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Herbalists had come to him, and Pratcus had worked reed, but it would be soth to return to the Vaasan Gate, and it would likely be tendays before he could lift his sword again

"Athrogate?" Calihye asked

"A filthy little wretch"

"If he heard you say that, he&039;d crush your skull," the wohter at the wall, so it was said, and there&039;s s so cleverly"

"Strength of arth of heart another Has one so fine ever thought to enlist in the Ar at the wall, he serves the designs of King Gareth," Calihye re hand and waved that notion away

Calihye persisted "How many monster ears has he delivered to your Coiants, too Not le coate all too easily brandishes"

"And how do you knoas alone? He&039;s got that skinny friend of his - erous," said Calihye "Speak not ill of Canthan in lower at her

"And be particularly wise to do as I say as you lie there helplessly," the woman added, and that made the man lay his head back down

"I didn&039;t know you were friends"

"Me and Canthan?" The woround&039;s between us, the calmer beats my heart But like your dwarf, that one is better on my side than my opponent&039;s" She paused and moved across the small room to the fire pit, where a kettle of stew simmered "You want more?"

The h he was falling far, far away from the conscious world

"Better to be out here, indeed," Calihye said - to herself, for Davis Eng had lapsed into unconsciousness "They&039;re for going into that castle, so I&039; to be, Athrogate and Canthan beside me or not"

"But did you not just say that the das a fine warrior?" came a different voice behind her, and the woerous?"

Calihye didn&039;t dare turn about; she knew from the proximity of the voice that the newcomer could take her down efficiently if she threatened hiotten into the roo uided her around to look into the dark eyes of Arteer flared in Calihye&039;s eyes, and she had to fight the urge to leap upon the on wheels

Wisdo at theforth one of his ornamented weapons in the blink of an eye, she knew that she had no chance

Not now Not with her oeapons across the way next to Davis Eng&039;s bed

Entreri s soldier had betrayed her

"What do you want?" she asked

"I wanted you to keep on speaking, that I could hear what I needed to hear and be on my way," Entreri replied "Since that is not an option, apparently, I decided to bid you continue"

"Continue what?"

"Your appraisal of Athrogate and Canthan, to start," said the assassin "And any inforht offer on the others"

"Why should I offer anyth - "

She bit off the last word, and nearly the tip of her tongue as faster than her eye could even follow, the assassin had his jeweled dagger in his hand and tip-in against the underside of her chin

"Because I do not like you," Entreri explained "And unless you make me like you in the next few minutes, I will make your death unbearable"

He pressed in just a bit harder, forcing Calihye up on her tip-toes

"I can offer gold," she said through her gritted teeth

"I will take whatever gold of yours I want," he assured her

"Please," she begged "By what right - "

"Did you not threaten me out on the road?" he said "I do not let such chatter pass me by I do not leave enemies alive in my wake"

"I am not your enemy," she rasped "Please, if you let ently stroke hier inthe skin just a bit

"I don&039;t find you char It annoys me that you are still alive You have very little tier draw a bit of the half-elf&039;s life-force into its vampiric embrace Calihye&039;s eyes widened in an expression so full of horror that the assassin knew he had her undivided attention

He reached up with his other hand, planted it on her chest, and retracted the dagger as he uncere pit

"What would you ask ofher chin as if she believed she had to contain her life&039;s essence

"What ate and Canthan?"

The woman held up her hands as if she didn&039;t understand

"You battle , yet you fear Canthan," said Entreri "Why?"

"He has dangerous friends"

"What friends?"

The wo heart," said Entreri

"They say he is associated with the citadel"

"What citadel? And do understand that I groeary of prying each word from your mouth one at a time"

"The Citadel of Assassins"

Entreri nodded his understanding, for he had indeed heard whispers of the shadowy band, living on after the fall of Zhengyi, digging out their kingdo Gareth&039;s shining light They were not so different than the pashas Entreri had served for so long on the streets of Calierous, of course, and htens ain the woman held up her hand as if she did not understand

"The other dwarf?"

"I know nothing of him"

"Ellery?" he asked, but he shook his head even as the naht tell him of the red-haired commander "Mariabronne?"

"You have not heard of Mariabronne the Rover?"

A glare from Entreri reminded her that it really wasn&039;t her place to ask the questions

"He is the end," Calihye explained "It is said that he could track a swift-flying bird over mountains of empty stone He is fine with the blade and finer with his wits, and always he seems in the middle of momentous events Every child in Damara can tell you tales of Mariabronne the Rover"

"Wonderful," the assassin muttered under his breath He moved across the room to Calihye&039;s sword belt, hooked it with his foot and sent it flying to her waiting grasp

"Well enough," he said to her "Is there anything more you wish to add?"

She looked from the sword to the assassin and said, "I cannot travel with you - I a"

"Travel? Milady, you&039;ll not leave this room But your words satisfied "

"Then what?"

"You have earned the right to defend yourself"

"Against you?"

"While I suspect you would rather fight hilance at the unconscious Davis Eng - "I do not believe he is up to the task"

"And if I refuse?"

"I will make it hurt more"

Calihye&039;s look moved from one of uncertainty to that primal and determined expression Entreri had seen so ets in her eye when she knows there is no escape froaze from him for one second, Calihye drew her sword from its scabbard and presented it defensively before her

"There is no need for this," she remarked "But if you must die now, then so be it"

"I do not leave eneain, and out ca at his consciousness froht Then he came on, a sudden and brutal flurry ofdown

Calihye snapped her blade up to block, but Entreri shifted the angle at the lastthe sword flash by untouched - until, that is, he reversed the flow and slapped it hard against the underside of her sword, bringing forth a yelp of surprise to accoain as she tried to bring it to bear, then retreated a step

The wolanced at Entreri fro pot, just briefly

Enough for Entreri

Charon&039;s Claw ca it and the tripod on which it stood forward to send hot stew flying She folloith a howl, one that turned to surprise as she saw the wall of black ash Entreri&039;s sword had created

Still, she could not halt her momentum as she leaped the sh the ash wall, bursting out with a wild slashing of her sword to drive the no-doubt retreating intruder back even farther

Except that he was not there

"How?" Calihye ed to say even as she felt the explosion of pain in her kidney

Fire burned through her and before she regained her sensibilities she was on her knees She tried to turn her shoulders and send her sword flashing back behind her, but a boot stopped her elbow short, painfully extending her arm, and the sword flew from her hand

She felt the heavy blade settle onto her collarbone, its evil edge against the side of her neck

Entreri knew he should just be done with her then and there Her hatred on the road had sounded as a clear warning bell to hi

But so and insistent He saw Calihye in a different light, softer and vulnerable, one that made him reconsider his earlier words to her - almost He looked past the scar on her face and saw the beauty that was there beneath What had driven a woman such as her to so hard a road, he wondered?

He retracted the sword, but instead of bringing it in to take his enemy&039;s head, he leaned in very close to her, his breath hot in her ear

Disturbed by his ehly shook them away

"Remember how easily you were beaten," he whispered "Remember that I did not kill you, nor did I kill your friend Her death was an unfortunate accident, and would that I could go back to that frantic moment and catch her before she fell, but I cannot If you cannot accept that truth then reer up against her cheek, and the woman shuddered with revulsion

"I willme to be done with it, but"

It took Calihye a few moments to realize that the cold ainst her skin She slowly dared to open her eyes then even more slowly dared to turn back

The roo, who lay with his eyes wide and terror-filled, obviously having witnessed the last ht