Chương 39: Chapter 38: Courting change

Jack crouched on the roof in the shadow of the chimney, chuckling as two men squared off in the yard behind the guild hall. He was currently playing his own version of hide-and-seek with his trainees. Four against one should have put the odds firmly in their favor, but they had yet to beat him. By the look of his watch, their time was almost up again. Behind the guild, the space they had reclaimed had been turned into a training yard. Broken crates were stacked into makeshift obstacles.

Old dock rope hung from beams bolted into the wall. The ground was packed earth now, trampled flat by weeks of drills and sparring. Aldric was already there, cane in hand, running a new batch of recruits through their paces. They looked promising. Strong backs. Quick feet. Enough discipline to listen, not enough experience to anticipate. Aldric still made them look foolish. Two guards approached him from opposite sides, clubs raised. Their timing was off.

Aldric stepped back just as the first man, Billy if Jack remembered correctly, committed too early. The swing went wide. Aldric leaned away from the blow and slid the tip of his cane between the man's legs. One sharp shove sent him sprawling forward. The second recruit barely had time to react before Billy crashed into him. They went down together in a tangle of limbs and curses. Aldric tapped the ground once with his cane.

"Again," he commanded. Jack shook his head and shifted his weight. He would have to get moving soon, but he relished the changes that had come from the last week. The city's offer had been large enough to immediately fix their cash shortages, but it came with stipulations. They could still take on guard work and private contracts, but Breakwater Holdings now needed to maintain a minimum presence throughout the Dock Ward at all times.

The size and scope of it meant that even if they reassigned every worker they had, they could only meet a fraction of the requirement. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! It solved one problem while creating several others. Cleanup work had dried up, but the dockhands transitioned easily enough into patrol duty. The accountants were given a choice. Some stayed where they were. Others shifted into logistics and coordination.

Seraphine took her pick first, building a team around her before anyone else could make claims. They added couriers next. Each patrol was paired with one, runners trained to move fast and stay out of fights. Their job was not to intervene, but to notify the Watch when things went wrong. It made each job less efficient. It also allowed for a new revenue stream, a courier system with built-in protection. It was still a good problem to have. The city didn't care how they did it.

Only that the money was spent visibly, and that it went toward stabilizing the Dock Ward instead of lining there pockets. Jack spent part of his time training the couriers himself, which was what he was currently doing. His years as a scout translated well. How to move unnoticed. How to read a street before stepping into it. How to disappear when being seen would make things worse. Kael oversaw equipment. A club, a buckler and dagger for each patrolman, a non-lethal and lethal deterrent.

Banded leather armor, serviceable and plain. Enough to protect, not enough to invite trouble. Kael also handled hiring. Aldric routed patrols and oversaw training. Seraphine chased contracts and kept the numbers clean. Jack compiled the reports. Patterns were forming. He could feel them, even if he didn't yet understand their shape. He had pushed his meeting with Katherine back a week as the pace intensified. But he found himself looking forward to tonight.

Even though it was business, it was the closest thing to a night off he would have for a while. The guild was stretched thin, each of them pulled in different directions as legitimacy settled in around them. A bell tolled in the distance, pulling Jack from his musing. He watched Aldric correct another recruit and allowed himself a moment of satisfaction.

"It's too bad you ran out of time," Jack said without turning around. Behind him stood a young man, barely seventeen, one of his newest couriers. Warren froze, clearly shocked that he had been discovered. Jack smiled as he continued to watch Aldric's training regimen. He would have to keep an eye on this one. The boy showed promise, enough to warrant additional training. Maybe, he would bring him on their next mission. Jack turned and patted Warren on the shoulder.

"Next time." He leaned back and stepped off the roof, dropping into a net meant to catch anyone who fell from the obstacle course, drawing a sharp gasp from Warren. The entire training yard stilled.

"Show-off," Aldric called.

"Lessons over. None of you are going to learn a damn thing with Lord Twinkletoes hanging about." Jack laughed as he straightened and walked toward him.

"Good," he said.

"Because Lord Twinkletoes and Captain Stumblefoot have an escort mission to prepare for." Aldric grinned and clasped Jack's forearm.

"Right you are."