Empire of Ashes

Chapter LXII - How You Lose

"No," Saqui said, abruptly solemn. "He was a good man. He wanted to raise a new levy on those with more than ten acres of land and use the proceeds to fund free schooling and medical care for those who could not otherwise afford it."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, suddenly uncomfortable, and the Iyrak scowled. "Then why did you kill him?"

"We are assassins, not vigilantes. Besides, if we had refused the contract, it would have passed to a garden-variety cutthroat, and that good man would have died all the slower."

And with that, Saqui sat back again, staring at the grass. We were left with a great deal to think about, because we had forgotten, as it was getting so easy to do, that we had been travelling with men who killed for money. Merchants of death. And there was a clear line between open battle and murdering someone you had never met.

So it was fortunate, perhaps, that the others chose that moment to return, wrenching me from my brooding. Temris was walking with Ark, Anlai with Melia, and Glyn trailed behind. He had been sulking again, if the scowl on his face was any indication. I imagined he had mouthed off to some Anglian and been reprimanded.

They all stopped at the edge of the shade. Ark ran a hand through his hair and announced, "Kingfisher will be here at sundown."

"What's Kingfisher?" I asked in a bored monotone. I didn't get an answer, and I didn't expect one. Ark and Saqui guarded their secrets closely.

"Is there room for us?" Saqui murmured.

He allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. "If these gentlemen are willing to play watchmen, yes. Passengers are at capacity, but hands are thin on the ground."

"And the horses?"

"They can all come."

"Good, because that would be a deal breaker," Tem warned them both. "Come on, everyone. Up."

Fendur was on his feet in half a heartbeat. Saqui took his sweet time in following suit, but he was still up before me. I was thinking about moving, honestly, but before I could follow through, Tem extended his hand to me. After the briefest of hesitations, I took it. It was warm and I could feel every single ridge and callous under my palm. He pulled me up and steadied me. That was the first time we had touched since Canton.

The others had already started walking. I lagged behind, and Temris lagged with me. Once we had a few paces between us and the others, I fell in behind them. We weren't far back enough to cause suspicion, but they wouldn't hear us.

"Do you have any idea what they are playing at?" I asked softly.

"Not a clue. Ark met with a woman, but they talked in nonsense and codes." He paused, thinking it over. "There is one thing, though. With the way they talked, I think Kingfisher is a man, not a boat."

I scrunched up my face. "What kind of name is that?"

Tem smiled wryly. "I don't know, but I doubt his mother gave it to him, somehow."

And before we could say anything more, those ahead of us came to a halt because we had reached the meadow where the horses were tethered. It was a stone's throw from the canal, and the farmer who owned it had only been too happy to loan it to us for a silver coin.

Nightmare nickered a greeting. His ear had scabbed over, but it was still bandaged to keep the flies off. The stallion didn't appreciate our efforts, and he rubbed his head against anything - from human beings to thorn bushes - to try and rid himself of the burden. So today he was picketed in the centre of the meadow with nothing but grass in range.