Guardian of the Night

19

With Trenna to one side and Ilivno at the other, Bilain placed five stones upon the map. One in the centre, indicating the Spire, the signal point, the other four on the locations the Mikinartan had told her. She hated leaving the man at Kaluun's estate, but she couldn't take the chance of any of his fellows seeing him in the hands of the Watch. Everything sat in a precarious balance and one wrong move, one bad decision could spell disaster.

"These are the four locations of the whale oil caches. Notice how they sit at points that could cause the greatest damage if even one is set alight." She waved her hand over the areas. Housing and buildings as dense as anywhere in The Sprawl and with populations as dense as the buildings. "Each cache has groups of five people guarding them. One in the highest reaches of the building, ready to see the signal fire, the others observing, ready to attack any who try to stop their game."

Trenna leaned over the map, fingers raking through his beard. He nodded as took note of the surroundings. Ilivno took notes and, as Bilain looked she saw the Kannai make several calculations, scribbling some out to rewrite them. Her investigators had come close to the same conclusions, but had not narrowed the locations down quite as well.

"I can have several Watch members surround each building. We need to attack fast and without mercy. Any one of them could set the oil afire." Trenna traced a finger around each building, nodding as he tapped certain points. "We can do it, but we have to surprise them. Where did you get this information, Chief?"

"I can't say. Not yet. Another part of my plan requires secrecy." Secrecy that Bilain did not want to hold from her people, but had little choice. "All of the caches must be struck at the same moment. At two bells of the morning, but keep watch on them until then. As you make your attack, I'll approach those I believe are responsible for everything."

"Alone? That is inadvisable." Ilivno shook her head at that part of the plan. "I shall come with you, with four of my investigators. The others will aid Trenna in the assaults."

"No!" She knew very well how odd it would sound, but if they knew who she had allied with, she could lose their trust. "The ones I believe are responsible are organised and powerful. Attacking them in force is far more inadvisable. No. This part will take diplomacy. Of a sort."

She couldn't tell them that the people who had organised the entire enterprise had once held the entire city at bay in a conflict years before and she doubted their military resources would have lessened in the intervening years. The Ganshorn family had held back northern expansion of the city, forcing Adrasusk to look to the south and the lands of the Fae for the burgeoning city to expand into.

Now, it appeared the Ganshorn's desired the land that The Sprawl sat upon. For what reason, Bilain couldn't imagine, but desire it they did and, with The Sprawl gone, consumed by flame, she doubted the city, or the Senate, would care. Purses would become fat, while the people of The Sprawl, those that survived, would have few places to go.

She had considered confronting Senator Yiladry's widow, Ghistreen, but she felt the woman only a cog in a larger familial machine. Following the orders of her family, most like. Ghistreen's time would come, but Bilain had the head of the snake to cut off. She had not spoken the entire truth to her Sergeants. For certain, the Ganshorn's would have a formidable force to defend them, but Bilain did not intend ending this with diplomacy.

With those thoughts continuing to cross her mind, she gave out her final orders to Ilivno and Trenna. As she told them of the way she would reach the conspirators, they each exchanged glances. It was a risk, for certain, but there seemed little else they could do. The whale oil needed to go somewhere. Somewhere it could do the least damage to The Sprawl, but could aid Bilain, should she need it.