Twilight of Kerberos - [Shadowmage 01-03] - The Shadowmage Trilogy (Shadowmage; Night's Haunting; Legacy's Price) by Matthew Sprange (v5.0) (mobi)

another thief by the hand, Magnus turned towards Lucius, and smiled.
    “And this would be our newest recruit then. Lucius, isn’t it?”
    “Uh, yes sir,” said Lucius, unsure of how to address the guildmaster.
    Magnus waved the honorific away, though Lucius was acutely aware of the attention of his two bodyguards, who seemed to be itching for him to make one aggressive move.
    “Just Magnus, please,” he said. “You’ve done well tonight. Brink represents a significant account for us, and the return of his business is worthy of congratulations. I believe you are staying here now – eat and drink well tonight, you’ve earned it.”
    “Thank you, err, Magnus,” Lucius said, as graciously as he could, though ale and discomfort vied to tie his tongue.
    “Get some sleep too. Then come upstairs tomorrow, feel free to explore the place. Perhaps we’ll speak further.” One of his bodyguards whispered something into Magnus’ ear that escaped Lucius hearing. Magnus sighed.
    “Ah, that’s right. I am afraid I must leave you all now.” He looked back at Lucius with a smile. “Pressure of the job you know, they never let up. Welcome, Lucius, I have a feeling you will do well for us here.”
    As Magnus swept out of the room, the others clustered about Lucius, slapping him on the back and shaking his hand. Through their own celebrations, it took them a while to see that Lucius was thoroughly confused as to what was happening. It was Ambrose who took him to one side to explain.
    “You’ve done well, lad,” he said. “I knew you would.”
    “I don’t follow.”
    “Caradoc must have given a glowing report of you while getting his leg mended. Only senior thieves, those who are full members of the Hands, are permitted beyond the ground floor. You, my friend, are now a true thief!”
    Lucius smiled nervously as Ambrose thrust another mug into his hand before calling upon the entire common room to toast him. Raising his mug in return, Lucius thanked the thieves and, ignoring a wag calling for a speech, sank back into his chair, happy to listen to his peers talk business for the rest of the evening.
     
     
    M ORNING CAME TOO soon for Lucius, and he awoke to find himself in the same chair he had collapsed in a few hours before. A few other thieves were also in the common room, lying insensible, though most seemed to have had the sense to retire earlier on. As Lucius sat up, the world swam for an instant, and he leaned forward, burying his face in his hands as he waited for the after-effects of the ale to subside.
    His mouth feeling dry and pitted, Lucius stayed in that position until he lost all sense of time. No one else stirred in the common room, though he heard someone snoring softly in a far corner. Shakily, he stood, and wandered out to find water, both to drink and to wash. Running into Ambrose as the veteran thief scoured the kitchen for breakfast, he was invited to take Magnus up on the offer of seeing what else the guildhouse had to offer.
    He spent the rest of the morning exploring the two higher levels of the building, and it seemed as though his eyes grew wider at each new sight. It was only now, when he could see the guildhouse in its entirety as a functioning, well-oiled machine, that he understood just how sophisticated the Night Hands were as an organisation. And how much work it took to keep the guild running on a day-to day-basis.
    Three rooms were dedicated to maps and charts, scattered over tables, pinned onto walls, and rolled up on shelves that reached to the ceiling, ready for inspection when a mission demanded. The patrol routes of the Vos guard were accurately timed and drawn on one map, allowing any thief to see exactly where blind spots would appear and when. Floor plans of many buildings in Turnitia were collected in the stacks, and Lucius watched another thief pore over one as he devised his next robbery. Information was collected on people as well as structures, and he learned that the