She sighed. "I don't suppose you know of any friendly magician who's willing to reveal the Guild's secrets to the Thieves? Perhaps you could kidnap one of them for me."
Cery laughed, then stopped as an idea began to form. "Do you think -"
"Shh!" Sonea hissed. "Listen!"
Cery leapt to his feet as he heard the faint tapping from the floor.
"The signal!"
Cery hurried to the street-side window and peered into the shadows below. Instead of the sentry, an unfamiliar figure paced in the shadows. He grabbed Sonea's cloak from the back of a chair and tossed it at her.
"Shove it down your shirt," he told her. "And follow me."
He grabbed a bucket of water sitting beside her table and threw its contents on the few embers still lingering in the fireplace. The wood hissed and steam billowed up the chimney. Pulling the grate out, he ducked inside and began to climb the chimney, setting the toes of his boots into the cracks between the rough, hot bricks.
"You've got to be joking," Sonea muttered from below.
"Come on," he urged. "We're going across the roofs."
Muttering a curse, she began to climb.
As the sun emerged from behind storm clouds, the rooftops were bathed in golden light. Cery moved into the shadow of a chimney.
"It's too bright," he said. "We'll be seen for sure. I think we should stay here 'til it gets dark."
Sonea settled beside him. "Are we far enough away?"
He glanced back toward the hide. "I hope so."
She looked around. "We're on the High Road, aren't we? Those rope and wood bridges - the handholds." She smiled as Cery nodded. "That brings back memories."
He grinned at the wistful look in her eyes. "It seems like such a long time ago."
"It was. Most times I can't believe we actually did some of the things we did." She shook her head. "Wouldn't have the guts now."
He shrugged. "We were just kids."
"Kids sneaking into houses and lifting things." She smiled. "Remember that time we got into that woman's room and she had all those wigs? You curled up on the floor and we put them all over you. When she came in you made groaning noises."
Cery laughed. "She sure could scream."
Her eyes gleamed in the light of the setting sun. "I got into so much rub when Jonna worked out I was sneaking out at night to join you."
"Didn't stop you," he reminded her.
"No. You'd taught me how to pick locks by then."
He looked at her closely. "Why did you stop coming out with us?"
She sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. "Things changed. Harrin's lot started treating me differently. It was like they had remembered I was a girl, and thought I was hanging out with them for other stuff. It wasn't fun anymore."
"I didn't treat you different..." he hesitated, gathering his courage. "But you stopped wanting to come out with me, too."
She shook her head. "It wasn't you, Cery. I think I got tired of it. I had to grow up and stop pretending. Jonna was always saying how honesty was valuable, and stealing was wrong. I didn't think that stealing when you had no choice was wrong, but that wasn't what we were doing. I was almost glad when I moved into the city, because it meant I didn't have to think about all that anymore."
Cery nodded. Perhaps it had been better that she had left. The boys in Harrin's gang hadn't always been nice to the young women they encountered.
"Was it better working in the city?"
"A little. You can still get in a lot of rub if you're not careful. The guards are the worst, cause no one stops them hassling you."
He frowned as he tried to imagine her fending off over-interested guards. Was there anywhere safe? Shaking his head, he wished that he could take her somewhere where no guards or magicians would bother them.
"We lost the book, didn't we?" Sonea said suddenly.
Remembering the tome lying on the table back at the hide, Cery cursed.
"Wasn't real useful, anyhow."
There was no regret in her voice. Cery frowned. There had to be another way for her to learn magic. He bit his lip gently as the idea she had given him returned.
"I'd like to get you out of the slums," he said. "The magicians are going to be everywhere tonight."
She frowned. "Out of the slums?"
"Yes," he replied. "You'll be safer in the city."
"The city! You sure?"
"Why not?" He smiled. "It's the last place they'd look."
She considered that and shrugged. "But how will we get there?"
"The High Road."
"But it won't get us past the gates."
Cery grinned. "We don't have to use 'em. Come on."
* * *
The Outer Wall loomed high over the slums. Ten strides deep, it was well maintained by the city guard, though it had been many centuries since Imardin had faced the threat of invasion. A road ran around the outside, keeping the buildings of the slum at bay.
Not far from this road, Sonea and Cery descended from the rooftops into an alley. Taking her arm, Cery led her to stacks of boxes and slipped between them. The air smelled tangy inside, a mix of young wood and old fruit.
Cery squatted and tapped on the ground. To Sonea's surprise the sound was metallic and hollow. The ground shifted and a large disc hinged upward. A wide face appeared, framed by a circle of darkness. From around the head drifted a nauseating stench.
"Hello, Tul," Cery said.
The man's face wobbled into a grin.
"How ya' doin', Cery?"
Cery grinned. "Fine. Wanta work off a debt?"
"Sure." The man's eyes gleamed. "Passage?"
"For two," Cery said.
The man nodded and descended into the rank air. Cery smiled at Sonea and gestured to the hole.
"After you."
