Honor's Price Read Free Page A

can insult both me and the duke and live?”
    Kane drew his own sword as he closed the distance between himself and the two men. Hoping the guard would respond to the bark of an order, he shouted, “Drop your weapon!”
    He was too late. The merchant dropped to the ground, his throat slit. Kane took up his cause. Drunk or not, the captain was paid to protect the citizens of Agathia, not to execute them over a few ill-advised words. Yes, the merchant had been foolish to cross swords with the guard, but he didn’t deserve to die for it.
    But maybe the captain did.
    Bayar blinked at Kane. “What do you want?”
    Kane smiled. “To ensure you face the judgment of the gods tonight for crimes against Agathia, including murder.”
    The fool bellowed in fury and went on the attack. Kane sidestepped him easily. Despite the alcohol he’d consumed, the captain still put up a credible showing. It was tempting to play with him for a while, but the other guards might be looking for him.
    Kane ended the battle with one stroke. It was a quick kill, although Kane doubted the man would be grateful for the small mercy. After all, dead was dead.
    Kane murmured a prayer for the merchant andgrudgingly added a shorter one for the dead guard. As soon as he quit speaking, he caught the sound of voices in the distance. They were moving in this direction. Kane froze when he made sense of what they were saying.
    â€œCaptain, where did you go?”
    A second voice asked, “Where did he disappear to this time?”
    â€œMost likely into an alley to take a piss.” The speaker sounded disgusted.
    Kane ducked farther back into the shadows, debating his limited choices. Just as he’d feared, the captain hadn’t been alone. If his friends found Kane standing over their dead leader, more would die in that alley.
    It would be but a minute, maybe two, before the guardsmen reached the alley. He couldn’t count on them simply passing by, and it was his misfortune that the alleyway came to an abrupt end at a high wall. After studying the two bodies, Kane made his decision. Apologizing to the merchant’s spirit, Kane quickly rearranged the bodies and the weapons. He retrieved the merchant’s weapon and closed the dead man’s fingers around the grip.
    Then he wiped the captain’s blade clean and sheathed it, making it look as if the merchant had assassinated the guard with no provocation. Then Kane rushed to the street and waved his hands to attract the attention of the three guardsmen searching for their leader.
    â€œHelp! I tried to stop him, but it was too late! Captain Bayar has been murdered!”
    Unlike their leader, these three were sober and smart enough to approach Kane with swords drawn and a great deal of suspicion.
    Two of them pinned Kane against the wall and stripped him of his sword while the third investigated. It didn’t take him long to assess the situation. When he rejoined his friends at the mouth of the alley, he grabbed Kane by the throat, choking off his air.
    One of the others glanced toward the alley. “Sergeant, is it true? Is the captain dead?”
    The man jerked his head in a quick nod and then leaned in close to Kane’s face. “When I let you breathe, start talking. Tell me everything that happened. If I believe your story, you get to live. For now. If I don’t, you might want to end your explanation with a prayer for an easy death.”
    He tightened his grip. “Nod if you understand me and what’s at stake.”
    As one of the goddess’s avatars, it went against Kane’s nature to surrender without a fight, but he was playing the role of a mercenary down on his luck. Pretending a fear he didn’t feel, he bobbed his head and managed to whisper, “I understand.”
    â€œGood. Mayhap you’re smarter than you look.”
    The guard dropped his hand and retreated a step. Kane jerked his hands free of the other two