“But, he already knows who we are, and he asked for us ’pacifically,” Ash said, repeating the difficult word used by his older guild mate. “If he wanted someone else, he woulda asked for ’em. He knows we’re kids.”

“An astute observation, Ash,” Rezkin said as he emerged from the shadows.

Both small-men jumped with a squeal. These small-men were far behind not only in their Skills training, but also in understanding and adhering to the Rules. This was not a surprise considering how poorly these outworlders as a whole complied with the strictures. It was a condition he was working to remedy.

“Ah … H-Hello … I mean, Greetings Master Raven,” Broken sputtered, which Ash parroted.

“Greetings to you. Where is your chaperone?” the Raven asked.

“Oh, Rom’s takin’ a piss,” Ash replied. “He’ll be right back.”

Rom was, in fact, not takin’ a piss. Rezkin had observed the man smashing in someone’s head in an alley a few blocks from where they stood. The victim was obviously a regular inker. Nearly every inch of his exposed skin was covered in purple-black tattoos. Apparently, the big man desired to keep the small-men in the dark about what he was doing, so Rezkin left the matter alone.

A moment later, Rom rounded a corner wiping his hands on a rag that was probably what remained of the inker’s shirt. He threw the rag aside and then awkwardly bowed to the Raven. “Greetings, Master Raven,” he said, his voice deep and confident.

Bowing was not something members of the thieves’ guilds did, but they had begun developing some unusual habits with regard to the Raven. The thieves’ guilds across the cities continued to operate independently and competitively, but most of them were now unified under Rezkin’s rule, a unity he only enforced for a few specific purposes. Rom reported at their previous meeting that Attica had gained measurable confidence since taking over position of Guildmaster. The knowledge that the Raven favored her went a long way in solidifying her hold on the position, and she had a strong desire to impress the mysterious master.

Rezkin surveyed the three thieves before him. In truth, they did not look like thieves. They appeared to be a poor but strong, hardworking man and his two sons. Nodding once he simply said, “Come.”

The three thieves followed the shadowy Raven out of the city. He moved swiftly, and they struggled to keep up, but the Raven was considerate enough to slow when one fell behind. Once they neared the long queue of travelers exiting the city gates, he told the thieves to meet him on the other side, and he disappeared.