A shout of horror woke Grumpy up, and he sat up with a gasp, his eyes searching the room. He froze. The wrappings of the brothers' treasures were spread across the room, but the items themselves were nowhere to be seen. Doc was sitting up at the end of the bed, his face ashen. The others were scrambling out of the beds, searching the room.

Grumpy's mouth was dry as he gazed at the rest of the room. It was untouched. A flex of his magic proved that the protection was still around the room. Nobody else had come in. Desperately, he tried to remember the night before, and a sharp sense of greed came over him. Horror washed through him, and he began to shake. No. Not again. Not their treasures. But his memory was coming back. He had gotten them out, touched them, looked at them shining in the moonlight. And then what? A flash of a face, a black market dealer, the treasures changing hands…

Heart pounding, Grumpy surged up and got dressed in record time. The brothers were still searching, and they had found the jewelry they'd made, proving that a thief hadn't gotten in or they would have taken those items, too. Grumpy felt sick as he bolted out the door, rage and despair fighting inside of him as he darted outside. He looked around, spotted a thief going around a corner down the street, and bolted after him. The thief quickly figured out he was being pursued, but Grumpy wasn't a guard. He was a thief, too. Within a minute, he'd pinned the thief down, his chest heaving. He looked frightened.

"Where's the den?" he demanded.

The thief blinked, not having expected that question. "What?"

"The den! The den! Where Calida has shacked us up!"

The thief was shocked, and Grumpy realized that this boy was the same thief he'd given money to the day before. Grumpy fumbled at his belt and pulled out some money.

"Take me there! Now!" he begged, shoving the money into the boy's hands.

The boy gazed in astonishment at the not-inconsiderable sum, and he nodded and stood up. Grumpy fell into step beside him, and the boy quickly pocketed the money and strode along. They looked casual, but Grumpy was impatient.

"What's yer name?" Grumpy finally asked.

"Zander," the boy replied. "Yours?"

"Grumpy."

The boy snorted and looked away. "No kidding?"

Grumpy flushed, but fondness for his name won out. "Yep. So?"

"Never heard of you. But the older boys said you're a high-ranking member."

Grumpy huffed. "Humans call me Ivan."

"Ah. Him I've heard of." Zander eyed him curiously. Grumpy ignored him.

"They bet ya wouldn't steal from me, eh?"

Zander looked away. "Yeah…"

"Dumb a them."

"Yeah." After a pause, Zander glanced at him. "Why did you give me money yesterday?"

Grumpy shrugged. "I knows what it is ta be hungry."

"Nobody's ever given me money before," Zander continued.

"Mmhm."

Zander studied Grumpy as they walked along. He was uneasy and upset, glancing around and fidgeting like he wanted to bolt. As the city changed from bright cleanliness to less friendly, shady dimness, Grumpy could feel other thieves looking at him. He didn't care. He had to get back the treasures, even if it meant giving up himself. At last, they got to a run-down inn, and Zander pointed.

"That's it. Large secret basement."

"Get outta here, kid," Grumpy said, flexing his fingers. Green sparks flew from his fingertips.

"Why?"

"Calida ain't gonna like this."

Zander stared at him, but he followed him into the den. Grumpy flashed the keeper a sign then walked right back and slipped into the den, Zander a step behind. The room was raucous and full of men and women of all ages, all gruff and dirty as Grumpy had been nine months before. He strode down to the treasures that had been snatched within the last few days and scanned them, knowing the black market dealer wouldn't have brought them here, that he'd have his own haunts, but still, he had to be sure. There was no feeling of magic, and one burst of his own power confirmed that there were no Dwarf-made pieces in the pile.

"Ivan. There you are," Calida said smoothly.

Grumpy turned and scowled. "Where's the black market dealer?" he asked.

Surprise flitted across her face. "Why do you want him?"

"Where is he, Calida?" Grumpy barked, and the noise in the room dipped as eyes turned to the Dwarf.

Bastian stood up, watching with unease, and several girls, with hair cut short and wearing boy's clothing, turned to gaze with hostility at Calida. Calida placed her hands on her hips and glared at Grumpy.

"Don't you talk to me like that, Ivan."

Sparks flew from his fingers, and the room grew silent as over two dozen thieves and orphans watched, uneasy and frightened. They all knew the Dwarf was full of natural magic, and that it was never a good idea to make him angry. But he was usually calm around Calida. What had happened? A sense of fear settled inside Bastian as he eased toward Zander, who stood watching with wide eyes. As he stared at the trembling, outraged Dwarf, he knew what had happened. Only one thing would make Ivan angry enough to lose control. But how had Calida done it? Ivan's protection spells were legendary, and Calida possessed no magic, either natural or learned.

"Where is he, dagnabbit!"

"Gone. Left this morning."

"Where's he going?"

"He didn't say. Now curb your tongue, Ivan," Calida said coldly.

Grumpy then let out a string of curses that Doc would have boxed his ears for. Calida leaned down and jerked his beard hard.

"You're one word away from being punished," she hissed.

"Punished?" Grumpy roared, and Calida let go of him as sparks of magic burst off of him. "How could any punishment be worse than bein' alive? Ya daft bitch! Ya shoulda let me die! I didn't ask ta be here!"

