Chapter 36 - Runeworks
Far from the raucous celebrations in Lilyvale, the Windhill Ranch was silent but for the calls of the frogs and insects in the swamps. It was late, the moons were in the sky, and most of the overseers had long since gone to bed.
The quiet stillness of the female barn was shattered as, with an echoing clatter, the door was flung open. Two figures stood in the doorway, illuminated by the light of a lantern.
"Wakey wakey bitches!" Lee called out, stumbling forwards, waving a gun around in his right hand, while in his left he carried a stun rod. "Come on, get-" he burped loudly between his words, "-get up!"
Sinclair followed along behind Lee, a stun rod in his grasp as well. Both men reeked of alcohol, and stumbled a little as they marched into the barn.
Gasps and cries of fear and panic rang out as Lee made his way up the center row, aiming his gun at the chained women. "Right, where... where's Keeli... where's that... that Lapine whore."
At the far end of the barn, Fray shifted to cover Keeli's body with her own.
"Stay quiet and stay still," She ordered, holding the terrified Lapine close.
"Wh-what do they want?" Keeli whispered.
"It doesn't matter, help will be here soon." Even as she spoke, all Fray could hope was that her words were true.
"Come on, where is she? Where's that.... That long-eared bitch."
"She's down here."
Both Fray and Keeli looked up in shock as Nori sat up and pointed at the two of them from a few rows over.
Fray's eyes widened. "Nori! What are you doing?"
"I saw what you did to Syn." Nori replied, her eyes flashing in the dark. "Now it's your turn to lose something."
Before Fray could say anything, both Sinclar and Lee were stumbling towards her and Keeli, weapons raised.
"Gerroff that lapine," Lee ordered. "She's mine."
"What is going on here?" Cane demanded, jumping down from the Fore's nest, followed by Vali and two other fores. "What in damnation do you think you are doing?!"
With a scowl, Lee turned to Cane and without a moment's hesitation, he raised his gun and fired. The bullet struck Cane in the head, shattering the left side of her skull, blood and viscera spraying the fores standing behind her. A chorus of screams rang out as Cane's lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
"CANE!" Fray howled, her eyes wide.
"Aw shit, Lee! We ain't s'posed to kill 'em," Sinclair called out.
"We're teaching these bitches a lesson," Lee replied. "An ain't nobody talk to me like that."
Fray rounded on Lee, her fur bristling and her teeth bared. But before she could lunge, Lee shoved his stun rod into her chest. A loud snap rang out and Fray's body stiffened for a moment, before she collapsed, twitching and convulsing in pain.
"Fray!" Keeli cried out, before Sinclair grabbed hold of her and hauled her off the ground. Another loud snap rang out as Sinclair jammed his stun rod into Keeli's back. Though it was set much lower than Lee's, the rod still sent a pulse of energy through Keeli's body that reduced her struggling to desperate twitching.
Fumbling with his keys. Lee set about unlocking the chain bound to Keeli's collar. In moments she was free.
"Come on," Lee snarled, hauling the weakly struggling lapine towards the door. "I'm gonna... I'm- I'm gonna teach you a lesson about respect!"
Keeli's eyes, wide with terror, searched the crowd around her for any sort of help, but none came. Those few who met her gaze turned away, cowed by the threat of the stun rods and guns.
"Please stop," Keeli whimpered as she was dragged out into the yard of the slave quarters. "Please..."
Ignoring the terrified pleading, Lee dragged Keeli over to a barrel and threw her across the top of it. She fought to move her limbs, but the stun effect was still too strong.
"Here, you hold her," Lee ordered, pointing at Sinclair as he fumbled with his belt. "I'm gonna give her a lesson she ain't gonna forget."
"Why do you get to go first?" Sinclair demanded.
"Cause she," Lee paused to belch, "Cause she disrespected me, and she diss... diss.... disremspected Comb."
"Yeah, but Comb's not 'ere."
"What're you complaining 'bout? You can 'ave her next. Or jus' go grab a fresh one."
