Ulrick ignored the others to admire the fountain. Surrounded by waterspouts, an immense dark green sphere with holes rested on a pedestal. The jade sphere had been mined from the Emerald Mountains as a solid block. Inside the sphere were ten other spheres; each one smaller than the next. If the carving was sawed in half, the cross section would resemble a tree’s growth rings. All the layers had been carved from the one stone—through the holes and from the outside in.

“Unbelievable,” Ulrick said. “I’ve learned about this. Each sphere represents one of the Sitian clans, but it’s more impressive than I imagined. The craftsmanship to carve this…”

“Five years of hard work,” Fisk said. “A celebration of the clans uniting.” He cocked his head to the side, considering. “Interesting. If one of the spheres inside would crack, the others would hold it together.” Fisk met my gaze, and I wondered if there was a hidden meaning in his words.

“We need to keep our appointment,” Fisk said to Ulrick.

“Keep Opal safe,” he ordered, frowning. “Your business will suffer if rumors about a client being harmed in your care surfaced.”

The friendly softness in Fisk’s demeanor hardened. “Are you threatening me?”

No answer.

“You know nothing about my business or about me. Do you?”

Again no answer, just a stubborn set to Ulrick’s jaw.

“In that case, your insult was inadvertent and due to ignorance. Opal, when you have time, please educate this man about loyalty and honor. Come.” He turned and strode from the fountain’s plaza.

I sensed Ulrick’s molten anger, but couldn’t mollify him now. I hurried after Fisk. He led me down an unremarkable side street. About halfway, he turned into a narrow alley. The alley’s sole purpose appeared to be providing a shortcut to the next street, but Fisk disappeared. When I reached the same spot, I found a tight alcove. To a casual observer, it looked like a dead end. But near the back was a small door. We had to walk down a few steps and bend over to get inside the building.

“Guild headquarters. We don’t like too many people to know where we are. Although—” he moved around the large room, lighting lanterns “—now that we’re getting older, we’ll need to get a bigger door.”

As the light illuminated the room, I noticed several desks, a chalkboard and maps hanging from the walls. A detailed layout of the market spanned an entire wall. Letters and a few easy mathematics problems were written on the chalkboard.

Fisk noticed my interest. “We teach the younger members how to read and do simple math. Also about money. What items cost and how to make change. Speaking of change, you need to get dressed. I have clothes laid out in the back room.” He pointed to the far wall.

“What about Pazia? Wasn’t she supposed—”

The headquarters’ door opened. Pazia stepped through and closed it behind her. “Supposed to meet you at the fountain?”

“Did you read my thoughts?” I demanded.

“I had to make sure there were no surprises in here. And no, I wasn’t planning on meeting you at the fountain. I know my way here. This isn’t the first time I’ve worked with Fisk on a mission for the Masters.”

Her dig touched the weak spot in my heart, being deemed unworthy to participate in important missions. But not anymore. I found a measure of comfort in my present situation, amazing given the circumstances.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” She sighed dramatically. “Bad enough I have to work with you. The least you could do is be ready on time.” Shrugging off her cloak, she flung it onto one of the desks. The material of Pazia’s clothes had been woven with an expensive linen-and-silk blended thread. Her tailor’s efforts enhanced her slim waist and petite stature. She pulled her long golden hair up and clamped it in place with a jeweled clip.

I headed toward the back room, but her next words stopped me in midstride.

“Fisk, are you sure we need her? I grew up in the mines. I can spot a fake ruby at twenty paces. She can’t be trusted.”

“I trust her. Besides, rubies are not diamonds. And it would be suspicious for you to be alone. Rich ladies always go shopping in pairs.”

I tuned out her irritated reply as I entered the back room. On a small cot lay a beautiful indigo-colored blouse and black skirt made from the same material as Pazia’s clothes. I fingered the lace trim on the skirt. Fisk had even provided a pair of high-heeled shoes and an assortment of jewelry and hair clips.

Dressing as fast as possible, I squeezed a sapphire ring onto my finger, and covered my wrists with a distracting array of ruby-encrusted bracelets. The other gemstones throbbed when I touched them, but nowhere near the intensity of the diamond. I left my hair down. Just wearing the luxurious clothes and gemstones helped me to assume my role as Pazia’s friend. Of course her sneer of contempt quickly drove those feelings away when I joined them in the main room.

She huffed and pointed to a seat. “Sit.”

When I hesitated, she said, “I’m a professional, unlike you. I won’t hurt you.”

I ignored her reference to the burning incident and sat. She combed my hair and twisted a section into a knot at the back of my head.

“Clip,” she ordered.

I handed her one and she secured the knot.

“We are going to meet a number of diamond merchants. Fisk will introduce us, but won’t come with us to negotiate. As a rule, the Helper’s Guild avoids the black market. Since I’m a very good customer, he’ll bend the rules for me.” She pulled the rest of my hair back. “Clip.” When she finished, she examined the rest of my clothing. “Move the ring to your right hand, third finger if possible, and all the bracelets go on your left arm.”