Chapter 1

Gabin tossed another armful of blankets through a trapdoor to the ground floor then looked back at the cavernous room that had once sheltered his children. Now it was quiet. The children were all safe at a new orphanage with teachers and caretakers and no longer needed him.

He'd volunteered to come back to his old safe house in case anymore of his children came here looking for shelter. In the last week, four had come by and all four had been sent first to the Healers at the palace to be checked over and were now at the orphanage.

Just four, with so many still missing. At least the Guard had gathered up more children, even though many weren't his. Some had to be returned to their families and their parents received a scolding for letting their children wander the streets that likely left their ears ringing. Some littles were still at the healers, but most had already been sent to Safe Haven, the orphanage.

The streets were almost stripped of homeless children for the first time.

Gabin looked down at the pile of blankets. The odd pie seller from across the street had taken up position down there among them.

"It's quiet." Harvi said without Gabin asking. "Just you're here. Everyone else is too far away."

"Too quiet." Gabin looked around with a heavy heart. "Are you comfortable?"

Harvi nodded.

Gabin returned to tossing the old blankets down. He was going to offer them to homeless adults.

"The ghost with the red hair. Where's she takin' the children? I miss the children. They were happy."

It took Gabin a second to figure out who he meant. "Fyn took them to a place in the country near a farm. They're very happy there."

"Really happy?"

"And safe." Gabin assured him. "Why do you call her a ghost?"

"She's not there. Just her body is there." Harvi shrugged.

Gabin knew the red head ghost was Herald Fyn. She told him Harvi had a gift of mindspeech that wasn't identified until he was older and as a result he no longer sane. He must mean he could not read her mind because she certainly wasn't dead.

"Yeah, I can't hear her." Harvi answered his unasked question again.

"Almost done up here." Gabin said as he tossed down the last bunch of blankets. "Harvi, help yourself to some blankets if you like. This building is rented until midwinter moon, you can come in here when you like."

"I have a room. It's quiet there too. A ghost made it quiet for me."

Gabin figured he meant a Herald.

They were in the heart of Exile's Gate so Heralds rarely came here in their characteristic white clothing, but Gabin had learned over the last fortnight that they still cared and they still did what they could, just not in uniform.

"Is the rain letting up?" Gabin asked.

"Yes. There is less rain now. But it's wet. Not good for the pies when it's wet."

"How true." Gabin descended the ladder to the ground floor where long, rickety tables and benches sat empty. This had been where he told stories and taught his children to read and figure.

With over one hundred children and just him to watch over them he didn't manage to teach much some days.

"I'm goin'. Someone is here." Harvi rolled off the blankets and got to his feet. "Bye."

"Take a blanket; it will help you stay dry." Gabin held out one of the thicker ones.

Harvi threw the blanket over his head, picked up his basket of pigeon pies and limped out into the light rain.

Gabin took a seat on a table with his feet on a bench and opened a book. He was running out of things to do here.

"Hello? Gabin?" A familiar male voice called.

Gabin closed the book and put it aside. It took him a second to place the voice. "Master Tyber?"

"Is that really you?" The man said as he approached. He was in his mid-forties and dressed in good quality but plain clothing. He wore a sword at his side and had the body of a fighter.

Gabin looked down at the clean clothing he was wearing. He had three such outfits now, a far cry from the single set of clothing he used to own, those had had been little more than rags. These had been given to him so he wouldn't look like a crook when visiting the children at Safe Haven. "It's me. How was your trip this time?"

"Well enough." Tyber stopped and surveyed the empty building. "Word has it the Heralds came and took away all your children."

"Not exactly. I went to them for help and things sort of snowballed. The children now have an orphanage out by the Palace farms with teachers and a little library of their own."

"What drove you to the Heralds?" Tyber spotted the holes in the back of the building left there from a fire several months earlier. "Does it have anything to do with that?"

Gabin eyed the holes. "Someone wanted my children. They did that to scare away my assistants and about two thirds of my children. The bastards were gathering up my children and selling them. Apparently after a child brothel was found about eight or nine months back someone hit upon the notion of just selling children to the rich perverts."

"Gods, did you find most of the children?"

"Most, but about eighty are unaccounted for." Gabin's jaw clenched.

