Page 8 of The Dragon King's Assassin

He smirked at me, then at Mikbal. “Not unless he does something worthy of execution.”

The breath left me in a rush.

“Attempting to kill you isn't worthy?” Sha asked.

The King's lips twitched before he said, “It's just a job, Sha. Nothing personal about it.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing and lowered my gaze. Who would have thought that the Dragon King had a sense of humor?

“This is ridiculous,” Balahar said. “He's human, for fuck's sake. What can he possibly do for you? How can he protect you?”

“Physical strength isn't everything, nor does a person have to be immortal to achieve wisdom,” the Dragon King said. “Locrian got past the palace guards, including the King's Guard.”

“Then your knights are incompetent,” Sha said.

“I agree. Which is why I dismissed the King's Guard.”

“You did what?” Balahar leaned forward and gaped at the King. “The entire Guard?”

“They were incompetent, as Sha said.” The King waved a hand toward the lady. “And when three of those guards, ashamed over their dismissal, ambushed Locrian on his way out of the palace, my assassin prevailed, leaving those knights unconscious on the floor. Not only did he make it out of the palace unharmed, evading the other five knights lying in wait for him, but he also crept back into my bedroom without alerting a patrol of knights directly beneath him.”

Three pairs of Dragon eyes shifted my way.

“Impressive,” Balahar admitted. “How did you do that?”

“Trade secrets,” I said with a straight face.

The King chuckled at Balahar's sour expression. “He's cunning, Bal. And quick. No, I don't need his protection, but I think I could use his eyes and,”—he paused to look me over—“skills.”

Balahar cleared his throat. “Sire, this is—”

“Enough, Balahar,” the King said. “I've made my decision and come to an agreement with him. Locrian is my assassin now. I like the thought of having a killer under my command, a man who doesn't follow the rules. As the King, I must obey my own laws. But Locrian will remind the people of Racul that they are my laws, and I decide who is worthy of the protection they offer. He will be my vengeance against those who wrong me, justice made flesh.”

“You have the Talons to enforce your laws and investigate those who break them. They will arrest whoever hired this man and take him to the Courts of Teeth to receive punishment. That is how you get your justice, Your Majesty,” Sha said. “Not like this.”

“The Halls of Talons and Courts of Teeth are bound by my laws and that is a good thing, Sha. I can't have my enforcers, advocates, and judges breaking the very laws they have sworn to uphold. Locrian is not a soldier, an officer, or even a lawyer. But he can be all three of those for me—Horn, Talon, and Tooth. He will investigate, present his findings to me, and then carry out my sentence.”

“An assassin in the employ of the King,” Mikbal tested the words. Then he looked at me. “I hope you're up to the task, human. Our king is expecting a lot from you.”

The Dragon King motioned to me. “Tell us why my knights are so terrible at guarding me. Prove to my advisers that you are up to the task.”

“I will need to do a full analysis of the palace to determine where the weaknesses are in your security, but I can tell you what I've observed so far,” I said, then I told them.

And they listened.

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