeated
herself a thousand times over. Only personal belongings, nothing larger than a
pack and whatever weapons you had. Mothers especially wanted to argue this
point, as it took a lot to take care of children, and it was Cha Ji An who
calmly assured them that supplies and clothing were waiting for them in
Winziane. It was not necessary to take everything.

More like, it was impossible to take everything. Siobhan had
escorted many a caravan in her time and knew how to adjust to transport one via
path. If, that was, she had ample time to prepare and plan ahead. Amidst this
chaos, she couldn’t begin to sort it out well enough for people to pack wagons
for transportation. It was hard enough just to find enough wagons to load up
people!

But now they were gone. The streets seemed very empty and
forlorn without them. In fact, it was eerily quiet. This was the first time in
two days that Siobhan could hear herself think. She slowly turned on the balls
of her feet, rotating to look around her. The buildings were still intact,
although there was debris randomly strewn in the streets from the hurried
leave-taking of the people, and at first glance nothing seemed wrong. So why
did it feel like she was in a haunted city? It even smelled abandoned, somehow.

The wind whistled off of the sea and sang its way through
the empty streets in an eerie whine before ruffling her hair, whipping it about
her face for a moment before passing on. An errant chill raced up her spine at
the sensation even though she wasn’t the slightest bit cold.

“Siobhan.”

She turned and tried to force a smile. “Denney. Are we sure
everyone is out?”

“I just got the last report in. They’re all gone.” Denney
puffed out a breath, looking as tired as Siobhan felt. Normally, the girl took
care to look presentable at least (especially so after developing a crush on
Rune) but right now her hair was thrown up in a messy knot at the back of her head
and it looked like she dressed in the dark; with one hand behind her back. “Now
what?”

Now what, indeed. Siobhan’s guild had been scattered all
over the city with different tasks assigned to them. Wolf, Tran, Markl, and Fei
were specifically over preparing the defense of the walls. Beirly was with the
blacksmiths forging weapons and specialty items of war that Hyun Woo
wanted—like caltrops. Conli of course was setting up a clinic in preparation
for the battle ahead. She, Sylvie, and Denney had been working with Grae and
Rune until they could clear Converse of its citizens. But now that that was
done, what should they do?

Making a snap decision, she told Denney, “Go find Sylvie.
See if the two of you can help Conli. He’ll probably need every helping hand he
can get.” And those two were used to helping him. They’d know instinctively how
he wanted things done. “I’m going to Darrens, see if he needs help with
anything else.”

Nodding, Denney acknowledged this before moving off at a
tired half-trot.

Taking in a deep breath, Siobhan tried to tap into an inner
energy well, somewhere, only to find herself running dry. How long had it been
since she’d eaten? Last night? The last thing she remembered putting in her
mouth was some sweet bread Wolf had shoved at her. It was—she turned her head
upwards and squinted at the sun—two o’clock in the afternoon now? Mercy, no
wonder she was running low on energy.

Change of plans. Food first, then Darrens.

In this city that prepared for war, finding a place that had
ready-made food available was some trick. Siobhan stumbled across a street
vendor that had apparently chosen to stay and make a killing selling food to
starving people. She paid an outrageous price for a leg of some sort of roasted
fowl and two pieces of flat bread. It all seemed worth it when she took her
first bite of the meat. The man might be a thief in disguise, but he knew how
to cook.

She walked and ate, juggling the bread and meat as she
bobbed and weaved her way around the people. Most of the city might be deserted
now, but the sections close to the walls and the inn that housed Darrens were
filled to the brink. It took considerable skill to not drop anything.

Finished with the meat, she gave the bone to a dog that she
passed on the street, swallowed the last of the bread, and then braved the inn
door.

It was like wading into a sea of people. With the tide going
against her. One man even pushed against her so hard that she was knocked out
of the doorway, staggering out back into the street.

