2. The Bee and Coin

The narrator struggles back to camp with injured Frella and Pagran after the road ambush, then heads to Cadoth to recover losses. He targets the Bee and Coin for a Towers game to raise coin, reflecting on what his fleeing archer companions likely stole from him, especially a cherished fiddle.

Cadoth’s size and temples signal a proper Takers Guild presence, reminding the thief of his looming debt. He joins a hard-edged Towers table, wins repeatedly with bold plays, and is ejected after bankroutting opponents. At the bar he notices the Ispanthian warrior from the road, who keeps her distance and slips out mid-fray.

A Norholter tough claims the Guild’s right to slap the Debtor’s Hand on the thief’s cheek. The thief goads him into a public fight, controls the blows, and uses the scuffle to palm the man’s goblin-silver ring. He masks the theft as the barkeep throws the ruffian out with his companions.

He explains his rare knack for sensing luck—when to press advantages and when to lie low—while noting that gambling can drain that luck before he needs it. He recounts Takers Guild schooling, distinguishing “straw farms” from True Schools, and admits he likely attended a True School yet remains deeply indebted.

A formal letter from the Pigdenay Academy of Rare Arts details his arrears and orders him to report to the Cadoth Guildhouse under threat of unthumbing, or to pay a substantial sum immediately. With Lammas approaching and payment due, he resolves to steal more in Cadoth and find a buyer for quick coin.