Chương 24: Chapter 23: Lanterns in the Dark

Jack crouched near the side door of the warehouse. He pulled two narrow hooked bars from his pocket and inserted them carefully into the lock. The subtle rain made gripping the delicate tools more difficult. A light drizzle fell across the city in stark contrast to the last storm. Where the latter had brought devastation, the former carried the promise of prosperity. For Jack, however, it only complicated the act of picking the lock.

Still, every challenge created opportunity, and tonight's weather made both his actions and his crew easier to conceal.

"He can pick locks?" Kael asked from behind him. Aldric looked nervous. He wasn't used to standing on the wrong side of the law, even if they technically had paperwork stating otherwise.

"Shh."

"It's fine, Al. Jack basically ensured that we are on the right side here," Seraphine cut in quietly. Kael shifted his stance, pointing toward Jack.

"Are we seriously just ignoring this?"

"SHHHH!" Seraphine and Aldric hissed simultaneously, though for very different reasons. Aldric's voice dropped into a whisper.

"We still don't know who's behind this, Sera. This is still dangerous." With a click, the lock popped open, and Jack ushered them inside. Pulling a lantern from beneath his cloak, Aldric lit it carefully, casting dim light across the warehouse interior. It was small for a warehouse, barely a quarter the size of the buildings Aldric and Kael had been stationed at over the last week.

Two large doors sat at either end of the structure, likely arranged so inbound and outbound caravans could move through the warehouse easily and efficiently. Crates were clustered together in loose stacks divided by deep ruts carved into the dirt floor from years of wagon traffic. Jack moved toward the nearest stack.

"Spread out. Call out if you find anything interesting." He pried open the first crate. It was filled it to the brim with spoiled apples One after another, they found the same thing. Crates and barrels packed with rotting food. As they moved deeper through the warehouse, that fact never changed. Aldric stepped up beside Jack as they finished inspecting nearly half the building.

"What are the odds all this food actually spoiled?" Aldric asked quietly.

"Considering the condition of the crates and the lack of dust?" Jack muttered.

"Zero." Kael moved farther toward the opposite side of the warehouse before suddenly calling out from the darkness.

"This looks like the shipment we received the other day!" he shouted.

"And these are fresh!" Seraphine, Aldric, and Jack moved toward him immediately, though Jack spoke first.

"How sure are you?"

"I'm pretty sure," Kael said.

"I handled half the crates myself because it was just me and the foreman unloading them." He pointed toward the side of one container.

"And look. Same supplier mark. Same shipment stamp." He frowned slightly.

"Though I haven't seen this symbol before." Stamped clearly into the side of the crate was the image of a raven in flight. Jack went still.

"We need to leave," he said sharply.

"Now."

"Why? What's—" The sound of slow clapping echoed through the warehouse.

"Congratulations, Breakwater Holdings," a voice called from the darkness.

"You stumbled onto our little operation." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. One by one, shuttered lanterns flared to life throughout the warehouse. Jack's mind immediately started counting. One. Two. Three. …Seven. The lantern light revealed seven cloaked figures spread throughout the building, each armed and dressed for violence. Then an eighth figure stepped forward into the center aisle of the warehouse, hands calmly folded behind his back.

"I think," the man said softly, "it's time you received your reward." They were collected one by one and brought to stand before the man directing it all. His dark clothes were cut tight against his frame, emphasizing an impressive figure, and his posture remained perfectly composed. He looked as comfortable standing in the middle of a criminal warehouse as he would have in a council meeting. If the group's close proximity and the fact he remained unmasked caused him any concern, he didn't show it.

That was a bad sign.

"It's impressive how quickly you put this all together. Truly. We've watched you from the beginning, or at least since Jack first spoke with Albriecht." The fact that he already knew Jack's name did concerned him, though he tried to not show it.

"It is equally impressive how all of you have conducted yourselves. My only question is this: with an operation this large and this much money at stake, did you really think we wouldn't have eyes on our target?" Seraphine shifted slightly, a faint shimmer gleaming in her hands. A bowstring drew tight somewhere in the darkness, and Aldric immediately grabbed her arm.

"Tsk. None of that, Seraphine. Any sign of magic and I'm afraid you won't live to see the sunrise." She clenched her hands into fists, tamping down the magic. Jack chose that moment to try and regain control of the conversation.

"So you're the one undercutting Albriecht, not Vance." The man turned back toward Jack.