Huffing a breath, she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes.
“Seriously?” Setting her jaw in a determined line, she put her hands together
like a diver would before jumping into water and used her hands to shove people
aside, forcibly carving a path forward. This worked all the way until the
middle of the room when she abruptly realized that she had no idea where
Darrens was in this crowded room. Her frustration rose another notch. Raising
her face to the ceiling, she yelled as loudly as she could, “DARRENS!”

“Back right corner!” he responded, deep voice easily
overshadowing everyone else.

Back right corner, sure thing…wait, which direction was she
facing? Disoriented for a moment, she did a slow spin until she figured out
where the front door was. Finding her bearings, she struck off in the general
direction of his voice. Halfway there, a pair of gnarled hands reached through
two men and grabbed her shoulder before hauling her abruptly closer.

Bouncing off a rock-hard chest, she blinked and looked up.
Hyun Woo met her eyes with a benign and amused smile on his face. “Need help,
Siobhan-jia?” he asked kindly.

“Bless you,” she responded in heartfelt gratitude.

“Come, I will escort you.” So saying, he put an arm around
her shoulders and acted as trail blazer and protector, shielding her from the
worst of it, until she came to the table that Darrens had commandeered.

Siobhan put both hands over her stomach and gave Hyun Woo a
proper bow of thanks, which he waved away, still smiling. Then she turned to
Darrens. Her guildmaster had looked better. If he’d managed even an hour’s
sleep the night before, it didn’t show. His dark circles were prominent enough
to show across the room. Sweat dewed his temples and forehead, and the clothes
he had on showed signs of being worn for the past two days at least. Siobhan
would swear that he had aged two decades since she’d seen him last.

He greeted her with, “Give me good news.”

“The civilians are all evacuated,” she reported promptly.
“Grae is taking the last of them out now.”

Darrens sank into his hands, rubbing at his face with both
palms, and letting out the longest sigh she’d ever heard from him. “Thank all
mercy for that. Anything else?”

“I’ve sent anyone in my guild with free hands to help at
Conli’s clinic. But I’m now available to help if you need me.”

His face lit up in a brief but genuine smile. “I always need
you, Siobhan. In fact, I’m convinced that I’d be lost without you, if you ever
decide to take your guild to a different city. You won’t believe how much I
regret not taking your advice more seriously before. Even if I couldn’t imagine
a war, I should have still listened. You’ve never given me bad counsel.”

This was the most direct apology she had ever heard from
Darrens. Taken slightly aback, Siobhan fumbled for a moment, not sure how to
respond. Finally she just ducked her head and gave him a sorry smile. “I would
have been glad to have been wrong.”

“I know,” he said in a troubled, sad tone. “I know.” Taking
a deep breath, he sat back and regarded her more frankly. “At this moment,
however, I’m not sure what I can ask you to do. The majority of the tasks have
been delegated.”

Hyun Woo cleared his throat and offered, “Perhaps we can ask
Siobhan-jia to lend her formidable leadership skills to the blacksmiths?”

For a split second, Darrens clearly didn’t know what the
other man meant. Then it hit him and his eyes lit up. “Of course! Siobhan, we
do have something of a situation. The blacksmiths are apparently enthralled
with making caltrops. That’s all they want to focus on. But we need more arrows
and spearheads. Can you go speak with them, and with the men in charge of the
walls, and get a good idea of how much is needed? Coordinate between the two of
them. I sent someone already, but he didn’t get the message across.”

Since it was four of her men in charge of the walls, and
Beirly in charge of the smithies, this order made perfect sense to her. “I
will. I’ll head to the walls first.”

From outside the inn, an alarm sounded, like metal banging
against metal. Then a cry, and another, until someone from the doorway shouted,
“THEY’RE HERE!”

That cold chill she’d felt earlier shot up her spine again.
Siobhan swallowed hard, seeing her unease reflected in Darren’s eyes.

Only Hyun Woo didn’t share this emotion. Instead, a fierce
smile overtook his face. “Finally, they are here.”