Elaine Cunningham - Honor Among Thieves

They sat in silence for several long moments. Delgarcleared his throat. “So what are you going to do?”

Fox didn’t need to ask what his friend meant. In thenext chamber, hidden behind one of the dwarf’s apparently solidrock doors, was a trove of magical items. Some still held weaksputters of arcane power, others were as silent as tombstones. Foxhad spent the past eight years stealing them from museums andprivate collectors and curiosity shops and from Rhendish himself,hoarding them against the day when magic returned to Sevrin. Hisassociation with a dwarf, a fairy, and now an elf gave himimportant contacts to the old races. The magical items gave himbargaining power and potential weapons. In time, he hoped to buildan alliance strong enough to force the adepts from power.

No one but Delgar knew the extent of his collection,but Fox had a certain following in the city, mostly among youngpeople who celebrated his exploits as acts of daring andrebellion.

That, of course, was Vishni’s doing. The fairy’s“ improved tales” put Fox well along the path to becoming a folkhero.

Fox had mixed feelings about this, but he permittedit because he believed the folk hero of Vishni’s stories couldaccomplish great things. But the same actions, undertaken by a manof Eldreath’s bloodlines, would be perceived in a very differentlight.

“What does the elf say about this?” Delgar asked.

“I haven’t told her. I just found out myself.”

“But you’re planning to,” the dwarf said.

Fox scowled and folded his arms. “I might.”

“You like her.”

“She doesn’t make it easy,” Fox said cautiously, “butyes, I do. Why wouldn’t I?”

Delgar rose and began to pace. “You didn’t noticeanything strange about the two men we saw in the alley with theelf?”

He thought this over. “Now that you mention it, oneof them looked a little old for a street thug.”

“Define old.”

“Well, he had gray hair. And he looked pretty wellfed, which tends to make people look older.”

“He was stocky, in other words. About my height, youthink?”

“Pretty close,” Fox said.

“And he was clean-shaven, which is unusual for ahuman of his age.” Delgar stroked his own smooth chin. “What aboutthe other man?”

“About six feet tall, lean, probably about my age.”Understanding flooded Fox’s face. “You think they looked likeus.”

“They were close enough to fool Rhendish’s clockworkguards.”

Fox laughed and shook his head. “Are all dwarves thissuspicious?”

“I prefer to think of myself as analytical. And yes,dwarves tend to be analytical. Humans, on the other hand, tend tobe emotional and impulsive.”

“I prefer to think of myself as instinctual,” Foxsaid.

“Have it your way. But I noticed you haven’t broughtthe elf this far into the tunnels. You haven’t shown her thetrove.”

Fox rolled his eyes. “I’m not a perfect idiot, youknow.”

“That you’re not.” The dwarf stopped pacing andclapped Fox on the shoulder. “But only because nobody’sperfect.”

For nearly four years now, Avidan had harbored nothought of leaving the warren of rooms and tunnels he knew as theFox Den. He had no aversion to the larger world; the thought ofventuring out into it had simply never occurred to him.

But something very similar to curiosity began to stiras he followed Fox and Delgar through an intricate maze of tunnelsand secret doors.

The hidden web Delgar had created was nothing shortof marvelous. In addition to clearing ancient dwarf-built tunnels,the dwarf had made use of human constructions, such as the culvertsbelow the streets for rain run-off and the cellars of houses builtclosely together. He’d dug small tunnels connecting these cellars,and fashioned doors that seemed to disappear into the stonewalls.

For the first time Avidan realized how Fox was ableto procure any materials he requested. Now that he thought aboutit, the herbs and minerals and oils he was putting into the elf’srose daggers would require a small fortune.

Or access to the workrooms of Sevrin’salchemists.

This, too, was a fascinating thought. He’d never beenparticularly impressed by the northern alchemists. His own work wasfar more advanced. But the most recent assortment of materials Foxbrought him showed a certain amount of sophistication.

“I suppose much progress can be made in one hundredyears,” he murmured.

Delgar glanced back over his shoulder. “I haven’tbeen at it quite that long, but thanks.”

Avidan saw no reason to explain that he spoke ofalchemy, not excavation. He followed Fox and the dwarf up a flightof rough-hewn stone stairs and waited while Fox tinkered with awood-and-wire mechanism. After a few moments, the young thief swunga flagstone portal to one side.

The two friends crawled through the opening. Foxreached down to help Avidan up.

He stood and dusted himself off. The flagstone provedto be part of the stone paving separating a large hearth from theroom’s wooden floor. Fortunately for them, the warm summer nightmade a fire unnecessary.

Avidan surveyed the private supper room Vishni hadrented in what he’d been told was one of Sevrin’s better taverns.The walls were paneled with smoke-darkened wood. A garish tapestrydepicting a dragon hunt covered one wall, adding color andsubtracting from Avidan’s estimation of the owner’s taste. Bluelinen draperies softened the open windows. The room was hardly whathe had been accustomed to in his youth, but the furnishings wereadequate and the food plentiful.

The small table held a large bottle of wine and aplatter of bread, cheese and fruit. Fragrant steam rose from abasket of savory hand pies. Smoked fish had been cut into neatslices and arranged on a plate. Three chairs and place settingsstood ready.

“There’s no need for you to talk much,” Fox said,repeating words Avidan had heard and ignored several times now.“Let the other alchemist do the talking. Learn as much as you canabout him.”

“You need have no concerns about the conversation. Nodoubt we will find much to discuss.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” muttered the dwarf.

“No going off on tangents,” Fox said. “And for thelove of a thousand tiny gods, don’t offer to treat him for thepox.”

Avidan’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. “Why would I dothat?”

The dwarf and the thief exchanged a quick, worriedglance. Fox cleared his throat. “We’ll hold onto the alchemistuntil after the dagger is retrieved, so you don’t need to worry toomuch about what you say to him. Just make sure you don’t give himreason to leave the room or raise an alarm. Vishni will give you asignal if you’re heading into dangerous waters.”

“I believe the plan is for her to kick me in theshins.”

Fox shrugged. “It’s best to keep these thingssimple.”

Avidan accepted this with a nod and took his place atthe table. “I am ready.”

The dwarf glanced out the window. Twilight fadedtoward dark. A lamplighter sang the hour as he went about hiswork.

“Ready or not, we have to leave,” Delgar said. “We’llbe waiting in the tunnel and we can come if you need us, but onlycall as a last resort. Revealing this tunnel would lose us a bigsection of the city.”

“I am well aware of the risks attending thismeeting,” Avidan said with simple dignity. “As I’m aware how theserisks might be compounded by the participation of someone who is,as I believe the expression goes, as crazy as three squirrels ina cage .”

A wave of chagrin swept Fox’s face. “Listen,Avidan-”

He cut the young man off with an upraised hand. “Ihave long been aware of your opinion. It could hardly be otherwise,given how you found me. And in all candor I cannot dispute yourconclusion.