"You have not," Bryden repeated in a slow voice. "You claim that the evidence presented was falsified, yet you have no proof of your claim."
"I do not." Ilanna's jaw muscles tightened. She knew Bryden would enjoy pronouncing her sentence of guilt. He had wanted to get rid of her since—
"Fortunately for you, Journeyman Ilanna, new evidence has been presented to me that corroborates your claim." Bryden turned to the assembled Night Guild, his arms spreading in a grand sweeping gesture. "The documents were forgeries intended to sentence Ilanna to the Sanction. Though I cannot identify the forger responsible for the creation, I can uphold the Journeyman's claim that she is innocent of larceny."
Ilanna's gaze darted to Errik. Though his expression never changed, his right eyelid drooped in a half-wink. What did he tell Bryden to convince him? It didn't matter. Bryden had believed him.
The hope surging within her died at the Hawk's next words. "But what of the deaths, the losses suffered by each House of the Night Guild?" He thrust a finger at each of the House Masters in turn. "Your Journeymen, apprentices, and even tyros lie dead because of the actions of Journeyman Ilanna."
Acid surged in Ilanna's throat. She had no defense against the truth. Bryden didn't need the charge of larceny to convict her; he could call dozens of witnesses to verify that she had led the Duke's men into the tunnels.
"Every man and woman here knows what you have done, but it is the way of the Night Guild to let the defendant answer for their actions. So I ask you, Ilanna of House Hawk, will you give answer?"
Ilanna nodded, her throat suddenly dry. She clenched her fists behind her back and wished she had the metal hawk figurine; the smooth metal surface would calm the nervous roiling in her stomach.
Bryden clasped his hands behind his back and limped in a circle around her. "Did you escape incarceration and flee with the intention of evading Guild-decreed justice for your crimes?"
Ilanna's breath hitched. Bryden had been the one to release her. "I fled with the intention of stopping the Bloody Hand from destroying the Guild."
"So you say, but that doesn't change the fact that you fled, does it?"
"No," Ilanna said through clenched teeth.
"And once escaped, did you seek out Duke Elodon Phonnis and offer to reveal the location of the Night Guild?"
"In exchange for him driving out the Bloody Hand!" Ilanna's voice rose to an exasperated shout.
"And did you lead the Arbitors and Praamian Guards into our tunnels, into our very homes? Knowing full well the Duke would arrest all in the Guild."
Ilanna bit back an angry retort. "I did."
"You see?" Bryden turned to the assembled Guild. "She takes responsibility for her actions, actions that have led to the deaths of many. Duke Phonnis and his Praamian Guards and Arbitors know how to find us. They know the secrets of the Night Guild, the hidden ways we use to traverse the city. They know our faces, and they know how to find us. There is nowhere in Praamis we will be safe from the law." He whirled on her, his finger stabbing at her face. "All of this, because of you!"
Ilanna wanted to hurl her defiance in his face. How could he not understand what she'd done? Of anyone, she believed Bryden would have the pragmatism to realize that her actions had been for the sake of the Night Guild. But his anger and hatred of her clouded him to the truth. He didn't care that she'd saved every man, woman, and child in the Guild; he only cared that he could sentence her to death all over again. He wanted to be rid of her, truth or logic be damned.
Ilanna felt tired—so very, very tired. The weight of sorrow, loss, and guilt settled onto her shoulders as if a mountain had collapsed atop her. She had given everything she had to the Night Guild, lost everyone she held dear because of it. Just like Allon, it didn't matter what ending she'd hoped to have. She was like a drowning man wearing a suit of armor. Try as she might to break the surface, in the end life would condemn her to a bleak fate.
Her shoulders relaxed, and the tension drained from her muscles. So be it. She would fight no longer. Let this be over. At least the suffering will end.
Bryden turned back to the crowd with a grim expression. "Because of Journeyman Ilanna of House Hawk, many of our brothers and sisters will never walk through those doors again." All eyes darted toward the double doors of the Menagerie. "So many have died because of her."
