Free Rogues Gallery by Will Molinar Page B

tavern dwellers who didn’t know any better.
    They would call them cowards. And Marko couldn’t have that. Jerrod would not approve and no doubt bash this man in the face before accepting the proposal.
    “Where do I sign?”
    The man handed over a quill, and Marko scribbled an acceptable scrawl. The crowd cheered, and Marko felt his anger and annoyance flare.
    “Yeah!”
    “You go get ‘em, Marko!”
    “Bust them up good boys!”
    The man looked around. A glimmer of apprehension trickled into his eyes for the first time. The crowd was getting rowdy and loud. He had to speak up in order for Marko to understand him.
    “Come tomorrow night to the arena to the third level. They’ll be expecting you. Bring five other men and yourself. Don’t be late.”
    “Tell your boss we’ll be there,” Marko said, and then the man was gone, swallowed up by a cheering, boisterous crowd. He should have checked in with Jerrod at his cabin, but was reluctant to. His reception last time was less than savory, so he decided not to risk further aggravating the dangerous man. If he wanted Marko to take charge of things, fine. Marko and his boys would be fine.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Journal 1257
     
    Incessant flies pester me without relief. I am pulled in so many disparate directions, there is fear I may suffer physical harm. The Sea Haven navy and its rapid construction remain the primary focus of my limited energy. I feel it is the most important expansion of our current realm of immediate need. I say immediate, for so many aspects of our organization rely on the quelling of seaward attacks that I cannot think of a more pressing concern.
     
    The contracts have been argued over and handed out to the highest bidders. The scrap metal and wood dealers are thrilled at the money coming their way, and the builders at the shipping yards are ready to up the initial quota to encompass The Guild and my desire to see not only a stay at home navy for Sea Haven but another additional force (or will we include them in our armada?) to do battle on the high seas.
     
    Will the city fight me? They might. I could expend energy attempting to convince them. It is in their best interests to support this endeavor ,but I have more pressing concerns to deal with. The members of our Guild are unhappy, and I must do something to keep the merchants content, or at least make them understand I will do what it takes to protect them from harm, within the city and at sea.
     
    I must ensure the avenues of their business are clear from molestation, and I have failed in that duty. Can I be faulted for doing whatever it takes to reverse this? The merchants face increased theft within the city. They had to hire more guardsmen, out of their own pocket, to better protect themselves and their wares. The Thieves Guild was not a perfect system, I admit, but it worked to keep things at a manageable level. Men and women stole what they needed, and with the special arrangement with Oberon Cutter, the merchants were mollified.
     
    Two deals are no longer in place; the one we had with the thieves and the one bartered by my predecessor to keep travel along the coast free from attack by buccaneers, outlaws and other miscreants. The city is to blame more than I. Can the council not see the bubbling cauldron of unrest in this city? Are they so blind and cut off from the day to day misery that is the lot of the average person in “Murder” Haven, holed up in their palatial homes in the wealthy quarter that they no longer see reality for what it is?
     
    I believe this is the case. But we shall have our navy. And perhaps I can convince the rest of the council we should use it to blast Lurenz and his fleet of criminals into bits of driftwood. I can only do as much as could be expected as any man.
     
    There is unease within the cadre of Dock Masters. Joseph Miller seems an odd man, with his unusual mannerisms, but Lawson assures me he is talented in areas of math and accounting. Bolvin is