Queen of the Night Guild, page 36
part #3 of Queen of Thieves Series
Ilanna met his gaze. “Be at peace, Allon.”
The light dimmed and faded from his eyes. With a final rasp, his muscles relaxed, the tension drained from his face, and he moved no more.
Despite her anger, Ilanna felt an odd sense of sorrow mixed with her relief. She’d thought Allon’s death would bring satisfaction; it only left her feeling hollow, oddly melancholy. Traitor he might have been, yet also something akin to a friend.
His death left one fewer person in the world to care what happened to her. People in her orbit seemed to die: Ethen, Denber, the twins, Master Hawk. Even Veslund, the Fox who had served in her crew, had died because of her. Allon’s desire to protect her had saved her life in the end, but cost him his.
Her legs felt suddenly weak, and she slumped to the ground beside him. Tears threatened—not for the fallen Hound, but for everything else she’d lost. Too much. The weight of sorrow pressed against her chest, cutting off her breath. With effort, she swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped the moisture from her cheeks.
It didn’t help. Everything she’d endured in the last few weeks had taken a toll on her. She had nothing left.
A soft-soled boot scraped on the stone floor behind her. “Is it done?” Errik asked.
Ilanna nodded without looking up. Her head felt too heavy to lift. She just wanted to sit here and let the world pass her by.
The Serpent’s hand rested on her shoulder. “You were wrong, you know.”
His words caught her off-guard. She lifted her face to him. “About what?”
The swelling around Errik’s eyes had diminished, but the bruises remained a mottled yellow, purple, and blue. He looked as tired as Ilanna felt, with a pained hunch to his shoulders. His ragged clothing hung from once-strong shoulders gone gaunt and bony. His right arm was cradled to his chest, and with his left he held a crossbow over his shoulders.
“What you said to him.” Errik indicated Allon’s corpse with a thrust of his chin. “He didn’t kill all the people in the world who care.”
The words, spoken in a voice of quiet calm, brought a lump to Ilanna’s throat. She closed her eyes and let out a long, ragged breath. The burden of sorrow slowly lifted from her shoulders.
Groaning at the agony in her chest, she stood and gripped Errik’s shoulder. “Thank you, my friend. For everything.”
He nodded. “Want me to take care of him? I can make him disappear forever.”
Ilanna shook her head. “No. He deserves a different fate.”
Chapter 47
Ilanna ignored the burn in her shoulders and forearms, but the pain of her fractured sternum threatened to steal her breath. Yet she refused to stop moving. She pushed the handcart to the clearing in the heart of the Menagerie. A sheet covered its lifeless burden.
She hadn’t wanted to return to the Night Guild. She had no doubt they would want her head for what she’d done. She regretted nothing. The Bloody Hand had left her no choice. But she wouldn’t expect the Guild to understand that. They had all lost friends and comrades. Of course they would blame her. For the raid on the Guild, for the Duke’s executions.
She wouldn’t deny them their anger. If they needed someone to focus it on, she’d bear the burden. But she had to face the Guild Council—hastily assembled as it may be—and stand for her actions. She had earned her freedom from the Night Guild. She had come to claim her freedom, as promised by Master Gold and the former Council. After today, she never needed to worry about the Guild’s anger. With the money she had hidden away, she could leave Praamis and start a new life.
Stifling a groan, she set the handcart down and turned to face the six figures seated in the chairs of the House Masters. In the bright torchlight of the Menagerie, Errik’s bruises made his face appear pale and skull-like. Bryden whispered into the ear of Journeyman Tyman, the healer nominated to act as Master Scorpion.
Master Grubber raised an eyebrow. “Journeyman Ilanna of House Hawk, considering what you have done, I will admit surprise to see you here.”
Ilanna held her head high. “I come to bid farewell to one of the Night Guild’s own.” She twitched aside the sheet. The assembled Night Guild gasped at the sight of Allon’s pale, lifeless face.
Verianna, one of the few remaining Hounds let out a choked sob. She numbered among the women of the Night Guild who would mourn Allon’s death. Ilanna did not.
