Lucius did not know how long he had lain like this, assaulted by confusing scenes and half-remembered dreams, but a cold, wet touch to his forehead made him groan as his mind slowly travelled through the mental fog, back to the real world. A quiet voice forced him to open his eyes, though he quickly half-closed them again as light flooded his vision.
"You're awake. Finally."
Wetting his lips, which suddenly felt deathly dry, Lucius tried to focus on the woman sitting next to his bed.
"Grayling," he managed to say.
"Indeed."
"We made it then."
She gave a short, humourless laugh. "You nearly didn't. You damaged more than a rib in that outrageous stunt. I had to virtually carry you the last quarter mile. We had to give you honeyleaf-dram to get you healthy again."
Lucius sighed. That, at least, explained why he had been barely sentient. The dram was known to induce fever, and in sufficient quantities, coma and death. But the Hands had long used it to aid the healing process. With other concoctions from the guild's laboratory, many serious injuries could be countered in a relatively short space of time, as the body's own mechanisms were accelerated. Widely used among the nobility of Pontaine, the dram was eschewed within the Empire of Vos, but the hands had learnt how to use it with only the merest chance of fatal results.
He coughed and accepted a mug of water from Grayling. Sitting up and taking a sip, he tried opening his eyes fully, and found his senses rapidly coming back to him, though he felt quite nauseous.
"How many got out?" he asked.
"Not enough. We've counted seven in so far, but I do not expect there to be any more. There has been no word of hangings, so we are assuming the others were killed trying to escape."
"Well," Lucius said, then fell silent for a moment. "It beats a noose."
"Yes, it does. But Luber was one of those who did not come back."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Lucius had not known the man very well, but was surprised to discover that he was sorry. Sharing a cell with Luber, however briefly, had forged something of a bond. "We might not have escaped at all if it were not for him."
"Maybe," Grayling said, watching Lucius carefully. "Maybe not."
Lucius returned her gaze, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. This was a moment he had been hoping to avoid for some time yet, but it looked as though there was no way out.
"Listen, you and I have to talk. What you saw at the Citadel -"
"You're a Shadowmage, aren't you?" Grayling asked, her voice low and secretive. He also detected a hint of curiosity, and maybe wonder. "I had heard you had all been wiped out when Vos entered the city."
"I left. But others stayed, hiding."
"There are others?" she asked, a little too eagerly, and Lucius winced. This was not a wise conversation to have when his senses were still addled, he realised.
"I can't discuss this. But, Grayling, I beg of you -"
"It's our secret," she said, guessing his next words. "I know why you kept it hidden. Some of the others here are not ready to accept a wizard in the guild."
He shook his head. "I'm no wizard."
"If the stories are true, you are so much more."
"Well... some of those might have been exaggerated. Like thieves that can pass through solid walls, you know?"
Grayling nodded slowly. "Are there others in the Hands too? No, don't answer that. As I said in the Citadel, you can count on me. Mind you, I think the others might be more ready to accept you than you think. Especially now."
"Why, what's happened?" he asked, noting the change in her voice. He suddenly realised that the dram he had been given might well have knocked him insensible for longer than it had seemed. "How long was I out of it?"
"Three days."
"God." He tried to sit up and was pleased to discover that the pain lancing his side had been replaced by a dull ache. His head still swam though, and he took another sip of water to settle his stomach. It was only marginally successful. "Fill me in then. What's been going on?"
"They're calling it the Thieves War."
He sighed. "It's started."
"In a big way. Killings have spread across the city, and regular operations have all but ceased. Thieves are going round in groups, many with orders to do nothing more than hunt down those in the Guild. They have similar teams, and have been quite successful. We've lost nearly a quarter of our number already, and many are now too afraid to leave the guildhouse. There is a lot of talk about defecting. Of course, all of that just makes this place a bigger target."
He thought briefly of the twins, and the price they had already paid in all of this. "What about the pickpocket teams?"
"Ambrose has completely shut them down. It's just too dangerous. However, some have decided to go freelance, and others have been killed. Magnus sent enforcers to watch over them in the Five Markets, but that turned into a running battle with the Vos guard and more Guild men."
"Is there no good news?"
Her expression was grim. "None to speak of. We've had our victories, but they have been too small and too slow in coming. Caradoc succumbed to his wounds, never responded to the dram. They're talking about poison now. The docks have become a complete no-go area, at least in the dark hours. The thieves we had operating there have just disappeared. Bodies were found the next day, horribly mutilated, but we can only guess as to whether they are ours. The Guild must have hired real savages for that work. I am not sure what manner of man could do something like that."
"I think I know," he said quietly, but ignored her searching look. "What is the Council doing?"
"Panicking, mostly. At least, that is the word among the rest of us. Magnus told me to tell you that he is convening a council of war this afternoon, and your presence is requested if you are fit. I'm not sure though -"
"You can tell him I'll be there."
"I thought you might say that. You do need more rest though."
