Emriana tried to scowl at the thought of having to explain such a condition to her mother, but the thought ended up making her laugh instead.

After the barkeep served both Xaphira and Emriana a mug of some sour-smelling concoction and Xaphira tossed a couple of coins on the counter, the older woman led her niece back across the room toward a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. Emriana tried to ignore the stares she drew as she followed her aunt. She couldn't help but overhear more than a few lewd comments directed at her, and she was sure her cheeks were crimson by the time they reached the balcony of the second floor.

Emriana had no idea what Xaphira was planning, but the older woman seemed to know where she was going, so the girl followed her without question. Finally, Xaphira stopped at the open curtains of an unoccupied alcove and slipped inside. Emriana gratefully followed and settled onto the coarse wooden bench opposite her aunt.

"What now?" she asked, sipping at the mug Xaphira had procured for her. The beer inside was weak and bitter, and Emriana set it down and slid it away from herself.

"Now we wait," Xaphira replied, watching the girl with a bemused smile. "Quill will find us. I'm sure he already knows we're here."

True to her prediction, a man appeared a moment later, filling the doorway to the alcove. Emriana started at the sight of him, tall and sinewy, with disheveled hair and more than a few wrinkles. His clothes were just as mussed as he was, but there was a brightness to his eyes that told the girl he was both clever and dangerous. Emriana stared, noting that he eyed her right back, and there was a hint of a hunger in his expression as he appraised her. She wanted to shrink back, but Xaphira was up and taking the man's hand before she could react.

"Quill!" Xaphira said, pulling the man into the booth next to her. "Stop looking at my niece like that. You're old enough to be her father," she said.

The man blinked a couple of times, still looking, and despite Xaphira's admonition, his appreciative stare did not abate. But in the next moment he was all smiles for Emriana, reaching across the table and introducing himself as he took her hand and shook it. Emriana returned the greeting, though she saw that he could sense the coolness of her tone.

"So," Quill said, turning his attention back to Xaphira, "you decided you needed someone to watch your back tonight? What's the matter, don't you trust me anymore?" he asked, chuckling.

"I never trusted you, but no, she's here merely to observe." Then Xaphira's smile faded. "Did you learn anything?"

Quill's own pleasant facade melted away to a deep frown. "Always one to get straight to the point, weren't you?" When Xaphira didn't respond, the man sighed. "Very well. Yes, I found someone who can help you. He's prepared to meet with you right now." Then he glanced over at Emriana and added, "But only you. I didn't tell him anything about a niece, and if we try to change the conditions now, he'll bolt in a heartbeat."

Xaphira nodded, frowning. "Em, stay right here. Don't go anywhere; don't do anything until I get back. You got it?"

Emriana looked across at her aunt reproachfully, but she only nodded. "Not going anywhere, not doing anything," she said, "that's me."

"All right. I'll be back in a little while." Xaphira turned her attention back to Quill. "Lead on," she said, gesturing to the entrance to the alcove. Together, the pair scooted across the bench and out through the curtains, leaving Emriana by herself.

For the first few moments, the girl sat there, studying the rough wood of the table, thinking about how unpleasant the whole excursion had become. She had had no idea just how rough-and-tumble The Silver Fish would be, or she might have decided to remain at the country estate. Then she shook her head, angry with herself.

You get to prowl around the city with your aunt, she scolded herself, and you'd rather be at home, sitting and listening to mother read poetry. The girl rolled her eyes at her own foolishness and decided to get another look at the riffraff below.

Emriana slid out of the seat and peered cautiously through the curtains, checking in both directions before getting up completely. Then she crossed the balcony to the railing and leaned over, looking down. Most of the patrons were busily talking, singing, or drinking, and men were playing dice at one table. It seemed that no one was aware enough to look up and see her watching them, which suited her just fine.

The girl spent a few moments just studying the various individuals in the room, noting the cut and coarseness of their clothing, their unkempt appearance, and the way they carried themselves. Though she found them generally repugnant, she had to admit that they seemed to be enjoying themselves to the fullest. One man, small and wiry with greasy hair tied back from his head, was seated almost directly below her. Her eyes were drawn to him when he began to laugh, for he really guffawed, slapping his hand on the table and sloshing drinks. Across from him, a bulky woman in a bodice that barely contained her ample breasts sat on another man's lap, a huge bear of a fellow with a thick beard and mustache. He was laughing and singing along with the song being performed on the stage, and the hefty dame was bouncing in time to the music and singing right along with him. Though Emriana was embarrassed that the woman seemed to have no shame, the girl was also a bit envious that she seemed so comfortable in the company of the men she was with.

Emriana sighed and was just about to turn back to the safety of her alcove when she noticed a face staring up at her. It belonged to another woman, though she was obviously a bit more refined than the plump matron the girl had been watching. Dressed in purple leggings tucked into supple leather boots and a magenta vest over a white shirt-both of which were unlaced to an indecent level near her navel-the woman had short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She was sitting alone on a bench that rested against the far wall and had no table to accompany it, and she was staring right at Emriana intently.

The girl began to stare right back, cocking her head to one side as if to say, "What, exactly, do you want?" When the stranger realized she had been spotted, she shook her head once in consternation and got to her feet. She glanced up once more as she made her way toward the rear of the establishment. Emriana thought the woman had a smug smile on her face. The girl frowned, unsettled by the silent confrontation, and started to follow. Then she remembered her aunt's warning and restrained herself.

No, she trusted me to come with her tonight. I'm not going to make a mess of things.

Emriana returned to her seat in the tiny alcove and waited. After a while, growing bored, the girl began to examine the surface of the table. Countless knives and daggers had carved up the wood, cutting names, simple caricatures, and cryptic symbols over the entire surface. Even so, the wood looked fairly new, not stained and dark as she would have expected.

I wonder how often they have to replace them? Emriana pondered, remembering her aunt's tale of the previous night, when half the furniture in the common area below apparently took a beating. Imagining such a brawl made the girl grin. She could just picture Xaphira in the midst of it all, leaping, kicking, and punching, just as she had against the dire-cats earlier that day. She must have been intimidating, the girl thought.

Emriana began to get restless. Xaphira's meeting was taking longer than she would have imagined, and the girl was growing agitated. She did not want to have to sit there and wait much longer.

When another quarter-hour must have gone by, Emriana realized she was growing genuinely worried. Several times, she half rose from the seat with the intention of hunting her aunt down, just to make certain the woman was fine, but each time, she stopped herself, not wishing to interrupt whatever delicate negotiations might have been taking place.