"I'm not sleeping in a damned menagerie."
"Then what are you going to do about it?"
"I'm going to kill him."
Lilu made a rude noise and leant closer, poking him in the chest with the rolling pin. "You need some sense pounded into that thick head of yours. You're too proud for your own good, and chance is a fickle thing. This assassin may outwit you and find a way to kill you before you wake. What if he shoots you with a crossbow from the window?"
"He won't. He's been paid to kill me slowly."
Lilu recoiled, looking shocked. "And how will he do that with you screaming the place down?"
"I'm sure he plans to gag me, but he won't get that far, I assure you."
"If you were him, how would you do it?"
He shrugged. "An assassin is the most difficult target of all. To kill one slowly is doubly hard. I wouldn't attempt to do it in his bedroom, his sleep would be too light. The best way would be to waylay him in a dark corridor and render him unconscious, then take him to a place where no one would find him."
"What about the guards?"
"I would kill them before they could draw their swords."
"You would, but could he?" she demanded.
"Probably."
"Any other ways of doing it?"
He nodded. "There's a better way now, to disguise himself as one of these idiot guards. Then he'll only have to kill one of them, and he'll be able to get close to me far easier."
"Then he might succeed?"
"If he's as good as me, he might, but he's not."
"Why don't you go after him, instead of waiting for him to try to kill you? Surely that would give you an advantage?"
Blade smiled. "My code forbids it. I have no client."
Lilu banged the rolling pin down on the table and dug in her apron pocket, pulling out a handful of silver and copper coins. She separated out two silver coins and put the rest back in her pocket, then bent and picked up his hand, slapping the coins into it.
"I want the Cotti assassin dead."
He gazed at the coins, his smile fading, then looked up at her. "You're hiring me?"
"You're an assassin, aren't you?"
His other hand crept to the base of his throat and fingered the patch that covered the mark of his retirement, recalling how close he had come to removing it. Since rejecting the idea of asking Kerra to be his client, he had not given any more thought to the possibility of acquiring a customer. Now Lilu had solved the problem for him. He looked down at the coins again and smiled.
"Yes, I am."
"So, do you accept?"
He chuckled. "It's been a long time since I worked for so little, but this is more than he's worth."
Blade swung his legs off the chair arm and sat up, then took Lilu's hand and pressed one of the coins into it. "One is enough."
She smiled. "You should do it for free."
"I must have payment, or the promise of it, no matter how little."
"Isn't there a minimum price for a man's life?"
"No. The assassin decides the price, depending on the difficulty of the mission."
Lilu pocketed the coin. "So does this help you?"
"Yes." His smile broadened, and Lilu's eyes stung at the heart-wrenching sweetness of it. The sour mood that had been upon him since his arrival fell away as if by magic, revealing the man she knew and loved so well. She longed to throw her arms around him, but restrained herself, knowing how he would react. To her surprise and delight, he took her hand again and kissed the back of it in a gallant gesture that made her heart swell.
"You're cleverer than you look, for an ugly old whore."
She laughed, her hand tingling from the touch of his lips. "And now you really are my assassin."
"Something I'm sure you won't let me forget either."
"Why should I? Now you know that you should have asked for my help after all, instead of trying to keep it a secret."
He rose and wandered over to the window. "I had considered asking someone to be my employer in this case, but I must say I hadn't thought of working for my housekeeper."
Lilu followed him, her eyes bright with mischief. "Too proud?"
"No, an assassin
"Then what are you going to do about it?"
"I'm going to kill him."
Lilu made a rude noise and leant closer, poking him in the chest with the rolling pin. "You need some sense pounded into that thick head of yours. You're too proud for your own good, and chance is a fickle thing. This assassin may outwit you and find a way to kill you before you wake. What if he shoots you with a crossbow from the window?"
"He won't. He's been paid to kill me slowly."
Lilu recoiled, looking shocked. "And how will he do that with you screaming the place down?"
"I'm sure he plans to gag me, but he won't get that far, I assure you."
"If you were him, how would you do it?"
He shrugged. "An assassin is the most difficult target of all. To kill one slowly is doubly hard. I wouldn't attempt to do it in his bedroom, his sleep would be too light. The best way would be to waylay him in a dark corridor and render him unconscious, then take him to a place where no one would find him."
"What about the guards?"
"I would kill them before they could draw their swords."
"You would, but could he?" she demanded.
"Probably."
"Any other ways of doing it?"
He nodded. "There's a better way now, to disguise himself as one of these idiot guards. Then he'll only have to kill one of them, and he'll be able to get close to me far easier."
"Then he might succeed?"
"If he's as good as me, he might, but he's not."
"Why don't you go after him, instead of waiting for him to try to kill you? Surely that would give you an advantage?"
Blade smiled. "My code forbids it. I have no client."
Lilu banged the rolling pin down on the table and dug in her apron pocket, pulling out a handful of silver and copper coins. She separated out two silver coins and put the rest back in her pocket, then bent and picked up his hand, slapping the coins into it.
"I want the Cotti assassin dead."
He gazed at the coins, his smile fading, then looked up at her. "You're hiring me?"
"You're an assassin, aren't you?"
His other hand crept to the base of his throat and fingered the patch that covered the mark of his retirement, recalling how close he had come to removing it. Since rejecting the idea of asking Kerra to be his client, he had not given any more thought to the possibility of acquiring a customer. Now Lilu had solved the problem for him. He looked down at the coins again and smiled.
"Yes, I am."
"So, do you accept?"
He chuckled. "It's been a long time since I worked for so little, but this is more than he's worth."
Blade swung his legs off the chair arm and sat up, then took Lilu's hand and pressed one of the coins into it. "One is enough."
She smiled. "You should do it for free."
"I must have payment, or the promise of it, no matter how little."
"Isn't there a minimum price for a man's life?"
"No. The assassin decides the price, depending on the difficulty of the mission."
Lilu pocketed the coin. "So does this help you?"
"Yes." His smile broadened, and Lilu's eyes stung at the heart-wrenching sweetness of it. The sour mood that had been upon him since his arrival fell away as if by magic, revealing the man she knew and loved so well. She longed to throw her arms around him, but restrained herself, knowing how he would react. To her surprise and delight, he took her hand again and kissed the back of it in a gallant gesture that made her heart swell.
"You're cleverer than you look, for an ugly old whore."
She laughed, her hand tingling from the touch of his lips. "And now you really are my assassin."
"Something I'm sure you won't let me forget either."
"Why should I? Now you know that you should have asked for my help after all, instead of trying to keep it a secret."
He rose and wandered over to the window. "I had considered asking someone to be my employer in this case, but I must say I hadn't thought of working for my housekeeper."
Lilu followed him, her eyes bright with mischief. "Too proud?"
"No, an assassin
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