Paks frowned, not liking the bantering tone or the subtle insults. It reminded her too much of Macenion. She looked up at him again. "If such a command is offered me, and if I accept you—what other suggestions would you have?"

His brows arched. "You ask much, with nothing given."

"I do? What of you—you ask my trust, with no evidence of your character. I have had such chances, sir, as make me distrust most strangers."

"But Girdsmen." His tone was sour.

"Most soldiers have found Girdsmen to be honest, at the least, and usually brave as well. I don't know your allegiance, either to gods or lords."

Arvid sighed. "I am a guild member in good standing. As such I obey my guildmaster, in Vérella. It is an old guild, long established there—"

"What craft?" asked Paks.

He laughed. "What—do you think the Master Moneychanger here tells everyone when he travels what his guild affiliation is? Don't you know that some guilds bind their traveling members to secrecy? Do you want to bring down on me that very plague of thieves you think I represent?"

"No—" Paks flushed, confused.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I shouldn't have laughed. I understand your suspicion—and it does you credit. Any experienced adventurer is suspicious. But I cannot tell you my guild—at least not without asking—at this time. I cannot tell anyone here. I can only tell you what I have told you. In my judgment—and I am not without experience in the world myself—it is in both our interests to cooperate. I have an interest in those brigands—I want to see them removed. Does that sound like a thief or worse? You, I believe, have the Council's permission to mount an attack on them. And you could use someone at your back who has no reason to wish an honest witness dead. Suppose they are actually living in town—related to one of the Council members. Do you honestly think they'll thank you for capturing such as that? Let you take the risk, yes. Let you kill and capture them, yes—perhaps. But let you live to take the credit, when it's their own? I doubt that much. If the brigands really are strangers, then you have no problem. But otherwise—"

Paks nodded slowly. She was not truly convinced, but she had worried that the spy the Council wanted her to find might turn out to be someone they liked. And, as well, they had asked her to involve the other adventurers in town if she could. Surely this Arvid Semminson was an adventurer.

* * *