The boss of Silver Willow hardly looked up from her desk when Faine and Ilian entered. The first thing Faine took in was the natural light shedding in through the windows behind the desk, leading to a balcony and an array of potted plants on the ledge. Compared to Zebulon's study and the way he kept it so dark and...creepy, this was a breath of fresh air.

The books on the shelves looked used, the white-cushioned chairs weren't freshly plump with lack of visitors and the rug, stretching from one end of the room to the next, was as clear and pillowed as the clouds in the sky. And, most importantly, the dark desk wasn't scattered with paperwork that wouldn't find its way to the light unless someone found it necessary.

Zebulon was notorious for losing reports on that cluttered desk of his, but the boss of Silver Willow was not the same. The neat stacks towards the opposite end created a barricade for visitors and the two chairs before the desk, clean white, were unoccupied.

Being that Faine was in chains, she couldn't make herself noticeable or speak first. She had to wait for either Ilian or the woman sitting before her to acknowledge an unwelcomed presence. Behind her thick and curly hair, a dark purple, were rounded ears. Not that of any beast Faine had seen besides a mortal and she wondered, just for a moment, if that was how Ilian got a position working for a notorious crime guild.

She didn't have time to digest that thought as red eyes lifted to her, studied her appearance, and shifted to Ilian as if Faine was nothing more than a speck of dust on his shoulder. "Who is this?" she asked with a frown.

"This is Faine Libet. She wishes to speak with you about an important matter and...strike a deal," Ilian explained in the best way he knew how. There really was no other way to put it. She'd stolen the crown for this moment.

Those red, haunting eyes, rimmed by long lashes, focused on the chains dangling from Faine's wrists and watched them all the way to where Ilian gripped them loosely. If he wanted to show she was a prisoner, he needed to put more emphasis into holding her there. The door was right behind them, still open, and Faine could make a run for it if she wished. Then again, she didn't want to meet an end with an arrow in her back from one tower surrounding the base.

The woman looked back down to her desk and shifted some paperwork, twisting a feather pen between two fingers. "Why is she in chains, Ilian? From the looks of it, she's a prisoner."

"Well, she stole the crown I was...meant to steal." Ilian dropped his voice so low that Faine could hardly hear him. The shame of losing such an important treasure was weighing on him, and if his time was short already as a mortal...the clock was ticking faster now.

"And in return, you brought her here? Not to die for thievery and screwing up our plans, but to strike a deal?"

"A deal for the crown, ma'am," Faine interrupted before Ilian could dig himself—and her—a grave. Positions of power and women: his two faults. "I wish to become part of Silver Willow in exchange for the crown."

As if that was the most amusing thing in the world, the woman with umber skin laughed. She braced her elbows on the desk, preparing herself for a possible magic trick or for Faine to turn into a broad display of the word 'liar'. She was beautiful and intimidating, but too young. Too young to be a crime boss for Silver Willow. There had to be something Faine was missing...

"Shapeshifter," Faine blurted, then clamped a hand over her mouth. The two members of Silver Willow exchanged a glance. "Sorry, I just...I couldn't figure out what you were. You have rounded ears."

"You're observant, at least. Take a seat." She jerked her chin to the chairs and Ilian led her over, allowing her to sit down carefully. "My name is Celestia Howler. I am a shapeshifter and the boss of Silver Willow. The first thing you should know about shifters: we have fangs, same as you."

To flash that evidence, she bared her teeth in Faine's direction. Fangs mirroring her own stuck out against the normal block of her teeth around red-painted lips. Contrary to what she believed before, Faine was stuck with trying to figure out Celestia. She could be older or younger than the feliram now sitting in the chair opposite the desk, and more dangerous.

The chains clattered to the floor when Ilian let them go. He took a seat in the chair next to Faine's, supervising closely, and she held her breath. Why wasn't Celestia commenting on his lack of care for a supposed prisoner?

"Ilian said you wish to be part of Silver Willow," Celestia mused. "We are a very esteemed guild; you could have chosen anywhere else. Down south, Rising Eternity is gaining pace. Why didn't you look there?"

