“We will finish before the stars fade,” Haern whispered, pulling his hood down tighter. “And I have no idea.”

“Aren’t you the best of leaders,” the half-orc grumbled. “Why am I following you, anyway? Aurry’s hurt, and you can’t find the one who did it.”

“Aurelia may very well be dead, Harruq.”

“She’s not!” he shouted. They halted in the dark alley, Harruq grabbing Haern’s shoulders and shoving him against a wall. “How can you be so heartless? Never say that. Never!”

Haern smiled when he saw tears forming in the half-orc’s eyes.

“No, she is not dead, but it is good to see your rage and sorrow. Remember why we fight this night. Now come. I may not know where to go, but I will find someone who does.”

A small, unshaven man stood outside the expansive mansion, glancing up and down the barren streets. The gray cloak of the Spider Guild was tied around his neck.

“Who is that?” Harruq asked, staring around the corner of a nearby building.

“I don’t know, but he wears the correct colors. Stay here.”

Haern looked up, judging the height. After a few seconds, he nodded, seeming pleased. Then, to the half-orc’s amazement, he leapt into the air without even a running start, vaulting all the way onto the roof.

“How the abyss did you do that?” Harruq asked. Haern placed a finger over his lips and pointed to the thief. The half-orc threw up his arms in surrender, figuring some sort of magic involved. He leaned back and enjoyed the show. Haern stalked across the roof, his eyes locked on his prey. The man most likely waited for word that the Watcher was dead and theft could begin without fear of reprisal. The mansion certainly had its treasures, but he would get no chance at them.

With the grace of a cat, Haern leapt again, his cloaks trailing behind him. He kept his sabers out and ready. His slender body descended, his cloaks somehow not making a sound despite the air whipping through them. Haern landed directly behind the thief, standing back to back. The assassin spun, the butts of his sabers smacking skull. The thief dropped like a stone.