Page 27 of The Dragon King's Assassin

Another Ricarri was lounging on a collection of boulders set against one wall, a fluffy dog perched beside him. The dog's long fur was nearly the same shade as the gleam of the Ricarri's skin, so that the two of them blended in with the boulders, becoming one with the background. Or they would have, if the dogs—all of them, not just the one sitting beside the Ricarri man—hadn't started running for us, yipping happily.

“Hello, my beauties!” Bracaro declared as he went to his knees and opened his arms.

These were not small dogs, the top of their heads would come to my waist at least, but Ricarri were not small people. Brac held his own under the onslaught of gray fur and pink tongues. Laughing, he stroked each dog, then affectionately pushed them away and stood up.

“Lock!” the man on the boulder called as he climbed down. “You finally get enough gold for a dog?”

“No, I've brought the King to select one.”

The man burst out laughing. “Sure. The King. Let me just fetch my girlfriend, the Queen of Fuck-You-Lock, and they can have a tea party together.”

“Trinsane, this is King Tarocvar,” Brac said. “Please, don't repeat my mistake and call him an impostor. His carriage and knights are outside; I've seen them. Trust me, this is him.”

“Holy fuck!” Trinsane gaped at Tarocvar. Then he flushed. “I mean, um. Sorry 'bout all that, Your Majesty. Only joking. Uh, welcome to our, uh, here. Do you want some tea or something?”

“I only drink blood,” the King said.

Trinsane paled.

The King started laughing.

Bracaro and I exchanged glances. For a second there, I hadn't been sure if the King was joking, and from the look on Brac's face, neither had he.

“Oh, ha-ha,” Trinsane said weakly. “Well, we're honored to have you in our shop. These are our finest females. Any one of them would make an excellent companion.”

“May I?” Tarocvar waved a hand at the dogs.

“Of course,” Trinsane said and bent at the waist as he swept his hand toward the animals.

Once the King stepped past, Brac moved closer to Trinsane and whispered, “What the fuck was that?”

“A bow. We're supposed to bow, right?”

“I don't fucking know!”

The dogs started to follow Brac, but with a motion of his hand, they sat.

“I'll teach you the hand commands, Your Majesty,” Brac said. “They're very simple, and most of the time, your dog will sense what you need before you command her.” He waved the dogs toward the King.

The King crouched. With his motion, several of the animals paused, their sharp eyes watching him, checking for signs of danger. Three kept coming. Out of those three, one—a pure white female—stepped up to Tarocvar and sniffed his face.

“Hello, sweetheart.” The King held out his hand. “I'm Taroc.”

The dog set her paw in his palm and, laughing, the King shook it. When he let go, the dog made a soft sound and dropped to the ground to roll on her side, exposing her belly.

“That was fast,” Bracaro said as he stepped over to them. “She likes you.”

“I like her.” Tarocvar—Taroc to his dog, evidently—said as he stroked the dog's head. “Would you like to come home with me?”

The dog rolled to her feet and circled the King, sniffing him as she went. With a soft sound, almost a mew, she nudged the cleft in his chin with her nose.

“I'll take that as a yes,” he said and stood.

The dog settled into place on his left.

“Well, shit,” Trinsane said. “I wanted to keep her. She's rare; such a pale gray that she's practically white. Been a long time since I've seen one like her.”

“She has excellent taste,” the King said with a smirk. “What's her name?”

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