We sleep poorly that night, kept awake by the Thieves' Guild's petty bickering as they ransack our personal belongings. I cringe when the beastwoman takes out my mirror and admires herself in it, but thankfully, its magic doesn't seem to activate. She tosses it into a pile of trinkets, presumably never to care about it again.

  They play cards for our pouches of gold. They make the first to fold take us out to the latrines, roughly, one at a time. Once again, I'd kill a man for indoor plumbing. Lilah, meanwhile, wins the lion's share. I can't tell if she's cheating, but I'd put all of my stolen money down on that wager.

  "And here I was worried you was going soft," Styx confesses, lightly punching her in the arm. "Good to see you're the same as ever."

  "Yeah. The same as ever."

  The raucous party dies down and the thieves slowly filter out to their sleeping quarters. Lilah is, as both punishment and prize for winning so much, our designated guard. She looks and acts like that longsword isn't just for show, but once the large room is empty, she takes off her mask and looks at us seriously.

  "We're not friends," she repeats. "We're not comrades or party members. We don't even know each other. I don't want to go back to Earth. But if your goal is to take down Sinensis, I'm not going to stand in your way."

  "Are you going to help us escape?" Izumi asks, wide-eyed.

  "Regrettably."

  "Aww, you like us."

  "I do not. I'm just doing what's best for the Guild. We can't afford to have the demons butting in with their laws, stopping our operations. A win for the Guild is a win for me, and that's all the reason I need."

  Lilah unlocks the cell door. "Get your things and go. Keep a low profile."

  "You'll probably never beat Sinensis," she continues. "But he's not the type to kill you, either. You might as well resign yourselves to living in this world. You won't be welcome in our city anymore, but there are other places and other people who will take you in, if you're lucky."

  "And if we're unlucky?" I ask.

  "You'll probably get killed by goblins or something," she says casually.

  "Then come with us." Izumi steps forward, a hand outstretched. "Let's become friends. Let's set that bastard straight together."

  "Not on your life. Leave before I change my mind."

  "No." Izumi is steadfast. "We need all the help we can get, and if you can convince the Guild to let us go, rather than helping us sneak out—"

  "Fine, then. A Thieves' Duel," Lilah interrupts. "We'll have a Thieves' Duel to see what happens."

  "What's that?" I whisper to Mamoru.

  To my surprise, he shrugs. "Must be something unique to this world."

  Izumi looks nervous, but she puts her best foot forward. "You're on."

  "Care to explain?" I ask.

  "You're given a set amount of time – let's say five minutes, according to this hourglass – and your goal is to find the most valuable thing in the room. When the time limit is up, we compare. You're allowed to steal from each other, but you can't fight outright. It's all about finesse and attention to detail." There's something distinctly dishonest about Lilah's smile. "If you win, I'll take my leave of the Guild and party up with you. If I win, you leave town and never come back."

  The three of us look at each other and nod in unison. Three versus one? How tough could that be? My target is probably going to be Lavender's mirror, but it won't hurt to continue looking around.

  "We'll need a third party." Lilah puts her fingers in her mouth and whistles loudly.

  The building comes alive with the sounds of crooks waking up, scrambling for their boots, and assembling in the main room.

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  "Come one, come all, to the Thieves' Duel," Lilah proclaims.

  Excited murmurs rise from the crowd. My nemesis, that damned beastwoman, steps forward. Without her mask, I can finally see black and tan fur on her face, almost like a police dog's markings. Her ears stand straight up with interest. "I'll be your judge this evening."

  "Thanks, Chey."

  She merely nods and takes hold of the hourglass on the table. "Typical five minutes?"

  "Yeah."

  "Then begin!"

  The members of the Thieves' Guild mill around, picking up this and that, causing a distraction. I want to pay attention to what they've got, but I know I have to focus. Where did that damned mirror go?

  As I walk past him, Mamoru looks his sleeping horse up and down. He murmurs contemplatively, "The value of a life?"

  I hadn't even considered it might not be a literal challenge. If that's the case, the mirror means all the more to me. It's a window right into the heart of evil, a token of my connection with those in power. There's nothing about it that doesn't scream value from the etchings in silver to the inlaid stones. I hurry to scavenge it from where it was so carelessly discarded.

  Lilah takes her time walking over to the table and begins to inspect the dirty dishes. She twirls a fork in her hand thoughtfully for a moment, then takes a seat. Has she given up already, or is that some kind of magical fork?

  Mamoru saunters over, pulls a chair out, and tips it back a little as he reclines with his hands behind his head. Has he, too, finished?

  Izumi is next to the table, her face flushed with excitement. She leans in close to Lilah and blows on the back of her neck.

  "What the hell?!"

  "Hold still."

  As the two girls struggle, Izumi manages to unclasp the dark stone around Lilah's neck. She holds it triumphantly and takes the next seat over.

  Suddenly, I worry that my choice was wrong. Maybe they did mean literal value, after all. Maybe there was gold-plated armor, or a silver tea kettle, or a broadsword with emeralds in its hilt. Maybe I'm digging my own grave.

  I take a seat, clutching the mirror. I have to believe what I'm about to do is right.

  "And that's time. Let's see what you've got." Chey walks over to the table, where we all await her judgement.

  Mamoru stands up, hands in the air like he's about to confess to a crime. Then his face twists into the most unbearably smug expression. "For most valuable thing in this room, I choose the Chosen Hero."

  "And who would that be?" Chey asks, not missing a beat.

  "Myself, of course. I was summoned to save this world from the Demon Lord, and after all, what's more valuable than that?"

  "An interesting point. I'll accept your choice. Next?"

  Izumi holds out a black stone on a silver chain and looks Lilah dead in the eyes. "I submit your father's late wife's talisman. It holds the most sentimental value of anything here. I stole it from you fair and square."

  "I let you take it," Lilah grumbles, but doesn't actually protest.

  "Another interesting argument. Accepted. Third?"

  I take a deep breath and pull out my mirror. I wonder if anyone else can see the purple glow. A few gasps let on that I might not be the only one. I can hear whispers: Is that demon magic? When did we pick up a cursed relic?

  "I have a compact mirror." I run my hand over the jewels, as if something so simple could relax me. "That has a two-way communication spell that allows me to speak to the right hand of the Demon Lord."

  "They slipped it into my bag when I left his castle. I don't know why. They liked me, I guess." I put it down on the table and immediately miss the feel of cold metal in my hands. "I submit this item for its unlimited potential to speak with those who rule this kingdom."

  "You're playing with powers you don't understand." Chey whistles low under her breath.

  Mamoru looks angry. Izumi looks crushed.

  "I had to keep it a secret," I plead with them.

  But we don't have the time to discuss it.

  "Lilah, and you?"

  She stands and holds out her arms as if embracing everyone.

  "Everything," she says. "I hold each treasure close to my heart, and so everything here is valuable, down to the last fork. It belongs to me and my family, and so it has more value than anything else in the world."

  Well, shit. She even managed to upstage Izumi's emotional plea. This doesn't bode well for us. Without our weapons, how well will we be able to fight our way out? Could I summon up that magic again to use offensively?

  Why didn't I insist on nurturing that ability instead of ignoring it? I should have asked Izumi to help me practice with it as soon as it manifested.

  "Congratulations," Chey addresses the three of us. "You passed the test. We'll consider letting you join us."

  Wait. No. This is the opposite of what I want. This isn't what we agreed on at all!

  "What do you mean?" I manage to squeak out.