Hanso's Journal

by Reese S. Quill

The thief needs a story too, right? So how did Hanso become the oh-so-charming one that saved Neopia? This when he's 7 to 18, when TFR starts. Written with the permission of amethyst3232.

38. February at Age 10

All right, I admit it. I broke my own promise. *Hangs head in shame* But I had exams! I NEEDED to study! I really didn't have time. Also, my sister's birthday is next week, and I have to work on her birthday present (no HJ next week, then). So yeah…sorry. :(

On the bright side, Lucy made an awesome picture of Kayley. You can find it at: ?pet=a_play_ful_a

Does anyone know when a plot comes? Is it like, every other year or something? It'd really be interesting to see what TNT would come up with next….still, it's doubtful that they'd ever beat TFR. The characters alone have kept me addicted for FIVE MONTHS. As far as I can tell, there'll only be one way that it would be possible: If they add more Brynnso in it. :)

Oh yeah, and did anyone read Hanso's and Brynn's new Neopedia articles? Kinda interesting. I didn't know Hanso was allergic to Angelpi. Maybe I'll add that in at one point.

The Month of Awakening

Week 1

I'm going nuts. I might not be the 'spy' anymore, or even the prime suspect (that honor goes to Kayley) but I'm getting accused anyway. And watching Kayley being interrogated makes me feel really guilty, too, because if it wasn't for me she wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place. The resolution that I'll trust people more makes me feel slightly better, but what about all the stuff I did before? Last year, all she did was help me. And by helping me, she helped Brynn. Which probably isn't on her to-do list. I owe her something, in a way.

And the only thing I can do is to find the spy. How am I supposed to do that? She has the lead, and she won't even tell me who it is! Is this how frustrated she felt when I wouldn't tell her anything? Besides that, she actually trusted me with supposedly a potion that could reveal the spy, and I don't know how it works. I swear, that thing keeps getting heavier in my pocket everyday. I keep it with me at all times, partly so that I'd be ready to use it, partly so that it won't get nicked.

I wouldn't put it pass Nort to do something like that. If he knew that we weren't spies, I bet he'd just steal it so we couldn't prove that he was wrong. He doesn't try anything except glare or 'bump' (crash) into me for a few times, and even then, only when Kayley isn't there. She scares him. I'd taunt him of being scared of a girl if I wasn't scared of her myself—she has that effect on people.

After all of the chaos and stuff that happened last month, I was really relieved that I was back to the normalcy of the class. That is, until I realized a bit of the craziness followed me there. I mean, what else would explain that when Master Jacques sat down, a Pawkeet petpet followed him? It was cute, I guess, all squished and roundish; a feather-ball of red and blue. But there was something…sly about it. The little bird fluttered in with a sort of arrogant air, like it knew it was important, and circled the room a few times, as if looking for someone to peck. It was a bit creepy.

The Pawkeet perched itself in the windowsill, staring at all of us so intently that it made us all sort of uncomfortable—we just tried to ignore it. Some had more luck than others: Julius probably had some practice droning out his sister, and Kayley is oblivious to anything beneath her notice. But Juliet, Razor, and I kept stealing glances at it while Master Jacques was scrambling for the list of stuff he was supposed to teach us. Still, we were okay—then it began squawking, and impossible to ignore. "SQUAWK!" it screeched. "SQUAWK!"

"Um, Master Jacques?" said Juliet tentatively. "Did you notice a Pawkeet follow you…?"

"Ignore it," said Jacques calmly.

"Squawk!"

"I don't think we can."

"Try harder."

"SQUAWK!"

"Are you sure we can't shoo it away or something?" Kayley asked. "I know this very good aviary which would be happy to pluck the thing and roast it-" But before she could finish her sentence, the Pawkeet flew to her and began pecking at her hair. "Hey! Watch it! Ow!" She ducked under the desk, the Pawkeet still chirping crazily. "It can understand me?"

Jacques sighed. "It's a very smart Pawkeet. My so-called best mate thought that he would be useful, and sent him to me in Christmas; it turns out that he's related to that Black Pawkeet that inspired our ship's name a long time ago, which explains why he's so smug. Lucky me, eh?"

"Luuu-cky!" The Pawkeet sang.

We gaped. "It…it can talk?" I said, astonished.

"Taa-aalk! Fly! Cuu-uute! Arr, mate-ey, me na-ame's Fly-ynn, fli-in, and I be yo-our frie-end!" it, or I guess he, said. He flew up to me, looking straight in my eyes. I told myself I was being an idiot for being scared of a bird. So what if it looked a bit intimidating…unsettling…like it could read every particle in my being. So what if those beady eyes reminded me slightly of my parents interrogating if I'd done something wrong, or Brynn scowling with her sword pointed. Oh, who was I kidding? It did matter. Sweet Fyora, I had to get out of there! But before I made a move, 'Flynn' hopped away. "Thi-is one's goo-ood! Pur-fect-"

"Thanks," I said, thinking that the bird might not be so bad after all.

"For swa-abbing decks!" The class giggled, and I rolled my eyes. But even I couldn't hide a grin. You gotta appreciate a bird with a sense of humor; it smiled cheekily at me. "Yer na-ame?"

"Uh, Hanso," I said.

"Ha-ansooo, you ne-eed trust! Trust! Noooo, no-ot fly-ying thrust! Fla-abby arms ca-an't fly! Tru-ust! Fri-ends!" Then it pecked me, as if making sure it stays in my head. I stared after it. That bird was smart—and it echoed what Marie said. What did he do, read my mind or something? A churning in my stomach made me think that it might be possible. That was a bit scary.

Flynn made his way over to Julius, who twitched nervously. "Hey, uh…no need for examinations, okay? I need to keep my personal space."

The bird just looked at Julius, coming closer and closer until he was practically on his nose. So much for personal space. After a moment, he proclaimed, "Co-onfidence! Pe-erson ne-eeds co-onfidence! Ex-cellent wa-arrior! No-oo flabby muscles, li-ike other pe-eople! But co-onfidence!" With that, he also pecked Julius too. He flinched.

Juliet laughed and patted her brother's hand. "Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Go-ood girl!" Flynn exclaimed. "Nau-ughty girl, too! A-also insecure! Doubts! Many doubts. Unsure. Just a shadow. Sca-ared to mess up, let fri-ends do-ow-own." Juliet's smile faded. I don't blame her: I guess she didn't want her most personal thoughts squawked aloud to the entire class, especially like that. But I was a bit surprised. If anyone but that (okay, I admit it) brilliant bird would've said she was insecure, I'd have laughed. She was like my rock for the entire year, believing me when no one else did. It looked like I wasn't the only one concerned. Kayley tilted her head as if in question, a bit of a guilty expression crossing her face. "Com-mon sense! Thaaat's what she needs! Act! Act! SQUAWK!" With that, it pecked her head. Then screeched suddenly and flew to Razor, screaming a high bird shriek. "NOOO!"

"AAAAAH!" Razor jumped as Flynn hopped on him, pecking for all he was worth. My jaw dropped. His little claws were biting into Razor's shirt, scuttling down his arm until he reached his hands. And then, with another shriek, the bird grabbed the Thieves' Manual from him and flipped it over…

Revealing another book underneath. "GET BACK TO WORK, YE MA-ANGY BRU-UCE!" Flynn squawked, grabbing it and tossing it in the garbage.

"Hey!" Razor pouted pitifully. "That's from the library!"

"Too-oo baaaad! Pay att-en-tion! LEARN! Focus. Must be dep-pend-able be-four pe-oh-ple can dep-pend on YOU!" saying that, Flynn pecked on Razor – must be a ritual or something – and made his way triumphantly back to the window sill. The whole class glared.

"Nice bird, isn't he?" said Jacques in an amused tone. We glared at him too. "Hey, I'm just sayin'!" he said. Like he wasn't the one who was annoyed with him in the beginning of the class.

"Why don't you evaluate Master Jacques, Flynn?" Kayley suggested testily when he saw it eyeing her.

"Oooooh, me know's what Joks got wrong! Ob-vi-ous! Ob-vi-ous! Cap'n told me soooo ma-any times! SQUAWK!"

"What?" I asked eagerly.

"A life! Squawk! Joks needs a life, Joks needs a life, Joks needs a life! Get a life, Joks! SQWAUK!" Jacques suddenly grabbed the bird and tied a string around its beak. We cheered triumphantly, while the Pawkeet did the evil eye on all of us and struggled.

"Very funny, Garin," Jacques muttered as he stuffed the bird into a soundproof cage. I noticed Kayley breathe a sigh of relief, and suddenly noticed she was the only one that Flynn didn't interrogate. I raised my eyebrows. What was she hiding? I didn't have time to think about that, though, since it was back to the regular class. We learned about Morse code, which thankfully isn't as difficult as Ancient Languages. Since it isn't something you actually do, Razor was the best one. Thankfully, this time he helped all of us with the letters, and by the end we were nearly as good. The only really horrible part was when Jacques had to go get a letter (and send one—judging from how furiously he wrote, it wasn't going to be good). He actually let Flynn out, to 'keep us out of trouble,' he said. None of us could really concentrate. We were watching the Pawkeet warily, expecting him to come pecking down at us.

Finally, the school day was over. About time, too, since my brain was nearly dead. I guess after all that inactivity for the last month, it wasn't used to handling new information. I was looking forward to napping at home, so I exhaustedly got out of the Guild and walked to my house.

