The Old and The New Plotlines
Sometimes, at the beginning of a Trudi Canavan novel, there is a paragraph with something poetic in it. Something about Imardin. This information never comes up again. But it. Always. Seems. Very. Dramatic. At the. Beginning.
Cery paced through the streets, randomly killing muggers and filling in as much back story as he could. He was a thief. Not a normal thief. The city had new quarters. There was a thief hunter. He'd helped Akkarin find the spies. Sonea ran some hospices. The Thieves couldn't work together anymore. Oh yeah and Gol had been promoted from faceless henchman to actual character.
"So, any idea why this guy lured you here?" rumbled Gol.
"I dunno. I expect he has innocent intentions. A bit like Faren being dead."
"What's that gotta do with anything?"
"Just filling in the backstory, Gol."
Skellin stepped out of the shadows. He was cackling evilly. "Hello Cery. So glad you agreed to be lured here on innocent pretences."
"Anytime. I survived this long in the Thieves by not being overly suspicious. So, what can I do ya for?"
Skellin shrugged, foreignly. "My name is Skellin. I'm foreign, by the way."
"We already knew those things."
"I thought I should reinforce them."
"Your funeral. So, what do you want?"
"Information on the thief hunter."
"Oh. Why?"
"Um. The good of mankind?"
"Somehow I don't believe you."
"I do, I swear. The good of mankind."
"That doesn't seem entirely plausible."
"Well I don't have an ulterior motive, alright?"
"I never said you did."
"It's not like I'M THE THIEF HUNTER or anything."
"Alright..."
"And neither's my mum."
"Your mum?"
"Yeah. My mum. In case you were wondering. She's not. Either."
"Um. Okay then."
"Hey Cery?"
"Yeah?"
"Wanna sell cocai- I mean, roet, for me?"
"No."
"Okay. Hey Cery?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know Black Magician Sonea?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Can you get me her autograph?"
"...I'm gonna go ahead and leave now, Skellin."
Cery wandered away from the meeting with Gol, shaking his head. "What a fruitcake."
"Hey look, it's Neg."
Neg ran up to them, panting. "Hey Cery?"
"Yes Neg?"
"You know your hideout you pay me to guard?"
"Yes Neg."
"And your family you pay me to protect?"
"Yes Neg?"
"Well, your hideout got broken into and your family are dead."
"Screw you, Neg."