so much as another set of useful hands. “Are you willing to work to stay here?”
He blinked at her several times, head cocked. “Work? Well, certainly, if you prefer that. But, ah, what would you want me to do?”
“What skills do you have?” she countered. “We’re a small guild. We can use a helping hand in almost every department.”
It took a second for Hammon to answer her. “Well, I’ve experience in booking, trading, and research. I speak three dialects—”
“Which ones?” she interrupted.
“Blasden, Ellertish and Kaberrin,” he responded promptly.
Oh? No one in the guild knew two of those dialects. It opened up trade possibilities if he chose to stay. “Good. Anything else?”
“I’m completely literate,” he said dryly. Of course, as a scholar, he would have to be literate.
“Good skills,” she commended. “I’d ask for your help in translating, when necessary, but we need someone to take over the books more than anything. I’m doing that right now and I frankly loathe it.”
He smiled at her words but it didn’t do more than flash across his face. His eyes studied her intensely before he asked slowly, “You’d prefer that I work over paying you. Why?”
“If you want the respect of my guild, you earn your bread. You don’t pay for it.”
His expression relaxed into a soft smile and he nodded once. “I understand.”
“Hammon, I must ask a few questions first. Your family?”
“I’m from the southern end of Robarge. My family knows what I intend to do, and while they’re not quite sure what to think of it, they have no problem with it either.”
She frowned slightly at his wording. ‘From the southern end?’ Wouldn’t it be easier to just name the city he was from? And why not say his family name? Siobhan smelled evasion. “I see. Do you mind if I ask how old you are?”
“Not at all. I just turned twenty-five.”
“Oh, you’d be one of the younger members in the guild, then.” In fact, Denney was the only one younger. “Are you registered with any other guild in Robarge?”
“Well, yes,” he admitted reluctantly. “But I’m on an extended leave of absence with them and they understand it might well be years before I come back.”
“Do I need to notify them?” she asked. In truth, she should, as it was a guildmaster’s duty and courtesy to other guilds to do so.
“No, it’s fine, I’ll handle it.”
Again, she smelled evasion. “Well enough, then. As long as you promise to not start trouble, I have no problem taking you on.”
He gave her a half-bow, face brightening into a relieved smile. “Thank you. Then I’ll take up those books, shall I?”
“Good enough.” She’d get to the bottom of just who he was later, when he didn’t have his guard up. Digging right now for answers would make him too uncomfortable and she’d prefer not to do that. “Now, I don’t know how much you’ve been told, but here’s the basics. Deepwoods only has nine members, including yours truly. Ten now with you. As you said, we usually do escorts and the like, but we don’t pass up trade opportunities either. Sylvie’s the best in that. If you want to do a trade or bargain, I’d run it past her first. Our rooms are all upstairs, and the one at the very top and to your right is empty. Take that one. Most of your meals can be had here, if you wish, but you’re not bound to eat with us. We sometimes go out to eat as well. Clothes, weapons, and the like are your own expenses. Travel expenses are handled by the guild’s coffers. Don’t do anything to kill, maim, or bankrupt us and we’ll get along fine.”
“If you don’t mind a question?” he waited for her encouraging motion of the hand before asking, “The numbers you and Sylvie exchanged. What do those mean?”
“Ah, that. It’s something of a code that Sylvie and I have developed over the years. It cues me up to trouble. ‘One’ means that someone in the guild has seriously hurt someone else.”
Hammon’s eyes were in danger of crossing. “How often does that happen?”
“More than I care for,” she grumbled. “But one of my enforcer’s a Resken and another is a Teheranian, so I suppose fighting is inevitable. Anyway, ‘two’ means that something has happened that caused damage somewhere, damage that will cost me a pretty penny in restitution fees. ‘Three’ is a trade or business opportunity coming my direction. ‘Four’ is the unquantified. It’s not trouble, but Sylvie’s