"I didn't realize you had uncovered that little nugget yet. Another point in your favor." A faint smile crossed his face.

"Now I'm curious. How close did you get? Do your best. Your lives may depend on it." Jack stepped forward slightly, hoping to draw attention away from the others. This would have to be handled perfectly if they were going to survive the night. And to do that, he would need to connect the remaining dots very quickly.

"Your con is sophisticated," Jack said carefully.

"It has multiple layers. Thanks to the information we gathered in the warehouse, I assume you're rerouting deliveries from Albriecht's warehouses to here." The leader motioned for Jack to continue.

"In order to do that, you need an inside source. Someone who can notify you of new orders and shipping dates. That allows you to purchase spoiled food at a fraction of the cost and swap it before reselling it at a steep discount." Jack paused briefly.

"If I had to guess, it's the foreman from Kael's last shift." Jack had no qualms about using Kael's name. It was obvious these people already knew exactly who they were.

"It's a she, but close enough," the man replied with a smile, echoing Jack's own words from earlier this week. That was all the context he needed.

"The receptionist."

"You really are as good as they say. I'll admit, I was skeptical myself, but you've proven as competent as promised."

"Who's they?"

"Devran sends his regards. Loyal bastard, that one. Unfortunately for him, we had to push him to his breaking point before he finally gave you up." Jack's teeth ground together, and the crew grew still.

"So he's dead." The man simply stared at him, unwilling to openly admit to a capital crime. Kael started shaking. Aldric tensed. And Seraphine was crying. Not for Devran. They had never met. She cried for herself and the situation they now found themselves trapped in. The finality of the night was finally settling over all of them. And Jack needed to regain control.

"You mentioned a reward," Jack said evenly.

"And the fact we don't resemble pin cushions means you're here to talk. So either get to the point or let us leave." A smile slowly spread across the man's face.

"I have a proposition for you. We know Breakwater Holdings is nearly broke." He spread his hands slightly.

"We'd like to solve that problem." One of Jacks first connections in Greyhaven was murdered so this man could give him an offer. Jack's anger nearly boiled over. It took everything he had not to scream.

"How?" The man began pacing slowly, perfectly calm.

"It's rather simple. You stay out of our way, and we stay out of yours. In exchange, we provide protection and a percentage of the profits."

"No," Jack said immediately.

"Not interested."

"You can still help the ward," the man continued smoothly.

"You know Breakwater Holdings could never stop all the crime in this city. All we want is for you to tell us which businesses sign contracts with you. Out of professional courtesy, we'll avoid targeting them and focus our attention elsewhere instead." He smiled faintly.

"You protect those under contract from other guilds, we leave them alone, crime drops, and everyone profits. To sweeten the arrangement, we'll also protect you from retaliation by competing organizations." Still furious, Jack forced himself to breathe slowly before answering.

"And I can see how that benefits both of us," he admitted.

"Frankly, maybe even the ward. I would accept but we have a problem." Kael looked angry. Seraphine looked relieved. Aldric looked stoic. And the man looked amused.

"What's that?"

"The entire Dock Ward is a client," Jack said.

"We made a promise to ourselves and to them that we would never betray the people relying on us. That's worth more than any amount of money." The smile disappeared from the man's face.

"You can't seriously be naive enough to think you can protect the entire ward yourselves."

"Probably not," Jack admitted.

"But Breakwater Holdings doesn't go back on its word." For the first time since Seraphine's display of magic, the man looked toward the others.

"Does he speak for all of you?" Kael nodded immediately. Seraphine remained silent but unmoving.

"Aye," Aldric said firmly.

"Now shove off. You got your answer. Let us leave."

"Maybe you're not as smart as I was told." The man sighed softly.

"A pity. This could have been mutually beneficial." Jack met his gaze evenly.

"For you and me, maybe. Not for the city or its people." The man studied him for a long moment. Then, finally:"I respect the conviction." His tone cooled.

"I suppose you'll just have to live with the consequences." He gestured toward his people. One by one, the lanterns were shuttered, leaving only Aldric's light illuminating the warehouse. It cast just enough light to catch the man's final expression.

"Tell Albriecht thank you for his business. We were nearly finished here anyway. If we kept this operation running much longer, eventually something was bound to go wrong." Then he stepped backward into the darkness and vanished from sight. Huddled together beneath the dim lantern light, all four of them understood the same thing. The consequences of tonight were still coming.