Kerrigan sat behind Conor’s large oak desk reviewing the papers Natalie had sent over and trying to figure out what Kelan was doing to her company. Some of the decisions he was authorizing made no sense at all and she wondered if he was just agreeing to anything people asked of him, regardless of how asinine the requests might be. She was certain that if he kept up like this the board would remove him without her ever lifting a finger. There was something that kept nagging at the back of her mind but she could not figure out what the issue was. One trade he had authorized moved some of Dragon Corporation’s spice business to a third party who was then paid to move the product to Pinon Province, where it was then re-acquired by another subsidiary of Dragon Corporation. The final sale still showed a 10% profit, but the effort to achieve that seemed asinine to Kerrigan. A knock sounded at the door and she looked up to find Anna Brooks peaking around her door. “Do you have a minute?” she

The mountainside to the right began to turn into a sheer face that towered over them as the left side fell away down to a strong moving stream below. At one point Parker looked up and pointed at the sheer rock wall. “See those small metal bits on the wall?” Kerrigan strained her eyes but noticed the metal glinting. “What are those?” “Anchors. Some of the more adventurous climbers have been out here and did everyone a favor by drilling those into the wall. Now anyone with the knowledge and skill can try to climb that wall with much more confidence. It is actually becoming a popular sport in some circles. Perhaps I can requisition some ropes and quickdraws from Colonel Eli. You two will likely need to visit an outfitter to get some proper shoes if we come back out here,” Parker explained. “You climb that? All the way up there? What if you fall?” Kerrigan asked in trepidation. “Ropes. It’s the same method we use for special operations. Of course, the stakes are much lower, and it's h

“Or what? You were sticky and needed a rinse.” Parker quipped, popping another chip ladened with chicken salad. “You knew perfectly well that a dunk in cold water is not what I was after,” Evelynn said, snatching the chicken salad from Parker and taking a scoop for herself before passing it to Kerrigan. “I wasn’t done with that. As for you, if that is what you wanted, you could have just asked me back to your place AFTER work. Perhaps there I could have given you a proper shower.” Parker said straight-faced. Evelynn squirmed uncomfortably, “You know perfectly well that I am stuck in the barracks at Volkrizin. Colonel Eli doesn’t tolerate ANYTHING.” “So am I. You likely didn’t realize it as our entrance is from the other stairwell, but I am under the same roof as you, just on the other side of a wall,” Parker explained. “Wait, Conor, ALL of our guards are housed at Vokrizin? Why doesn’t Parker have a home of his own?! Colonel Eli? The other 100 or so I see around?” Kerrigan asked i

Conor made his way back through familiar employee-only halls to Mr. Matthew’s office. When he knocked on the door, Mr. Matthews voice greeted him. “Come in!” Conor opened the door to find Mr. Matthews leaning over the shoulder of a man in his late thirties. “Ah, Conor, my boy. Come on in and meet Marcus Grady. He will be my new general manager.” “Are you not planning to be here anymore?” Conor asked. “Ah, well, my second granddaughter is due to be born next week and I really want to spend more time with them. Don’t worry. I will still be keeping an eye on Marcus here.” Conor nodded to the thin gentleman seated at the desk. Mr. Grady had short brown hair and smooth tan skin. He carried himself like a professional and had an air about him that made someone want to trust him just by looking at him. Conor held out his hand, “Mr. Grady.” Mr. Grady stood and eagerly shook Conor’s hand, “It’s great to meet you! Mr. Matthews has told me some about you. Honestly, I didn’t realize you w

Then Moss’s voice rose several levels, “Hin Sil Oblivion! Oblaan Fin Lo!” His hand flicked and a small knife flew at Parker, another at Evelynn. Parker slid to the side, slapping at the spinning dagger. It embedded itself in the wall a hairs breath from where his ear had been. Evelynn tried to spring for Kerrigan but the dagger tossed at her had pinned her shirt collar to the wall and the blade sunk deep into the drywall behind her. As the assassin drew more daggers, Faolan darted under the table and bit the man’s leg as he took aim at Kerrigan. Moss let out a howl of pain and the blade flew wide. Conor heard a scream to his left and spun toward Kerrigan only to see Jarad fall backward out of his chair clutching his chest, a small blade sticking out. The assassin pulled another blade, doing his best to stabilize himself with Faolan tearing into his leg. As he pulled back for a toss, Conor grabbed the table and shoved all his weight against it, sliding it across the floor into the