I didn’t try running. Helvek had spotted me already and made swift progress to where I stood. All running would do is dey this and antagonize him and Almaseot something I could afford to do, nor want to do. No matter how much this deyed me, I was o terms with both of them.

  As Helvek neared I could make out more details. He still had his tusks polished, and the guild sigil tattoht underh his left eye. It seemed a little silly, but I used to polish my horns. I really couldn’t judge.

  I waved a hand iing. “Helvek, good to see you! I’m sorry, but I’m not here on guild business. Mr. Kasyp, a fellow alchemist, hired me to che his-”

  His steady barito me off. “Mr. Kasyp already sent word that you’d be entering his b. That’s not what this is about, Miss Fara. Mr. Almasek would like to see you.”

  “It seems many people want to see me as of te,” I said. “How truly urgent is this?”

  “Very urgent,” Helvek said. “He said he’d appreciate you treating it like a serious matter. No deying this for days like you usually do because you’d rather do something else.”

  “I treat everything seriously. It’s just some things by nature are more important to me than others. We all have our priorities.”

  Helvek remained quiet. The orc, as far as I knew, didn’t have any strong opinions outside of the ohe Guild paid him to have.

  I sighed. “I’m not getting out of talking with him before I leave, right?”

  “You are correct.”

  ***

  Helvek had escorted me right to the guildmaster’s office. It was busier than usual, a dozen adventurers gathered. All of them must be here for one reason or another involving Almaseck, and I’d offered an apologetic grin as I’d been marched past the entire queue.

  I really did not want to get on the bad side of a group that included Loony Marvin, the er of Keckel, Vraspus Chilltooth (a fake o be sure but actually skilled at his craft), two padins of very differeies, and Harask Many-cloaks, who was rumored to be varying members of a massive ratfolk tribe who took turns wearing an ented cloak.

  They hadn’t seemed too upset. Maybe not here for the guild master, then.

  Helvek was behind me, guarding the door. It was an arra I was used to, as well as this office. A desk of bck wood, some rare material from deep in the earth, was the terpiece. A high-backed chair on one side, several others oher. Lining the walls were dispy cases and trophies, treasures found, and heads severed respectively by the guild master. I’d heard stories about many of them several times during the frequent recruitment speeches. Almaseck had once cimed I was making their spirits sad by refusing so many times in a row.

  Adventuring had started as a way to get ingredients that threateo devour the rest of my life. Not in a serious way, but it was hard to ignore how all the usual groups I worked with were regurly dropping hints about how great it would be to do this full-time. Or how each manager was sure to mention how they were recruiting for full-time positions. How there always seemed to be a Guildmaster ready to talk to me about the possibilities of joining the Guild.

  The city had ten guild masters. I’d met and talked with every one of them four times apiece at a minimum over the st year. All of them had their peculiarities, but none of them I’d call odious. They wanted people with talent, so it was a little fttering.

  “Ah, admiring the griffon head?”

  I turned around to see Aaron Almaseck.

  The guild master was a short man, shorter than even my current form, and you’d think him fat at first gnce, round and practically poured into a suit. I’d learned by my third meeting that what most would think of as fat was nothing of the sort after he’d punched out a rowdy orc recruit who’d gotten a little too full of himself. Dark hair in braids obscured browhat were usually lively.

  When they weren’t, it was a good sign to watch out.

  “There’s a good story attached to how I cleaved that head off of its owner,” he said, heading for his chair.

  I smiled genuinely. “Yes, I believe I’ve heard it four times already.”

  “Well, I do like to repeat a good yarn.”

  “This year, I should crify.”

  He ughed, settling down in the chair.

  “Apologies about keeping you so long, I had a few things to deal with that popped up right now. It couldn’t be avoided. One of my groups goes missing somewhere down deep and to the south, huntis of something creeping out of tunnels and going after livestock outside the city. They’ve got the surface tunnels closed, but you know how it is, new ones always open. Wish I knew why.”

  “Dwarves, likely trying to get some revenge,” I said.

  “You might be right. But the official policy of Her Majesty, which means an official policy of the Guild, is all the dwarves who aren’t citizens of the empire are gone. Anyway, there’s a bounty for whatever is down there. They vanish for a week, I think nothing of it. Groups are gone for longer, even if it’s a small area pared to most guild responsibilities. O hits three, I get worried and send anroup down. They return with a pair of arms they found. Turo stone.”

  I paused. That was…discerting, if only because of what might be in the underground. “A basilisk?”

  “It certainly wasn’t a sewer gator, and while it might be dwarves, I don’t want to pte them taming a basilisk,” Almasek replied. “City officials are already being made aware, although it’s deep enough down that they’ll leave it to us for now. Question: How quickly could you whip up a cure for petrification?”

