The Irregulars all tried to shake my hand and tell me their names. I even got a few hugs from the youngest of them. I admit that I kept a close watch on my belt pouch, but being accepted as one of their own meant I did not need to worry about that.

  And I would know if it happened. Bella assured me.

  I would need to get used to her speaking her mind into my own mind whenever she pleased.

  I got a feeling of her being both annoyed and amused at my thoughts.

  When things quieted down again, and I wiped my hands off on my robes as subtly as possible- there was a decent amount of grime on their clothes, I asked Junior to pull three other leaders together. He would be the lieutenant, and they would be his sergeants. I also asked for Ears to be pulled aside as well.

  Looking at the five of them, I said, “Until told otherwise, and that could be as soon as later today, you will report to Biff or whichever senior brawler is working the door. You will tell him or her what you need, and you will be directed where you should go. That is what you do each time you come in here.

  I pointed at the door and the floor to emphasize my point.

  “Out there, each of you will be in charge of a group. You choose your own groups with Junior’s approval. Each group leader,” here I pointed to the three Irregulars that Junior had chosen, “will be in charge of a group, and you will work in shifts. You can’t all work all the time, but we will work around the clock. Therefore, one group and one group leader need to be here at all times. You can double up on shifts, but no more than two shifts back-to-back. That way, you have time to rest, sleep, and do whatever else you need to do.

  “Junior is in charge of the three team leaders,” I emphasized, to make sure they understood the chain of command.

  “Like the City Watch!” One leader piped in. Her name was Dotty. I presumed it was a reference to all her red-headed freckles, but there was no knowing for sure with them.

  “Yes,” I agreed. “You will function a bit like them, but with a little less discipline. Junior is in charge of everyone except Ears.” They all looked at the littlest of them. “He reports to me directly. I have some ideas for him. If he comes to you and needs something, don’t ask him questions because he may not be allowed to tell you. Just help him.”

  I looked at them. “Do you trust Junior to be in charge?”

  “He is in charge,” One of the other team leaders said. I remember that his name was Slash, and I was pretty sure his name had to come from the old healed gash down his cheek and neck. I could only imagine how he had received that wound as a child. He was a pretty big kid now, but the wound had to have been years old.

  The sight of it on his smiling face hardened my resolve to work with these orphans.

  Junior stood up taller at the vote of confidence by Slash.

  “But do you trust him?” I asked them.

  They all looked Junior over, and he started to sag a bit. And then Ears said, “Junior keeps us alive. He makes sure we eat, sleep, play, and find what we need.”

  The others agreed.

  I nodded and then asked them, “And do you trust Ears? If I send him to you and he can’t say why and he asks you to do something that seems crazy, will you trust him?”

  Junior replied, “Ears never asks anyone for anything unless it's important. We trust him and his ears.”

  “Ok, then here is what I want you to do first.”

  I spoke with them for only five minutes or so. Half of what I said seemed to fit with their expectations. When they heard the other half, they acted like I was loony, but they said they’d do it.

  “Also, any Irregular may come here to eat, sleep, drink, bathe, or get warm. No special permissions required. Food is upstairs.” I said.

  They all looked up at the ceiling. I could almost hear their stomachs rumbling.

  In fact, I did hear them.

  “In fact, Biff, why don’t you show all of them the kitchen and the open bunk room.” I looked at each one individually. “You can sleep on the floor carpets by the fire if you like, but if you wash yourselves, you are allowed to sleep in the beds. But only if you are clean. Understood?”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  They all nodded, but not very enthusiastically about the bathing part.

  I said to Biff. “They will be in and out at all hours. I’d like them to clean up. It's healthier for them.”

  “Smells better for us, too.” He added, understanding what I meant. They all walked toward the back of the shoppe, and Biff revealed the secret entrance to the stairs. Not a single Irregular hesitated after seeing Biff walk through the wall. They were a fearless lot.

  Gwydion?

  Yes, Bella?

  In case you are concerned, the blood elemental can remove any undesirable life forms from the Irregulars’ bodies as they enter and deposit them outside in the garden area.

  That would be excellent. I haven't even thought about how the five elementals will fit into things here.

  That’s why I mentioned it.

  Thank you. Thank you very much. I replied.

  Biff took the entire noisy group of more than two dozen Irregulars up the secret stairs to the kitchen.

  Oh, Bella? I asked, wanting to discuss the Irregulars with her.

  I am taking care of the young ones. We have plenty of food stores, and I have ways of providing for more if needed.

