Ridge: Day One

11. THE DAY TO LEARN

Hamel spent the following week settling in and becoming an essential member of Patir Eddel's organization. He found the thugs and various employees avoided him or grumbled under their breath for the first few days. He even had four confrontations, each of which contributed to a new level of respect for him by Eddel's "employees." Most of the men wavered between distrust for him and amusement with the idea of a disgraced Honored Patir serving a criminal.

Eddel, however, gave the men the impression of complete trust in Hamel's abilities and loyalty. Hamel had the freedom to move about the lower sections and go anywhere he wished. Word spread that he was Eddel's replacement and by the end of the week, everyone gave him a wide berth.

Eddel did not, however, trust Hamel with everything. Such reservation was expected. He would have thought Eddel a fool to trust him without question. Listening to the man dance around certain topics or change the subject if the conversation delved too deeply into the organization's strengths, weaknessness, and ongoing activities gave Hamel confidence that he was only being used.

Hamel did not mind being used by Eddel. There were lines Hamel would not cross. Eddel's reservations helped to remind Hamel that they were both seeking a benefit from the relationship and each keeping their own secrets. They were using one another.

Eddel had assigned thirty men to Hamel's instruction. Hamel was to teach them to fight as a Ridge Elite soldier. He was also assigned three men to teach them war strategy and how to defend the Valley Wall.

It wasn't long before Hamel could see Eddel sought to take over the Council, the military, and the entire upper sections of the city. Hamel would not contribute to such treason, but he had no fear of such a thing coming to pass.

The men assigned to him for both training and strategy were far from capable. He knew he could pour into most of them for weeks, months, or even years, and they would never reach the level of even young Markel. Hamel was also very selective on what he taught them. They learned enough to think they were gaining the skills needed to control the Ridge Nation, but Hamel's training ensured they would never succeed.

After three days in Eddel's organization, the man turned his attention to learning how he might infiltrate the Council and rob the treasuries. Hamel gave his all to create the impression that he was on board, but not only would he never betray the Council in such a way, but he knew it was foolish to try.

Eddel wanted news of shady dealings, improper actions or betrayals regarding the Council members. Hamel, unfortunately, could give nothing to Eddel in that area. The Council members received and maintained their roles on the Council based on their honor. To have shady dealings or to be engaged in criminal activities would not only disqualify them for their roles, but it was also such an appalling thought that no member of the Council would do such a thing. Hamel knew each member of the Council better than most people, but he knew of not even the hint of crookedness. As a result, Hamel could give nothing to Eddel that he could use to extort the Council.

In regards to the treasuries, Hamel could be of more service. He knew the layout, locks, guard rotations, and everything there was to know about the security in place. Hamel had actually set the security plan in motion himself. He had spent a year fine-tuning the guard rotation, number of guards, security system, and more. Even if the alarm was taken down, there were still more than enough guards. Even if the guards were incapacitated, the locks would keep out thieves. If a thief managed to disable the alarm, remove the guards, and even unlock the doors, the guard rotation would kick in before the thief had time to get out of the treasury.

Hamel could not give Eddel a foolproof way to get inside and out of the treasury with the gold, but he could give all sorts of information. He was intrigued at how creative Eddel was in coming up with plans to enter and exit the treasury, but he also could see not one idea would work.