Maela liked the Harvest guild members. They weren't arrogant like the Merchant guild members, jerks like the Knight guild members, or self-righteous like the Craft guild members. Harvest guild members got their hands dirty and then treated everyone else like they had also put in an exhausting day of work and that a smile would remove at least some of the weariness.

Wearing the green tunic of the Harvest Guild, Maela looked around the Golden Apple. It was a sea of green, even early in the evening. There was no more popular tavern for Harvest guild members than the Apple, it being a stone's throw from Harvest House. She was on her mission to warn Polo of the plans for his assassination at the hands of an Outlander, as well as the larger risk of Larsen using a failed attempt to galvanize the city to his side, something the Thieves considered likely.

Of course, Maela would not admit to being a thief. No matter what her message, admitting to being a thief would get her tossed in prison. What she needed to do was to warn him as an alarmed citizen who had overheard credible rumors. Convincing him of the threat would be hard enough, but to even get to that point she had to actually meet him, and that was proving to be difficult. After the Founders Day Guildmaster banquet, Polo had retreated deep into Harvest House and had not emerged.

Tapping her mug on the bar, Maela wondered if she had missed the House Guard she was waiting on. Her plan depended on meeting him via a chance encounter. Of course, there was no chance involved. She had asked the right questions of the right people and knew the guards who could get her into the inner rooms of Harvest House, which would allow her to finally talk to Polo. Those conversations had led her to this moment. But where was he? She had trailed him for days, and every night he ended up at the Golden Apple around this time.

The bartender filled her mug with some more ale, and Maela took a sip as she kept her eyes on the door. The guard was about fifteen years older than her, rather plain looking, and—more importantly—single. He was also one of the senior guards at Harvest House. All she had to do was convince him to give her a tour while Polo was around.

Maela caught a flash of green at the door, and there he was. Tall with thinning brown hair, the man wasn't very handsome, but he had an air of confidence as he smiled and acknowledged someone at a table near the door. She hoped he liked her closely cropped hair. The popular style for those with darker skin was longer, fuller hair, while Maela kept her's closely cropped. Maela had a vague idea that she was pretty, and her hope was that it would be enough to elicit interest from the older—and hopefully lonely—man.

He sat at the bar, which was good, but he took his seat further down at a spot with no empty seats next to it, which wasn't so good. Grumbling to herself, Maela stood up and relocated next to the man, squeezing past a patron to the guard's right and waving her hand vaguely toward the bartender. She bumped the guard.

"Oh excuse me," she said, looking at him with a smile. She then turned away. Her plan was to be interested and alluring yet aloof. The goal was to snare him into being interested in her but be distant enough that when she asked him for a tour of Harvest House he would jump at the opportunity to warm her up.

"No problem," the guard replied.

She had hoped that he would scan the bar and then sit right next to her, but she could work with the awkwardness of squeezing between two occupied stools, as well. Maela didn't get to be the Captain of the Flats at the age of twenty without being resourceful.

She turned to the guard and raised a finger. "I'm sorry, I hate to be rude, but I have to ask you—" Maela lowered her eyes. "This is going to sound so stupid, but do I know you?"

"Hmm." The man looked at Maela's face, stared at it for a few moments, and then looked her body up and down. "Perhaps." That was better than a no.

Maela held out her hand. "I'm Maela. I'm sure I've seen you before. Do you work in the Silo District?"

"I'm Tim." The man shook her hand. "You must be mistaken. I'm a Captain in Harvest House." The bartender interrupted them, and Tim ordered a powerful drink. The bartender took Maela's order, giving her an odd look as she already had a full drink further down the bar. Good. I can use your drunkenness against you. Maela thought of Tim's potent choice of spirits.

"Wow, a guard at Harvest House. This is embarrassing to admit, Tim." Maela looked left and right and then moved closer to Tim, their bodies touching. "I've never been in Harvest House," she whispered.

"You must be kidding!" Tim exclaimed. "Not even for one of the celebrations?" Maela's eyes went wide in embarrassed shock at Tim's loud voice in reply to her whispered confession, and he noticed. "Oh, I'm sorry," he added in a lowered voice. "I'm just surprised. It's open to members to visit. I mean, everyone visits."

