The Magicians' Guild

Cery smiled grimly. 'They'll want her.'

The corridor of the Magicians' Quarters was silent and empty. Dannyl's footsteps echoed as he made his way to Yaldin's door. He knocked and waited, hearing faint voices from the room beyond. A woman's voice rose above the others.

'He did what?'

A moment later the door opened. Ezrille, Yaldin's wife, smiled distractedly and stepped back so Dannyl could enter the room. Several cushioned chairs were arranged around a low table, and Yaldin and Rothen sat in two of them.

'He ordered the Guard to evict the man from his home,' Yaldin said.

'Just for letting children sleep in his attic? That's awful!' Ezrille exclaimed, waving Dannyl toward a chair.

Yaldin nodded. 'Good evening, Dannyl. Would you like a cup of sumi?'

'Good evening,' Dannyl replied as he dropped into a chair. 'Sumi would be very welcome, thank you. It's been a long day.'

Rothen looked up and raised his eyebrows questioningly. Smiling, Dannyl shrugged in reply. He knew that Rothen would be impatient to know how matters had gone with the Thieves, but first Dannyl wanted to know what had stirred Ezrille, who was normally so placid and forgiving, to anger.

'What have I missed?'

'Yesterday one of our searchers followed an informer to a house in the better part of the slums,' Rothen explained. 'The owner was letting homeless children sleep in his attic, and the informer claimed that an older girl was hiding there. Our colleague claims that the girl and her companion escaped just before he arrived, with the help of the owner. So he ordered the Guard to evict the man and his family.'

Dannyl frowned. 'Our colleague? Who ... ?' He narrowed his eyes at Rothen. 'Would this happen to be a certain Warrior by the name of Fergun?'

'It would.'

Dannyl made a rude noise, then smiled as Ezrille handed him a steaming cup of sumi. 'Thank you.'

'So what happened?' Ezrille asked. 'Was the man evicted?'

'Lorlen countermanded his order, of course,' Yaldin replied, 'but Fergun had already disrupted much of the house - looking for hiding places, he said.'

Ezrille shook her head. 'I can't believe Fergun would be so... so ...'

'Vindictive?' Dannyl snorted. 'I'm surprised he didn't decide to interrogate the poor man.'

'He wouldn't dare,' Yaldin said scornfully.

'Not now,' Dannyl agreed.

Rothen sighed and leaned back in his chair. 'There's more. I overheard something interesting tonight. Fergun wants her guardianship.'

Dannyl felt his blood turn cold.

'Fergun?' Ezrille frowned. 'He's not a strong magician. I thought the Guild discouraged weaker magicians from taking on the guardianship of novices.'

'We do,' Yaldin replied. 'But there is no rule against it.'

'What chance does he have of winning his claim?'

'He says he was the first to know of her powers because he felt the effects of them first,' Rothen told her.

'Is that a good argument?'

'I hope not,' Dannyl muttered. This news disturbed him. He knew Fergun well. Too well. What did Fergun, with his contempt for the lower classes, want with a slum girl anyway?

'Perhaps he's planning to take revenge for his humiliation in the North Square?'

Rothen frowned. 'Now Dannyl -'

'You have to consider the possibility,' Dannyl injected.

'Fergun isn't going to all this trouble over a small bruise, even if it did hurt his ego,' Rothen said firmly. 'He just wants to be the one to capture her - and he doesn't want people to forget it afterward.'

Dannyl looked away. The older magician had never understood that his dislike for Fergun was more than just a grudge left over from their days as novices. Dannyl had experienced too well how single-minded Fergun could be when it came to revenge.

'I can see quite a fight coming out of this.' Yaldin chuckled. 'The poor girl has no idea how much she has stirred up the Guild. It's not often we have two magicians competing for a novice's guardianship.'

Rothen snorted softly. 'I'm sure that's the least of her concerns. After what happened in the North Square, she's probably convinced that we intend to kill her.'

Yaldin's smile faded. 'Unfortunately we can't convince her otherwise until we've found her.'

'Oh, I don't know about that,' Dannyl said quietly.

Rothen looked up. 'Do you have a suggestion, Dannyl?'

'I expect my new Thief friend has his own way of sending information around the slums.'

'Friend?' Yaldin gave an incredulous laugh. 'Now you're calling them friends.'

'Associates.' Dannyl smiled mischievously.

'I gather you had some success?' Rothen raised an eyebrow.

'A little. Just a beginning.' Dannyl shrugged. 'I spoke to one of their leaders, I believe.'

Ezrille's eyes were wide. 'What was he like?'

'His name was Gorin.'

'Gorin?' Yaldin frowned. 'That's a strange name.'

'It seems the leaders name themselves after animals. I guess they choose a title according to their stature, because he certainly looks like his namesake. He's enormous and woolly. I almost expected to see horns.'

'What did he say?' Rothen asked eagerly.

'Made no promises. I told him how dangerous it was to be around a magician who hadn't been taught to control her powers. He seemed more concerned with what the Guild would give him in exchange for finding her.'

Yaldin frowned. 'The Higher Magicians won't agree to exchanging favors with the Thieves.'

Dannyl waved a hand dismissively. 'Of course not. I told him that and he understood. I think he'd accept money.'

'Money?' Yaldin shook his head. 'I don't know ...'

'Since we're already offering a reward, it will hardly matter if it goes to one of the Thieves.' Dannyl spread his hands. 'Everybody knows that the money will go to someone from the slums anyway, so they must expect that person to be someone of questionable nature.'

Ezrille rolled her eyes. 'Only you could make something like that sound perfectly reasonable, Dannyl.'

Dannyl grinned. 'Oh, it gets better. If we present this carefully, everyone will be patting themselves on the back for persuading the Thieves to do a good service for the city.'

Ezrille laughed. 'I hope the Thieves don't realize this, or they'll refuse to help you.'

'Well, it must remain a secret for now,' Dannyl told them. 'I don't want to stir things up here until I know whether Gorin is willing to help us or not. Can I rely on your silence?'

He looked at the others. Ezrille nodded enthusiastically. Rothen bowed his head once. Yaldin frowned, then shrugged.

'Very well. But be careful, Dannyl. It's not just your skin you're risking here.'

'I know.' Dannyl smiled. 'I know.'

Travelling along the Thieves' Road by lamplight was faster and more interesting than groping along in the dark. The walls of the passages were made of a seemingly endless variety of bricks. Symbols were carved into the walls and signs marked some of the intersections.

The guide stopped at a juncture of passages and set the lamp on the floor. He pulled a handful of black cloth from his coat.

'You must go blind from here.'