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Stories from the Verse
Verse Three, Chapter One
Chapter 30: Slade 10
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Chapter 29, Kondor 10
With Filp beside him, Slade addressed the full guard. He told them to expect spot inspections and surprises, that he and Filp could turn up anywhere at any time, and wanted them to be ready, doing what they were supposed to be doing. "Also," he added, "don't accidentally kill us if you're startled."
Within the week everything was running smoothly. There was an excellent new chef, rooms were being cleaned and straightened, and the guard looked sharp. Slade decided it was time for the next step.
"We've got the house working; now we've got to get some fun back in your life."
"Fun?" Filp asked.
"Yes. I've told the household manager and the castellan that we'll be going out tomorrow to spend the night hunting in the forest, and that the castellan is in charge until we return."
"But Slade," the thief objected, "I don't hunt."
"Really? I don't either." Filp just stared at him for a moment. "Look, you're a thief; you're probably a good thief. Tomorrow night, you're going to teach me how to do what you do. I'm not a bad student, and you need to get out and do what you're good at. Get your stuff together, and tell me what I need. But don't tell the men--they wouldn't understand."
The next night they rode from the gate, just the two of them. They reassured their guards that they would be fine, and would be back for breakfast.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with the first six chapters of the novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #27: A Novel Continuation. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
