Chapter One

The guard narrowed his eyes at the dark alleyway. He shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. It had been a long night, and his eyes were probably just playing tricks on him. He gave the alleyway a final long look before he rejoined the back of his patrol moving steadily south through the city of Ilirea.

Karliah breathed a sigh of relief. She eased herself along the wall that she was pressed against and felt around until she found the old familiar handle sticking out from the small wooden door. Readjusting her grip on the small sack, she swung the door open and entered the building.

She took a deep breath and shook away the last of her fear from the night's excursions. She brushed back a lock of long black hair from her face and adjusted her dark gray dress. Gray was one of her favorite colors. It may be plain, but it was a perfect color for one who hides in the shadows.

The room she was in was plain and bare, but perfectly clean—almost intimidatingly so. She remembered this room well from the time she'd stayed there years ago, and it still brought a shudder of loathing down her spine. She dropped the sack on a scrubbed wooden table, and quietly knocked three times on the hard surface.

Five small, pale, hungry faces peered around a doorframe. The children's eyes lit up with joy, and they rushed towards Karliah, squealing. She shushed them and glanced towards the area where she knew the matron was sleeping. The door remained closed.

She hugged each of the children, noting how thin they were with a pang of sorrow. She nodded her head towards the sack. "It was a good haul last night. There should be plenty to last for a couple of days. Hide it under the loose board under the fourth bed, remember?"

The children silently nodded in agreement. Anna, the smallest child and the only girl, looked up at Karliah with solemn brown eyes. "Are there any sweets?" she whispered hopefully.

Karliah smiled. "Maybe. And just maybe there might be a new dress for you, and clothes for the boys too." The children looked at each other gleefully. "Just remember," Karliah warned, "if she asks, the clothes were given to you while you were begging. And try to act like you're getting nothing to eat but that slop she gives you that I wouldn't even give to a dog. Promise?"

"We promise," the children echoed quietly.

Karliah nodded and smiled. She quickly hugged the children one last time and departed through the alleyway. As she walked swiftly down the narrow streets, she recalled the children's glee.

It was wonderful, she reflected, a child's gratitude. It warmed her heart knowing that she was able to make life a little easier for the children at the orphanage. She wished that she had had someone to do the same for her during her many years there in her childhood.

The shops were just beginning to open up and she hastened towards a general goods shop in the heart of the city, a shop that she knew well and visited often. As she walked, she marveled at how clean and safe the city had become since Nasuada had taken the throne. It was wonderful. The increased guard patrols and general uplift of morale meant that less of the nobles and shopkeepers paid very much attention to personal security—a very good thing for an opportunistic thief.

The door of the general goods shop was wide open. Karliah forced a smile and entered. She nodded politely to the shopkeeper, a young man she had never seen before. "Hello, sir," she said, a little puzzled. "Might I ask where Felton is?"

The young man gave Karliah a pleasant smile. She felt a flicker of unease when she noticed that the smile did not reach his eyes. Then it passed, and she chastised herself for reading too much into nothing. "Felton is feeling a little ill. I'm his nephew, Garth. He asked me to fill in in his absence. How may I be of assistance?"

Karliah blinked. She wasn't sure about this man. He seemed sharper than old Felton. He had better eyesight, at least, and he would be harder to trick. Perhaps she should find another shop.

"I think you should know, milady," Garth said smoothly, interrupting her thoughts, "that we just recently got a shipment of the finest lace in Alagaesia. It was crafted by the magicians of Du Vangr Gata themselves. It's only a silver for a spool."

Karliah's mind raced. She had heard tales of the lace; how its sales almost single-handedly funded the Varden during the war, and she'd heard of its almost legendary quality. She longed for some of her own. She could sew some onto some plain dresses and sell them for twice the amount they were worth.

But he was only charging a silver. It was perfect…almost too perfect. She bit her lip, uneasy, and took a deep breath.

"Actually, I came in here for some fabric. I am sewing a new dress."

"I'm sorry, madam, we are all out of cloth."

Karliah raised her eyebrows. All out of cloth? That was odd. Garth nodded. "My uncle is old, as I'm sure you're aware of. He forgot to make the order."

She sighed. "Of course," she grumbled. She turned to leave the shop. "Madam, wait!" Garth called. "Are you sure you don't want to buy some lace? I'll make it two for a silver."

Karliah paused, uncertain. She was getting an unpleasent sensation in the pit of her stomach, and she was a woman who tended to trust her instincts. However, it was an exceptional bargain…and she did happen to have just the right amount. She made her decision. She turned back around and nodded. "I suppose I will. Two spools, please."

Garth looked very relieved. She began to relax a little and pulled out her coin purse from a pocket in her dress as Garth reached beneath the wooden counter. She pulled out the only coin—a silver—and weighed it in her hand, pleased as always with her handiwork. It looked and felt real.

He placed the lace on the counter. Karliah gathered it in her hands and handed Garth the silver. "Thank you, sir. I hope you have a pleasant day," she said hurriedly, and began to walk briskly towards the door. It was almost as if she knew what was going to happen a split second before it did, and was only partially surprised when she felt a hand roughly grab her arm. She slowly turned around to find herself face to face with the man, who looked very pleased with himself.

"Well," he said quietly. "It seems as if you truly can't lead a horse to water, but you can lead a woman to buy lace. Thief."

Karliah bit back her trepidation and looked Garth straight in the eye, hoping that she appeared both confident and fierce. "I don't know what you're talking about. Release me," she commanded.

"Oh, I think you do," Garth said slowly. He reached out his other hand and revealed the silver coin she had given him. He said a word in a strange language, a word which sent a ripple of unease down Karliah's back. The word seemed to echo in her mind, although she had no idea what it meant. The ancient language. Magic. Suddenly, she was afraid.

The coin shimmered in his hand, and a light dust of silver paint (which she made with powdered fish scales and certain plants) fell from the coin, and it laid in his hand, a dull circle of iron.

Karliah's heart clenched. Garth smiled. "By the orders of Queen Nasuada, and under my authority as newly appointed Watch Captain, I hereby place you under arrest for theft, deception, and forgery."