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“Kiara. Friends call me Ki.” Not that I had many of those. Only Liam. My heart twinged at the thought of never seeing him again, and I turned my back to Patrick before he could see my mask fall.
It didn’t take long before we approached Damian and Carter, their faces stern and unyielding.
The former appeared to be in his mid-twenties, while the latter boasted a thick gray-and-brown beard and wrinkles creasing his brows. He reminded me of Cila’s blacksmith, a man who scowled more than he smiled and tossed horseshoes at the children bold enough to enter his shop.
I immediately liked the older Knight.
“Twenty-six,” Carter shouted, thrusting a slip of dusty-white parchment toward me, the number scrawled onto the paper in messy strokes. He spared me a curious glance, his cold blue eyes softening. One corner of his lips lifted, but then fell just as quickly. “Go on, then, lass.” He jerked his shaved head to the right.
Patrick got twenty-seven and practically tripped on my heels to keep up.
A lengthy hallway stretched out before us, crimson-painted doors on either side, all flung open. Our room was the third door on the left at the end.
I wasn’t at all surprised by the two dozen or so narrow cots with paper-thin pillows and moth-eaten blankets. I might be a highly trained fighter, but I still enjoyed a comfortable pillow, and these accommodations were hardly luxurious. Sighing, I snagged my pack of fresh clothing, eager for a bath.
My boots skidded over the stones, and Patrick bumped into my back with a thud.
Bath.
Gods, I hadn’t thought this through. There was no way I’d strip in front of this sorry lot, and while my dignity was at an all-time low, it was stillsomewhatintact. There were also my hands to consider. The second the boys uncovered my secret, I’d have more to worry about than nakedness.
My fears flourished minutes later, my pulse racing at the sight in front of me.
The bath was a single pool in a dimly lit chamber, the water filtered out by whirring mechanics. Pine-scented soaps were distributed, and the boys shed their clothing without thought, flinging soiled linens to the side before rushing into the rectangular pool.
There was absolutely no way I would expose myself here. Privacy was nonexistent.
“Do you…do you need help? Well, nothelp, per se, but…” The awkwardness on Patrick’s face was evident. I desperately needed to bathe, my skin and hair reeking of the road and all of its many,manysmells.
“I’ll pass on yourhelp, Patrick,” I replied with a grimace, striding over to where a lone Knight stood watch, his back pressed against the steel-colored wall behind him. He looked a year or two older than me, his face boyish and not yet scarred by the weight of Knighthood. He must be a newer initiate, which made sense as to why he’d be in charge of bath duty. I could tell by his narrowed stare that he wasn’t pleased.
“Um, excuse me, sir,” I began, waiting until his brown eyes flickered my way. “Is it possible to bathe after everyone has left?” With a rumbling sigh, he turned his head my direction. A moment later, his gaze fell to my chest, a tinge of pink dyeing his cheeks.
“Recruits who have wished to bathe privately in the past have chosen to do so after dinner. But be quick about it,” he added gruffly, turning away and indicating that the conversation was clearly at an end.
I thanked every god I could think of.
Avoiding every naked body in the packed room overflowing with boys, I hastily made my way to our room, plopping onto my assigned cot with a groan.
If only Micah could see me now.
Knowing him, he’d probably laugh his head off.
Chapter Six
The Hand of Death
You won’t see him coming before your throat is already slit and death is swallowing you in its embrace. If the Hand of Death had a soul, it was lost long ago.
Excerpt from The Legends of Asidia
I hadn’t bothered to remove my muddied traveling clothes. Which worked in my favor, as seconds after entering my chambers, a slip of paper slid beneath the gap of my door.
There was no question as to who’d sent it.
Sighing, I walked to my armoire and retrieved my tools of destruction. I owned over twenty blades, all of varying sizes and used for different reasons: to warn, maim, or kill.
Tonight’s mission would be quick.
