Manu caught sight of an inimical spot of color in the corner of his vision.

As soon as he saw the red woman coming towards him, the nape of his neck tingled with anticipation. It wouldn’t have taken much to get an ominous feeling just by observing her for a couple of moments, but the scarlet robes certainly confirmed much of what he suspected: a mage.

“You are the one they call Manu,” said the mage disdainfully as she drew closer.

Manu noticed that she was taller than he was but kept his eyes steady. The others next to him moved aside instinctively—so much for their loyalty; dealing with thugs and authorities was one thing, but few wanted to get on the bad side of a mage, and they weren’t entirely wrong for thinking that, since a single mage could kill four, five, maybe even a dozen people before she was brought down.

Assuming you could even bring one down.

The mage had emerged from Razlan’s wagon, oddly enough, and now Esmi had gotten out as well and ran up to them only to stop halfway, too scared to proceed. “You will answer to me,” said the mage.

“I don’t know you,” he said coolly, trying to keep his nerves. Far above, stormclouds were coming from the east. Temperature was getting rather chilly. There was a strong chance this could end lethally. Not a great way to die. Although, thankfully, it was still too warm for the ground to freeze over in the eventuality that he died here today and needed burying.

“You do not need to know me,” she said. “You have something of mine.”

“I don’t think so.”

The mage smirked and took a threatening step. “Avoid making this any worse for you than it has to be. Surrender the stone, and all is forgiven.”

The stone, of course. She had come for that. Knowing that there was at least something she wanted and that they were not just embarking on acting out an act of vengeance put him somewhat at ease.

Around the camp, the other gypsies noticed what was happening and stopped what they were doing to watch, though few dared to approach.

“The stone is mine,” he said. “I bought it.”

“Then you should go ask for your money back,” she said. “It isn’t yours, nor the property of whoever sold it to you.”

“Is it yours?”

The blonde smiled. “It is rightfully the property of Azzuretto.”

“So it’s not really yours. You’re trying to seize it.”

“That stone was made in Azzuretto by minds far too preoccupied with important matters to come retrieve it themselves. We are not so particular about our personal possessions. But it is the rightful property of my school, which makes it ours, which, to an extent, makes it mine.” She paused and the large, dark grey eyes watched him intently. “Do not force my hand in this. You look intelligent. Like you know how this might end up if you don’t give it to me. I will take it. That is why I’m here. You should’ve known better than to buy it or keep it.”

Have you fucked me? thought Manu, immediately remembering Rogoz’s shady face. The rogue might’ve betrayed his confidence. Or maybe he let it slip under torture. But then, how had they found him? How had he kept this thing for so long? Was it just bad luck the mage arrived as she did right now? Or…

“Give it to me,” she insisted, putting out her hand.

Either way, it didn’t seem like this was the time to be coming to any conclusions. “I don’t have it on me. Follow me.”

“Do not attempt any tricks.”

“I wasn’t planning to.”

The other gypsies parted out of their way as he walked the mage briskly back to his wagons. Upon seeing the scarlet apparition, Mira became frightened. “Manu…”

“Go inside!” he said. “Go.”

Rather than go inside the wagon, he went by the oak overlooking the river where he had buried the thing in dead of night and took out the small chest. He cleaned off the dirt and held it out to the blonde.

When the mage put her hand on the chest, his fingers remained clenched and kept it back. He said, “I want to know something.”

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She tilted her head curiously. “What might that be?”

“Did the girl lead you here?”

“The small gypsy? No. I found my way here through simple questioning.” She smiled again, and there was much satisfaction and a little psychotic gleefulness in it. “Admittedly, not all were as wise as you, as it seems many in these parts know not so much about what mages are capable of.”

“So who told you I have it?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why? Are you planning to draw blood to make up for your loss? It was your own foolishness that led you to this. I don’t know how much you paid, but you should know that items such as this hold no value whatever, for those to whom they rightfully belong shall always seek them out and reclaim them. The items themselves are enchanted. They want to return to their owners.”

Still holding onto the chest, Manu matched the intense look in her eyes. “Just answer my question, red one.”

The mage giggled darkly. “I could kill you, little man.”

“You pretty much have already.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” she said, clicking her tongue with cheer. “Don’t try to get me sentimental. Very well, if you must know, I found out about the stone from a woman in the capital who investigated the matter for me. And it led me here.”

“Who said what, exactly?”

