I was worn out after all the classes, but I didn't want to show it. Tomorrow we would be sent off on the streets, and I wasn't going to let a small back injury kill me. We walked to the dining room. Tobin and Dedrick were slightly ahead of me, and bickering about something, but I hung behind them. Surprisingly,  I didn't want to talk much.

Kenswick, adorned in whatever rich material he had bought, was seated at his usual spot. Dedrick got the best seat, then Tobin, then me. Typical. I picked up the plate and moved it to the chair across from Kenswick. This time he didn't acknowledge me, but it sure did annoy him.

"You have taken many classes over the course of the last few days. Tomorrow you will be sent out to track, chase, and eventually kill the Thief of Alleys." He paused, as if expecting an applause, then continued. "Dedrick, stand up." Dedrick, looking shocked, stood up. The fork he held in his fingers clattered to the floor. Kenswick looked grimly at the fork lying on the floor, then continued. "You have phenomenal strength and are skilled with the sword, but you lack the knowledge of a thief. You do not think as quickly as I would want to, and my fear is if you did not respond to a suspicious question, it would be obvious that you're a spy." Dedrick took the criticism like a wound to the gut. As if he can change all that in a couple of days.
"Tobin," Kenswick called out. Tobin arose on shaking knees, terrified of what Kenswick was going to say. I was laughing inwardly. I hadn't seen Tobin look so uncomfortable before. "You are extremely intelligent and have a knack for remembering things, but you lack strength and fighting itself. You know things, but if you were found out, you would freeze and spoil the plan." Tobin murmured a few yes sirs, then sank into his chair. I knew what was coming next.

"Ky, please stand up," Kenswick instructed. I rolled my eyes.

"I wish I could," I said with mock sadness, "but it would cause my back to hurt greatly, so I'll just sit right here." Kenswick took in a deep breath, then ignored me and went on. "You are okay with a sword, and have great skills as a thief, but it seems to me as if you are not delivering your best. You also lack an education, and since you were indisposed, you have not had much time to learn. That might be a problem if you come across important information. Besides your quick witted responses, I think you would be able to gain the thieves trust." I took a bite of my potatoes while he finished. The rest of his lecture was pretty boring. It was  mainly about trust and not getting caught. I didn't like the sound of the first one (especially because Kenswick had murdered), but not getting caught sounded decent to me. Once we were dismissed, we all headed in different directions. Oddly, Dedrick headed to the library while Tobin headed to the sword arena. I went to the equipment room. If I was to try to survive, I wasn't going to let Kenswick hand me some rusted weapon. He would save the good stuff for himself.

The door opened with a slight creak. I slipped inside the building and lit the torch on the wall. The room, illuminated by the glow, looked eerie. I walked past rows and rows of clubs, axes, and swords, until I found what I was looking for. Sitting in a cloth bag under a glass case was something rare and powerful. Gunpowder. I hadn't paid much attention in class, but this had caught my attention. I slipped the bag under my clothes and replaced the gunpowder bag with one stuffed with straw. Next I headed over to the swords and found the one that I had recently stabbed Carlton with. It was perfectly balanced and fit well in my hand. I stabbed the air a couple times, probably looking like a complete fool. Then I heard footsteps outside the the door. I dashed for the torch, and blew it out, while frantically searching for a spot to hide. I shrunk against the wall, in hope that I wouldn't be spotted, when I fell backwards with a thump. Where the wall should have been was a small doorway, lit with torches. I scrambled through, randomly pushing bricks until it closed again. I huddled next to the doorway listening to the clump of boots.

I turned around and faced the hallway. If I was going to find this passage, I might as well explore it. I stayed close to the shadows to hide from any passers, but luckily there was none. I figured out from a few wrong turns and dead ends that the tunnel ran right under the mansion and into different rooms. There was a nice little listening alcove right next to the room that I shared. No wonder it had been so easy to sneak out. Kenswick didn't need guards because he could hear everything we did and said. I kicked myself for being so foolish. Kenswick was smarter than I had expected, and now my greatest doubts might become a reality.