Realms of Magic - Brian Thomsen King [90]
"I earned him," Teza said, smiling in memory of the Witch of Rashemen and the tricks they had played on each other.
"Well, I've never seen anything like him!" the half-elf marveled. "Will you sell him?"
The young woman put her arm around the horse's neck-a caress he rarely seemed to like-and answered shortly, "No."
Rafbit nodded once, but his eyes strayed to the horse often as he led Teza and her aughisky to a ramshackle building near the warehouse district by the busy docks. He ushered her into his quarters, stoked the fire in his brazier, and came arrow-straight to the point.
"I am organizing a thieves' guild in Immilmar, and I need a second officer I can trust."
Teza couldn't have been more surprised if he had asked her to marry him. "A guild!" she snorted. "In Immilmar? The Huhrong would have you hanging in the gibbets in days."
Rafbit's gem-blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "Not necessarily. What a guild needs to survive in a city like this is subtlety, patience, and a careful hand to control the thieves and their activities."
Rafbit was a burglar, and a good one, who had never been directly linked to any of his successful crimes. But the leader of an organized den of thieves? It made Teza laugh. "Subtlety? Patience?" she mocked. "From you?"
Her friend grinned, unoffended, and leaned toward her. "That's why I need you. I have talked to most of the thieves in Immilmar, and they are interested, but I need someone to help organize the guild and its functions; to set up a system of rewards, opportunities, and arbitration. To find safehouses, set a watch on the guards, select suitable targets…"
"And what are you going to do?" Teza interrupted sarcastically. "Count your percentage?"
"Well, of course, any member will have to pay dues for guild services. But there will be plenty of work for two."
Teza had to admit she was intrigued. An organized thieves guild would be an advantage to the city's population of rogues… unfortunately… "There is still the Iron Lord. He will not tolerate organized crime in Rashemen."
"He will if the organization does not flaunt its presence. We will keep the guild small, make it open only to those who can prove their worth."
"Now, how are you going to do that?" she demanded.
"A test of skill. Any thief regardless of age, sex, or origin can join as long as he or she can pass a test."
Teza's eyes narrowed. "Does that include me?"
"Umm… yes," Rafbit hesitated. "It's only fair."
Teza jumped to her feet. "You ask me to join your little light-fingered squad, but you expect me to prove my worth?" she cried, her voice rising dangerously with every word.
"A mere formality!" Rafbit hastened to calm her. "It's really only to reassure our patron. He should be aware of your value to the guild. Just as I am."
The horse-thief stilled, her long legs apart, her arms crossed. "Patron?" she growled.
"Yes! He is our key to success. A judicial authority with a penchant for collecting rare gems. In exchange for any 'collectibles' we might find, he will be our ears and eyes in the Iron Lord's court."
Teza's glance narrowed in speculation. "I want to meet him first."
Rafbit shook her hand. "Done."
*****
The meeting went better than Teza had anticipated. For one thing, she didn't really expect there to be a patron. But two days after Rafbit's invitation, she and the half-elf met a short, powerfully built man cloaked in rich snowcat furs and quiet self-importance.
The official acknowledged her identity with a lift of his thick eyebrow. They talked briefly. The man and Teza examined each other from head to boot, and both were satisfied with what they saw.
When the meeting was over, Teza turned to Rafbit. She was still wary of his motives in this venture, yet the presence of a patron in the Huhrong's courts put a different light on the matter. She was willing to take the next step and see what happened.
"What is the test you had in mind for me?" Had she not been watching her step in the muddy snow, she might have seen Rafbit's mouth move in the quick, hungry grimace of a stoat