Page 42 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
‘Unofficially?’
‘Adrienne began training me long before. When we sensed the unrest permeating the kingdom. She’s the daughter of the captain of the royal guard.’
‘And you?’
Drue hesitated for a moment, searching for a reason not to share the details with him. Finding none, she replied: ‘I’m the only daughter of a noblewoman, and my father, Fendran – his family has manned the Naarvian forge for centuries.’
‘An interesting match.’
‘They were.’
‘Your father taught you weaponry?’
‘My father, my brothers, Adrienne… Everyone had a hand in it, I suppose.’
‘And how did a noblewoman feel about her daughter wielding blades?’
Drue laughed. ‘When my mother wasn’t hosting balls or flitting about the kingdom, she was elbows-deep in dirt in the garden, so she was hardly one for adhering to societal expectations. It’s one reason why people loved her.’
‘She sounds lovely.’
Drue struggled to swallow. ‘She was.’
She waited for the pity, for the forced condolences, but to her great relief, none came. Talemir seemed to sense that she neither wanted nor needed those things.
‘You’ve been on many missions, then?’
‘Why all the questions, Warsword?’
‘Just passing the time.’
‘At least make it interesting.’
Talemir huffed a laugh. ‘You want interesting? Alright. Most original way you’ve killed a man?’
‘With a candlestick,’ Drue replied without hesitation.
‘A candlestick? Impressive. What happened?’
‘Adrienne and I were tracking a missing family on the southern island, and we took shelter in an abandoned manor. We’d been travelling hard for days and we were both exhausted. She fell asleep while on watch and we were attacked by raiders. By the time I realised what was happening, I was pinned to the dining table by one of them… The only thing within reach was a candlestick. So I shoved it through his eye. Damn near hit the back of his skull.’
‘Brutal.’ There was no judgement in Talemir’s voice. ‘Served the bastard right.’
Drue nodded in agreement. She regretted nothing about that kill. ‘What about you?’
‘How much time do you have?’
‘I think we’ll manage.’
‘Don’t be so sure. There areunlimitedcreative ways to end a man.’
‘Well, by all means, educate me. I might find your boasting instructive.’ She gave him a pointed look.
Talemir grinned. ‘A while back, I killed a man with a book.’
Drue snorted. ‘You bored him to death, then?’
‘No. One hit to the head with the hefty tome, and he was gone. Killed by a love story, no less.’
