Femi raises his eyebrows subtly at me.
“This is the offering I bring before you,” I say quickly, reciting the words he taught me on the rooftops. “A gift from the”—I pause to recall the name—“caliph to the king of Those Who Walk by Day, containing the hair of one of their most holy saints.” I drop to one knee, head bowed. “Take this gift, Lord of Thieves. May it please you and grant me favor. And take me with it, as daughter to you. Let me dwell in your presence as one of the Wretched, a true child of the Miracle Court, and I will serve you for all my days.”
The Gentleman glances to Tomasis, who nods. The powdered man steps forward, clearing his throat.
“What is your name?” he intones.
“I have none until my Father has spoken it.”
“Who is your mother?”
“I have no mother but the City.”
“And who is your Father?”
“I have no Father but the Lord of Thieves.”
The Gentleman lifts his head and looks out at the Thieves in the hall before continuing. “Today you shed your earthen skin and are reborn in the darkness to your Guild and the Wretched—your brothers and sisters.
“Hereafter you will be called by your true name….”
He pauses, glancing at Femi, who, tilting his chin up, says, “Black Cat of the Thieves Guild, daughter of Tomasis, child of the Miracle Court. May they sing your songs forever.”
May they sing your songs forever. The words ring in my ears as a hundred voices repeat them around me.
Tomasis gestures for me to approach. I rise and bring the necklace to him. He leans forward, lowering his head, and I put the heavy chain around his neck. The stone nestles against his chest, glimmering defiantly against the rubies and diamonds beneath it.
“From this day forth I will be your Father,” Tomasis says. “You are bound to me by bone and iron. I lay my mark upon your skin, and you will recognize none but me above you.”
“Thank you, Father,” I say. From the corner of my eye, I see a thin woman dressed in silks approaching, a bottle of dark liquid and a metal quill in her hands.
“From this day forth I will protect you from all things, and you will serve me in all things and abide by the laws of the Miracle Court.”
“I will, my Lord,” I say, trying not to stiffen as the woman reaches me. She tilts my head to the side, exposing my neck, and with a swiftness that is astounding, and a biting, burning pain, she tattoos a shape into the soft skin behind my ear.
“From this day forth, the Guild of Thieves will be your family, and you will serve them, and never shall you betray them.”
I feel blood beading under the sting of the woman’s quill; smell its metallic tang as she finishes. My neck is aflame with the pain of it.
I know the mark is a diamond, because I have seen Thénardier’s mark when he was passed out on the floor after a drunken rage.
“It is not often, little Cat, that I am honored with so worthy an offering.” Tomasis holds the Talisman in his palm and tilts it so it catches the light. “I will give you a gift, if you desire it. Ask anything of me and it shall be yours.”
Beside me, Femi twitches. I sense his warning and ignore him.
“I wish for you to save my sister,” I say hurriedly. “For you to give her your protection as you have done for me.”
I hold my breath and try not to hope.
“Save her?” Tomasis asks. “From what does she need saving?”
“She has been taken, sold…,” I say, the words heavy in my mouth.
“Sold? That is indeed lamentable. And Thénardier allowed this to happen?”
I bite my lip. My father is Master of Beasts of this Guild; I dare not speak ill of him, not here.
“I see,” Tomasis says, frowning, my silence clearly explaining it all. “Thénardier always has been unnaturally fond of the coin.” He touches his necklace, considering. “Buying her back can be done. But consider this, little Cat: What if the one who bought her does not wish to sell?”
I raise my eyes fiercely to his.
“Then there is someone I wish to see dead,” I say.
Tomasis laughs, and the hall laughs with him. Only Femi shakes his head frantically, trying to get my attention.
“How very bloodthirsty of you.”
The laughter scratches at my skin. I have said the wrong thing, and it amuses them.
“You do not kill people?”
Tomasis smiles widely at me. “Not usually,” he says. “But I know others who are quite good at dealing in death. So tell me: Who is it that has taken her? Say his name and it shall be done.”
Femi makes a strangled noise.
“I heard him called Kaplan.”
The hall itself immediately goes silent. Beside me, Femi is frozen.
Tomasis rises with the dangerous grace of a jungle beast and in two strides is standing before me. The blow comes out of nowhere, sends me crashing to the ground. I try to ignore the sting of my cheek, the cold stone beneath my fingers as I struggle to my knees.
“Please!” Femi is saying, his voice urgent and shrill. “She does not know what Kaplan is.”
The whole hall stays silent.
“You would bring the Tiger’s enemies to my house?” Tomasis asks Femi, his eyes glittering darkly. “You would trick me into taking them as my own?”
“Forgive me, my Lord. She does not know what she is asking!” Femi says again sharply, his words like a blade parrying Tomasis’s rage, holding it back.
“Then why do you bring her to me?” Tomasis roars. “Why would she ask me to kill him?”
The question echoes off the walls. Everyone is listening.
I will myself not to tremble, sucking in the air around me to steady myself.
“Fath— Thénardier sold my sister to him,” I say, looking at his feet, trying to keep the fear from my voice.
Tomasis sighs and bends, putting a hand beneath my chin. When I look up, his eyes are boring into mine. “Violence is rare here in the Shining Hall. Unlike the other Guilds, we rely on our speed and our wits. It is said we Thieves are good at stealing even the outrage from a brother’s heart.” He steps back, sitting heavily on his chair. “I’ll forgive you your impudence because you’re among the youngest of my children. None would bring me what you have. And none would dare ask of me what you have just asked.”
He nods to Femi, who grabs me by the arm and yanks me to my feet.