Before dawn, Moss tucked a leather briefcase under his arm and pushed open the doors of the Merchants' Guild building, waking the soldier on guard in the process.
"Captain Moss?" The guard wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, looking flustered, surprised, and nervous. It was his first night on guard duty, and he had never expected anyone to come to work so early. His luck was awful, too. Of all the people who could have caught him sleeping on duty, it had to be Captain Moss.
Moss yawned and looked the night guard up and down. He stopped, rubbed his forehead, and frowned. "The Third Fleet is tightening military discipline right now. If you can't even stand a night watch properly, how do you expect to fight?"
The guard, Marshall, straightened and saluted.
"Captain Moss, I'll accept my punishment." When you were wrong, you had to admit it; when punishment came, you had to stand and take it. Marshall understood that much.
The Third Fleet's leadership had purged a large number of senior officers lately. However foolish Marshall might be, he would never argue with Captain Moss at such a sensitive time.
"Bring breakfast to my office in a little while. Don't let it happen again."
Marshall looked as though he had been pardoned, his worried expression giving way to secret delight at his good fortune. He nodded hurriedly and promised to deliver it on time.
As the first light of dawn appeared, a convoy of blue-canopied carriages stopped at the intersection outside the Ashvane Merchants' Guild building.
Guildmaster Floyd arrived right behind them and exchanged pleasantries with Tony Ma, the guild representative sent by House Stormsong.
Byron had accomplished something significant in Brendanna, the commercial hub of Stormsong Valley. He had thoroughly opened up the local