The Ranger
Roads are like veins running through a countryside. Any towns lucky enough to be situated on populated pathways were bound to thrive. They brought hungry travelers and curious pedestrians straight through the heart, to the very doors of any business. It was barely possible to maintain a simple town in these areas—too many people would settle down and turn it into something madami urban. This was especially true for the villages that sat on the roads heading to Albion’s capital.
The Adventurer’s Guild was especially preeminent in places like this. While most of the bigger locations could be found further out in the wilderness and beside dangerous borders, these bustling roads were considered too important to not be included along with the madami exciting locations. Beginning adventurers usually started building their reputation in places like this where they would meet fellow novices, as the work was both safer and madami consistent than the other options.
Aspin thought it was a bit cruel. It was true that these towns were safer since they were so close to the capital, but that was also the problem. These townships were also governed sa pamamagitan ng fairly competent lords and governors with their own soldiers. And usually, these lords preferred to protect their own land on their own. Constant work was really the best thing to keep soldiers and mercenaries from becoming bored. So new adventurers had to compete for every job they pursued. Not just with each other, but with the soldiers protecting the town.
So the sight that greeted Aspin as he finished his trek down the mountain and through the woods was a familiar one. Just outside the reach of the shade stretching from the trees was a group of distinctly dressed individuals. On one side was a band of mercenaries wearing a crest to signify their solidarity. They wore clothes and armor very comfortably, made to their size and weapons recently cleaned and sharpened. On the other side was a ragtag group of people who looked as scattered as their clothes indicated. This was a trait easily shared among young adventurers, along with the bright crest they wore on their person. They must have come from all over and met up sa pamamagitan ng chance in this town to share an adventure and pursue their dreams, only to be thwarted sa pamamagitan ng low politics.
Aspin couldn’t resist an amused smile. Arguing, he could understand. It happened often. But it was rare to see newbie adventurers foolhardy enough to challenge seasoned soldiers to a duel, no matter how frustrated they were. It never turned out well in their favor, save for a lucky few. And yet here was one young man with his sword out, wearing leathers so thin, he may as well have been naked against his armored foe. His sword was shorter than the soldier’s, but he looked ready to pounce the moment he was ibingiay an opportunity.
He was skilled, Aspin had to admit. He stayed mobile, his feet pivoting and pacing at all times to make it difficult for the soldier to capitalize on any advantages. He was trained in madami than the basics. It would have been a shame to see that arrogant skill go to waste so soon.
Aspin paused his stride, biting on his lip for a segundo before turning and heading straight for the fighting. He made sure to tug on his balabal to hide his arsenal of weaponry and ensured that his hood was hiding most of his face. Once he was sure he wasn’t outwardly threatening, he adjusted his pace and footwork, speeding up without attracting attention. He kept a close eye on the movements of the young adventurer and the goading soldier, slipping in between their area of intense focus so that he could get in between them without being noticed until it was too late.
The soldier managed to stop his ugoy short with surprising ease. His strike wasn’t intended to do much damage to the boy. Aspin could respect that level of professional restraint.
The young adventurer, however, wasn’t so obliging. His eyes went wide when he realized someone was in front of him and it took him a segundo too long to realize that if he didn’t stop his swing, he’d hit a total stranger in the gut.
Aspin reached out a deft hand and gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, pushing outward to send the ugoy further out in front of him in a wide arc, missing both him and the cloak. The young man tumbled pasulong now that his center of balance was thrown off, sending him into Aspin’s side.
“It’s a nice araw for a duel,” Aspin raised an eyebrow. “But it’s only fair that I warn you; there is no scenario here where you walk away with both your dignity and the rights to a fun adventure.”
“Who are you?” The young man steadied himself and drew several paces back to stand with his friends. His nose wrinkled and he placed a hand over his face. “And what is that stench?”
“That’s the smell of nature, kiddo.” Aspin shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re going to put those sword skills to the test as an adventurer, of all things, you’ll have to get used to it. Your stiff city discipline won’t do much for you out there.”
The young man’s eyes narrowed.
“Who are you?” He repeated. “And what makes you think I’m from the city?”
“He’s Aspin-freaking-Bolsey.” One of the soldiers snorted with a roll of his eyes. “And don’t bother asking how he knows stuff. He won’t do you the favor of actually explaining it.”
