ÿWPCŒ ûÿ2ÿÿBP Z¦ÿÿCourier 10cpi#|xÝkôxþ6X@É“8Á;X@þþþþþþþÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿHP LaserJet Series IIHPLASEII.PRSÛx Œ @ɇÏ,ðt0a}rX@#|xûÿ2ÿÿB!PÿÿZ¦ÿÿ5qCourier 10cpiCourier 10cpiCourier 10cpi Bold@É“8QX@ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿHP LaserJetHPLASERJ.PRSÛx Œ @ɇÏÀPœX0Âe€X@ûÿ2X2ÿÿF`Šðÿÿ‰?xxx,Ýkôxþ6X@É“8Á;X@þþþþþþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿlÿÿ‰?xxx,üôxÐ `ÉwÁ;X€ÿÿÿþþþþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿDRDDHDD4DDpDDRDD>DD4DDpDD>DDHDD>DD\DD4DDHÿÿÿÿDRDDpDD\DD\DDRDDpDD\DD\DDfDDpDDRDDRDDHDDpDXV. ÁÁ ÁÁA single knock on the heavy, crossbarred door resounded loudly in the underground corridor. "Alun? It's me. Can I come in?" Her normally calm and level voice held a note of urgency. ÁÁAlea heard the distinctive creak of the old, wool©stuffed chair that the Guildmaster kept behind his desk. It was one of the few luxuries he allowed himself in the small but functional office. Á` ` Á"Just a minute." Light footsteps moved closer to the door, and it swung open. "What can I do for you, Alea?" The short, stocky Human settled himself back into his chair and invited her to seat herself with a broad gesture. ÁÁShe remained standing. "I'm worried about Kelain," she said flatly. "There's a freelancer after him, and from what I've heard, he's pretty good. He wants to be the Guild Weapons Master." ÁÁ"Who is it?" The Guildmaster's face revealed nothing. ÁÁ"Quorl Freewind. He's an Elf, if that matters." ÁÁAlun sighed. "It doesn't, but I know the man; and he's definitely trouble. He has the face of a god and the morals of a dog, with the temper of a devil thrown in for good measure." He looked at her soberly. "There isn't a thing we can do about it, Alea. Kelain's gone renegade." ÁÁShe fixed him with a penetrating stare. "So I heard. But I don't believe that for a minute, Alun. The Guild is his life." ÁÁ"You're right," Alun conceded with a sigh. "He's involved in something dangerous right now, and he chose to go his own way for awhile to protect the Guild. He'll come back to us when heÔh)D0*0*0*°°Ô can." The Guildmaster looked at her searchingly, wondering how much she already knew, and how much he could wisely tell her. ÁÁ"Something to do with my Guild, perhaps?" She tapped her fingers lightly on his desk. ÁÁAlun winced. Alea was the Mages' Guild liaison, sworn to keep faith with both of her Guilds, and to keep relations smooth between them. She had never hesitated to put her special talents at the Guildmaster's disposal, sometimes even before he needed to ask her. But Alun had never doubted that Alea had loyalties that were older, and perhaps more binding, than her oath to his Guild. "Something like that." His wry expression told her that she had hit on the truth. ÁÁ"The Black Robes are up to something, aren't they?" She confronted him directly. ÁÁHe decided to be open with her. "That's apparently what Kelain thinks, and I'm starting to believe him. What have you heard?" ÁÁ"That the Head of the Order's been trying to revive the science of making illegal 'Morphs, and that she's buying the knowledge from a renegade mage with drugs. We can't be sure at this stage, but that's the rumor. Are we right?" ÁÁAfter the 'Morph Wars, all mages blood©bonded to the Guild had consented to have their minds wiped clean of the knowledge of how the complex, animal©human crosses were engineered. None of them wanted any more of the powerful and unpredictable First Breed in existence, and they were willing to go to almost any lengths to insure that. ÁÁOnly mages from Schools that had no link to formal Guild magick, such as shamans, hedgerow wizards and hearthwitches, were unaffected by the great Unpatterning. However, few of them had ever been interested in the scholar's Path of studying and altering living creatures. Only full mages of the Guild School would have ever had knowledge of the 'Morph's creation, and only a renegade who had never had a link to the Guild itself could have retained it. ÁÁAlun nodded slowly. "That would make sense." Quickly, he told her what he knew. "But none of that is our business. Kelain's only involved because of a 'Morph slave. She's a Vul, formerly owned by the Painted Lady, and her name is Cheltie. His best friend's in love with her. She was apparently part of a drug shipment that was supposed to go to a mage named Vasht." ÁÁAlea gave a visible start at the name. "Vasht? The Mages' Guild has been wanting to take him down for years, but we never had enough of an excuse. He's a renegade; his teacher was a disaffected Black Robe who retired off©continent. He