Child of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves Book 1)

by Andy Peloquin

  Master Gold nodded. “Indeed.”

  He steepled his fingers. “According to guild law, one cannot raise a hand against a fellow member. Should you be found guilty of this crime, it would mean death.”

  Ilanna stood tall, head high. Only if you can find the proof. No one but Ethen had known of the garden. No one could possibly know what now lay buried beneath the patch of earth where her violas had once bloomed.

  The Guild Master shook his head. “After a thorough investigation, the House Masters can find no proof that you are in any way responsible for the disappearance of the apprentice, Sabat, of House Bloodbear.”

  It is the law of the guild: don’t get caught.

  “Before you are acquitted, Journeyman, will you swear an oath before the Watcher in the Dark that you are innocent and blameless?” The Guild Master narrowed his eyes. “Think carefully! Bearing false testimony is an abomination to the Watcher, god of justice.”

  Ilanna hesitated only a moment. Her fear of the gods had faded long ago. She’d called out to the Bright Lady, but the goddess had ignored her pleas. Why would any of the other gods care now?

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I swear, before the Watcher in the Dark and his servants of the Night Guild, that I am innocent.”

  Master Gold’s mouth pressed into a tight line. “Then so be it. Ilanna of House Hawk, you are acquitted of all charges. You may go.”

  Ilanna nodded. “Thank you, Master Gold. House Masters.” With a deep bow, she turned to leave.

  Master Bloodbear leaned over to Master Grubber and his harsh whisper reached her. “Never liked the bastard much. Vicious little cunt he was, but useless otherwise.” Master Grubber shrugged and replied in a voice too low for her to hear.

  Ilanna’s stomach twisted as the double doors of the Menagerie closed behind her. So cruel, so callous. The way they spoke of Sabat’s death, they could have been talking about a poorly-prepared meal or a bout of illness. She could expect no less from men who thieved, extorted, and murdered for a living.

  Denber, Werrin, Willem, and Prynn leapt to their feet as she exited the room. Worry twisted their expressions.

  Ilanna nodded and forced a grin. “I am acquitted.”

  Relieved smiles broke out on their faces. Prynn clapped his hands and Werrin slapped her on the back. “I knew you couldn’t do something like that! Not our Ilanna.”

  Ilanna hid a grimace. Her skin crawled at Werrin’s touch, but she couldn’t let it show. It’s not his fault. How could she tell them that their very presence reminded her of what Sabat had done to her? That hearing their voices still sent shivers of fear down her spine. Her nails dug into her arms. There’s no way he could understand. None of them could.

  “Come on, Ilanna,” Willem tugged on her arm. “Let’s go celebrate.”

  Ilanna shook her head and slipped free of his grasp. “I would, but I’m feeling a bit tired.” A wave of nausea washed over her. “Tomorrow, I promise. But don’t let that stop you from hoisting a pint in my honor.”

  “Right!” Werrin threw his arm around Prynn and Willem, dragging them away. “You heard her! First round’s on me.”

  Denber lagged behind the others. “I’m glad you got through this.”

  “Thank you.” Her shoulders hunched and she hugged herself. “I’ll…I’ll be fine.”

  “Do you want to join the Scorpions? They’re taking Ethen’s body to the—”

  “I’ll be fine, Denber.” Though it sent a shiver down her spine, she squeezed his hand. “I…I’ve said farewell.”

  With a nod, Denber hurried after the others.

  Ilanna stood alone in the tunnels, her stomach in knots, her heart thundering. The image of Sabat’s shredded face—unrecognizable after what she’d done—remained fixed in her mind’s eye. She swallowed a rising flood of acid.

  A deep voice sounded behind her. “Ilanna.”

  She whirled, hands raised in a defensive stance.

  Master Gold raised an eyebrow. “A bit jumpy, are we, Journeyman?”

  Ilanna swallowed. “Sorry, Master Gold. After what happened…”

  The Guild Master nodded, dismissing it with a wave. “Of course. Hard to believe something like that could happen in these very halls.”

  She stifled a shudder. The tone of his voice made it sound so commonplace. She hadn’t been the first victim in the Night Guild…nor the last. “What can I do for you, Master Gold?”

