His mother often said his father was York . But she was kept so drugged by the high priestesses that she rarely knew who her callers were , and other times , she said his father was a blind fisherman . With bad breath , which had apparently stuck in her mind . Still , there were others who thought he had more than a touch of the Saint of Thieves in him . Even as a young child , he was constantly scheming to get things that didn 't belong to him . He could sweet talk the temple cooks into giving him extra scraps , or little treats usually saved for the high priestesses and their special guests . The other boys and girls would often find they 'd come off worse on little deals or bets he 'd set up , not sure why they 'd taken them in the first place . Once , he 'd been caught lightening the pocket of a High Guard while he was enjoying the company of his mother . Priestess Gylia forcefully made the point that men expected their belongings to be safe inside the temple , and paid well for that privilege . However , he noticed how she emphasized the word " inside , " and simply moved his operations elsewhere . Most of what he got , he earned through begging . " Are you my father ? " he 'd ask each man who came in . He 'd do his best to ape them , to screw up his features to look a little more like they did , puffing his cheeks out if they were fat , or sucking them in if they were skinny . Sometimes he got a cuff behind the ear , but sometimes he 'd get a pat on the head and a few coins . Temple children were almost never claimed , but the men who visited could be kind enough , in their way . However , he was growing older now . The cuffs were more frequent , the coins fewer . He would have to leave soon . Temple girls were expected to become priestesses themselves , but the boys could only stay as eunuchs . Rone was starting to think that this was less of a great deal than he 'd thought when he was younger . So he was considering his career prospects when the old man passed by the front of the temple . Rone was not yet a very good pickpocket , still mostly confining himself to rolling the occasional drunk . But he could see a full , heavy purse hanging from the man 's side , and what son of York would he be if he could resist that ? " I am Lord Totch , the Tyrant 's secretary , you little thief ! " he said . He slapped the side of Rone 's head , and pushed him into the arms of the waiting men . " Teach him not to steal from his betters , " he said . It was weeks before Rone was recovered . He didn 't even remember crawling back into the temple . Priestess Heth tended to him when she wasn 't busy with other duties . Luckily , the men hadn 't done any real damage . No broken bones . His wits didn 't seem to have been addled . Once the swelling went down , his face looked the same as it ever had . All in all , he 'd gotten quite lucky , and he promised himself he 'd never be so clumsy again . When the last of the marks faded , he sat on the temple steps and once again considered his prospects . Thieving was still a viable option , he supposed . But perhaps not pick pocketing . Not until he learned to be more clever at it . Perhaps he could find an older thief in need of an apprentice ? " He didn 't even recognize me … " Rone whispered . He stared incredulously at Totch 's back . " He didn 't even recognize me ! " Suddenly , he was filled with anger . After all that had happened , the man didn 't even know him ! Suddenly , he felt the need to be on his feet . He ran down the steps , taking them two at a time , right past the man 's guards , who didn 't give him any more of a look than their master . " Who does he think he is ? " Rone fumed . How dare they ignore him , like he was nothing ? He felt like grabbing the nearest person and shouting his name in their faces , but that still wouldn 't teach the secretary a lesson . No , he had to think bigger than that . He began to plot , and to think , and then smiled grimly to himself . It would take a few days to get the supplies , but he 'd manage it . Yes , they 'd know who he was next time . Yes , he 'd make sure of that . They 'd shout his name from their towers , oh yes . Several days later , Rone was prepared . Second story work , he 'd decided , was much more his style than pick pocketing . So many people failed to lock a window if it was high enough . The hardest part was getting the clothes , but finding one of Lord Vere 's servant boys at the bathhouse had given him all the opportunity he 'd needed . Rone walked into the mansion with a determined expression and a piece of paper in his hand . He caught a glance from one of the servants , but was otherwise ignored . He quickly made his way up the steps of the tower towards the Lord 's office . He paused to open the satchel , and found it full of papers . He couldn 't read , so he ignored them , though he 'd likely be able to sell them later . He only needed to be able to write one thing