Free The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan Page B

remember what she looked like. I can remember the house where we lived, though. It was amazing.”
    “Your house?” He hadn’t heard this before.
    She shook her head. “Mother and father were servants for one of the Families, but they were thrown out when father was accused of stealing something.”
    Cery smiled. “Did he?”
    “Probably.” She yawned. “Jonna blames him for everything I do that she thinks is wrong or bad. She doesn’t approve of theft, even if it’s from someone rich and mean.”
    “Where is your da now?”
    She shrugged. “He left when mother died. Came back once when I was six. Gave Jonna a bit of money, then left again.”
    Cery picked some of the run wax off the candle. “The Thieves killed my da when they found out he was cheating them.”
    Her eyes widened. “Oh, that’s awful! I knew he was dead, but you never told me
that.”
    He shrugged. “It’s not smart to let people know your da was a squimp. He took stupid risks and got caught. That’s what Ma says, anyway. He taught me lots of stuff, though.”
    “The Thieves’ Road.”
    He nodded.
    “We’ve been using it, haven’t we?”
    He nodded again.
    She grinned. “So it’s true then? You
are
a Thieves’ man.”
    “Nah,” he replied, looking away. “My da showed me the Road.”
    “So, you’ve got permission?”
    He shrugged. “Yes and no.”
    Sonea frowned but said no more.
    Looking down at the candle, Cery thought back to a day, three years before, when he had slipped into the passages to escape a guard who had taken offense at having his pockets explored. A shadow had appeared in the darkness, taken Cery by the collar and dragged him to a room off the tunnel and locked him in. Despite all Cery’s lock-picking skills, he hadn’t been able to free himself. Several hours later, the door had opened and he had been dazzled by a lamp burning so bright he could only make out the silhouette of the man holding it.
    “Who’re you?” the stranger had demanded. “What’s your name?”
    “Ceryni,” he had squeaked.
    There had been a pause, and then the light came closer.
    “So you are,” the stranger had remarked, amusement in his tone. “A familiar little rodent, too. Ah, I’ve got you tagged, now. Torrin’s son. Hmm, you know the price for using the Road without the Thieves say-so?”
    Terrified, Cery had nodded his head.
    “Well then, little Ceryni. You be in a lot of rub, you know, but I think I can give you a bit of space. Don’t use the Road regular-like—but if you have to, use it. If anyone asks, tell ‘em Ravi said you could. But remember, you owe me. If I ask you for something, you’ll give it to me. If you give me boot, you don’t get to use
any
road again. We right?”
    Cery had nodded again, too frightened to speak.
    The stranger had chuckled. “Good. Now get yourself gone.” The light had disappeared and Cery had been hauled by unseen hands to the nearest exit from the Road and tossed outside.
    Since then, he had rarely set foot on the Thieves’ Road. The few times he had returned to the maze, he had been surprised to find his memory of its ways hadn’t faded. He had occasionally passed other travellers, but they had never stopped or questioned him.
    In the last few days, however, he had flouted the Thieves’ rule far more than he was comfortable with. If someone confronted him, he would have to trust that Ravi’s name still held some influence. However, he was not about to tell Sonea that. It would frighten her too much.
    Looking down at her, he felt that strange uneasiness again.
    He had always hoped she would come back one day, but had never believed it. She was different. Special. He’d always known she would get out of the slums one day.
    She
was
special, but in a way he could not have guessed. She had magic! But she also had very bad timing. Why couldn’t she have discovered it while making a cup of raka, or polishing shoes? Why do it in front of the Magicians’ Guild?
    She had,