The Way of the Blade by Stuart Jaffe Page A

Druzane’s help in and out of the bedroom, then he had to agree. She was a great woman, and he needed her to gain enough power to save his people.
     
     
    Later in the evening, after Druzane had left, Javery set out for the guest house. Though Malja acted set against helping him, her two companions seemed more open. Before he reached the guest house, however, he came upon them both walking along the street.
    “How are you two doing?” Javery offered a slight bow. “Do you need anything?”
    Fawbry said, “One of the girls who helped us settle in mentioned a place where you all gathered for food and drink and such.”
    Javery smiled. “Right this way.” As they walked, he pointed to three dark spots gliding across the sky. “You ever see talionogs before?”
    Tommy shook his head.
    “They’re big creatures. Amazing flying beasts you can actually ride. But they’re tough to tame, and they eat a lot. Not good for us farmers. Go back enough in our history, though, and we supposedly had armies of the creatures helping to defend us.”
    Neither Fawbry or Tommy said anything. Javery let the silence hang, hoping to entice one of them into a conversation that he could lead to his point, but they simply nodded and walked on. He escorted them straight into the Brewhouse and right to a table. He ordered three mugs of distilled grain, and once served, he placed his hand over the frothing mug. They looked at him oddly. “A toast?”
    “Sorry. We do it different where we’re from.” Fawbry and Tommy placed their hands over their mugs.
    “To Malja and her men,” Javery said. “Saviors of our humble town.” He raised his hand in the air, the froth from the drink coating his hand. When Fawbry and Tommy mimicked him, Javery met their hands, causing the froth to splatter in the air. They all laughed and drank.
    Javery watched them closely, waiting for some sign of how to proceed. Then he caught Fawbry’s wandering eye. “You like her?” he asked.
    Fawbry spluttered his drink. “I-I’m sorry. I meant no offense.”
    “Why should I be offended? Windelly is a beautiful woman. And she’s not married, too. I could introduce you, if you’d like.”
    “I might just like that.”
    “I bet you would.” They both laughed with gusto, but Tommy seemed hesitant. “What about you?” Javery asked him. “Anybody catch your eye?”
    Fawbry said, “He doesn’t talk. But he’ll let you know. Don’t worry.”
    An uncomfortable silence settled on them as they nursed their drinks. Javery chastised himself for not thinking through his approach sooner. He knew how to be smooth when it came to politics, but it helped to have a plan. Think, think. Small talk clearly had failed. So, Javery decided to be direct.
    “We can’t thank you enough for saving us. You have no idea how much these people have suffered from the Scarites. To have lost more due to a wellspiker would have been too painful.”
    “Glad to help.”
    “I only wish I could convince your leader to stay with us. She is an incredible fighter. I know she could dispatch our enemy with ease.”
    A darkness passed over Fawbry’s eyes. “Killing is never easy. Not for her. Finding that line to walk on can be difficult.”
    “That line?”
    “Between murder and justice. Where we came from, we saw a lot of killing. Malja’s probably seen more than most. But I suspect all of her kills were justified in one way or another. Though she might not see it that way.”
    “Helping us wouldn’t be justified?”
    “That depends. I’m sure it’s justified for you. But for us, how we come into it matters. If we’re no better than hired swords, we’re murderers. If we’re saving lives, maybe we’re not.”
    “Why else do we ask for you, if not to help save our lives?”
    “Like I said — it’s a difficult line to find.”
    “Well, I can only pray to Carsite that she chooses for you to help us. If not, perhaps you could convince her to leave us with some of her