"Aw, did you do something bad?" Calida asked, venom beneath the rotten sweetness. "Do you feel upset? Did they kick you out?"

Grumpy wasn't sure if they knew who had stolen their most precious treasures, and he knew if he didn't get control of himself, he would torch the connections to the only home he'd ever known. Then the cottage came into his mind and he didn't care.

"I'm done!" Grumpy snapped, and the glee left her eyes.

"I beg your pardon?"

It felt good to say it, and the sparks grew hotter. "I don't need you and I don't need this life no more! I'm done with everythin'!"

"You can't leave!" Calida barked. "You're mine!"

"No I ain't! I paid ya back fer my worthless existence a thousand times over! I'm leavin'!"

"And where will you go?" Calida challenged. "Those Dwarfs won't take you back! You stole from them! That's the only reason you're here, right? What makes you think they'll take you back?"

"Don't care! I'm done!"

Grumpy turned to leave, but Calida screeched and grabbed him. That was a mistake. The sparks stopped for a moment, then a burst of magic erupted out of him. Bastian dove into Zander and pushed him into the main room. Everybody still in the room in collapsed as a wave of intense, pressurized magic swept over them. Grumpy stood there trembling then stormed out. Bastian and Zander looked at each other then scrambled after him.

"Ivan!" Bastian shouted as they followed. He didn't slow. "Ivan, please!"

Zander was panting as he called out. "Grumpy, please!"

And the Dwarf stopped. Bastian was so surprised that he nearly tripped as they hurried up to him. "Ivan," he gasped.

"No."

It was a short, sharp word, and Bastian understood. "Grumpy, then. What's wrong?"

"Gone. All gone. An' he took 'em," Grumpy said, anger and sorrow in his tone.

"Simon? He took them?"

"What did he take?" Zander asked.

"Their treasures," Grumpy said, his bottom lip trembling. "The stuff their Pa made fer 'em. Gone. All gone. An' I'm never gonna be able ta get 'em back."

He sounded like he was defeated, like there was no light left in the world.

"What were they?" Zander asked.

Grumpy raised his hand and showed them the treasures in a cloud of green magic. Zander studied them.

"Imprint them on me."

"Eh?" Grumpy asked, surprised the boy was aware of that sort of magical act. But he obeyed, pressing his knowledge of each item into him, weaving it into the boy's senses. "Why?"

"I owe you," Zander said. "You were kind to me. I'll keep an eye out for them."

"Yer not likely ta find 'em."

"Don't care. I'll try. It's the best I can do."

"What will you do now?" Bastian asked.

Grumpy looked down. "Go back to see if they're still willin' ta let me stay."

"If not?"

"No point in livin' then."

The dark implication chilled Bastian. "Ivan…"

The same short, angry word. "No."

"Grumpy then. Please don't do anything rash."

"Don't care no more." He swallowed. "Better go. Gotta sell the jewelry I didn't steal."

Bastian blinked at him. "What?"

"Only took the treasures," Grumpy said bitterly. "The only things they cared about."

"Grumpy, maybe… maybe you didn't steal them. Maybe it was Calida."

Grumpy looked up balefully. "The protection spell 'round the room was still secure. I wove protection spells through the treasures. I was the only one able to steal them. An' I did. Cuz I'm a thief. And that's all I'll ever be."

Bastian and Zander watched as Grumpy turned and trudged down the street. They knew he was serious about everything. And the pain and shame that radiated off the gruff Dwarf was agony to see. It was especially hard for Bastian, who had grown up with Grumpy and had seen the Dwarf at his best. To see him so slumped and cowed by a single act was devastating.

"Do you really think you can find the treasures?" Bastian asked.

"No idea," Zander replied. "But I'll try. For him. He's the first person who was ever nice to me. And that was after I tried to steal from him."

Bastian looped an arm around Zander's shoulders and decided at once to help him in any way he could. Grumpy had often taken orphans under his wing and trained them to survive. He had been in countless brawls and fights and yet took care of those he beat, at least when he could. He protected the vulnerable girls who were on the streets, used his magic for good despite the constant refrain that magic was for bad people, helped those in a worse position than himself, and so much more. And yet he saw none of that, too warped from his upbringing to see himself in any sort of good light. Because he had been spoken down to his entire life by Calida and others like her. He had been scorned and derided by humans who only saw his race. He was a nobody in his own eyes, a worthless orphan with no hope, and a thief that would never be reformed.

"I hope they don't kick him out," Zander said. He was pretty sure they were the Dwarfs that had been staring at him the day before when Grumpy had given him money, but he wasn't sure.

"Yeah. Let's hope," Bastian replied.

As they turned and began to head back to the den, Bastian hoped for another thing. He hoped that those Dwarfs could show Grumpy just how valuable he was. Because he really, really needed to see it. And he was so blinded by self-hatred that he couldn't see himself clearly.

Bastian didn't know if he believed in God, but he prayed to Him anyway, desperate and helpless.

"Please. Help him. Don't let him die. Let them love him."

There was no answer. Bastian determined to watch out for him. And he knew what he could do first.