21. Clash of Stone and Steel #2
The good thing about her own line of work was no one knew who she was. She was the most feared assassin on the continent, but no one had ever challenged her because no one knew her identity. Her anonymity was a blessing in so many ways, and this was just one of them.
“I’m Kostas of Avitas,” the man said, raising his voice so the gathering crowd could hear. “It’s a name you’ll want to remember.”
Samhail sighed. “You don’t want to do this, Kostas.”
“I challenge you to a fight,” Kostas went on, ignoring Samhail.
“Not interested,” Samhail said as he turned back to his horse.
“Unfortunately, I won’t take no for an answer,” Kostas said. “The bounty on your head is too enticing.”
Talyn’s head jerked to Samhail as he frowned.
“Bounty?” Samhail asked, turning back to the man.
Kostas looked surprised. “Were you not aware King Sandrian of Rowe has promised a reward to anyone who brings you in?”
“Sandrian is no longer the king there,” Samhail said.
“I don’t care,” Kostas bit out. “He’s offering a lot of fucking coin for anyone who brings you in. There’s a bonus if you’re alive, but the reward to bring you in dead is enough to make it worth my while regardless.”
“How much am I worth dead?” Samhail asked.
“Fifty thousand Rown sovereigns,” Kostas answered.
Talyn arched a brow. That was an enormous sum, but Samhail looked unimpressed.
“And how much am I worth alive?” he asked.
“A hundred thousand.”
Talyn’s brow shot even higher. Three hells, for that much she’d have been tempted to go after Samhail herself.
Actually, the bounty was perfect. It would give her a reason to contact Sandrian and set up a meeting with him.
She could tell him she’d captured Samhail and wanted to collect the bounty.
She might have to offer Samhail as a consolation for failing to kill Bressen and Cyra, but either way, this was the in she needed.
“And where can I find Sandrian when I bring Samhail to him?” Talyn asked, intrigued.
Samhail glared at her, but she gave him half a shrug. “Just keeping my options open.”
Samhail turned back to Kostas. “You should hold out for more,” he told the man. “Those sums are hardly worth your life.”
“I’m not a greedy man,” Kostas said, grinning. “Draw your swords.”
“I’m not going to fight you,” Samhail said.
“Can I fight him?” Talyn asked quietly. “I bet I can take him in less than three minutes, even without my powers.”
Samhail looked between her and Kostas. “It wouldn’t take you more than a minute, but we don’t have time for this bullshit.”
Talyn arched a brow at the compliment, but Kostas spoke before she could respond.
“That hair of yours would look great woven into my horse’s tail,” he told Samhail. “He can use those locks of yours to flick flies off his ass.”
Samhail didn’t take the bait. He ignored Kostas and put his foot in the stirrup to mount his horse.
“And your woman will look great on all fours in front of me while I fuck her ass,” Kostas added. He mimed grabbing Talyn’s hips and thrusting into her as he gave her a leering look.
Talyn rolled her eyes and held up the wrist with the coronium cuff for Kostas to see. “I’m not his woman. I’m his prisoner,” she said. “And don’t kid yourself. You can’t handle me any more than you can handle him.”
Kostas didn’t seem amused. “We’ll see about that,” he snarled. “Maybe you’ll learn to stay quiet when my cock is down your throat and you’re choking on my cum.”
“Please let me kill him,” Talyn begged as she turned to Samhail.
She jolted in surprise to see how dark his expression had gotten. The last time she’d seen that kind of fury on his face, his hand had been crushing her throat.
Samhail didn’t answer. Instead, he went to his saddlebag, opened it, and pulled out a length of rope. Talyn frowned as he handed it to her.
“Absolutely not,” she said, shoving it back at him. “If you think you’re going to tie me up again while you-”
“It’s not for you. It’s for me,” he said. “I want you to tie my right hand behind my back.”
Talyn’s eyebrows jerked up. “You want me to what?”
“The only way this will be fair is if I fight him with one hand tied behind my back,” he said as he turned around and put his right hand behind him at his waist. “Tie my hand.”