  “Nothing, Journeyman. I just wanted to congratulate you on your acquittal. I’m sure it was…well-deserved.”

  “As you said, Master Gold, I was proven innocent.” She took any remaining shred of worry, hesitation, or doubt and shoved it into a hard ball of ice in the pit of her stomach. She had nothing to fear from these men.

  “Yes.” He stroked his chin, a half-smile on his lips. “Though lack of proof and proof of innocence are two different matters.”

  Ilanna’s stomach bottomed out. Could he know? Impossible! Only one person knew where I was going and he’d never tell.

  Master Gold smiled and clapped her on the back. “Come, Ilanna, enough solemnity! You have been acquitted and that is cause for celebration. I’m sure your fellow Hawks will—”

  She shied away from the contact. “Thank you, Master Gold, but I’m feeling rather unwell at the moment. After all the excitement, I could use a rest.”

  “Of course, of course.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and, placing his face close to her ear, spoke in a low whisper. “You did the right thing, you know. Decisive, ruthless, cunning—I could use an ally like you for what is coming.”

  Ilanna studied him, trying to hide her surprise, fear, and revulsion. “Th-Thank you, Master Gold.”

  With a nod, the Guild Master patted her on the shoulder and disappeared down the tunnel.

  She shuddered. What in the twisted hell was that? Master Gold hadn’t just hinted that he knew what she had done—he’d actually seemed to approve! It served as further proof he and the House Masters knew the truth of Sabat’s…disappearance. They simply didn’t care.

  Acid burned the back of her throat as she hurried through the tunnels toward House Hawk. The corridors seemed unnaturally full at this hour of the day. Dozens of Journeymen and apprentices from all the Houses lined the passages, even in places they had no business being. Almost as if they wanted to see her.

  Errik stood with a group of apprentice Serpents. She met his eyes and he nodded. He had no reason to betray her. Indeed, his assistance in her Undertaking had earned him fame among his fellow Serpents. He would take her secret to the grave.

  She had no regrets over what she’d done. It had been necessary to survive in the Night Guild. But her actions had changed everything. The Journeymen and apprentices stared at her with a mixture of awe and fear.

  So this is what it takes to be accepted into the Night Guild. It made her sick. She managed to stumble into House Hawk and find her way to the latrines before emptying the contents of her stomach.

  * * *

  Ilanna eyed the steaming cup in Journeyman Tyman’s hand.

  “Black cohosh, leaf of tansy, cotton root bark, pennyroyal, and a few other things of my own creation. It should clear the…problem right up.”

  She swallowed hard and took the proffered draught. “Th-Thank you, Journeyman Tyman.”

  Tyman raised an eyebrow. “Be warned: this will not be easy. There is no telling what effect the herbs will have on your body.”

  Ilanna read the unspoken words in his eyes. This could be fatal. She nodded. “I understand the risks, Journeyman. I am prepared to accept whatever comes.”

  Shrugging, Tyman packed his bag and strode toward the exit. He paused with his hand on the door. “Ethen. He was a good lad, you know.” He spoke without turning. “One of the best we’ve ever had.”

  A lump rose in Ilanna’s throat. “Th-Thank you, Journeyman…” Her voice cracked.

  The door closed softly behind Journeyman Tyman. A flood of emotion washed over Ilanna. H
er outward show of strength crumbled beneath her despair and grief. The pressure in her chest increased until it burst in a torrent of tears.

  She was alone. Ethen had left her alone. Alone to face what came next, to deal with the repercussions of the horrors visited upon her by that monster Sabat.

  Ilanna seized the cup of tea, heedless of the pain from the steaming liquid. She lifted it to her lips. Drink it, she told herself, and it will all be over. If the draught killed her, so be it. If not, she could return to her life in the Night Guild.

  And what life is that? What life could I possibly have here?

  After all these years, she’d finally found her place in the Guild. Her years of toil had paid off. The Journeymen of House Hawk—of all the Houses—had accepted her as one of them. Indeed, they held her, a newly minted Journeyman, in higher esteem than many of the seniors. She’d done the impossible and conquered the Black Spire. Truth be told, she had come to enjoy the newfound respect—and fear—in the Guild members’ eyes. It felt good to belong.

