Luck in the Shadows

fondness for you. I trust you are aware of that?"
    "My intentions toward Alec are perfectly honorable! You, of all people, ought to—"
    "That is not what I was alluding to," Nysander replied calmly. "What I am saying is that you must consider more than his mere education. You should be a friend to him as well as a teacher. The time will come when the master must accept his pupil as an equal."
    "That's the whole point, isn't it?"
    "I am glad to hear you say so. But you must be honest with him, too." Nysander regarded him with sudden seriousness. "I know of at least one thing that he is not aware of. Why have you not told him of his true—?"
    "I will!" Seregil whispered quickly, hearing Alec's step on the stairs. "I wasn't certain at first, and then things went to pieces. I just haven't found the right moment yet. He's had enough to contend with these last few weeks."
    "Perhaps so, yet I confess I do not understand your reluctance. I wonder how he will react?"
    "So do I," murmured Seregil. "So do I."

20 Homecoming
    Tattered clouds were scudding across the face of the moon when Seregil and Alec set out for the Cockerel.
    A bitter wind off the sea clattered through the trees along Golden Helm Street. The night lanterns grated on their hooks, making the shadows dance.
    Intent on savoring his first night of freedom, Seregil had turned down Nysander's offer of horses, although he did concede to letting Alec carry the pack. As the wind whipped their hair and cloaks about, he was chilled but cheerful.
    Rhнminee after dark. Beyond ornate walls and down shadowed alleys lay a thousand dangers, a thousand delights. Passing beneath a lantern, he saw a glimmer of familiar eagerness in Alec's eyes; perhaps, at last, he'd chosen well?
    By the time they reached the Circle of Astellus, however, Seregil was forced to admit that his body had not recovered as fully as his spirit.
    "I could do with a drink," he said, stepping into the shelter of the colonnade.
    The lily-shaped capitals of the marble columns supported a carved pediment and dome.
    Inside the colonnade, concentric circles of marble formed a series of steps leading down to the clear water welling up from a deep cleft in the rock below.
    Kneeling, they pulled off their gloves and dipped up handfuls of sweet, icy water.
    "You're shivering," Alec noted with concern. "We should've ridden."
    "Walking's the best thing for me." Seregil sat back on the step and wrapped his cloak around him.
    "Remember this night, Alec. Drink it in and commit it to memory! Your first night on the streets of Rhнminee!"
    Settling beside him, Alec looked out at the wild beauty of the night and let out a happy sigh. "It feels like the beginning of something, all right, even though we've been here a week."
    He paused, and Seregil saw that he was staring toward the Street of Lights. Across the circle, the dark outline of the archway and the colorful twinkle of lights beyond shone invitingly.
    "I meant to ask you about something the other day," Alec said. "I'd forgotten about it until just now."
    Seregil grinned at him in the darkness.
    "Regarding what lies beyond that arch, I presume?
    The Street of Lights, it's called. I guess you can see why."
    Alec nodded. "A man told me the name the other day. Then he made some joke when I asked what the different colors mean."
    "Said if you had to ask you were too young to know?"
    "Something like that. What did he mean?"
    "Beyond those walls, Alec, lie the finest brothels and gambling establishments in Skala."
    "Oh." There was enough light for him to see the boy's eyes widen a little as he noted the number of riders and carriages passing under the arch.
    "Oh, indeed."
    "But why are the lights different colors? I can't make out any pattern."
    "They aren't meant for decoration. The color of the lanterns at each gate indicates the sort of pleasures the house purveys. A man wanting a woman would look for a house with a rose-colored light. If it's male company he craves, then he'd choose one showing the green lamp. It's the same for women: amber for male companionship, white for female."
    "Really?" Alec stood up and walked to the far side of the fountain for a better view. When he turned back to Seregil he looked rather perplexed. "There are almost as many of the green and white ones as there are the others."
    "Yes?"
    "Well, it's just that—"
    Alec faltered. "I mean, I've heard of such things, but I didn't think they could be so-so common. Things are a lot different