"Eighty…" Tyber unconsciously reached for his sword.

"The Healers, Heralds and Guard all have a very intense interest in this case so I am hopeful most will be found, but I'm worried that some of the perverts will kill a child rather than risk being caught if the Guards and Heralds get too close. The Guards have been picking up every child beggar they've found and are taking them to the Healers to be checked over. The Heralds have been making a nuisance of themselves all over the city, which most around here blame on me." Gabin grinned slightly. "Especially for a Herald named Fyn. She scared Rothsin's gang into trying to surrender using just her voice. Since she's in Karse now, or at least heading there, they've been harassing me."

"They might kill you." Tyber warned.

"They might, but Rothsin knows if I vanish, Herald Fyn would be down here again making more trouble. He respects her even if he doesn't like her. I think it's because she used to run down here." Gabin explained. "I wish I could do more than wait and hope."

"Like what?"

"Like look for my missing children. I've tried, but I haven't found any yet."

"Of course not, they'd be inside some place."

Gabin looked away from Tyber and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I have ways of looking inside."

"You are not good enough to go breaking into places, boy." Tyber warned. He hadn't called Gabin 'boy' since he started helping Gabin teaching the children ways to defend themselves and to escape.

"I don't need to. I can look through walls. Herald Fyn taught me." Gabin explained. "Oh, some of the children have escaped using what we taught them about picking locks and sliding out windows. About forty three so far have rescued themselves. My patron, Lord Elluen, has them at his estate where Healers can care for them."

Tyber smiled slightly. "I'm glad we at least helped some."

"It impressed the Guards enough that a few retired guards are now teaching my children to fight properly, with swords. Soon my imps will be my army."

Tyber laughed. "That I would pay to see."

"You should go out and visit them. Jes isn't there though."

"Oh? They took her?" Tyber demanded harshly. Jes was a four year old girl who called everyone Girl or Boy, something she learned from Tyber who could never keep all the names straight.

"No, she's safe. Lord Elluen liked her spunk so he legally adopted her and named her his heir. The title will pass to a blood relative but his fortune will go to her."

"You don't do things by half measures." Tyber paced the floor for a few minutes. Gabin was used to the older man's pacing when he was disturbed. Tyber was something of a mystery, he had enough money he owned a home in the merchant area and didn't need to work, he had a horse, which was expensive to keep in the city, and was often gone from Haven for months at a times. When he was in Haven he visited Gabin's safe house at least three times a week to help with the children.

Sometimes when he returned to Haven he seemed a taut as a drawn bow. Those times he would often bring a treat for all the children, like candies and play with them for candle marks.

"How do you see into buildings?" Tyber asked after a few minutes of pacing.

"Magic of some sort. Sometimes I can See it without trying, like right now I can tell you someone is trying to steal your horse. Other times I have to do this half sleep thing and then I can see further away."

"A trance." Tyber corrected.

"Huh?"

"You use a trance." Tyber explained.

"You know magic?"

"Bits of it. I used to be a Skybolt so I had to deal with mages." Tyber explained. "Although I think that might be more a Herald type of magic than a real magic."

"Makes sense, I learned it from a Herald after all." Gabin was very curious why he had this ability when not many others did. He didn't want to ask any of the Heralds about it in case he wasn't supposed to have it. "Speaking of odd abilities and such, would you believe I had two potential Bards and eight potential Healers here? They live at the palace now. A Lady Healer named Karlee is the guardian for the youngest lot since they are too young to start learning."

Tyber smiled at the idea of so of the waifs living at the palace then frowned. "Were you serious about someone trying to steal my horse?"

"Of course." Gabin watched as Tyber bolted to the door.

"Jelly, easy girl." Tyber crooned. A few seconds later he led the elegant chestnut mare inside the building with a young man gripped in a head lock. "One of yours?"

Gabin studied the face. "Smidge."

"Uh, hi Gabin." The young man stopped struggling. "I just thought the horse was lost, is all!"

"Smidge, what did I tell you about lying to me?"

"That you know when I do so it is a waste of effort." Smidge tried to pull his head free of Tyber's grip and failed. "Right, so it was just standing there looking all lost. I figured it wandered away and I could sell it. The owner would find it eventually and I would have a pocketful of coins."

