"Aelfred…" Teldin began.

"I'll go with him," Rianna put in quickly. She grinned as Aelfred looked at her with surprise. "I'm used to taking care of myself. I can take care of him, too. I've got a good reason: I'm not done with my little playmate yet."

Aelfred hesitated, then he smiled as well. "Thanks," he said, and he meant it.

Barrab was shifting from foot to foot in nervousness-a rather amusing sight in someone so large and usually so controlled. As Teldin and Rianna left their seats, he smiled with relief. "Thank you," he said. "I was worried-"

"Where are we going?" she asked, cutting him off.

"Not far," the representative replied. "My employer wishes to avoid the crowds when he talks to milord Brewer."

That wasn't an answer, Teldin realized, as Barrab led them from the rotunda. From the first, he'd felt apprehension about this meeting, even though he knew he couldn't refuse. Now the anxiety had doubled. He looked at Rianna.

The woman's face was grim. She was taking this seriously, Teldin could see. Her right hand hovered near the hilt of her belt knife. He'd never seen Rianna under pressure or in danger, Teldin realized, but there was something about her manner that reassured him. He was glad to have her along.

Barrab led them toward a door to the outside-not the main lobby through which Teldin and friends had entered the Merchants' Rotunda, but a smaller portal at the rear of the building. "T'k'Pek has a carriage in the alley," Barrab answered Teldin's unspoken question. "We thought it would be more private." The representative led the way out through the door. Teldin followed, Rianna on his heels.

He stopped suddenly. There was no carriage, and Barrab had turned to face him. The large man's smile was predatory rather than cherubic now, and cold steel glittered in his right hand. Flanking him were three men that Teldin didn't know. He did recognize them by their wiry strength and the easy manner in which they held their unsheathed swords. These were hired bravos-"city wolves," his grandfather had called them. He and Rianna had been led-neatly and efficiently- into a trap.

Teldin glanced over his shoulder at Rianna. She had her blade drawn and stood in the same knife-fighter's crouch as the bravos. He saw her eyes flick from enemy to enemy and could almost sense her thoughts. Four on two: lousy odds. Or four on one, since she'd have no reason to believe Teldin could defend himself. But they were only a few paces from the door, and none of the hired blades was close enough to stop them from bolting back inside the Merchants' Rotunda.

As if on cue, the door opened behind Rianna. Another figure slipped into the alley; another blade glittered in the sunlight. Rianna spun, trying to keep everyone in her field of vision, but it was impossible. She and Teldin were surrounded.

Barrab chuckled, grinning hugely. He was thoroughly enjoying this, Teldin realized. "Sorry," Barrab said, "no easy escapes. Where would be the fun in that?" His expression sobered a little. "I suggest you drop your weapon, milady," he said quietly, "and that neither of you try anything untoward. Some of my… colleagues would be as happy to rip you as look at you."

Teldin looked from face to face. His attention was fixed immediately by the bravo nearest him. The man was as thin as a whip. His eyes made Teldin think of a rabid ferret and he smelled of violence, of death. While Barrab might warn him and Rianna not to try anything, this one was hoping they would. Then he'd be justified in cutting them down. Teldin's hand had strayed near the hilt of his short sword. Now he moved it, very obviously, away from the weapon.

Teldin spoke for the first time. "This isn't necessary," he said, struggling to keep his voice even, his tone reasonable. "I'm willing to meet with T'k'Pek…." His voice trailed off.

Barrab's harsh laughter confirmed what he'd just realized. "I'm not working for the blue-skin anymore," the fat man amplified. "The head-eaters from Falx pay much better."

Rianna gasped. Barrab's words obviously meant more to her than they did to Teldin. "You treacherous bastard," she spat. "I hope you get your throat ripped out."

Barrab chuckled again. "Doubtful," he remarked casually. "The money this'll net me will take me a long way from here."

The bravos-even the rabid-looking killer-listened to this exchange with some interest, and even amusement. Their stares were on their employer and the woman, not on Teldin. He edged slowly to his left, where there was a slight opening. If he moved fast enough, maybe slashing the nearby bravo with his sword as he went past… That should distract them enough for Rianna to get free as well. He knew it was a desperate idea, but he had little choice. He tensed, ready to bolt.

The bravos' attention might have been distracted, but not Barrab's. At Teldin's first subtle move, he responded. "Oh, no," he snapped. The bravos' eyes were instantly back on Teldin, colder and crueller than before. The rabid one smiled, and his eyes looked like death.

Teldin froze. Again he slowly and obviously moved his hand away from his sword hilt. The other bravos relaxed a little. The rabid one, however, was still tense, ready to attack. Teldin's throat felt like a cylinder of solid ice. He's insane, he told himself.

"Relax, Spak," Barrab snapped at the feral bravo. "Relax, I said."

The rabid one seemed to quiver with internal conflict. I can't believe how much he wants to kill me, Teldin thought. Spak shot Barrab a speculative look, as though the killer were considering slaughtering him as well, then, with a visible effort, Spak lowered his sword and left his poised half-crouch. Teldin started to breathe again.

Barrab looked hardly less relieved, he noticed. The fat man's authority over the bravo had held-just- but he might not win another battle of wills like that.

The arcane's representative spoke to the other bravos. "Enough of this, like them," he ordered, pointing at Teldin, "but don't harm him." He grinned nastily. "I'm not concerned about her welfare."

Smiling like wolves, the bravos stepped forward. "No!" Rianna shouted in outrage. She flung her knife at the nearest bravo-an underhand cast, neither accurate nor powerful, but the hired swordsman had to block it. That gave Rianna an instant of freedom.

Her hands swept through a complex gesture, and she barked a harsh syllable. Fire bloomed, a gout of flame that burst into existence right in front of Barrab and spread with a dull roar. "Run, Teldin!" Rianna screamed.

Teldin threw himself back from the fire, shielding his eyes with his cloaked arm. Even so, heat washed over his face and he felt his skin tighten with it. His eyes stung with tears and with smoke, and the air was heavy with the smell of burning cloth and flesh.

The roaring fire was gone as quickly as it had sprung into being. Barrab was reeling, screaming and slapping at small flames that still burned on his clothing. Much of his hair was gone, and his exposed skin was an angry red. One of the bravos was down, blackened and unmoving. The other sellswords were wiping streaming eyes or covering blistered faces.

Rianna was simply gone. No, there she was, sprinting down the alley, heading for the corner and safety. She'd almost made it when Spak, the feral bravo, opened his scorched eyes and saw her. With an animal snarl, he snatched a dagger from his boot and flung it with frightening force. The dagger caught the sunlight as it turned end for end-once, twice-and tore into the fleeing woman's shoulder. Teldin heard her scream in agony, but she kept running, and an instant later was around the corner. The bravos might still pursue, but she'd gained a good head start.