  But how could she live among men who not only condoned cruelty, but encouraged it? The Night Guild hadn’t lifted a finger when Sabat had beaten her, broken her, and violated her in the worst way possible. They’d carried out a half-hearted investigation into Sabat’s disappearance—no, his murder. She slammed her fist into the wall. It was a sick, twisted mockery of justice.

  Her reputation bred fear and respect among her peers. That fear would protect her, would shield her from people like Sabat. She’d shown them what she was capable of. Now, no one would dare lay a finger on her. She would never be a victim again. It didn’t matter what she had to do, she would make certain of it.

  Especially now. Now that she had a life growing inside her. But the Night Guild is no place for a child! Wouldn’t it be better to end it all now? It would be kinder than forcing the child to endure everything she had.

  Her hands trembled, setting the tea sloshing as she brought the cup to her lips. The pungent odor of the draught twisted her stomach. She gritted her teeth against a wave of nausea. Just a few gulps and it will be over. She could leave behind the horrors perpetrated upon her. This last vestige of her tormentor would be forever erased.

  No. I can’t do it! With a snarl, she hurled the cup away. The clay shattered, splashing the contents across the wall. It’s all I have left of Ethen.

  He’d died that night, the same night the life within her had been conceived. She didn’t care how it had happened. All that mattered was what the child represented. It would remind her of what she’d lost, her way to remember the one good thing in her miserable, wretched world.

  She held up her hands, studying the raw, scalded flesh. She welcomed the pain; it proved she could still feel. A towering inferno of anger and hatred had burned in her chest since that night. She’d unleashed her fury upon Sabat and an empty ache had replaced her rage. Now, she had a reason to live.

  “I will live one more day,” she whispered. She ran a hand over her stomach. “You will live one more day.”

  Grim determination filled her, drying up the flow of tears. She knew what she had to do: I will find a way out. I won’t let a child grow up in a place like this. The Night Guild had allowed a monster like Sabat to get away with his actions. There would be more like him—or worse. She knew what people were capable of and she wouldn’t let her child share her fate. It didn’t matter how much she had to steal or how many people she had to kill; she would find a way out. I will be free.

  Wiping her cheeks on her sleeves, Ilanna gazed around the empty bunk room. It wouldn’t be her home for much longer.

  Something caught her eye: a parcel on the floor.

  Heart thundering, Ilanna leapt to her feet. Keeper’s teeth! It hadn’t been there when Journeyman Tyman left, had it? She hadn’t heard the door open or close. No one had entered the room. So how the hell did it get there?

  Cold fingers of dread twisted in her gut. Pulse racing, she fumbled at the twine bow and pulled back the layers of cloth.

  She gasped and recoiled as a severed thumb fell from the bundle. She barely noticed it; her eyes were fixed on the other object within the folds of cloth.

  I-It can’t be! It was a dagger—her dagger. Mud covered the handle and dried blood still crusted the blade. Sabat’s blood. Impossible! I buried it with…

  Her gaze dropped to the severed thumb and a shiver of fear coursed down her spine. She stared open-mouth at the dagger, not daring to touch it. She’d thought it gone and buried forever. This can’t be happening.

  A folded piece of parchment lay beneath the knife. With trembling hands, she opened the paper and read.

  We know, Ilanna of House Hawk. What would you do to keep the truth buried?

  Ilanna will return in mid-2017 in Thief of the Night Guild

  Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come:

  Chapter 1

  The dagger twitched in Ilanna’s fingers as she watched Lord Ulimar’s chest rise and fall. A quick cut, and the foolish noble would never wake. The sleeping draught she’d dripped into his gaping mouth would keep him in the realm of dreams even as he bled out.

  But if the Night Guild wanted Lord Ulimar dead, they’d have sent a Serpent. Clean and quiet. Or messy, as the job demanded. Ilanna was a Hawk; she’d come for another reason.

  She drove the dagger into the bedside table with a thunk. It quivered as she released it, moonlight glinting on the silver skull and ruby-eyed pommel. When Lord Ulimar awoke, a headache from the sleeping draught would be the least of his concerns. The dagger sent a message: the Night Guild had marked him for death.

