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“I’d never dream of asking you to sightsee,” Vesper said with an impressively straight face. “A man like you? Never.”
“Fine,” Drave said darkly. “Since you won’t leave when asked and as my only other option is to kill you, which I knowshewon’t like...”
“Your sister?”
“Mycompanion,” Draven growled. “Since mycompanionwould evidently prefer I didn’t kill you.”
“That would be very nice,” I said, as calmly as I could, my heart beating fast. “Especially when he’s so talented with breakfast.”
Were they really going to come to blows? I imagined exaggerating the story when I retold it to Galahad and saying two half-naked griddle-cake-scented, dazzlingly handsome men had been fighting over me.
“I won’t kill you yet,” Draven said, emphasizing the last word. “But if you do anything to...”
Vesper raised slender hands. “I know, I know. Anything to threaten your lovely companion or harm you in any way, it’s the hanging life for me.”
Draven nodded tersely. “Precisely.”
Lovely? Vesper thought I was lovely? I shoved another forkful of flapjack in my mouth and endeavored to chew delicately.
There was quiet for a spell.
“So, if she’s not your sister...”
Draven let out a low growl of exasperation.
“I’m his apprentice,” I said quickly. “He leads. I follow. It’s very simple really.”
Vesper raised his eyebrows. “His apprentice? Really?” He glanced at Draven. “And as you were staying at the Noble Knight and you seemed familiar with Laverna...”
“He’s an assassin, yes. I’m in training to be... an assassin,” I babbled.
I ignored Draven. He had lifted both hands to cover his face and was none-too-subtly stifling a groan.
Vesper nodded as if it all made perfect sense. “I see. Well, shall I call you ‘apprentice’? Or perhaps ‘assassin’s apprentice’?”
“My name will be fine.” I hesitated. “It’s Pen.”
Draven was watching without saying a word, but his mouth was pressed into a thin line. Apparently assassins did not ordinarily take apprentices.
“Pen,” Vesper repeated. He smiled. “It’s very nice to finally meet you, Pen.”
“Thank you. I take it you don’t mind traveling with such nefarious company?” I ventured.
“Oh, no,” Vesper assured me. “After all, I assume you only take contracts for valuable targets? Kings, queens, and the like. Perhaps a cheating husband or two. No one who doesn’t really deserve it.” He gave me a wide grin.
“Precisely,” I said weakly. “Serving the noble cause of justice, that’s us. For coin, of course.”
“Of course. Plenty of coin.”
“And what do you do, Vesper?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Me?” Vesper said cheerfully. “Oh, I’m a wandering minstrel.”
“A wandering minstrel... who is deadly with knives,” I said slowly.
“And who just happens to be traveling to Valtain,” Draven added.
“Well, I do a little treasure-hunting on the side, as it were. Do you have any idea what sorts of riches the fae left behind when they abandoned Numenos? No? Neither does anyone else. That’s because no one’s dared to set foot in the place for a hundred years or more.”
