“I’ve gotten really good with knives,” Rolan said reluctantly. “You should see—”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure that’ll all come in handy.” His father patted his shoulder, then, to Rolan’s shock, pulled him in for a hug. He smelled of smoke and sweat and faintly of the sewers where he had his den. It was not a pleasant smell, but to Rolan, it was home. “Listen, boy. I’ve got a job for you. Something no one else can do. Ineedyou at my side.”
Despite his anger at his pa, Rolan felt a prickle of interest. But he hid it behind a cynical scowl, not wanting to be reeled in that easily. “A job? Really?”
“Really!” Rabb smiled. “C’mon, son. We’ll go down to my place and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“What kind of job?”
“One that will require stealth and cunning. One that will prove to every member of my crew thatyouare meant to be my successor one day. That you got your pa’s wiliness in you.”
Rolan swallowed. He didn’t feel very wily at that moment. Only confused.
“Forget this Arcanist,” Rabb said soothingly. “Forget meeting a grisly end in the forest, your belly ripped open by some monster. Come home and bemyapprentice.”
When he pulled away, Rolan’s chest was a tangle of confusion. Pride and shame. Excitement and dread. He didn’t knowwhatto feel. He only knew that he’d been waiting his whole life to hear these words from his father. And now that he’d heard them… they felt emptier than he’d always imagined.
“I… can’t,” he said. “I gave my word to Luc.”
Only he hadn’t, not really. They were here, after all, because Luc was giving him a way out. He could go with his father right now and Luc would not come looking for him. He would know that Rolan had made his choice, and he might even be glad he’d left. He certainly hadn’t begged Rolan to stay.
But hehadtaught him how to read.
Rolan met his father’s eyes. “You didn’t come for me.”
Rabb’s face twisted, his easygoing grin turning sour. He seized Rolan’s arm roughly, making him drop the bucket. Scraps of food splattered Rolan’s shirt and shoes.
“I’m trying to save your life, you stupid boy! You think you’ll last as an Arcanist? You got caught a dozen times by that oaf Hoff, doingidiot pranks. But you think you can last against a blasted, full-grownCryptic?”
Rolan jerked, trying to free himself. “I am notstupid!”
His pa’s lip curled and he raised his cane. Rolan cried out and turned his face away, dread and fear twisting in him like vipers.
“Rolan?” Anaya’s muffled voice floated out from the house.
His pa froze, his cane hovering over Rolan’s head. Anaya hadn’t seen them. The door was shut, but Rolan saw the handle turning.
With a curse, Rabb dropped Rolan’s arm. “I will get you back, boy. You’re mine, and Iwillget you back, one way or another.”
He vanished down the street before Rolan could reply. He stood there, breathing hard, as Anaya walked up.
She wrinkled her nose at the sight of his food-splattered shirt. “You’re a mess. What happened?”
“Huh? Nothing. It’s just me out here.”
Anaya gave him an odd look, then glanced down the street. “I thought I heard you talking to someone.”
“Just myself. I’m an excellent conversationalist, you know. Sometimes I get jealous of you all, getting to talk to me.” He grinned, hoping she wouldn’t hear his heart beating in his chest like a maniacal drum.
Anaya narrowed her eyes. “You’ve changed.”
“Calm down,” groaned Rolan. “So I learned how to read. Big deal.”
“It’s more than that. You talk different. You move different. You’re not the same Rolan you were a few months ago.” She smiled. “Rolan Strider, I think you’reruined.”
Rolan sighed. He deserved that.
Anaya bent over and began picking up the scattered food scraps.Rolan helped, righting the bucket and shoveling handfuls of onion skins back inside.
