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I straightened. The Circle referred to the ring of powerful people who essentially owned and ran the Thieves Guild.

The Guildmaster reported to them, but as far as I knew, no one knew their names or had ever seen their faces.

They pulled strings and gave orders from the shadows, never appearing in the open or within the guild itself.

But there was no doubt that they conducted their affairs with an iron fist, and those who crossed them either fell into great misfortune, or disappeared from the city entirely.

A request from the Circle meant they had taken notice of me, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good in that they

considered me an asset; talent had value in the guild, and those who were skilled were not so easily discarded. Bad because

if I screwed this up, who knew what the Circle would do to me?

But the fact that this had come from the Circle, from the leaders of the guild, meant Vahn would have to see me now. I couldn’t fail this task. This was my chance to impress him once and for all, no matter how dangerous the

request.

Meeting his gaze, I nodded with what I hoped was a confident grin. “Whatever the Circle needs me to do, I can do it.”

Vahn regarded me a moment more, then reached down and picked up a roll of parchment from among the various papers and coins

scattered over his desk. The parchment had been sealed with red wax, though I couldn’t see the image branded into the wax

from where I stood. For a few heartbeats, Vahn hesitated, staring down at the scroll, almost as if debating whether to give

it to me. Finally, his jaw tightened, and he held out the parchment across the desk.

“Don’t open it here,” he said, pulling back slightly as I reached for it. “These orders are for your eyes alone. When you

are finished with the letter, destroy it and speak of it to no one else. You are not to divulge or discuss its contents with

anyone, not even me. Is that understood?”

I swallowed. “What are they going to ask me to do, steal the High Chancellor’s ring? From his finger?”

Vahn’s eyes narrowed and his lips thinned, causing his scar to go white. “Is that understood?” he repeated tightly.

“Yes,” I replied, and reached for the parchment. “Understood.”

“This is not a game, Sparrow,” he said, still not relinquishing the scroll as my fingers closed on it. “Recognition from the

Circle is an honor, but they do not tolerate failure. If you fail them, both our lives could be forfeit. Because I am the

one who vouched for you in the first place.” His gaze sharpened, his voice turning cold. “So be absolutely certain you understand

what is at stake.”

My stomach dropped. “I’m sorry,” I said, as ice coiled around my insides. “You’re right. I’ll take this seriously.”

He finally let me take the parchment, holding my gaze as I drew it back. Glancing at the scroll, I saw the wax seal had been

stamped with the emblem of a skull wearing a crown. The image was not one I had ever seen before.

A chill slid up my back.

“Go on, then,” Vahn said, jerking his chin at the door behind me. “I imagine you’ll want to read that and get started right

away. Remember, not a word of this to anyone, Sparrow. The Circle are not to be trifled with.”

Clutching the scroll, I hesitated, wondering if I could still talk to him.

There had been days that I had spent hours in his office, sitting on a chair while he worked, sometimes practicing my skills on different locks or containers, sometimes listening as he spoke to clients about jobs that only the guild could do.

I had been immersed in guild politics and hijinks from the time I could walk, but lately, it seemed Vahn’s door was always closed to me. I wished I knew how to open it again.

Vahn studied me in silence, obviously waiting for me to leave, his eyes stony and flat. Biting my lip, I nodded, then slipped

into the dimly lit halls and narrow corridors of the guild.

In the privacy of my room, I broke the wax seal and unrolled the parchment. Holding the scroll in the flickering light of

a candle, I started to read.

Guildmember Sparrow,

It has been brought to our attention that you are a person of considerable talents and skill. We of the Circle wish to acquire

an item, and we wish for you to procure it for us.

I rolled my eyes. Acquire . Procure . Terms of the guild. It was amusing how much effort went into dancing around the actual word, as if we were fooling anyone.

We were a guild of thieves. We stole things. Simple as that.

The note went on:

The item we wish you to obtain lies at the heart of the Garden District. Guildmember Sparrow, you are to acquire, by whatever

means necessary, the Tapestry of the World from the Temple of Fate. You are to present it to Guildmaster Vahn by the end of

the week. If you cannot achieve this, we will consider you to have failed.

You are to speak of this to no one. You are to take no one with you. Retrieve the tapestry from the Temple of Fate, or the Guildmaster will suffer the consequences of your failure. We hope you will not disappoint us.

You have three days.

I burned the letter in a daze, my mind reeling as I watched the parchment shrivel into ashes. Steal the Tapestry of the World

from the Temple of Fate? Were the members of the Circle mad? Don’t tempt Fate was a common saying throughout all the districts, from the lowest of thieves and beggars to the highest nobles. If I did

this, I wasn’t going to be merely tempting Fate—I’d be spitting in her face.

But... if I didn’t, Vahn would be blamed for my failure. Which meant I had to succeed. I didn’t think the Circle would outright kill him; Vahn was the leader of a very tightly run guild of thieves, the only one in Kovass. It

would be bad business to remove the person holding it all together. But I’d heard the stories. I knew they had killed people

for less. I could not fail, which meant I had to succeed.

Besides , I mused as the last of the parchment dissolved into specks of ash, the wax dripping onto the stones like blood, this has to be some sort of test . The Circle had chosen me to attempt a heist no sane person would even think about. They were either trying to get rid of

me—which made little sense, since I was one of their “most profitable” assets—or they were gauging my skills because they

truly believed I was the only thief who could pull this off.

Well, if that was true, I had better prove them right.