Benni followed the master into the common room and came to an abrupt halt. The room was completely empty, but the backdoor was barred from the inside. He turned and checked the door leading to the front of the tavern, and it too was barred from the inside. The young man spun in a quick circle surveying all of the tables and scattered chairs, some of which had been overturned in the earlier commotion. The master had disappeared, and the only people in the Guildhouse were the three in the room behind him—aside from the corpses, of course. The young man anxiously backpedaled toward the office where he had left his comrades, but instead of an open doorway, he collided with a solid figure. Benni nearly jumped out of his boots as he yelped and twisted, falling over his own feet.

Rezkin looked down at the young man sprawled on the floor with a frown. “You may or may not possess sufficient Stealth Skills, but your observational Skills need work. You must not only be able to move invisibly, but you must also detect others who are attempting to evade your notice.”

“But … there was no one ’ere! I looked everywhere! You were gone!” the young man protested shakily as he got to his feet.

“Obviously not,” Rezkin drawled. “Come. I have a task for you, and we will see how well you perform.” The warrior critically eyed the young man whose frame was too thin and clothes were too tight and too short. “Have you eaten?”

“What?” Benni was surprised by the question. He could not remember a time when anyone cared to ask whether or not he had eaten. “I mean, yeah, I guess. I ate yesterday,” he said with a shrug.

“Night has fallen, and you have not eaten since yesterday?” Rezkin asked with disgust.

Benni shrugged and said, “Well, I was hopin’ the master would ’ave a task for me tonight, and then I could get a meal, but, well …” he said, shrugging again as he let the statement hang.

“If you are such a capable sneak, why did you not obtain your own food?” Rezkin asked.

“Well, ah, the master didn’t like us doing our own jobs, ’specially the Sneaks. He says … ah … said we’re too valuable to get caught stealin’ bread,” the young thief replied.

Rezkin raised a brow and said, “If he did not wish for you to steal your meals, then he should have provided you with sustenance, no?”

The young man shrugged and said, “If we finish our tasks, we get fed. It’s ’ow it always is. It’s bloody ’ell when the master ain’t got nothin’ for us to do, though.” Benni suddenly seemed to remember to whom he was speaking and began to stutter, “I mean … not that you … well, whatever you think is best, of course, M-master.”