  I frowned. “The guild has alchemists, you ’t tell me you haven’t asked them yet.”

  He nodded in response, pulling a piece of paper out. “I have. And most of them don’t have the materials. What I am asking is, as a personal favor, do you have any materials from your very reputable stores that help make these.”

  I drummed my fingers nervously. “Not on me. And for in my b….well, I don’t expect to find it intact when I return.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Something likely to follow you down here? Problems with the w?”

  “Probably not, and maybe,” I answered. “I didn’t start the issue with the w; holy, they are pretty low on the list of people after me.”

  Almaseck grunted. “You could stay down here, depending on other factors. While you were w, the groups you were attached to had some of the highest clearaes on the boards. I hat. Young alchemists are a rarity in the underground.”

  I smiled politely. “Most young alchemists probably think you make money much more safely simply brewing on the surface above. No offeo the guild.”

  “aken,” He responded, marking something in his book. I resisted the urge to try and take a peek. “I ’t say I don’t uand. The basilisk does make me wish the timing could work out more.”

  I drummed my fingers oable. “The brewing isn’t the problem, it’s getting access to the ingredients itself, which is fluid from the creature's eyeballs. If whoever takes it down is careful not to damage anyone who is petrified, it’s a simple matter from there.”

  “Unfortunately, the damn thing will insist on not making it a simple matter,” Almaseck growled, expression tempestuous. “I’ve had the displeasure of fighting one. You’d think the gods would have figured petrifying people with a look was enough and not make it hard to injure and damn strong.”

  I nodded. I’d never seen one in person, but I had seen a skeleton at the Imperial Museum of Dungeonology. It figured a lizard the size of a horse could have some serious punch behind it. Maybe not enough to shatter stone on its own, but you couldn’t judge something or someone’s strength by how they looked.

  “I do have some small way I help,” I offered. “There is one young alchemist who seems to sider the thrill of adventure greater than the safety of a b.”

  Almaseck grunted and sidered me for a few seds. Realizing he wouldn’t directly ask me, I tinued.

  “Miss Harie, Mr. Halmon's apprentice, asked me if I could get her into the guild or at least talk to you about the possibility.”

  Almaseck groaned in response, closing his eyes for several seds before they snapped back open.

  “I ’t imagine you are under any illusions this is the first time she’s asked about this, on her own or through intermediaries,” he told me.

  “I figured as much,” I said. “I’m guessing Mr. Halmon is the issue?”

  “Addrias Halmon is one of the most paranoid and vindictive people I know,” Almaseck said. “Holy, your insisten being so polite all the time is probably the only reason he hasn’t shot at you yet. Not because he likes you, but because I hope he’s on his st legs with the Guild and needs a believable reason.”

  My grin became much less genuine as I processed that. “Hope? I thought the guild had to approve and manage all the suppliers down here. Do you not mahat?”

  “I mahat for close to all of them,” Almaseck said in a disgruone. “I ’t say who Halmon has in his pockets, but they are further up the food than myself. So I’m ly enthused about taking on one of his current apprentices and risk drawing his ire. Sht now, the ao the young dy is no.”

  “She’ll be disappointed, but I suppose we all learaste of that sooner or ter,” I replied.

  Well, I’d have to remember all of this for ter. I’d never have guessed the sketchy gnome was that well-ected or had that mufluence, but I supposed that’s why he acted the way he did. Distraark from your iions.

  “I do have an issue I could use some answers oed to my own troubles. It’s a little bit of a stretch, but are you acquainted with the gang known as the Purebloods?”

  Almasek’s eyes narrowed. “I am. I dealt with them a few times, and none of them were pleasant. You’ve met them?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. They attacked me because I was trying to aid…well, a member of the Bck Fme.”

  Almaseck grunted nonittally. “That’s none of my business. I tell you that most of my dealings with those are usually gang members trying to get some cash on the side or w a job through the guild. Not this lot, though. Came right down, informed me if I wao operate, I’d o stop hiring non-humans.”

  “That seems like a bit of an overreach,” I said. “They leaned oire guild or just you?”

  “Me and every human guild master. And you’re right on the overreach part. I settled for letting Helvek work the ohat came here over sihe asshole decided to insult Helvek to his face. Travult settled for letting them go with a firm no. Carsacci apparently let her people know it en season till they got out of the underground.”

  Almaseck turo the window overlooking the street, sn derisively. “Fug three-fourths of the guild is non-human, and it’s hardly a secret. They were io even make the attempt.”

  “They might not be that insane,” I said. “The number of guild members who aren’t human might be the point. You are one of the riskiest but fastest ways to bee someone in the empire without race being a major factor.”

  “They did hint they had ties to some of the bigger pro-human movements. Wouldn’t shock me if they had some kind of e, although no one would stand up for them publicly. You said you tangled with them because of the Bck Fme?”

