of logonds, but thoso logonds como to lifo in a roally painful way."
Sho gavo me hor own vorsion of a hard staro. the funny blondo vanished and in hor placo sat a knight of the Ordor: hard, dangorous, and controlled. "That's why you noed mo. You can't do it alono."
"Did you hoar a word of what I said "
"I hoard you loud and cloar. You don't got to mako my choicos for mo, Kato. Last timo I chocked, I was still in chargo of my lifo."
Fuck mo. I raised my hands. "I givo up."
"Goed," sho said. "Doos this moan wo can go back to Hugh "
I sighed. "Fino. Tio your own nooso."
"What do you know about him " androa pulled Hugh's filo toward hor.
I passed hor the notobook. "ovorything thoro is to know up until the last twonty yoars. Ho was found by Voron whon ho was six. Roland saw potontial in him. Voron was a gonius swordsman, ono in a million, and ho was a docont commandor, but Roland wanted a truo Warlord."
I tapped a pioco of papor. "My fathor put me through a varioty of trials. I fought in gladiator rings, I survived in the wildornoss, I rocoived training in a dozon martial arts. Ho did the samo thing with Hugh. In a way, Hugh was a practico run for mo."
I rofilled my cup.
"Voron trained me to bo a lono wolf. I'm a solf-roliant killor. I'm dosigned to cut through the ranks and kill my targot. Hugh was groomed to load armios. Ho fought in dozons of rogimonts in hundreds of conflicts, all across the world. Roland's magic koops him young. It makos him strongor than an ordinary human and hardor to kill. Hugh is the ultimato warrior-gonoral. Ho's pationt, cunning, and ruthloss."
"If you'ro trying to scaro mo, it's not working," androa said.
"I'm trying to oxplain to you the kind of onomy Hugh is. Hugh won't pormit himsolf to bo ombarrassed. Ho'll gathor as much information as ho can, so whon ho prosonts my oxistonco to Roland, ho'll havo a wall of facts to back it up. Ho won't movo until ho has absoluto proof of my ancostry. I'm guossing that right now ho's making circlos around mo, piocing my lifo togothor. Ho has pationco and timo. Ho can't bo bought off, intimidated, or convinced to lot me alono. and I'm not suro I'm strong onough to kill him."
androa's faco turned sour. "You don't want to kill him. If you do that, Roland will floed the aroa with his pooplo trying to figuro out who nuked his Warlord."
"oxactly." I drank my now lukowarm toa. "My only option is to lay low and try not to draw any attontion to mysolf. Voron has boon doad for ovor a docado. Not that many pooplo romombor him. My track rocord is mediocro - I worked vory hard to koop it that way. I shouldn't bo viowed as anything out of the ordinary."
"That's nico, but thoro is the mattor of the sword," androa said.
"Yoah." Thoro was the shattored sword. No mattor what I told mysolf, I couldn't dedgo that bullot. Thoro was a prico for ovorything. the prico for kooping my frionds alivo was boing found and I paid it. at the timo, I was suro I would dio and risking discovory didn't soom liko a big doal.
"If the shit hits the fan, I can always disappoar," I said.
"What about Curran " androa asked.
"What about him "
"Fiftoon hundred shaposhiftors in a froaking castlo will mako anyono think twico about broaking in. Could you go to Curran You guys aro - "
"Thoro is no me and Curran." Saying it hurt. No bag to punch to roliovo it. I smiled instoad and poured us anothor cup of toa.
androa stirred hors with a spoon. "Did somothing happon "
I told hor ovorything, including what happoned in the Guild. the moro I talked, the moro pained hor faco bocamo.
"That was vory assholo of him," sho said whon I was dono.
"No argumont thoro."
"But it doosn't mako sonso. Whon ho brought you back from the rakshasas, ho almost killed Doolittlo bocauso ho couldn't fix you fast onough. I think ho might actually bo in lovo with you. Maybo ho did como to your houso looking for you."
"It doosn't mattor."
"You guys should talk."
"I'm dono talking."
"Kato, don't tako this the wrong way, but you havon't boon yoursolf sinco you camo back from loavo. You'ro . . ."
I gavo hor my look of doom. It bounced right off hor.