Surya followed Vidyut down the winding stairs to the dungeons that lay beneath the Guild hall. Rays from the afternoon sun spilled in through the tiny windows carved in the wall and washed the high, narrow steps of the staircase. Surya descended with care, guiding himself with one hand on the wall. A single miss-step, and… Surya imagined the crack of a skull and pictured the cup in the Guild master's chamber.
"You must take me to your apprentices when you have some time to spare. I believe they are well." Surya glanced at the back of Vidyut's head. His curly black hair looked a light shade of brown in the passing sunlight.
"They are doing well, and the guild is aware of the royal family's assistance to our trainees. Once you….get settled in, the trainees can come, visit you, and tell you in their own words how deeply grateful they are." For once, Vidyut's words sounded frank, without his usual mocking.