Oh, I never did describe my house, did I? Well, there's a good reason. No way will I ever put where it or the Thieves' Guild in this journal (what if it was found by someone like Harry? He'd sell us all out for sure!) but I can tell that the Guild has a lot of entrances, and it spreads around to nearly the whole kingdom. A lot of homeless thieves, even little kdis, live there, though it's not exactly the best place to grow up. Even if I'm usually there a lot, I can't imagine staying 24/7. They'd have all my stuff off me in seconds. There's also a lot of secret rooms that I haven't been allowed to enter (one day, I'll go exploring down there just for fun), plus a huge dining hall used for the Christmas Feast. And of course, Kanrik's office.

Mom and Dad came to the same conclusion that they didn't want to live there—so they sort of saved up, and we live in this small house in a corner of Brightvale. It isn't anything fancy, but it's really cozy and warm, with this homey feel to it. Mom takes pictures of us like crazy and posts them all over the walls, and Dad keeps bringing in little 'souvenirs' like a dented helmet, a stolen relic, and other stuff that Mom nags at him to throw away because they don't help us at all. But he just laughs and teases her about the pictures, and she rolls her eyes and says fine. As for me, the only thing I contribute to decorating is my old drawings. I think they're awesome. You know, for stick figures.

You can probably tell I'm lying again, right?

Anyway, that day Mom was doing a rare home-cooked meal, and Dad kept going into the kitchen to 'sample' stuff. Mom tried to chase him away with a spatula, but he attacked her with a ladle, and soon they were having a mini-fight with kitchen utensils. "Wanna join in?" Dad asked, dangling a spoon.

"For Fyora's sake, Peter!" Mom cried, laughing. "He's the most grown-up one around here! Don't spoil it." Which automatically makes me grab the spoon and start jabbing at her. "Oh, two against one? And I'm a lady, no less! How is that fair?"

"You're right!" Dad said. "It's time we turn against one another. Every person's for themselves!" And suddenly he grabbed me by the waist just like I was a little kid and bounced me on the couch. Then he did the same to Mom.

"Stop it!" she said, but she was grinning. "Unless you want your dinner burned, you better let me get back to the kitchen!"

He scratched his head and put his chin on his hands, as if thinking about it. Then he sighed, and said, like it was him that was being generous, "Well, if you really want to cook, I won't stop you. It'd be sad to see such a fine meal go to waste." Mom rolled her eyes, and after a few minutes the stew she had been making was done. A flood of salty flavors dripped in my tongue. It was brilliant, like always. She really could be a cook instead of a thief, if she ever wanted to. King Hagan himself would beg for her recipes.

"Hey Mom, where'd you learn about cooking?" I said absent-mindedly. "I'm pretty sure they don't teach that in the Thieves' Guild. Did your mom teach it to you?"

Mom blinked, surprised. "No. No she didn't. It was, um, someone else. A friend." I waited for her to expand on that, but she never does. She hates talking about the past, even if it was after she ran away—briefly, I wondered if it was Marie. Judging by her cookies, I wouldn't put it past her to be a great chef, too. Sure enough, Mom quickly changed the subject. The only subject that could distract me. "Masila's been around for awfully a long time."

"Yeah," I said, poking at my food. "I can't believe it. I thought we'd have beaten her by now."

"We will," she assured me. "I think we're making progress." She gave Dad this meaningful look.

"You mean because of what you guys did in December?" I couldn't help asking. I immediately wished I hadn't. They both stared at me openmouthed; Mom gripped her knife, her weapon of choice, more tightly.

"How did you know that?" she tried to keep her tone casual, but there was a hint of anger and…fear? Why would she be scared? "Did you follow us or something?"

"'Course he didn't, Lizzie," Dad piped up before I could say anything. He gave me a warning look, as if saying If you don't want to stay in your room for a week, be quiet. "He was late for the feast, remember?"

"Oh, yes." Mom looked relieved.

"I really didn't follow you," I said honestly. "Marie mentioned it to me when I visited her."

"You visited Marie? After what I told you?" Mom shrieked, jumping up. Dad threw me a pitying look. "What if you met Masila there?"

I looked down at my plate. "Uh….."

Mom groaned. "Don't tell me. You met Masila there."

"Marie defended me," I said. "She wouldn't let Masila do anything."

"Great. Just great." Mom shook her head in disbelief. "I'm honestly going to have to start following you around if you keep going to these dangerous places. What if something happened to you?" Her voice sounded frantic.

"That's what happens when you're a thief, Liz," Dad said calmly. "He doesn't really do anything more dangerous than we do. Why do you ask? You regret his choice?" I was about to shriek that I liked being a thief and beg her not to worry. Then I thought about the question more. There was something weird about it, like what he was asking was something else altogether.

She just stared at Dad and smiled slightly. "Never."

"Good," said Dad, grinning, and suddenly all the tension ceased. He has that effect on everything. He isn't a persuader…but he sure is a charmer. "Now, I think what's done is done. Hanso went to Marie's. He didn't get hurt. He will never do so without our permission. Right?"

"Right," I promised.

He leaned back on his chair. "Well, I did want to tell the story to someone—Marie told us to keep it top-secret, but since she told you then I guess you're okay. So anyway…"

He began telling be how they snuck into the Assassins' lair by using the cloaks that Marie used for them, and used her blueprints to find the main headquarters AKA Masila's room. She told them exactly what to do. I don't think Dad wanted to admit that part – he probably wanted to sound that they did it by themselves – but I read in between the lines. Plus, there was that grudging admiration when he said, "If there's one thing I should say about her, it's that Marie can make a pretty good plan."

But all thieves know that a good plan is only half the battle. They hadn't counted on the Assassins that had walked out of the rest room and caught Mom when it was her turn to cross the hallway. They grabbed her instantly. The good news was that they went straight to Masila's room. The bad news was that the Mistress of Double-cross was going to meet her herself. It seemed that she wanted a 'test product.'

Masila was actually testing the necklace and spell out. "Remember, it increased whatever talent you're best in," he said. "At first, I sort of thought that it'd be combat. I mean, she's the best with the dagger in the whole Guild—excluding Kanrik; and your mom, of course." He flashed Mom a smile. "She did this spell….she read it out of a piece of paper. It was creepy. Anyway, the room was sort of separated with this thin wall that cut into 6/7 about it. Then she began talking (still in the other room), and even if I knew she wasn't talking to me, I still froze. She's awfully good at persuading, but you should've heard her then. I had to do everything she said. There was no choice."

"Except, weirdly, I kept thinking about what you would say," he said, frowning. "Probably be really disappointed in me. I don't know why, but thinking of your voice kinda cleared my head. Oh, and the sight of your mom struggling against the ropes and glaring at me to hurry up. I cut her bindings pretty quickly and was all set to escape, but stubborn as she is, she refused to have gone through all that with nothing to show for it. Masila left her stuff in the room for a few minutes to talk to some advisor or another, and we sneaked in. That time, I was the one who wasn't fast enough. Your mother got the necklace, but before I could get away, I heard her footsteps coming back. In a panic, I threw the papers in the fireplace."

I stared at him. "You destroyed the spell?"

"Maybe," he said. There was a kind of troubled look to his face. "I'm honestly not sure how magic works. I know that the spell was needed to activate the necklace- but then, the necklace was already activated for Masila. I'm not entirely sure that she hadn't written it down somewhere else or even memorized it. You never know with that woman. So we got away, I told Marie about the papers, which she was okay about. She wasn't sure about the activation thing either, but if that was the last copy of the spell and Masila couldn't remember it, then the necklace was permanently useless."

"Why can't she just destroy it?" I asked.

"That was the original plan," he said. "Trying to break it took almost as much time as trying to get it. We zapped, squashed, threw, burnt, bit, kicked, liquefied, and loads of other things with it, but the darn thing just kept reforming. In the end, we concluded that it was unbreakable, and that it should just be kept in safety. Marie's guarding it for now, but I'm sure that it won't be safe until Masila's officially behind bars."

"But what about Kanrik? It'd be really useful if he knew about it—even better, used it."

Dad bit his lip. "Kanrik's been real nice to us, but honestly, we're more loyal to Marie. And Marie is strictly neutral—she would never choose sides. Word on the street is that Marie and Masila used to be friends. I mean, I know they're sisters, but them getting along? Tough to imagine."

"Not so hard," I said, picturing the smiling seven-year-olds. Remembering Masila like that…I was a bit shocked. I know there was the whole 'heart getting colder' thing, but how bad did it actually get? What kind of heartbreak would it take to get that Masila…the one who I might have actually liked...into such a horrible person?

Maybe it was that persuading ability. I think that's it. Look at what it's done to people—Kanrik has it, and he's seriously paranoid and testy. Harry (who I admit has just a teeny bit of it)—is this stupid bully who I would love to punch again. Even Sam was easily swayed to go to Harry's side just because it was the easy way. Still, I don't know why. Masila used that same ability to stop Galem from bullying Marie; in fact, that might be what made her, forced her, to acquire the talent in the first place. Because she loved her sister so much.

I snorted, thinking about what happened recently. If what Marie said was true, then Masila basically killed her sister's husband, had harassed her son, and was now pestering Marie herself for the necklace. I guess things really do change, I thought glumly. Shame. What's even stranger…how long exactly did she know Kanrik, anyway? I really had to do some more digging into this, maybe when the whole thing's over. Who knows what awesome secrets that I could use to black-mail the Guild leader with I could find?

