“How do you know so much about assassins, Aahz?”
“Went with one for a while . . . lovely lass, but she couldn’t keep her mouth shut, even in bed. Sometimes I wonder if any profession really guards its secrets as closely as they claim.”
“What happened?”
“With what?”
“With your assassin?”
“None of your business, kid.” Aahz was suddenly brusque again. “We’ve got work to do.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Well, first we bury the Imp. Maybe it will throw the others off our trail. With any luck, they’ll think he grabbed all the loot and disappeared. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“No, I mean after that. We’re getting ready to travel, but where are we going?”
“Kid, sometimes you worry me. That isn’t even magik. It’s common sense military action. First, we find Isstvan. Second, we appraise his strength. Third, we make our plans, and fourth, we execute them, and hopefully him.”
“Um . . . Aahz, could we back up to one for a minute? Where are we going to find Isstvan?”
That stopped him.
“Don’t you know where he is?”
“I never even heard his name before today.”
We sat in silence staring at each other for a long time.
Chapter Five:
“Only constant and conscientious practice in the Martial Arts will ensure a long and happy life.”
-B.LEE
“I THINK I’ve got it figured out, kid.”
As Aahz spoke, he paused in honing his sword to inspect the edge. Ever since our trek began he had seized every opportunity to work on his weapons. Even when we simply paused to rest by a stream he busied himself working their edges or adjusting their balance. I felt I had learned more about weapons in the last week just watching him tinker than I had in my entire previous life.