  Excellent. Oh, please send Biff down with Junior as soon as they are ready. Ask Junior to eat quickly. I have something in mind for him along the lines of stores of food.

  While I waited for Junior to come back down, I walked over to the main glass countertop and wrote a note for Matron Gumtree whom I presumed would arrive in the morning with the retail staff. I had made a note in the letter to the retail guildmaster that they would be working for me, but would be under the protection of the Duke and Special Services. I figured the announcements later today by the Duke would send the city into panic, and I wanted them to know they would be about as safe as any of us could hope for.

  Fifteen minutes later, Junior, Biff, and Ears came down.

  “Come with me outside, please,” I said to them.

  We walked outside, and I called Sergeant Philip over to me and asked him to gather the other men. In a matter of moments, four Watch guardsmen were at my side, looking around for trouble.

  “Everything is fine, Phillip. I need you and your men to run a very important errand.”

  The sergeant hesitated. “Commander, we are here to guard you, not to run errands.”

  I politely ignored his response. “I would like you and your men to take this bag of 200 gold coins and buy a cartload of as much perishable food as you can. Fruits, vegetables, meats, in essence, fill a cart full.”

  Junior said, “For that amount of money, Patron, you can get three cartfuls if you know where to go. All fresh, too.”

  I bowed slightly in his direction. “And that is why you are here, Junior. Sergeant, you are to hold the money and use the authority of the Watch to ensure the safety of these two members of Special Services. I want you to bring one cart back here and help the brawlers and anyone else nearby unload it. The other two carts you are to take to Watch headquarters and see to it that they get distributed to Watch families.”

  Several emotions flashed across his face: irritation that I had dismissed his response, confusion about working with a team member younger than his own children, and surprise at the generosity of the food. “Sir?” He paused. “I mean, Lord Patron? I don’t understand.”

  “Do you have a family?” I asked.

  “Yes, a wife and two kids. All of us here have families.” He added as he waved to the three other guards.

  “Do you know what is coming?” I asked him.

  He gulped. “Yes.”

  I placed a hand on his shoulder. “The Watch will be hard-pressed to keep order in the city. You will not have time to go out and get food for your own family. I want them safe and fed while you are working. You don’t need to be worrying about their next meal. That would distract you and could create challenges and costly mistakes for the city. Besides, do you really want them running around in the city getting food over the next few days? You know what might happen.”

  He nodded slowly. “Thank you, Commander.”

  “You will learn that I do things very differently. Sometimes it will make sense. Sometimes it will frustrate you. Feel free to ask questions, but don’t jump to conclusions without as many facts as you can get.”

  “I apologize, sir, and-”

  I held up my hand. “Nothing to apologize for. We are still getting to know each other.”

  He smiled. “Yes, but after the wharf, I should know better than to question you. You saved my life.”

  He had been with me, Biff, and Bido at the barricade when things got difficult.

  “I want you to question me if you feel there is a better way. All I ask is that you follow the axiom ‘trust but verify,’ and we should be good. We may not have time for debates at critical moments over the coming days.”

  He stood up straighter and saluted.

  Bella thought to me, As a soldier, he understands the chain of command better than you do, Gwydion. He feels protective toward you, and that feeling led him to question you casually. He won’t do that again, at least not in front of the other Watch members.

  Is he okay with all this? I asked her.

  He is deeply moved that in the middle of a city-wide invasion, you thought of their families. You just moved up in his mind from a job to a trusted leader.

  Thanks, I think I needed to hear some good news.

  I know you did. She replied.

  “Oh, one more thing before you go, sergeant. Your families are welcome here if things get rough. We will have food and drink. And, by any chance, do any of your family members bake?”

  They all smiled. A woman on the Watch that I had mistaken for a young boy said, "My husband is a chef.”

  By the way the others nodded in support of her comment, her husband must be a good one.

  “I will pay for cookies and pies brought here for our workers. We will have a couple of dozen young members of the services here, and having a little extra snacks might be helpful.” I added, “And some regular meals might be a good idea as well as the treats. I’ll have to think about that one, but it feels right.”

  “We’ll talk to our families.” They all agreed.

  “Thank you. Now, hurry and get those goods before things turn sideways out here.”

  I watched them go and headed back inside.

  You just sent your only bodyguards away from you. Bella observed.

  I have you, Bella.

  Only if you stay on the property, she reprimanded me.

  It was good to know that her influence extended beyond my walls, but a concern that they had a limited impact beyond them.

  I went back inside. There was a lot to do, and I had more people coming soon.