got his revenge by never registering his students, so there would be at least a few full mages out there with no possible Guild controls on them. Kind of like unleashing a Summoning with no Binding, but a little more permanent." ÁÁAlea grimaced. "Vasht was the worst of that crew. We can't read him and we can't discipline him because he's not bloodªbonded. He doesn't tap into the Guild overmind to set his spells, so no one's completely sure of what he's doing. He's a damn pedophile; that much we know. He's got extensiveÔh)E0*0*0*°°Ô connections with the wharf rat gangs. Rumor has it that lately he's been trading in 'Morphs as well as drugs ©" ÁÁShe shut her mouth and opened it again. "Oh, Goddess. He's the renegade Tavane's been dealing with. He's been giving her back the spells for creating First Breed in exchange for the drugs that she can make. I heard there was quevas involved." She let the statement hang delicately in the air, not quite a question. ÁÁ"You heard right." Alun crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled deeply. "And Kelain's in the middle of this, gods help him." ÁÁ"I don't think we can afford to wait for the gods, Alun. I have a feeling they aren't planning to intervene." There was a determined look on her face. ÁÁAlun leaned forward in his chair. "Alea, he's gone renegade. We can't help him." He looked piercingly at her for a long moment, and then his face softened. "Look, Kelain can take care of himself. He's one of the best fighters on the continent. He's the Weapons Master of our Guild, for Ashara's sake." ÁÁ"And he's up against an assassin, a renegade mage and the head of an Order." Alea shot back at him. "He needs help. And I intend to give it to him, even if I have to go renegade myself to do it." ÁÁAlun looked at her with frank disbelief. "You can't. You're the Guild liaison." ÁÁ"Try me, Guildmaster." Her stare was challenging. ÁÁAlun sighed. "Never mind, Alea. I can see you would." His gaze was thoughtful. "Are you on orders from the Mages' Guild? If so, I understand and I'll do my best to cooperate. But I hope you realize that I can't have any member of my Guild helping a renegade. And as far as the rest of the Guild is concerned, you're fully one of us." ÁÁAt Alea's specific request, no one save Alun was aware of the fact that she was the Mages' Guild liaison. She felt strongly that she could do a better job if people felt free to speak of how they felt about mages and the Mages' Guild when she was around. ÁÁ"No." Alea looked at him frankly. "The Council told me the same story you did. The robes don't want anyone to move against Vasht until it's official, and they don't dare accuse Tavane yet. It's just a matter of time until they get proof, but until then, the word is to stay clear." ÁÁThe Guildmaster noted that she used the popular and mildly derogatory slang term for Guild mages when she spoke. Popular, that is, among anyone but the mageborn. Along with the way she walked and carried herself, it told him a lot about where her allegiances lay. She thinks of herself as a fighter or a thief, not a mage. He filed the bit of information away for future reference. "Alea, this is a delicate situation. I don't claim full jurisdiction over you because I respect the needs of your other Guild. I suspect that Guildmaster Ardath feels the same way. But according to your own report, you're being ordered by both of your Guildmasters to stay put. I hate to put it this way, but are you planning to disobey?"Ôh)F0*0*0*°°ÔŒÁÁAlea sighed heavily. "I suppose I could lie to you, but that would serve no purpose. Yes, Guildmaster. I'm going to help Kelain in any way I can. I can't let him get himself killed." ÁÁAlun had not risen to the position that he had by being a poor judge of people. "Do you care so much for him, then?" He spoke quietly, but his voice echoed in the still room. ÁÁ"Gods help me, Alun, I think I love him." She looked away abruptly. ÁÁ"Have you told him?" Alun asked her the question gently, already knowing the answer. ÁÁ"No." She shook her head, her eyes downcast. "I can't. I don't think it would matter to him." ÁÁ"I think it would." His voice was firm and confident, startling her into meeting his gaze. "Try it and see." ÁÁ"It isn't that easy, damn it!" She burst out angrily. "He's always so damn cold and formal when I even hint that I might want to talk to him about something besides swordplay and trap©springing. I haven't even been able to ask him out for a drink, let alone tell him how I feel." ÁÁAlea gave a small, bitter laugh. "It's kind of funny, actually. I'm a trained assassin and a ranking