“That you are in possession of it. That you’ve been trying to sell it without luck.”

A lie, he thought. Manu surrendered the chest. The mage held it in her palm in a display of overbearing elegance; she placed two fingers from the other hand against the lock, which were followed by a flicker of light and audible crack. Ashy smoke curled up from the destroyed lock. Next, she threw the chest open and retrieved the stone within. “It is good that you did not lie.”

No, but someone lied to you, he thought. “Did you pay that woman? Who found out where it is?”

“A small sum, yes.”

“I see.”

So what had the plan been here? For Rogoz to sell it to him and then make some extra money on the side by selling the information on to the mage so she could retrieve it? Surely that was too stupid for a member of the Thieves Guild. Too desperate. It could’ve always led back to him, and Manu had been told the guild always operated as smoothy and safely as possible, keeping to the shadows to the greatest extent.

The mage discarded the broken chest and departed with the stone without a word. Manu remained there, crouched in the shadow of the tree, and watched her walk off into the distance. Behind him, the crimson sky reflected in the slow-moving river, painting it as bloody as the fluttering robes.

When the mage disappeared from view, Mira sneaked out of the wagons and came to him. “What happened?!”

“Leave me alone,” he ordered. There would have to be payback for this. Consequences.

Whether it was Rogoz or someone else.

Somebody had to pay.

----------------------------------------

The moon was out again as they waited by the abandoned wharf.

Manu noticed that his two men kept their distance from him. Though the mage had left the camp and never returned, there was still enough superstition about them that associating with one in any capacity was said to bring a lingering curse.

He kept his arms crossed as he stood in the sepulchral darkness of the canopy’s shadows, impatiently watching the dark waters for the appearance of Rogoz’s craft. Over the last few days he had questioned what exactly he would say to the rogue, and of that he was still not certain. Either way, he wanted an explanation.

The most unpleasant part was the conclusion reached after much thought, which was that there could not have been much benefit at all for Rogoz to do this—financially at least. Coin couldn’t have been what guided him to cooperate with the mage when there was plenty of money to be made with the stone in other ways if that was what he wanted. And the idea that he would let the information slip otherwise seemed hardly characteristic of the man going by what Manu learned of him in all their interactions.

Which really only left one true and deeply unpleasant theory. He wanted to get rid of me, Manu realized.

Whether by making sure he would lose all his riches and become a wanted man, or by bringing about the potential vengeance of the mage who might kill him at a whim, the intent was there. Manu could sense it now.

So much for the friendship he hoped to achieve.

“Boss,” said Danil softly. “He ain’t coming.”

His man wasn’t wrong. Looking at the sky, Manu could see the light of dawn creeping up the silhouette of the cliff just opposite the river. It was predawn. And Rogoz had not come when he was supposed to, for the first time. He’s going to leave me with this shit in my lap.

“Go,” said Manu.

“What about you, boss?”

“Just fucking go!” he snapped. “Stop talking to me and go.”

They did not deserve the violent outburst, but he could hardly contain himself. He had been played. Deceived. And in a way he hadn't imagined. The rogue hadn’t just tried to scam him, but to get him out of the game. Kill him.

Of course, thought Manu. He only brought success to himself and his clan in this town. In just a few years, he had managed to do enough that, even as a gypsy, he became firmly established. Who knew where his fortunes might rise in another ten or twenty years? Perhaps by then, he wouldn’t have need of the guild at all. He would have his own network.His own guild. His own base of operations and contacts in every Rovinan city.

So was that why?

Even that answer was unsatisfactory, but it was certainly better than the other, which was to assume that Rogoz despised him on a personal basis for whatever reason enough to risk whatever fortunes they could be making together.

Either this order had come from on high in their organization, or…

Or he just hates me, thought Manu, wondering if that were plausible. What had he ever done to be worthy of the man’s hate to such a degree?

Once his men left him by himself, he went over to the rotting planks of the wharf, sat down, and dipped his feet down into the cold water. He looked at the sky as it lighted, knowing this whole thing would lead to blood, one way or the other. There were a lot of men he owed money to now, men that would want to see it returned by the end of the year as promised. And without the stone to sell, there would be no way to get it, unless he recuperated his losses from Rogoz himself.

I’ll just have to track him down, and then…

Manu clicked his tongue as he remembered the large orc, and his hairs stood on end.

And then I’ll have to reason with him.