“I’ve never met an assassin before,” said Learned Edmund to Brenner, after they had been several days on the road.
“Speaking on behalf of assassins everywhere, we were perfectly happy with that.”
They’d dismounted to lead the horses up a long, winding hill. Brenner plodded along with his eyes forward, apparently hoping that had ended the conversation.
No such luck.
“Do you enjoy killing people? If I may ask?”
Brenner sighed and glanced at Caliban, possibly hoping for rescue. Caliban shrugged. He had little enough chivalry left, he wasn’t going to waste it on Brenner.
“If I say yes, will you stop asking?”
“I’m trying to understand what you do, Mister Brenner,” said Learned Edmund stiffly. “I do not believe in judging a man before I know him, and I do not know you well.”
Brenner gazed up at the sky, apparently looking for divine intervention, or at least rain. Neither was forthcoming. Clouds drifted by in a sky as blue and airy as a butterfly’s wing.
“I enjoyhuntingpeople,” he said. “I’m good at it.”
“And the act of killing?”
“That’s just the bit that happens at the end. Look, why don’t you go bother the paladin? He’s killed at least as many people as I have, and got paid a lot less.”
“Dig your own grave, Brenner,” said Caliban. “I’m not helping.”
“I am quite clear on the motivations of Knight-Champions,” said Learned Edmund. “I’m asking about yours.”
Caliban stifled a sigh.Bet you’re not half as clear as you think you are. Hell, these days, I’m not even clear on my motivations most of the time…
Brenner apparently agreed with him. “Mymotives? I kill peoplewho have managed to piss somebody else off. I bear them no ill will; it’s strictly business.Hegoes and persuades poor stupid peasants who think they’re possessed to come back to the temple to have demons tortured out of them. AndI’mthe bad one?”
Caliban discovered that his hand was on the hilt of his sword. He looked at it as if it didn’t belong to him, and carefully pried the fingers away.
“The work of the Knight-Champions is generally recognized as a noble calling—” said Learned Edmund nervously, and licked his lips.
“Ask him if he enjoys it.”
The statement made a little silence around itself. Learned Edmund looked back and forth worriedly.
“Did you enjoy killing that woman with the blighted child?” Caliban asked quietly.
There was another little silence, while Brenner stared at him.
“That’ssick,” the assassin said finally.
“You volunteered to do it,” said Caliban, still gazing straight ahead, to where Slate’s horse was kicking up little puffs of dust from the roadway.
“Somebody had to! They were going to shoot her anyway, and those idiot butchers in the guard would have made a bloody mess of it!”
Swishwent the horse’s tail ahead of them.
Caliban nodded. “Exactly.”
“Exactlywhat?”
“Downhill from here,” Slate called back.
In more ways than one…
