Page 17 of By the Horns (Royal Artifactual Guild #2)

Ten

Raptor

Gentlemen,

Keeping this brief. Going out with the fledglings on my team this weekend. Am trying to get to know them better. So far I’ve got a braggart, a lazy loaf, a woman, and a lizard. There’s no way this group is passing any tests. Still looking for signs that one is our master thief.

—Raptor

PS—I should get paid extra for spending my weekends pretending to be a student.

Gwenna is an intriguing sort of puzzle, and I find her more interesting with every day.

She carries herself like a true professional during all the training exercises that Master Jay puts us through, no matter how brutal they might be.

She never complains, just does them to the best of her ability.

I like that in a person, regardless of gender.

Whereas Kipp, Arrod, and Hemmen seem to be settling into their roles as fledglings, I can’t help but feel that Gwenna grows more agitated by the day, as if she can’t rest. Perhaps it’s that which draws me to her constantly.

Right now, she’s staring me down over her beer, practically daring me to try to discover her secrets. I love a challenge, so how can I refuse? I give her a smile and slide my stool a little closer to hers, leaning over. “Tell me more about you.”

“Why? So you can use it against me?” She arches a brow. “Don’t you think I know someone trying to fish for information when I see one?”

I grin wider, loving that she’s calling me out on it. “What’s wrong with a little information? Maybe I just want to get to know you better.”

I’m surprised when she blushes, her round cheeks turning bright red. “You know me plenty well already.”

Not well enough. But if she wants to hold on to her secrets for a while longer, I’ll just enjoy the slow unveiling. She takes a sip of her drink, her mouth pink and full.

Lusty, dark thoughts slide through my mind even though I just took my latest potion dose yesterday. I shouldn’t be feeling anything.

Maybe Naiah’s batch this time wasn’t as strong. I’ll have to say something to her.

There’s a strand of Gwenna’s dark hair that has escaped her no-nonsense bun, and it takes everything I have in me not to brush it away.

Sarya, I remind myself. You’re allowed to admire attractive women but you want Sarya.

“Fine. If you don’t want to share your secrets with me, share your observations.

Surely it can’t hurt to tell me what you really think of the others in our Five? ”

She takes another sip of her beer and licks the foam off her upper lip. Sarya, I remind myself. Sarya and the way she touched me like she owned me. I want that again. I must stay strong.

Gwenna glances about the tavern, her gaze lingering on Arrod and Hemmen at a table in the back.

Arrod is chatting with a barmaid, and Hemmen has pulled out a book.

She looks to Kipp, where he’s twining himself around the other slitherskin, and finally back to me.

“Well, if I’m going off observations from this week alone, I would say that Arrod is spoiled.

Probably comes from nobility or a rich merchant family.

He’s not been told no a lot in his life.

I don’t expect him to be the type to work harder as the pressure increases. ”

I look over at Arrod. The human man is fingering his sash as he charms the barmaid, leaning closer to her than he should. He’s giving her a flirty smile that I’ve seen him flash at Gwenna all week long. “Do you think he’s handsome?”

“I think he should have been smacked a bit more as a boy,” she replies tartly. “Then he wouldn’t be so full of himself.”

Erupting with laughter, I pound a fist on the bar.

She’s got him pegged, all right. My thoughts were the same—a man who’s gotten by on his charm and money all this time.

But if he has coin, is he our thief? Has he always been wealthy, or is it a more recent development? “You think he’s trustworthy?”

She considers this for a moment. “Do you mean, do I trust him to carry me out of a collapsing tunnel? I don’t trust any of you lot to do that.”

I lean in so I can lower my voice. “I’d carry you out.”

Gwenna puts a finger on my nose and pushes me away. “And you’d demand a kiss for it.”

“Taurians don’t kiss. We save our tongues for other things.”

Her color gets high.

“But we won’t speak of that,” I drawl, reminding myself of Sarya. “What do you think of Hemmen?”

“I try not to think of him at all,” Gwenna retorts. “But if I must…he reminds me a lot of Aspeth.”

“Aspeth?” I’m startled by her answer.

“Sorry, Sparrow. It’s taking me a long time to remember to call her that.” She grimaces and stares down at her drink. “But aye, he reminds me of her. She was always creeping off into corners to read, would rather sit in a chair with a book than attend a party.”

Considering that currently Hemmen is at a distant table with a beer in one hand and a book in the other, ignoring his surroundings, it’s not much of an observation. “That’s all you’ve got on him?”

“Like I said, he reminds me of my friend. He’s terrible at just about everything Master Jay sets him to, except that he’s knowledgeable about Old Prell. I’m not going to complain about that, because I’m terrible at everything as well, and I am not knowledgeable about Old Prell in the slightest.”

“You can ask me. I’m happy to share what I know. You pick up a lot just by being in the field.”

She seems surprised at my offer, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she studies me. “Thank you. That’s very kind. I don’t like being the worst member of our team. Bad enough that I’m the only female one. I’d like to be successful at something.”

“You’re just fine,” I reassure her. “Everyone’s terrible when they start out as fledglings.”

“Yes, but I was a repeater. I should have some experience.”

“Doesn’t matter. If you were good at everything they throw at us, you’d be wearing an artificer sash instead.”

She lifts her beer, acknowledging my words.

“And what about Kipp?”

“Kipp is exactly what he seems to be,” she says, her tone taking on a defensive note.

“He’s self-contained and very competent.

It’s just that we communicate through words and he doesn’t, so that’s the biggest issue.

That and his size. But if I needed someone to carry me out of a collapsing tunnel…

well, he wouldn’t be able to, but he’d do what he could to save me anyhow. ”

Loyal, affectionate words. Their bond is stronger than she’s let on through the week.

I consider this, wondering if I need to pry at her more.

I haven’t found a single shred of evidence that would lead me to a thieving repeater, but we’re all still settling into our roles as fledglings.

Any smart crook would wait for things to grow quiet before making a move. I need to be patient, too.

She’s gazing up at me, that challenging look still on her face.

“And what do you think of me?” I ask, curious. “What are your observations?”

Gwenna tilts her head and takes another sip of her drink.

Then she gives a tiny shrug of her shoulders and touches her fledgling sash, and her body language changes to one of fluttery discomfort.

“I think you’re a flirt and you use your charm like a weapon.

But you won’t let anyone get close to you.

You keep them right where you want them. ”

I stare down at her. That was…far more astute than I’d like.

A smile blooms across her lips and she straightens, her posture growing more erect with her confidence. She likes having rattled me. Lifting her chin, she asks, “How’d you get burned anyhow?”

Just like that, the easy fun of the night is gone. All the patchy fur around my eyes has grown back, and thanks to the guild healers, you’d never know I was injured. I drawl my answer, choosing it carefully so I can watch her response. “I don’t recall saying I was burned.”

Sure enough, she gets flustered, her face turning red. “Oh. I just…” She waves a hand at her own eyes. “I just recognized that the skin around your eyes seemed pinker than the rest of your flesh. I assumed it was a burn.”

I grunt, on edge. “My, you are observant.”

And I wonder what other secrets she’s keeping. All my suspicions are focusing on her. If it turns out that Gwenna’s the thief, I’m going to be truly disappointed because I actually like her. It’s impossible not to like her. Perhaps that’s how she’s slipped under the guild’s noses for so long.

But the thief has been murdering other repeaters. Does Gwenna have what it takes to murder? I don’t think she does, but the more agitated she gets, the more I wonder. If she’s not the killer, it’s possible she knows who it is.

Either way, she bears closer watching.