As she struggled to stand, Keeli's legs gave out and she crumpled to the ground.
"Oh fer the Lord's sake, would you just hold the bitch?" Lee demanded, still fighting with his pants.
"Yeah yeah, fine." Sinclair mumbled as he grabbed hold of Keeli and dragged her back across the top of the barrel, holding her wrists.
"Please don't do this," Keeli begged.
"Shhhhh, don't worry, I'll be gentle wit ya." Sinclair chuckled. "But, uh, I can't say the same 'bout Lee though."
Finally undoing his belt with his drunken fingers, Lee grinned and grabbed hold of Keeli's collar, pulling hard. Keeli gagged as she suddenly couldn't breathe, her feet scrabbling uselessly in the dirt.
"Stop fighting, bitch," Lee grumbled, grabbing hold of Keeli's rear with his free hand. "Now hold still-"
No sooner had Lee laid his hands on Keeli, a ferocious roar split the night. Less than a second later, Fray exploded out of the barn, the tattered remains of her collar falling from her shoulders.
"Leave her alone!" Fray roared, her face twisted into a mask of horrible rage, her teeth glinting in the lamplight, and her furious eyes locked on the two drunken men.
"Holy shit!" Sinclair released his grip on Keeli and took off with nary a backward glance.
Keeli dropped to the ground, coughing raggedly as Lee spun around and reached for his gun. His fingers brush the grip, but his trousers fell down around his ankles before he could grab hold of it. He bent down and tried to retrieve his weapon as Fray advanced on him, but had trouble finding it amongst his crumpled pants. He tried to step backward, but tripped on his own feet and fell over.
"Fuck!" Lee cried, still fumbling for his weapon. Finally getting hold of it, Lee drew his revolver and fired wildly at Fray. His first shot went wide, sailing past Fray's right ear, while his second shot just barely missed her left thigh.
With another ferocious snarl, Fray lunged. She grabbed hold of Lee's gun, tore it from his grasp, and slammed it against the ground. With a loud 'clang' the pistol snapped in two, the handle and cylinder spiraling off in different directions.
Lee let out a scream as Fray grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him off the ground. Before he could say a word, Fray slammed her fist into Lee's face, breaking his nose with a resounding crunch. A second blow knocked loose two of Lee's front teeth.
As Fray drew back her fist to strike Lee a third time, a loud and clear voice cut across the yard.
"Fray! Stand down now!"
Fray turned to see Sally and four other overseers in various states of dress, standing with their guns drawn.
"Drop him, now!" Sally commanded, activating her pistol's spark rune.
Lee collapsed into a heap as Fray released her grip. Ignoring the calls from the overseers to stop and raise her hands, Fray instead knelt down and pulled Keeli into her arms.
"It's okay, shhhhhh, it's okay," Fray whispered as Keeli trembled. "You're okay."
Keeli shivered in Fray's arms, clutching her tightly as she tried to control her frantic breathing.
"I'm... I'm okay... I'm-" Keeli's eyes widened. "Fray, watch out!"
Fray started to turn but was struck by a blow from Sally's stun rod. She let out an agonized howl as she pitched backward, all of her muscles twitching out of control.
"Pick him up and get him to the infirmary," Sally commanded, gesturing at Lee. "Get old man Larson to take a look at him, make sure she didn't knock his brain loose or something, an send a hound to get Doctor Clarkson."
"Yes ma'am!"
"What in damnation is going on here?" Snyder stormed into the light of the lamps, barefoot and in his pajamas, but his gun belt around his waist..
"Dunno, but we heard a shot and came running," Sally replied, nudging Fray with her foot to make sure she was well and truly stunned. "We found Fray here pounding Lee into pudding."
As Sinclair turned his gaze to Fray, Vali emerged from the barn, along with two other fores.
"It was Lee sir, Lee, and Sinclair," Vali said, raising her hands as Sally turned and aimed her gun at her. "They were drunk, they burst in, took Keeli, and shot Cane."
