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Froh the door Other voices followed LaValle in froed them, just shut the door and moved to his private stock liquor cabinet at the side of the audience roole candle atop it

Entreri clenched his hands eagerly, torn as to whether he should confront the wizard verbally orPerry’s attack

Cup in one hand, burning taper in the other, LaVallecandelabra The roohtened with each touch as another candle flared to life Behind the occupied wizard, Entreri stepped into the open

His warrior senses put hi-but what?-at the very edges of his consciousness alerted him Perhaps it had to do with LaValle’s comfortable demeanor or some barely perceptible extraneous noise

LaValle turned around then and ju in the ed at hih

"Did you believe that Dog Perry would defeatPerry?" LaValle came back "I have not seen the man-"

"Do not lie to , LaValle, to believe such ignorance of you You watched Dog Perry, without doubt, as you know all the movements of all the players"

"Not all, obviously," the wizard replied dryly, indicating the uninvited man

Entreri wasn’t so sure of that last clai Perry cauards nearby, let theer in hand, with no prior warning froh andinto a chair "I did indeed know," he ade," he added quickly, for the assassin’s eyes narrowed dangerously "You must understand All contact with you is forbidden"

"Kelp-enwalled," Entreri remarked

LaValle held his hands out helplessly

"I also know that LaValle rarely adheres to such orders," Entreri went on

"This one was different," came another voice A slender man, well dressed and coifed, entered the room from the wizard’s study

Entreri’swith the other two in the wizard’s suite, and no one had been in there Now he knew beyond doubt that he had been expected

"My guildmaster," LaValle explained "Quentin Bodeau"

Entreri didn’t blink; he had already guessed thatorder cauild, but froo against it would have ht have ave a chuckle, trying to break the tension "I did not believe it wouldPerry would prove no real test for you"

"If that is so, then as he allowed to co the question at Bodeau

The guilded and said, "Rarely have I been able to control all the movements of that one"

"Let that bother you no ed a weak smile "You must appreciate our position " he started to say

"I am to believe the word of the man who ordered me murdered?" Entreri asked incredulously

"I did not-" Bodeau began to argue before being cut off by yet another voice from the wizard’s study, a woman’s voice

"If we believed that Quentin Bodeau, or any other ranking uild house would be e people"

A tall, dark-haired woh the door, flanked by ablack mustache and a more slender man, if it was a man, for Entreri could hardly make out any features under the cowl of the dark cloak A pair of arh the last one through the door shut it behind him, Entreri understood that there was likely another one about, probably another wizard There was no way such a group could have been concealed in the other rooical aid Besides, he knew, this group was too comfortable Even if they were all skilled eapons, they could not be confident that they alone could bring Entreri down

"I a "I give you Kadran Gordeon and Hand, uild of Pasha Basadoni Yes, he lives still and is glad to see you well"

Entreri knew that to be a lie If Basadoni were alive the guild would have contacted hierous situation

"Are you affiliated?" Sharlotta asked

"I was not when I left Calimport, and I only recently came back to the city," the assassin answered

"Now you are affiliated," Sharlotta purred, and Entreri understood that he was in no position to deny her claim

So he would not be killed-not now, at least He would not have to spend his nights looking over his shoulder for would be assassins nor deal with the i Perry The Basadoni Guild had claio and take jobs wherever he decided, as long as they did not involve the murder of anyone connected with Pasha Basadoni, his primary contacts would be Kadran Gordeon, whom he did not trust, and Hand

He should have been pleased at the turn of events, he knew, sitting quietly on the roof of the Copper Ante late that night He couldn’t have expected a better course

And yet, for some reason that he could hardly fathom, Entreri was not pleased in the least He had his old life back, if he wanted it With his skills, he knew he could soon return to the glories he had once known And yet he now understood the lilories and knew that while he could easily re-ascend to the highest level of assassin in Calih to satisfy the emptiness he felt within

He sio back to his old ways oflike that!-but no thought of that former life sparked any excitematist, Entreri decided to play it one hour at a time He went over the side of the roof, silent and sure-footed, picking his way down to the street, then entered through the front door

All eyes focused on him, but he hardly cared as he made his way across the co approached hilare from Entreri backed the little one off, and the assassin pushed through

Again the sight of the enormously fat Dondon assaulted him profoundly

"Arteh Entreri did note a bit of tension creeping into the halfling’s voice, a common reaction whenever the assassin arrived unannounced at anyone’s doorstep "Coood company"

Entreri looked at the heaps of half-eaten sweets and at the two painted fe the bloated wretch He did sit down a safe distance away, though hehis eyes as one of the fes tried to approach

"You must learn to relax and enjoy those fruits your work has provided," Dondon said "You are back with Basadoni, so ’tis said, and so you are free"

Entreri noted that the irony of that stateood is all of your difficult and dangerous work if you cannot learn to relax and enjoy those pleasures your labors ht buy for you?" Dondon asked

"How did it happen?" Entreri asked bluntly

Dondon stared at hi face

In explanation, Entreri looked all around,to the plates, to the whores, and to Dondon’s massive belly

Dondon’s expression soured "You knohy I a left his tone

"I knohy you caree with that decision," Entreri replied "But why?" Again he let the halfling follow his gaze to all the excess, plate by plate, whore by whore "Why this?"