Week 2

There's only one word I'd use for this week: TRAUMATIZING. I'm thanking my lucky stars that I'm alive! I honestly thought that…well, I'm getting ahead of myself again. I need to remember this memory forever; mainly so that, if I ever had a bad week, I could just reread this one and say It's not as bad as that one.

This week, we had to have mentors again—and it's been awhile, too! The Meerca brothers were the first ones to come, as always. It's weird how fast they get here. One moment there was no-one, and the next the next two guys were grinning mischievously at you. I seriously doubt that they were ever caught. Or if they were, I kinda feel sorry for the person who caught them. They would've driven him mad. Maybe one day the twins would be as good, hopefully. They've improved a lot.

Dr. Kent came a little late, but he came. He had this absent-minded expression on his face that he always wore, like he was thinking about two things at the same time. But he smiled at Razor and took out his medicine bag, and the Bruce's eyes lit up. Seriously, he's never excited unless you're talking about books or medicine.

Kayley was all set, with Master Jacques always being there. I always wonder what he teaches her. He never gives her advantages in class, but she definitely improved in loads of other stuff. Kind of funny—when I found out who he was, I thought he'd be teaching her how to pirate stuff. Like how to say, "Arrr!" I felt really sorry for Kayley when we saw that Flynn was coming with them. The bird was starting to bug us.

Anyway, everyone was there. But never in a million, no, gazillion years would I have ever expected Kanrik to show up. I thought he hated me; at least, he acted like it. I know that the spy thing with Kayley actually got him to clear his head, to finally face that he was wrong, but I knew he'd never really trust me until a real spy was discovered. To be honest, I kinda missed him…or at least, irritating him. Well, he was there, his arms crossed and looking tired like he always did. "You're teaching me today?" I asked with disbelief.

"No," he said sarcastically. He seemed to be in a worse mood than usual, glowering at everything and everyone, stomping towards me. "I hired the Pawkeet to, and just wandering in for a stroll."

"Squawk!" Flynn said indignantly. "Wash your mouth! Squawk! Wash your mouth!"

Kanrik jumped and pulled out his dagger. "It can talk?"

"Apparently," I said, struggling. "Don't let it get too close, or it might read your-"

But Flynn had already hopped to the Guild leader, and was eyeing him straight in the face. "Squawk! Needs more trust, that one! Squawk! Betrayed! Squawk! Hurt! Squawk! But blind. Bliiiiind. Stubb-orn. Will not. Can-not. You know! You know! Squawk!" I didn't understand a word he said, but Kanrik visibly paled. "Risk! Baaaad risk! Rash! At yer own cost! Very danger-ous game. App-ea-liiiing to her better nay-ture? Hahahahaha! SQUAWK!"

"What is that thing?" Kanrik said, backing away.

"Fly-yn!" the bird sang. "Fly-yn the thing! Me yer best fri-end. Squawk! Gifted Paw-keet! Squawk!" Then he pecked Kanrik on the head and flew away.

The Guild leader was stunned. "That bird…"

"Is awful," I finished. "Garin gave it as a present to Jacques."

"I should've known," said Kanrik darkly. "It would be just the thing that flippant Usul would do." He shook his head. "Might as well get moving, now."

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to keep up with his long strides. He never slowed down and waited up like he used to, but that didn't matter much anymore since I wasn't as small.

"To the Assassins' hideout," he replied. I blinked, thinking that he was being sarcastic again. He sighed. "Yes, Hanso, we really are going there. I took care of the spell—we'll be safe from the alarm."

"But….she'll kill us!" I said indecorously. I knew he was upset today, and angry with me, but I didn't actually think he'd make me walk into the enemy's camp with no defense.

"Then we better not get caught," he snapped.

I stared at him. "You're in a really bad mood now, aren't you?" He didn't answer, but I took it as a yes. "Maybe Flynn's right. You're acting kinda rash now, Master Kanrik."

It was his turn to stare at me. "You're calling me rash?"

"Well, someone has to!" I said angrily. "We're walking straight into a deathtrap, for crying out loud! What are we going to do, take down as many assassins before they could get to us? I'm ten years old. And if we're not going to do that, you're expecting we're just going to watch them? What good would-" Then it clicked. I glared at him. "I am NOT a spy. I'm not even a very good one. Even on your side."

"Really?" he said, scoffing, but he didn't sound so mad anymore. It was like my angry outburst amused him.

"Really," I said.

"If I'm honest, I don't believe you," he said. "But you not being a good spy? That, Hanso, is a lie. And if it's the truth, it's a very dangerous one."

"What do you mea-"

"Because if you weren't a good spy, then it would've been very bad for us to let you befriend Miss Brynneth, now would it?" he said slyly. "And we both knew that it all depends on you skills of acting and spying that you were allowed to talk to her."

I looked down. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore, does it? I'm not allowed. Period."

"Right," he agreed. "And unless you can prove that you're not the spy, then I'm afraid you'd get kicked out of the Guild if you ever try and talk to her again." I looked at him angrily, and for a few moments we just stood there glaring at each other.

"Okay, fine," I snapped at him. "Let's get this thing over with." Who knows, I thought. With any luck the spy would be there and I could dump all of the potion on the stupid idiot's head, and bang the bottle on Kanrik's to top it all off.

I guess he sensed that he made me mad too, because he said, in a more apologetic tone, "I do have a backup plan, Hanso, if we get caught." I was about to ask what it was when-

"Hanso! Is that you?" A sweet voice said. We both turn around to find Hazel coming after us. I forgot that the rich kid's neighborhood was on the way to the Assassin' hideout, and I guess I didn't notice how nice the houses were since I was too busy glowering at my own thoughts. I gave the little princess a half-hearted wave. She practically skipped to us, with a small smile on her face. It faltered when she saw Kanrik. "Oh…hello."

"We meet again, Lady Hazel," Kanrik said with a courteous bow. She grinned up at him, and he beamed back. Honestly, she can make anyone feel better.

"Hanso, you'll never guess what happened," she said, nearly squealing. "It actually happened a few weeks ago, but I couldn't tell you since you weren't here. It was so cool that it even distracted my father from bringing back Violet." She twirled happily. "Oh, is it why you're here too? I'm not surprised!"

"What's 'it'?" I asked, amused. "Is the Usukicon being held there?"

She beamed. "Something like that. It's-"

"I'm sorry, Lady Hazel, but we're on our way to something," Kanrik interrupted. "And we're a bit late." He glanced at the hill, not knowing that she knew what was there. Her eyes widened.

"You'll…be careful, won't you?" she said tentatively.

"Yeah," I promised her.

She didn't look convinced. In a small voice, she said, "Maybe I should tell someone…"

"No!" I said quickly. Kanrik was already looking suspicious. Who knows what he'd think if he knew I let two rich kids come along with me to the Assassins' hideout? "We're not going to do anything dangerous."

She raised her eyebrows, giggling a little. "You're not a very good liar."

I sighed. "I get that a lot. But seriously, Hazel, I'm safe with Kanrik. No need to tell anyone, all right?"

"All right," she said reluctantly. "But visit me soon, okay? I wanna tell you what happened."

"I will," I promised. Kanrik coughed. Hazel gave us a cute little curtsy and began walking to her house.

Kanrik and I spent the rest of the walk to the Assassins' hideout in silence.

Which was probably good, because if we didn't we'd have been caught immediately. I guess it was better that we managed to sneak in a bit far – giving us a sort of illusion of security, or at least as much as you can in an enemy's base – before the Assassins pounced on us. It turned out that ever since my parents' break-in, they put in a few additional, magical defenses. Defenses that weren't known to Kanrik until then. In any case, two beefy Assassins had us at a death-lock pretty quickly.

I think Kanrik could've gotten away. He took down the guy who was hold him and managed to knock out the thug that was holding me long enough for me to wriggle out of his grasp. People kept on coming, but hey, he's not the leader of the Thieves' Guild for nothing. There was still a way clear enough for us to make a run for it.

Then a hand seized my wrist. It wasn't huge and thick, like the guy before, but well manicured and flexible. Even then, it had a grip that would've killed me had they been around my neck. That hand could only belong to one person. "Masila," I seethed.

"Hello, Hanso," she said sweetly, still cloaked in her hood. Before I could say anything, she called, "Kanrik, darling, I really wouldn't suggest that you knock Ken out, or any other of the Assassins for that matter. We wouldn't want the same thing to happen to your apprentice, do you?"

His eyes flew over to me and her. For a moment, he looked really confused. Then the truth, the one I've been trying to tell him for months and months, FINALLY sunk in: I was not the spy. I tried to signal to him to get the heck out of there: I hated to admit it, but it was more important that he escape than me.

But of course, he would have none of it. With a sigh, a glare, he reluctantly let go of the Skeith he was holding.

Rapidly, a throng of people came and disarmed him, taking away his dagger and tying him up to a pole. Masila did the same for me, grabbing my weapon and pushing me aside to be chained. After a few minutes of this, the throng of Assassins stood back so that their Mistress could see what happened. About ten of them were crawling all over themselves, looking for approval.

"And I hit them, like, POW! And he went OW, and…"

"Steve didn't do a thing, it was me, Mistress, all me…"

"Are you nuts? Masila, I did the real pounding…those bozos just got beat…."

"Pfft, he ran away and jumped in when all the work was done. I did everything…"

"We did well, didn't we, Mistress?"