Guild mage. I can face up to almost any challenge with a sword and a spell in hand, but I can't even work up enough nerve to invite someone to dinner." ÁÁThe Guildmaster nodded sympathetically. "He's not cold, Alea, believe me. And I don't think he's indifferent to you. I think he's very much afraid of being rejected." ÁÁ"But I wouldn't reject him!" She almost cried out in frustration. ÁÁ"He doesn't know that, Alea. He's a good man, but he's been hurt too many times by people who can't see past his heritage. All he's ever known in his life has been hatred and prejudice." There was a regretful look on his kindly, careworn face. "Give him a chance before you judge him, Alea. For his sake as well as your own." ÁÁHer expression hardened. "I'm planning to give him a chance, Guildmaster. A chance to survive. Are you going to throw me out of the Guild for it?" ÁÁAlun shook his head, a carefully bemused expression on his face. "Now, why would I do that, Alea? I can't think of a single reason, especially since you didn't have anything to report." He smiled casually at her. "You've been working pretty hard for us lately. Why don't you take a vacation? Say, two or three days. How does that sound?" ÁÁAlea let out her breath in a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Alun. Thank you very much. Yes, I think I'll take a vacation. If you need to find me, I'll be stopping in at the Mages' Guild." Her tone was pointed. "After I take care of a few things, that is." She started to leave, then hesitated. "Alun? You'll keep this in confidence?" ÁÁHe nodded reassuringly. "In confidence, Alea. I promise you."Ô (G0*0*0*°°ÔŒÁÁShe turned and left the small room. Behind her, the Guildmaster smiled into the empty air. XVI. ÁÁ ÁÁKelain stopped in a convenient alley to change his disguise, and it was a casually dressed Trevor Marcellani who walked into his room at the Orc's Head. He took a brief moment to check the pulse of the sleeping 'Morph, who was still deeply unconscious from the effects of the drug. ÁÁThe assassin considered leaving her on the small, strawªpalleted bed as a decoy, but he decided against it. He pushed her limp form under the wooden frame of the cot, and covered the bed over with the largest of the rough, brown homespun blankets. It might not be the most comfortable sleep that she had ever had, but this way, there was less chance that she would become an accidental victim. ÁÁKelain walked over to the window and took the dangling end of the carefully strung black thread in his teeth. It took only a moment for him to don his gloves and climb to the attic loft, where he fastened the thread carefully to an overhanging beam. Á(#(#KÁSelecting several items from his disguise kit, he descended once more to the ground and placed them carefully on the blanketed bed. A lifelike, flexible mask, a coil of artfully arranged wire, and several pillows and rags for bulk completed the illusion that a half©elvish assassin slept peacefully on the small cot. ÁÁKelain smiled in satisfaction and retired to the tiny loft for a few hours of much©needed rest. Morning would be soon enough to continue his pursuit. He curled up under his cloak like a great black cat, and quickly fell into a light slumber. ÁÁKelain was awakened sharply by a faint jingling sound. He came out of sleep all at once, like an animal does, or a trained assassin. He listened. The small silver bell on the thread was swinging frantically, giving off a barely audible tinkling. He silenced the bell and automatically reached for his weapons, checking them for readiness. ÁÁHe heard a woman's voice calling his name. It seemed familiar to his heightened senses, but the sound was distorted through the thick boards of the ceiling. Kelain eased the trapdoor open silently on oiled hinges. ÁÁShe was entering through the broken window. He marked that although she was not clumsy, she was no expert thief. She looked around the room and saw the sleeping figure on the bed. She walked over to it purposefully. "Kelain?" ÁÁHe swooped down on her, his black cloak billowing out like bat's wings. His weight bore her to the ground, and he was instantly holding her wrists in a stunning nerve grip, his strongly muscled legs scissoring around her body and pinning it. Kelain expected to hear the clatter of a dropped weapon, but there was none. ÁÁShe cried out, softly; and he recognized her. "Alea." Her name was bitter in his mouth. Ôh)H0*0*0*°°ÔŒÁÁKelain had begun to think of the young hearthwitch as a friend, since she was one of the few Guildmembers who did more than tolerate his presence. Alea had always seemed to