She returned herself to the fake, scared prisoner. It was a side she hadn't shown Ilian, but his back was rigid, his breaths were shallow, his entire being had shifted since coming face to face with his boss. By reading his body language, Faine learned all she needed to know about the woman sitting in the high-back, leather chair.

"Too close to home," she said. "I come from an abusive husband. After one too many beatings, I finally decided that I wished for something better. He wanted nothing to do with me and wished me dead. Therefore, I am in search of a better life and a hiding place where I can live out my days. Not in fear, but in happiness."

Celestia considered for a moment. "Silver Willow requires skill. We don't take in those that cannot spy, kill, and steal. You must be damn good at it, too. If you have none of that, then I will reluctantly have to kill you for stealing the crown and coming to the base, thus learning our layout."

"You are unaware of my previous job." Faine allowed that fear to slip now that she was sitting comfortably in the chair and Celestia wasn't kicking her out without hearing what she had to say. Although she was being watched with amusement, rather than sympathy or protection, it was better than nothing. "In Isflean, I am known for getting rid of people's troubles. I killed those that couldn't do it themselves, I stole, I spied. I did everything Silver Willow is doing now and did it by myself. You'd be a fool not to consider me."

Celestia's dark brows raised. They weren't the same color as the plum shade of her hair, dyed, but black as the original shade of her hair might have been. "You'd be a fool to come into my study and call me a fool," she retorted.

Faine sucked on a tooth. "Shows how desperate I am, doesn't it?" When she didn't receive a response, she continued to make her case. Ilian hadn't said a word, he'd hardly looked at her except to digest the reality of her abusive husband. "I wish for a job and a trial run. If I don't meet your expectations, I'll return the crown and you can have my life. But—if I do meet and exceed your expectations—you can take my pay for however much that crown was worth."

The air in the study stilled and for a moment, Faine wondered if they were both holding their breath. Waiting for her to erupt into a beast that threatened to devour them both.

"That crown...is very valuable," Ilian muttered. He shifted his eyes to her. "It'd take at least a year of no pay."

Faine shrugged. "I'm not here for pay. Give me a bed, give me meals, give me clothes. Give me a place to hide and I'll do whatever you ask of me."

The leather chair squeaked and groaned when Celestia leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. They were both stunned. No one had come into the base, pleading for safety while also demanding as little as Silver Willow could give. Even through that, Faine was still asking for plenty, precisely why so much thought was going into this. She had to become part of Silver Willow. Lowballing them was the way to do that.

"Will you kill?" Celestia questioned. "Will you kill your husband if I asked you to do it?"

Before she came here, Faine was very careful about discovering an abusive man in the slums. She watched as he slapped his wife across the cheek and she crumbled, turning herself into a ball to avoid further abuse. He was a gadigator, known for their brutal intelligence, and a sickly shade of grey. He frequented taverns and brothels, sought out courtesans while his wife sat at home and cooked dinner for a man that would never appreciate her.

Thinking of that man, Faine said, "I would."

For that innocent woman, she'd kill him and give part of her fortune from nearly one hundred years of service to her so she could start her life and find her way. After all, she was a fellow feliram. The docile members of the breed had to look out for each other.

"What about your parents? Would you kill your parents if I asked you to?"

"My parents are already dead. But if they were still alive, I would kill them. They forced me into the marriage with no option of escape. So, yes, I'd kill them if you asked that of me." Faine would never have killed her mother.

She never met her father and for that reason alone, she would consider it. He impregnated a feliram, left her to raise a child alone, and never once showed his face. Faine knew her mother deserved better than that—her heart was pure and her smile lit up a room. The less fortunate always had her to fall back on.

Celestia's eyes darted to Ilian. "Would you kill him?" she questioned in a low tone.

Without having to look in his direction, Faine knew the mortal man stiffened in his seat. His hands clutched onto the armrests and he kept his stare down until Faine looked at him. The cobalt eyes that shined against the presence of those windows were silently pleading for her to make the right decision, but being a mortal left him with no other options than to sit there and keep his mouth shut. Even his boss, a shapeshifter, wouldn't give him any slack.

