Page 29 of Mistress of Bones
Oren gave her space and leaped over a table to stand by Azul’s side.
“Sirese,” he said with a grin.
Azul answered with the flash of a smile that showed too many teeth.
The tabard she’d felled was now back on his feet, a murderous glint replacing the unnatural glee in his eyes. He advanced toward them, shoving one of his companions aside and allowing Anané to claim a hit.
“What are you doing?” the other man demanded, scrambling back with a new tear on his upper arm.
“Shut up,” bloody nose replied, striding forward with the single-mindedness of a starved hunter.
Many had thought Azul prey, figuring her weaker than her outspoken sister, and she’d always been happy to prove them wrong.
Oren stood in front of her, ready to meet the tabard’s attack. Their swords met, the tabard’s motions angry and powerful and missing all finesse, and Azul wasn’t surprised when he brought out a dagger with his free hand.
“Dagger,” she warned Oren, wishing she had another clear shot at the black tabard’s bloodied face. Relieving the man of a tooth or two would only improve his countenance—Azul was sure he’d thank her for it.
A cry brought her attention back to Nereida. Her rapier had found its way deep into her opponent’s shoulder, although the lack of expression on her face would have anyone think she had simply threaded a needle rather than pierced flesh.
Nereida pulled the rapier out, then thrust toward his neck.
The man dodged in the nick of time and brought up his own rapier. Nereida retreated, a cool, calculated move that dared the man to press whatever advantage he thought he had left so she could deliver a final blow.
Azul’s gut churned in an unwelcome way.
Fights to first blood, fights to unconsciousness, fights to settle debts—all those she was used to. Fights to the death? Those didn’t happen often in Agunción.
But this was not Agunción, and the reminder was like a dunk in a river’s winter tide.
This was no simple fight to pass the time, just as their rush from Diel hadn’t been a mere game of hide-and-seek. This was about life and stealing people from the Lord Death.
This was about the trail of corpses they were leaving behind when they sought only to keep people alive.
About the Emissary of the Lord Death, all magnificence and virility and life, falling dead at their feet because Azul and Nereida had decided his life was worth less than their plans.
This should never become the norm.
“Nereida—”
“De Biel,” a new voice said from the open door. “Have your men stand down.”
XIAZUL
The room fell silent but for everyone’s strained breathing as a new man entered the hall, followed by another man dressed in the same black tabard as the rest.
Anané and Oren reaffirmed their sweaty grips on their weapons. Azul could tell they would make their stand to the end, and, Luck willing, it would be swift. But not before they took a few black tabards down with them.
Nereida lowered her rapier, shrewd eyes locked on the newcomer. He had long brown hair tied back and wore a traveling cape, breeches, and high boots. Wide light-blue rings surrounded golden irises. Valanjian.
And something more, different from every other person in the room.
Azul almost took a step forward, shocked by the sight. Then the connotations of a Valanjian’s presence there hit her. Her stomach rebelled.
The emissary’s murder had caught up with them.
“I regret the inconvenience.” The newcomer’s voice lacked any inflection, as if he had no stake in what came out of his mouth. “I am Silvo Zenjiel, and I’ve been sent by Valanje’s ambassador in Sancia to extend an invitation to one Sirese De Guzmán and one Azul del Arroyo to become her guests.”
Anané and Oren didn’t relax. Their gazes stayed on Zenjiel, except for a quick look at Nereida.
