The King's Knights

Chapter Twenty-Six: Doublecrosses

Tayuya didn't exactly make for fun company. And she was fully aware of the fact.

She always swore like a sailor and was bad-tempered, violent, and on the dim side. Tayuya knows she is really good at shooting people, though; the crossbow could save her life. But that still leaves her waiting for Fayn, who should have shown up by now. He wonders how to get her in contact with Hrunter.

How the fuck was she supposed to do this with only two shots? Tayuya wanted her gun back, but it couldn't go through the portal. Probably got stolen by those fuckers in portal security too.

Should she go back that way and ditch all this?

Nice enough place, this Saynaran. The air out here didn't have as much smoke as Kadan; you could breathe freely. You never realized how much the fumes of Bretusian factories ruined fucking everything. Not until you were free of them for a bit.

Lying on her bed, Tayuya felt pretty good, even with the voices in her head. Had she drunk too much last night? Had she drunk anything?

Wait, did she know Kiyora was here?

Medical care was actually better out here anyway. For provincials anyway, and the fucking Walesans wanted to wreck this place for money? Idiots. Granted, there were some thatched roofs, but the stone walls were very scenic. It's not so good on insulation.

The beer was delicious, though; the stuff was blessed directly by Maius.

Tayuya always figured she was a Jashinite deity. But then again, who would ever think her countrymen might be conceited pricks?

Shouldn't Tayuya be talking to the fox bitch right now? Something about Fayn reminded her of one of those kitsune from Jashinite mythology. You felt she'd eat through your stomach to get out of a bag.

Tayuya knew the difference between a sadist and a professional. She was a bit of both herself.

Fayn was a sadist.

Word was she set herself on fire in the Tournament of Kings just to avoid getting caught cheating. And it worked, too.

Outside the window, Tayuya saw several city guards posted. They'd been observed out here, and Hrunter had someone watching them. "Yeah, and if I were her, I wouldn't be satisfied with that arrangement," she said to no one. "Why go from Benarus' fall guy to Relma's? I'd want something for myself."

From the looks of things, Hrunter was outside, clad in badly maintained armor. He had several men with him and walked with a swagger. The man with a brown beard was walking down the street. Several merchants offered him free goods as he stopped. With him were several armed and armored guards. You could see them commenting on the stalls. They got money for their advice.

Just like home.

Tayuya wondered if she was ever going back there. Vines had been good to her, but she missed the red skies of Astarri. But she had to take care of this first.

Tayuya put back on the harness over her tendrils. She hated getting this thing on, but it kept it out of her eyes. Moving down the steps, she went to meet Hrunter. They found him at the doorstep, and Tayuya did her best to look sexy. With this concealing tunic on, what she wouldn't give for a tank top is not easy. Hrunter enjoyed the view, though he was a lot older.

Eh, it was just for show. A lot of idiots got off on the violent, bloodthirsty chick angle. They liked the idea of taming them.

They went to an area where they could talk quietly. This was his place, one of several inns he used to store goods he bought from local criminals. Probably wasn't storing any of the sheep his people were selling to him here, but why should she care?