today . He opened the window . He saw the Tyrant 's balcony across the way . The entire balcony was lined with bars , keeping thieves out , but letting the Tyrant look out across his city . It was about twenty feet from Totchs 's tower to the Tyrant 's . Too far for Rone to jump . However , not too far for him to throw . He tossed the hook he 'd stolen from the fishing boats . It was made for hunting the levyatan eels in the deeper waters . It was nearly too heavy for him to throw so far , but he managed it on the second try . He set his foot in the loop he 'd made , and swung out into space . He slipped through . An adult could never have made it . Even a boy with a slightly heftier build would have had trouble . But Rone was just skinny enough to make it . The room was ornately decorated . There was filigree artwork , statues of marble and jade , and tapestries . He was looking for something impressive to steal when he heard a splashing . Several women in various states of undress were swimming in a shallow pool . He froze , but none of them seemed to see him . They were all clinging to a floating green tube . They seemed frightened , and their eyes seemed to focus far beyond the walls . He decided they must be drugged with something , and made his way around , until he came to the Tyrant 's bed . There he found what he was looking for . It was an artifact of the old world , one of the strange , jeweled rectangles they sometimes found in pleys containers , with the gold lines running along its green surface . It was the largest he 'd ever seen , nearly as wide across as the length of his forearm . It must have cost even the Tyrant dearly to buy . He placed it delicately into his bag . Then he took out the jar of paint . He cracked the seal , and then used a bit of the Tyrant 's own bed sheet on the wall behind the bed . He 'd had to pay a scribe to know what to do , and he copied the scratches on the paper slavishly . He had to get it just right . When he was satisfied with his work , he went back to the balcony . He slipped through the bars , and threw the hook over to Totsch 's office . He swung back across , and then clambered up to the window . He glanced inside to make sure no one was inside , and then made his way back down . This time no one challenged him . " There are men all around the city looking for you . You have to get dressed immediately ! " The silver - haired priestess hauled him to his feet , and shoved him in the direction of the hamper where he kept his belongings . " No , not that , something with a hood . You can 't be that daft , and be in all this trouble . " As he blearily got dressed , her words sank in . Looking for him ! The deeds of the previous day began to come back to him . He 'd stolen from the Tyrant himself . " Not that I think you did it , " Gylia said . " Not even you would be stupid enough to paint ' My name is Rone ' after stealing the Tyrant 's favorite treasure . But they 'll … Oh . Oh no , Rone . Please , please tell me you didn 't . " " Oh , good lord . We have to get you out of the city right now . " She bundled him up , pulling the hood down over his face . " I know a caravaneer . He 's not leaving until two days from now , but if you get out now , you can meet him on the road . But now , we have to get you out of the city before someone mentions you to the guard . Now , move . " Rone let himself be guided out of the room and out of the temple , pausing only to pick up his bag . Gylia led him down narrow alleyways and through busy markets , eyes watchful for the Guard . Once , a Guardsman had walked right up to them , but he was just asking if Gylia was going to be at the temple later . Money changed hands , and she promised she would be , for him . When they reached the gate , Gylia put a hand on his shoulder . " Now , you must listen to me . Walk alongside the road for the rest of the day . That should put you far enough from the city . Hide there , and wait for a caravan to pass . Ask for Tenzin , and tell him that Gylia sent you . He will help you . " Rone nodded . " Thank you , Priestess , " he said , then considered the guards . There were four , two watching the inside , two watching the outside . Gylia followed his gaze . " You 'll need to get past them . I can 't help you . Priestesses are not allowed out of the city , and they 'll be suspicious if I approach . Just tell them a different name , and pretend you 're out to see your uncle or something . You have a clever tongue , boy . Use it . " " Th - thank you , Priestess , " he said . He realized suddenly that he wasn 't going to be able to come back to the city . Not for a long time . Maybe not ever . " I … " He didn 't know what to say . " Oh , Rone , " she said softly , and she gathered him to her in a hug . " Be brave , be clever , and never stop running while you have breath to give . " Then she released him , and she turned away , walking back to the temple . " You 'll