FAYBURN Point was a secluded outlook in Coranto, a coastal town on the outskirts of Vallabrada.

It was a beautiful place with white roofed brick buildings and a cozy little Temple in its town centre, a mud hut compared to the multi-spired cathedral for the Alerthian castle of prayer in Florain's capital.

Old Osmund's funeral was held at the outlook on a grey, gloomy day, rain threatening to pour over the ceremony. The lighthouse nearby stood tall and protective of the former Coranto resident whose ashes were stored in a basic clay urn.

Osmund was an old-fashioned man. He'd made it very clear he wanted his funeral to be at Fayburn Point, a fond place of his childhood. He wanted a classic Florian sendoff—drinking his favourite wine and throwing his ashes and the drinks off the cliff into the ocean so the deceased could drink the wine in the Everworld forever.

Theo stood with Caynan and the rest of Osmund's little family of misfits, thieves and runaways off to the side near the front as mourners gathered around the bluff for the commencement of the funeral.

Theo watched every person in attendance carefully. For a man who was hated by most of Vallabrada, his funeral had amassed over a hundred mourners, all dressed in black. Theo even recognized members of the Black Raven Syndicate standing among the mass of strangers, people who were hardly a fan of the old man.

Even Bo-Hal D'Farah was there, surrounded by his gang and body guards. If anyone hated Old Osmund more, it was Old Bo. And so, Theo didn't understand his presence at the funeral.

Theo kept his eyes averted all the same, and he could feel the Jeweled Palace owner's own gaze burning holes through his head.

A throat cleared, hushing the gathered, and all attention turned towards the Alerthian sister at the front next to Osmund's urn. A man with grey, wispy hair and beard and a hunched frame stood next to the sister.

Rayden Flehming, Osmund's oldest partner in crime, always loyal to the end.

He and Osmund had been childhood friends, but their paths had diverted in completely different directions when they'd grown older.

Osmund became a lowly thief and tavern owner who walked the streets in shoes with holes and stole from gullible travelers.

Rayden wore beautiful tailored suits and lived a life of grandeur in a glorious estate in the High Complex out of the Emporium.

Rayden Flehming had embraced the Syndicate and was rewarded, while Osmund fought it and was punished.

Theo never truly understood why Osmund fought the Syndicate. Every orphan he adopted, he prepared every single one for Ravenship, including Theo. The Joining had been so easy thanks to Osmund's teachings.

Yet, the old man never did join himself. He refused to. He never revealed why.

Perhaps the dark dealings of the Syndicate in return for wealth was why Osmund tried to steer Theo away from becoming a Raven after a familial bond was struck.

Because how Rayden Flehming gained his success was truly the way of Vallabrada—join the Black Raven Syndicate or be doomed to the street gutters forever. That the manner in which Flehming betrayed Osmund was what he feared for Theo. That Theo was going to betray Osmund too.

Theo never did. He could never betray the man that saved him.

Theo had worked with Rayden Flehming in his prime when he first arrived in Vallabrada and into Osmund's care. He was a good man, but a crafty one at that with sticky fingers.

However, despite whatever bad blood was between them, Rayden was Osmund's best friend, no matter where their lives took them.

Rayden Flehming puffed his chest out and stood taller, attempting to look less haggard in his suit and cloak.

"Osmund was a one-of-a-kind man," he croaked. "He was both a compassionate man and also the dirtiest of bastards. His life was about giving back to the children of Vallabrada."

Rayden gestured to Theo and the rest of Osmund's former outcasts. "He strove to give these children a home, to give them stability and help them pave their own paths."

By making criminals out of us for gain, Theo thought, perhaps somewhat bitterly.

Osmund was a man who recruited children. He treated them well, but it was no secret that he didn't take children in on his good graces. No. He took them in to use them. To teach them to steal and cheat and to fight and earn their place. It was what Theo fought for. At least at first.

Although there were hardships, Theo couldn't say anything ill about the bond he'd had with the old man after he'd proven himself.

Rayden threaded his bony white fingers, fingers that had committed too many crimes to count on ten of them. "Osmund was a fool for turning down Ravenship into the Syndicate that was proudly offered to him."

Rayden took his glass from the pedestal that Osmund's ashes stood on. "But he was a rascal smart enough and bold enough in his dirty deeds to keep his pride and joy, The Raven Prince, running against all odds."

He raised his glass. "You deserve your rest, old friend. Farewell. And don't waste this quality wine in the afterlife."

The crowd raised their glasses in a toast. Theo raised his half-heartedly.

Two other close associates to Osmund approached the pedestal to speak about the old man in fondness.

One was another older man like Rayden who spoke of their exploits in youth.

The other looked to be about Theo's age, a man who'd also been raised by Osmund like he and the rest of the tavern family had. He spoke about being treated like a son, like how Osmund had treated all of them.

