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“Two daggers, a few knives, and my tools.”

“Tools?” Rothen echoed.

“Picks.”

Rothen lifted an eyebrow at Sonea. “He’s not joking, is he?”

She shook her head.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Rothen sighed, then looked over Sonea’s shoulder. “Ah! Here’s a man more familiar with the ways of Thieves—Lord Dannyl.”

Feeling a pat on her shoulder, Sonea turned to find the tall magician grinning down at her.

“Well done!” he told her. “You have done me, and the rest of the Guild, a great service.”

Rothen smiled crookedly. “Feeling particularly cheerful, Dannyl?”

Dannyl gave his friend a haughty look. “Who was right about Fergun, then?”

Sighing, Rothen nodded. “You were.”

“Now do you understand why I dislike him so much?” Seeing Cery, Dannyl’s expression became thoughtful. “I think the Thieves are looking for you. They sent me a message asking if I knew where a companion of Sonea’s had disappeared to. They sounded quite concerned.”

Cery looked up at the tall magician appraisingly. “Who sent the message?”

“A man named Gorin.”

Sonea frowned. “So Gorin was the one who told the Guild where to find me, not Faren.”

Cery turned to stare at her. “They betrayed you?”

She shrugged. “They had no choice. It was a good thing they did, actually.”

“That’s not the point.” A gleam had entered Cery’s eyes. Guessing what he was thinking, Sonea smiled.

I do love him, she thought suddenly. But right now it’s a friend’s love. Perhaps, if they had time together, without all the distractions they’d had for the last months, it would grow into something more. But that wasn’t going to happen. Not now that she was joining the Guild and he was returning, most likely, to the Thieves. Knowing this, she felt a small pang of regret, but pushed it away.

Glancing around the hall, she was surprised to see that it was nearly empty. Fergun still stood nearby, among a group of magicians. As she looked toward him he caught her eye and sneered.

“Look at them,” he said. “One consorts with beggars, the other with Thieves.” His companions laughed.

“Shouldn’t he be locked up or something?” she mused aloud.

Rothen, Dannyl and Cery turned to regard the magician.

“No,” Rothen replied. “He’ll be watched, but he knows that there’s a chance he won’t be expelled if he appears repentant. Most likely he’ll be given a duty to perform that nobody wants, probably one that will involve working in some remote place for several years.”

Fergun scowled, then turned on his heel and strode toward the door, his companions following. Dannyl’s smile widened, but Rothen shook his head sadly. Cery shrugged and turned to regard her.

“What about you?” he asked.

“Sonea is free to go,” Rothen replied. “She’ll have to stay another day or two, however. By law she must have her powers blocked before she returns to the slums.”

Cery looked at her, his brows knitting. “Blocked? They’re going to block your magic?”

Sonea shook her head. “No.”

Rothen frowned, then looked at her closely. “No?”

“Of course not. It would make it a bit difficult to teach me, wouldn’t it?”

He blinked. “You’re really staying?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “I’m staying.”

Epilogue

In the air above the table floated a speck of light. It slowly expanded until it was a globe about the size of a child’s head, then rose up to hover near the ceiling.

“That’s it,” Rothen told her. “You’ve made a globe light.”

Sonea smiled. “Now I really do feel like a magician.”

Rothen looked at her face and felt his heart warm. It was hard to resist the temptation to keep teaching her magic when it obviously gave her so much pleasure.

“At the speed you’re learning, you’ll be weeks ahead of the other novices when you start lessons in the University,” he told her. “At least in magic. But ...” Reaching to a pile of books beside his chair he started to sort through them. “Your calculation skills are far behind,” he said firmly. “It’s time we got stuck into some real work.”

Sonea looked down at the books and sighed. “I wish I’d known what tortures you were going to put me through before I decided to stay.”

Chuckling, Rothen slid a book across the table. He paused, then narrowed his eyes at her.

“You haven’t answered my question yet.”

“What question?”

“When did you decide to stay?”

The hand reaching for the book froze. Sonea looked up at him. The smile she gave him did not extend to her eyes.

“When it occurred to me that I should,” she said.

“Now, Sonea.” Rothen shook a finger at her. “Don’t get evasive on me again.”

She leaned back in her chair. “I decided at the Hearing,” she told him. “Fergun made me realize what I was giving up, but that wasn’t what changed my mind. Cery told me he’d think I was stupid if I went home and that helped, too.”

Rothen laughed. “I like your friend. I don’t approve of him, but I like him.”

She nodded, then pursed her lips.

“Rothen, is there any chance at all that someone might be able to hear us?” she asked. “Servants? Other magicians?”

He shook his head. “No.”

She leaned forward. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes,” he said.

“There’s ...” she paused, then slipped out of her chair and knelt down beside him, her voice dropping to a murmur. “There’s something Lorlen said I had to tell you.”

Lord Dannyl’s Guide to Slum Slang

blood money—payment for assassination

boot—refuse/refusal (don’t boot us)

capper— man who frequents brothels

clicked—occurred

client—person who has an obligation or agreement with a Thief

counter—whore

done—murdered

dull—persuade to keep silent

dunghead—fool

dwells—term used to describe slum dwellers

eye—keep watch

fired—angry (got fired about it)

fish—propose/ask/look for (also someone fleeing the Guard)

gauntlet—guard who is bribeable or in the control of a Thief

goldmine—man who prefers boys

good go—a reasonable try

got—caught

grandmother—pimp

gutter—dealer in stolen goods

hai—a call for attention or expression of surprise or inquiry

heavies—important people

kin—a Thief’s closest and most trusted

knife—assassin/hired killer

messenger—thug who delivers or carries out a threat

mind—hide (minds his business/I’ll mind that for you)

mug—mouth (as in vessel for bol)

out for—looking for

pick—recognize/understand

punt—smuggler

right-sided—trustworthy/heart in the right place

rope—freedom

rub—trouble (got into some rub over it)

shine—attraction (got a shine for him)

show—introduce

space—allowances/permission

squimp—someone who double-crosses the Thieves

style—manner of performing business

tag—recognize (also means a spy, usually undercover)