Published at 22nd of October 2023 9:43 am

Book 3: Chapter 38

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The celebration didn't last long, as almost everyone was simply too tired from an entire night of fighting. After most people had crawled off to bed, Garrett called the gang's officers together. They gathered in his office, where he laid out the plan they would follow for the next few days. There were a lot of things still up in the air, and he didn't know how the situation would shake out. The military had moved in force, managing to reinforce the defensive line just in time thanks to the forged orders that had been passed around. That deception would be discovered, no doubt, but Garrett wasn't particularly worried about it. They had forced the army to move, taking advantage of his knowledge about how the army operated, learned during his time in the palace with Prince Everan. He suspected that the entire thing would be hushed up when a scapegoat couldn't be found.

The main issue was that he had no idea how long the military lockdown was going to last. The city was already under martial law due to the death of the royal family, and just as things were starting to ease, the March of Lesrak had forced the army into action. This meant that it was likely the city would return to its earlier lockdown state. While that meant more patrols on the street and needing to keep a lower profile for the gang, the majority of the business the Klein family operated took place under the city, in the sewers and crypts below the district. That work would continue without interruption.

Likewise, the awakened dreamers would have no trouble continuing to clear the dream, and Garrett thought it might be a good idea to focus most of his attention there for the next few weeks while they waited for everything to blow over. After giving orders, he sent everyone to rest while he reviewed all the gains the Klein family had made. Paskal had been dealt with and his and the Brass Tiger Syndicate's coffers emptied, adding to the growing pile of wealth stacking up under the inn. After robbing two large gangs blind, the Klein family was in a good financial position. However, as he ran the numbers, Garrett began to realize that even with everything they had stolen, their expenses were still going to outpace their income by a considerable margin over the next year. This meant that other sources of income needed to be found, and rapidly.

His deal with Marcus Parrow of Parrow's Fine Goods would be underway soon, and over the next week, he anticipated sending workers from the still-damaged factories to resume soap production once more. However, he knew full well what was going to happen. The soap production, which had provided a steady trickle of income for the gang, was about to dry up completely once Parrow copied their methods. Garrett had always known that it wouldn't last, as others had been eyeing the business, and with Parrow making a move, it seemed the time had come to give up on it.

It was a bit of a shame, but Garrett didn't mind so much, as there were plenty of other ways to leverage Carraway and his connections. The most important thing for now was staying out of the limelight, and allowing any attention that the Klein family had gained over the last few months to fade away. About mid-morning, just as Garrett was finalizing the budget, he heard a knock at the door. Closing his account book, he slid it into one of his desk drawers.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing the cook, Francis, who jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

"There's a guard captain to see you," he said. "He said his name is Captain Fernek?"

"Send him in," Garrett said.

A few minutes later, Captain Fernek was sitting uncomfortably on the edge of his seat, looking across the desk at Garrett. Their last encounter had not been particularly pleasant for either of them, and the captain looked a bit like he had swallowed a fly. His helmet rested on his knee, and he was still dressed in his armor, his body covered in sweat and grime from the fight. Garrett, on the other hand, was clean and fresh looking.

"Would you like a drink, sir?" Garrett asked, gesturing to the decanter and glasses placed on the edge of his desk.

Captain Fernek gave the decanter a longing glance, but shook his head.

"No," he said. "I'm still working."

"I see. Then I guess this isn't a social visit."

A faint grimace appeared on Fernek's face as he shook his head again.

"No."

Falling silent, the captain seemed nervous, as if he didn't know exactly what to say. Garrett let him stew, simply watching him with a curious gaze. Eventually, the captain gathered himself and coughed.

"Ahem. I'm here on behalf of a..." the captain paused slightly, a shudder tracing down his spine. "A mutual friend."

Amusement flickered across Garrett's face as he regarded the captain, though Fernek didn't seem to notice it. After clearing his throat again, the captain continued.

"You operate the Klein family, is that correct?"

Seeing Garrett's short nod, Captain Fernek sighed in relief.