Snyder's eyes widened. "They shot Cane! Is she-"
"She's dead sir."
"And where is Sinclair?"
"Dunno sir, didn't see him."
Snyder turned to Keeli. "You, slave, what are you doing outside? What happened here?"
"T-the t-two men, th-they came in-into the barn and grabbed m-me."
"Said something about teaching her a lesson," Vali spoke up.
"I don't recall asking you." Snyder barked in reply..
"Sh-she's right." Keeli nodded quickly. "S-Sinclar held me wh-while Lee..." Unable to contain herself, Keeli buried her face in Fray's chest and started weeping.
"For the lord's sake," Snyder cursed. Turning to the two men carrying Lee away he called out, "Once Doc has seen to that bloody fool, throw him in a cell. I'll deal with him later."
"You got it, boss."
Snyder gestured to three other overseers. "You three, take Fray and put her in a cell too." He glanced at the tattered remains of her collar lying on the ground. "Make sure she's bound up nice an' tight too, Lord knows how strong she is."
"On it boss."
Vali stepped forward. "S-sir, with all due respect, Fray was only protecting Keeli and-"
"I don't care what they were doing, you don't hit an overseer!" Snyder snapped, glaring at Vali. "That's the rules an' you know it. So does Fray."
The overseers moved quickly and picked up Fray, two grabbing her by the arms and the other grabbing her ankles. Keeli frantically tried to hold onto Fray, desperately trying to explain the situation, but a swift kick from one of the overseers sent her back to the dirt.
"You two-" Snyder gestured at the two fores behind Vali, "-get Cane out of the damn barn and put her in one of the coal sheds, we'll bury her tomorrow." He gestured at Keeli, who was still whimpering on the ground. "Pick her up and secure her. Then get your asses back in the bloody barn. Now! We got lots of work to do tomorrow!"
Vali nodded quickly and hurried forward, pulling Keeli up to her feet.
"Come on, it's alright." She hurriedly stroked Keeli's back and shoulders as she helped her back toward the barn.
"F-Fray, what... what are they-"
"It's alright, Fray's going to be fine."
As the fores and overseers rushed to follow his orders, Snyder shoved his gun back into its holster and pulled a cigarette out of one of his pockets. "What a disaster..."
"Lee and Sinclair were both in town tonight, probably got drunk," Sally said as she stood beside Snyder, offering him a spark rune.
Lighting up his cigarette, Snyder took a deep breath. "Dammit..." As he took a second drag, the two fores emerged from the barn carrying Cane's body.
"Lord's curse the stupid bastard," Snyder growled, his cigarette letting out a spray of sparks as he tossed it away in disgust. "Cane was the head fore, wasn't she?"
Sally watched as Vali helped Keeli back into the barn. "Yes sir, she was. Damn, good one too."
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Snyder sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "A head fore dead, an overseer beaten to a pulp, another missing, and Fray for the noose."
"Noose sir?" Sally raised an eyebrow as the barn door slid closed with a heavy thud. "I can understand punishing her but hanging her seems a little-"
"She beat Lee like a rented hound! I don't care if Lee meant to beat, rape, torture or eat that bloody rabbit, what's her name...Keeli, that was it. Anyways, I can't let it go!"
"Lee killed Cane, no saying he wasn't about to kill Keeli." Sally lit a cigarette of her own. "The way I see it, she probably prevented another loss, seems a shame to kill her for that."
"Well, when you are Chief Overseer you are welcome to make those decisions." Snyder snapped. "Till then, you follow my order, got it missy?"
Sally glanced over at Snyder, her brow furrowing. "As you say then, boss."
Snyder sighed again as Sally turned and strode away, leaving him alone in the slave's yard. He pulled another cigarette out of his pocket and went to light it, before remembering that Sally had the rune.
"Dammit," he growled, shoving the cigarette back into his pocket. "And where in damnation is Sinclair?!"
***
"It's alright," Vali said softly, stroking Keeli's back as she lay in the straw, curled in ball and softly whimpering. "You're alright, everything is alright, you're safe now."