"Yes you did, darling," she said to a scared-looking Gelert. "Maybe your family won't be punished after all. You've proven your worth, even after that little mishap a few months ago…giving back the jewelry you stole to two guard girls, was it?" He nodded shakily. She smiled at him, and for a moment he relaxed.

Kanrik was watching them, disgusted. "Lobe?" Kanrik said to the Gelert. "I never thought you'd betray me for this. And you guys," he said to the others, "You're just fawning all over her!"

"Look who's talking," one of them shot back. "Wasn't that long ago when you did the same, and even worse. You unleashed a monster on us just because she said so!" Kanrik looked down, slightly ashamed.

"She promised a better life for my family, Kanrik," Lobe answered. "As good as you have been to me, you couldn't really offer that."

"And you think she could!" I exploded. "How is she gonna do that, huh? Raid the Brightvalian Treasury, killing all of you in the process? Yeah, money will so make up for that-" Masila clamped a hand over my mouth. I blinked, shocked, and saw why. A few of them were actually listening to me.

"You're getting better with the truth-speaking, Hanso, I'll give you that," she hissed at me. Then she turned to the crowd. "We all know that Kanrik couldn't do it because he was too squeamish about attacking people. But honestly, how does he expect us to thrive? Move like insects under a rock, waiting to be found out? Need I remind you that that already happened? Hm? No, we have to go offense. Defeating the Thieves' Guild is just a stepping-stone—by the end of this year, you'll all be living like kings. And if you don't? If you suddenly get cold feet? Well, you're children will starve, you'll live like insects like you always have, waiting to be squashed by the real rulers." A shudder passed through the audience, and no one questioned her again.

Masila subtly pulled out a rag and tied it on my mouth. "To keep you from saying anything foolish."

"Oh, he isn't the foolish one, Masila," Kanrik told her.

"You're calling me foolish? At least I actually use my gift," she said. "I know you have my little ability, too, but when's the last time you used it? Did you notice I didn't gag you, too? I know you'll probably be too scared to try it, just as you were scared to try many things."

"And with good reason," he growled. "The last time I listened to you…"

"You have no one to blame but yourself," she said matter-of-factly. Then her voice took on a disappointed tone—a genuinely disappointed tone. "But seriously, even if I knew that you were getting a bit desperate, I didn't know you'd just walk in here. That was…stupid." She shook her head at both of us. Even without my gag, I wouldn't have anything to say. I hated to admit it, but it was stupid. "And just you two? No back up? No one knowing where you are? And you disappearing from the Guild for researching things for hours on end definitely isn't going to help. They won't look for you for hours!" She sighed. "This will just be too easy. Oh, well, might as well take things when they come. Vlade, you can kill them now."

"What? Too cowardly to kill me yourself?" Kanrik said angrily.

"Not at all, darling," she said. "I'm just more informed. It seems that whoever defeats the last Guild leader will have to be the next one, whether she likes it or not. I wish I'd learned that on that day in the shop; I wouldn't even have attempted to kill you. Anyway, I stand by the opinion I had when we were children. Being a Guild Leader would be awful." She shuddered. "All those people…no, I'll let my second-in-command take care of it. I'll still be ruler, but in an indirect way, and I'll be satisfied watching you getting sliced to pieces. Vlade!"

The yellow Lupe charged forward, grinning. "Here, Mistress," he said to her respectfully. He leered at me. "I know this one, though it's been a mighty long time since I clapped eyes on him. He's the one who put me in the jail cell, and didn't help at all when he had the opportunity." I wanted to say something, but the gag was still in my mouth. I had to content myself with screaming at him in a mad way. He just laughed. "Ah, well, I don't hold that many grudges against you, little one. You weren't the one who slapped the hand-cuffs on me." His eyes turned to slits, his face growing uglier. "That honor is reserved for your little guard friend." I gulped.

"How is Brynn, Hanso?" Masila said, knowing full well I couldn't answer. "You haven't done a very good job protecting her, have you? She's been in…three riots, I think? Still, I guess it's not completely your fault. I'm guessing Kanrik forbade you from speaking to her recently on account that you were my 'spy.'" She smiled evilly at him. "Really, darling, you shouldn't have worried. Little brat would've given his life before he'd betray you."

Kanrik looked even more ashamed than the 'fawning over Masila' thing. "I know." He stared at her straight in the eye, and for a moment his voice changed. "Let him go, Masila. He's just a kid, and isn't part of this whole mess. Please."

She blinked, and burst out laughing. "Really, Kanrik? Now you try being persuasive? I'm afraid you've gotten a little rusty. As for your reason, well, my dear, he has everything to do with it. This would've been over months ago if not for his quick thinking, as well as that Acara…." She shook her head. "But you're just stalling, now, aren't you? Vlade, just get it over with."

"Don't I guess a last request?" Kanrik said desperately as Vlade took out his dagger.

The Lupe grinned wickedly. "What makes you think she'll do anything for you-?"

"Because we were friends once," he snapped.

Her eyes widened and darted around quickly, but otherwise she was still calm. "All right, my dear, but I'm afraid it can't be letting little Hanso go."

"Why?" he pleaded. "He has nothing to do with this! What use could he be to you?"

"We'll still be using him as bait, I'm afraid. For a certain little trinket that my sister has…that his parents took." For a moment, she looked really angry, not at all like the composed façade she always appeared to have. "Even though we promised each other a long time ago that we won't have outside help when stealing it from each other," she said under her breath. She glowered at Kanrik, like it was all his fault. "So? What's your last request, then?"

Vlade raised his dagger. "Permission to slay him the moment you finish, Mistress?" Masila gave him a curt nod, and he grinned widely.

"Masila," Kanrik said slowly, "Tell me, what's the date today?" My jaw dropped open, a little shocked. Was he getting lessons from Kayley or something? And he's using his last request for THAT? Sweet Fyora, what was he thinking?

"The twelfth day of Awakening," Masila said without blinking. Then her eyes widened. Vlade smiled evilly and raised his dagger to strike. "Wait, no-!" But the blade was already swinging. Kanrik winced and, as stupid as it sounds, I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see his death.

Clang!

I opened my eyes tentatively…then saw something mind-blowing. Masila, the Masila that tried to kill us who-knows-how-many-times, just took out her own dagger and jumped in front of Kanrik, blocking Vlade's blade. Her minions stared at her, apparently as amazed as I was. Not Kanrik, though. He was just relieved. "For a moment I thought you'd forgotten," he said. There was just a hint of smugness around his words.

She shook her head, glaring at him. "I knew you wouldn't come here without a trick up your sleeve," she said, and I realize there's a bit of grudging admiration as well as anger and frustration in her voice. "That was dangerous, you know. I could've just ignored what you said and pushed through; appealing to my better nature is usually very, very risky, and even then any promise I made you specifically would've been ignored."

"True," he said. "But I know 'Sila's still in there somewhere."

She unsheathed her dagger again and put it on his neck. "Be careful of what you say, Kanrik. Even if what you say is true, there's not much of her left."

Vlade opened his mouth. "Mistress-"

"I hate whiners," Masila said conversationally. "I don't know what I'd do if one would dare approach me in this particular day."

Vlade frowned and changed his tone. "Mistress, you don't owe him anything. May I just kill him now? It'll put him out of his misery. And the apprentice, too, to cut off any whining."

"I don't owe him anything," Masila echoed. Then, in a small voice, she whispered, "But I do owe his sister. At least this much." She looked a lot like her seven-year-old self then—a bit wary, but overall nice. Then she straightened, back to her own despicable self. "In any case, I've lost all respect for her brother. Hiding behind a dead little sibling. That's very chivalrous."

He gritted his teeth. "Is it chivalrous to hold a ten-year-old hostage?"

She shrugged. "What do you expect, darling? It's what I do, not you."

"Right," he grumbled. "So if you'll just untie us…"

She shook her head. "You might be able to live through the day, but not tomorrow. I'm planning on keeping you here until sun-up. Then Vlade can cut you up as much as he wants."

"They'll come looking for me," Kanrik warned. "Even I don't go missing for an entire day."

"Good point," Masila conceded. "Which is why it helps having a spy in the Guild, right?" She snapped her fingers, and a hooded person came over to her. I still couldn't see whether if it was a guy or girl, grown-up or kid, or any other piece of information. Just that the person was of medium height. Oh, I badly wanted to rip off that cloak and see who was under, but of course, my hands were tied up. "Be a dear and tell the Guild that Kanrik took Hanso to Meridell to show him their fighting styles, okay?"

The hooded figure nodded and ran away. I groaned. It was a good lie, actually believable. Even my parents wouldn't question it, though I bet my mom would be a bit miffed. I could only hope that Hazel ignored me telling her not to say anything to anyone. But then, the little girl was compliant. She probably wouldn't disobey a direct order, even from me. "Darn," I muttered through the gag.

That was a mistake. Masila's attention turned to me, and she smiled menacingly. "Oh, I forgot you don't like lies, do you? You know what, I don't owe Layeela that much that I couldn't kill anyone today. You didn't even know her. And, well, I can always find some other way to get that necklace. Killing you would be a pleasure."

