KINGSLAYER

♕ 2 | 8 ♕

"We kill monsters as well," Alexander said. "Only, the human kind."

The first girl's gaze sharpened. "You are killers of men. Assassins." I felt her attention linger over my shoulders on the hilts of my swords.

Alexander made a non-committal gesture, pretending he thought this was an unsavory word to describe what he did. "Mercenaries, rather. We rid the streets of bad men. We are picky of our prey."

"Both of you?" This was from a third girl, one with shiny curls and dark skin.

"She's my partner." Clever, answering before I could come up with a lie. This way, he made us equals in their eyes; they would become suspicious if I attempted to lord my power over him. "She's not as fluent in your language as I am, bless her heart."

"Are you alright?" the third girl asked me. "You look unwell." Apparently, the poisoning and fever made me appear as sickly as I felt.

There were many lies we would have to spin if they asked for more of our story, so I decided to give them a truth: "After falling prey to a venomous snake on our journey, I am still returning to my normal state."

"Hounds, you are lucky to be alive, then. If you wish, we have the resources to heal your remaining ailments."

"How utterly generous you are," Alexander purred, determined to get all he could out of these women.

"Where did you say your end goal was?" the girl with the doe eyes questioned. "Courteaux? We happen to be heading east as well in search of our next prey. It may be beneficial for us to stick together for a few days before parting ways. After all, we were almost too late with that krivex. This meeting would nearly have been a funeral."

"Perhaps it should have been." The first girl's eyes were still hard. "You are killers by contract. It would not be so surprising to me if we found ourselves at the end of those swords for extending our kindness to just anybody."

"Zensa." The brown-eyed girl chastised her friend. "Remember why we formed together in the first place. Besides, she needs our help. I have never known you to turn your back on a sister in need."

"She is not a sister," Zensa said, facing me the entire time.

Instead of answering her blunt but cool statement, the other girl addressed us once more. "Forgive my friend. She means no harm—she is simply protective over the group we have built for ourselves. If you wish to have our help, we extend it to you."

"We gratefully accept your offer," Alexander said and I nearly wrung his neck for agreeing so quickly. I wished he would drop the faux charming act as well.

The girl broke into a warm smile. "Splendid. If you follow me, we will lead you to our home." Having no other way out, I followed. The two other girls brought up the back, even as we encountered the remaining three who stood at a safe distance. Glancing back, the one leading us said, "I am Adelié Rousseau. Zensa Feibao and Lucie Deniau are behind you. And this is Margaux Dupont, Ghislaine Arsenault and Sonia Puret, the archers who saved you from certain death."

"You saved our lives and now you extend your home to us," Alexander said. "What do you wish for in return?"

Adelié's brows tightened in confusion. "In return? Nothing. Well, nothing but some help with random chores, perhaps. We can always use a helping hand or two."

"It appears too good to be true," I said, specifying Alexander's question. It was not that I was ungrateful for their offer, it was the question of what the catch was. I would never have done such a thing for complete strangers.

But Adelié took this in stride. "A lot of this seems too good to be true, even to me. We have come together to give new life to women who desire it. It's all I could ask for."