Queen of Thieves Box Set

by Andy Peloquin

  Bryden bristled. "You point the finger, Journeyman." He growled the word as an insult. "Your clothing bears no blood, no sign of battle. Surely you are not free of suspicion. Where were you when the Bloody Hand attacked?"

  "Protecting me," Master Gold's words echoed behind her. Ilanna turned to see the Guild Master edging around the pale, unmoving form of Jarl. "Journeyman Ilanna prepared to give her life in defense of her House, but I gave the order for her to protect me. It is as she said: the Bloody Hand has attacked the Guild Council. All but you and I lie dead at their hands."

  Ilanna whirled. "You see? It is proof of his—"

  "It is proof of nothing!" Bryden's eyes flashed. "You hurl accusations, but with nothing to substantiate your claims. Unless you've suddenly conjured evidence in the short time since the Council adjourned?"

  "You know I haven't," Ilanna growled.

  Bryden turned to the Guild Master. "Master Gold, what does Guild law say about baseless accusations?"

  Master Gold's brow furrowed. "If proof cannot be brought forward, the accusation cannot stand."

  Ilanna sneered. "Of course you'd hide behind Guild law, like the coward you are!" Sabat, the Bloodbear apprentice who had beaten, broken, and abused her, had evaded justice for lack of evidence. As had she when she hacked him to pieces.

  She turned her attention to Master Gold, but the Guild Master shook his head. She read the truth in his eyes. He wanted to believe her claims. The loss of Master Hawk—his good friend and former comrade—pained him more than he let others believe. He wanted Bryden to be the man behind it all so he could vent his anger, just as she did. But unless she could come up with proof, Guild law protected Bryden.

  She shook off Errik's hands. "So be it." She gave Bryden a look that could have frozen the sun. "But I will find proof. And when I do…"

  "You won't!" Bryden met her fury with equally icy calm. "Your accusations are baseless slander, nothing more."

  She searched his eyes for any hint, but saw only a wall of dispassion. It didn't matter that he stood amidst the corpses of his friends and comrades. He only cared that she wouldn't discover his duplicity.

  Ilanna spat at his feet, whirled, and stalked down the tunnels toward her room. She slammed the door behind her and drove her fist into the earthen wall, heedless of the pain in her still-healing palms.

  He can't get away with it! I won't let him.

  She paced her room, mind racing. Toll the arsonist had said the man who hired him had a limp. That fit Bryden to perfection. But to hire them, Bryden would have had to leave the Night Guild. She would have asked Grillen or Eustyss, two of Bryden's crew, but they couldn't hear her from the arms of the Long Keeper. That meant she had to track down Moody, the only surviving Hawk who worked with Bryden.

  She drew three throwing daggers from the chest beneath her bed and slipped them into her bracer, belt, and right boot. A push dagger and a dirk joined the weapons on her belt. Almost as an afterthought, she slipped a handful of lead sling bullets into her purse.

  The weight of the bullets sent a pang of sorrow through her. Ethen, once known as the tyro Three, apprentice of House Scorpion, had taught her to use the sling. It had saved her life in the Black Spire. But after Ethen's death, she had stopped carrying the bullets. Because of that, she hadn't been able to save Willem as he crossed the Field of Mercy. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

  Checking her weapons one last time, she strode from her room in search of Moody. She found the Hawk among the wounded Journeyman. He lay on the ground, away from the corpses piled high against the wall. A heavy, bloodstained bandage covered the right half of his face, and he clutched his left arm to his chest. His wounds counted among the least grievous.

  She crouched over him. "How's the head, Moody?"

  The Hawk gave her a weak smile. "Been better. How'd you fare?"

  Ilanna shrugged. "Got roped into protecting Master Gold."

  "Ahh, I always said you lead a charmed life, Ilanna." His weak chuckle broke off in a groan.

  If only you knew…

  "Tell me, Moody, has Bryden left the Guild in the last weeks?"

  Moody's brow furrowed. "Why'd'you ask?"

  "I think he might have something to do with all this."

  Moody gave a violent shake of his head. "Not a chance, Ilanna!" He clutched at her arm with his good hand. "He'd never do anything like this."

  She gave an exaggerated sigh. "I don't want to believe it either, but the evidence is pointing at him."

