door handle.
Jayden blocked his way. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Xander nodded.
Jayden licked his lips as though not sure how to begin. After an awkward couple seconds he said, “Since you started staying in the hall I haven’t seen much of Kaylin. I was wondering if I’ll ever get to or if I should forget about her.”
“I love her,” Xander said. Jayden’s face fell in a sad frown. Xander grinned. “Like a sister.”
Jayden brightened. “So you don’t mind if I pay her a visit?”
“Not at all.” Xander frowned and his expression hardened. “If you get serious I won’t appreciate you running around behind her back.”
Jayden sputtered a protest but Xander raised his hand to silence him. “I know your reputation. If you break her heart I’ll cut yours out.”
Jayden blanched. “I swear I’d never do anything to hurt her.”
Xander smiled again. “Good, now I’ve got to run.” He brushed past the thief and headed out.
----
X ander found Kaylin waiting for him when he got back. “Where’ve you been?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the dining hall. “Everyone’s gathered and waiting for the guild master to speak. You’re the last one, come on.”
“What’s so important? We’ve been here three months and haven’t heard a thing from him.”
“Beats me, but everyone’s here except you, now come on.”
“Did you say everyone?”
“Yes, but please don’t do anything crazy. Hakim’s kept this long, a little longer won’t make a difference.”
Xander nodded, besides it wasn’t like he’d be able to kill Hakim in a room full of people determined to stop him. Xander would get one chance to kill the fat man and he would not waste it.
Thieves packed the dining hall and Kraven paced a few feet from the door. When he spotted Xander he said, “Where have you been? The guild master’s been waiting half an hour.”
“I went for a run. The same run I go on every day.”
“Well it’s not every day the guild master wants to address the whole guild. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“I went right after our sparring match. If you wanted me here you should have said something.”
“I didn’t know I would need you here.” Kraven said.
“If you didn’t know how was I supposed to?”
Kraven opened his mouth like he wanted to argue some more then clamped it shut. “Never mind, you’re here now. I have to tell the day boss everyone has arrived.”
“He seems worked up.” Xander wiped sweat from his face. “I wish I’d had a chance to wash up.”
“Aren’t you worried?” Kaylin asked. “Everyone’s on edge.”
“I don’t know enough to be worried. Maybe after the guild master speaks.”
The room fell silent when a robed figure swept in through a secret door in the back wall Xander didn’t know existed. The guild master stood a little above six feet tall and his, or hers, Xander couldn’t tell since the robe and cowl obscured everything, even the master’s hands were hidden in its folds.
“I have troubling news,” the guild master’s voice sounded far away; no doubt he used a device of some sort to disguise it. “One of our informants in the guard reports that one of our teams was killed last night. They found the bodies of two thieves outside a merchant’s house. On the wall above the bodies, written in their blood, were the words death to all thieves.”
Murmurs rippled through the assembled guild. The master raised his hands and everyone fell silent. “Until this threat is dealt with all teams will include an enforcer, no matter how simple the job.”
The master vanished back through the secret door. The thieves talked amongst themselves. Xander yawned and started toward the door. Kaylin fell in beside him. “What do you think?” she asked.
“I think from now on where you go I go.”
“I won’t argue. It’ll be tight with everyone staying in the hall.”
“It certainly will be.” Kraven had come up beside them and as
Jayden blocked his way. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Xander nodded.
Jayden licked his lips as though not sure how to begin. After an awkward couple seconds he said, “Since you started staying in the hall I haven’t seen much of Kaylin. I was wondering if I’ll ever get to or if I should forget about her.”
“I love her,” Xander said. Jayden’s face fell in a sad frown. Xander grinned. “Like a sister.”
Jayden brightened. “So you don’t mind if I pay her a visit?”
“Not at all.” Xander frowned and his expression hardened. “If you get serious I won’t appreciate you running around behind her back.”
Jayden sputtered a protest but Xander raised his hand to silence him. “I know your reputation. If you break her heart I’ll cut yours out.”
Jayden blanched. “I swear I’d never do anything to hurt her.”
Xander smiled again. “Good, now I’ve got to run.” He brushed past the thief and headed out.
----
X ander found Kaylin waiting for him when he got back. “Where’ve you been?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the dining hall. “Everyone’s gathered and waiting for the guild master to speak. You’re the last one, come on.”
“What’s so important? We’ve been here three months and haven’t heard a thing from him.”
“Beats me, but everyone’s here except you, now come on.”
“Did you say everyone?”
“Yes, but please don’t do anything crazy. Hakim’s kept this long, a little longer won’t make a difference.”
Xander nodded, besides it wasn’t like he’d be able to kill Hakim in a room full of people determined to stop him. Xander would get one chance to kill the fat man and he would not waste it.
Thieves packed the dining hall and Kraven paced a few feet from the door. When he spotted Xander he said, “Where have you been? The guild master’s been waiting half an hour.”
“I went for a run. The same run I go on every day.”
“Well it’s not every day the guild master wants to address the whole guild. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“I went right after our sparring match. If you wanted me here you should have said something.”
“I didn’t know I would need you here.” Kraven said.
“If you didn’t know how was I supposed to?”
Kraven opened his mouth like he wanted to argue some more then clamped it shut. “Never mind, you’re here now. I have to tell the day boss everyone has arrived.”
“He seems worked up.” Xander wiped sweat from his face. “I wish I’d had a chance to wash up.”
“Aren’t you worried?” Kaylin asked. “Everyone’s on edge.”
“I don’t know enough to be worried. Maybe after the guild master speaks.”
The room fell silent when a robed figure swept in through a secret door in the back wall Xander didn’t know existed. The guild master stood a little above six feet tall and his, or hers, Xander couldn’t tell since the robe and cowl obscured everything, even the master’s hands were hidden in its folds.
“I have troubling news,” the guild master’s voice sounded far away; no doubt he used a device of some sort to disguise it. “One of our informants in the guard reports that one of our teams was killed last night. They found the bodies of two thieves outside a merchant’s house. On the wall above the bodies, written in their blood, were the words death to all thieves.”
Murmurs rippled through the assembled guild. The master raised his hands and everyone fell silent. “Until this threat is dealt with all teams will include an enforcer, no matter how simple the job.”
The master vanished back through the secret door. The thieves talked amongst themselves. Xander yawned and started toward the door. Kaylin fell in beside him. “What do you think?” she asked.
“I think from now on where you go I go.”
“I won’t argue. It’ll be tight with everyone staying in the hall.”
“It certainly will be.” Kraven had come up beside them and as
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