Page 42 of The Sundered Blade

Leisa’s eyes flew open and met Karreya’s with an expression of surprise. “You thought I was angry?”

“I… Yes?” she asked warily. Perhaps she had not grown much better at reading others’ emotions. “I fear I did not adequately consider the nature of our mission or your limitations. I acted without consulting you, and those actions, while appropriate to one of my training, might not be wise when I am traveling with a companion.”

Leisa began to grin. “Maybe when you’re running around with His Princely Highness. But I promise, this isn’t that different from what I used to do when I was trained as a bodyguard for Princess Evaraine.”

Then…

“The embarrassing truth is, I’m not terribly fond of heights,” Leisa admitted wryly. “Or climbing. I do well enough when I have time to prepare myself, but this was just a little too sudden.” She took a few more deep breaths and shrugged her shoulders a few times to loosen them up. “I’ll be fine in a moment, I swear. And don’t worry about the horses. I might have chosen a method with a bit less fanfare, but we needed to leave them behind anyway. Now we just have to hide from the guards until dark, which should be easy enough in a place as busy as this one.”

“If you wish to remain hidden, I can lead the guards around the city until they lose interest,” Karreya offered.

“And leave me out of all the fun?” Leisa raised one eyebrow and grinned. “Don’t even think about it. I admit that I’m probably not as accomplished at all of this as you are—and I’m a bit out of practice—but I actually enjoy a good chase. Reminds me of the days before everything was a matter of life or death or war or catastrophe.”

Karreya tilted her head curiously. “What is that like? I confess I cannot imagine a world where one’s everyday moments are not filled with such calculations.”

“And that,” Leisa reminded her grimly, “is exactly what we are fighting for—a world where not everything is a threat. I pray you will one day experience it for yourself, but for now, I think we had best move on.”

Karreya sensed the movement before she saw it, and dove sideways just before a projectile whistled past her ear. It hit the roof and bounced away, but not before she registered that it was not precisely a threat. It was small and round and lightweight, and…

A stray memory made her hesitate, and then the tiny missile exploded into a shower of harmless sparks. Just like Niell’s conkers on that strange day in Emmerick’s shop.

Leisa had drawn her short sword and was racing for the nearest cover, but Karreya stood up and faced the direction the shot had originated from.

“I have seen this magic before,” she said. “Come out and face me with honor, and perhaps we will discover that there is no need for hostility.”

“You think that was hostility?” A head of spiked black hair appeared at the edge of the roof. The young man wore a smirk and dangled a slingshot from one hand as he pulled himself up to stand a handful of paces away, regarding Karreya with bright-eyed curiosity. “That was just a warning shot to get you to hold still. If I were feeling hostile, you would be running away down the nearest alley, crying for help.”

Oh, would she? Karreya’s wrist flicked, far too fast for the eye to follow, and the slingshot was suddenly knocked from the man’s hand. It flew across the rooftop to lie useless on the ground while he clutched his wrist and muttered a few choice oaths through clenched teeth.

“Tell me again of your hostility,” she said coolly, “and I will show you mine.”

“Or, you could tell me where you’ve seen that little trick before,” he said instead, still clutching his wrist but not noticeably dismayed by her threat.

Leisa must have found their exchange alarming, because she moved to intervene with a relaxed posture and a deliberately soothing tone.

“We are no threat to you or your city,” she said calmly, sheathing her sword and approaching the newcomer with empty hands. “We merely had a misunderstanding with a few guards and were hoping to avoid being detained.”

“Misunderstanding?” The man grinned, a cheeky expression that brightened his eyes and displayed a pair of dimples that made him look younger than he probably was. “Depending on your perspective, I suppose that’s as good a name as any for horse theft.”

So he’d followed them, had he?

But Leisa did not appear disturbed. Her head tilted curiously, and she scanned their attacker with narrowed eyes.

“Expensive clothing, non-lethal weaponry, and a lack of care for your own safety…” she mused aloud. “Are you perhaps a friend of Lord Kellen?”

The grin vanished. “My answer might depend on who’s asking.”

“We were sent here to meet him by a mutual acquaintance,” Leisa informed him. “Potentially the same one who designed your… explosive little exhibition there.”

“Does your mutual acquaintance have a name?”

“Not one that I’m willing to speak aloud in a place we may be overheard,” Leisa returned.

“How terribly interesting.” The young man eyed them both, his gaze sharp and assessing. “Normally we require some form of recommendation, but kicking city guards in the face is a solid statement in your favor. I can attempt to arrange a meeting—that is, if you’re going to be in the city long enough.”

Leisa seemed to have decided the potential benefit was worth a bit of a risk. “We were supposed to meet with him already,” she said carefully, “but there was no way to know if he received the message. It would have come by pigeon, regarding… employment opportunities.”

The dark-haired man shifted his attention from Leisa to Karreya and back again. “I see. In that case, I think you’d best come with me. Lord Kellan will want to know what sort of special, er… skills, you may have. Besides annoying the city guards, of course, though that one is my personal favorite.”

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