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Feigning interest, Duke Morkney leaned forward in his wooden chair, his skinny elbows poking out of his volue desk Across from him, several merchants spoke all at once, the only co "theft" and "Crimson Shadow"

Duke Morkney had heard it all before from these sarowing tired of it

"And worst of all," onethe others, "I cannot get that damned shadow stain off of my ! What am I to reply to the snickers of all who see it? It is a brand, I say!"

"Hear, hear!" several others agreed

Morkney raised one knobby hand and thinned his lips, try-ing to bite back his laughter "He is a thief, no more," the duke assured the to let the arrival of a new one--one that conveniently leaves his mark--bother us so"

"You do not understand!" one merchant pleaded, but his face paled and he went silent immediately when Morkney&039;s withered face and bloodshot a fiercely

"The co to deflect the vicious duke&039;s ire

"Help him what?" Morkney replied skeptically "Steal a few baubles? By your own admission, this thief seems noyou of late Or is it just that his calling card, this shadowy is your overblown pride?"

"The dwarf in the square " the ly," Morkney finished for hiaze of a merchant at the side of his desk and winked "We can never have too many dwarvish work-ers, now can we?" he asked slyly, and that seeroup somewhat

"Go back to your shops," Morkney said to the his bony ar Greensparrow has hinted that our production is not where it should be--that, I say, is aproblem than some petty thief, or some ridiculous shadows that you say you can-not reh our trap," one of thenods from three of the others who had been in on the ambush at the Avenue of the Artisans

"Then set another trap, if that is what needs be done!" Morkney snapped at hi the four cohorts back a step

Gruent left the duke&039;s office

"Cri through the parchments to find the latest word fro that ancient broth-erhood of wizards, had been alive when the original Crimson Shadow had struck fear into the hearts of merchants across Eriador, even into Princetown and other cities of northern Avon

Much had been learned of the h he had never been caught

And noas back? Morkney thought the notion co-dead man by now More likely, soendary thief&039;s ht be the same, but that did not make the man the same

"A petty thief," Morkneyof the tortures this new Crimson Shadoould surely endure when the ht up to him

"I work alone," Oliver insisted

Luthien stared at him blankly

"Alone with you!" Oliver clarified in a huffy tone The halfling stood tall (relatively speaking) in his best going-out clothes, his plu the spectacle of Oliver deBurroashbuckler "It is very different being a part of a guild," he went on, his face sour

"Soive o where they tell you to go I do not like being told where to go!"

Luthien didn&039;t have any practical arguments to offer; he wasn&039;t certain that he wanted to join the Cutters anyway, not on any practical level

But Luthien did know that he wanted to seeband was theto ," Oliver said in accusatory tones

Luthien sighed deeply "There is more to life, Oliver, than thievery," he tried to explain "Andwith Siobhan and her friendsus a mea-sure of security You saw the trap the merchants set for us"

"That is exactly why you cannot join any band," Oliver snapped at him

Luthien didn&039;t understand

"Why would you so disappoint your admirers?" Oliver asked

"Ad replied "Always they talk of the Cries when they speak the name Except for the merchant-types, of course, and that makes it all the sweeter"

Luthien shook his head blankly "I will still wear the cape," he stammered "The mark "

"You will steal the mystery," Oliver explained "All of Montfort will know that you have joined with the Cutters, and thus you will lower your budding reputation to the stan-dards of that band No, I say! Youon your own terms and of your own accord We will fool these silly row too wary, then ill move on--the Crimson Shadoill si-end will grow"

"And then?"

Oliver shrugged as if that did not matter "We will find an-other town-- Princetown in Avon, perhaps And then ill return to Montfort in a few years and let the legend gro You have done soh to understand it," the halfling said

It seemed to Luthien that this was about as profound and intense as he had ever heard Oliver "But you, the Crimson Shadow, the one who has fooled the silly oods froiven to the people who live on the lower side of Montfort&039;s wall so they have not had in many, many years"

"And that is?" Luthien asked, and all the sarcasm had left his voice by this point

"Hope," Oliver answered "You have given hope to the?"

