Read The Sail Weaver for Free Online

scheme, yes. We just aren’t sure what it is.”
    Tristan sighed. “If it even is, I’m not convinced.”
    “We know the ship is there, so that much is confirmed.” Brian met his eyes. “As to the rest, it is yet to be seen.”
    “Yes.”
    “I have assigned Alden Soldat to Winged Victory .”
    “I guessed as much when I saw him in the hall the other day.” Tristan tried to hide his distaste. Alden had risen to the top of the ranks of Warrior Weavers—the Guild member assigned to a ship to control her sails—but he didn’t like Alden. The man was vain, egotistical…
    “And a pain in the ass,” Brian said, finishing his thought. “I know what you think about him, but he is the best we have and we need the best for this ship. These sails are massive, and I don’t even know if he can handle it. There are twelve Air Weavers assigned to the project, they’ve been there since the Navy requested Air Weavers for two ships.”
    “You’re as worried about this as I am.”
    “No, Tristan.” Brian dropped his feet to the floor. “I’m more worried. The closer it gets, the more I hear, and that makes me uncomfortable. Frankly, I’ve considered pulling out more than once. If Darius hadn’t asked us specifically to be involved, I would.”
    “Why do you think the dragons are so interested?” Tristan asked.
    “Besides the rumors?” The Guild Master shrugged. “I’m not sure. I don’t trust them to tell us everything, and there is far more going on than we know. I did hear from Sandlin on the corvette Fury . They’re patrolling the Outer Reaches. There have been several Vermin attacks in the last few weeks, like they are probing for a weakness in our defenses.”
    “Even if they broke through there, it’s a long way into our space.”
    “Not that far, not for Vermin. It’s why the Navy wants the Victory to fly so soon.”
    The intercom buzzed. “Sorry, Master Tristan, but Master Alden is here to see you.”
    “That didn’t take him long,” Rhoads said. “I sent him his papers this morning.”
    “Let him in, Scott,” Tristan said, sitting up straight in his chair. He ranked the warrior by several levels, but Alden tended to behave as if he were the ranking officer no matter what company he was in.
    The door opened and Alden strode in, his dark uniform impeccable and his hair worn clubbed at the back of his neck, the formal bow tied so precisely Tristan suspected that it was glued on after the fact by one of his underlings. Stopping in front of the desk, he glanced at Tristan and snapped off a crisp salute to the Guild Master. “Sirs!”
    “At ease,” Rhoads said.
    “Sir!” Alden made a point of staying at military correct “at ease”, and he looked at the Elemental Interface lying on the desk. “Reporting for duty.”
    “A little premature, Alden,” Tristan said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
    “I wanted to be in at the beginning, sir. This project is so important I assumed you would want me present from day one, sir.”
    Tristan ground his teeth together. He really despised the man. “It’s not customary to report until the sails are complete.”
    “Ah, yes, but this is far from a customary assignment, sir.”
    “You’re right, Alden,” Rhoads s aid, standing and slapping the W arrior on the back hard enough to knock him off balance f or a second. “I think having a W arrior at your back is not a bad idea this time, Master Tristan.”
    “Perhaps,” Tristan agreed, trying to decide whether he liked the idea of Alden lurking around while he was Weaving.
    “Thank you, sirs!” Alden grinned slyly at Tristan.
    Rhoads moved between them. “I mean watching his back, Alden. No matter what else is going on in the Guild, we are all Guild. You understand me? We watch out for our own. You have had to have heard the rumors. If anything happens on your watch I will personally take you to Darius to have you explain why these sails are not completed by the Master