The night air was cold and damp; heavy winds were carrying moisture in from the wetlands surrounding the city. Jin shivered and closed the staircase door behind him. He set down his cushions in the sitting area and then went about lighting the glass lanterns that dotted the rooftop. Opening the case and drawing it close to him so as to shield it from the wind, he would move his finger next to the wick and snap them, and presto!, fire. It was the one magic spell he had picked up on his travels, a mere trifle to the average magician but infinitely useful to a wandering vagabond.
Once the rooftop was sufficiently lit, Jin got comfortable in a seat near the edge of the empty pool and waited. The potted trees and bushes that dotted the edges of the roof swayed and shuddered, trying their damnedest to block the wind but not doing a very good job of it. It wouldn't hurt to buy a few more plants to help fill out their ranks. Maybe some small pine or spruce trees. Conifers wouldn't really fit with the aesthetic he had tried to build, but they would do a better job of breaking the wind.
Presently William appeared, walking quietly as he always did and making sure to shut the door firmly behind him. He came straight to Jin and sat down next to him, tugging the blanket around his shoulders tight against the chill. "They're acting all weird downstairs, like they don't know each other. Have you got any ideas for a plan yet, Jin?"
The old man smiled and replied "Many, but let's wait for the others. For a wise man, the value of the brash and opinionated is in their ability to easily flush out of hiding an idea's folly." He peered at William's eyes intently as he said this, like a school teacher intent on driving a lesson into his pupil's brain. Then he laughed. "I'm sure Gerik and Daniel will have several shining examples for you!"
In no time the others began to trickle up on to the roof and take their places among the seats and cushions. The talk revolved around the Inquisitor's demands and how (or even if) they should be met. Jin noted in passing that the one thing this scene lacked was a nice, roaring fire pit. It was something he'd need to look into.
Despite the cold it was a rather nice night; the sky was clear, showing off a million dazzling stars that grew brighter by the minute. Jin gazed for a long while at the Royal Palace, its stark towers and walls cast in a soft red light by the last of the sun's rays. A myriad of torches and lanterns illuminated little pieces of the vast city that stretched below like a field of children's playing blocks. It reminded him of the veritable floating cities created by the Atpa colonials; a sea of lanterns, one per boat, bobbing up and down for miles in every direction.
This job sounded simple enough, but it didn't sit right with Jin. There was more going on here than the city's government wanted them to know. They'd run into complications pretty quickly, he imagined. Why would The Inquisitors hire small time thieves and thugs to take out this Leximor fellow instead of using their own agents? Better yet, why would they offer complete pardon to their forced bounty hunters? The government didn't just pardon people like them unless they were somehow valuable out of prison or so unimportant that it wasn't worth wasting a jail cell on them. It certainly wasn't the first, and although it could possibly be the second, Jin wasn't convinced. Some of these men and women had committed pretty bloody crimes. The Inquisitor had basically given them an order on pain of death, and no sane person would doubt his capabilities or willingness. The money and pardon were only there to sweeten the deal; more likely than not they would all receive a swift sword to the gut as a reward for their efforts.
But what could they do? What could he do? The job could be a trap as easily as not, but the Guard would not hesitate to act on their threats, and nobody in this gang could stop them. The only choice for now was to comply. Jin shook his head and, after casting one last apprehensive stare at the looming palace, turned his attention to the conversation.
"The job could easily be a trap," he began solemnly, with a glance at Serena, "So you must be careful. I will try to gain some amount of reassurance that we can at least count on the Blessing's status as a respectable establishment for protection. This isn't the first time I have been threatened." He smiled broadly.
"In the meantime, though, you must go through with the job. Even if the Guard are not intending to make true on their offer, they should not be crossed. The Destroyers are a powerful group of course, not to be trifled with, but they are nowhere near as powerful as the government and the Inquisitors. Gaining favor with the Destroyers would not save us." He rose and walked to the edge of the veranda, looking down at the street below. There were only a few people out walking now, sticking close to the buildings with their collars up, stragglers of the great homeward commute that took place every day right before sundown. The wind was probably worse down there than it was up here, being funneled frightfully through the streets like water in a gutter. He could hear it hissing through the gables and archways.
"Tread slowly and lightly. This is going to be a dangerous business."