She extended a foot into the hole and found the top rung of a ladder. Taking one last breath of clean air, she slowly descended into the murk. The sound of running water echoed in the darkness and the air was heavy with damp. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she saw that she was standing on a narrow ledge on the side of an underground sewage tunnel. The roof was so low she had to stoop.
The fat face of the man they had spoken to belonged to an equally wide body. Cery offered his thanks and handed the man something that brought a wide smile to his face.
Leaving Tul at his post, Cery led her down the passage in the direction of the city. After several hundred paces, another figure and a ladder came in sight. The man might once have been tall, but his back was hunched over as if it had grown to fit the curve of the tunnel. He looked up and watched them approach with large, heavy-lidded eyes.
The man turned abruptly to stare behind him. From farther down the tunnel came a faint ringing noise.
"Quickly," he rasped at them. Cery grabbed Sonea's arm and dragged her into a run.
Taking something from beneath his coat, the man began to strike it with an old spoon. The sound was deafening in the tunnel.
As they reached the ladder, he stopped and they heard more ringing sounds behind them. He grunted, then began flapping his arms.
"Up! Up!" he cried.
Cery clambered up. There was a metallic clunk, then a hole of light appeared. Cery scrambled through it and disappeared. As Sonea followed she heard a distant, low noise in the tunnel. The hunchback climbed out behind her and pulled the ladder up.
Sonea looked around. They stood in a narrow alleyway, hidden by the gathering darkness. Hearing the low noise again, she turned back to the tunnel. The sound grew rapidly louder, becoming a deep roar that was muffled suddenly as the hunchback carefully closed the lid of the tunnel. A moment later she felt a faint vibration under her feet. Cery leaned close so that his mouth brushed her ear.
"The Thieves have been using these tunnels for years to get past the Outer Wall," he murmured. "When the city guard found out, they started flushing the pipes. Not a bad idea, really - it keeps them clean. Of course, the Thieves figured out when they did it and business
continued as usual. That's when the guard started flushing them randomly."
He beckoned for her to crouch down beside the lid, then carefully lifted it. Water rushed by a few inches from her face and the roar spilled loudly into the street. Cery quickly closed the lid again.
"That's why they ring the bells," she breathed.
Cery nodded. "A warning." He turned away and handed the hunchback something, then led her down the alley to a dark corner where raised bricks in a wall allowed them to climb to the roof of a house. The air was growing colder, so Sonea drew out her cloak and wrapped it about her shoulders.
"I hoped to get us a little closer than this," Cery murmured, "but..." He shrugged. "Good view from up here, eh?"
She nodded. Though the sun had dropped below the horizon, the sky was still glowing. The last of the storm clouds hovered over the Southern Quarter, but were slowly retreating toward the East. The city spread before her, bathed in orange light.
"You can even see a bit of the King's Palace," Cery pointed out.
Over the tall Inner Wall, the high towers of the Palace and the top of a glittering dome were visible.
"Never been there," Cery breathed. "But I will one day."
Sonea laughed. "You? In the King's Palace?"
"It's something I've promised myself," he told her, "that I'll get inside all the big places in the city at least once."
"So where have you gone so far?"
He pointed to the gates of the Inner Circle. Through the entrance she could see walls and roofs of the mansions within, lit by the yellow glow of street lamps.
"Couple of the big houses."
She snorted in disbelief. When running errands for Jonna and Ranel, she had occasionally needed to enter the Inner Circle. The streets were patrolled by guards who questioned anyone who was not richly dressed or clad in the servant's uniform of a House. Customers had given her a small token that indicated she had legitimate business in the area.
Each visit had revealed wonders. She remembered seeing extraordinary houses of fantastic colors and shapes, some with terraces and towers so thin and fine that they looked as if they should collapse under their own weight. Even the servants' quarters had been luxurious.
The plainer houses that surrounded her were more familiar. Merchants and lesser families lived in the North Quarter. They had few servants, and used the services of crafters for all else. Jonna and Ranel had gathered a small group of regular customers in the two years they had worked there.
Sonea looked down at the painted screens covering the windows around her. Through some she could see the shadows of people. She sighed as she thought of the customers her aunt and uncle had lost when the guards evicted them from the stayhouse. "Where now?"
He smiled. "Follow me."
They continued on across the rooftops. Unlike the residents of the slums, those of the city did not always oblige the Thieves by leaving bridges or handholds in place. Cery and Sonea were often forced to descend to the ground when they reached an alley or street. The larger roads were patrolled by guards, so they had to wait for the men to march by before hurrying across.
After an hour they stopped for a rest, then continued on when a thin sliver of moonlight rose above the horizon. Sonea followed Cery in silence, concentrating on keeping her footing in the faint light. When he finally stopped again, a wave of weariness swept over her and she sat down with a groan.
"We better get there soon," she said. "I'm almost done."
"Not far now," Cery assured her. "Just through here."
She followed him over a wall into a large, neat garden. The trees were tall and symmetrical. He led her along in the shadows of a wall which seemed to go on forever.
"Where are we?"
"Wait and see," Cery replied.