tell , or I 'm gonna black your eyes . Now talk , " the guard said , leaning in close to Rone . The other three , including the two who were supposed to be watching the outside , gathered close . " Awright , awright , " Rone said , squeezing his eyes until a tear ran down his cheek . " I 'll talk , just don 't hit me . He 's planning on escaping the city . He 's coming here . " The guards shouted an oath . The two from the inner gate ran toward the man Rone had pointed out , while the other two looked on . While their attention was focused inward , he slipped past them , and ran out the gate . He heard a startled oath behind him , but he knew it would take them a minute to run after him , if they even decided to . He kept to the road for a moment , then cut off , falling into a ditch then scrambling out again . Fields and trees stretched out as far as he could see . Which seemed an awfully far way . Was it normal to be able to see that far away ? There was a noticeable lack of alleys to duck into , or thick crowds to lose himself in . There were people on the road , and people working the fields , but nowhere he could simply vanish . That could be a problem very shortly . " What are you doing in my field ? " someone yelled . Rone froze , and saw a man in a straw hat running at him . It hadn 't occurred to him that people owned fields , the way they owned buildings . He figured it all belonged to the Tyrant , until you were too far away to care about him . " M ' name 's Hever , " he said . " Gon ' see m ' uncle . " He decided this was as good a time as any to break out Gylia 's lie . It had been a good one , all things considered , and it was a shame to waste it completely . The man 's face broke into sympathy . " Your uncle ? Whose farm does your uncle work at ? I know every landowner around here . I 'll help you find him . " Rone 's face froze . How could the man know everyone ? He hadn 't counted on this . " At , uh , at , uh , Larn 's farm , " he said , giving the most common name he could think of . " Hmm . Well , I can 't take you around to every Larn east of here . " The man seemed to struggle with a decision for a moment , and then put a kindly hand on Rone 's shoulder . " All right , you need to listen to me carefully , Hever , " he said , speaking slowly . " You need to go down the road . Walk until you get to the big , wooden bridge . There is a farm after it . Go there , and talk to Caswin . He 'll help you . Do you understand ? " No one coming from the gate . They must have decided he wasn 't important . He hoped it would be a good , long while before they found out how wrong they were . But now , the road was open , the sun warm , and the world was his . He hefted his bag over his shoulder and whistled as he walked . The rain poured down , and Rone shivered in the tree . He 'd walked about a day 's travel when he was chased from the road by a pack of wild dogs . After he 'd gotten away from them by swimming in a river , he 'd wandered lost a couple of days before being chased by a giant lizard , which was now waiting below , and he had no idea where the road was anymore . He was wet , he was miserable , and he was pretty sure he was going to die . That was when the shouting began . At first , he thought it was another pack of wild dogs , with the howls and yipping , but there were words mixed in . Hard to understand , but he picked up " left , " " right , " and " closer . " Kangaroos jumped through the bushes , followed closely by dogs , and then men with white - painted faces and dark red hair . They threw spears as they ran , and a kangaroo leapt into the lizard , before being caught in its massive jaws . It turned to the hunters . They scrambled to a stop , but didn 't run . Instead , they formed up , those still holding spears taking point . The lizard hissed menacingly , but turned again , picked up the kangaroo , and waddled off , not willing to risk injury from the hunters . " Hey , we got a boy in the tree ! " said one of the white - faces . He wore leather breeches and a simple shirt , both in mottled grey and black . Others , dressed similarly , looked up . They pushed and pulled him along until they met up with other hunters . His bag with its treasures was taken from him , and freshly - cut pieces of meat , wrapped in leather , were thrust into his arms . Hunters chatted amiably around him , occasionally giving him a shove or steadying him as he tripped . He wasn 't so much dragged as he was caught up in a friendly , talkative stampede . There were conical leather tents set up all around several big fires . Orange and blue pictures decorated each tent , and bells were strung from their tops to jangle in the breeze . Older men , children , and women stared at them . Their clothing was more varied than the hunters ' , with reds and yellows predominant . The older men had painted faces like the hunters . He was hauled back to his feet by the first white - face . " I am Last Man . It 's been decided that you belong to me . " " Your name ? Your name is you , or boy , or city brat . Don 't talk to me about names . You 're a boy , not a man . " He gestured to one of the fires . " Now , sit down , get something to eat , and then go to my family 's tent . The one with the man standing alone . " Rone did as he was told . The food was meat , vegetables , and roots roasted on sticks over the fire , and spiced lightly . It was delicious after a day of running . When he entered the tent , he found it already somewhat crowded with children , dogs , two hunters , and several women , including one who introduced herself as Straytaker . She fussed over him a moment in a way that reminded him of the priestesses , and then sent him to sleep on the blankets with the dogs and the other children . Rone gathered she was Last Man 's wife . As he laid himself to the blankets , shoving a puppy aside , he was already thinking about how he would escape . They 'd caught him when he was weak and lost . But Rone had made a fool of the Tyrant . There was no way they could stop someone as clever as him . Not for long . The next day , Rone was woken up by Straytaker shaking his shoulder . She thrust a bucket into his hands and told him she needed him to get water . She spoke slowly , as though he were slow or simple . She stared at him for a moment , and burst out laughing . He definitely didn 't like her . " I don 't have a name ! How old do you think I am ? " " No one gets a name until they 're ready to be a man or a woman , silly . My mother 's name is Third Arrow , because she shot a bandit with three arrows , and the third one killed him . " She spoke as lightly as she might have talked about wearing a pretty dress , or making a nice pie . From her , he learned that most of the children in Last Man and Straytaker 's tent weren 't their own . Straytaker had only had a single son , who died soon after , and wasn 't able to have anymore . So , they took in any children who had no tent to go to anymore . Ones whose parents had died , or , more frequently , had been taken from other tribes . He asked about that , and it seemed that the nomad tribes often raided each other , taking children for their own to swell their numbers . Sometimes , a tribe could be eradicated that way . Though , when that happened , it generally transpired that another tribe would split up to take over the new territory . Rone spent a lot of time with the girl over the next few days as he learned more about the Ghost Hunters . Not that he liked her , certainly , but she was willing to talk , and he needed all the information he could get . For her part , she seemed amused by his ignorance , which annoyed him to no end . Not many other people were willing to spare more than a glance at Rone , and when someone did speak to him , it was usually the way Straytaker did . Kindly , but as though he were an idiot . Last Man would occasionally look him over to see if he was still in one piece . He waited until they were in the new place before he made his escape . He waited until the bustle of setting up was begun , picked up a bucket ( in which he 'd hidden his bag , taken from the back of Last Man 's tent ) as though to fetch some water , and began to walk away . He ducked behind some bushes , and was soon out of sight . He ran after that , knowing that once they discovered he was missing , they 'd follow his tracks . But not too far , he was sure . One boy captive wasn 't worth too much effort . Once he got far enough away , they 'd give up . For a full day he ran , and it was night when he finally stopped , coming to rest in a copse of trees . He was lost , of course , but at least he was free . Then he heard someone shifting nearby . It was Last Man . He was standing not ten feet away , leaning on a walking stick , a dog beside him . He didn 't look angry , or upset , or even disappointed . Simply attentive . Rone tried to escape several more times , but the result was always the same . Last Man would catch him , knock him around some , and then bring him back . He was never punished further , nor did anyone say anything about it , except the girl . His old clothes wore away , and were replaced by leather breeches and simple cloth shirts . After that , he was more easily accepted among the Ghost Hunters . He was no longer called " city boy " by anyone except the annoying girl . She still nattered away at him , though he needed her to explain things less and less as months went on . Still , he spent time with her , as much out of habit as anything else . He started playing with blunted spears with the other boys , learning to mock - fight with them , and to throw the shorter spears at targets painted on the ground or in trees . He grew taller , and broader in his chest . Soon , he was catching rabbits and lizards around the camp with the older boys . One of the older boys , whom he mentally thought of