Shadowmage

Caradoc paused and frowned. 'We trust each other, certainly.'

'You… don't always agree with what he does?' Lucius asked, wondering where the boundaries were in this conversation. For some reason, he knew he would never have been so direct with Magnus, though the guildmaster seemed far more personable than his lieutenant.

'You don't always have to agree with your leader,' Caradoc shrugged. 'He knows I'm not an automaton. The important thing is that he trusts me to follow his orders, and I trust him to do what is best for the Hands. That is what we have in common — a desire to make the Hands the best guild it can be.'

'So what about the other? The Guild of Coin and Enterprise?'

For a moment, Caradoc looked as though he might spit in disgust, before he remembered where he was. 'Well, that is where Magnus and I may differ. He believes we can reach an accord, dividing the city between us without bloodshed. He says it is the most profitable route for both organisations, and I guess I can see the sense of that.'

'They don't seem very receptive to that idea,' Lucius said.

'No. Once, maybe up to a year ago, we might have made an agreement. But something has changed within the Guild. They are too aggressive, pushing too hard.' He sighed. 'I fear a war is coming. This might not have been the best time for you to join us!'

'I can take care of myself.'

'You proved that last night. Look…' Caradoc seemed self-conscious as he mustered his next words. 'I wanted to thank you for stepping in yesterday. Those mercs were tough, and I am not sure I could have taken them all. You did well.'

Lucius blushed and he felt as uncomfortable as Caradoc looked when confronted with this gratitude. 'Anybody else would have done the same.'

'Well, you were there and they weren't. Thanks anyway,' Caradoc said, looking at the floor. 'What was it, flash powder you used to distract them?'

Not trusting his voice to carry the lie, Lucius just nodded.

'Good move. Painful stuff too, when shoved in someone's face. Still, that bastard deserved what he got.'

Not having anything more to add, Lucius simply smiled, and the expression was returned by Caradoc. Neither said anything more, and Lucius pretended to look over the crossbow again, doing anything to break the uncomfortable silence. He looked up again when Caradoc coughed.

'Anyway, there's a meeting going on. Magnus asked me to fetch you.'

'Me?'

'Just routine business. Magnus thinks that it would be good for you to see how the guild operates.'

'Well, if Magnus has asked… Who else will be there?'

'The most senior thieves of the Hands. These meetings are used to track business, spot opportunities, and generally ensure everything continues to run smoothly. Needless to say, your input won't be required. Just watch and learn.'

Leading Lucius up to the third and highest level of the guildhouse, Caradoc took him to Magnus' own meeting hall. Lucius had to bite his tongue to stop from gasping at the sight of the room.

The walls were covered with carefully sculpted wooden panels, displaying exquisite craftsmanship in their varnish and carving. No rare paintings hid their natural beauty, and Lucius got the feeling that Magnus was, at heart, a man who enjoyed simpler things.

The room itself, however, was dominated by a long dark wood table, whose polished surface reflected perfectly the light of the oil lanterns standing on pedestals in each corner of the chamber. Around the table were eighteen tall-backed chairs, upon sixteen of which were seated an assortment of men and women. Some Lucius had seen before, passing through the common room, but he did not know any of their names. At the head of the table at the far end of the chamber sat Magnus, and he smiled as they entered.

'Here comes our hero Lucius — welcome to the Council,' Magnus said grandly, and Lucius felt acutely discomforted as all eyes turned on him. Caradoc had taken his seat at the opposite end of the table to Magnus, indicating that Lucius should take the last free chair, halfway along the left edge.

Lucius was aware of the short woman seated to his right watching him as he sat, and he nodded in greeting. She was perhaps of a similar age to Magnus, but showed few signs of ageing. Her hair was dark and slicked back along her scalp, while her face was marred by a scar that split her lower lip. Feeling there was something disconcertingly serpentine in the way she looked at him, Lucius turned to glance at the man on his other side, but found he had already returned his attention to Magnus.

Seeing the new arrivals settled, Magnus waved at the group to continue their business. A young man opposite Lucius spoke up.

'We have started to move prostitutes from the docks to the merchant quarter during evening hours, and this has proved a profitable move. Traders far from home still look for home comforts, and our girls are very good at what they do.'

Magnus grunted, and then sighed. 'There is still something distasteful in this operation, I find myself thinking. To profit so directly from human trade — it seems a little too close to slavery for my liking.'

The woman to Lucius' right raised her voice in response. 'Better they are in our care than someone else's. Can you imagine how the Guild would treat them? With us, they earn good money, and do so in relative safety.'

'Yes, yes,' said Magnus, 'as you said before, and that is why I have allowed it to continue thus far. Still, it is something I will keep a close eye on.'

'It is also a mistake to think that all these girls have been forced into the work,' the woman continued. 'If you have an efficient organisation like ours behind you, there is good money in it — far better than common labour. I hear they even have their own guild in Allantia.'

'You are just too old-fashioned, Magnus,' another, younger, woman said, and a few laughs stirred round the table. Even Magnus gave a wry smile.

'Maybe,' he said. 'Nate, please continue.'

The young man across from Lucius spoke again. 'The Street of Dogs is quiet after Caradoc's mission last night. Brink hasn't shown up for work yet…'

There were a few more laughs round the table at this.

'… but I think it will be a while before anyone openly challenges us again.'

'I disagree, and we must not be complacent,' said the man to Lucius' left. 'Most of us here profit in some way from the Street of Dogs, and I would not see us risk that. Brink could just be a prelude, and if we were to find that those mercenaries were funded by the Guild and not Brink himself, well… I would advocate more direct action against the Guild.'

There were a few murmurs of agreement and Lucius flicked a look at Caradoc, but the lieutenant was staring fixedly at the table in front of him.

Magnus rapped on the table to regain everyone's attention and the murmurs stopped instantly. He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it. After a moment's pause, he turned to look at Lucius.

'What do you think, young man?' he asked. 'What would you do about the Guild, were you in our place?'

Once again, all eyes turned on Lucius, and he felt himself blush. 'I… I wouldn't know, exactly,' he stammered.

'Nonsense,' Magnus said. 'You are clearly an intelligent man, talented enough to be made a senior thief in a matter of weeks. You have your own mind. Speak!'

Lucius thought hard for a moment. It was, he realised, a good opportunity to play politics, to support the guildmaster, to start building up his own phalanx of friends and enemies on the Council. He instantly dismissed the idea as foolish and, frankly, beneath him. He did not know nearly enough about the thieves sitting round this table, and he had a feeling Magnus would see through any disingenuous arse kissing.

'So long as incidents can be contained, I think we should watch and wait. If we act, we cannot take anything back.'

'You're timid, then,' said Caradoc, and this burst of shrewishness surprised Lucius until he looked back at