"I choose to enjoy" Dondon started, but Entreri would hear none of that

"If I could offer you back your old life, would you take it?" the assassin asked

Dondon stared at hie the word on the street so that Dondon could walk free of the Copper Ante, would Dondon be pleased?" Entreri pressed "Or is Dondon pleased with the excuse?"

"You speak in riddles"

"I speak the truth," Entreri shot back, trying to look the halfling in the eye, though the sight of those drooping, sleepy lids surely revolted hi at Dondon A part of hier and cut the wretch’s heart out

But Artemis Entreri did not kill for passion, and he held that part in check

"Would you go back?" he asked slowly, e every word

Dondon didn’t reply, didn’t blink, but in the nonresponse, Entreri had his answer, the one he had feared theopen, and Dwahvel entered "Is there a problem in here, Master Entreri?" she asked sweetly

Entreri climbed to his feet andpast

Dwahvel caught hierous move indeed! Fortunately for her, Entreri was too absorbed in his contemplation of Dondon to take affront

"About our deal," the fe remarked "I may have need of your services"

Entreri spent a long while considering those words, wondering why, for soh to think about already without having Dwahvel pressing her ridiculous needs upon hie for these services you so desire?" he asked

"Inforreed" "You toldI could not have discerned on my own," Entreri replied "Other than that, Dwahvel was of little use to me, and that ’s mouth opened as if she meant to protest, but Entreri just turned away and walked across the common room

"You may find my doors closed to you," Dwahvel called after him

In truth, Entreri hardly cared, for he didn’t expect that he would desire to see wretched Dondon again Still, ain, he did turn back to let his dangerous gaze settle over the halfling "That would not be wise," was all he offered before sweeping out of the room and back onto the dark street, then back to the solitude of the rooftops

Up there, after many minutes of concentration, he came to understand why he so hated Dondon Because he saw himself No, he would never allow hiluttony had never been one of his weaknesses, but what he saas a creature beaten by the weight of life itself, a creature that had surrendered to despair In Dondon’s case it had been simple fear that had defeated hiluttony

In Entreri’s case, would it be siht, but he did not find his answers

The knock caain, so he knew even as he dragged himself out of his bed that it was the Basadoni Guild co Normally Entreri would have taken precautions anyway-norh half the day-but he did nothing now, didn’t even retrieve his dagger He just went to the door and, without even asking, pulled it open

He didn’t recognize theand nervous fellooolly black hair cut tight to his head, and dark, darting eyes

"Fro Entreri a rolled parch man turned and started away The ard the assassin, and Entreri noted one hand slipping under the folds of his light-colored robes, reaching for a weapon no doubt

"Where is Gordeon?" Entreri asked "And why did he not deliver this torepeatedly "I was only told to give that to you"

"By Kadran Gordeon?" Entreri asked

"Yes," thewildly

Entreri shut his door, then heard the running footsteps of the relieveddown the hall and then the stairs at full speed

He stood there, considering the parchment and the delivery Gordeon hadn’t even come to him personally, and he understood why To do so would have been too uild feared him-not that he would kill them, butthis inconsequentialorder, one that had hined shake of his head, a helpless acceptance of the stupidity of it all, the assassin pulled the tie froh, giving a man’s name and last known address, with instructions that he should be killed as soon as it could be arranged That very night, if possible, the next day at the latest

At the bottouild affiliation, nor was he in particularly good standing with city or uardsmen, nor did he have any knoerful friends or relatives

Entreri considered that bit of news carefully Either he was being set up against a very dangerous opponent, or, iven him this pitifully easy hit to demean him, to lessen his credentials In his former days in Cali of guilduard Of course, if Gordeon and the other two lieutenants gave him any such difficult tasks and he proved successful, his standing would grow a the coh the ranks

No matter, he decided

He took one last look at the listed address-a region of Calimport that he kneell-and went to retrieve his tools

He heard the children crying nearby, for the hovel had only two rooms, and those separated by only a thick drapery A very ho woe of the drapery-tended to the children She begged the that their father would soon be home

She came out of the back room a moment later, oblivious to the assassin as he crouched behind another curtain under a sideEntreri cut a small hole in the drape and watched herwas brisk and efficient; she was on edge, he knew

The door, yet another drape, pushed aside and a young, skinny ard, eyes sunken back in his skull, several days of beard on his chin and cheeks