as Sharpnose , was generally regarded as the leader . Rone got along well with him , and they started making plans for mischief . They would play pranks on other boys or on the younger hunters , go places they weren 't supposed to , and generally find ways to entertain themselves . One of the women took Rone by the hands and swung him around when he asked what happened , and then kissed him on the cheek . The annoying girl seemed strangely upset by this , though Rone wasn 't sure why . She wasn 't the one who was kissed on the cheek like a baby . " Clever boy ! We 'll have a feast tonight . " It emerged that the women had hidden themselves well before the men got near , and then shot a flight of arrows into the ground in front of them . They were from the Black Swords tribe , who were usually friendly , so they hadn 't been killed outright . But they 'd had to give up their weapons and their finer clothes before they 'd been allowed to leave . " And if any are still here when the hunters get back , they 'll be mighty sorry ! " the woman said , laughing . But when the hunters returned , there wasn 't a sign of any of the raiders . A few of the younger warriors were sad that they wouldn 't have a chance to try their spears against swords , but it was generally agreed that the women had done very well , and that Rone and the annoying girl had saved the tribe from some mischief . Even if , Last Man pointed out , they shouldn 't have been at the water hole in the first place . His bleary eyes made out the faces of the hunters . Some held sticks , some held lengths of rope , and one held a glittering knife . A gag was shoved in between his jaws , and he was forced to walk away from the campsite . " Hey ! " he said , and tried to back away . But the others held him , and pushed him down on the ground . The knife flashed down , and cut away at his shirt . Then at his pants , and he was left naked to the stars . The hunters permitted him to stand . Last Man whistled , and the other hunters formed two lines . " Ten times , " Last Man said . " On your own two feet , to make a man . Start ! " Rone was pushed into the line . As he passed each man , he was struck with a stick lashed with a length of rope . He stumbled , but made it to the end . Rone stumbled back through . And again . Twice , he fell to his knees , and made to return to the start of the gauntlet . But he finally made it through the tenth and final time . Last Man approached , and pulled a jar from a pouch at his belt . " Ten times . To make a man . Well . " He dipped two fingers into the jar and came out with something white on them , which he spread on Rone 's face . When he was done , he showed Rone his face in a piece of metal . White face . Ghost Hunter . The others began to shout and clap . They gave him his grey - and - black clothes and a spear . He was slapped on the back , punched in the arms , and his bruised body complained again . But he wouldn 't have traded any of those aches away . He began to go out with the hunters . He was shown how to take care of his spear , and how to make a new one . His job now , though , was to run with the dogs and flush out prey for the older hunters , who would take the kill . He longed to test his spear out , but he was still much too new to be given that chance . He didn 't even have a name yet . But that would come in time . The annoying girl had less time to spend with him . Straytaker had taken her aside and now she was learning to use a bow , among other womanly duties . Rone felt a certain sadness with that . He 'd grown used to her . She wasn 't nearly as annoying as she used to be . Still , they stole moments when they could . A few minutes at the campfire , an hour under the moon . He bragged about feats of daring during the hunt , one or two of which actually happened , while she told him who was fighting in the camp , who stole whose dinner , and other little inconsequentialities he couldn 't have cared less about , except that he loved to hear about them from her . " Oh , it was a nice little ceremony . She and the other older women painted my belly and my breasts in ochre . I 'd show you , but , well , I don 't think you 're quite ready for that . " She sobered slightly . " There 's a monster . It came near the campsite , to a tree where the children were playing with the older dogs . No one could see it , though . " " No . It was out in the open , but unseen . Not even a shadow . But it killed one of the dogs , and would have gone after the children if the dogs hadn 't set upon it . They couldn 't see it , but they snapped at it , and we could tell where it was . I threw a stone pestle at it , and it broke against it . I don 't think I hurt it seriously , but it left anyway . " The next day , Last Man took all of the hunters aside . He repeated the story annoying gi - Breaking Stone had told . " We must find it , kill it . " " If we must , " the old man answered . " But