"They... they were going to..." Keeli shivered hard.
"Yes, but you're safe now."
"No... not safe, never safe... And what about Fray?"
"Fray will be fine, I'm sure of it."
Despite her fear, Keeli's hands clenched into fists. "No... no they'll hurt her for this."
Vali sighed heavily. "Maybe... but there's nothing we can do."
"We... we can't let them do that."
"Keeli..."
"Syn was right." Keeli breathing shuddered as she raised her head. "She was right, Chara was right... we need to fight back."
"Keeli... you've just been through a shock, you need to calm down."
"They killed Cane!"
Despite herself, Vali raised her eyes, staring at the stains of blood still on the wall of the barn and the straw where Cane's body had fallen.
"They killed her like she was nothing, because she was nothing." Keeli shook her head. "We're nothing to them... even the most valuable of us are nothing to them..."
Vali started to speak, but she could not bring herself to disagree with Keeli's words.
"I've had enough... I'm not nothing dammit. I'm not nothing!"
"Listen, just get some sleep. The other fores and I will make sure that Fray is alright."
"It won't change the fact... the fact that Chara and Syn were both right."
"That's enough," Vali hissed, getting to her feet. " Even if they were right... tis' not like there is anything we can do. Now go to sleep, before you say or do something foolish."
As Vali left her, Keeli curled back into a ball. Tears still rolled down her cheeks, but her jaw was tight, her hands clenched into fists.
'I'm not nothing.' She repeated to herself, gritting her teeth. 'I'm not nothing.'
***
Despite its outer appearance, Legacy Runeworks was, in truth, the most significant industrial hub in the entirety of the human plane, and the origin point of most of the runes used both North and South of the Vien.
To those who had never set eyes upon it before, Legacy Runeworks did not look like a factory. It was certainly unlike the other factories of the north, with their tall smokestacks and soot-stained red brick exteriors. There was an elegance to its design, an artistry to the great stone buildings, that seemed more like the architecture of a library or university. White gravel pathways lined with carefully manicured trees crisscrossed the length and breadth of the grounds like a giant spider's web.
The vast complex, almost two miles in diameter, was built in the shape of a hexagon on the outskirts of Graize's capital city of Archangel. It was lit by so many lights that those within its confines might well think it was day, even in the dead of night. A river ran through the center of the factory, with large docks built to accommodate ships of all sizes lining its banks, and a dozen bridges spanning its width. A specially built railway also ran the perimeter of the facility, complete with three private trains for use by the factory workers and owners.
The center of the factory was a vast tower, reaching just over six hundred feet into the air. The tower, named simply "The Heart" by the workers, was a vast stone colossus that looked out over all of Legacy Runeworks, and dwarfed even the largest buildings in Archangel.
At the very top of the tower, at a tall window that overlooked the west side of the factory, stood Oliver Linden.
He appeared to be a young man, no older than thirty, with neatly trimmed, slicked-back hair. A few careless strands hung down over his dark brown eyes. Despite how stunningly rich he was, Oliver was dressed very plainly, with a tasteful black suit over his narrow, trim form. The only truly peculiar thing about him was the wide leather belt he wore below his jacket and the long, curved sword that hung from it.
Oliver's cheek twitched ever so slightly at the sound of his office door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching his desk. The intruder hadn't taken more than three steps before Oliver was able to identify the footsteps as those of his secretary, Kathreen Traet.
Taking a sip from the crystal glass of pale amber liquid he held, Oliver turned around and took a step back toward his desk. A young woman stood across from him, a leather-bound folder in her hands.
Lowering himself into his elegant leather chair, Oliver nodded at the woman. "Good evening Miss Traet."
Kathreen bowed her head. "Sir, my apologies for disturbing you."
"I assume you have a good reason for interrupting my evening?"
"Yes sir." Kathreen straightened, taking a moment to adjust her glasses, a pointless gesture as the lenses were naught but thin, flat glass. The glasses were merely an affectation, an outward sign of weakness to help sell her camouflage as a secretary.