Theo pursed his lips hard. Osmund had been a bastard, but he'd been a father figure to him when he'd lost his own. Osmund had taught him everything he knew today. He wouldn't have the reputation he did—the skills he had—without Osmund's foundational training.

The crowd parted, drawing the attention of everyone in attendance.

Theo watched as a man in a full black suit and tie, feathered black cloak and a top hat walked through the human corridor towards the front. A medallion around his neck swayed as he walked. He carried a scroll tied with a black ribbon.

Theo knew who the man was. The medallion was an obvious giveaway.

He was a representative of the Black Raven Syndicate, a messenger for the High Raven himself—the leader of the organization that had roots in all of Aldora.

"I have a message from the High Raven for Osmund De Thule," the messenger announced as he unfurled his scroll. "To Osmund De Thule and his intimates. My deepest condolences. Osmund was a man far ahead of his time and it is a great loss for the Emporium and all of Vallabrada to lose him this soon.

"It is my deepest regret for not recruiting Osmund to the Syndicate of his own volition. It is a great shame he could not have shown his true worth and skill within the organization. He would have made a fantastic Talon."

Theo tried to tame his upper lip from lifting into a snarling expression.

Osmund had turned his back on the Black Raven Syndicate years ago. It wasn't an organization for everyone in the city. Osmund never spoke highly of them, but never turned people away for joining them. He wasn't thrilled when Theo had announced that he'd been recruited and joined, but he was always welcome to The Raven Prince whenever he wanted.

Rather, Osmund should've been praised for having the courage to deny the Syndicate. Not many people did that. Not many people made that decision—publically, too—and still ran a business in the Emporium. There were only three businesses that weren't controlled by the Talons including the Prince: The Jeweled Palace gambling hall and The Exhibition brothel.

Osmund really was a man ahead of his time, one brave enough to turn his back on one of the most powerful crime syndicates in Aldora, possibly even more powerful than the Nightingales in Sommereaux and the Crimson Hand in Solæria, both who also had members throughout all of Aldora.

"It has come to my understanding that no last wishes by ink were outlined," the messenger continued the High Raven's letter. "With that said, as per the agreement all establishment owners sign before opening their doors in the Syndicate-owned Emporium, if no ownership is transferred by last wishes, the ownership of The Raven Prince tavern will be forfeited to the Black Raven Syndicate."

Silent rage exploded like an erupting volcano inside of Theo as he bit down on the insides of his cheeks so hard that holes would no doubt form once he released his clenching grip on them

The idiot. The fucking idiot.

Furious was such an inferior word to describe the wrath inside Theo threatening to flare outwardly as he tried to school his features into calm.

Theo had warned the old man time and time again to outline his will and testament before death took him, naturally or by something terrible. Osmund had always fought so hard to keep The Raven Prince out of the clutches of the Syndicate. But obviously not hard enough to ink his last wishes.

And now the Syndicate had it. They had the Prince.

"He must be rolling in his grave now, the fool," hissed Caynan as he hugged little Gennerina Dischenzo tight, the child crying into his hip.

"He better be," Theo growled back.

"I offer my condolences again to Osmund and his family," the High Raven's representative concluded. "I shall raise a glass to him tonight."

And, just like that, the messenger rolled up his scroll, walked back through the parting crowd and left.

"So what does this mean?" Caynan asked.

"Are we going to lose the Prince?" questioned Flavio Stefangalo, one of Osmund's newer teenage runaways.

Theo watched the messenger disappear into the mist before moving his gaze to glare at Osmund's ashes.

No.

No, there was absolutely no way he was going to allow a Talon to run his tavern—his home. Part of the Syndicate or not, he wasn't going to let some thug take over what Osmund spent his life building.

"I'm not going to let some bird brain run our grog house," snarled Theo. He raised his glass. "They'll have to get through me first."

The Alerthian sister called a prayer and the mourners lowered their heads.

Theo kept his high. He didn't believe in the Woman Upstairs or any of that horseshit.

There was no higher power. Things didn't happen because the Goddess willed it. Shit happened because it happened.

Osmund's death wasn't because the Goddess "wished" for him to join the Kingdom in the Clouds.

No, someone had murdered him. It wasn't some deity's will that a fairly healthy elderly man suffered at the hands of the Wicked Caress.

The crowd toasted once more to Osmund De Thule, and Theo cast his ashes off the cliff of Fayburn Point into the crashing waves below. In small groups, the gathered said their last goodbyes to the old man before sending their wine off into the ocean.

Caynan approached Theo as the last of the mourners began to disperse.

"I'll meet you back at the tavern," he said. "No doubt those share papers would've arrived now."

Theo looked to Bo-Hal D'Farah tossing his wine off the cliffside, followed by the glass, wrapping his draped coat tighter over his shoulders. He turned and glared at them in turn before leaving with his entourage.

