Kel hesitated. “He told me not to say.”
Dorna glanced back at him. “Does he have any family?”
“Just Ezak.”
“Does Ezak live here when his uncle’s away, then?”
“No!” Kel said. “Uncle Vezalis wouldn’t trust him that much.”
Dorna snorted. “His own uncle doesn’t trust him alone in the house?”
“His uncle knows him better than anyone.”
Dorna laughed, then abruptly stopped, staring over Kel’s shoulder.
Kel turned, and saw Ezak’s uncle standing several yards away, watching the two of them warily. He was a big, burly man in a fraying velvet tunic and well-worn boots, but he seemed in no hurry to confront the short, skinny pair on the steps of his home.
“Vezalis!” Dorna called, waving. “I need to speak to you!”
Vezalis sighed, and walked toward them. Halfway there he cocked his head to one side. “Do I know you?” he said.
“Dorna the Clever,” Dorna answered. “Nabal the Sorcerer’s wife. I mean, widow.”
“Oh!” The trader quickened his pace and held out a hand. Kel started at learning Dorna’s full name for the first time-up until now she had called herself only “Dorna the Sorcerer’s Widow” in his hearing. But then, he supposed that it would not be wise to call oneself “the Clever” in front of people you were going to be haggling with. “I never expected to see you here!” Vezalis said.
Dorna took his hand and said, “With my husband gone, I had no reason to stay in the village.”
“Of course,” Vezalis said. He looked warily at Kel. “You know this boy?” he asked.
“More or less,” Dorna replied. “He and your nephew Ezak tried to steal some of my late husband’s sorcery.”
“Oh,” Vezalis said, his expression more resigned than surprised. “I’m afraid I’m not responsible-”
Dorna shook her head. “That’s not why I’m here,” she interrupted. “He works for me now.”
Vezalis stepped back. “Works for you?”
“Yes.”
“But you know he’s a thief?”
“He was a thief. Now he’s my assistant.”
“I… That’s very generous of you.” He threw a quick glance at Kel, who looked back defiantly.
“He’s been earning his keep.”
Vezalis gave Kel an uncertain look; Kel guessed the trader wanted to hear another side of the story. He did not say anything, though.
“Is Ezak working for you, as well?” the merchant asked.
“Certainly not! I wouldn’t trust him for a moment.”
Vezalis’ expression was frankly puzzled, but before he could say anything more Dorna continued, “I’ve come about those teas you sold me.”
“What about them?” Vezalis asked warily. “Was there a problem?”
“No, not at all. In fact, I was hoping you could supply me with more-much more.”
For the first time, Vezalis smiled. “Oh?”
“Yes. I’m opening a tea shop over in Nightside, at the corner of Aristocrat and Harbor Streets, and I need someone who can keep me stocked with all those lovely varieties you used to bring me at my husband’s shop.”
“A tea shop?” He smiled, and clapped his hands together. “An entire shop? Wonderful! I’m sure something can be arranged.”
“When would you like to make those arrangements? Might I come in?”
“Oh,” Vezalis said. His smile vanished as he glanced at the still-closed door. “No, I’m afraid this is not a good time. Might I perhaps come by the shop, say, this afternoon?”
Dorna shook her head. “The shop is still being readied. Are you sure this isn’t a good time?”
“Very sure.”
“Then perhaps you could meet me at the Three Feathers, in Grandgate, this evening after sunset? And bring samples.”
“I can do that,” Vezalis agreed. “The Three Feathers?”
“On Gatehouse Lane, off Wall Street north of the market.”
“I can find it.”
“Good! Then I’ll see you there.” Dorna offered her hand again, then stepped back off the stoop and headed up Archer Street.
Kel started to follow her, but Vezalis called, “Kel! Wait a minute!”
Kel stopped, and turned back to Ezak’s uncle. He was actually glad to be called back; he wanted to ask after Ezak.
“What’s going on?” Vezalis asked quietly, with a glance at Dorna. “What are you two up to?”
“I’m helping her open a tea shop,” Kel said.
“No, I meant you and Ezak. What are you up to?”
“Nothing. I haven’t seen Ezak in a sixnight. Hasn’t he been to see you?”
“Yes, he has, but when I asked where you were he said it didn’t concern me.”
Kel turned up an empty palm.
“Are you two all right?”
“I’m fine. I don’t know about Ezak.”
Vezalis glanced at Dorna, waiting for Kel ten yards up the street. “Are you two planning to rob her?” he asked quietly.
“No.”
“This tea shop thing-I could use a regular customer, and if you steal from her…” He didn’t finish the sentence.
“I’m not going to steal from her,” Kel said flatly.
“You aren’t. What about Ezak?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t seen him.”
“Is he angry with you about something?”
“Don’t know.”
Vezalis stared at him for a moment, then said, “Kelder, I know you don’t like to talk if you don’t need to, because your mouth got you in trouble when you were a kid, but please, tell me what’s happening. Ezak is my only family, and if you two are going to do something stupid, I want to know about it.”
Kel stared back, then looked at Dorna, who was waiting patiently. Then he turned back to Vezalis and said, “We went out to her village to try to steal her husband’s magic, because you told Ezak about this dead sorcerer, only she figured out why we were there. She’s much smarter than Ezak. She figured it out right away. But she needed some help moving stuff, so she pretended she hadn’t, and we helped her while Ezak looked for a chance to steal all the magic. Except when he tried to steal it, he set off something with a name I can’t pronounce that went and fixed up an old Northern thing that cut off part of Ezak’s ear. I helped Dorna stop the Northern thing and get her magic back, and while we were doing that Ezak stole some of her other sorcery, but she had a magic tracker, so she came to Ethshar and found him and took it all back and said she’d kill him if he ever bothered her again. But I didn’t steal anything from her, and I helped her, so she hired me to help with her tea shop, and I haven’t seen Ezak since we took back her bag of magic.”
“I saw the ear,” Vezalis said. “He said it was cut off by a magic sword.”
“Sort of,” Kel said. The Northern sorcery had not been a sword, but he didn’t have a better word for it.
“So you two-you argued? When you helped the sorcerer’s widow get back her things?”
Kel shook his head. “Didn’t argue. I went with Dorna.”
“But you and Ezak-he’s the closest thing to a family you have.”
“He protected me,” Kel agreed, nodding. “He took care of me. But he got me in trouble, too. A lot.” He suddenly felt his eyes stinging, though he didn’t know why. “I miss him, but I’m tired of being in trouble. I don’t want to be a thief any more. I want to be Dorna’s assistant. I wasn’t a very good thief, but I think I can be a good assistant.” He wiped a tear from his cheek; he was unsure how it had gotten there. “Tell Ezak I miss him, but as long as Dorna pays me, I’m not coming back to Smallgate.”
Vezalis considered him for several seconds, then held out a hand. “I’ll tell him,” he said. “Good luck, Kelder.”
Kel did not understand why Vezalis was using his full name, but he shook the offered hand, then turned and hurried to catch up with Dorna.
They walked several blocks up Archer Street in silence, but then Dorna said, “I wonder why he didn’t invite us in?”
“He never invites anyone in,” Kel said. “Not like that.”
“Why not?”