SIGNED – Child of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves #1)

Viola huddled in darkness, shivering. The sobs and whimpers of the other children echoed in the close, stale air. Her back ached from hours—or has it been days?—of sitting on hard stone.

Confusion drowned out her fear. How could Papa abandon me?

She hugged her knees tighter and rocked. "Bright Lady, hear me and protect me in my hour of need." She whispered the prayer over and over, clinging to the litany like a lifeline. She wouldn't succumb to her terror.

The door swung open and she shielded her eyes from the harsh light.

"Up, little 'uns." A man's voice, gruff, impatient. "Time to meet your master."

Viola tried to stand, but her legs refused to cooperate. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. She swallowed. Her tongue felt thick and coarse, her throat filled with grit.

"Up, I said!"

Viola lowered her hands and blinked back tears. A bearded man stared down, the fire in his eyes matching the torch in his hands. She shrank back, for the first time realizing she was alone in the cell.

The man snarled. "Are you deaf, child?"

Viola shook her head.

"Just stupid and useless, are you?"

Again, Viola shook her head. Her parched throat refused to form words.

"Then why in the Watcher's horny elbows are you not on your feet?"

She struggled to stand, but her knees gave way. With a curse, the man seized her and dragged her upright. His fingers dug into her arm and she cried out.

He shoved her forward. "Now, walk!"

Viola stumbled toward the door and caught herself on the frame. Her legs wobbled, but she stood.

The man pushed past. "Keep up or else..."

She shuffled to catch up to the other children. After the rank air of the room, Viola welcomed the musty odor of the passageways. Flickering torchlight set the shadows dancing through the tunnels of earth and stone. The dim light sent an eerie glow over the markings etched into the walls. She shivered.

The sound of sobs and shuffling filled the tunnels. The passageways twisted and turned, rising up a gentle incline. Before she'd taken a dozen steps, Viola's lungs begged for air and her legs burned. She refused to slow. It would make the man angry. He looked meaner than her father, even after Papa had drunk too much.

The stone walls and low roof gave way to a massive open space. Lanterns hung from the walls, casting light on an enormous chamber nearly the size of Old Town Market. The ceiling rose beyond the torchlight and a chill wind gusted through the room.

A man stood in the center. His beard looked like Papa's after a week without shaving. A tall hat flopped at an awkward angle. Silver shone in both his ears and in one of his teeth.

He spread his arms wide. "Come in, my little cherubs, come in. Stand over there. And you, take your place there. Over there, my lad. Yes, good." He rubbed his hands together.

His smile reminded Viola of Master Umlai's cat after he caught a mouse, though with fewer teeth. But it was his waistcoat that drew Viola's eye. Bright as a tomato, it looked out of place against the rest of the man's dun-colored clothing.

The man stared at them, a beatific smile on his face. "Welcome, my sweets. I know some of you are quite uncertain of what is going on, but rest assured, all of your questions will be answered in time."

Viola's knees trembled. Something about the grinning man in his bright red vest sent a chill down her spine.

He rubbed his stomach with a filthy hand. "You may call me Master Velvet. For the next ten years, the Night Guild will be as mother and father to you. For a short time, you, my dears, will be as my children. It's my duty to work the useless out of you. By the time you leave these walls, you'll be ready to join the ranks of productive Guild members."

Ten years? A tear squeezed from Viola's eye and a sob burst from her throat. A boy on her left snuffled and wiped snot on his shirt.

"You, my pet. Yes, you! Come up here." He pointed at her with a crooked finger.

She didn't want to go, but what would he do if she refused? Hands trembling, her stomach in knots, she shuffled forward.

Master Velvet wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "What's your name, child?" Up close, he looked even more like a grinning cat. Viola expected him to pounce and gobble her up.

She broke into shaking sobs. "I want to go home to my papa!"

"Well, that sounds like a silly name for such a pretty little thing." Master Velvet smiled his gap-toothed grin. "Tell me your name, my sweet."

"V-Viola."

"Look at me, Viola." He gripped her chin and tilted her face up. Viola flinched and tried to push his hands away, but he held her fast. "Your name was Viola. No longer. You have no name."

He turned to the rest of the children. "All of you. Forget the name your mother screamed when she birthed you. Forget the name your father spat as he beat you. The names you once knew are gone. You are all nameless. And nameless you will remain until you have proven yourselves worthy." He glared down at Viola. "Do you understand?"

She wiped her tears and nodded. "Yes."

"Yes, what?"

The chill in his voice made Viola shudder. "Yes, Master V-Velvet." She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Good." Master Velvet released her face and shoved her toward the huddled children. He clasped his hands behind his back and paced up the line. "Now, pay attention, my pretties. Forget your homes. Forget your families. You will never see them again. You belong to the Night Guild now."

Master Velvet stopped and stared at each child in turn. The smile on his face failed to reach his cold, dark eyes.
"You represent a significant investment on the part of the Night Guild." He stabbed a finger at the huddled mass. "Each of you has been paid for with Guild coin. Your eighth nameday has come and gone and now you belong to us. We do not take investments lightly. You will be given the skills needed to repay our investment. Those who do not..." The feline smile widened his face. "Suffice it to say, my darlings, you do not want to find out what happens to those who fail to provide a return."

