Chapter 60: All Pieces Committed
Godric was at the passage gate from the inner courtyard before Beorn had crossed even half the corridor. He had moved early, anticipated the need, and positioned himself where the report would be most efficient to deliver.
"The main gate is ours," he said.
He fell into step beside Beorn without breaking stride, eyes ahead.
"From then, the route outside is open. The last of them pulled off it before midmorning."
He kept pace, matching Beorn exactly.
"We lost four of the crown soldiers in the engagent. Their captain is dead."
Beorn kept walking, nodding idly to the report.
"And Coss’s side."
"Eleven confird on the road. Three more withdrew wounded."
Beorn considered the number against the objective.
"I suppose the crown soldiers fought well."
"Barely," Godric said.
His tone did not change, it was simply a professional opinion.
"They didn’t fight as a unit but broke at contact."
"Chances are they barely rember their training before being posted here."
Beorn stopped at the intersection where the corridor split toward the administrative section and turned to face Godric.
"I want a militia squad at the gate full ti, integrated with what’s left of their unit."
He matched Godric’s gaze, ensuring the instruction was understood.
"And go through the crown soldiers, inspect them, however long they served, whether they fought well yesterday. Those are the only trics that matters."
A brief pause, then the conclusion, precise.
"Then appoint a new captain."
Godric took in the criteria without challenge, committing it as instruction rather than suggestion.
"It will be done by the end of the day."
He turned toward the garrison quarter as he spoke, already moving to execute.
Lewin waited in the corridor outside the records room.
He had been moving at Beorn’s pace. The way he stood when Beorn reached him suggested he had matched that pace from thirty feet back, then chosen the exact point to stop and wait. He had a folded notation sheet in one hand, prepared in advance.
"The spy moved yesterday," Lewin said.
He extended the sheet slightly, though Beorn did not take it.
"I tracked him from behind Ald’s bay to a house in the slums, third row south of the south entrance, a building with the broken drain on the east side."
His delivery remained continuous, but each information landed cleanly.
"There’s late-night activity, inside an hour either side of midnight."
He shifted his grip on the paper, minimal movent.
"There are two exists I can confirm, the street door and a window to the alley on the north side. There may be a third through the building at the side, but I couldn’t confirm it without exposure."
Beorn mapped the information on his mind.
"How many n do you need."
"Five. From the best."
Beorn considered the trade. Five strong assets removed from other duties, but the target justified it.
"Very well. Seize the building and whoever is inside."
Lewin folded the notation sheet and put it back in his coat.
He did not ask for clarification or contingency paraters. He had what he needed to proceed and would adapt within what was necessary.
The corridor from the records room to the administrative section took Beorn past the kitchen and through the working section. As he walked, he opened the ledger to a fresh page and wrote the house location in the margin, then the two exits, then the timing.
He added no comntary. There was no need for them.
He closed the ledger before he reached the office, sealing the note as complete for now.
Eadric was at the door.
He stood with his hands folded in front of him in the posture that had beco habitual, but the fold was too obvious.
The effort to create the habit showed in the habit itself. He had been there for so ti, holding position instead of acting.
He saw Beorn, and his posture shifted before his expression caught up, passing briefly through sothing between relief and sothing that was not relief.
"My lord."
The cadence was familiar, practiced and controlled.
"I hoped, that is, I wondered if I might have a brief-"
He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes moved to a point slightly left of Beorn’s shoulder, then ca back as if correcting an error.
"There’s a matter I wanted to raise with you, and I’ve been trying to find the appropriate -"
He stopped again.
The pause was different than the professional pauses Eadric used when building a long delivery. Those were intentional. This one was awkward, with hesitation.
Beorn said nothing and waited.
"I ntion this only because the situation in the city has been-"
His hands unfolded once, then refolded, the motion not fully controlled.
"The administrative situation has required my office to maintain certain..."
He stopped a fourth ti.
Beorn looked at him. The main gate was open. The western wall was secure. Lewin had five n, a location, and a target.
The main gate captain would be chosen from the roster of n who had charged a blockade at dawn with no knowledge the supporting volley would arrive in ti.
These were the current variables of the city.
"There’s so matters we should discuss," Beorn said.
Eadric’s attention shifted to him imdiately.
"There, there is, my lord."
"Yes, for quite a while now" Beorn said.
He spoke in an indifferent tone.
"However, the situation in the city is not quite stable. There has been little ti to it."
He watched Eadric as the implication appeared underneath his words.
"We should re-evaluate, so to speak, your position and duties to this protectorate."
Sothing in Eadric’s expression changed.
His hands separated from their fold and did not return to it.
He looked at the door, then back to Beorn, the decision being made on his mind.
"My lord, there is a ssage," he said.
There was no more hesitation in his voice.
"I received it through an unknown source. It ca to
while walking on the streets. From Harvin Coss."
He stopped, but this ti the pause was certain.
Beorn watched him, the idea of it already ford on his mind.
"Do you want to talk inside?" Beorn said.
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