"I suppose it'll be my name on those papers now," Theo sighed. He turned to Caynan and they grasped his forearm. "I'll see you back at the Prince."

Theo was the last on the outlook, watching the waves whisk Old Osmund De Thule to the Everworld where he could drink wine, fornicate and roll in as much gold as he always dreamed of.

Theo didn't turn to the person who'd stepped up next to him.

He snuck a peek at the man from the corner of his eye.

The first thing he noticed was the black shoulder length hair floating gently in the ocean breeze, like the wind's tendril fingers were running through it. He looked smart in his tailored black suit, showing off a lean physique underneath.

"My condolences," the man said in a calm tone, his voice smoother than the finest silk. "Osmund was a good man. He would've made a formidable Talon."

"Osmund wasn't one to conform to rules." Theo shot the man a side-eyed look. "Especially those set by the Syndicate."

The man smirked. "A predictable reply from someone as notorious as the Silver Tongue himself, known for being...less than a decent Raven."

"I suppose I shouldn't sign up for things I'm not good at when I'm drunk."

The mysterious figure held out his hand. "Kaegen Fen."

"I know who you are." Theo turned his head slightly to him. "I'm sure The Dragon's Den is reaping the seeds of success."

"Well." A side smile slithered onto Kaegen Fen's face. "When a man as infamous as you beats Bo-Hal D'Farah, everyone fears the repercussions of the tables then." He shrugged lazily. "I thrive off the failure of men like Bo."

Kaegen turned to face Theo fully. "Did you read the letter?"

A squinted frown painted Theo's face. "What letter?"

He never got a letter from Kaegen Fen or his gambling house. Theo didn't have any association with the man other than being a part of the same organization.

He knew nothing about Kaegen Fen other than the rumors whispered around the Emporium—that he'd murdered three men with only a wine glass; that he'd beaten the King himself at a round of Trigger Finger and was bold enough to hesitate sparing him; that he'd joined the Syndicate at only twelve and ascended the ranks faster than any Raven had before him.

But there had been a letter with the Den's seal on Osmund's desk. Could that letter have been for Theo? Had Osmund tried to hide it from him? If that were the case, why? Why would Kaegen Fen send Theo a letter? He barely knew him.

"I sent you a letter because I need your help."

Theo scoffed. "Why? Why would a Talon possibly need my help when you clearly think I'm less than useful?"

Kaegen pocketed his hands into his very expensive-looking coat. "You are a subpar Raven, that is not new knowledge. But what the people of Vallabrada know for absolute certainty—what your true reputation precedes you of—is that you are an excellent thief. One spoken very highly of. Not many people can speak of managing to slip out of Fort Ganvara's iron grip, Silver Tongue."

Theo returned his gaze to the ocean. "I was taught by the best."

Joining the Black Raven Syndicate was not something Theo spoke much about. There wasn't much to tell.

But before he did become a Raven, he was an expert thief. He had a reputation for staying out of prison, for always getting away. Fort Ganvara still wanted to add him to their collection, for years now, and still to the moment, he never called a cell his own.

Silver Tongue, they called him. The man who talked his way out of everything. Who wasn't afraid to spit venom when he needed to, or hypnotize when he pleased. He once managed to talk a judge out of letting him walk free without a single prosecution for stealing a diplomat's jewels.

He once sweet talked the guards into letting him go when he was found sleeping with a foreign emissary's wife. And his lover, the butler. It had been a ménage à trois for the ages, that was for sure.

"I have a proposal for you, Theo," Kaegen began.

"Do you, now?" Theo bit back. "You better not be wasting my time. I have a funeral party to attend."

"We both know that when the High Raven wants something done, it happens immediately. No doubt the ownership of The Raven Prince is a high priority for them, so it will likely be out of your hands by the end of the week."

Theo raised his chin. "Go on."

Kaegen mimicked Theo's body language as he exhaled slowly, blinking equally as patiently. "I can help you become a Talon. If you help me, I will make that so, and The Raven Prince will be yours by Syndicate decree."

Theo turned to the Talon, both of them now facing parallel to each other. "Are you offering me a job?"

"I am."

"I help you, you make me a Talon, I keep the tavern?"

"That is my proposal, yes."

Theo folded his arms across his chest. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. You help me, I help you."

Theo turned his expression into a deadpanned one. "I'm not accepting a job I know nothing about."

A smile appeared on Kaegen's face, a look that sent a slight chill down Theo's already cold arms, a chill that felt so much colder than the ocean air on his face.

"Read the letter," the Talon instructed. "Consider my offer once you have."

Kaegen moved to leave. "You have one day to report your decision. If you don't, it will be safe for me to assume that I should look for someone else."

And with that, Kaegen Fen left the bluff like a feather on the wind, seamlessly disappearing into the fog.

Theo turned back to the ocean.

What was Osmund hiding from him?