"I would only kill him if he betrayed Silver Willow. Otherwise, he's too valuable to kill. You don't kill for no reason, correct? If Ilian is to die, it's only because he deserved it," Faine said without a hitch.

At the sound of that, Ilian sat up straighter. When was the last time anyone appreciated him for his service around here? When was the last time anyone talked about him like he meant something?

Zebulon had a strict 'no mortals' policy unless they were skilled in their craft. Usually the assassins in their middle years of life, those with the twisted minds and blackened hearts. They completed odd jobs for Rising Eternity but never showed their faces around the base in fear of being seen or discovered by fellow thieves and spies. Besides that, the only mortals were the kitchen workers and servants. Well, they were referred to as servants but Faine knew better.

Servants weren't supposed to wear white bands and never take them off. Slaves were forced to identify themselves in the Palace District and throughout the rest of Pinedon. Zebulon had instituted the same rules with the human servants he stole from their homes and forced to work for two copper coins a week—sometimes less. Faine's blood boiled at the thought of it.

"This abusive husband of yours...what did you face?" Celestia asked.

Faine was startled. She blinked and Ilian raised a hand between them. "I don't think that's appropriate, Celestia. If she doesn't wish—"

"If you wish, you can leave." Celestia's eyes frosted over with rage and her frown deepened. It was then that Ilian decided he was best served not moving and not speaking.

A common fate amongst mortals.

Faine sighed. "Let's just say...I can take a punch, a kick to the throat, a blow to the gut, and I know how to lie to save my own ass."

That had never happened to her. She quickly forced any man that showed the slightest hint of abusive tendencies out of her life, whether they wanted to leave. One lover, in particular, had turned out to be that way and had nearly gotten his hands on her if it wasn't for the dislodging of her hidden blade and the tip finding its way into the side of his neck. Faine left his body there, only to have it discovered hours later by his wife. In the end, Faine did her a favor.

"What about thievery? Surely, you didn't receive enough freedom to steal." Like the slowest, steadiest stream of molasses, Celestia was becoming interested in Faine's past. She was painting the perfect portrait and the crime boss of Silver Willow was falling for every swoop of the bristles.

"The markets were where I did my best work." Faine traced a finger over the white armrest. "I stole only what I needed, and no one caught me."

"That's not the only important part of this operation. You'd be expected to work in ways of seduction to get the answers you wish. Many of our men and women here are very skilled at receiving what they want, and they go through great lengths to receive even the slightest bit of information. If you're not willing—"

"I said I had an abusive husband, but I never said I didn't take lovers. Whatever you ask of me, I'll do."

It was the final declaration she could make. No other information was as important as what Faine was sharing, she laid all the pieces out in front of them and let Celestia and Ilian put everything together. She had to make herself available, had to make herself willing to do everything just to become part of this operation.

Celestia grinned. Her fangs flashed. "Are you any good at receiving what you want?"

A hidden question behind another. "I'm best at thievery and spying, but I'm willing to try my hand at anything. As I said, I'm available when you ask for me," Faine said.

As Celestia started to consider, Faine took that chance to look around the study. A small breeze was fluttering the fibers of the rug and Faine watched it carefully. A hidden passageway was behind the bookshelf against the wall and now that she realized it, the stone was not fitting correctly as the rest of the room. One secret to the base: discovered.

Zebulon hadn't sent her here for only one job. Not to only gather information about their operation, but to understand their base, too. Finding the secret passageways throughout was the first thing Faine thought about doing but had spotted none on the way to Celestia's study. This was the first.

"Fine, I'll give you a chance. The original deal stands. If you succeed, you don't receive pay until the amount of the crown is met. If you fail...you lose your life," Celestia finalized.

Faine bit down on her tongue to avoid squealing. She made it this far.

As calmly as she could without giving away her composure, Faine said, "I thank you for accepting me. You won't regret it."

The grin she received was unsettling, but the worst part of it all was signing her name at the bottom of the paperwork stating that she was giving her life away to Silver Willow. Carlton, the man she loved for ten years, had done the same. One hundred years later and he was still six feet under.