  Ilanna almost pitied him. Poor bastard has no idea the real reason it’s here. He’d work himself into a panic struggling to understand what he’d done to earn the Guild’s ire. Little did he know, the Guild had no reason to wish him dead. They cared only for his money.

  If that doesn’t drive him into the Crown’s arms, he’s braver than most.

  Turning her back on the sleeping nobleman, Ilanna drew two miniature glass orbs from her pouch. Quickfire globes, a Hawk’s best friend in the darkness. Light glimmered as she touched them together. Holding them high, she ran a practiced eye over the ornate armoire, the iron-bound chest at the foot of the canopied bed, and the tapestries on the wall.

  Now where would you hide your true valuables, Lord Ulimar?

  She paced the room on soft-soled boots, her keen ears listening for any sound. She snorted at the tell-tale creak of a floorboard. Drawing a dagger from her bracer, she slipped it into the crack and pried the wood loose. Within lay a half-dozen velvet purses.

  She grinned. And it’s not even my nameday!

  Gold and silver shone within the purses. Ilanna counted out twenty imperials and slipped them inside her belt pouch, then replaced them with ten of her special steel coins. Not quite the same weight as the gold, but close enough that Lord Ulimar would only notice the missing money if he tried to spend the coins. She stuffed the purse into the bottom of the hoard. Unless Lord Ulimar’s finances took a very hard hit, he’d never discover the theft.

  Replacing the floorboard, she drew a vial of dust and sprinkled some on the floor. Just enough to hide the fact the board had been moved. Her miniature rake combed the threads of the plush Al Hani rug into place behind her, obscuring her bootprints.

  Lord Ulimar would find no trace of anyone entering his house, save for the dagger a hand’s breadth from his nose.

  Ilanna slipped out of the nobleman’s bedroom and glanced down the hall. One floor down, the lantern of the night watchman drove back the shadows, and the tromp, tromp of heavy booted feet sounded loud in the silent house.

  She tensed as the sound grew louder. The watchman was supposed to head downstairs, not up! Stifling a curse, she slipped behind a pillar and held her breath. The light of a lantern spilled down the hallway. Her shoulders tightened as the beam pointed toward the door of Lord Ulimar’s bedroom. She ran her thumb along the hilt of one of the four daggers in her bracer. If h
e didn’t move along…

  The lantern moved away, and the watchman whistled a mournful tune as he descended the stairs. Ilanna let out her breath in a slow exhale.

  Too close.

  She moved when the light disappeared, slipping into Lord Ulimar’s study. She didn’t bother closing the door, but shimmied up the black rope without a sound. A few seconds later, she stood atop the mansion roof.

  Ilanna ran over everything that had happened since she’d entered half an hour earlier. Had she forgotten anything? She never did. It was what made her different from the other Hawks. It was what made her the best.

  All Hawks carried out these assignments for the Night Guild—“shanking the fool”, Lem called them. Some liked to ransack a mark’s home and steal anything they could get their hands on. Ilanna thought that foolish. Yes, any man would feel fear upon finding his house despoiled. But her way had proven far more effective.

  No one ever saw her enter or leave. She left no sign of her passage. Lord Ulimar’s guards could search the mansion top to bottom and find only the dagger. Humans couldn’t walk through walls, couldn’t enter without a trace. Ghosts could. And if ghosts served the Night Guild, Lord Ulimar would have no choice but to beg the Crown to protect him. The vulnerability, betrayal, and paranoia engendered by the message from the Night Guild would send any nobleman running to whoever offered protection.

  Two hours of work, and she’d earned the Guild a hundred imperials a month. Paid to them by King Ohilmos himself. A beautiful partnership, one that earned her a cool ten percent of the profits. And that didn’t count the imperials she’d stolen from Lord Ulimar.

  A good night, indeed.

  Kneeling, Ilanna replaced the pane of glass she’d removed earlier and applied a thin line of Darreth’s quick-drying caulk. It would hold out the rain, but she’d have no trouble scraping it away next time she wanted to enter Lord Ulimar’s mansion. He had many, many more purses for her to empty.