Temple Hill - Drew Karpyshyn [20]
Still, he resisted.
"I'm no thief. I wouldn't be of any use to you."
The half-elf shook her head. "I'm not looking for an accomplice, or em apprentice. When I go out on a job, I can look after myself. I'm careful, I'm professional. But being careful takes a lot out of me. After a job I need to relax, to unwind. What I really need is some protection for when I'm not on a job. I need someone to watch my back when Fm too busy enjoying life to watch out for myself. I'm not used to being a target. Eventually I'll get careless and leave myself vulnerable. When that happens, I'd like to have you around to cover for my mistake."
When Corin still didn't give an answer, Fendel chimed in.
"Lhasha, perhaps you should reconsider. The Purple Masks are a dangerous, powerful group. Being your bodyguard would put Corin's own life in danger on an almost daily basis. It might be too much for one man to handle."
"Don't underestimate me," Corin said sharply. He turned to face Lhasha, the steely confidence in his voice unfamiliar to his own ears; it had been nearly three years since he'd heard it last. "I can protect you better than any blade on the Dragon Coast, and unlike most of the other hired guards you can trust me… a White Shield's loyalty never fails. If the Masks come after you again they'll find me standing in their path."
Fendel gave Corin a knowing smile.
"I figured you'd come around."
CHAPTER FIVE
The salary negotiations were quick-Corin couldn't afford to be picky, and Lhasha's offer was generous. The warrior didn't even bother trying to haggle a few more coins per tenday out of her. The attractive half-elf almost seemed disappointed.
"We have to find a new place for you to stay," the warrior told his small employer as soon as the price was set. Now that he was responsible for Lhasha's safety, Corin wasn't about to let her stay another night in a room where someone had left a knife embedded in her pillow. "Pack everything up, and I'll carry it for you."
Fendel agreed. "The sooner you're out of that place, the better."
"What about your stuff?" Lhasha asked Corin. "Don't you need to go pack?"
The warrior shook his head, slapping the breast of his grimy mail shirt and tapping the rusted hilt of his sword. "This is all I need."
It didn't take long to gather Lhasha's stuff, the only thing she had in any measurable quantity was clothing. Lots and lots of clothing-closets full of exotic outfits tailored from bright silks and colorful fabrics. Corin had initially shuddered at the sight, imagining the hours it would take to carefully store such expensive garments for the trip across town, but Lhasha had packed everything with ruthless efficiency. As she packed, Corin rubbed the rough stubble on his chin, suddenly self-conscious about his own stained, torn clothes and his scraggly appearance.
"Where to?" she asked, once she had settled her bill at the front desk. The staff had seemed genuinely saddened to see her go.
Corin, with a large trunk full of Lhasha's wardrobe strapped to his back, didn't even need to think about his answer.
"We're heading to the Axe and Hammer."
Elversult was a bustling merchant city, with literally hundreds of places to stay. Some of them had the well earned reputation for being seedy establishments where the staff would steal anything not nailed down and betray anyone with a secret for a couple glittering coins waved beneath the nose. Other inns were renowned for the security of the rooms and the integrity-and tight Hps-of the staff. By far the best of these was the dwarf run Axe and Hammer.
"Not on your life!" Lhasha exclaimed.
Corin pulled up short. Turning slowly so as not to overbalance the heavy load of clothes on his back, he gave her a questioning stare.
"I've been in there before," the half-elf explained. "It's nicknamed the Tomb for a reason, you know."
He