Chapter 15, interlude

Denial of house teramir sat tensely, waiting for his client to show up. Danial, as the leader of the drifters, had a present for one of his most lucrative clients. It wasn't often he found something the assassin's guild wanted, but when he did, they payed handsomely. Across from him, a young girl and boy sat quietly. They were ten and eight, respectively, at the perfect age to start training.

The door slid open silently, and Danial felt a tremor of fear. He clenched his fists to hide the shaking. He dealt with thugs and murderers every day, but assassins were different. They were the predators and, most everyone else, prey.

"Stand up!" Order Danial. The two children hesitated, but seeing his glare, they rose, glancing fearfully at the assassin.

The assassin strode across the room, striding like a cat stalking his prey. He grasped the boy's arm and touched an amulet with eight symbols to the boy's skin. When nothing happened, he released the boy's hand. The assassin took the girl's hand and pressed his amulet against her wrist, none to gently. The girl glared up at the man, defiance in her eyes.

The eight markings on the amulet flashed with only one glowing. Light purple shone brilliantly on the amulet.

The Assassin turned to Danial, his face hidden by his dark brown cloak.

" I will give you 100 for the girl and five for the boy." said the assassin.

Danial straitened his back. This girl was much more potent than the last, he could tell by the excitement in the assassin's eyes.

"Five hundred for the girl and ten for the boy." said Danial. That girl was a gold mine. Her mind mana might be considered illegal, but to the right people, it was insanely valuable.

"Don't be a greedy bastard and test my patients. I will give you two hundred for the girl and five for the boy." said the assassin, his tone a warning.

Danial nodded his head. The assassin took out several sacks of gold from his cloak and tossed them on to the table with the familiar clank of coin. Danial smiled, checking a sac of gleaming coins. Daniel ignored the assassin and the two kids, grabbing a handful of the thick, heavy golden coins. After the recent loss of his underground hideout, Danial needed a win. The assassin gestured with a hand, and the two terrified children followed. They were not Danials problem anymore, now he just needed to find a way to make that rune smith profitable?

Danial waited until the assassin left. He put his gold in a hidden safe behind a false stone block and went to the back of the manor. The clang of a hammer on steel filled his ears and Daniel smiled. That young man was skilled at making weapons. If only he could find the other one. This Michael needed another young man by the name of Reskeme before he could start forging the drifters' runed weapons.

Trouble was, this Reskeme was hiding himself while attending the academy. And not even Michael knew what he looked like in his disguise.

Heat washed over Danial as he walked into the well stocked forge. Michael's blond hair was sotie and his bright blue eyes were facing down at the sword he was forging. Danial grinned. His men were becoming a force. High-quality steel swords for each. All Danial needed to do was provide food, water, and some threats, then Michael would do exactly what Danial needed.

He took a step back from the well-stocked forge, returning to the more tolerable heat of his mansion. No need to disturb Michael from his work. Danial had plans to make. After the recent attack on his underground hideout, he needed to set an example of the other two major thieves' guilds in the city.

He sighed as he strode down the carpeted halls of his opulent mansion. There were things to steal, a boy to capture, and the queen's court to prepare for. Rumour had it of a large contract with both the crown and the church. If Danial could get that contract, he would grow in prestige and wealth to match that of a baron, or maybe even a count? His heart raced. Now all he needed was to find the leverage on the bishop's apprentice. He needed to blackmail her or bribe her into giving Danial one of the contracts.