"No!" Kanrik cried. "Masila, please, he hasn't done anything and Vlade would just be cruel-"

"Vlade?" She laughed. "You think I'm giving him to Vlade? No offense, dear," she said to the Lupe, "But as much as your swipes are cutting, I'm afraid they're all too quick. I'm allowing you to do that with Kanrik because, well, you'll be the next Guild Leader. But Hanso?" Her indigo eyes bored into mine. "He's been a thorn on my side for too long—I'd rather give him a slow, painful death, hm?"

"As you wish, Mistress," Vlade said with unnecessary relish.

"But-" Kanrik tried to protest. Before he could, Masila reached in her cloak and took out a potion. It was an inky blue, swirling scarily, with smoke trying to come out of the stopper. She took the lid off.

"I've always been an expert on potions," she said musically. "This was my favorite one to make."

"Don't. Please," Kanrik begged. "He's just a kid."

"When did that ever stop anyone?" she said. Before I could react, she stepped forward, snatched the gag from my mouth, and made me drink the foul stuff. It tasted awful, like swallowing tar, and burnt too. What was even more awful was that as soon as the hotness dissolved from my mouth, it was replaced with this bitter cold that froze my insides. I shuddered. "Slow and painful," Masila sang. "So it'll take about six hours to kill you, if you're lucky. In the meantime, watch out for unexpected shuddering, mild twitches, and excruciating pain."

"I swear, if I ever get out of this," Kanrik seethed. "You're going to pay." That didn't sound very encouraging, if he was talking about avenging my death before it could happen. There's a flash of guilt in his eyes, and I think we both understood what Flynn meant when he said that appealing to Masila's better nature was risky. Not only for him, like he probably thought, but also for me.

"But you won't get out of this," Masila replied. She smiled at a few guys. "Would you please guard him? I don't want him to do anything rash—and Hanso, too." She yawned. "I believe I'll take a nap. Wake me when his final moments are near. You'll now when the horrible convulsing starts. And just so you know, even if you somehow do escape, that poison is incurable." I winced as she left to go to her tent.

Kanrik sighed in agony, and threw me a look. It was the most sympathetic look that he gave me since I disappeared for two months, and for a moment if was nice. Then there was this awful pain in my stomach, and my legs felt like they turned to jelly. I slumped forward. If the ropes weren't holding me up, then I bet I would've fallen over. "Hanso!"I mutter something intelligible through my gag, hopefully comforting. But from the way Kanrik paled, I doubt it worked.

An hour passed, and I shake a bit more. Each time is worse than the previous, but I try to bear it. I spent the time thinking of a plan, but I simply couldn't see a way out of this. To make it even worse, my thoughts begin to get cloudy. Try as I might, I couldn't focus.

Another hour passed. I begin to twitch uncontrollably. You don't know how weird it is when you feel yourself moving when you don't want it to. I try to stop myself, but it doesn't work. There are times when it passes, and I get a brief reprieve. But then it always starts up again.

Another hour, totaling it up to three. My time's half gone. I should've been panicking, but my insides were so cold that I didn't even care at that point. But I looked up, and I saw the sun sinking from yellow to orange to molten red under the bunch of trees that shaded us. A sunset, possibly my last one. A bit of sun rests on me for a moment, trying to warm me up. I blink, and for a few seconds I can think clearly. In a way, that was a magic in itself. But then I slump back, and take to gazing back at the rocks below me.

Something in my mind begins to form. A plan? No, too exact. But an idea? What idea? I wanted to shout. Then I remember that in moments like these, Jacques said, it's best to stay calm. "Your subconscious mind might be thinking of a way out. Just listen carefully. Retrace your trail of thought."

"And if it isn't thinking of a way out?" I remember Juliet inquiring.

The Kyrii Master shrugged. "Then I guess you're screwed."

Sometimes I really hate him.

But I try to retrace the 'trail of thought' anyway. I close my eyes, trying to think. It takes awhile to do this, probably twenty minutes or so—that's kinda scary, fighting so hard to think. What had I been thinking about? Oh, yeah. Yellow, orange, red. Trees. Sunset. Warmth. Clarity. Magic. Rock.

Wait. Magic rock? And suddenly, a half-forgotten conversation comes back to me. I guess you can blame the whole nearly dying thing, though.

"You're giving me a…rock?" I asked in disbelief.

"No," Kayley said impatiently. "It's an obsidian stone tinted with magic."

"A magic rock, then," I said.

She sighed with exasperation. "Not just a rock. Look, I have a matching pair." She held it up. "At night, hold it up to the moonlight and we can communicate through the reflection. I'll call only when it's urgent. Besides, it's safer than neomail since it can't get intercepted, and it's a lot faster too."

I realized something—I never gave it back to her. First she was mad, then I was mad…then I guess I just forgot about it. I probably stuffed it in my coat somewhere. I thought harder. Yeah, I definitely stuffed it in my right pocket. Looking up again, I saw that the moon was starting to creep out. I needed to do this now.

I wriggled around, trying to get Kanrik's attention. He was dozing slightly. I made as much noise as I dared. He blinked and nearly jumped, then looked guilty, like he was ashamed that he was sleeping when his ten-year-old-apprentice was slowly dying. I glared at him, and he shrugged, like, What else was I supposed to do?

I looked at him, then at the thugs that were guarding us, and then at him again. I repeated this several times, hoping that he would get the hint. Finally, he realized what I was saying. He took a deep breath. "You guys must be tired," he said conversationally to the thugs. They turned to him. "I mean, you've been standing here all day. We're not going anywhere. Look, we're all shackled up." They didn't look convinced. "I bet your Mistress would like you better all clean and fresh, not ready to slump over." At the mention of their Mistress, they all gasped excitedly. "Go and get cleaned up. We're not going anywhere," Kanrik encouraged. They quickly went away. I was impressed. He wasn't as good as Masila, but he could use that ability of his if he had to. "You have a plan?" he said.

I wriggled a bit more; but instead of the necklace getting out of my coat, it was my gag. Still, I didn't mind that a lot. At least I could insult him. "Me? You're the adult! You're the one who should be thinking of a plan to escape."

"I'm trying," he said miserably. "Escape training was never my strongest suit. It was always combat, attacks, and stealth missions."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I've thought of something. I just have to…got it!" I said triumphantly. The necklace was out of my coat and into my hands. Then, of course, I just had to start twitching. The thing was out of my hands in seconds, and slipped away downward to Kanrik's boot. "Don't kick it!" I said desperately, once I stopped shaking.

"What…?" he began.

"Push it slightly to the moonlight. You have to trust me," I said. I looked at him pointedly. "Something you haven't been doing the past few months."

He sighed and did what I said, pushing it directly to where the moon beams were. The stone was illuminated in ghostly, pale light, and shone brightly. I prayed it would work. A few minutes went pass. Nothing happened.

Kanrik looked at me. "It's not working, is it?"

"I don't know," I said. I bit my lip. "But maybe she's not answering because she's mad at me."

Then, suddenly, the stone began to glow brighter, like it was sucking in the moonlight. A glow pervaded around it, and suddenly Kayley's face appeared. I'd never been gladder to see someone glower at me my entire life. "Why the heck are you calling me?" she snarled loudly. Too loudly. "I can't believe I forgot that you didn't give it back—when I felt my necklace getting warm I thought I was crazy. What, too scared to give it yourself? I can't believe-"

"Shhhh," I said pleadingly. She blinked, as if focusing on my surroundings for the first time.

Her jaw dropped. "Oh, Fyora." Then she turned around a bit and saw Kanrik. "Sweet Mother of light," she whispered. Her eyes darted around. "You're captured, aren't you? In the Assassins' lair?" I nodded. She cursed.

"Tell Marie," Kanrik suggested, once he finally figured out that the thing was a communication device. "And Jacques. Tell anyone you can find in the Guild hideout. We need a rescue team as soon as possible. Get Dr. Kent too; we need a medic here." As if on cue, I began shaking violently.

"Do you think they'll listen to me?" Kayley said uncertainly. She had the look of absolute terror on her face, like I saw when she couldn't decide whether to jump of Charlie's roof or not and when I told her that telling the Guild where I went would doom every person in it. You know, I can never figure out what makes her scared.

"You have to try," I urged. "Kayley, we're counting on y-"

Then a shoe stepped over the obsidian stone and cracked it in half. Kayley's holograph spluttered and went blank. "Well, well, well," Masila sighed. "Looks like I underestimated you, little thief. Both of you." She looked at Kanrik. "Still, I was of the impression that you despised using that talent. There's still some hope for you after all." He glared at her. "And Hanso…a magic obsidian stone, was this?" She looked at it up close. There was genuine regret on her face. "Oh. Now I wish I hadn't broken it. It's nearly as powerful as…another necklace we know, though not in the same way."

I stared at her. I didn't sense any lie, but that was impossible. That little pebble, as powerful as her family artifact? The only thing it could do was transmit messages. Right? And if it didn't, then why in Neopia did Kayley give it to me in the first place?

"I should've checked you more thoroughly," she continued. "Perhaps I would've spotted it, but I was too busy checking for weapons. Ah, well. You've communicated with someone, haven't you?" She sighed. "That, you might know, was foolish. Now I have to kill Kanrik today, despite Layeela." She shrugged. "Oh well. Maybe she'll thank me that I sent her brother up to join her."

"Who are you kidding?" he snapped. "She won't thank you for that!"

She shrugged. "It made me feel better."

"Feel better?" Kanrik said. "Do I see some guilt in there?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Be careful what you say. No, I've gotten rid of feeling guilty a long time ago, thank you very much. And if you're hinting that there's still some of 'Sila' in here, then I'm afraid she's all gone…and if she isn't, then she's very, very annoyed."

