Page 6 of Fateless

He paused. Standing with his back to me, he turned his cowled head very slightly, as if listening to something behind him. I held my breath, wondering if he could hear my heart thudding beneath my tunic, and pressed myself even farther into the statue.

“Kahjai?” The high priestess sounded concerned. “Is something wrong?”

The hood turned toward the door again. “No,” the iylvahn said. “It is nothing.” Ducking his head, he started walking away. “May Fate smile upon you, Ahsani,” he said. Then he slipped out the door... and was gone.

I waited until the priestess’s footsteps shuffled across the floor and a door clicked shut behind her before springing to my feet. That had been entirely too close. If the iylvahn had seen me up there, I didn’t know what he would have done, but one thing was certain: I did not want to find out. In my seventeen years in the guild, I had seen many dangerous men. Thieves, predators, brawlers, and toughs. Men who would cut your throat as well as your purse, who stalked citizens though the streets and back alleys like sand wolves, who felt no remorse about breaking someone’s kneecaps, should the guild give the order. I knew which guild members I could trust and which to avoid, because regardless of guild law forbidding members to prey on each other, we were all thieves. Breaking the law was what we did every day. And we were good at it.

But the iylvahn, with his cold, pale eyes and beautiful, almost alien face, was by far the most dangerous creature I had seen. I knew my fair share of cutthroats and criminals. But there was no doubt in my mind—the iylvahn was a killer.

There was no formal Assassins Guild in Kovass. Mainly because the Circle existed. Its members controlled the organized crime in the city, and they didn’t tolerate competition. But therewere rumors of shadowy figures from other lands who sometimes appeared in Kovass. I wondered if the iylvahn were the “shadowy figures” those rumors were talking about.

Unease flickered. First that bizarre request from the Circle, and now a mysterious stranger from across the Dust Sea walking into the Temple of Fate. I wondered if the two things were somehow connected, though I didn’t like what that implied. The iylvahn was dangerous. His visit to the temple didn’t feel like a coincidence. Something was going on, and I might be right in the center of it.

Focus, Sparrow. That’s not what you’re here for, and you still have a job to do.

Grasping my dagger, I placed the blade against the silken edge of the tapestry. For just a moment, I held my breath, wondering ifthiswas when I would be struck down by Fate. If one of the chains that suspended the chandeliers from the ceiling would snap, and I would be crushed under candle wax and iron, a freak accident in the Temple of Fate.

But nothing happened, and I drew the blade down the tapestry, easily parting the cloth. I winced at the noise; it wasn’t loud, but the sound of my dagger cutting through the expensive silk made my hair stand on end. I cut a sizable chunk from the whole, large enough that the cloth would be easily recognizable, then stuffed the fabric into my leather satchel.

I have it! I have the Tapestry of the World. How many other thieves will ever say that?

Heart racing, I slid down the statue, hit the floor of the temple, and sprinted outside. The blazing heat of the twins struckme, but I put my head down and kept moving until I had slipped between the buildings across the road and ducked into a narrow alley. Only then did I pause to evaluate what had just happened.

Just to be sure, I reached a hand into my satchel and touched the fabric. It was still there. I had taken a piece of the Tapestry of the World.

I hoped it would be enough to satisfy the Circle. And Vahn.

There were several minutes left in Demon Hour, though Solasti was starting to abandon her sister and make her way across the horizon alone. It would be scorching for another hour, and the rooftops would be thoroughly cooked, a miserable way to travel. I could probably make my way through the streets without too much notice, as the walkways and sidewalks were still completely dead. But guard cupolas sat on nearly every corner in the Garden District, and I was carrying a scrap of the Tapestry of the World in my satchel. Tempting Fate even further, when I had gotten luckier than any soul had a right to, didn’t seem prudent.

I took to the rooftops and started the uncomfortable journey home.

