Shadowmage

when I want to clothe myself in shadows or walk silently past an alert watchman. The other is turbulent and frightening, a tempest of power that I often struggle to harness. But reaching for that cloud is what allows me to create fire, animate water, or suck the air from the lungs of an enemy. Most Shadowmages are confined to the magic of stealth, which is where we earned our name. Only the best, those destined to become masters of the guild, can add another weapon to their magical arsenal. And then we have you.'

'Me?'

'You are clearly not bound to one, or even two sources of power in your magical endeavours, Mr Kane. Adrianna tried to tell me this earlier, but I did not believe it. And yet when you, just now, described what you can achieve with your magic, you told us of things that would ordinarily take half a dozen Shadowmages to accomplish.'

Lucius was quiet for a moment, and the silence of the empty warehouse began to press upon him as he struggled to find something to say.

'So… what does mean?' he asked.

'I am not sure,' Forbeck said. 'That you have access to formidable powers was obvious to me before we even met. Every Shadowmage in the city felt something when you arrived. But it is also clear you have access to perhaps an unlimited number of arcane sources of power. It will be fascinating to watch what you can ultimately achieve and, because of this, I implore you to continue your training. You can be so much, Mr Kane, and I just hope I can help set you on the right path. There is something about you that sets you apart from not only other Shadowmages, but perhaps every practitioner of magic in this world. It would be a crime to allow that to simply fade away.'

'That is a lot to think about,' Lucius said.

'I know, and both Adrianna and I will do all we can to guide you through these early stages. I cannot promise you anything, Mr Kane, and I cannot foretell the future. But I very much want to train you, for your own sake, as well as that of our guild.'

'Then, in that case,' Lucius replied, 'I think I will stay around. For at least a little while longer.'

'Thank you, Mr Kane,' said Forbeck, and Lucius sensed his relief. 'I think we have covered enough — more than enough — this evening. Carry on with your practice when you can, try to exercise finer control. That will be key to your later studies. When we meet again, we will see how far you have come. I look forward to that time.'

With a slight bow, Forbeck spun on his heels and walked out of the warehouse, the sound of his cane ringing on the stone with each step.

Lucius stared down at the line of paper rolls in front of him, sensing Adrianna's eyes fixed on the back of his head.

'You put a word in for me, then?' he asked.

When she did not answer immediately, he turned back to face her, seeing a dark expression bearing down upon him.

'You are a rogue and a scoundrel,' she said accusingly. 'But you do have power. That, I have always sensed.'

She stalked past him to follow Forbeck, her voice floating back to him as it echoed around the warehouse. 'Learn from Master Torquelle, and you will find a home among the Shadowmages, Lucius. Betray us again and, I swear, I will finish you myself.'

His mind now full of magic, as well as the struggle between thieves, Lucius nevertheless felt as though some burden had been lifted from his shoulders. What passed for an olive branch in Adrianna's mind had been offered to him, and he clearly had an ally, if not yet a friend, in Forbeck. For the first time in many years, he had a sense of purpose, of a greater goal to be achieved, rather than aimless wandering. He had to admit, it felt good. There were troubles to be faced by the Night Hands but, he now believed they could eventually be solved and, maybe, he would have a part in that.

When Lucius returned to the guildhouse, after walking the twilight streets of Turnitia for an hour or more, he found that nothing would be solved easily, and that greater dangers now hung above all the thieves.

The sombre mood in the common room was palpable when he entered, for no one spoke above a whisper. Clumped together in their regular groups, the thieves simply nursed their ale or wine, and avoided looking directly at him or one another. Sensing something had gone very wrong, Lucius dashed upstairs, seeking Ambrose or Caradoc, finally finding the latter in the council chamber with two others that Lucius had seen earlier.

'You can't be here,' Caradoc warned him. 'The Council is gathering to discuss the attack.'

'What attack?' Lucius asked, suddenly anxious.

'Where have you been? One of the pickpocket teams was found in the afternoon, stabbed to death and thrown into Drake's Alley in the Five Markets.'

'They were only kids,' said one of the Council members, a bitter note in her voice.

Suddenly downcast, Lucius turned to leave, before a thought struck him. 'Which team was it?'

'Just been put together,' Caradoc said. 'Some young lad called Tucker, only joined us this week. He was with two experienced kids; Markel and Treal, brother and sister, I think.'

Lucius sagged against the doorframe, trying hard not to picture the children, their bodies lying in a deserted alley among the dirt and filth, blood pouring from open wounds in their chests. They must have been so scared, he thought, and cursed himself for not being there to save them.

He barely heard when Caradoc spoke again. 'It will be war now, you mark my words. There is no way Magnus can back down from this. It will be war.'

CHAPTER 9

The guildhouse was alive with activity, rumour and gossip. From the first light of day, thieves had been gathered in small groups, and conversation had stealthily made its way through the common room, armoury, kitchens and corridors; the Guild of Coin and Enterprise were coming.

It had been later in the afternoon when Lucius had been summoned to the council chamber, its polished wooden walls seeming to reflect the mixed emotions of excitement and dread that had permeated the entire guildhouse by now. He had already that heard there had been a noisy dispute among the Council — particularly between Magnus and Caradoc — but the guildmaster had made his wishes clear, vetoing all other proposals. Seeing where violence between the two guilds would inevitably lead, Magnus had called for a summit between them, inviting the leadership of the Guild into his most secret lair as a sign of trust and concession.

That had been the rumour, but as Lucius passed Caradoc in the hall and saw his haunted expression, he came to believe all he had heard. They were waiting for him in the council chamber, the table turned so it stood at right angles to its normal facing, with the most senior thieves hunched together on the far side facing a row of empty seats across an assembly of wine urns and cups. Magnus sat in the centre with Caradoc's empty place to his left, while behind him stood his two bodyguards; Lucius had learned they were brothers, Taene and Narsell, and they had terrible reputations for cruel brutality, but served the guildmaster with complete fidelity.

A smattering of other high-ranking thieves stood against the wall behind the assembled Council, and Lucius was directed to join them. He had no idea why he had been summoned to this meeting, other than it had been at Magnus' direct request, as he knew the others would be present to act not only as witnesses, but also as advisors and counsellors, should information be needed during the discussions. What he had to offer, Lucius could not say, but he was grateful indeed that he would see what happened here first hand, and not have to rely on the guildhouse's own, not always accurate, grapevine.

'Are we certain they will show?' one of the Council members asked, a young man whom Lucius recalled was called Nate.

'The offer caused quite a stir within the Guild,' another man answered, 'or so our spies have told me. I wouldn't be surprised if they were still arguing about what to do.'

'They will show,' Magnus said confidently. He noticed a few doubtful looks about the table and continued. 'The Guild has as much to gain and lose as we do. Though we have very different ideas about how to run this city, Loredo is not a stupid man.'