“Master Hound has fallen,” Ilanna intoned. “The Long Keeper has gathered our comrade into his arms, where he will know peace forever more.”
Eden, the Fox chosen for House Master, leaned back in her chair. “How did it happen?” She narrowed her eyes. “What was your part in his death?”
Dark mutterings ran among the Journeymen gathered behind the Masters’ chairs.
Ilanna spoke without hesitation. “He threw himself in the way of a crossbow bolt meant for me.” She rested a hand on the crossbow beside Allon’s body.
“That is a Serpent weapon, is it not?” Septin cast a glance at Errik.
The Serpent nodded. “Stolen by Rhynd’s thugs as they fled the Guild, no doubt.” He shook his head, his expression somber. “Truly a sorrow that it was used against one of our own. And a House Master at that.”
The sorrow on his face hid the anger simmering inside him. The moment Ilanna left the palace, she’d sought out the Serpent and explained everything to him. He hadn’t wanted to believe her. It had taken her over an hour to convince him of Allon’s guilt. He’d only agreed to help her after she swore she’d do nothing unless Allon incriminated himself. Yet when he’d crept into the warehouse after Allon, he’d heard the words from the Hound’s lips. His hand had held the crossbow that killed Allon, and he’d helped Ilanna concoct the story. He understood that they did what needed to be done.
“But he died saving the Night Guild.” Ilanna’s voice rang out with strength that surprised her. “He saved my life and, because of him, the Bloody Hand will never sink their fangs into Praamis.”
It was only partially a lie. Allon had saved her life when he untied the ropes holding her bound, and again when he tackled Rhynd in the warehouse. It didn’t matter that his actions had led to the Bloody Hand’s rise in the first place—in the end, he had played a part in saving the Night Guild.
A Hound Journeyman whose name she couldn’t remember stepped forward. “House Hound will see to his burial.”
Ilanna nodded and moved aside. As the Hound wheeled away the handcart, Bryden turned to the empty white- and red-cushioned seats of House Hound and House Bloodbear. “Who will act in the place of Masters Hound and Bloodbear until such a time as a proper House Master can be elected?”
After a few minutes of deliberation, a Hound by the name of Shaw was pushed forward. He took a seat without a word. The Bloodbear who stepped forward was unfamiliar to her. Eyes downcast, face burning, he slid into his chair and refused to look at any of his fellow House Masters.
The handful of Bloodbears that had survived the Duke’s raid on the Night Guild and the executions huddled in a corner of the room. Once the second most numerous House in the Guild—after House Fox—only a mere two dozen of House Bloodbear remained. The Journeymen of Houses Scorpion, Grubber, and Serpent cast baleful glances at the strong-arms. If the Guild Council didn’t intervene, Ilanna doubted the brutish Bloodbears would survive the week. Most Journeymen and apprentices blamed the Bloodbears as much as they blamed her.
Ilanna studied the crowd gathered behind the House Masters’ chairs. The Menagerie looked so empty. More than fifty had fallen in the Bloody Hand’s raid on the tunnels. Scores more had died as the Duke drove out the Bloody Hand—mostly Hounds and Bloodbears, but far too many Foxes and Grubbers. The Duke had executed close to two dozen before she could bargain for their freedom. Less than one-quarter of the Night Guild remained alive. Of those still standing, most were tyros and apprentices barely old enough to shave. The ranks of Guild Journeymen had been drastically culled. And it was her fault.
Yet one face in particular brought relief surging within Ilanna’s chest. Dark bags hung beneath Jarl’s eyes and dried blood stained the bandage around his chest, but he gave her a reassuring smile. She clung to that for dear life. She needed allies for what she knew came next.
Bryden stood, his face a mask as cold and lifeless as granite. “Journeyman Ilanna of House Hawk, will you answer for your actions?”
Ilanna’s gut tightened, but she answered in a clear voice. “I will.”
Bryden turned to the seated House Masters. “If none of you object, I will speak for the Guild Council.” When none protested, he drew in a deep breath. “When last you stood before the Night Guild, you were accused of murder and larceny, is that correct?”
“It is. And I was acquitted of murder.”