Three

The Thieves Guild of Kovass operated out of the Docks District, one of the poorer and rougher sections of the city, but also one of the most colorful in terms of people. Here, on the edge of the Dust Sea, sand ships and the great mechanical striders would dock and offload cargo from the lands and cities beyond. Exotic goods, plants, creatures, and more passed through the docks on their way to markets or homes or private vendors. But the most interesting cargo was the passengers who came off the striders—Kovass citizens with stories to tell about what lay across the Dust Sea, or, very infrequently, a person who lived in the lands beyond. A wandering Fatechaser would sometimes come to Kovass on their journey to wherever the winds and Fate took them. Once, the entire Docks District was in a frenzy because a merchant had somehow acquired a juvenile rock beetle, the chosen mount of the insect-riding Scarab Clan. Even as a baby, the shiny black beetle was the size of a small donkey, with mandibles that could grind though solid stone. Unfortunately, rumors were that the merchant did not have permission to take one of the prized animals of the Scarab Clan. He was found in a dark alley one night, both arms and legs cut from his torso, and the beetle was never seen again.

But whatever a person’s reason for coming to Kovass, whetherprofit or curiosity or needing a place to disappear into, they all passed through the Docks District. Where, unbeknownst to all, the watchful eyes of the Thieves Guild took note of everything that passed through the sector. And, if it was profitable, acted on it.

Demon Hour had finally passed by the time I reached the district, and activity was returning to normal. The city was waking up as Solasti moved on and the temperature dropped; merchants returned to their stalls, beggars appeared on corners and sidewalks once more, and housewives cautiously poked their heads out of their doorways to gauge the location of the suns.

I dropped from the rooftops and landed in a shaded alley with a sigh of relief. The rooftops were more open, and probably the fastest way to get around the city, but that path required a lot of jumping, sprinting, and balancing, and frankly, I was tired, hot, slightly cranky, and didn’t want to expend more energy than I had to. The rough crowds and narrow streets of the Docks District were familiar and comforting. This was my territory; I was more at home here than anywhere else in the city.

“Sparrow.”

A figure melted out of a nearby alley, smoothly avoided a body lurching down the sidewalk, and came toward me with a smile and an arm raised. He was dressed like me and many others in the district, in loose clothes with his hood drawn up for protection from the sun. When he raised his head, laughing almond eyes glinted under the cowl. A few scraggly beard hairs were trying valiantly to grow on his relatively young, smooth face.

My stomach gave a weird little flutter, which I ignored. I had known Jeran a long time; he was a childhood friend who had faced tragedy when his father was taken away. We’d always been friendly rivals, always trying to outdo each other, but recently, it seemed as if he had grown up a lot. His interest in me had changed, too, his glances becoming longer and more pointed. I wasn’t blind. I knew what was happening. But I had avoided acting on it, making excuses when I could, or leaving the room before things went too far. It wasn’t that Jeran was undesirable, or that I hadn’t thought about him... in that way. I just didn’t know if I wanted to go down that particular road. It was easier—and safer—not to deal with those emotions.

“Jeran.” I smiled as he fell into step beside me. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” he replied easily. “I couldn’t find you anywhere in the base, so I figured you were holed up somewhere else.” A grin split his face as he glanced at me. “What’s the matter, did you get caught out in Demon Hour and couldn’t get back in time?”

I winced. “Something like that.” If he only knew. I had just stolen the Tapestry of the World from the Temple of Fate during the hottest part of Demon Hour. That was a lot of capitalized names, and I couldn’t even tell anyone about it.

Jeran snickered. “Sometimes, I don’t understand why everyone says you’re one of the best.” He sighed. “I just see you getting lucky, over and over and over again.”

I smirked. “You know, I heard that jealousy can stunt beard growth.” I casually scratched my own chin. “Besides, accordingto the teachings, there’s no such thing as luck. So that must mean Iamthe best.”

Jeran frowned and ran a hand down his jaw. “Certainly the most humble,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. I grinned. “Anyway, where are you heading now? Back to base?”

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