"Mister Crayton is here to see you sir, and he insisted that he see you right away."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Oh he did, did he?"
"I offered him a room in our VIP quarters, but he refused."
"Fine." Oliver leaned back in his chair. "Let him in."
"As you wish sir."
As Kathreen turned around and started back towards the door, Oliver took a moment to examine her.
Unlike most of the women that worked for Legacy Runeworks, Kathreen refused to wear a dress or a skirt and instead was dressed in a suit very much like Oliver's. Her features were deceptively feminine, her face round and smooth, her limbs thin, and her form narrow. Despite her appearance, Oliver knew very well that Kathreen was freakishly strong and wickedly fast, with reflexes that matched even those of a Drathain. It was, after all, what she had been bred for.
The Traet family, Kathreen's progenitors, had served Oliver for over three hundred years, having come into his service just after the Drathain war. They were the only ones he trusted to keep quiet the secret of his longevity, as well as a number of other quiet truths. Each member of the family had been carefully bred and trained, with only the very best selected to serve him personally. Any trace of weakness within the bloodline was done away with, with the aim of creating a superior breed of mankind.
What many wrote off as a foolish dalliance into the maligned science of eugenics was, in truth, a project that Oliver had undertaken in the wake of the Drathain war. He'd seen what the stronger and faster Drathain had been capable of, with a single Drathain warrior capable of defeating a half dozen human soldiers. Of course, Oliver and his comrades in Linden had been capable of going toe to toe with the Drathain, but that had only been due to assistance from Drathain dissidents. Even with the Drathain defeated and the threat from them minimal, the difference in power between the two races continued to haunt his dreams.
Oliver leaned back in his chair, folding his fingers in front of his face. His eyes were drawn to a large painting that hung over the door to his office. The painting, called simply 'Kanter Valley', proudly displayed the moment that the armies of humanity finally broke through the trap set by both the Drathain and the pelts. The vibrant splashes of colour did a poor job of displaying the events of that day, though they were enough to trigger strong memories in Oliver. For a moment he was back there, his ears ringing with the roar of cannons, his nostrils flaring at the scent of blood and steel.
The moment passed quickly, but as such moments often did, they left Oliver with a distinct feeling of fear.
The Drathain had been defeated, their plane destroyed, and the pelts had been subjugated, humanity stood victorious over two of its enemies. But how many other gates were there, buried or simply hidden? How many other planes were there, filled with dangerous beings that could once more take humanity to the brink of extinction? If humanity was to survive, grow, and be ready for what the future held, it would require a new kind of human. The Traet family was his attempt at curbing the threat.
Oliver frowned, his fingers drumming on the hilt of the sword he always wore. In the early years of his project, he had delighted in the details of his breeding program, watching as one generation rolled into the next, seeing the ghosts of those long since passed dancing across the faces of his loyal servants, faces he had watched wither and grow old suddenly presented to him again, different yet undeniably familiar. But now he'd lost track of time again, the years had passed by so quickly, and it was high time that Kathreen had a mate. He hated the idea of losing his loyal secretary to the doldrums of childbirth and rearing, but to waste twenty generations of planning and careful work simply would not do.
'Besides... her successor is likely to be just as useful, if not more...'
Oliver's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his door slamming open and a gruff voice calling out.
"Dammit woman, I know where I'm going! Stop fussin' and leave me be!"
The owner of the voice was Eric Crayton, a liaison for one of the companies that bought runes from Legacy Runeworks for sale within Halcyon. He was a large man, tall and gruff, with the rugged appearance of one who spent most of their time outdoors. His hair and beard were pitch black, his eyes a sharp, icy blue.
A small chuckle escaped Oliver's lips as he watched the man push his way past Kathreen and storm forwards. Crayton, for all of his strength and bravado, had no clue just how dangerous Kathreen was, and it was only a subtle hand signal from Oliver that prevented him from finding out.
"Mister Crayton," Oliver rose from his chair, "you've certainly picked an odd time to come barging into my office."