Something caught her foot and she stumbled against a tree. The roughness of the bark surprised her. She looked up and around. Endless trees stood like sentries before her. In the dark they looked strange and sinister, a forest of clawed arms.
A forest? She frowned, then a chill seized her. There aren't any gardens in the North Quarter, and there is only one forest in Imardin ...
Her heart began to race. She hurried after Cery and grabbed his arm.
"Hai! What are you doing?!" she gasped. "We're in the Guild!"
His teeth flashed. "That's right."
She stared at him. He was a black silhouette in the moonlit forest, and she could not see his expression. A frightening suspicion stole over her. Surely he hadn't ... he wouldn't... Not Cery. No, he would never turn her over to the magicians.
She felt his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sonea. Think about it. Where are the magicians? In the slums. You're actually safer here than there."
"But... don't they have guards?"
"A few at the gates, that's all."
"Patrols?"
"No."
"What about a magical wall?"
"No." He laughed quietly. "Guess they think people are too scared of them to trespass."
"How do you know if there's a wall or guards?"
He chuckled. "Been here already."
She drew in a sharp breath. "Why?"
"After I decided I would visit every place in the city, I came here and snooped around a bit. Couldn't believe how easy it was. I didn't try to get inside any of the buildings, of course, just watched the magicians through the windows."
Sonea stared at his shadowed face in disbelief. "You spied on the Guild?"
"Sure. It was real interesting. They've got places where they teach the new magicians, and places where they live. I saw the Healers working last time. That was something to see. There was this boy with cuts all over his face. When the healer touched him they all went away. Amazing."
He paused and she saw his head turn toward her in the faint light. "Remember how you said you wanted someone to show you how to use magic? Perhaps if you watch them, you'll see something that will help you learn."
"But... the Guild, Cery."
He shrugged. "I wouldn't bring you here if I knew it was real dangerous, would I?"
Sonea shook her head. She felt awful for doubting him. If he had intended to turn her in, he would have let the magicians catch her back at the hide. But he would never betray her. Though his explanation was incredible.
If this is a trap, I'm already doomed.
She pushed the thought away and turned her mind to what Cery was proposing.
"You really think we can do this?"
"Sure."
"It's madness, Cery."
He laughed. "At least come and look. We'll go as far as the road and you can see for yourself how easy it is. If you don't want to try it, we'll go back. Come on."
Swallowing her fear, she followed him through the trees. The forest thinned a little, and through it she saw walls. Keeping to the shadows, Cery crept forward until he was less than twenty paces from a road, then darted forward and stood behind the trunk of a large tree.
Sonea hurried after and pressed her back against another tree. Her legs seemed to have lost most of their strength and she felt light-headed and dizzy. Cery grinned, then pointed through the trees.
She looked up at the building before her and gasped.
Chapter 12
The Last Place They'd Look
It was so tall, it seemed about to touch the stars.
At each corner was a tower. Between them, white walls glowed softly in the moonlight. At the front stone arches spanned the width of the building, one above the other, and from each arch hung a curtain of stone. A wide staircase led up to a pair of grand doors, which stood open.
"It's beautiful," Sonea breathed.
Cery laughed softly. "It is, isn't it? See those doors? They're about four times as tall as a man."
"They must be very heavy. How do they close them?"
"With magic, I suppose."
Sonea tensed as a figure in blue robes appeared in the doorway. The man paused, then strode down the stairs and walked away towa
rd a smaller building to the right.
"Don't worry. They can't see us," Cery assured her.
Sonea let out the breath she was holding and dragged her eyes away from the distant figure. "What's inside?"
"Classrooms. That's the University."
Three rows of windows ran down the side of the building. The bottom two rows were mostly obscured by a line of trees but she could see warm yellow light through gaps in the foliage. A large garden was on the left of the building. Cery pointed to a building on the far side of this.
"That's where the novices live," he said. "There's another building just like it on the other side of the University where the magicians live. Over there," he pointed to a circular building several hundred paces to their left, "is the place where the Healers do their work."
"What's that?" Sonea asked, pointing to a collection of curved masts rising up from somewhere within the garden.
Cery shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "Never found out."
He gestured to the road in front of them. "This goes to the servants' houses down there," he pointed to the left, "and the stables that way," he pointed to the right. "There are a few other buildings behind the University, and another garden in front of the magicians' building. Oh, and there are more houses for magicians up the hill a bit."
"So many buildings," she breathed. "How many magicians are there?"
"Over a hundred living here," he told her. "There's more that don't. Some live in the city, some out in the country, and lots more in other countries. About two hundred servants live here too. They've got maids, stablemen, cooks, scribes, gardeners, even farmers."
"Farmers?"
"They have fields down near the servants' houses."
Sonea frowned. "Why wouldn't they just buy their food?"
"I've heard they grow all sorts of plants to make medicines from."
"Oh." Sonea looked at Cery, impressed. "How did you find out so much about the Guild?"
He grinned. "I asked a lot of questions, especially after I went looking around last time."
"Why?"
"I was curious."
"Curious?" Sonea snorted. "Just curious?"
"Everybody wonders what they do in there. Don't you?"
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