finish off short twin, but as he did, tall twin slammed into him. This time it was Bazur’s turn to be slammed into the heavy oak bar. Bazur grunted as his back crashed into the bar. Tall twin kept pushing his weight against Bazur, pinning him to the bar. Short twin, recovered from the vicious uppercut, launched his fist into to Bazur’s face. Bazur tried to duck, but with tall twin holding him up, he could move far enough to slip under the punch. Short twin’s fist smashed into Bazur’s jaw. A cut opened on Bazur’s lip. As he tasted his own blood, Bazur felt a surge of adrenaline. He landed a short left to tall twin’s ear that pushed the man sideways freeing up half of Bazur’s body. Now that he could move again, Bazur was able to duck under short twin’s next haymaker.
Off-balance, tall twin tried to tackle Bazur again. This time Bazur was ready for that tactic and he grabbed tall twin by the shoulders and brought his knee straight up. Bazur’s knee smashed into tall twin’s face. Tall twin crumpled to the ground. Bazur then absorbed another hard hit from short twin. The blow bounced off of Bazur’s head.
Stunned that his hard blow didn’t slow Bazur down, short twin was slow to react to Bazur throwing a hard right of his own. The blow caught short twin on the chin. Short twin fell to the ground beside his brother.
Bazur turned and walked back to his stool. He grabbed the cool honey mead waiting for him and downed the entire mug. Fighting was such thirsty business!
“Collect your coin, we’ll be leaving soon, before someone else decides they want a turn,” said Bazur.
Kyra nodded and went to the bartender who was responsible for holding everyone’s wagers.
Bazur sat down on his stool. His heart was pounding and his head hurt, but it had been a good fight. The two twins were worthy opponents. The fight had been close, and the hits he’d taken hurt more than he cared to admit, but the simple bar fight served its purpose.
“We have a problem,” said Kyra as she returned to Bazur’s side.
“What is it?”
“There is another caravan missing. It left here after you stopped the last attack.”
Bazur’s brow furrowed as he thought about the implications of another attack so soon after the failed attack. The majority of the bandits in the failed raid had died. For another attack to happen so soon was very unexpected and troubling. Someone either had very deep pockets or was determined to mess with the prince at any price. Someone that aggressive and well-funded would be dangerous. “Where were they headed?”
“The city of Baunth in Azmarin. They took the northern trail, but another caravan coming south was just here and they saw nothing of them.”
8
DRAISHA
FROM the shadows, keen eyes watched as the merchant closed his shop and started walking down the street.
The merchant, a narrow framed little man almost completely bald except for the strip of shaggy mane that surrounded his head like a laurel wreath, was no one of true importance in Draisha. His imminent death certainly didn’t warrant the four assassins who were watching him walk home, stalking him from the street and the rooftops, and it certainly didn’t warrant Jasper supervising the deed.
Jasper smiled as he watched the merchant slip into the alley. The shortcut was the merchant’s normal path home, and tonight was the last time he’d make the routine trek. Without being there in the alley, Jasper knew exactly what was going to happen. Twenty-three steps into the alley, the merchant would be at the exact point where he was completely invisible to anyone standing outside the alley.
Jasper counted the merchant’s steps as he disappeared from view. He kept counting as he mentally tracked the path the merchant would take. Fifteen steps into the alley, Jasper looked up to the rooftop and watched an assassin slide over the edge of the building and silently slither his way down the alley wall behind the merchant. At the
Off-balance, tall twin tried to tackle Bazur again. This time Bazur was ready for that tactic and he grabbed tall twin by the shoulders and brought his knee straight up. Bazur’s knee smashed into tall twin’s face. Tall twin crumpled to the ground. Bazur then absorbed another hard hit from short twin. The blow bounced off of Bazur’s head.
Stunned that his hard blow didn’t slow Bazur down, short twin was slow to react to Bazur throwing a hard right of his own. The blow caught short twin on the chin. Short twin fell to the ground beside his brother.
Bazur turned and walked back to his stool. He grabbed the cool honey mead waiting for him and downed the entire mug. Fighting was such thirsty business!
“Collect your coin, we’ll be leaving soon, before someone else decides they want a turn,” said Bazur.
Kyra nodded and went to the bartender who was responsible for holding everyone’s wagers.
Bazur sat down on his stool. His heart was pounding and his head hurt, but it had been a good fight. The two twins were worthy opponents. The fight had been close, and the hits he’d taken hurt more than he cared to admit, but the simple bar fight served its purpose.
“We have a problem,” said Kyra as she returned to Bazur’s side.
“What is it?”
“There is another caravan missing. It left here after you stopped the last attack.”
Bazur’s brow furrowed as he thought about the implications of another attack so soon after the failed attack. The majority of the bandits in the failed raid had died. For another attack to happen so soon was very unexpected and troubling. Someone either had very deep pockets or was determined to mess with the prince at any price. Someone that aggressive and well-funded would be dangerous. “Where were they headed?”
“The city of Baunth in Azmarin. They took the northern trail, but another caravan coming south was just here and they saw nothing of them.”
8
DRAISHA
FROM the shadows, keen eyes watched as the merchant closed his shop and started walking down the street.
The merchant, a narrow framed little man almost completely bald except for the strip of shaggy mane that surrounded his head like a laurel wreath, was no one of true importance in Draisha. His imminent death certainly didn’t warrant the four assassins who were watching him walk home, stalking him from the street and the rooftops, and it certainly didn’t warrant Jasper supervising the deed.
Jasper smiled as he watched the merchant slip into the alley. The shortcut was the merchant’s normal path home, and tonight was the last time he’d make the routine trek. Without being there in the alley, Jasper knew exactly what was going to happen. Twenty-three steps into the alley, the merchant would be at the exact point where he was completely invisible to anyone standing outside the alley.
Jasper counted the merchant’s steps as he disappeared from view. He kept counting as he mentally tracked the path the merchant would take. Fifteen steps into the alley, Jasper looked up to the rooftop and watched an assassin slide over the edge of the building and silently slither his way down the alley wall behind the merchant. At the
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