A Flight of Ravens by John Conroe (books to improve english .TXT) 📕

“Ah, but I wouldn’t.  I have two purposes for meeting you, Kassa.  First, I wanted to make my own determination of your sincerity, despite Trell’s generally excellent judgement.”

“Generally?” she asked.

“He can be swayed by a pretty face,” I said with a shrug.

“I am sincerely sorry to find myself on the wrong side of the crown,” she said, putting much emotion into her words.

“I believe you are, which brings me to my second purpose.  A job offer,” I said.

She froze again.  “One that I can’t turn down?”

“Nope, not at all.  I would love to have you assist me in protecting the kingdom and the crown, but you are completely free to turn me down.  However, you will need to be absolutely certain you don’t fall in with the wrong crowd again.  The crown believes in second chances—but not thirds.”

“Was Trell offered the same option?” she asked.

“I’m guessing you already know the answer,” I said.  “But everyone’s circumstances are different.  He wasn’t as lucky as you.”

Trell shrugged.  “It is my honor to serve the crown.  Pays well, and the benefits are great.”

She looked at him, eyebrows raised.  “You really believe that?”

“We’re defending the kingdom and yes… Savid takes really good care of his people.  My profession and training make me snoopy.  I snooped too much, but I’ve always wanted to serve my country; that’s why I became a bard in the first place.  This not only makes that possible but at a level I would never have dreamed of. Plus, I’m at the center of so much history being made that my songs will be famous forever.”

She sat back, eyes moving from him to me and then down to her mug.  “I make a good living doing what I do,” she said.

Ah, negotiations—excellent.  “You’ll find that we pay well too and provide innumerable benefits.”

“And by that, he means both the actual and implied support of the crown, as well as actual monetary benefits,” Trell said.  “Expenses paid, allowances for equipment, in some cases room and board.  We have our own healers who can tend wounds and ailments, and over time, ownership in businesses run by our organization.”

“Equipment?  I don’t really need any of that, now do I?” she asked, her manner mildly dismissive.  I caught the fact that she didn’t mention the expenses, healers, or business opportunities in the same manner, nor did she ask for explanations of them.

“Your dress is very nice, by the way,” I said.  It was burgundy, tailored of fine wool, and set off her black hair and creamy white skin in excellent fashion.  Her lips were the exact same shade of red as the dress.

“Thank you?” she questioned.

“Not inexpensive.  Dressing well to fit into the places we would want to send you costs money, but is necessary, just as Trell must have the proper quality instruments to play where he plays.  We would reimburse you and you would, of course, keep the clothes.”

Her right eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. Kassa liked quality, as shown by her clothing, choice of restaurants, and even the manner she held herself.  She could easily mimic the customs and manners of the nobility, and probably enjoyed doing it.

“I don’t expect you to answer right away.  It’s a decision that has consequences.  If you join us, you would be expected to keep sensitive information from all others, even if you left our employ.”

“I can join but never leave?”

“I just said that you could leave… you just can’t tell, sell, or trade our secrets.  We can’t have that,” I said.

“And you found me easily this time, so I would expect you could find me again,” she said, making it a statement.

I nodded.  “Listen, I have places to be.  I’ll leave Trell to explain more as well as buy your meal,” I said, rising just as the owner approached with a tray of mugs.

“I can’t stay, good sir, but my associate will join the lady for dinner,” I said with a smile.  He simply nodded and put Trell’s caffe on the table.

Outside, I collected Terry and Correll from the candy shop, each brushing bits of maple sugar off their hands and dresses.  Correll had a small cloth sack in one hand.

“We picked up some for Brin and the others at the Knife,” she said.

“Good idea. Let’s head back.  Trell will stay behind.”

“Okay,” Correll said.  “And we decided that anytime you need us for this kind of undercover work, we’re ready to help out.”

“Oh, so you’ll help when the job calls for eating delicious food, but not when things are dirty and uncomfortable?” I asked.

“Well, yeah,” Terry said, with a glance at her coworker. “We prefer the food to dirt.  Wet and cold are out too.”

I was pretty sure they would help under almost any conditions, but they weren’t Shadows and it would be wrong to use them as operatives.  But this little outing had worked perfectly.

We were almost to the Knife and Needle when another female approached, this one wearing the skins and weapons of Drodacia.

“Hi, Jella,” my companions greeted her, moving on ahead as I slowed down.  Meeting away from the Knife and Needle meant she wanted a really private word.

“Battlemaster,” I greeted her, which caused an eyebrow to raise.  I’m generally not all that formal with her these days.

“We have an issue,” she said.  “Yawl caught the scent of a woldling outside Haven’s walls.  We tracked it but it’s extremely cagey—and all by itself.”

“You’re sure there are no others?” I asked, regretting my words as soon as I said them.  Her look of disdain was the only answer I was likely to get.  “How did you lose it, then?”

“It actually covered its tracks: traveled on rocks and by waterways as well as high in the trees.”

“What?” I asked stupidly.  It was just that woldlings are many things: dangerously strong and fast, deadly fighters, and ferociously aggressive.  But they weren’t crafty and cunning.  At least not usually.  In fact, the only one I had come across like that