Huge Ajax's Arc

Chapter 345 of 619

The morning after the swearing, Ajax found the plank empty of chains and the courtyard scrubbed of ash. The workers were bound now. But one bunk sat empty by the sea gate. The worker who had refused had left, and his job with him. He had watched the cliff path and warned of ships. Ajax stood at the wall and looked down the long stone canal to the water. No one watched it now. He called Grayson, Tucker, and Aldric to the wall. Grayson came first, blunt and shirtless, his silver chain catching the light. He had held this gate longer than any of them. "Man left," Grayson said. "You want another worker to fill his bunk?" "That’s just part of the ceremony. I want to know what he did," Ajax said. Aldric opened his ledger and ran a finger down a line. "He kept the sea watch. Marked ships before they reached the dock. Rang the bell if a hull came too close to the cliff." He closed the book. "A lookout. Nothing more." Tucker leaned on the stone and looked out at the gray water. "Fill it with any man who can count sails," he said. "That's cheap. But a man on the ground sees a ship late." Ajax followed his gaze to the top of the cliff. From there a watcher would see a mast an hour before it reached the dock. "Build a tower," he said. "On the cliff. High enough to see the whole coast." Grayson shook his head once. "A tower can be seen too. Any ship reads it as a mark. It points a finger at your gate." The two men held each other's eyes. Grayson would not soften it and Ajax knew he was right. A tall stone tower on the cliff would draw every eye on the water straight to Black Oak. Aldric spoke into the quiet. "Then don't build up. Cut down." He tapped the ledger. "A stone blind set into the cliff face. A slot for the eyes, roofed and dark. A watcher sees the sea. The sea sees nothing." Tucker grinned. "A hole with a good view. Cody's men can dig it in a day if Chalam helps.” Ajax weighed it. A tower gave sight and gave them away. A blind gave sight and kept the secret. He had built this whole place to be unseen. "No tower," he said. "We cut the blind. And I want two sworn men in it. Make sleeping quarters there. They work in shifts to always watch. Silence isn't enough for the eyes. I need judgment." Grayson nodded, satisfied. "I'll set a rotation. Two men, one always awake." Ajax gave the order. Bran would cut the slot at first light. Chalam would help. The empty bunk would stay empty; the watch would belong to the Council now. He looked once more at the cliff and saw no tower there, and that was the answer he wanted.