Chapters (122)
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Map
- Prologue
- Part I - A Thief’s Ransom
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-One
- Chapter Twenty-Two
- Chapter Twenty-Three
- Chapter Twenty-Four
- Chapter Twenty-Five
- Chapter Twenty-Six
- Chapter Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Twenty-Eight
- Chapter Twenty-Nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Part II - An Unquiet Crown
- Interlude
- Chapter Thirty-One
- Chapter Thirty-Two
- Chapter Thirty-Three
- Chapter Thirty-Four
- Chapter Thirty-Five
- Chapter Thirty-Six
- Chapter Thirty-Seven
- Chapter Thirty-Eight
- Chapter Thirty-Nine
- Chapter Forty
- Chapter Forty-One
- Chapter Forty-Two
- Chapter Forty-Three
- Chapter Forty-Four
- Chapter Forty-Five
- Chapter Forty-Six
- Chapter Forty-Seven
- Chapter Forty-Eight
- Chapter Forty-Nine
- Chapter Fifty
- Part III - The Crew
- Interlude
- Chapter Fifty-One
- Chapter Fifty-Two
- Chapter Fifty-Three
- Chapter Fifty-Four
- Chapter Fifty-Five
- Chapter Fifty-Six
- Chapter Fifty-Seven
- Chapter Fifty-Eight
- Chapter Fifty-Nine
- Chapter Sixty
- Chapter Sixty-One
- Chapter Sixty-Two
- Chapter Sixty-Three
- Chapter Sixty-Four
- Chapter Sixty-Five
- Chapter Sixty-Six
- Chapter Sixty-Seven
- Chapter Sixty-Eight
- Chapter Sixty-Nine
- Chapter Seventy
- Part IV - The Job
- Interlude
- Chapter Seventy-One
- Chapter Seventy-Two
- Chapter Seventy-Three
- Chapter Seventy-Four
- Chapter Seventy-Five
- Chapter Seventy-Six
- Chapter Seventy-Seven
- Chapter Seventy-Eight
- Chapter Seventy-Nine
- Chapter Eighty
- Chapter Eighty-One
- Chapter Eighty-Two
- Chapter Eighty-Three
- Chapter Eighty-Four
- Chapter Eighty-Five
- Chapter Eighty-Six
- Chapter Eighty-Seven
- Chapter Eighty-Eight
- Chapter Eighty-Nine
- Chapter Ninety
- Chapter Ninety-One
- Chapter Ninety-Two
- Chapter Ninety-Three
- Chapter Ninety-Four
- Chapter Ninety-Five
- Chapter Ninety-Six
- Chapter Ninety-Seven
- Chapter Ninety-Eight
- Chapter Ninety-Nine
- Chapter One Hundred
- Acknowledgments
- Excerpts from A Thief in the Night and Honor Among Thieves
- A Thief in the Night - Prologue
- A Thief in the Night - Chapter One
- Honor Among Thieves - Prologue
- Honor Among Thieves - Chapter One
- About the Author
- Books by David Chandler
- Copyright
- About the Publisher
- Cover
So this was a spy chamber. If Cutbill had sent him here, it was with good reason. Malden placed his eye against the hole and made himself silent.
Back in the office, the bailiff and the guildmaster of thieves were already in close consultation.
“If it was one of your thieves who stole the crown,” the bailiff said, “I will hang every one of your crew. You I’ll have drawn and dismembered, and your remains scattered across the kingdom. I’ll have this place torn down, and your organization—”
“It was not one of mine. Of that I can assure you. Not one of my thieves would think the prize worth the effort. After all, how could they sell the crown once they had it? No fence in the Free City would accept it, much less pay for it. That means its value for us is nil. You must look elsewhere, milord Vry.”
“Perhaps someone else commissioned the theft. Someone who would stand to gain by embarrassing the city.”
“But why would one of my thieves take on such a job? Surely they would know how much trouble it would cause for my operation. I do not recruit dullards or fools.”
In the closet, Malden winced.
“Enough of this nonsense,” Vry fumed. “I can hardly trust you to speak the truth. You’ll say anything to save your neck, won’t you, Cutbill?”
“I’ve spoken plainly with you, and told all the truth I know.”
“Luckily I need not take you at your word.” Vry snapped his fingers and one of his watchmen hurried out of the room. He came back a moment later, leading a robed figure with a heavy wooden mask covering his face.
Malden gasped. Luckily no one heard him.
“A wizard, Vry? You’ll put me to the question by magery? Surely not,” Cutbill said as the magician was led over toward his lectern. “You’d never break one of your own precious laws.”
Vry shrugged. “It’s true. No man may be condemned in the law courts by sortilege or divination. Yet this is no law court. As for the point of ethics involved, well . . . needs must when the Bloodgod drives.”
Cutbill pursed his lips and put down his quill. “Very well. And how should it be done, hmm?”
The magician brought something out from the folds of his robes. A slab of stone about the size and thickness of a book. One side of it had been ground and polished as smooth as glass. “It is a shewstone,” its owner said in a burbling, unnatural voice. “It sees what is hidden, what is placed out of sight. I must unveil to use it properly.”
The watchmen stirred uneasily at the thought. Neither Cutbill nor Vry reacted at all. “Do it,” Vry said.
The magician reached up and pushed his mask up on top of his head.
Malden’s cry of horror was swallowed up in the general chorus.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Thirty-Nine