"I can tell," he grumbled.

"Vlade!" she called, then cursed when a minion told her that he was sleeping. She shook her head. "Fine, I'll deal with this myself. I'll abdicate in favor of him later or something." She smiled menacingly as she pulled out her dagger. "Well, it's been fun, darling."

"Very fun," Kanrik said, and there was a trace of sincerity in it that made Masila confused for a second. But only for a second. Again, I closed my eyes.

Clang!

I was starting to love that sound. I opened my eyes…and what I saw was even more shocking that Masila defending Kanrik.

"Miss me?" Hannah said, grinning. She was holding a fancy serving knife, borrowed from who-knows-where, and deflecting Masila's blade.

Masila shrieked. "You!"

Kanrik was just as startled as Masila. "H-Hannah?"

Hannah laughed. "I forgot how much I enjoyed freaking you guys out. Like two peas in a pod, aren't ya?" She smirked. "And people mistake me as your girlfriend. I can't believe it."

"What are you doing in Brightvale?" Masila snarled. "Last time my spies checked on you, you were there-"

"Decoys," Hannah said matter-of-factly. "You know a thing or two about that. I heard that you actually used one a few times, too."

"B-but how are you even here? I made sure that no form of communication managed to get through…including that letter he," Masila glared at me, "Sent you way back in February last year."

Hannah smiled. "Well, you know Hanso. He doesn't give up easily. Where did you think he was for the two months he was missing?" Masila and Kanrik looked like they've both been slapped. Hannah laughed again. "Like I said, two peas in a pod."

"But how?" Kanrik spluttered. "How did you know where we were…and…what were you doing up in that tree?" Hannah had leaves all over her hair. Judging by that, I guess she'd jumped out of the canopy above us.

"Well, that's an easy question," Hannah said. She winked at me. "Usuls are prone to trees, usually if they don't want to be seen."

"Now where have I heard that before?" I wondered out loud, my gaze drifting upwards again. A pair of brown eyes answered me, along with a pair of sky blue. Looked like Hannah wasn't the only one who had been hiding. Cautiously, Charlie and Hazel crept out of the thick branches. "Hazel, that was absolutely-"

"Brilliant," Charlie finished, beaming at her.

"It's not over yet," Masila snapped. "You're in my camp, if you remember, with no reinforcements-"

"I hope we're not too late?" a voice piped up. I whirled around and saw my parents with all of the Thieves' Guild. I guess they were loyal after all. Jacques and my class was there, too…but I didn't see Kayley anywhere. I shot Juliet a questioning glance. She gave me a reassuring smile, albeit a worried one.

"You're still outnumbered," Vlade said, who marched out of his tent. He was looking a little tired. Masila glowered at him, like Look who finally showed up.

"And this is where I come in," Hannah said boldly. She looked at Masila's Assassins. "Look guys, I know that most of you don't even want to be here. I can just tell. I bet she promised you something better, huh? A better place for your family," Lobe the Gelert looked down shamefaced, but a Lutari not much older than me put a paw on his shoulder, "Riches, dreams come true, all that stuff. And yeah, it sounds good. But seriously, do you actually believe she can make that happen for you?" She stared at everyone in disbelief. "How do you think she'll be able to do that? I bet she suggested the Guild treasury. I bet she said that he haven't been sharing. But do you even remember what that treasury was for?"

"Erm…to keep money in?" someone answered hesitantly.

"No!" Hannah cried. "Well, yes, but do you know who was it for? For people who couldn't provide for themselves. I bet once or twice you needed to get a share of that, too." Now almost everyone looked guilty. "Now, I know I haven't actually been there, but it's rumored that in Galem's rule people were more 'prosperous.' I guess that mean the people high-up in the Guild, AKA his buddies, got more gold. But how 'bout the poor ones? What's their side of the story? This is why people rallied around Kanrik in the beginning, for Fyora's sake! He might not be able to make everyone rich, but at least he'll let everyone SURVIVE."

"What if that's not good enough?" somebody muttered.

"Too bad!" Hannah snapped. "And even if you did manage to kill Kanrik, who's to say that Masila would actually keep her word? Huh? She's is the Mistress of Double-Cross, people! How can you IDIOTS actually just let her lead you on with empty promises?"

What she was saying wasn't pretty, but it was true. I was watching a master of truth-speaking. She wasn't being biased, though I guess she was in support of Kanrik. She was just telling the truth. Masila was about to open her mouth, with Hannah continued, "You had Kanrik for hours, Masila, while I was stuck in a stupid rich people party. Besides, I remember what Kanrik said long ago. He wasn't the one who came up with the system to make everyone equal. It was- who did he say it was?- oh yeah. His best friend, maybe?" Hannah looked pointedly at Masila.

Masila backed away, like she'd been burnt. "Oh, fine, if everyone keeps talking about the past, yes, I did make that up." Her hood hid her eyes. "A long time ago." She looked at everyone, the Assassins and the thieves both. "You're ganging up on me. Great."

"Not all of us, Mistress!" said a pathetic little Ruki. "We still serve you!"

"Patience, darling," Masila said. There was a hint of a smile on her lips. "I know defeat when I see it. Let's all just go peacefully….we'll see this through yet." The Ruki blinked and smirked, like he got a secret message. I dreaded to see what she'd do. But before I could point this out, a wave of nausea took hold of me. It's been six hours, and I forgot. I went on my knees.

"Hanso?" mom's voice rang out. "What happened to him?"

"Poi-soned! Poi-soned! SQUAWK!" Flynn cried. I hated the bird. If I had to die, did his voice have to be the last one I heard? Everyone's attention was on me.

Which was just what Masila wanted. "Now!" And suddenly, the Assassins who were still loyal to Masila ran to the trees, with the thieves still too stunned to go after them. Even so, I thought smugly, there weren't many left. No way would Masila ever be able to rally a force to be scared of. Which honestly, is an okay way to die. My vision was starting to get blurry…little spots went over my eyes….

But I saw enough. Kanrik ran to me. "Hanso, hold on…we have a medic here…" I heard the hopelessness in his voice, though. I talked about potions with Razor once in a while. Cures like this one would take hours to make, and I knew that Masila wasn't lying when she said that the potion was incurable.

Then Masila herself turned around and looked at me. I couldn't read her expression. Amusement? Triumph? Regret? The last one won out, and she sighed. "Kanrik!" she called.

He looked up at her, and his face was angry. "What do you-"

She tossed him a vial. "Catch it!" He grabbed it from the air. "Hanso won this time, fair and square, and I'd hate to see such a young, worthy opponent go to waste."

"You said the poison was incurable," he accused.

"This potion can cure anything—I spent years trying to track it down. Just so you know, my debt to Layeela, though I recall she owed me something too, has been fully paid," she said stiffly. "I'm only sorry I didn't manage to get that potion to her on time." She grimaced and put a hand on her head, like she was getting a big head ache. She glared at me, and I had a feeling that the next time we met she wouldn't be as merciful.

She smiled at the Guild leader evilly. "We'll meet again soon, Kanrik. This isn't over yet." With that, she disappeared.

Kanrik glared at her retreating shadow, then remembered that there were more important matters. Like me dying, for example. "I have to drink that?" I spluttered. It was the color of asparagus! I know I can't afford to be picky, but seriously, any other color would've done.

He shrugged, a little amused. "You've got no choice." He poured the potion into my throat.

It was kinda mellow, like it was thawing out my frozen insides. For all I knew, that's what exactly it was doing. My thoughts cleared. I was able to take control of myself again. And the first thing I did was get up, go to Hannah, and yell at her, "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

"That's the first thing you say after you get out of a sickbed?" Mom scolded. "And what happened to the 'thank you?'"

Hazel and Charlie giggled behind us. Hannah just grinned guiltily. "Okay, fine, I'm sorry. But the timing had to be perfect, for Fyora's sake! When there was no way Masila could recover. If I risked appearing before, Masila would've coated them with lies, saying not to listen to me. Even I can't do anything to breach those types of defenses. And besides, I've been here since November. I did help, you know."

I flashbacked to when a pile of crates dropped, giving me the perfect opportunity to signal to my friends. "That was you?"

"That was me," she confirmed.

I smiled at her grudgingly. "Well, I guess you were pretty helpful in the end. That was actually kinda cool, getting all of them to listen."

She rolled her eyes. "It was just telling the truth. I do it everyday. If I'm serving a guy in the bar is getting drunk, do I ask him politely to stop? Of course not! I shout at him for being a weirdo, and whack him the head for good measure." She smiled again, but a bit sadly this time. "You, on the other hand, kept your promise faithfully. That took some guts, kid. I know a lot of others who would've cracked before then…I saw what they did to you. Made your life a living misery."

I nodded sheepishly. "Oh, well. I'm just glad a few of my friends never doubted me." I grinned at Juliet, and she smiled back. I looked forward-

And gasped. The spy, still hooded, was holding a dagger and approaching when Kanrik's back was turned-

"Kanrik! Watch out!" Hannah cried.

Before he could do anything, Kayley pounced out of nowhere and tackled the spy to the ground. She forced the person to drop the knife, squeezing his or her wrist. Then she threw open the hood. "Let's see who you are," she seethed.

