Page 109 of The Champion

Swan glared at both of them in rage. “He didn’t do anything to deserve death. Charles was my foster brother!”

“I know,” Kit said, his voice breaking with pain. “They allowed me to pick three names that I wanted as a reward. The rest, such as Charles, were assigned to me.”

“What three did you pick?” Christian asked.

“Hugh of Wales, Geoffrey of Navarre and...” his gaze went to Stryder.

“You would nurse a viper at your breast?” Swan asked, his lips curled in disgust.

“My brother is not a viper,” Stryder said between clenched teeth. “And before you judge him, I caution all of you to remember he was there for five years after we escaped. Five years alone. He didn’t have a Brotherhood to protect him. No friends to help him make it through the days. Tell me who among you wouldn’t have done whatever was necessary to get out of there?”

Stryder looked at Val. “Would you still take the moral high ground had we left you behind?”

Val looked away.

“Or you Swan? How long would you have lasted without Simon and I, and the others?”

Anger and tension snapped in the air as everyone held their ground that they were right and the others wrong.

“Your point is well taken,” Christian said at last, breaking some of the malignant atmosphere. “There’s no need in our condemning Kit for surviving. We all did things back then that none of us wish to remember.”

He passed a meaningful look to each one of them. “Kit risked much by confiding in us now when he could have just as easily killed all of us in our sleep. He has put his entire life into our hands and he knows it. We could easily turn him over to Henry for justice’s sake. But I for one, will not punish him any further.”

“How do we know he’s not the one who came after us today?” Val asked.

“Because you’re still living,” Kit said with an arrogance Stryder had never heard before. “Trust me, I don’t make those kind of errors.”

To Stryder’s surprise, Christian stepped forward and held his arm out to Kit. “I for one welcome you to our ranks.” A wry smile twisted his lips. “After all, it’s better to have an assassin with you than against you.”

“Aye,” Zenobia agreed, holding her hand out as well.

Nassir and Val followed suit.

They all looked to Swan.

With a grim nod, he stepped forward. “Very well.But, if you ever make a move on me, boy, I will be your first failure.”

Kit shook his arm.

“So now then what do we do?” Christian asked. “How do we find this Kalb al 'Akrab?”

“You can’t,” Kit said quietly. “No more than you can find the rest of us. We have been trained to hide beneath your very noses. You’ll be looking for someone above reproach. Someone you would never think to blame.”

“Someone from the Holy Land who hates us,” Stryder said.

Rowena’s face went pale. “I can think of one person who fits that description.”

“Aye,” Stryder agreed, “but we can’t make that accusation. Not without inarguable proof. If we dare say anything against him, our lives are forfeit. Not to mention he could be innocent of this. Look at me. How many of you doubted my innocence in killing Roger?”

“We never doubted you,” Val said, his tone offended.

“Nay?” Stryder arched a brow. “Not even for a second? Or what about my killing Cyril?”

They looked about uneasily.

“Exactly,” Kit said. “Stryder almost died because of a mistake. For that matter, I’m not even sure the Scorpion is a man. We’re making an assumption with no facts to support it. Besides, looking for the Scorpion is a waste of time. He or she’s not interested in any of you. Kalb al 'Akrab is only sent after us when we grow a conscience or try to escape without fulfilling our bargain.”

Val folded his arms over his chest and gave him a look of disbelief. “If we’re safe, then why is Christian wounded and why were the rest of us attacked?”