"Well, I work in the mines. I don't get to Harvest House very often." The Harvest Guild had a large number of guild members who worked outside the Wall and in the mines. The mines were deep, and it was quite believable that guild members who worked there would not have made it all the way to Harvest House, which was in the middle of the city and far from the mountain.

"I have to admit that I don't see many miners."

Maela took a sip of her drink and held it up to Tim. "You should visit. The stone is beautiful in its own way."

"To miners," he said, taking a long drink.

"And guards!" Maela added, which elicited a smile and another long drink from Tim, who emptied his glass. Placing her mug on the bar, Maela ran her finger around the rim. "I was escorting a shipment to the East Watch."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "You take iron ore to the Knights? I thought we processed the ore?" He didn't sound suspicious so much as curious. Maela saw that as a good sign.

"Coal. Not iron ore," Maela replied with a smile.

"Oh, of course! That makes sense. Sorry."

With Tim off balance, Maela pushed onward. "So what is Harvest House like? Maybe I can visit tomorrow if I have the time."

Tim tapped his glass as the bartender passed. "Oh, you must! I haven't been to any of the Guild Towers, but I doubt that they are as beautiful as Harvest House. I'm told the Towers are marble and stone. Harvest House is wood and full of flowers. There is even a living tree that is the centerpiece of the Guild Hall."

Bingo.

"Oh, I would love to see that!" Maela lightly touched Tim's hand. "Tell me more!"

Tim cleared his throat. "Well, as you probably know it's not really a tower. It has three levels, and the second is mostly offices, while the third floor is the Guildmaster residence. Unfortunately, some of the most beautiful rooms are on the second and third floors."

"Why unfortunately?"

"Well, there are security measures in place. I'm afraid you'd only be allowed to visit the public rooms on the first floor."

Maela pulled her hand away and focused her attention on the wall behind the bar. "Oh, well that doesn't sound very interesting. Maybe I should just head back to the mines instead." She turned back to Tim with a slight smile. "Which is too bad, I had hoped to see you at work!" She looked him up and down. "You have this kind of commanding presence, and I like that."

He swallowed hard, and for a second Maela wasn't sure if she had made a mistake by adding the final bit of flirtatiousness, but then he replied, "Well, they're not open to the public."

So close, Maela thought. "Well, I'm the public, Tim."

"Not if I escort you. I could take you to see the Guild Hall."

Maela stared into Tim's eyes. "You would do that for me?"

His smile sealed the deal. She was in.

"Well, I may ask you to join me for lunch as payment..." The last word trailed off, and Maela felt confused with her feelings over how awkward Tim had suddenly become. On the one hand, he had fallen perfectly into her trap, and she now had a path to meeting Polo. But that bit of good news was tempered by her feeling guilty over how sad and pathetic he had become, especially when she was acting out a lie and had no intention of ever spending any personal time with him. Then there was the fact that he was asking her out for a lunch date with the Harvest House tour as a kind of bargaining chip. That was kind of unsavory and distasteful on his part.

"Lunch would be wonderful!" Maela replied with a smile, playing the part. As the first Blade of the Guildmaster in fifty years, she felt an extra responsibility in completing the mission. Dealing with Tim was ultimately a minor thing. There would be many more difficult, dangerous, and even unsavory missions in her future.

"There's a spot in the Upper Triangle. You'll love it," Tim added. Maela's response must have emboldened Tim, as he put his hand on hers and smiled with the confidence of a hunter who had ensnared his prey.

Maela quickly downed her drink and backed away from the bar. "If I'm spending tomorrow with you I better finish my work tonight." Tim looked annoyed, but nodded and smiled after Maela put her hand on his arm and added, "I really can't wait to spend time with you, Tim. My host—the brave guild guard!"

They arranged a time to meet, and Maela left. As she made her way back to the Thief safe house near the North Fork she considered her first mission as the Blade of the Guildmaster: So far so good.