"Well, you an' I have some things to discuss," Crayton replied. He carried a crate under one of his arms, which he upended onto Oliver's desk.
Oliver's cheek twitched as a handful of slave collars disturbed the field of perfected organization atop his desk.
"What is this?"
Crayton tossed the crate aside and gestured at the collars. "These are all defective."
"Defective?" Oliver reached out and picked up one of the collars, turning it over in his hand. "This is a pacification rune... 'Harmony' I believe."
"Aye, and the pelt that was wearing it beat an overseer to death with a shovel."
"Impossible." Oliver dropped the collar back onto his desk. "The rune still has power, no pelt could harm its owner while wearing this collar."
"And yet they did." Crayton picked up another collar. "This one, same rune, the pelt strangled her master to death. Then there's this one, 'Serenity', but it didn't stop a pelt from not only running away from his master, but also fighting off a tracking party sent after him."
"Are you suggesting that Legacy Runeworks is producing faulty runes?" Oliver demanded, leaning forward in his chair, his face placid, yet there was an icy undercurrent to his tone that made Crayton take an involuntary step back.
"The Order is concerned." Crayton gestured at the collection of collars. "And, frankly, so is my company. Rebel activity amongst the pelts has been steadily increasing, and now even your most powerful runes seem to be failing."
Oliver remained silent, gazing up at Crayton, waiting for him to come to his point.
"These ain't the only ones we've been having problems with neither, we've been tracking more than a hundred cases of control collars failing across Halcyon in just the last two seasons!"
"One hundred? Out of the millions across all of Halcyon?"
"The numbers ain't the point, sir." Crayton declared, puffing out his chest. "It is the principle of the thing! We allow Legacy Runeworks to maintain its monopoly because-"
"Allow?" One single word was all it took to silence Crayton.
Pushing himself up from his chair, Oliver folded his hands behind his back. "If Halcyon wishes to continue receiving the runes it needs to function, it will stick closely to the terms of our contract. We allow Halcyon to produce enough of its own runes to maintain its interests, no more than that."
"And Halcyon has lived up to its side of the bargain, but now your runes are failing," Crayton burst out, gesturing at the collars. "And when the Order comes knocking, it's gonna be my head, not yours, that they'll be looking for."
"Even with our rigorous testing, it should be expected that the odd rune should fail." Oliver glanced down at his desk. "Legacy Runeworks will, of course, compensate you and your company for the error."
"And what about any future failures?"
Again, Oliver's cheek twitched, but his calm exterior remained intact. "We will investigate our fabrication division, certainly."
"I'm not sure that will be enough for the Order."
"It will have to be."
Crayton paused for a moment, before speaking up again. "There are those that fear that this is actually just a symptom of a much larger problem."
"You mean this foolish notion that the pelts are somehow developing a resistance to runes?" Oliver shook his head. "That's utter nonsense, a paranoid delusion."
"It's either that, or your company has been selling faulty runes."
Despite an initial flash of irritation at the barb, Oliver couldn't help but chuckle a little to himself. Crayton was somewhat infamous for his sharp tongue; it had gotten him in trouble more than once, but Oliver found it reassuring. In his position, often dealing with politicians and negotiators, it was refreshing to have someone speak the blunt truth from time to time.
"I will look into your concerns personally," Oliver said, nodding at the collars. "And I will see to it that our testing regimen is made even more rigorous."
"You will?"
"Certainly. Both Halcyon and yourself are valued customers."
"Very well, thank you, Mr. Linden."
"Now, Miss Kathreen, if you would please show the gentleman out-"
"There is one more issue I would like to discuss," Crayton spoke up, waving Kathreen away as she approached.
"Yes, what is it?"
"The High Cardinal herself asked me to obtain your assurances that, when the war with Graize begins, the flow of runes and crystal into Halcyon will not be impeded."
"Oh, is that all?" Oliver scoffed, disinterestedly waving his hand. "You may assure the Cardinal that your squabble with Graize will not impact the shipping of either runes, or catalyst crystal."