“‘Aspin Bolsey’?” One of the young adventurers repeated the name with a bit of awe in their tone. “The Ranger? The man who hunts the worst of the Fallen, like dragons? I heard you were in town a buwan or so ago, but since no one actually saw you, I figured it was just a rumor.”
“A month?” Aspin frowned and glanced up at the sky. It was broad daylight, so it was slightly less helpful with helping him get oriented. “It’s been that long? Honestly, I should really try to keep track of time out there.”
“Were you hunting something? Was it something big?”
Aspin dug around in his balabal for a minuto before tossing a small fleshy object at their feet. The young adventurers took a look at it and all but one of them jumped with a yelp at the sight of the toothless face that glared up at them, its eyes still darting around frantically like a desperate animal.
“Relax, it can’t hurt you.” Aspin laughed. “It’s a type of imp. I was cleaning the mountains of them. I had to make sure I burned all their bodies before dousing the apoy and heading back down. I kept that one to brag.”
The young adventurers slowly approached and looked over the imp head in awe. The looks on their faces were heartwarming. These kids weren’t here to use their skills to gain glory or money, nor were they interested in killing. They were like him; interested in the world around them and desperate to interact with it. Nothing like those self-absorbed knights behind the capital walls who were wrapped up in politics and patriotism.
“Let them do the job.” Aspin nudged one of the soldiers with his elbow. “Your lord pays you regardless. They need the experience and reward.”
“Are you kidding? We get bored, too. If they just want a reward, they can clean stables or help repair the broken down buildings. It’s our job to protect the town.”
“Then compete with them. Race to the objective, whatever it is.” Aspin reached down to pick up his prize. The adventurers looked a little disappointed to see he was leaving already, so he shot them another grin. “Whoever gets to it first gets the credit. It worked out for me, so I’m sure you’ll figure things out.”
Aspin broke off from the group without waiting for a response. He doubted things would work out so nicely, but that would be up to them. Learning to coexist with your competition was another part of the job.
As he left them behind, he heard a familiar tanong whispered behind his back.
“Why doesn’t he wear an Adventurer’s crest anywhere on him? I can’t even tell what rank he is.”
“That’s because he’s not an adventurer, kid. Hasn’t been for a while, now. He quit back during the Incursion.”
“What? Why? What happened.”
“Who knows? A lot of things happened to a lot of people. He still hunts, though, so what’s the point in asking?”
~~~
The Bard
Magic is a deep and profound subject, extending into realms of internal spirituality that transcend convention.
Those were the words Dahlia’s elven teacher loved to recite. Even the longest lived races spent their entire lifetimes probing the depths of magic, only to scratch the surface of wisdom at the end of their long mystical journey.
She could really only laugh at that. Sure, there was a lot to magic. madami than she’d ever know. But in the end, it was a tool. You could worship it as a religion or use it as a part of your casual day, and it would all be the same. There was no ‘right’ way to use magic. Anyone who sinabi otherwise was just forcing their personal opinion down your throat. And Dahlia really didn’t appreciate that.
“That’s amazing!” Dahlia playfully hit the shoulder of the young friar sitting at the bar, a bright smile emblazoned on her face. “You guys from the Church are so amazing! It’s no wonder you all are treated like nobility here in the capital!”
“Yes, well,” The friar blushed and sheepishly played with the drink in his hand. Barely an oras ago, he’d come in just to rest after walking around all day, swearing that he’d never had a drop of alcohol before and didn’t intend to change that. It hadn’t taken Dahlia madami than a few minutos to change his mind. “I’m glad you think so. Not all nobles are as accommodating. Some don’t like the fact that any commoner can rise in rank if they sumali the Church. Not that it’s easy. At the rate I’m going, I won’t have any influence until I’m old and gray.”
“But you’re doing it for your family back home, right?” Dahlia’s voice softened and she stroked the friar’s arm at a comforting pace. He continued to try keeping his gaze on his drink, but his eyes continued to dart up to her legs and exposed midriff intermittently as she sat on the counter beside him. He was gradually working up the confidence to look at her upper body. It was adorable. He thought he was being sly. “Doesn’t the Good God reward the hardworking and principled?”
“Sometimes. Depends on the denomination.”
The friar’s eyes were beginning to glaze over a bit and his speech slowed slightly, like he was starting to drift off. The alcohol had done its job. What little defenses he possessed had been weakened further, so a small little push with some very intrusive magic was enough to destroy them. It was a little over kill, but what was a little risk here and there?