we 'll try a smarter approach first . When the dogs corner it , we 'll throw mud at it . With luck , that will reveal it and we 'll be able to kill it more easily . Any questions ? " Rone kept with his dogs while the other hunters in his group spread out . They beat their chests and stamped their feet , hoping to draw the monster towards them . Rone felt like a coward , but was secretly glad he wasn 't one of the ones making the noise . When they returned to the camp , though , they found they weren 't the first group to return . There was a somber tone among the women , and the hunters looked frustrated and angry . There was a body by the main campfire . " We couldn 't get it with our spears , " a hunter was telling Last Man . " It moved around , and the mud was invisible as soon as it touched its body . The boy , he jumped at it , and I swear he held it for a moment before it struck him down . The dogs and our shouting drove it off before it could do more than worry the body , but it was too late . " Last Man stared at the young hunter 's body for a moment , and then closed the eyes . " His name is Iron Hands . We burn a true man and a true hunter tonight . " Rone stood to the side as they built up a pyre , dressed Sharpnose in finer clothes , and sent him on to the next life . It didn 't seem quite real . But there it was . Sharpnose would never boss anyone around again . He 'd never get into mischief with Rone , or wrestle with him over a joke . It wasn 't fair . In a moment , the fire was in him again . The same fire that made him steal the Tyrant 's treasure . It wasn 't right that Sharpnose was killed . It was time to make things right . While the others told stories of Sharpnose , Rone went from one tent to another , and began to assemble the items he needed . He realized , in a detached way , that their owners would probably be cross with him if this didn 't work . Possibly even if it did . But that didn 't matter , because his plan would work . He would make sure of it . He took out Sharpnose 's bloody shirt , and tied it to the dog that had come out with him . He climbed into a tree , and threw a stick , which the dog chased , and brought back . Rone threw another stick . And another . They kept this up for the better part of an hour . The dog rested on occasion , but after a suitable sit - down , it was ready to fetch sticks again . It didn 't know why Rone wanted it to do this , but it would add to the pile under the tree for as long as he threw them . " Hey , ugly ! Too ugly to show your face , hey ? You want some meat , there 's plenty in this tree . Try picking this fruit ! " he yelled , shaking the branches . There was a growling as something charged the tree . The dog held hits ground until it was kicked aside , casually . It fell , but was on its feet again in a minute , snapping at something , but not quite finding it . The tree shook as something hit it . It was big ! Far bigger than Rone had realized . The branches were bending aside as whatever it was reached for him . He almost dropped to the other side to run , but remembered Sharpnose 's face on the pyre , and steeled his heart . He pulled a bundle from his bag and dropped it . It had taken him the better part of the night to make this net . It wasn 't a very good net , at that . It was irregular , with holes of varying sizes and a loose weave . But all that mattered was that it would catch on the creature … and that it would keep the bells from the tents on it . The net vanished as it landed , but he could hear the bells shaking . Now he jumped to the other side and began running towards the hunters . He saw them emerge into the clearing as a crashing sound indicated the monster had left the tree . " The bells ! " he shouted . " Throw at the bells ! " The other hunters belatedly released their own throwing spears , and then readied their long spears , advancing on the creature . It tried to escape again , but now it was slowed down by the injuries it was already taken , and they could hear exactly where it was . They thrust into it again and again , and it fell to the ground . Still they kept stabbing , until they were sure it was dead . Then they built a fire around it and burned the body to invisible ashes . " So , hunter , " Last Man said later . " You are certainly a man now . You 've paid us back for your life . What will you do now ? " Rone thought for a moment , and said , " I am a Ghost Hunter . But … I would also like to see more of the world before I settle down . " " More monsters , " he said . " More people . I have been in the city , I have been with the tribe . But what about other cities ? Other tribes ? I would like to see if there are other Wonders I might find . And maybe more things I might bring back . " Rone looked to the fire , where Breaking Stone sat laughing with the other women . " I 'm sure . As often as my feet will bring me . 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