“Indeed, you were.” Bryden inclined his head. “Yet you were convicted of larceny, of theft from the Night Guild.”
“A conviction based on forgeries.”
“Have you discovered the identity of the forger?”
Ilanna hesitated. If she answered yes, she would have to reveal Allon’s guilt. But if she didn’t, the conviction of larceny would stand. She would still face the Sanction.
After a moment, she shook her head. “I have not.”
Allon didn’t deserve a hero’s death, but something within Ilanna knew he didn’t deserve to be remembered as a traitor either. She and Errik knew the truth, but Allon would be remembered as just another casualty in the war for Praamis. A tragic culmination to the story of a royal bastard abandoned and condemned to a life of crime. But years of harsh experience had taught her happy endings didn’t exist. She would give Allon the farewell he’d have wanted.
“You have not,” Bryden repeated in a slow voice. “You claim that the evidence presented was falsified, yet you have no proof of your claim.”
“I do not.” Ilanna’s jaw muscles tightened. She knew Bryden would enjoy pronouncing her sentence of guilt. He had wanted to get rid of her since—
“Fortunately for you, Journeyman Ilanna, new evidence has been presented to me that corroborates your claim.” Bryden turned to the assembled Night Guild, his arms spreading in a grand sweeping gesture. “The documents were forgeries intended to sentence Ilanna to the Sanction. Though I cannot identify the forger responsible for the creation, I can uphold the Journeyman’s claim that she is innocent of larceny.”
Ilanna’s gaze darted to Errik. Though his expression never changed, his right eyelid drooped in a half-wink. What did he tell Bryden to convince him? It didn’t matter. Bryden had believed him.
The hope surging within her died at the Hawk’s next words. “But what of the deaths, the losses suffered by each House of the Night Guild?” He thrust a finger at each of the House Masters in turn. “Your Journeymen, apprentices, and even tyros lie dead because of the actions of Journeyman Ilanna.”
Acid surged in Ilanna’s throat. She had no defense against the truth. Bryden didn’t need the charge of larceny to convict her; he could call dozens of witnesses to verify that she had led the Duke’s men into the tunnels.
“Every man and woman here knows what you have done, but it is the way of the Night Guild to let the defendant answer for their actions. So I ask you, Ilanna of House Hawk, will you give answer?”
Ilanna nodded, her throat suddenly dry. She clenched her fists behind her back and wished she had the metal hawk figurine; the smooth metal surface would calm the nervous roiling in her stomach.
Bryden clasped his hands behind his back and limped in a circle around her. “Did you escape incarceration and flee with the intention of evading Guild-decreed justice for your crimes?”
Ilanna’s breath hitched. Bryden had been the one to release her. “I fled with the intention of stopping the Bloody Hand from destroying the Guild.”
“So you say, but that doesn’t change the fact that you fled, does it?”
“No,” Ilanna said through clenched teeth.
“And once escaped, did you seek out Duke Elodon Phonnis and offer to reveal the location of the Night Guild?”
“In exchange for him driving out the Bloody Hand!” Ilanna’s voice rose to an exasperated shout.
“And did you lead the Arbitors and Praamian Guards into our tunnels, into our very homes? Knowing full well the Duke would arrest all in the Guild.”
Ilanna bit back an angry retort. “I did.”
“You see?” Bryden turned to the assembled Guild. “She takes responsibility for her actions, actions that have led to the deaths of many. Duke Phonnis and his Praamian Guards and Arbitors know how to find us. They know the secrets of the Night Guild, the hidden ways we use to traverse the city. They know our faces, and they know how to find us. There is nowhere in Praamis we will be safe from the law.” He whirled on her, his finger stabbing at her face. “All of this, because of you!”
Ilanna wanted to hurl her defiance in his face. How could he not understand what she’d done? Of anyone, she believed Bryden would have the pragmatism to realize that her actions had been for the sake of the Night Guild. But his anger and hatred of her clouded him to the truth. He didn’t care that she’d saved every man, woman, and child in the Guild; he only cared that he could sentence her to death all over again. He wanted to be rid of her, truth or logic be damned.