"I've come to give you a warning," he said.

"A warning?" Garrett raised his eyebrow.

"Yes. This district is going to be undergoing an investigation. I know you're connected with the exorcist, which means that you're going to be one of the prime targets. The army is determined to try to figure out how this attack by the Dark Hand slipped under the radar, and the exorcists are going to be prime targets for taking the blame."

Watching Fernek curiously, Garrett found himself surprised. Thanks to the dream flower Captain Fernek carried, he was able to track the captain's movement closely, but he hadn't been paying attention to what Captain Fernek was experiencing, so he wasn't quite sure how the captain had learned this information. Closing his eyes, he was about to review what had happened when he felt a faint presence. It was Somnia, the overlord bloom he had just planted, informing him that it was ready to assist. Rather than combing back through all of the filtered messages and memories he had absorbed over the previous few hours, Garrett paused and then asked Somnia what it knew about the captain's words.

Almost immediately, a memory appeared in his head detailing the captain's interaction with a few of the officers that had been deployed. It seemed that Captain Fernek had been in the room when he heard the army's officers talking about shifting the blame to the exorcists.

[Would you like to know more about this subject as we discover it?]

Yes, that would be wonderful. Please keep me apprised.

[Of course, my lord.]

All this only took a fraction of a second, and Garrett opened his eyes, catching Captain Fernek's gaze. Seeing the small smile on Garrett's lips, Captain Fernek fell silent, almost as if he didn't know what else to say. Tapping his finger against his desk, Garrett thought for a moment and then snapped as if an idea had suddenly come to him.

"Captain Fernek?"

"Yes?"

"How would you feel about taking responsibility for the defense of the district?"

"I'm sorry, I don't follow."

"Imagine with me for a moment," Garrett said, "that the defense of the district, carried out so admirably last night, had been organized at your behest. That you, rather than the Klein family, were the one who anticipated the Dark Hand's attack, and also organized the various gangs and mercenary groups that formed the defensive line at the Royal Graveyard's southern wall. Imagine if you were the one who convinced Paskal the Crusher, leader of the Brass Tiger Syndicate, to lay down his life to defend against the main thrust of the Necromancer's attack.”

It took a moment for Captain Fernek to understand what Garrett was suggesting. When he did, his eyes went wide. He had been quite nervous to come and give Garrett this warning, as their last interaction had been very negative. However, the flower that bloomed in his heart had driven him to do it, though he didn't understand why. Now, Garrett seemed to be suggesting that he would turn over all of the credit for the defense of the district to him. The last time Captain Fernek knew, he and Garrett were enemies. At first, he suspected a trap, though that suspicion only lasted for a brief moment before visions of what such an accomplishment would mean for his career began to dance before his eyes.

The truth was, Captain Fernek was tired of being one of the patrol captains and had long since desired to grow into a position of real power among the city guard. That was why, after all, he had agreed to put pressure on the merchant Carraway and this upstart from the Klein family. Though that had gone sideways, he suddenly found himself being offered the opportunity for the advancement he so desperately wanted.

Even if Garrett hadn't been able to read the emotions in Captain Fernek's heart through his connection with the dream flower, he would have been able to see them on the captain's face. Knowing what the captain's answer was going to be, Garrett scratched his cheek and smiled, laying out his plan.

"It's really a simple matter," he said. "I know for a fact that the exorcist already passed on information about Lesrak's March to the army. It's clear, however, that they got a less than positive response. We can say that I reported it to you, and that you, taking my words seriously, organized the defense by pulling together the grave walkers, the Klein family, and a number of other mercenary groups and gangs to defend the city. You'll get credit for preventing the majority of the damage, as well as holding off the necromancers until morning. The army will get credit for driving them back."

"And what will you get?" Captain Fernek asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"The peaceful and quiet life I'm looking for," Garrett said, cracking a smile. "I have no desire to be in the limelight, and indeed would much rather be left alone. I'm happy to be a participant, but our forces need no acknowledgment. Instead, I would much rather see you grow to the place of authority you deserve."

