Elfshadow - Elaine Cunningham [40]
"Oh, my dear. How awful for you."
The genuine warmth and concern in the young noble's voice temporarily disconcerted Arilyn. Her eyes flew to the fire, and she stared fixedly into the magically conjured flames that had ignited such bitter memories. At the moment anything was better than meeting Danilo Thann's kind, gray eyes. She had put this young man's life in danger, and fool though he might be, he'd done nothing to deserve the treatment she'd dealt him.
"I regret involving you in this," she murmured. "Believe me, I had not planned to bring you this far."
"So far, no problem," he replied, cheerfully accepting her apology. "Anyway, it's a rare honor for a humble fashion plate such as myself to be of service to the Harpers. You are one of them, I take it?"
"No," she said slowly. "I'm no Harper."
"Oh? Then why is the Harper Assassin after you?"
"I work for the Harpers on occasion."
"Ah. And what is it that you do?" Danilo drawled, eyeing her and waggling his eyebrows in a broad parody of a leer.
Arilyn glared at him, and he grinned in return. The fool enjoyed baiting her! she realized suddenly. It was a game. His scrutiny was not lascivious, but boyishly mischievous. All of her irritation with Danilo Thann flooded back, pushing aside the guilt of a moment before. An unworthy but irresistible impulse urged her to make him squirm a bit.
"I am an assassin," she intoned in a threatening voice.
A droll expression crossed Danilo's face. "Do tell. And you've got some lakefront property in the Anauroch Desert to sell me as well, I suppose?"
Arilyn grinned despite herself. "Remember, appearances can be deceiving. In some cases," she added with a touch of sarcasm.
Her gibe went over Danilo's head with a foot to spare. He waved away her comment. "No, no, it's not that. I could buy you as an assassin, although I imagine you're prettier than most. It's just that, well, since when do Harpers have people assassinated?"
"They don't," she admitted. "I haven't done that sort of work for years, and never in the employ of the Harpers. Now I recover lost items, lead quick-strike parties, guard travelers. I'm a ranger, spy, or sell-sword as the need arises."
Danilo rolled onto his stomach and propped up his chin with his hands. "Your versatility is astounding, but for my own peace of mind, let's get back to this assassin thing. Do you-oops! excuse me-did you really sneak up on people and kill them?"
Arilyn's chin lifted. "No, never. I challenged armed and capable fighters and overcame them in single combat."
"I see." Danilo nodded knowingly. "No wonder the Harper Assassin is after you." She raised her eyebrows in inquiry, and he grinned. "You know, for trying to raise the standards of the trade. Against the guild laws, and all that."
A bubble of laughter welled up in Arilyn, but she held it under control. "I never actually belonged to the Assassin's Guild."
"You see? There's yet another motive. They want to collect their back guild fees out of your estate."
Arilyn finally succumbed to a chuckle. "I'm not sure the Assassin's Guild would want to claim me as a member."
"Really. There is a tale here, perhaps?"
She shrugged. "Not really. Very early in my career, 'assassin' became a sort of nickname. If someone crossed swords with me, they died," she said simply, in answer to Danilo's inquiring look.
"Hmmm. I'll bear that in mind. And then?"
"The name stuck. In time I was truly considered an assassin, and I began to think of myself as one, albeit an honorable assassin. For years I was an independent adventurer, hired to fight and therefore to kill."
"That sounds like an assassin to me," Danilo murmured.
"Yes, but never did I fight one who was unarmed, never did I shed innocent blood."
"You know that for a fact, do you? It must be nice to be so confident of one's judgment," he said, a little wistfully.
"For good or ill, I do not have to rely upon my judgment," she said. Even to her own ears, her voice sounded a little bitter. She lay her hand on the sword at her side. "The sword I carry cannot