She leaned over and placed her lips close to his ear, letting her gaze scan her surroundings. A few gazes filled with jealousy were pointed in their direction, so she grinned at them and stuck out her tongue to tease them. There was a mix of frustrated and embarrassed looks in response, and they all looked away, giving her the privacy she wanted.
“You’re the fifth priest to wander in here this month. Who is sending you?”
There was no resistance. The combination of Dahlia’s warm breath in the friar’s ear and her charm magic could stop a man’s heart. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he answered in a hushed voice.
“The Inquisitor believes you are too talented and too dangerous. He has been sending us to gather information on you to see if you need to be…handled.”
Dahlia groaned internally. She’d attracted the attention of an Inquisitor, of all people? She’d led a good life in her own little queendom in the middle of the capital where everyone left the tavern happy and satisfied, albeit with less coin than when they entered. Was this a sign that it was time to ilipat on? She really didn’t want to do that. There was way too much work involved. She’d rather find a way to convince him that she was harmless and that he needed to respect her boundaries. Whether than involved a polite conversation or a brutal series of surgical lies depended on the man and the exact situation.
“What does the Inquisitor think of me so far?”
“…I think you’re wonderful.” The friar’s naked eyes traveled up Dahlia’s length without a hint of inhibition. He raised a ginger hand up, uncertain of where he wanted to place it. Dahlia grabbed it impatiently and placed it on her thigh.
“Yes, yes, I know. I’m incredible. But what about the Inquisitor? Does he hate me? Does he think I’m a monster?”
The friar cocked his head slightly, considering how to answer. He couldn’t lie or misdirect. Whenever one of her nalugod subjects did this, it was usually because they were finding the best way to answer her tanong without betraying their nature.
“I don’t know what he thinks of you. The Inquisitor is a hard man to understand. But he doesn’t plan to leave you alone any time soon.”
“Damn it.” Dahlia sighed. She bit her lip as her thoughts raced. She really didn’t want the situation to become hostile, but there might not have been much of a choice. “Alright. Go back to him and give him your glowing opinion of me. And tell him that I’m happy to talk any time.”
Dahlia gently prodded at the friar’s memories, taking advantage of their close contact. She replaced their conversation with a few madami minutos of jovial flirting that were sure to make him happy before hopping to her feet and leaving him to wallow in a short lived afterglow.
“Oh, Dahlia,” The barkeep spoke up as soon as he saw her slipping past the bar to head up the stairs. “If you’re finished with that gentleman, the mesa over there was hoping to—”
“Toolah can handle it.” Even Dahlia’s cold reply sounded as sweet as a rose. “I have something to do.”
The room she headed to was at the end of the hall on the segundo floor, past all the rooms used sa pamamagitan ng passing travelers. She didn’t even bother knocking; she pushed the door open and put on her best look of distress.
“Oh, through our sunless lanes creeps poverty with her hungry eyes, and sin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes us in the morning and shame sits with us at night.”
Her mga tula was met with a grumpy glare and a look of surprise. Lying in the kama was a naked man with rippling muscles and telltale scars that gave him away as a knight without his armor on. Beside him was a woman with messy hair, bundled in the beddings like a chrysalis. The naked knight had immediately tensed up and moved to cover his shame when Dahlia entered, but relaxed when he saw who it was. The woman continued to give him a less than pleased look as Dahlia shut the door behind her and let herself fall face first onto the bed.
“Fuck off, Dahlia.” The woman growled like a big cat. “I was banging a royal knight. You do not get to take this from me.”
“This isn’t a whore house. My problems come first.”
Dahlia turned her head a bit to peer at the other two and frowned a bit.
“It’s good to see you too, Kay.”
“Hello, Dahlia.” The knight sighed and readjusted himself into a less exposed position. “What’s wrong? Trouble in paradise?”
“I’m going to seduce an Inquisitor of the Church. So honestly? Yeah, things could be better.”
Kay Cunningham took a moment to process Dahlia’s words and searched for the right words before responding.
“…You should do anything but that.”
“Kay, would you kill a man if I asked you to? No tanong asked?”
Kay gave his partner in kama a look. They both looked at her with a mixture of concern and interest.
“I’m serious, Dahlia. This is a terrible idea.”
“There are no terrible ideas. Just good ideas that go terribly. Let’s hope this won’t be an example.”
