Kyler's Justice (Assassins of Gravas Book 3) - N.J. Walters Page 0,59

was Maggs, not Sera, making the observation. Her soft voice reached his ears and likely the ones of those listening. They’d lived all their lives confined to a small area. Were they scared?

The ice around his heart hardened. Not by a twitch of a muscle did he show any discomfort. He finally turned left and headed toward a nondescript door at the end of the corridor.

The entrance to the king’s private office.

He came to a halt and waited. And waited. Behind him, one of the girls began to fidget. “Why did we stop?” Sera finally whispered.

“Shh,” Etta cautioned.

The door slid soundlessly open. Kyler walked toward the man seated behind a large desk. King Agman el Gravaso was in his early sixties, his hair and beard laced with gray, but he was still as imposing as ever. A warrior to his core, his back was straight, his eyes direct.

Kyler went to one knee and bowed his head.

“You refused to answer my previous call?” A thread of steel ran through the question.

Standing, he lowered his head in a nod. “It seemed prudent at the time.”

The king steepled his fingers together and leaned back in his chair. “I see. And who are your guests?”

He stepped to one side. “This is Etta Mortis and her sisters Sera and Maggs.” All three of them had lowered their hoods, as he’d instructed them to do once they were in the king’s presence.

“Half-sisters,” he corrected.

“They’re my sisters, your highness.” Etta’s voice was mostly steady with only the finest quiver as she challenged the king. “Now that their mother is dead, I’m all they have.”

“They have a father.”

She shook her head. “Helldrick has never been a father, except perhaps to Balthazar.”

“Ah, yes. Balthazar is no longer a problem.”

Even though the king had received a full report, Kyler nodded. “Yes, sire.”

He reached across his desk and pressed the intercom system. “Send them in.”

Kyler’s muscles tensed, but he kept from going for his weapons. That would not end well for any of them. He forced himself to relax only to tense again as two men and two women joined them. The men he knew well. Spear el Gravaso was an elite assassin. The woman beside him had to be Sass, the woman he’d married. According to his intel, she was also a deadly assassin. Beside them was Ivar, looking hale and hearty, with a dark-skinned woman beside him. Delphi. She was also a dangerous killer, having been raised with Sass.

Four to one, if you didn’t count the king. He could take them.

Doing something totally out of character, Kyler tossed his hood back and stared at them, letting them see the promise of death there. The three assassins stared back, giving away nothing in their expressions. Ivar seemed amused. The king frowned.

“Why?”

He faced the man he’d served his entire life. “I have been the king’s blade for more than a decade.” He heard the intake of breaths from the small group by the king. The men, at least, understood the significance of that. Had their father not told them who they were meeting? “You deserve to see the face of the man you are questioning.”

This was an interrogation, for all the thick carpeting on the floor, the silken-covered chairs, and fine art adorning the walls. If it had been a simple briefing, the king would never have allowed the others entrance. Only the king saw his blade.

“Report,” he snapped, his voice hard and cold as a whip.

Before he could begin, Etta stepped up beside him. “If I may?” She cleared her throat and looked toward Ivar. “I owe you a huge apology. I’m sorry for my part in your abduction. Balthazar told me he only wanted to question you. I know better. I knew it was wrong. I shouldn’t have done it. I should have found a better way.”

Pride filled him as she then turned her attention to the king. “Your majesty, I understand I must pay for my crimes, but the girls are innocent. I ask that you spare them and find them a home. One where they’re safe.”

The king’s brows lowered and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “You ask much.”

Etta shook her head, making the curly tail at the back of her head bounce. “They are innocent children. They didn’t ask to be dragged into this mess.”

The tension spun out, winding around all of them. No one moved.

Ivar cleared his throat. The king glanced toward his son, who nodded.

“So be it,” he proclaimed. “The children will be found