Ilanna felt tired—so very, very tired. The weight of sorrow, loss, and guilt settled onto her shoulders as if a mountain had collapsed atop her. She had given everything she had to the Night Guild, lost everyone she held dear because of it. Just like Allon, it didn’t matter what ending she’d hoped to have. She was like a drowning man wearing a suit of armor. Try as she might to break the surface, in the end life would condemn her to a bleak fate.
Her shoulders relaxed, and the tension drained from her muscles. So be it. She would fight no longer. Let this be over. At least the suffering will end.
Bryden turned back to the crowd with a grim expression. “Because of Journeyman Ilanna of House Hawk, many of our brothers and sisters will never walk through those doors again.” All eyes darted toward the double doors of the Menagerie. “So many have died because of her.”
Ilanna drew in a breath and closed her eyes. Bryden’s next words would sentence her to the Sanction.
“Yet because of her, we all still live. Her actions have kept the Bloody Hand from destroying the Night Guild, have stayed the Duke’s hand from executing every one of us. Which is why I propose that Journeyman Ilanna become the next Master of the Night Guild.”
Chapter 48
Ilanna’s eyes snapped open as the collected Night Guild let out a stunned gasp. What in the bloody hell? Had those words really come from Bryden’s mouth?
All in the Menagerie wore shocked expressions. All except Errik; a smile twitched the corner of the Serpent’s mouth.
The room erupted with shouts of outrage. Master Bloodbear leapt to his feet, his thugs crowding in behind him. Foxes and Grubbers and Hounds added their voice to the tumult. Even a few Scorpions joined in.
“Silence!” Bryden thundered. “We will have order!”
The din refused to die down as the Journeymen and apprentices hurled their protests and anger at her.
Bryden’s voice echoed over the tumult. “You cannot deny that her actions showed the true pragmatism the Night Guild needs to survive the hard times. And make no mistake, my brothers and sisters, times will be hard.”
“Because of her!” someone yelled.
“Partly, perhaps.” Bryden inclined his head. “She did bring the Duke’s men into our homes, but where would we be if she hadn’t? Enslaved to the Bloody Hand? Dead?” He turned a piercing gaze on the men and women gathered behind the Masters’ chairs. “You know as well as I which of those fates would be worse.”
Angry mutterings echoed among the crowd, but the ferocity of the protests abated.
“Yes, the situation in the Night Guild is dire. The Duke’s men have taken all of our equipment, supplies, and weapons. All that remains to us is what we have on our persons, or what we have hidden away. We are in for lean times. And I put to you that there is no one better to get us through it than the only one of us with the forethought to not only turn the Duke loose on the Bloody Hand, but then somehow convince the King of Praamis himself to release you.”
The crowd fell silent. None could deny that she had freed them, though few knew the truth of how.
Ilanna couldn’t believe her ears. How is Bryden the one leading this? The mischievous glint in Errik’s eye told her he had a hand in it, but it seemed impossible that he’d convinced the Hawk to lend support.
“The Duke’s men know where to find our homes. We must prepare for their eventual return. The people of Praamis know our faces. But they will soon forget about us, and we will be free to resume our occupation. All we have to do is wait, and—”
“Wait?” A swarthy, black-haired Fox by the name of Drusus stepped forward. Anger burned in his eyes. “We’ll starve! The coffers of House Fox are empty.”
“As are those of House Scorpion,” Tyman said.
“And House Hawk, and no doubt every other House in the Night Guild.” The other House Masters nodded agreement. “But we are not without coin—or at least the promise of coin. Filch still holds items of great value to be fenced off for gold. Most of which belong to her.”
More than a few eyes went wide.
“The gold and jewels from Lady Auslan’s sarcophagus were worth millions of imperials. None of which the Duke’s men seized.” He let that sink in for a moment, and not a sound echoed in the Menagerie. “Millions of imperials, my fellow Journeymen. More than enough to restore what was lost and a great deal besides.”
Filch would gouge them for every coin when he discovered their desperation, but it didn’t matter. With the gemstones he had to fence for them and the melt value of the gold, they had enough to survive.