"I'll rest until the meeting. But this is more important. We're fighting for survival now."
When he walked into the Council Chamber, Lucius' first reaction was one of alarm. The large table that dominated the room seemed empty; only four seats were occupied. Magnus took his usual place, and had been joined by Elaine, Nate and the weather-beaten thief he had come to know as Wendric. Magnus' bodyguards, Taene and Narsell were standing behind the guildmaster, and Lucius had heard they had not left his side since the war began.
With so few member of the Council remaining it would appear that the Guild had been all too successful in its murderous campaign. Lucius found himself desperately hoping that others were engaged in secret missions for Magnus, that some plan was already being enacted that would secure final victory in this dirty war.
Magnus waved him forward, but the motion was slow and weary, and Lucius could see the strain and exhaustion the guildmaster was battling. He guessed Magnus had not seen his bed for the past three days.
"Lucius, good," Magnus said. "I had hoped you would be well enough to join us here. Are you fit enough for action?"
"I'm ready," Lucius said, without hesitation.
"The Hands are in need of every able-bodied thief now. I wanted you to take your place in this council of war, to advise and, if necessary, carry out the plans we make here. While you are not formally part of the Council itself, I believe that may only be a matter of time, to be resolved after this war is done. But that is something we need to set aside for now."
"Of course," Lucius said, surprised at the casual way the promotion had fallen into his lap. He forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.
"We have taken too many losses over the past few days, and it is clear that the Guild of Coin and Enterprise is much stronger than we gave them credit for," Magnus said.
"That may be true," said Wendric. "But it may just be they were better prepared to start a war. While we were concentrating on business, they were planning this from the start, picking targets and building alliances."
; If Wendric's remarks were a reproach to Magnus' leadership, no one commented on it.
"We've got to start hitting back in a meaningful way," Nate said. "We've got to pick our own targets. Show the Guild we will not lie down quietly, that we are still to be reckoned with. At worse, we can slow down the assault. At best, we can deliver a killing blow."
"Jewel," Elaine said.
"That's right," Nate said. "They struck at our lieutenant, we must hit at theirs. Tit-for-tat. Loredo clearly prizes her. Removing Jewel will make him less sure, and it must at least damage his own standing within the Guild."
Wendric cleared his throat. "I'm... a little uneasy about that."
"Why?" Magnus asked.
"Well... if we meet Jewel on the street, if she is struck down during a battle, that is one thing. But to plan an assassination on a woman? It seems, distasteful in a way. Beneath us."
"Ha!" Elaine's bark preceded her incredulous gaze. "Best hope she is not assigned to take you down, Wendric. I doubt she will show you the same mercy!"
Lucius discovered that he had been swayed by Wendric's argument. He did not relish the thought of striking a woman down from the shadows. However, he thought of Adrianna and Grayling, women who were clearly at least as skilled as the men around them, and he had seen Jewel was a cold-blooded killer.
"I agree," he said. "Her reputation is well known, Wendric. How many of us is she already responsible for? It might well have been her who attacked Caradoc."
"I concur with Elaine and Lucius," Magnus said softly. "She must be removed. Elaine, with Agar gone, I am making you our Master of Assassins, temporarily at least. See to it."
"With pleasure." Elaine's easy, even grateful, acceptance sent a chill through Lucius, and he was once again reminded of the strength present in some women.
"So, where else is the Guild vulnerable?" Magnus asked.
"What of the Guild's alliance with the Vos guard?" Lucius asked. All eyes turned toward him, and he realised that none of the Council were aware of everything that had taken place during the raids in the merchant quarter.
"What alliance?" Nate asked suspiciously, and Lucius could see a tide of fear and doubt rising in the younger man.
"No one else reported it then?" Lucius asked, though he already knew the answer. He kicked himself, for he should have known that with so many of the raiding parties killed during the escape from the Citadel, the chances of one surviving who had seen the direct co-operation between guard and Guild were greatly diminished. Luber had seen it, but he had already paid the price.
"When the Guild responded to us in the merchant quarter, fights broke out in the streets," he explained. "It did not take the guard long to respond, and the area was soon full of patrols."
"Well, that would be as dangerous to the Guild as to us," Elaine said.
"No," Lucius said firmly, shaking his head. "They had code words. The Guild, I mean. I heard them. When the guard waded in, code words were being used to identify the Guild from us. When I saw what was happening, I told everyone to scatter. But the Guild started tracking us, and leading patrols onto our trail. It was hopeless."
Nate thumped a hand down onto the table in frustration.
"Well, that's it then," he said. "We can't fight the Guild and the Vos army!"
"Calm yourself, Nate," Magnus said smoothly, but they could all see he was troubled by this new revelation.
"Magnus, the Guild are already stronger than us," Nate said, suddenly very animated. "Maybe, just maybe, with a careful selection of targets and a great deal of planning, we can pull even with them. Maybe win. But there is no way we can send thieves against the Vos army. They know how to fight. It will just be a slaughter."