  "What evidence?" His face scrunched up in confusion.

  "Just tell me," she pressed. "Has he left the tunnels in the last week or two?"

  Moody frowned in thought. "No, no, I don't think he's…" His voice trailed off.

  "He has, hasn't he?"

  Moody paled. "You can't think it's him, Ilanna! He wouldn’t—"

  "When, Moody?" Her voice held a terrible edge.

  The injured Hawk scrunched his face. "Week or so. Went out at night. Didn't say where he was going, but he said it was important."

  Ilanna stifled a triumphant shout. "A week. You sure?"

  Moody gave a weak shrug. "Memory's not working right now, but I think so."

  Ilanna nodded and patted his shoulder. "Thank you, Moody. You've done our House, and the Night Guild, a service."

  With a sigh, the Hawk lay back and closed his eyes.

  "What did you want with him?" Tension echoed in Bryden's words.

  Ilanna stood and turned. "Nothing." Her face and voice revealed no hint of her triumph. "Just checking on him, that's all."

  Bryden narrowed his eyes, but she left before he could speak. She hurried through the Guild tunnels toward Master Gold's office.

  She found the Guild Master sitting behind his huge wooden desk, his face haggard and pale as he listened to the Journeyman wearing the black-trimmed robes of House Scorpion.

  "…fourteen apprentices killed as well, Master Gold."

  Ilanna rushed to stand before the Scorpion. "And Darreth? Journeyman Donneh?"

  The man, Rian, winced at the second name. "I-I'm sorry. The Journeyman, she…" He swallowed. "Darreth, however, only sustained minor injuries—one of his foolish explosive concoctions gone wrong."

  Sorrow and relief mixed within Ilanna. Journeyman Donneh had helped her twice. She would miss the tiny woman with the odd-looking pet. At least Darreth survived.

  Master Gold nodded. "Thank you, Journeyman Rian." He turned to the green-robed man beside Rian. "And you, Journeyman Crastor? How fares House Serpent?"

  "Poorly, Master Gold." Crastor winced as he adjusted the crutch under his arm and moved his weight off his splinted left leg. "Master Serpent and Journeyman Erys have both fallen, along with fully half our number. Of those remaining, most bear injuries, many grave."

  Master Gold's face tightened. "Thank you, Journeyman Crastor."

  With a stiff bow, Crastor hobbled from the room.

  "How bad is it?" Ilanna asked.

  Master Gold sighed and scrubbed at his eyes. "Worse than I feared. House Serpent has taken heavy losses, as has House Hawk. House Grubber fought well, but no more than two score remain unharmed."

  "And the Bloodbears? House Hound?"

  Master Gold's face turned ugly. "The Masters of both Houses lie dead, along with their lieutenants." He pursed his lips.

  "But?"

  Master Gold looked down at the reports on his desk. "But their losses are far lighter than any of the other Houses. House Fox as well. Almost as if…"

  "The Bloody Hand knew which Houses posed the greatest threat."

  Master Gold gave a slow nod. "Which begs the question of how."

  "And how they knew exactly how to reach each House. And who the head of each House was."

  The Guild Master's brow furrowed. "We have a traitor in our midst."

  Ilanna nodded. "I know who it is."

  Master Gold pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you have proof?" He held up a hand to forestall Ilanna's reply. "Proof tha
t will stand up before all the Night Guild? I have called for a meeting of all the Houses tomorrow, once all have a chance to rest and recover. We will speak of what to do now. We repelled the Bloody Hand, but they're not gone forever. If you have the evidence needed to convict Bryden, tomorrow you can present it."

  Satisfaction flooded Ilanna. "So be it. I have enough." I think. Most of what she had was circumstantial, but she was determined to push the conviction through. Bryden needed to suffer for what he'd done.

  "Let's hope so." Master Gold opened his mouth, but snapped it shut. Sorrow filled his eyes. "I was just going to call for Entar to bring wine." He swallowed and dropped his gaze. "I forgot he was…gone." He toyed with the ornate brooch pinned to his vest: a golden hawk clutching a silver dagger, with a diamond sparkling in its eye.

  Ilanna gave him his moment of silence. She strode over to a side table and lifted the silver jug sitting there. "A bit left in this one." She poured the wine into two clay cups and handed one to him. "To Entar."