"Will the Grave Walkers agree to that?" Captain Fernek asked, running calculations in his head.

"They will," Garrett said, his voice certain. "I know for a fact that Cynen would prefer to draw as little attention as possible. She entered the crypts to deal with the dark hand underground, while you controlled and coordinated the defense above ground, keeping the citizens of the district safe until the army could arrive. It was really an impressive feat."

Captain Fernek was silent for a good few minutes, his expression torn as he wrestled with himself. A small voice in the back of his head was urging him to reject the offer, as accepting it would cause him to owe Garrett a tremendous favor. That voice of caution, however, was drowned out by the possibility of advancement, and finally he nodded his head.

"Fine, if you are really willing."

"Good," Garrett replied. "In that case, we need to make sure our story is straight. You said I'm going to be under investigation. It will be more effective if you don't claim credit, but instead, credit is granted to you by those who participated in the defense. I will take care of that. You continue to see to your men and wait for the army to come to speak to you."

"What should I tell them?" Captain Fernek asked, his brow furrowing.

"You'll tell them that after being warned about the impending attack, you rallied the guards scattered about the district and led them to its defense, while also activating the contingency measures you set in place."

Taking out a piece of paper, Garrett reached across the desk, dipping his quill in the inkpot before scratching out a few lines. He put his quill down on its stand, picked up the paper, and blew on it gently before handing it to the captain.

"All you need to remember is that you coordinated the defense with us, using the Klein family as an intermediary to connect with both the Grave Walkers and the other groups that assisted. We're a subordinate organization to the Grave Walkers, and so it stands to reason that you would come through us to speak to them."

Taking the paper, Captain Fernek scanned over it a few times and then nodded.

"All right," he said, "I'll do it."

As he stood to leave, Garrett sensed a familiar presence under the inn, in the tunnels under the inn, and wheeled himself out from behind the desk.

"Let me see you out," he said. "We want to make sure that we're seen to be on good terms."

After seeing the captain to the door and saying goodbye, Garrett wheeled himself back to his office, pausing for a moment at the door to scan the inn, looking for prying eyes that might be paying attention. There was nobody who wasn’t connected to him with a dream flower, and so with a sigh of relief, he opened the door to his office.

Inside, sitting on the couch and in the chairs in front of his desk, were Cynen, Gale, Core, and the Red Masked Assassin who had survived. The group was clearly exhausted, though Cynen's eyes burned with bright green flame that carried flecks of gold.

"That's only a little bit creepy," Garrett said by way of greeting as he met Cynen's gaze.

With a hollow laugh, she shook her head. "It's better than what could have happened," she said.

Curious, Garrett examined her. While Gale and Cor were not under his complete control, the Red Masked Assassin was, and Cynen had been transformed into one of his guardians. What was curious, however, was that her personality seemed largely intact. Typically, upon becoming a guardian, the blooming guardian seed created an entirely new individual by melding the dream flower with the host's mind. Cynen, however, had accepted the guardian flower willingly, much like Delrisa, and rather than being overwritten, her mind seemed to have merged perfectly with Viper's guardian flower, allowing her to keep the majority of her personality.

"Viper didn't make it," she said, pulling the red mask from under her cloak and placing it on his desk.

Feeling a pang of sorrow, Garrett wheeled his chair around the desk and picked up the still-bloody mask. In many ways, it was his fault that Viper hadn't survived, but if not for his guardian's swift action, it was entirely likely that he would have lost the fight outright. Rubbing the flower motif on the mask lightly with his fingers, he sighed.

“He did what was necessary, and will be honored for it."

There was much for Garrett and Cynen to go over, but they could do that any time, thanks to their connection. And so, after speaking for a few more minutes, Garrett sent Cynen and her two lieutenants to stabilize the situation with the Grave Walker gang. He had already informed the remnants of the gang that Cynen was on her way back, and was keeping a close eye on them to make sure nothing disruptive took place.

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