Page 67 of Guiding Reason
Like water from a broken bottle, Hyran’s anger drained. “If you know that so well, then why don’t you stop with the power display and tell me so I can give him everything he wants, needs, or could ever wish for? Do you really think I don’t want to do that?”
“I’m not telling you a Hound-fucking thing unless you let me beat your stupid ass to purples and blues.”
“You’re a Hound-fucker, you know that? And you can’t beat me if you can’t even get close to me.”
A Guardian had walked toward them from the Tower. The man cleared his throat, and Hyran recognized him as Champion Shoda.
“You two sound very impressive,” the pagomancer said, blond hair loosely trailing in the wind. “I couldn’t but overhear this…beautifully proposed challenge. Which you cannot fulfill outside the Champions’ Tower. That sort of thing is forbidden because it reflects badly on all champions.”
“We aren’t champions,” Taros said.
Shoda chuckled. “True. You could have been. Your brother is so skilled, Guardian. Maybe I could propose the sparring center inside? Less prying eyes too.”
“Fine by me,” Hyran said.
“I can put my boot print on both your ass cheeks wherever,” Taros agreed.
Shoda clapped his hands. “Lovely. Follow me, Guardians.”
A few of the champions and Conduits that had interrupted their lawn lounging to observe them followed inside.
24
TAROS
Taros went last, which put him in an excellent position to watch the ass he would be bruising under his boots before long. Hyran glanced back at the panoplian from the top of the stairs while Shoda was waiting for them by the doors.
“Scared I’ll stab you in the back?”You best be.
On Taros’s face, needles erupted, but it was the scalpel-sharp fingers he wiggled at Hyran that mattered.I hate his red hair. The color’s wasted on fucking Hyran who sure as a fucking Wild Hunt doesn’t know Kashana.
“You’re too slow. I was just checking you don’t need help with the stairs, Taros.”
Shoda beamed at them. “You two would have made excellent champions. You could still shift occupations. I think you’d lookgorgeous arguing on camera, and if I’m any judge of the matter, there would be fictions written about you.”
“I like being right where I am, Shoda,” Taros told the pagomancer.
Taros had suffered the presence of many a champion ever since his brother had decided the Games were for him, but Shoda was possibly the most palatable, downright nice, even. He’d taken orders from Orrey without a fuss, and he was competent in a situation not involving an audience. Taros knew firsthand how rare that was in a champion.
Shoda sighed. “Well, shame.”
Taros reached the top of the stairs and pointed at Hyran. “You can have him though.”
Hyran snorted. “I have been offered a position on Argentea’s Team Three, and I accepted. I can’t just go back on that.”
They entered the cool of the building, the glare of the bright day fading behind them.I expected this. I don’t mind. This way, we can all keep a very close eye on Hyran and his silly red hair.
In Taros’s reckoning, in terms of what Hyran had done versus all the things he hadn’t—remove Col from his team lead position, force him to stay with Hyran alone, force him to move to Ferrea—the other Guardian hadn’t scored too badly at all.
That doesn’t mean I’ll ever trust this red-headed fucker with Col.“I’ll follow Col’s decisions, always.”And while I do that, I’ll keep both eyes on you and one bladed hand ready to cut you where it hurts.
Taros caught up, walked shoulder to shoulder with Hyran, Shoda in the lead.
The pool area was very nearly empty, and no one at all was in the water. It was oddly calm, given that the pool seemed to be a favorite place for socializing from everything Taros had seen.
“Shoda, did someone tell all the champions to be seen outside?”
Shoda winked at Taros. “Aren’t you perceptive? We watched your handsome yet commanding Conduit Orrey yesterday and decided to do our part. I was about to post a spontaneous ice sculpting competition, but now I’m showing you where to put your anger. Our Argentean guests are keeping me quite busy these days.”