  The Guild Master gave her a sad smile. "To Jagar Khat, the best damn Master House Hawk has ever had."

  They drained their cups in a single draught and shattered the clay goblets against the floor, completing the Night Guild's traditional farewell tribute to fallen friends.

  "So now what?" Ilanna lifted her gaze. "What do we do now?"

  Master Gold stroked his chin. "We need to figure out the defenses of the Night Guild. If the Bloody Hand found their way in once, they'll do so again."

  "Agreed." A burden of exhaustion settled on Ilanna. She hadn't slept in days, and it all came crashing down. She slumped onto Master Gold's couch. "But we still don't know how they got in."

  "Then we scour the tunnels until we do." Master Gold's words sounded oddly thick, forced. "Once you prove Bryden is…is…" He frowned, his mouth working without a sound.

  "Master Gold?" Ilanna found herself struggling to speak. The fatigue washed over her, pulling her into blackness. Her tongue and lips felt thick, as if she'd drunk too much. But she'd only had a glass of wine. Surely it couldn't--

  Master Gold's eyelids drooped and his head fell to his chest. His hands hung limp at his side.

  Ilanna's head felt suddenly too heavy to lift. Her arms refused to move. She tried to stand, but her legs betrayed her.

  Too late, she realized. Poison!

  She fell hard but, by now, she was beyond sensation. Darkness pressed in on her, dragging her into its oppressive depths. She clawed in vain to remain conscious. She had to find out who…

  All thoughts drained from her mind. Slowly, her eyes, too, fell closed and she knew no more.

  Chapter Nine

  An irritating tapping prodded Ilanna to consciousness, tugging her from the dark depths. She strained to open her eyes, which seemed impossibly heavy.

  "Master Gold?" The familiar voice sounded distant and faint.

  Bright light washed over her closed eyelids. She winced and tried to cry out, but managed only a weak grunt.

  "Master Gold, the Night Guild has adjourned in the Menagerie as—" The voice—Bryden's, Ilanna recognized—cut off with a gasp.

  Ilanna wanted to ask what was wrong, but her body refused to cooperate. Her lips felt thick, her tongue like a strip of dried leather in her mouth. The pounding in her head made it impossible to open her eyes.

  "Murder!" Bryden's cry, high and piercing, rattled against her ears.

  Where? Ilanna tried to look around. Her muscles refused to respond to her commands. Every shred of willpower went into raising her head.

  Sensations filtered through the fog in her mind. Her face felt oddly stiff. When she tried to push up, her hand slipped in something slick. The scent of dried blood hung thick around her.

  She pried her eyelids open, and a strangled gasp of horror escaped her numb lips. Master Gold lay beneath her, a calm expression on his face, his eyes closed as if in rest. Ilanna would have thought him asleep were it not for the dagger buried to its hilt in his chest, and the pool of crimson spreading beneath him.

  Light flooded the room, and strong hands lifted Ilanna from Master Gold's corpse.

  "Murdering bitch!" An angry voice echoed behind her. Ilanna tried in vain to turn her head and catch a glimpse of her accuser.

  She wanted to protest her innocence, but her traitorous body ignored her commands to move, to speak. She could not resist as she was dragged away from the cadaver. Oddly, Master Gold's pants hung around his ankles.

  What had happened to her? Her mind struggled to remember. She'd been talking with Master Gold, trying to decide what to do next. They'd had wine and—

  The wine!

  Her eyes darted toward the table where she'd left the silver pitcher. No pitcher. She and the Guild Master had toasted Master Hawk and Entar, then shattered their mugs on the floor. Not a single shard of clay remained.

  She tried to form the words, It's a set up! Her thick tongue and insensate lips could only manage a pitiful garbling. "I…'uh…e…uh!"

  Bryden's snarling face filled her view. "Save your words, girl. You'll have plenty of time to talk when you stand trial for murder."

  Anger surged in Ilanna. She tried in vain to break free of the restraining hands. Sharp pain exploded in her kidneys. Groaning, she sagged in the arms of the huge men—Bloodbears, she saw from the crimson hemming on their robes—holding her fast.

  "Don't make this any harder than it has to be, Ilanna." Bryden's voice held a cold fury. "I've instructed Watt and Ayris here not to hurt you too bad. But keep up the struggle, and I doubt they'll listen."