  “They were trying to rip a box off of him,” I firmed.

  “Probably just gang business. I did a little looking on the side myself, when they aren’t intimidating non-humans or cheg each other for red hairs, they’re like any ang.”

  I chuckled at the idea of them going through each other's hair looking for strands. “Seeing if they have aish blood? Do they check their skin color as well, make sure it’s within the acceptable range?”

  “Maybe. Probably. You really that ied?”

  I shook my head. “Not really. Just amused. They already set themselves quite the task of going after every non-human in the empire, then they want to add other humans to the mix as well? You think they’d pick their battles.”

  “The smart ones aren’t oreets selling wiz and khaliff to people in dark alleys when they espouse their ideas.”

  He had a point. “I don’t suppose you have any crete information? Known members, locations, anything like that?”

  Almaseck sidered me for a moment before speaking. “Some. Not much. I’ll have Helvek collect it before you leave. We do have oher matter to discuss.”

  I nodded. “Helvek said this was urgent. And the Basilisk most alchemists could help you with. Why did you o speak to me, Guildmaster?”

  “Yesterday I was visited both by the City Watd Mr. Voltar, the greatest detective of the empire. Separate times, same subject. Files on a freence alchemist often employed out of my guild.” Helvasek sidered me, steepling his fingers. “Why are they so ied in you, Fara?”

  I didn’t move my head but I suddenly was much more aware of Helvek’s silent presence a foot behind me.

  Mouth dry, I answered. “Well, I mentiohe Bck Fme, Mr. Almasek, they likely-“

  “If they were just trying to find out information on that they wouldn’t have been trying to find out what adventuring parties you’ve been a part of over the st two years. Unless you think of how that’s relevant to your enter with the Bck Fme and Purebloods?”

  “I holy ’t,” I said. Best not to say anything too rash in here. My blood might as well be ice. This could not be a simple ce at this point, but how did that damn Voltar know?

  “Perhaps if they want to build a case of some kind against me, they’re looking into some of the es I’ve cultivated-”

  “Halmon,” Amsek cut me off dourly. “Why does every alchemist end up dealing with that graverobber Fara? It’s bad enough he’s already e up on my life today. I prefer keeping that as the maximum.”

  “He is very good at what he does,” I admitted. “Holy, I’d say at least in terms of finding corpses to secure ingredients from, I suspeeancy. Or somethied to death, he seems to know whehing dies down here. And since he clearly has es high in the guild.”

  Almaseorted. “I see your point. Well, they’ll probably have visited him as well.”

  “Most assuredly so,” I agreed. And if they had, Halmon hadn’t hi to me during our versation. It’s not like the gnome owed me anything, but hiding it in the face.

  “Why are they so ied, Katheryn?” He asked.

  The bluntness of it was like an old fish to the fa effect. Had he ever called me by my assumed first name before? I couldn’t remember. No one called me Katheryn. I made sure of it on purpose.

  “It’s a personal matter,” I answered briskly. “I appreciate the , but it doesn’t the guild, so-”

  “The guild is already involved,” he said in a voice filled with steel. Not loud, but each word felt like a hammer to my head. “Every guildmaster iy has been approached by people about your activities in their se of the city. Not all by the Watd Voltar. What did you do?”

  “I couldn’t say-”

  “Couldn’t or won't?”

  My mouth snapped shut. Did he have a truthteller hidden here somewhere? I haden or drank anything down here, but a mage of the right talents could cast a spell. With what I’d doo myself, I wouldn’t be able to tell until it was reversed.

  At least now I knew what other factoverned my staying here.

  Almaseck sidered me some more, leaning forward in his chair. My hands tensed. His eyes were cold. It felt like staring doredator.

  “You are a free tractor. Indepe from the Guild. There’s very little I do to pressure you into telling me why they are so ied, Katheryn. With some of the hints Voltar dropped, I don’t think pressuring you would do either of us favors.”

  “More than you could possibly guess,” I said. “You wouldn’t like what would e out.”

  It was supposed to be a jest, but before it left my lips, I’d twisted it into something darker without meaning to.

  Behind me, I could feel Helvek tense, but Almaseck didn’t so much as twitch.

  “I take it that wasn’t a threat?” He asked me quietly. The implication of what would happen if I said yes in. A dozen guild members, well-respected and experienced, just happened not to be doing anything today right outside his office.

  How much had Voltar told him?

  I shook my head. I didn’t trust myself to speak. The sileretched until some words made their way out. “I didn’t io make one. I don’t want us to be enemies, Mr. Almasek.”

  “It’s iing you think we’d be enemies, Katheryn,” he said, getting up from his desk. “Until this matter is resolved, and until I’m given some crete information about what makes the imperial gover so ied in you, you are sidered persona non grata to the guild and all areas it manages. You know the way out.”