Roads are like veins running through a countryside. Any towns lucky enough to be situated on populated pathways were bound to thrive. They brought hungry travelers and curious pedestrians straight through the heart, to the very doors of any business. It was barely possible to maintain a simple town in these areas—too many people would settle down and turn it into something madami urban. This was especially true for the villages that sat on the roads heading to Albion’s capital.
The Adventurer’s Guild was especially preeminent in places like this. While most of the bigger locations could be found further out in the wilderness and beside dangerous borders, these bustling roads were considered too important to not be included along with the madami exciting locations. Beginning adventurers usually started building their reputation in places like this where they would meet fellow novices, as the work was both safer and madami consistent than the other options.
Aspin thought it was a bit cruel. It was true that these towns were safer since they were so close to the capital, but that was also the problem. These townships were also governed sa pamamagitan ng fairly competent lords and governors with their own soldiers. And usually, these lords preferred to protect their own land on their own. Constant work was really the best thing to keep soldiers and mercenaries from becoming bored. So new adventurers had to compete for every job they pursued. Not just with each other, but with the soldiers protecting the town.
So the sight that greeted Aspin as he finished his trek down the mountain and through the woods was a familiar one. Just outside the reach of the shade stretching from the trees was a group of distinctly dressed individuals. On one side was a band of mercenaries wearing a crest to signify their solidarity. They wore clothes and armor very comfortably, made to their size and weapons recently cleaned and sharpened. On the other side was a ragtag group of people who looked as scattered as their clothes indicated. This was a trait easily shared among young adventurers, along with the bright crest they wore on their person. They must have come from all over and met up sa pamamagitan ng chance in this town to share an adventure and pursue their dreams, only to be thwarted sa pamamagitan ng low politics.
Aspin couldn’t resist an amused smile. Arguing, he could understand. It happened often. But it was rare to see newbie adventurers foolhardy enough to challenge seasoned soldiers to a duel, no matter how frustrated they were. It never turned out well in their favor, save for a lucky few. And yet here was one young man with his sword out, wearing leathers so thin, he may as well have been naked against his armored foe. His sword was shorter than the soldier’s, but he looked ready to pounce the moment he was ibingiay an opportunity.
He was skilled, Aspin had to admit. He stayed mobile, his feet pivoting and pacing at all times to make it difficult for the soldier to capitalize on any advantages. He was trained in madami than the basics. It would have been a shame to see that arrogant skill go to waste so soon.
Aspin paused his stride, biting on his lip for a segundo before turning and heading straight for the fighting. He made sure to tug on his balabal to hide his arsenal of weaponry and ensured that his hood was hiding most of his face. Once he was sure he wasn’t outwardly threatening, he adjusted his pace and footwork, speeding up without attracting attention. He kept a close eye on the movements of the young adventurer and the goading soldier, slipping in between their area of intense focus so that he could get in between them without being noticed until it was too late.
The soldier managed to stop his ugoy short with surprising ease. His strike wasn’t intended to do much damage to the boy. Aspin could respect that level of professional restraint.
The young adventurer, however, wasn’t so obliging. His eyes went wide when he realized someone was in front of him and it took him a segundo too long to realize that if he didn’t stop his swing, he’d hit a total stranger in the gut.
Aspin reached out a deft hand and gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, pushing outward to send the ugoy further out in front of him in a wide arc, missing both him and the cloak. The young man tumbled pasulong now that his center of balance was thrown off, sending him into Aspin’s side.
“It’s a nice araw for a duel,” Aspin raised an eyebrow. “But it’s only fair that I warn you; there is no scenario here where you walk away with both your dignity and the rights to a fun adventure.”
“Who are you?” The young man steadied himself and drew several paces back to stand with his friends. His nose wrinkled and he placed a hand over his face. “And what is that stench?”
“That’s the smell of nature, kiddo.” Aspin shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re going to put those sword skills to the test as an adventurer, of all things, you’ll have to get used to it. Your stiff city discipline won’t do much for you out there.”
The young man’s eyes narrowed.
“Who are you?” He repeated. “And what makes you think I’m from the city?”
“He’s Aspin-freaking-Bolsey.” One of the soldiers snorted with a roll of his eyes. “And don’t bother asking how he knows stuff. He won’t do you the favor of actually explaining it.”