And who was it? A female green Chomby I've never seen before. But she had blood-red eyes…where have I seen that? Kayley snarled. "Hanso, give me the potion!" I grabbed it from my pocket and gave the vial to her. "I should've known you'd be in disguise," Kayley said in disgust. "Let's see who you really are." She threw the liquid all over her face.

There was a burning smell, like acid, and the girl screamed. I was about to stop Kayley from doing anything rash, when suddenly I realized that the spy had turned into a Xweetok.

A Xweetok with blood-red eyes.

"Sasha?" Hazel gasped. "You're…you're a thief?"

"Assassin. Where else did I learn those thieving skills, you nitwit?" Sasha snapped.

"Hey," Charlie protested. "Don't call her a-" Before he could react, Sasha jumped up, toppled Kayley to the ground, and put her hands around his neck.

"Nobody move or I'll choke him," she warned. We all froze.

"I know you," Kanrik said slowly. "You're one of my advisers!"

Sasha smirked. "I'm also a guard, Hazel's servant, a chef, a journalist, and an actress. A very good actress." You have a traitor in your midst- one that can play any part well, Masila said. A guard…she was Susan, wasn't she? All those others were just identities. Why didn't I guess?

"Sasha," Hazel said, her voice quivering, "Put him down."

"I don't think so," Sasha replied carelessly. "I hated him. He gave you so much confidence, and many other useless traits that gave you a big head. In fact, I think it's because of him that I lost my job at your house."

"That's not true!" Hazel yelped. "It's mine! Please, don't hurt him!" Sasha laughed. Charlie started becoming blue, and he was thrashing to and fro. He's already delicate from the fire. Who knew how much he could stand?

Then something changed in Hazel's expression. And I saw something that I've seen frequently in her siblings' faces, but I never, ever imagined to be on hers. I can't say what, but…it was that fieriness that I guess the whole family had. "Put him down," Hazel repeated. With a start, I realized her voice changed, too. Lower. Sweeter. Dangerous. Persuasive. "Put. Him. DOWN!" she yelled.

Sasha's hands moved of their own accord. They released Hazel, and Sasha took a step back. I was shuddering, too. With a voice like that, someday she could even be more powerful than Masila. Charlie looked at her with shock. "Hazel, are you okay?"

The little girl was down on her knees, shaking. I cursed. I had to remember that no matter how nice her voice was, she was no Masila. She was still delicate. "Are you okay?" I echoed Charlie's question.

"Bah!" Sasha said, waking up. "You caught me off-guard. Ah, well, Masila will be very interested to here about this. See you soon!" I didn't know how she was planning to escape. She was completely surrounded. But then, her form started changing, and she….she turned into a Petri. A Petri. With blood-red eyes that looked at me with hate. She smiled menacingly, and then promptly flew away.

"What just happened?" Hannah said, voicing my thoughts exactly.

"Sasha," Kayley explained. "She's a-"

"Shape-shifter," Hazel finished.

Kayley glared at her. "You knew? That kind of knowledge would've been helpful, you know. It took me MONTHS to discover how she got past the security spells. Rich girl, explain yourself right now!" Hazel cowered before her. She sighed. "Please?"

"I wasn't sure," Hazel whimpered. "In fact, the only time I saw her do it was once when I had to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. She turned into a Lenny to reach something from a shelf. I thought it was just a trick of the light." She looked down. "I guess I should've seen it. Violet's letters come so frequently now…someone was stealing them until Sasha went away. I thought it was Ebony at first, but I realized he wouldn't do that. He'd wave the message in front of me and throw it in the fire, not hide it." She looked at me. "Violet always sends very detailed letters about you and Brynn and everyone else…I think that's how Masila knew everyone."

"Oh," I said.

"It's not your fault," Hannah said to her warmly. "No one could've guessed it. You coming to me was the bravest thing anyone could've done—lucky I keep track of the fan mail, huh?" She grinned, and explained to me, "I was getting tired of living in the inn. I knew I had some friends in the rich kid neighborhood, and she seemed like the perfect choice once I learned that her sister was in the guard. I had no idea she was already friends with you."

"That's what you were going to tell me earlier?" I said with a smile. She nodded sheepishly.

"Speaking of 'telling,'" Hannah said. "How'd you pull that thing off with that Sasha girl there?"

"I don't know," Hazel said. "I don't want to talk about it. It must've been luck."

"I doubt it," Hannah said. "You have that persuading talent thing, I bet."

She shook her head quickly. "I don't want that talent," she whispered. "And even if I did, I'm sure I can't control it."

"Then how did you do it earlier?" Charlie asked, feeling his throat. He looked shaken but unhurt. He gave Hazel an indulgent smile, which she returned.

She shrugged. "She could make me do the chores, get rid of Violet, make my father and brother hate me, and steal all my things." A hint of the fieriness pervaded around her face. "But she was not going to hurt my best friend."

We all decided that we'd stay in the Assassins' camp for the night. It was actually pretty comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that a bunch of thieves complained why couldn't the Guild's lair be this nice? Kanrik reminded them that this camp would've been freezing cold in the winter months, but he looked around wistfully, too. Everyone was arranged near the camp-fire. I noticed that Kanrik and Hannah were talking heatedly. Once she pointed to me, and I audibly heard her say, "You're an idiot, y'know that? He risked his life to save you! You can't just leave him an 'I'm sorry' and go away. That's exactly what you did to me!" They continued bickering.

Mom and Dad were watching my every move. If I dared get poisoned again, I'd be eating asparagus for the rest of my life. But evcentually they both fell asleep, and I managed to get some free time around the camp. Hazel and Charlie already went home, so I couldn't talk to them about Hazel's little talent. Too bad.

I began drifting to the forest. I couldn't help it. I mean, I know it was dangerous and I definitely had enough danger for one day, but I needed a place to think. I went deeper and deeper into the woods. I probably would've gone even deeper, if I hadn't run into Kayley.

Her head was in her hands, but she didn't seem to be sobbing, at least that much. She wasn't sleeping, either. I thought that maybe she didn't want to be bothered, but I wanted to talk to her. Gently, I tapped her shoulder.

She jumped and grabbed her dagger, but sheathed it again when she saw who I was. "Oh. Hanso." She looked away. "You're okay now, right?"

"From the poison? Yeah. Thanks for calling the cavalry," I said.

She shrugged. "It was nothing—Kanrik improved the system a lot. It took only a few minutes instead of a few hours to call them." I could see she was clutching something behind her.

"Hey, what's that?" I questioned. For a moment, she considered if she should tell me or not. Then she sighed, like there was no point. She opened her hand, which held a cracked obsidian stone. "Oh." I felt really guilty, even though I knew if I didn't use it I'd have died. "I'm really sorry, Kayley," I said. "I'll get you another one-"

"You can't," she replied. "There are only three in Neopia. Well, one now. And the third one was buried with a dead guy."

I bit my lip. "Well…at least you still have the other one, right?"

"Wrong," she said. She held out her other hand, and it showed that her stone was as cracked as mine. "These two were intertwined with magic. If one breaks, the other breaks."

I winced. "Why did you give it to me?" I asked. "Masila said it was powerful. It is, I guess, but I don't see how communicating could be called that power-"

"It did so much more than communicating, Hanso," she told me. "I just never showed you all of its abilities. It would've been dangerous, and you wouldn't have been able to control them anyway."

"But you could?" I said with disbelief.

"Nope," she said. "I could have, once, but….not now. In fact, there was only one ability I could've used besides the communication thing."

"Which was?"

"It doesn't matter now," she pointed out. She gave me a bitter smile. "Maybe Razor was right about the Karma thing. I indirectly broke that guard girl's necklace, remember? Now mine cracks in half."

"Karma doesn't exist," I said firmly.

She rolled her eyes, which I noticed were tinged with red. "Don't worry about it, Hanso," she said. "If I had to choose to save the necklace or you, you'd be my priority." It sounded automatic, like she rehearsed this line a hundred times. But it was true, and I was grateful for that. "Besides, it wasn't the magic stone that upsets me. I'm not one to mourn for jewelry, no matter how priceless it is. It's just…the person who gave it to me." And for a moment, she had a half-smile on her lips, like remembering a distant, happy memory. Then her face darkened again, and she shook her head. "Take them," she said, shoving them to me.

"What?" I spluttered.

"I don't want to see them anymore," she whispered. "I can't."

"What if I try to fix it?" I said desperately.

She shook her head. "Unfixable. You'll need powerful magic to do that. Just take them, Hanso. Please. It'd be the biggest favor you'd do for me."

I sighed and looked at the matching pair of stones. "Okay."

"Thanks." And just like Masila, she disappeared.

Week 3

The Thieves' Guild were busy trying to put things back to normal. The 'redeemed' Assassins came finally came back, muttering apologies. The kids whose parents were Assassins were going to return to school soon, but most opted to stay home for the time being to help their parents repair the damage. Jacques hinted we were going to have a few more kids in class….next year.

"Why next year?" I asked.

He shrugged. "There was a lot of damage, Hanso, and I doubt that you would want to face the people you turned on either." That shut me up. "But hey, if we're lucky some could come this year."

Hannah wasn't helping. She constantly annoyed Kanrik when he was giving orders, making the one he was them telling to confused. I could tell they were arguing about something, but I wasn't sure what. Anyway, I haven't approached my mentor since our last little outing.

But that was all right. Finally, I stopped getting picked on; Nort and his gang were actually punished. But not by Kanrik. Hannah had been making their lives a living misery, putting stuff in their drinks that made them act crazy, pulling pranks on them…it was hilarious, and I didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. He did deserve it.