Ilanna drew in a breath and closed her eyes. Bryden's next words would sentence her to the Sanction.
"Yet because of her, we all still live. Her actions have kept the Bloody Hand from destroying the Night Guild, have stayed the Duke's hand from executing every one of us. Which is why I propose that Journeyman Ilanna become the next Master of the Night Guild."
Chapter Forty-Eight
Ilanna's eyes snapped open as the collected Night Guild let out a stunned gasp. What in the bloody hell? Had those words really come from Bryden's mouth?
All in the Menagerie wore shocked expressions. All except Errik; a smile twitched the corner of the Serpent's mouth.
The room erupted with shouts of outrage. Master Bloodbear leapt to his feet, his thugs crowding in behind him. Foxes and Grubbers and Hounds added their voice to the tumult. Even a few Scorpions joined in.
"Silence!" Bryden thundered. "We will have order!"
The din refused to die down as the Journeymen and apprentices hurled their protests and anger at her.
Bryden's voice echoed over the tumult. "You cannot deny that her actions showed the true pragmatism the Night Guild needs to survive the hard times. And make no mistake, my brothers and sisters, times will be hard."
"Because of her!" someone yelled.
"Partly, perhaps." Bryden inclined his head. "She did bring the Duke's men into our homes, but where would we be if she hadn't? Enslaved to the Bloody Hand? Dead?" He turned a piercing gaze on the men and women gathered behind the Masters' chairs. "You know as well as I which of those fates would be worse."
Angry mutterings echoed among the crowd, but the ferocity of the protests abated.
"Yes, the situation in the Night Guild is dire. The Duke's men have taken all of our equipment, supplies, and weapons. All that remains to us is what we have on our persons, or what we have hidden away. We are in for lean times. And I put to you that there is no one better to get us through it than the only one of us with the forethought to not only turn the Duke loose on the Bloody Hand, but then somehow convince the King of Praamis himself to release you."
The crowd fell silent. None could deny that she had freed them, though few knew the truth of how.
Ilanna couldn't believe her ears. How is Bryden the one leading this? The mischievous glint in Errik's eye told her he had a hand in it, but it seemed impossible that he'd convinced the Hawk to lend support.
"The Duke's men know where to find our homes. We must prepare for their eventual return. The people of Praamis know our faces. But they will soon forget about us, and we will be free to resume our occupation. All we have to do is wait, and—"
"Wait?" A swarthy, black-haired Fox by the name of Drusus stepped forward. Anger burned in his eyes. "We'll starve! The coffers of House Fox are empty."
"As are those of House Scorpion," Tyman said.
"And House Hawk, and no doubt every other House in the Night Guild." The other House Masters nodded agreement. "But we are not without coin—or at least the promise of coin. Filch still holds items of great value to be fenced off for gold. Most of which belong to her."
More than a few eyes went wide.
"The gold and jewels from Lady Auslan's sarcophagus were worth millions of imperials. None of which the Duke's men seized." He let that sink in for a moment, and not a sound echoed in the Menagerie. "Millions of imperials, my fellow Journeymen. More than enough to restore what was lost and a great deal besides."
Filch would gouge them for every coin when he discovered their desperation, but it didn't matter. With the gemstones he had to fence for them and the melt value of the gold, they had enough to survive.
&n
bsp; But Bryden's words echoed in her mind. Most of it belongs to me. She was owed well over a hundred thousand imperials for the theft. With it, she could take it and be rid of Praamis and the Guild forever.
"No." The word came out at barely above a whisper.
Bryden whirled, eyebrows rising. "What?"
"No," Ilanna repeated in a louder voice. "I will not be the next Guild Master."
The Hawk's jaw dropped. Even Errik seemed surprised by her response.
"Why in the bloody hell not?" Bryden demanded. "You've been angling to take over since—"
"I never wanted to take over anything." Ilanna spoke in a cold, hard tone. "I simply wanted to be free of the Night Guild. And I will be. I will take the freedom and gold promised to me by the Guild Council and leave Praamis forever. As I told the King, I am done with the life of a thief."
