Page 25 of The Dragon King's Assassin

Chapter Twelve

From the direction we were heading in, turning left on Fangrier Road—known to all Mhavennians as Fang Road since it passed in front of the Courts of Teeth—would take you to the Vevaren River. Going right would lead to the largest shopping district in Mhavenna. The royal carriage went right.

We drove for a bit, pedestrians inclining their heads respectfully at the carriage since the King could be seen through the windows. I worried about that. An arrow could be shot through the window, and a professional could easily hit him in the head—a kill shot, even for a Dragon. But the King was smiling—had been since I'd pulled up my pants and followed him out of his suite—and I didn't want to ruin his good mood. Plus, we had an escort of mounted soldiers both in front of and behind our carriage. I hoped that would deter an assassin. Plus, no one knew we'd be going this way, even the knights hadn't known until we were leaving the palace. We should be fine.

The carriage pulled over to the sidewalk a few minutes later, stopping directly in front of a solid door. To the left of the door, a small plaque read; If you don't know what we sell or can't afford it, go away. All others should announce themselves upon entry. It was one of the few shops in the district without a window displaying its wares or even a sign with a name that hinted at what was sold. As far as I knew, it didn't have a name, and it wasn't entirely a shop.

I got out of the carriage before the driver could get down and waved him off as I looked up and down the street, then up at the windows on the higher floors of the surrounding buildings. Once I was certain the King was safe, I motioned him out.

“This way, Your Majesty.” I led him to the door. But when his knights attempted to follow us, I held up a hand. “Nope. You will not be welcome in there.”

“I don't give a shit if we're welcome or not; where he goes, we go,” Captain Vettan said.

Yes, the fucking Captain himself had insisted on joining us. If he'd put this much effort into protecting the King at the palace, I may never have made it onto the grounds. But I didn't say that to him.

Instead, I voiced the very thought that had prevented me from mouthing off, “You will only cause unnecessary trouble.”

“You're not walking into some strange, unmarked shop alone with the King.”

“I will be fine,” King Tarocvar said with a wry grin. “Guard the door.” Then he opened the door and went in before I could stop him.

“Aw, fuck!” I hurried in after him, calling out, “He's the King, don't attack him!”

Even though the King only had a three-second head start on me at most, he was already surrounded by snarling dogs and four hulking Ricarri. They were mountain people, but the Ricarri did well in cities, far better than the forest-dwelling Shanba. Probably because the Ricarri had an affinity for metal—magic which these Ricarri were currently showing off, twirling swords that hovered above their hands, ready to launch them at the King. Even had they opted to wield the weapons with their hands, the threat would have been enough to make most men wet themselves. Muscles larger than the King's bulged against their clothing and the metal deposits in their skin caught the light, giving the illusion that they were weapons themselves. They kinda were.

“Stand down!” one of them said as he stepped between the dogs and us. “That's Lock. Lower your weapons!”

Great, it was my face, not the shouted warning that the Dragon King stood among them, that stilled their hands. But then, he wasn't the Ricarri King, was he? Only a Dragon who happened to run the kingdom their mountains were in. Most of the races of Serai had their own monarchs, but they gave their allegiance to the Dragon who ruled their kingdom above all others. Even their monarchs did. Not so much with the Ricarri.

It was one of the reasons the Ricarri Riots had happened. No other race would have dared such a thing, especially not in a crown city with the King in residence. And yet, even after the riots, King Tarocvar allowed the Ricarri to live in his cities. I don't know what reparations the Ricarri had made, but I did know that other kings had banished Ricarri to the mountains for less. Conclusion, I seriously doubted that it was a Ricarri who hired me.

I stepped past the King and extended my hand to the man in charge. “Bracaro, it's good to see you.”

No, I didn't hold a grudge against the Ricarri for my family's death. They had probably thought the same thing the King had; that the factory was empty. Plus, Brac hadn't been a part of the riots.

“You too, kid.” He shook my hand as the other Ricarri withdrew, their dogs following. “Now who the fuck is this? There's no way the Dragon King would ever be in your lowly company.”

The King cleared his throat, lifted a brow, and stared at Bracaro as if a look alone would prove his status.

“Don't get offended, brother.” Bracaro slapped Tarocvar on the shoulder. “You do look like him. You even got his glare down.”

“Um, Brac?” I held up a cautioning finger.

“But the Dragon King's got gray eyes, everyone knows that.”

“Do I, now?”

“Oh-ho! You're really into this, eh? You an actor?”

“Bracaro! This is His Majesty, King Tarocvar Verres,” I said with as much pomp as I could manage. To the King, I added, “I'm so sorry. He just can't believe that you'd be with me. Which, granted, is fair.”

Bracaro frowned. “Okay, that's enough, Lock. This isn't funny anymore.”

“No, it isn't. It's not a joke. Brac, this really is the King. If you don't believe me, step outside. You'll see his knights and carriage. Look at him, he's obviously a Dragon. Do you think any of them would go slumming with me?”

“You're so full of shit, Locrian.” Bracaro snorted as he went to the door, his dog, Fire, keeping pace with him. He opened the door and stood there, frozen in place. Finally, Fire whined, and Brac slammed the door shut. He rushed back to us. “I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty.”

I lifted a brow at that. I'd expected surprise and an apology, but not that kind of deference.

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