Master Velvet reached into the breast pocket of his waistcoat. "Look at this coin. A silver drake, as ordinary as each of you. But watch!"

Master Velvet waved his hands and a silk cloth replaced the coin. The children gasped in surprise and delight.

"It has become a handkerchief, fit for any gentleman in the King's Court. Or has it?" Fire blazed, and the cloth burned away to reveal a dagger. "A steel blade, perfect for all manner of useful tasks." The dagger danced in his fingers, reflecting the torchlight.

Viola gaped, her eyes transfixed by the flashing steel. Suddenly, the dagger vanished and the silver drake reappeared in Master Velvet's fingers. He rolled the coin from knuckle to knuckle, flipped it in the air, and held it up for them to see.

"It must be magic!" His snaggletooth grin turned into a sneer and he drew the scarf and dagger from within his sleeves. "Wrong. There is no magic here. The magic is in your fingers, in your minds, and in your tongues. You will learn to harness this magic. You will learn the skills that will keep you alive as you serve the Night Guild."

He stopped beside Viola and placed a hand on her shoulder. The gesture reminded her of Mama, but his eyes held the chill she'd seen in Papa's before he handed her to Iltair.

"Get this through your head. We are not your family. We are your masters, and you will serve without hesitation. Obey, and the rewards will be great. Disobey, and the consequences will be severe. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes." Viola's parched throat made it difficult to croak out the words.

Master Velvet turned his gaze on the other children. "All of you, heed my warning. Look around you." His gesture encompassed the massive room. "Take it in, for this will be your new home. You will not see the sun until you have earned the right to breathe clean air. Know this: you belong to the Night Guild, body and soul."

The growl of Viola's stomach sounded loud in the large room.

Master Velvet's feline grin returned. "My poor little angels, you must all be hungry and thirsty. It is a good thing we have prepared a feast in your honor." He released Viola's shoulder and beckoned for the children to follow. "Come this way, my pretties. See how we reward those who heed."

Viola followed Master Velvet to the table at the far end of the room. The smell of fresh bread wafted from cloth-covered baskets. Bowls filled with nuts and dried fruits sat next to trays heaped high with sweetmeats. Viola joined the others in a mad rush to the table. She bit into a pastry, heedless of the grime staining her hands. The sweet taste of heavy cream filled her mouth. The pastry disappeared in two bites and she reached for another.

Master Velvet stood on the other side of the table, the catlike grin on his unkempt face. "Yes, my dearies. Eat up. Plenty of sweets for the sweet." He held out a cup. "You must be thirsty, little one."

Viola drained the honeyed water in a single draught. A fistful of raisins and a third cream-filled pastry followed. Her stomach soon protested, yet she ate until the table stood bare.

"Come, come, my darlings." Master Velvet wiped traces of food from the corner of one young boy's mouth. "You must be sleepy. We have cozy beds where you can sleep the night through."

Seizing a torch, he led them down a short hall. He opened the door and stepped into a darkened chamber. The torchlight revealed a windowless room filled with rows of bunks lining the walls.

"This, my cherubs, is where you will make your home for the immediate future. Choose your beds wisely."

The children rushed into the room, knocking Viola to the floor. Someone stepped on her arm and she cried out.

Master Velvet didn't bother to help her up. "Hurry, child, or all the good cots will be taken."

Viola climbed to her feet and shuffled toward the nearest available bed, cradling her throbbing arm against her chest. Tears carved streaks through the dust on her cheeks.

Master Velvet murmured in her ear. "Before you allow those tears to stain your new blanket, my pretty, give thanks to the gods that you were sent here." He leered at her and her stomach recoiled from his breath. He smelled like Master Umlai's slaughterhouse on a hot day. "There are worse fates than this. That, I can promise you."

Viola nodded and wiped her cheeks. "Y-Yes, Master Velvet."

Master Velvet patted her head and placed a kiss on her forehead. "There's a good girl."

Viola suppressed a shudder. She wanted to pull away, but that would make him angry. He had the same wild look she'd seen in Papa's eyes when he found his bottle empty.

"Now, off with you."

Stomach twisting, Viola hurried to her bunk. A ratty, moth-eaten blanket lay in a heap at one end of the bed. The straw-tick mattress was lumpy and uneven, and the wooden frame dug into her back.

Maybe Papa will come for me in the morning and take me home. He had to. She didn't want to spend another day in this dark place. She hated the way Master Velvet touched her and looked. I just want to go back to my sewing, mending, and gardening.

Master Velvet's voice brought her hopes crashing to the ground. "Sleep well, my cherubs. Tomorrow, you begin a new life."

The door shut with a clang, plunging them into darkness. The room filled with hushed sobs and whimpers. Viola shivered and pulled the ragged blanket up around her shoulders. She longed for her own bed, with her comforter that smelled like Mama. She wanted to smell the violas, lilies, and roses in her garden, feel the soft earth beneath her toes.

Mama's words came to her. "Stand tall, my flower, no matter what. Always keep your head up."

Tears flowed anew and she didn't stop them. I'm trying to stand tall, Mama, but I'm scared.

When she closed her eyes, Master Velvet and his leering grin filled her world.