Page 41 of The Thief's Mark

Griff glanced at Cal and waved him on. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up to you in a moment.”

Cal had to admire Griff’s commitment to the bit. Then again, risking your reputation must be a good deal scarier when you couldn’t simply swap to a new identity if everything went south.

Nodding to Griff, Cal continued out the door and down the steps. He maintained Lord Heneford’s waddling swagger until he’d passed down a side street. The moment he was out of sight, he released his grip on duskflame, returning to his natural form.

He’d just settled in against the wall to wait for Griff when he heard a slow clap echoing down the alley. He whirled, but before he could bolt, he recognized Kelsith’s familiar voice.

“Congratulations on a job well done, Faces. The National Treasury’s a big target, even for Blackjack.” Kelsith stepped intoview at the far end of the alley, wearing his trademark mocking grin. “More importantly, congratulations on the headway you’ve made with Griff. Corrupting an inspector? Who knew a gutter rat like you had it in you?”

Cal winced at the term. He and Kelsith had jokingly called each other that and far worse during their time together. He didn’t know much about where Kelsith had been before coming to Derimay—just enough not to ask. From clues he’d picked up during their time together, he suspected that Kelsith had once been a slave in one of the Razakethi ‘Sin Cities.’ Not a pleasant way to live, by all accounts.

Still, even if Kelsith didn’t mean anything by it, Cal found he didn’t appreciate the term as much as he once had.

“You’ve grown so much since the old days,” Kelsith continued. “Both with your duskflame, and with your prowess as a thief. There’s not much left I could teach you.” He halted a good ten paces from Cal and seemed to hesitate before opening his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. “Still, I’d love to try. You asked me before why I decided to reveal myself after all this time. The truth is, it wasn’t just to check on you or to warn you about that inspector. I miss you, Faces. I know it’s five years too late, but I was hoping you might give me another chance. We could have a true partnership this time—not as mentor and student, but as equals.” He took another hesitant step forward, his tone imploring. “What do you say?”

The kid in Cal—what remained of the boy he’d been all those years ago fighting to survive or find his next meal—rejoiced at the offer. How many nights had he longed to hear those exact words coming from his impossible-to-please mentor?

The adult Cal, however, quickly tamped the impulse down. He glanced back toward the courtyard, turning away from Kelsith. “You should go. Griff will be along any moment.”

“Please, Faces. At least tell me you’ll think about it?”

Cal hesitated, the two parts of him inside warring as his stomach roiled. Logically, he knew he should tell Kelsith to get lost. How could Cal ever trust him again after the way he’d left Cal high and dry versus those protectors and for all the years since?

Yet despite it all, there was still a part of him, buried deep, that longed for Kelsith’s approval more than anything.

He glanced up, meeting Kelsith’s hopeful eyes. “All right,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I’ll think about it.”

Kelsith beamed at him. “Thank you, Faces. I knew I could count on you. That’s all I ask. See you around.”

The thief vanished back down the alleyway.

Cal stared after him, racked with indecision. Today, Griff had offered him a taste of another world—another life. But if he was honest with himself, he knew that Kelsith’s world was where he belonged.