She frowned as she tried to remember just who was the local Guildmaster. Ithanalin had certainly mentioned the name a few times…
Chorizel, that was it. Chorizel of Wizard Street.
Just then Yara said, "I have the bowl and spoon in two of Thani's cages, the ones he uses for those pets he makes for the lords and ladies, but I don't think we have a cage that will hold the coatrack."
Kilisha glanced at the coatrack. "We should put it on a leash, then."
"I'll find one," Yara said. She turned and vanished into the back room.
Just then someone knocked at the front door.
"Oh, death," Kilisha said. "Is that a customer?" She remembered that the spell Ithanalin had been preparing had been meant for a customer, to bring a bed to life.
Lirrin had dashed to the front window at the sound of the knock, and now she called, "It's Adagan!" Before Kilisha could respond, she added, "And Nissitha."
Curious neighbors, come to see what had the wizard's apprentice chasing furniture through the streets. Kilisha sighed; she really didn't want to deal with this right now, but before she could say anything the latch released, and Telleth opened the door.
The coatrack, which had been quivering in the corner, made a dash for the open door and freedom, but Kilisha had half-expected that; she lunged and caught it as it passed. It was quick and agile, but its legs were so short that it could not actually get up much real speed.
It struggled, but she had learned from experience; as soon as she could get a decent grip she lifted it off the floor.
"Get inside if you're coming!" she called, as she hoisted the squirming thing to shoulder height. From the corner of her eye she saw Adagan and Nissitha scurry in, and then Telleth slammed the door.
She put the coatrack down again; it backed off a few steps and stood, trembling.
"You heard me talk about a leash, didn't you?" she asked.
The coatrack nodded.
"That's because we can't trust you," she explained. "If I knew you would stay put, I wouldn't try to tie you up, but you're just so nervous about everything that I'm afraid you'll run away at the first opportunity. You keep getting scared and changing your mind."
For the rest of her life Kilisha could never quite figure out how the coatrack accomplished it, but it looked sheepish.
"I promise we aren't going to hurt you," she said. "I'll see about making the leash as generous and comfortable as we can, but really, we need you, and we just can't let you stay loose. Do you understand?"
The coatrack seemed unsure how to respond to that.
"Well, whether you understand or not, that's the way it is," Kilisha said. "Now, could you please wait quietly for a moment while I talk to our guests?"
The coatrack essayed something resembling a bow, and toddled back to its corner. That done, Kilisha turned to face the neighbors.
Nissitha was staring at the lifeless Ithanalin; Adagan was staring at the coatrack.
"Kilisha, what's going on?" Adagan asked.
Kilisha sighed. It appeared she was going to be repeating this explanation often.
"A spell went wrong," she said, "and Ithanalin's life is spread through all the furniture from this room. I need to get it all back together so I can undo the spell, and I need to hurry, because the master had another spell cooking and I don't know what it is or what it might do."
That was the short version, but it seemed to be enough.
"What can I do to help?" Adagan asked.
"I need to find the rest of the furniture," Kilisha said.
Adagan frowned. "I don't think I can do much about that," ne said. "I might be able to help calm it down when you find it, though." He glanced at Nissitha. "Can you locate any of it?"
Nissitha, startled, tore her gaze from Ithanalin and looked at the others. "What?"
"Can you locate the other furniture?" Adagan repeated.
"Oh," Nissitha said. "Uh… no."
"But you're a seer!" Telleth said. "It says so on your sign!"
"Yes, but I don't work for free," Nissitha said, drawing herself up proudly.
"I'm sure that Ithanalin will be glad to pay you, once he's restored," Kilisha said. "He could do a spell for you in exchange. Or if a simple one would do, I could do it, even if he's not restored yet."
"I am not interested in trading," Nissitha said.
"Then Ithanalin could pay you in gold," Kilisha said. "I know he has money-Lady Nuvielle paid for her new pet just the other day."
"The tax collector probably got it all," Nissitha sniffed.
"The tax collector didn't get anything," Kilisha said. "The animated furniture scared him off."
"I don't work on credit," Nissitha said.
"Yara could pay you."
Nissitha still hesitated, and Kilisha suddenly understood. When Nissitha had said she didn't work for free, that was just an excuse. Her first simple "no" when asked whether she could help was the real truth.
"Surely, you're willing to help out a neighbor!" Adagan said.
Nissitha turned to glare at him. "I don't see you doing any spells for free!"
"I don't know any that would help," Adagan said. "I can cure warts and calm fears and the like, but finding runaway furniture is beyond me."
"Well, it's beyond me, too!" Nissitha said.
"Why didn't you just say so?" Telleth demanded.
"She didn't want to admit it," Kilisha said quickly-she realized, a little late, that any further discussion might establish beyond question that Nissitha was a fraud, and that that would not make for a happy neighborhood. "Magicians don't like to say they can't do something, Telleth, you know that!"
"No, I-"
Adagan stepped gently on Telleth's foot before he could finish the sentence, and Kilisha threw the witch a grateful glance. He had apparently reached the same conclusion she had.
Just then Yara reappeared from the back carrying a coil of rope, and Kilisha seized the opportunity. "You three go help your mother," she said, patting Lirrin on the back of the head.
The children hurried to obey-or at least, to watch their mother struggle with the intermittently cooperative coatrack. Kilisha watched them scamper across the room, then turned back to the neighbors.
"So what will you do now?" Adagan asked quietly.
"I need to talk to Chorizel," Kilisha said.
"Chorizel?" Nissitha asked. "Why him? There are cheaper wizards on the street."
"Guild rules," Kilisha said.
Adagan nodded; Nissitha threw him a glance, then turned up an empty palm. "I don't suppose you care to explain what Guild rules have to do with this. Surely, you don't have a rule specifically covering who an apprentice should consult when her master turns himself into a roomful of furniture."
"I'm not permitted to tell outsiders the rules," Kilisha replied.
That was the truth; Guild rules forbade her explaining the Guild hierarchy to outsiders, or admitting that Chorizel was a Guildmaster. A master wizard was allowed some discretion, but not an apprentice.
Nissitha shook her head. "You wizards are all mad," she said. "It comes from working with chaos. And you've gotten it younger than most."
"We don't exactly…" Kilisha began. Then she stopped. There was no reason to defend the Guild to Nissitha, or explain that wizards didn't work directly with the chaos that underlay reality, but only with symbols that tapped into it. "I need to talk to Chorizel," she said.