Bryden gaped, at a loss for words.
Ilanna studied the assembled Night Guild. "You blame me for the death of your friends and comrades, but I am no more to blame in this than all of you. You chose to submit to the rule of the Bloody Hand when you should have fought back. Some of you out of fear, others out of greed." She pounded her chest. "I, with the help of those few brave enough to stand up, did what needed to be done. My hands are stained with blood, but it is the blood of Rhynd and his comrades, the ones who would seek to enslave you. You owe me your lives. And I have come to collect. My price is my freedom."
Disappointment filled Errik's expression, but fury flashed behind Bryden's eyes. "You choose the way of cowards? Take what belongs to you and run, leaving the rest of your comrades to starve."
"I am what the Night Guild made me," Ilanna snarled. "From the brutality of Master Velvet's training to the indifference of the Guild Council to the enmity and ingratitude of those I fought to save, I have learned that the only way to survive is to take care of myself. After all, I am the only one who will."
Bryden's face darkened. "You'd empty the Guild coffers and condemn every man, woman, and child in the Night Guild to death? Without equipment, food, and the basic necessities of life, we will not survive."
Ilanna shook her head. "Be that as it may, I will not remain in a place where human life is valued so little."
The words came from somewhere deep within her. The fact that she had to steal had never bothered her—she'd found a certain thrill in outwitting the nobles with more gold than good sense. But she'd never been able to come to terms with the Guild's casual attitude toward the suffering it caused.
Sabat had escaped punishment time after time, until he killed Ethen and violated her. She'd murdered him and gotten away with it. The Guild Council had hardly cared that Sabat was dead. Master Gold had used her to his own ends, and Allon and Master Hound had betrayed the Night Guild in order to seize power. They might have claimed to have the Guild's best interest at heart but, in truth, they'd only cared about their personal desires for power or vengeance. Master Hawk had been alone in his regard for the wellbeing of his Journeymen and apprentices.
How many lives had the Guild ruined in their harsh indoctrination under Master Velvet? Every man and woman in the Menagerie had suffered the same physical, mental, and emotional abuse, and it had turned them into monsters. So little good remained in the Guild.
Yet she couldn't ignore the desperation in the eyes of the men and women around her. They'd dedicated their lives toward their own ends—earning gold through murder, theft, and violence—only to have everything they'd worked for hauled away by the Duke's men. The threat of the Duke's wrath hung like a sword over their heads. They had nothing left, and it terrified them.
A burden settled atop Ilanna's shoulders, but of responsibility rather than guilt. She had played a part in the destruction of the Night Guild. Could she really abandon them to face the consequences alone? Much as she hated the idea of staying, something within her refused to leave. They needed her. She could see the realization in the expression of every Journeyman and apprentice. Someone had to tell them how to move forward, how to recover. And they wanted that someone to be her.
Worst of all, Ilanna knew she couldn't leave. She had nothing else either.
The dreams of starting a new life outside the Guild and Praamis had made sense when she had Kodyn and Ria. They were dead, and she was alone. She had nothing to pull her away from the last vestiges of home that remained.
She sought out Jarl. The huge Hawk stood behind Master Hawk's empty chair, sorrow in his eyes. For over a decade, he had been a solid, silent presence at her back, never speaking a word but ever supporting her.
Despite the lines of fatigue on Darreth's slim face, the intelligence that had made her seek him out still burned in his eyes. They had formed a friendship—a tad awkward, perhaps, but mutually understood and appreciated.
And Errik. The acting Master of House Serpent sat slumped in his chair, disappointment and hurt written in every twitch of his facial muscles. He'd lent his unquestioning aid, thrown himself headlong into danger beside her time and again.
One by one, her gaze found the people who had lent her aid in the past: Journeyman Tyman the healer, Elmar and Joost the Foxes, even Verum with the bloodstained bandage around his head. Their lives of crime hadn't erased all traces of their inherent goodness, or that of the men and women no longer alive. Journeyman Donneh. Master Hawk. Denber. Werrin and Willem. Ethen.