My class finally didn't have doubts on me, either. Kayley and Juliet both knew I was innocent—it was Razor and Julius that weren't so sure. They both apologized to me, one night when we were all staying in the Guild late. "Sorry, Hanso," Julius said, shrugging. "I'm not the best judge of character, am I?"

"It's fine," I assured him.

"I just didn't want my little sister to get hurt. When she wants to be friends with someone, she stays friends," he said darkly. "A bit foolish, in my opinion, but I guess I can't really talk. She has the common sense. In fact, the only people she really can't stand is the-" He shut his mouth.

"The what?" I asked.

"Nothing," Juliet said quickly, giving her brother a glare. "They're just….jerks. I'll tell you about them one day."

I could tell she didn't want to talk about it, so I just said, "Okay. But you better—I can't imagine any person not liking you."

"Uh-huh," Julius said.

"I'm sorry too," Razor piped up. "I mean, I guess I didn't do anything and I still helped and I was also unsure and—"

"I get it, Big Guy," I said mischievously.

He gave me a grin…and then paled. "Hanso, did you invite any friends tonight?"

"What? You're all here," I pointed out. Kayley, the twins, and him were all sitting in the table. There's the rich kids, but of course they're all tucked away in their fancy mansions. Who would he be talking about?"

"Seriously, Hanso," he hissed, shrinking below the table. "Who did you tell the location of the Guild hideout?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I looked around. The Guild was perfect. No one was scared anymore, and everyone was laughing freely. Fresh, colorful tapestries decorated the whole place, there were serving a few delicious free meals, a roaring fire came from the fireplace, Brynn was in the Guild….

Wait. Brynn was in the Guild?

Oh no, no, no, this could NOT be happening. How did she find us? I was panicking. If she arrested us all now, this would look very bad for me. And just after I got my name cleared, too. Darn.

I guess it was also a good thing that she was sort of disguised. She wasn't wearing her uniform, and her hair was loose. In fact, she kinda looked nice that way, especially without that helmet. But she had her signature glare, which told me Shut up or I'll kill you.

In the corner of my mouth so she wouldn't see, I said, "It's Brynn."

The whole table stiffened. Kayley said softly but dangerously, "Oh, good. I can kill her now—she's in our territory."

"No!" Juliet protested. "That Sam is with her too, right?" I hadn't thought of that. "You can't challenge him."

"Wanna bet?" Kayley said, reaching for her dagger.

"We snuck into the Guards' base a few times," Juliet argued. "We always get away. Let her go at least once…please?" She pouted. "You know how she's useful, and Kanrik said we have to help Hanso. I mean, I know he's not allowed anymore but I'm pretty sure that Kanrik's going to reinstate the order again and-

Kayley rolled her eyes. "Fine! Fine! I'm not going to kill her! But just this once. Next time she goes in here, I hang her myself."

"Hanging?" Juliet said with a small smirk. "Isn't that a little medieval? Even if we are in Brightvale."

"Excuse me a minute," I said. Brynn was tapping her foot impatiently. She wasn't arresting everyone on sight, so…did she come all the way here to arrest me for something?

"Be careful, Hanso," Kayley warned.

I led Brynn to a corridor which I knew would be empty. Perfect place for an ambush, but she followed me anyway. As soon as we were out of earshot from the others, I immediately said (without too much calmness), "What are you doing here? Are you crazy? They'll notice you straight away!"

"I know," she agreed.

I stared at her. "If they catch you do you have any idea what they'll do to you?

"Yes," she replied.

"Brynn, seriously this is-"

"Hanso!" she snapped, probably tired of me talking too much.

I looked at her warily. "What?"

"I need to know where Kanrik's office is," she told me. I looked at her in disbelief. Did she seriously expect me to just hand over my Guild leader's office?

But then again, I knew Brynn wasn't stupid. She wouldn't ask without a reason. Carefully, I asked, "Why?"

Then she said the only thing that could terrify me even more. "Masila's coming."

WHAT? I wanted to scream. We just got rid of her last week, didn't we? Why…how…it clicked. Why Brynn came herself, why she was determined to get answers. I tried to keep myself under control and asked shakily, "How does she know where the base is? Kanrik said he'd moved it since she was in the Guild!"

"I don't know."

"How do you even know where the base is?" I accused. How did she even get here? I didn't leave her any clue, any, that would help. I hate my luck. They've only just put down the extra defenses they put in for Masila. The only consolation I could think of was that once Brynn gets out of here, she'll forget where the place was. You have to have thieves' blood to remember.

"I don't."

I stared at her. "Then how are you here?"

"Sam took us here." So, she came with someone else that did have thieves' blood. I looked in the corner and found Sam. That explained it. But seriously, he wouldn't betray the Thieves' Guild! Even if he is a guard, his mom is a thief. Why would he do that?

"Us?" I squeaked. Peeking just a tiny bit further, I saw that she also brought Violet, two little kids, and Sophia. Huh. Razor said he knew Sophia, but she didn't know he was a thief. I guess that's why he was scared.

"Don't worry, I promise this isn't an ambush or anything," she assured me. "I just need to know where Kanrik's office is."

I immediately felt a prickle of nervousness again. "If I tell you and you kill him or something…" I shook my head.

"I'm not going to kill him!" she snapped.

I sighed. Trust, Flynn said. If it was just the bird's opinion, if I didn't know his scary predictions could come true, then I would just ignore it. But they do. And I made a resolution. "It's down there," I said, pointing down the corridor. "Then left. It says 'Kanrik' on the door."

"Thanks," she said, giving me a small smile. And for some reason, that made the entire risk worth it.

When I got back on the table, Kayley immediately said, "You told her where Kanrik is, didn't you? I bet that's what they're after."

"Maybe," I said.

"Hanso!" she shook her head in disgust. "Let's just hope you didn't just doom us all." With that, she left the table in a huff.

Week 4

I hate myself. I seriously hate myself.

It was around midnight when somebody knocked on our apartment door. I quickly woke up. Even though I was usually a light sleeper, I kept getting nightmares. I heard Mom creaking downstairs—it definitely wasn't Dad, because it's always useless to get him up before eight o'clock a.m. I opened my door and joined her.

"Hanso?" she said sleepily. She obviously just got up, but even then she was pretty. In a dignified-Mom sort of way. She was holding her knife, like it was the most normal thing to meet at midnight. "You can go back to sleep; it's probably nothing, maybe some would-be thief that wanted to rob us." She snorted. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Still," I said nervously.

"So gallant," she said with a smile. She opened the door.

It was Hannah. "Woah, woah, woah!" she said, leaping back. "Put the knife down! Is that anyway to treat your visitors?" Mom raised her eyebrows. "Well, I know it's the middle of the night, but…Hanso lives here, right?"

"Yeah," I said.

She looked at me, worried. "Do you know where Kanrik is?"

I felt a sort of dread overcome me. "No…."

Hannah swore loudly, earning her a glare from Mom. "That Masila. She took him right from underneath my nose! I can't believe it. I checked on him a few hours ago, and he was just gone. The Guild's in pandemonium…"

"Gone?" I squealed.

"Yes, gone." Hannah sighed. "I planned carefully for months. Then he just disappears to thin air. Where could he have gone? Do you know any place?"

"Of course he doesn't," Mom said. "He just-"

"I do," I said quietly. Mom stared at me, now wide awake. "Remember Brynn? My guard friend?"

Hannah frowned. "You weren't lying about her?"

"He doesn't lie," Mom said. She sighed, looking resigned. "What about her?"

"She sorta kinda appeared in the Guild last night."

"WHAT?" Hannah spluttered. "I couldn't find the defenses, and I've been an explorer my entire life! How did she-?"

"Sam," my mom said suddenly. "But why would he show her? It doesn't make sense."

"Yeah. I told them where Kanrik's office was-" there was a gasp from both women – "and they said that Masila's coming, and that she knew where the Guild was."

"That's impossible," Hannah said. "She couldn't have-!" And then her eyes widened. "That scheming little bi-"

"Ahem," Mom said.

"Sorry," Hannah apologized. She looked at me. "Can't you see it? Masila was bluffing! She wanted Sam to get Kanrik out of there, where he was protected. Sam probably tried to put him in another location. But I know that it can't be safer; he'll be more vulnerable everywhere else. I mean, what other location is safer than the Thieves Guild?"

I felt like a complete idiot. Why didn't I think of that? Ugh! "Sorry," I muttered.

"It's not your fault, kid," Hannah said. "That devious little trickster fooled all of us. I just hope that that Sam kid picked a good enough place that wouldn't be too easy for Masila to break in." She sighed. "In the meantime, I'll tell the other thieves to check in the places where Guards usually associate. Like jail."

"Unlikely," I said dryly.

She shrugged. "Anyway, for now I'm the self-appointed leader of the Thieves' Guild."

Mom made a little choking sound. "And they allowed that?"

"Oh, of course not," Hannah said airily. "Then I reminded him how dumb they were to actually fall for Masila's little 'I'll-make-you-rich' act. They shut up pretty quickly after that."

"Of course they did," I said.

She gave me a small smile. "Good luck, kid. You're gonna face a lot of accusations, I'm sorry to say—and even I can't get you out of this one."

That was another looooong piece. I'll try to make the next one a teeny bit shorter. Oh, and in case your wondering, that really was the spy. :D