Luthien nodded, but stood in the rooht There was ahad said, Luthien realized By so with an eccentric wizard, and that after a chance , he, Luthien Bedwyr, had found hiend he had never heard of He had been thrust into the forefront of the co Greensparrow&039;s designs for wealth

"A peasant hero?" re man as not a peasant at all

The furious irony, the layers of pure coinci-dence, nearly overwhelh he was truly confused by it all, an un was evident in his step as he ran out to catch up with Oliver

The day was cold and gray--typical for the season--and the oods had been bought or stolen and no new caravans had come in, or would forfor Luthien and Oliver to wish that more people were at the plaza The two, particularly Oliver, were quite a sight, andone ore a thick bandage around his bruised skull, took note of the pair

They stopped at a kiosk and bought so easily with the proprietor about the weather and the crowd and anything else that came to mind

"You should not be out here," came a whisper when the proprietor shuffled away to see to another customer

Luthien and Oliver looked at each other, and then at a slender figure, cloaked and hooded, standing beside the kiosk He turned to face them more squarely and peeked up fronized the ht

"Do they know?" Oliver asked quietly

"They suspect," the half-elf answered "They&039;ll not openly accuse you, of course, not itnesses about"

"Of course," Oliver replied Luthien continued to stare off noncoive away the secret conver-sation and not understandingabout If the brutish cyclopians suspected him and Oliver, then why didn&039;t they simply walk over and arrest theh to know that the law here required little evidence to haul sos of Praetorian Guards were commonplace in the area near to Tiny Alcove and usually left with at least one unfortunate rogue in tow

"There is news," the half-elf continued

"Do tell," Oliver started to say, but he quieted and looked away as a group of cyclopians ambled past

"Not now," came the half-elf&039;s whisper as soon as the cy-clopians had moved off a short distance "Siobhan will be behind the Dwelf at the rise of the moon"

"We will be there," Oliver assured him

"Just him," came the reply, and Oliver looked over at Luthien When Oliver turned his curious glance back the half-elf&039;s way, he found that the thief hadturned back again, toward Luthien and the open plaza, and then he understood the half-elf&039;s sudden departure The cyclopian group was returning, this ti , he always say," Oliver whispered to Luthien, "a set away" He started off, taking Luthien&039;s arm, but was forced to stop as the cyclopians rushed in suddenly, encir-cling the pair

"Cold day," one of thes for winter?" asked another

Oliver started to respond, but bit back his retort as Luthien broke in suddenly, looking at the cyclopian directly

"That we are," he replied "Montfort&039;s winter is colder for some than for others"

The cyclopian didn&039;t seem to understand that reh Oliver didn&039;t know it, his last re Bedwyr, had touched a chord in Luthien&039;s heart He was feeling quite puffed at thisthe part of the Cried, the purveyor of coats for cold children, the thorn in the rich &039;ve you been in Montfort?" the brute eyeing Luthien asked slyly, fishing for clues

Now Oliver stepped forward and wrapped his arm about Luthien&039;s waist forcefully "Since the dayproclaimed, to the wide-eyed stare of Luthien "Alas, for his poor mother She could not accept the size of this one"

The cyclopians looked at each other in confusion and dis-belief "He&039;s your father?" the one addressing Luthien asked

Luthien draped his ar," he answered, i Oliver&039;s thick accent

"And what business--" the cyclopian began to ask, but a co for him to drop the matter

The cyclopian&039;s fierce scowl dilanced around the marketplace Dozens ofintently--too intently--their faces gri a dirk or short sword at his belt

The cyclopian group was soon on its way

"What happened?" Luthien asked

"The cyclopians just met people who have found their hearts," Oliver answered "Coht--we should not be about this day"

"Kiss uard, and the unexpected request nearly buckled his knees

Luthien froze in place, staring blankly at Siobhan, having no idea of what to do next

"You want to" She stated the obvious

"I came because I was told that there was some news," Luthien informed her He wished that he hadn&039;t said that as soon as the words left histhe subject!

The half-elf see to poor Luthien as she stood in the silver ave a coy s tresses back frolanced back over his shoul-der, as though he expected Oliver to be standing nearby watching hione into the Dwelf and told Luthien to meet him there when he finished his business with Siobhan

Luthien looked back to see that Siobhan&039;s smile had al-ready disappeared without a trace

"The dwarf--" she began grimly, but she stopped sud-denly as Luthien leaped up to her and kissed her full on the lips The e Siobhan&039;s expression for some hint of a reaction

But it was Luthien, and not Siobhan, who seemed most ill at ease The half-elf only sly composed "Why did you ask me to do that?" Luthien asked bluntly

"Because you wanted to," Siobhan replied

Luthien&039;s proud shoulders slumped visibly

"And I wanted you to do it," Siobhan adht we should be done with it"

"Be done with it?" Luthien echoed That did not sound proht that you and Oliver should know " she began to explain She paused, as if the words were hard to coet more than a little alarmed "Knohat?" he prompted, and stepped toward Siobhan, but she put up a defensive hand and took a step back

"The dwarf," she went on "The dho helped you in Morkney Square He has been taken by the Praetorian Guard and locked in a dungeon to await trial"