“‘Aspin Bolsey’?” One of the young adventurers repeated the name with a bit of awe in their tone. “The Ranger? The man who hunts the worst of the Fallen, like dragons? I heard you were in town a buwan or so ago, but since no one actually saw you, I figured it was just a rumor.”
“A month?” Aspin frowned and glanced up at the sky. It was broad daylight, so it was slightly less helpful with helping him get oriented. “It’s been that long? Honestly, I should really try to keep track of time out there.”
“Were you hunting something? Was it something big?”
Aspin dug around in his balabal for a minuto before tossing a small fleshy object at their feet. The young adventurers took a look at it and all but one of them jumped with a yelp at the sight of the toothless face that glared up at them, its eyes still darting around frantically like a desperate animal.
“Relax, it can’t hurt you.” Aspin laughed. “It’s a type of imp. I was cleaning the mountains of them. I had to make sure I burned all their bodies before dousing the apoy and heading back down. I kept that one to brag.”
The young adventurers slowly approached and looked over the imp head in awe. The looks on their faces were heartwarming. These kids weren’t here to use their skills to gain glory or money, nor were they interested in killing. They were like him; interested in the world around them and desperate to interact with it. Nothing like those self-absorbed knights behind the capital walls who were wrapped up in politics and patriotism.
“Let them do the job.” Aspin nudged one of the soldiers with his elbow. “Your lord pays you regardless. They need the experience and reward.”
“Are you kidding? We get bored, too. If they just want a reward, they can clean stables or help repair the broken down buildings. It’s our job to protect the town.”
“Then compete with them. Race to the objective, whatever it is.” Aspin reached down to pick up his prize. The adventurers looked a little disappointed to see he was leaving already, so he shot them another grin. “Whoever gets to it first gets the credit. It worked out for me, so I’m sure you’ll figure things out.”
Aspin broke off from the group without waiting for a response. He doubted things would work out so nicely, but that would be up to them. Learning to coexist with your competition was another part of the job.
As he left them behind, he heard a familiar tanong whispered behind his back.
“Why doesn’t he wear an Adventurer’s crest anywhere on him? I can’t even tell what rank he is.”
“That’s because he’s not an adventurer, kid. Hasn’t been for a while, now. He quit back during the Incursion.”
“What? Why? What happened.”
“Who knows? A lot of things happened to a lot of people. He still hunts, though, so what’s the point in asking?”
~~~
The Bard
Magic is a deep and profound subject, extending into realms of internal spirituality that transcend convention.
Those were the words Dahlia’s elven teacher loved to recite. Even the longest lived races spent their entire lifetimes probing the depths of magic, only to scratch the surface of wisdom at the end of their long mystical journey.
She could really only laugh at that. Sure, there was a lot to magic. madami than she’d ever know. But in the end, it was a tool. You could worship it as a religion or use it as a part of your casual day, and it would all be the same. There was no ‘right’ way to use magic. Anyone who sinabi otherwise was just forcing their personal opinion down your throat. And Dahlia really didn’t appreciate that.
“That’s amazing!” Dahlia playfully hit the shoulder of the young friar sitting at the bar, a bright smile emblazoned on her face. “You guys from the Church are so amazing! It’s no wonder you all are treated like nobility here in the capital!”
“Yes, well,” The friar blushed and sheepishly played with the drink in his hand. Barely an oras ago, he’d come in just to rest after walking around all day, swearing that he’d never had a drop of alcohol before and didn’t intend to change that. It hadn’t taken Dahlia madami than a few minutos to change his mind. “I’m glad you think so. Not all nobles are as accommodating. Some don’t like the fact that any commoner can rise in rank if they sumali the Church. Not that it’s easy. At the rate I’m going, I won’t have any influence until I’m old and gray.”
“But you’re doing it for your family back home, right?” Dahlia’s voice softened and she stroked the friar’s arm at a comforting pace. He continued to try keeping his gaze on his drink, but his eyes continued to dart up to her legs and exposed midriff intermittently as she sat on the counter beside him. He was gradually working up the confidence to look at her upper body. It was adorable. He thought he was being sly. “Doesn’t the Good God reward the hardworking and principled?”
“Sometimes. Depends on the denomination.”
The friar’s eyes were beginning to glaze over a bit and his speech slowed slightly, like he was starting to drift off. The alcohol had done its job. What little defenses he possessed had been weakened further, so a small little push with some very intrusive magic was enough to destroy them. It was a little over kill, but what was a little risk here and there?