Tyber released the lad. Smidge, whose name was actually Smidgeon, was the son of a baker with an odd sense of humor. Smidge had been one of the first children Gabin took in. He had been living on the streets for a year when Gabin tossed him over his shoulder and dragged him to the safe house for a proper meal.

"Jelly had him pinned against the wall." Tyber let his mare wander off a bit since there were no children here.

"Right neat trick." Smidge confirmed. "You have to respect a horse than can catch her own thief."

"Now I know he's one of yours, he actually speaks proper Valdemaran." Tyber said lightly.

Smidge blushed and looked away from the two men. "So, where's the mites? I've been looking for them, you know, found some but the rest were hauled off by the guard."

"Where are the ones you found?" Gabin demanded. "They're in danger."

"I know, the Guard's been hauling them off like prisoners after they cleared you out." Smidge looked around. "Place looks bigger when it's empty."

"The Guard's been trying to rescue them." Gabin corrected. "There is someone stealing children and selling them."

"What? Oh! Well don't that ruffle the fur!" Smidge said indignantly. "Some demmed wee-napper decided to take your brats?"

Tyber looked to Gabin for a translation.

"Wee-nappers are people who kidnap children to pimp them. Like she-nappers do to women." Gabin clarified.

"That sounds too innocuous for what they are doing." Tyber grumbled. "You think it is organized by bawds and pimps?"

"Who else would have the knowledge about who would want the children?" Gabin asked.

Smidge looked between the two. "You thinkin' of looking for these bastards?"

"Are you thinking." Gabin corrected.

"Are you thinking." Smidge grinned at him. "Always the scholar, eh? So, are you?"

Tyber eyed Gabin. "You'd be killed within a week."

"You're right, I would be. I haven't been a sneak in nearly a decade. And I am too well known. If I start hanging around, people will notice." Gabin admitted.

"I'm a sneak." Smidge offered.

"You'd end up working for a pimp, boy. You're too pretty." Tyber warned him.

Smidge grimaced.

"Why don't you bring the children here?" Gabin suggested. "Then we can take them down to them to be checked over and sent out to Safe Haven."

"What's Safe Haven?" Smidge asked.

"It's the new safe house."

"Right. I'll be back with the imps. Don't go talking about them pimps without me." Smidge said as he hurried off.

"Those pimps." Gabin corrected but Smidge was out of hearing.

"What's his story?"

"Smidge? He's an orphan. Now he's a thief but he was one of my first children. He's rather good. He picks pockets and breaks into houses."

"Solo?"

"Mostly. You know how treacherous partners can be. He knows the biggest threat to him is his partner turning him in to save their own skin."

"And you know because he tells you?"

Gabin shrugged. "He stops by every couple months to let me know he's still safe. When I first took him in there were only three others in my care so we got to be close."

"Why did he become a thief?"

"He started an apprenticeship with a locksmith when he was eleven and decided he'd rather be his own boss at the grand age of thirteen. Nothing I've said has changed his mind."

"Are you going to take him to Safe Haven?"

"He'd probably bail. But I wouldn't mind the Healers checking him out. He's lost almost a stone in the last few months. Since the Healers are so obliging I'm going to take advantage of it." Gabin watched the chestnut mare wander closer to the door where she looked out at the rain. "She's beautiful."

"Jelly? She's pure Shin'a'in bred. A perk of being a Skybolt. Fast as the wind, smart as a man, and as beautiful as something else poetic."

Gabin grinned.

"I'm surprised more people didn't try to steal her. I didn't expect to find you here." Tyber admitted. "I was just going to poke around for a sign of what happened. There was nothing but a mess last week. Do you mind if I hang around to see the children?"

"Of course I don't mind. You can join us for the walk to the guard house if you want. They invited me to use a wagon if I ever need it so I may as well take them up on the offer." Gabin watched the rain. "I guess it's a good thing I haven't given away the blankets yet."

Tyber sat on a bench opposite him. "So where are you going to end up?"

"No clue." Gabin admitted. "I was considering joining the Guard, not the city guard but the army. There is no way I can start this up again and I am not needed at Safe Haven."

"Huh. Never pegged you for a uniform."

"Me neither. But I want to see more than just these streets."