genuinely enjoy his company, unlike many of his other students. The thought that she had come to kill him was another sharp dagger in his already scarred heart. "Why did you want to kill me?" ÁÁAlea shook her head violently. "You don't understand." There was a tremor in her voice. "I didn't come to kill you. I came to warn you. You're in serious danger." She looked up at him, a hurt look in her wide brown eyes. "I may not be a master assassin yet, but you taught me enough to know that you don't call out someone's name if you're planning to kill them while they sleep. I was only trying to help you. I came in through the window because I didn't want anyone to see me here." ÁÁHis nimble fingers had already discovered that the only weapon she carried was a blunt, two©tined eating dagger. Ashamed, he released her hands. "I'm sorry." Alea inhaled deeply, and he became suddenly, intensely aware of her warm, ripe body under his. ÁÁShe reached up and touched his cheek lightly. "It's all right, Kelain. I know you've been through a lot." There was a depth of compassion and caring in her tone that the assassin seldom heard, and Kelain found himself wanting to press her to him even more closely. He closed his eyes, intensely aware of the gentle warmth of her hand against his face. A shudder passed through the taut length of his lithe, wiry frame. ÁÁA sharp pang of guilt intruded, and Kelain froze. He had no right to touch her this way. She had not invited him. No woman would invite him, a halfbreed assassin. Kelain rolled away from her as quickly as he could, stung by deep self©loathing. "I'm sorry, Alea. I didn't mean to hurt you." His tone was formal. ÁÁThey rose to their feet at the same time. The look of pain on Alea's face made Kelain want more than ever to hold her, but he kept his arms rigidly at his sides. "No, I'm all right," she said in a small voice. ÁÁ"Are you certain?" She didn't look injured, but there was a deep hurt in her eyes that it pained him to see. ÁÁShe didn't answer him. "Kelain, you're in serious danger. Quorl saw you leave the tavern, and he's been following you and Raak ever since. I've been Scrying after him ever since I saw him follow you out. He's bought a stealth spell from a wizard to keep you from spotting him." ÁÁ"Piss of the gods." Kelain swore morosely. The freelance assassin Elf was a bastard, but he was known to be good. "Do you know who cast it?" ÁÁ"His name's Tanner. He's a hedgerow wizard, and he's got a shop on Potter's Street. I'd recognize his work anywhere; he's been tagged by the Guild twice for doing shady work. I'm surprised he's still in business." She looked down at her feet, not meeting his eyes. "I'll put a warding on the room, if you want. No one should be able to Scry through that, and you'll have a warning if an unexpected visitor shows up." ÁÁ"That's a major magick; I didn't know you could work one." Kelain looked bemused. "You'd do that for me? Or were youÔh)I0*0*0*°°Ô planning to ask a fair price in return?" It was difficult for the cynical half©elf to believe that anyone would offer to help him simply as an act of friendship. ÁÁHe never noticed the look on her downcast face. "No price, Kelain. I'll do it and go." Alea went to the window and began to gesture. While she walked around the room, she whispered sibilant words that slid over her tongue like serpents, syllables that could only be half©heard and forgotten. ÁÁWhen she was finished, she turned to him. Her eyes were unnaturally bright. "Good luck, Kelain. I hope I see you again." Alea turned to go, her hand on the half©opened door. "I'll cast a glamour on my face when I leave, so you don't have to worry about anyone trailing me." ÁÁKelain tried to stop her. "Alea. Thank you for your help. I didn't mean to insult you." He wanted to explain more to her. He wanted to tell her how hard it was to live with every hand against you, to have to weigh every offer of friendship against the risk of a dagger in the back. He wanted to tell her how afraid he was to believe that she might have offered to help because she cared. He hesitated for a long moment, trying to think of the right words to say. ÁÁHe waited too long. "It's all right, Kelain. Good©bye." Alea strode quickly out of the dimly lit room. Outside, the moon made distorted faces in the thick, translucent panes of the window. ÁÁKelain sat down heavily on the blanketed cot, his head in his hands. After a while, he climbed slowly up to the small loft and lay down on his pallet of straw. He spent an uneasy night wondering whether the brightness he had seen in her eyes was magelight, or unshed tears.