"And if the gate should be closed to us?"
"We have reserves in place for just such an eventuality. After all, we have far too much invested in Halcyon to see it fall."
"And Graize?"
"We will continue to serve them as well." Oliver turned back to the window, gazing over the vast factory. "We're neutral, after all."
"We've also had problems with some of our shipments being intercepted. Just last season we lost an entire consignment of military runes to the Du'Quelle gang."
"I was under the impression that the Order killed Du'Quelle two years ago."
"Apparently not. Now he and other groups like his are targeting our rune shipments. Combine that with the guns the Graize is supplying to rebels... Well, I'm sure you can see our concern."
"Irritating to be sure, but hardly a reason for panic. Unfortunately, once our runes pass into your possession it is up to you to protect them, that was our agreement." Oliver glanced over his shoulder. "Surely you can handle some minor riffraff."
"Less minor, now that they are armed with Runes."
"What exactly are you asking for?" Oliver demanded, his patience very nearly exhausted.
"Security. We want- that is to say, we request, that Legacy Runeworks ensure the protection of our more... valuable shipments with its own security forces."
"That could certainly be done, but it would be expensive."
"We're willing to pay."
Oliver let out a single, harsh bark of laughter. "You're hoping we'll take care of Du'Quelle and his ilk for you. Is Halcyon truly that short of capable fighters that you need to buy our assistance."
A smile worked its way across Crayton's face. "It's as you yourself taught me sir, there is no shame in paying for something, so long as you have the good sense to pay for the best available."
"It also means that whoever is leaking information to the rebels about your shipments risks making an enemy of Legacy Runeworks in its entirety, a distinctly risky proposition." Oliver chuckled and smiled at Crayton. "And it means that, should the leaks be coming from our side, we will deal with it internally. We have a reputation to uphold, after all."
"The thought had crossed our minds."
"Very well. I'll have Kathreen arrange a meeting between you and our head of security to work out the details. In the meantime, good night sir."
"Very well then." Crayton bowed his head. "Thank you, Mister Linden."
Oliver turned back to the window as Crayton left. He remained at his post, his eyes darting about and tracking every small flicker of movement outside. He stayed there, silent, until he heard Kathreen return.
"What do you think of Crayton?" Oliver asked, glancing at his secretary as she joined him at the window.
"Smarter than he looks."
'Well chosen words.' Oliver smiled to himself.
"I'd considered him as a possible father of your children."
"If you command it, sir."
"No objections?"
"None in particular. Certainly, none that would override my family's obligation to you."
"Ah... what kind of world could we have if only all people were as committed to seeing their debts repaid as your family."
Kathreen said nothing, a little smile playing about the corners of her lips.
"Either way," Oliver shoved his hands into his pockets, "We can see to that particular issue once we've gotten this little war out of the way. For now, at least, there is a great deal more that needs to be seen too."
"You are referring to Miss June's message I trust?"
Oliver's fingers twitched. The telegram sent from June contained the worst piece of news he had received in a long time.
"Eloise," he muttered. "I'd hoped her life had run its course by now... Instead, she knows about Harrow, and is almost certainly going to try and interrupt our efforts."
"I'm ready to be deployed, sir." Kathreen puffed out her chest a little as she straightened. "Give me your order, I'll find Eloise and kill her until she stays dead."
"Not yet," Oliver replied, folding his hands behind his back. "Halcyon and Graize will begin exchanging blows any day now and Project Harrow has already succeeded in its goals. I'm content to let Eloise do as she wishes for now."
"And what if she interferes with Barbaros?"
Oliver's eyes flashed dangerously as he shot a glare at Kathreen. "Eloise knows nothing of Barbaros, and you are to keep silent about it."
"I understand that sir, but still-"
"Let Eloise satisfy herself with chasing down her ghosts for now." A smile crossed Oliver's face as he gazed out over his kingdom. "She'll serve me again, one way or the other."
END OF CHAPTER 36