Inevitably, her eyes turned to the boys and girls scattered throughout the Menagerie. Their faces lacked the twisted, haunted look of their older counterparts. The lives of thieves, assassins, poisoners, and thugs hadn't yet driven all sense of decency from them.
And what of the next wave of tyros and apprentices? The children would be condemned to the same life of suffering, deceit, and crime. How could she let anyone else endure the same horrors she had?
Kodyn's arrival had made her realize she wanted a better life for her son. She'd kept his existence a secret because she knew the Guild would sink its clutches into him and drag him down into the mire. She wouldn't be able to give him the better life she'd wanted, but perhaps she could offer it to the innocent children that would inevitably find themselves in the Night Guild's hands.
"However," she found her voice again, "I will consider becoming the Master of the Night Guild on one condition."
Bryden quirked an eyebrow. "And what condition is that?"
Ilanna drew in a deep breath. "The Night Guild must change."
A stunned hush blanketed the room. For long moments, no one spoke. All eyes rested on her, as if waiting to hear the next words from her mouth.
Ilanna took advantage of the silence. "For too long, the people of Praamis have regarded the Night Guild in the same way the people of Voramis perceive the Bloody Hand. They hate and fear us, for we bring nothing but suffering into their lives."
An image played through her mind: her father, weeping and bleeding under the clubs of the Bloodbears, begging for mercy. Another memory followed, this one of men, women, and children screaming in agony as green fire consumed them, of people huddled in the smoking ruins of Old Town Market.
"But I believe it is time to change that. We have been given a chance to start afresh—let us be the Night Guild that protects the city of Praamis instead of destroying it."
Eden, the Master of House Fox, frowned. "But we are thieves." She gestured to the other House Masters. "Assassins, poisoners, strong-arms. Criminals all. We cannot simply change who we are."
"Nor should you." Ilanna shook her head. "You have dedicated your lives to being masters of your crafts, and no one is foolish enough to believe that will change."
"So what, then?" Master Grubber's brow furrowed. "What are you suggesting?"
"Do any of you know why the Guild was originally created?" Ilanna's gaze roved over the Journeymen, apprentices, and tyros in the Menagerie. None answered. "The Guild was conceived as a means of controlling crime in the city of Praamis. Every city will have its thieves. Wherever there are noble men and women, there will be a demand for ass
assins and poisoners. And," her mouth stretched in a sly grin, "there will be a need for clever third-story thieves to part the nobility from their ill-gotten gains."
This brought a few chuckles, but most of the Guild remained silent.
"The title of 'Guild' was chosen because it signified the practice and control of a craft. Our craft is crime, but we are no less professional an organization than the guilds of silversmiths, steelworkers, or cobblers. We cannot allow ourselves to devolve into senseless murder, mayhem, and violence just because it is in our nature to do so. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard. For if we do not, the King and the Duke certainly will."
Ilanna let the words sink in. "In gratitude for our defeat of the Bloody Hand, King Ohilmos has forbidden Duke Phonnis from sending his Praamian Guards and Arbitors to invade. But that will change if we turn Praamis into another city like Voramis, one ruled by fear and violence. Our continued existence depends on our being better." She met the eyes of each House Master. "We must improve the city, not destroy it."
Chapter Forty-Nine
Septin, Master of House Grubber, snorted. "You want us all to become bloody Beggar Priests? Give all our earthly possessions to the poor? Good luck bringing that about!"
Ilanna rolled her eyes. "Are you so short-sighted that you can't see the truth?" She turned a baleful gaze on all in the Night Guild. "When we steal from the nobles, the common people of Praamis secretly smile behind their hands and mutter that the wealthy bastards got what they deserved. But when our actions set us against the common man—the merchants plying their trade, the laborer, those struggling to earn a living—we become the thing we hate. We are as bad as the nobility; we take from the poor to fill our pockets."
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