Talyn pursed her lips to hide the smile that threatened. This man was arrogance personified, but there was something she found…intriguing about him. And if he could humiliate Kostas by beating him with one hand, all the better.
Talyn wrapped the rope around Samhail’s wrist and tried not to think about tying him to a bed and riding the fuck out of him. Her core ached to think about what that long, hard length of him might feel like between her legs. Gods, she’d probably feel him in the back of her throat…
Samhail glanced back at her, and Talyn realized her hands had stilled on the ropes as her imagination had taken over.
“Problem?” he asked, his tone suggesting he knew exactly where her thoughts had gone.
“Just trying to decide on the best knot to use,” she lied before resuming. She looped the rope through his belt and finished securing his hand behind him.
When they turned back to Kostas, the man’s face was red with fury.
“I’m going to enjoy carving out your heart and presenting it to King Sandrian,” he growled to Samhail. “You’ll regret this insult.”
Talyn came around to stand in front of Samhail, and he looked down at her in question.
“The left side of his armor is more dented than the right,” she said. “He likely leaves that side vulnerable when he swings. Also, the toe of his right boot is worn. Watch for him to drag it, and you can trip him up.”
Samhail cocked his head. “I noticed the armor, but I didn’t see the boot. Good catch.” He paused. “It’s almost as if you want me to win.”
Talyn gave him a wry smile. “I’d just prefer to collect the reward myself than to let him have it.”
In truth, Talyn didn’t know why she’d given Samhail the advice. It would’ve made her life much easier to be rid of him, but she didn’t want to see Kostas win. The man was a piece of shit.
“Of course,” Samhail said with a knowing grin before he unsheathed Lefteous Hand and strolled toward Kostas.
People around them in the street scattered out of the way when Kostas surged forward to meet Samhail, and the clang of steel split the air as their swords hit. Kostas attacked relentlessly, and for the first few seconds, all Samhail could do was block his blows.
Admittedly, Kostas was a better fighter than Talyn had assumed, but she could tell right away he was no match for Samhail. For that matter, he wouldn’t be a match for her either. If Kostas somehow got the upper hand on Samhail, she’d be able to dispatch him quickly enough.
Kostas was quick for his size, but Samhail was still faster, and he blocked every blow Kostas aimed at him.
Had Samhail been using both his swords, the fight would’ve been over by now, but he was slightly off-balance from having the hand tied behind him.
She didn’t think he yet regretted tying it, but it was indeed a hindrance that kept him from attacking the way she knew he was capable of.
Samhail’s sword clanged off Kostas’s armor on his left.
The man did indeed leave that side open when he fought, but Samhail’s blow was just high and missed the vulnerable joint between the metal plates.
The hit knocked Kostas off-balance, though, and his right toe dragged in the dirt as he tried to recover, just as Talyn had predicted.
Samhail took advantage and brought his sword back around quickly to catch Kostas near his neck.
The blade found the seam in his armor and blood welled up where the sword slashed.
The cut likely wasn’t deep enough to be mortal, but Kostas’s hand still flew to the wound, which exposed the area under his arm.
Samhail didn’t hesitate but drove his blade in under Kostas’s arm until the sword punched all the way through his torso so the tip jutted out the top of his other shoulder.
Kostas’s eyes went wide in the few seconds between when he realized what had happened and when his body went limp. Samhail pulled his blade out and pushed Kostas to the side.
It had all taken less than two minutes.
Samhail straightened, then reached his sword behind him and cut the rope tying his hand.
The street was barren of people, most having fled when Kostas first charged Samhail. The rest had disappeared the moment the outcome of the fight was determined.
“Are we leaving him there?” Talyn asked Samhail as he returned to his horse and pulled a cloth from his saddlebag to wipe the blade. He resheathed the sword when it was clean.
“We don’t have time to deal with a body,” he said. “Someone will bury him.” He used the cloth to wipe as much blood from his hand as he could, then stowed it back in his saddlebag and mounted his horse.