She leaned over and placed her lips close to his ear, letting her gaze scan her surroundings. A few gazes filled with jealousy were pointed in their direction, so she grinned at them and stuck out her tongue to tease them. There was a mix of frustrated and embarrassed looks in response, and they all looked away, giving her the privacy she wanted.
“You’re the fifth priest to wander in here this month. Who is sending you?”
There was no resistance. The combination of Dahlia’s warm breath in the friar’s ear and her charm magic could stop a man’s heart. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he answered in a hushed voice.
“The Inquisitor believes you are too talented and too dangerous. He has been sending us to gather information on you to see if you need to be…handled.”
Dahlia groaned internally. She’d attracted the attention of an Inquisitor, of all people? She’d led a good life in her own little queendom in the middle of the capital where everyone left the tavern happy and satisfied, albeit with less coin than when they entered. Was this a sign that it was time to ilipat on? She really didn’t want to do that. There was way too much work involved. She’d rather find a way to convince him that she was harmless and that he needed to respect her boundaries. Whether than involved a polite conversation or a brutal series of surgical lies depended on the man and the exact situation.
“What does the Inquisitor think of me so far?”
“…I think you’re wonderful.” The friar’s naked eyes traveled up Dahlia’s length without a hint of inhibition. He raised a ginger hand up, uncertain of where he wanted to place it. Dahlia grabbed it impatiently and placed it on her thigh.
“Yes, yes, I know. I’m incredible. But what about the Inquisitor? Does he hate me? Does he think I’m a monster?”
The friar cocked his head slightly, considering how to answer. He couldn’t lie or misdirect. Whenever one of her nalugod subjects did this, it was usually because they were finding the best way to answer her tanong without betraying their nature.
“I don’t know what he thinks of you. The Inquisitor is a hard man to understand. But he doesn’t plan to leave you alone any time soon.”
“Damn it.” Dahlia sighed. She bit her lip as her thoughts raced. She really didn’t want the situation to become hostile, but there might not have been much of a choice. “Alright. Go back to him and give him your glowing opinion of me. And tell him that I’m happy to talk any time.”
Dahlia gently prodded at the friar’s memories, taking advantage of their close contact. She replaced their conversation with a few madami minutos of jovial flirting that were sure to make him happy before hopping to her feet and leaving him to wallow in a short lived afterglow.
“Oh, Dahlia,” The barkeep spoke up as soon as he saw her slipping past the bar to head up the stairs. “If you’re finished with that gentleman, the mesa over there was hoping to—”
“Toolah can handle it.” Even Dahlia’s cold reply sounded as sweet as a rose. “I have something to do.”
The room she headed to was at the end of the hall on the segundo floor, past all the rooms used sa pamamagitan ng passing travelers. She didn’t even bother knocking; she pushed the door open and put on her best look of distress.
“Oh, through our sunless lanes creeps poverty with her hungry eyes, and sin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes us in the morning and shame sits with us at night.”
Her mga tula was met with a grumpy glare and a look of surprise. Lying in the kama was a naked man with rippling muscles and telltale scars that gave him away as a knight without his armor on. Beside him was a woman with messy hair, bundled in the beddings like a chrysalis. The naked knight had immediately tensed up and moved to cover his shame when Dahlia entered, but relaxed when he saw who it was. The woman continued to give him a less than pleased look as Dahlia shut the door behind her and let herself fall face first onto the bed.
“Fuck off, Dahlia.” The woman growled like a big cat. “I was banging a royal knight. You do not get to take this from me.”
“This isn’t a whore house. My problems come first.”
Dahlia turned her head a bit to peer at the other two and frowned a bit.
“It’s good to see you too, Kay.”
“Hello, Dahlia.” The knight sighed and readjusted himself into a less exposed position. “What’s wrong? Trouble in paradise?”
“I’m going to seduce an Inquisitor of the Church. So honestly? Yeah, things could be better.”
Kay Cunningham took a moment to process Dahlia’s words and searched for the right words before responding.
“…You should do anything but that.”
“Kay, would you kill a man if I asked you to? No tanong asked?”
Kay gave his partner in kama a look. They both looked at her with a mixture of concern and interest.
“I’m serious, Dahlia. This is a terrible idea.”
“There are no terrible ideas. Just good ideas that go terribly. Let’s hope this won’t be an example.”