  Ilanna's blood ran cold at the names. Watt and Ayris, two of the Bloodbears who had run with Sabat during their days as apprentices. Two Bloodbears who blamed her for Sabat's disappearance. They wouldn't hesitate to break every bone in her body.

  She ceased struggling and allowed the Bloodbears to carry her weight. Instinct screamed at her to flee. She had been discovered lying atop Master Gold's body, stained with his blood. Even a blind man could see her guilt. But she couldn't escape, not with the two muscle-bound Bloodbears holding her fast. She didn't even reach their shoulders standing on her tiptoes. They hauled her between them with ease. Even at her best, she'd hesitate before attacking them. Now, barely conscious, her burned hands still healing, she had no chance.

  Better to bide my time. She would have to plead her case before the Guild Council. Surely Master Hawk will…

  The thought trailed off, and a lump rose in her throat. Master Hawk lay dead on the floor of the Aerie, half of House Hawk with him. Without him or Master Gold to defend her, what hope did she have? She had to find a way out of her predicament. If she couldn't talk her way out of the trial, surely she'd have a chance to escape before they killed her. She had to try.

  The doors to the Menagerie swung open, revealing the entire Night Guild—what little remained of it—gathered there. Ilanna searched the crowd for any allies. She caught sight of Errik leaning against a wall. The Serpent went stiff at the sight of her, his hand darting to his sword.

  Ilanna gave a little shake of her head. No use getting him killed. Not yet.

  Allon pushed toward her. "Ilanna!"

  Watt shoved him back. "Back away from the prisoner, Hound."

  "What is this, Bryden?" Allon demanded.

  "Wait and see," came the Hawk's cold response.

  Bryden shuffled through the crowd ahead of them, snarling and snapping at those in his way. When he reached the eight ornate seats at the head of the room, he directed Watt and Ayris to drag Ilanna off to one side. Straightening his shoulders, he limped into the clear space where Master Gold had always stood to address the Night Guild.

  "My brothers, my friends, my comrades, today is a day of mourning. We have all suffered loss—" His face darkened. "—some more than others."

  More than a few Hounds and Bloodbears bristled at the words, but Bryden continued before they could voice complaint.

  "For the first time in living memory, the Guild finds itself without l
eadership. The House Masters have fallen, slain by the Voramians in their raid on our home. The Guild Council is no more. Of fifteen, only I remain."

  A voice called from the crowd. "But what of Master Gold? Surely he--"

  "Is dead!" Bryden thundered. "Slain in his office, by this traitor!" He thrust a finger at Ilanna. "A crime for which she will stand trial. But for justice to be carried out, we must select a new Council. New House Masters to sit in judgement of Journeyman Ilanna's crimes."

  The assembled Journeymen and apprentices muttered amongst themselves. The fact that Bryden presided over the gathering instead of Master Gold left more than a few with looks of stunned surprise.

  "As Master Hawk's second-in-command, I am willing to stand for my House until such a time as we can have a proper vote." He looked around. "Unless any of my brethren have aught to say against it."

  Three Hawks stood in the crowd. Ten more were being tended by Journeyman Tyman and his fellow Scorpions. Ilanna didn't know if Jarl still lived or had gone to the arms of the Long Keeper. Either way, Bryden assumed control of House Hawk with nothing more than a few nods.

  "So be it." Bryden nodded. "Let each House present their candidates for acting House Master."

  Errik numbered among the oldest of the surviving Serpents. His nomination and acceptance was over in a minute. Allon, nephew to the former Master Hawk and the wealthiest man of House Hound, was also made acting Master. House Grubber put forward Septin, an older man with one eye, ten teeth, and four fingers.

  A scuffle broke out among the Journeymen of House Bloodbear. Shouts and cries of "Layne for Master" warred with "Krew for Master".

  "Gentlemen," Bryden called out, "perhaps both may act as House Master. After all, it is simply temporary, until we are able to hold proper elections."

  The Journeymen of House Bloodbear agreed, not without plenty of angry looks and bloody noses.

  Ilanna's gut twisted. Krew was the leader of Fifth Claw, the group of Bloodbears to which Sabat had belonged. His hatred of her burned brighter than even Master Bloodbear's. He would condemn her even if she could convince the others of her innocence.