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tasted everything she cooked, and happy for the same reason. Lokun
approached the girl who was serving food to anyone who dropped
money into the box next to her.
35
 Good morning Lokun.
He stopped and stared at her. He had been thinking of himself
as that name all yesterday and this morning. He hadn t even noticed
the transition until now. How had she known? He was suddenly at a
loss for how to react. The girl realized that she had said something
wrong and tried to explain.  Anya told everyone your name, She said,
 I hope that she did not give you offense for doing so.
He didn t respond. He regained his composure. Let them call
him what they will. The name did suit him, after all. He tossed the
three silver coins that comprised his wealth into the box beside her.
The geisha, unsurprised at his attitude and lack of response, piled eggs
and bacon onto a plate and handed it to him. She also added a sweet
pastry to his plate and winked at him.
 The yokasura is free, for you. She said. She filled a large
mug with some fruit juice and his breakfast was complete.
Lokun could be a picky eater at times.  What type of juice is
this?
The girl smiled and replied,  Basu fruit. Elsie has an orchard
out in the country in the south. As a matter of fact she 
 Get to work Lilly, Elsie shouted from across the kitchen,
 Keep the line moving and don t bother people with your mindless
talk.
Lokun could live with basu. It was the most common fruit that
grew in the hard soil around Amaya and, though boring, didn t taste
too bad. With plate and mug in hand, Lokun left the kitchen to find a
place to eat. All the couches and chairs were taken and many people
were sitting on the floor. He returned to the corner next to the
entrance where he had slept and sat upon the wood flooring. In a
matter of minutes his plate was empty except for the yokasura and his
cup was drained. He leaned back against the wall, munching on the
pastry, and thanked Meku for his full belly. Elsie crossed the room
from the kitchen to the piano and sat down to play. Strangly he though
that he might never again be more content nor feel as happy. He
glanced around to see if he could find Anya, but she wasn t in the
common room.
Lokun let the music distract him from his mental fatigue and a
light began to shine within the murky void of his soul. He had not had
another vision and his mind seemed clear. There was hope, he
thought.
36
Perhaps this distraction was why he did not hear the footfalls
outside or the telltale clank of Royal splintmail. But what could he
have done even then? Later he would not be able to remember if an
explosion was used to break down the door or if the door had been
bashed open. The door flew inward and chaos filled the room. The
guards tossed something into the room and another explosion
splattered Lokun with blood from some poor geisha who had been on
one of the couches. There were so many guards, he couldn t count
them. They rushed in. Royal and Amayin guards began the most
inhuman slaughter he had ever witnessed. Geisha and customers who
had not been killed in the blast were impaled or cut down like animals.
Elsie was the first to go after the blast. An arrow pierced her skull and
she dropped, limp, upon the piano. The notes rang out in the air as
bells tolling a funeral march.
Lokun did not stand by and idly watch this. As quickly as it
began he reacted. When the first guards began to enter he grabbed one
from behind and thrust his dagger deep into his side. The guards had
evidently expected this raid to offer no resistance and did not realize
right away that someone was fighting back. Smoke from the explosion
and from the subsequent fire poured into the room and obscured view
for more than a few feet. Lokun deftly slid through the fog towards
the guards. He saw one guard towering over Anya. Hadn t she been
upstairs? No time to think about that. The guard lifted his katana to
strike at her head. Lokun subconsciously wondered what the hell he
was doing as he dove over one of the flaming couches and steel met
steel. Lokun crouched between the guard and Anya, attacking the
guard viciously. This was a Royal Guard and the soldier lost no time
in yelling to his comrades that a kaiosu was in the building. In that
instant however, Lokun nicked the guards hand with the tip of his
dagger. A scratch at best, but it was all that was needed. The guard s
hand went into spasms as the poison pumped through the blood. The
man s arm jerked and he dropped the katana. Lokun slipped his dagger
into the guard s stomach as he fell. The guard was dead, however he
had done his damage: the other troops knew that they had opposition. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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