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gold thread was sewn into his shirt. His head was shaved, and he wore nine rings in his left ear, running up and down the cartilage. From where he came from, each ring traditionally represented a kill, yet Thren knew Grayson had been forced to adopt a new standard, with each ring counting for ten, lest his ear fall off.
    Grayson joined him at the bar, slapping him once on the back.
    “You banished our barkeep,” said the man, his voice deep and rumbling.
    “Would you make an injured man pour drinks?”
    Grayson laughed.
    “I’ve never seen you injured, Thren,” he said. “Just sometimes you’re bleeding more than usual.”
    Grayson leaned forward, his long arms grabbing bottles and glasses from the wall. Mixing two together, Grayson tasted his drink and then let out a sigh of contentment.
    “For all I’ve heard, I thought you’d have little better than donkey piss and water,” he said. “Looks like Veldaren might not be as bad as rumored. Either that, or you’re the richest thief left.”
    Thren bit down a retort. Grayson was from the distant city of Mordeina, and was a legendary thief in his own right. In what felt like ages past, they’d worked together, helped build the Spider Guild into something fearsome. But then, one terrible night, it had all come crashing down...
    “The gold still flows here,” Thren said, careful to control his tone. “The protection money from the Trifect alone keeps the liquor flowing.”
    “That the lie you tell yourselves so you can sleep at night?”
    Grayson took a shot, poured himself another. Thren’s eyes narrowed.
    “Things are not the same,” he said. “Between the Bloody Kensgold, Alyssa’s mercenaries, and now the Watcher, I dare say no thief has faced such hardships as we have here in Veldaren.”
    “Ah yes, the Watcher. I’ve been thinking of hunting him down and seeing how good he really is. You know that word of him has reached all the way to Mordeina?”
    “Is that so?” Thren asked, doing his best to sound bored.
    “Yes. And you know what’s worse, Thren? That’s not the only thing reaching our ears. The nobles are hearing of your little setup, this game you play. It’s giving them ideas, ideas I don’t fucking like. Already they whisper of similar arrangements, of turning our guilds against each other in the name of protection money. Mordeina won’t turn into Veldaren. The priests alone give us enough trouble. I’m a thief, and a killer. I won’t let myself become some noble’s bootlicking bodyguard.”
    Thren felt his blood turn to ice.
    “Is that what you think I am?” he asked. “Some low rent bodyguard for the Trifect?”
    Grayson grunted.
    “That’s what I’m here to find out. A lot has changed over the past ten years, and I want to know just how much.” He stood, put a wide-brimmed hat made of leather on his bald head. “I have my own place to stay, so don’t worry about offering me a bed. Not sure how long I’ll be here, but I thought I’d drop in and give you my greetings.”
    “What are you really here for?” Thren asked, as the big man was about to exit. “If all you wanted was information, you’d have sent an underling, not traveled across Dezrel yourself. You’re here for more than that. What is it?”
    Grayson stopped, looked back at him with a dangerous grin on his face.
    “What if I don’t feel like answering? Will you make me, Thren?”
    Thren swallowed, and his hand drifted down to the hilt of a shortsword. Grayson saw this, smirked.
    “Careful,” he said. “I have no desire to cross swords with you. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair. After all...you’re injured.”
    When he was gone, Thren took his glass and smashed it across the counter. The glass cut his hand, and he stared at the mixing blood and alcohol. His fury grew. Grayson had sensed weakness, and Thren could not refute it. Despite all his best efforts, his guild was weaker than it had ever been. All the guilds were. And if the Suns, or the Stars, or