"So why not just wander over to Loredo and ask if he needs another thief?" Elaine said, caustically.
Nate looked hurt at that. "I'm just saying."
"One way or another, better or worse, I'll stand with you Magnus," Wendric said. "But Nate is not wholly wrong. The combination of a thieves guild and a city guard - especially one formed from the Vos army - is a dreadful thought. Even in peace time, they could completely shut us down. During a war..."
Lucius considered the sea demons the Guild also evidently had on their side, and he looked up at Magnus to find the guildmaster staring back at him. He thought that Magnus was perhaps thinking the same thing, that the Hands' position in the city was far less tenable than even the surviving Council members believed.
"Then it is obvious," Magnus finally said. They all looked at him with clear relief, clinging to the hope that their guildmaster would still be able to steer them through this difficult time. "If our enemies have built up their strength, then we must do the same. If they increase their reach by building alliances, then we must do the same."
Wendric frowned. "But who can we go to that would be both willing to support us, and provide us with real muscle?"
"We can pull mercenaries in from the Anclas Territories. Battle-hardened soldiers. We'll have to disguise their presence here in the city, but I fancy they will be a match for the Vos guard."
"Expensive though," Nate pointed out. "And we could never afford enough to swing the balance entirely."
"The vault does us no good if the Guild wins this war, no matter how full it remains," Elaine said in reply.
"That is true enough," Magnus said. "We filled the vault before, we can do so again - but only if we survive this war. As for numbers, it will be more important as to how and where we use such men. Our goal is not to launch a coup, remember, just to defeat the Guild or force them to terms. We only need employ mercenaries when we risk running into the Vos guard."
"I'll arrange it," Wendric said. "I have a few contacts I can tap for this."
"It will take time," Lucius said, recalling just how large the Anclas Territories were, and how long the journey to Turnitia could take. That was assuming a company could be persuaded to employment quickly.
"There is something else we can do," Magnus said. "Loredo is acting like a warlord, gathering as much strength in arms to his cause as he can muster. Somewhere along the line, he has forgotten how to be a thief. That will be to our advantage."
"What do you mean?" Nate asked.
"A thief never confronts an enemy head on," Magnus explained. "Instead, he studies his mark, picks the weak points, bypasses the defences and traps. Only if absolutely necessary does he strike, and then only from the shadows."
"We avoid open battle?" Elaine asked. "Seems obvious."
"It is," Magnus said. "But to do so effectively, we need information. We all know this. Information is what drives a thieves guild, it's what ensures the flow of gold into the vault. We need access to better information - we need to know exactly what the Guild is up to at all times, what their ties to the Vos guard are, and what is happening within the Citadel itself."
"Ah, I see where you are going with this, Magnus," Wendric said. "But you cannot know whether they have not been bought already. They could already be working for the Guild."
Lucius was confused and, from Nate's expression, he was not the only one.
"Who are you talking about?" he asked.
"He wants to bring the Beggars Guild on side with us," Wendric said.
"The beggars?" Nate said derisively.
"Nate, the beggars are eyes of this city," Magnus said. "They are ignored by everyone, and yet they can be found in every corner of Turnitia. From the docks to the Five Markets, you will find them huddled, lost, abandoned and forgotten. But it is exactly those qualities that allow them to get close to others, to see and hear everything that goes on in the city. How many times have you left a house you have just robbed, and ignored the beggar across the street outside, happily thinking you have escaped notice? I promise you, nearly every one of your operations is known to the beggar's guild."
"They actually have a guild?" Lucius asked.
"Oh, there is quite some etiquette involved in begging," Magnus said. "And, like any industry, like us, efforts have
to be organised if the maximum profit for all is to be realised. You've worked with our pickpocket teams, Lucius. You know how we strategize their efforts. The beggars are no different, with each assigned a rotating territory that ensures no one area is flooded with them, and no purses are drained too heavily or too quickly. And they can actually be quite vicious towards independents who break the system."
"Do they have a guildhouse?" Elaine asked.
"The streets are their guildhouse. However, I think I know where to find their master."
"You're not thinking of going yourself?" Wendric asked, suddenly alarmed.
"You'd be making yourself too easy a target," Elaine joined in. "The Guild will be waiting for something like this, one mistake that would reveal you and allow them to decapitate us."
Magnus held up his hands. "My friends, I will not be swayed in this. We need the beggars with us, and we need them now. If one of you were to go, the negotiations might take too long. If I can locate their guildmaster, and I have a good idea where to start looking, I might be able to make the right promises and forge an alliance on the spot."
"It is far too dangerous," Wendric said.
"Too many of our members have already paid too high a price," Magnus said in reply. "If I do not share the same risks, I am not fit to be guildmaster in the first place. Anyway, I'll have Taene and Narsell with me, and I doubt there are any assassins capable of making their way past these two. If that should prove insufficient, however, I will also have Lucius at my side."
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