Rezkin thought of the young small-men he had left in the wrecked storehouse. Broken, Cracker, and Ash were seriously underfed and poorly clothed, as were the other small-men he had seen. Rezkin began contemplating ways he could properly care for and train the underprivileged of the thieves’ guild while not emptying the pockets and clearing the tables of the hardworking people of Justain. He told himself he was only doing what was necessary to extend his influence and gain the upper hand. Although he did not know for what he was preparing, he felt that having as many resources as possible would be in his best interest. The thieves’ guilds would provide those resources.

Rezkin led the sneak to an upscale inn where many of the more affluent nobles resided when they were traveling through the great trade city. He pointed to a dark second floor window and informed Benni that the young man’s job was to collect any correspondence he could find within the room. He was to enter and leave without being detected.

Rezkin monitored the young man as he scaled the building and pried the window open. Benni was in the room for several minutes before he reappeared in the same window. He made his way down the building and crossed back over the dark road to where the master waited. What the young sneak did not know was that his new master had followed him up the building and had observed his every move. Rezkin spent the next several minutes detailing the thief’s mistakes and giving him the opportunity to suggest ways he might improve.

He looked over the documents the young man had obtained, made several mental notes, and then sent him back into the building to replace the documents whence they came. Rezkin also instructed Benni to correct the mistakes he had made within the room, ensuring that it was put back in order, so that no one would ever suspect the room had been compromised.

The young man was a decent sneak, Rezkin supposed, but far from a master. He would make a good apprentice and had the potential to one day become a master in his own right. Rezkin did not have the time to teach the young man, however.

“How is it that you are the best sneak the guild possesses?” Rezkin inquired.

Benni ducked his head in embarrassment that he had not lived up to the master’s standards. He was still astonished at the master’s knowledge and abilities. He had never seen anyone so skilled—or rather, not seen him. “Well, it’s the guild, Master. The Diamond Claws ain’t known for Sneaks. We’re more of a ‘business enterprise,’ as the old master always said. You know, the enforcers … they go ’round collectin’ ‘taxes’ from the shop owners and such. The really skilled Sneaks is in the Serpents.”

“Yet, you belong to the Diamond Claws,” Rezkin said.