Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Jessie Eaker (best reads txt) 📖

With a sudden jerk, she won free and launched herself at Fumiko.

Fumiko didn’t even blink. She spun and gave the woman a swift kick to her head. The woman staggered back against one of the tables, knocking it over in the process, before proceeding to collapse to the floor.

The room immediately broke into confusion. The customers that had been sitting at the table jumped up and began yelling at her. The innkeeper nudged us aside, grabbed the woman by the collar, and hauled her out the door. He returned a moment later to retrieve her lyre, but when he bent to pick up her fallen dagger, he found Fumiko’s foot on it. He wisely decided not to argue. With a wary eye on those in the room, she bent to pick it up and tuck it in her belt. It was of the same dark forging as her own blade.

The innkeeper made shooing motions and herded us out the door.

Spraggel sighed. “That was a record even by my standards. They usually don’t kick me out until I’ve had at least one.”

We stepped outside to find the woman sitting on the ground with her back propped up against the inn’s exterior wall. Her nose leaked blood, and there was already a bruise beginning to darken her face. The innkeeper set the instrument beside the woman, before giving both Fumiko and me a last glance and retreating inside.

I was surprised when Fumiko held the dagger, handle first, out to her assailant. The woman looked up at her through her long hair. She took it carefully from Fumiko and made it disappear into her clothing.

“What happened to the others?” Fumiko asked, without a single trace of emotion in her voice.

“Gone. Most dead. A few like me living on scraps and memories,” she answered in thickly accented Ellish. The woman glanced at me and then the rest of our party. Her eyes finally moved back to Fumiko. “It would be better for them if you let me kill you.”

“I will decline the offer.”

“There will be others. They have not forgotten.”

“I will deal with them.”

The woman grabbed her lyre and stood but paused to gaze levelly at Fumiko. “No one can deal with him.”

Fumiko returned the gaze. “If you try again, you will die.”

The woman gave a bitter laugh. “Then you might be doing me a favor.” She turned and walked away.

Fumiko stared into her back as she went down the street. She gave no hint of emotion, but when I glanced to her right hand, she was gripping it so hard it was white.

Fumiko suddenly turned, and we fell in behind her, heading in the opposite direction of the woman.

“What was that all about?” I asked. “You had said there was a bounty for you.”

Fumiko looked at me with sad eyes and shook her head. “No, that one had been for revenge.”

“Revenge for what?”

“I destroyed them,” she stated flatly.

“What?”

But she would say no more. I glanced at her stoic face as we made our way to another inn.

What exactly had she done?

CHAPTER TWENTY

Love and

Death

As I expected, Fumiko approached me as we were preparing to sleep. And honestly, I was dreading it. We had quickly found another inn and decided it best to only get one room, both from a funds perspective and for protection. The room was small and had no bed, so there was not much space for us to spread out our blankets.

Spraggel was snoring within a heartbeat of lying down. I didn’t think he got much sleep the previous night, and combined with our long walk, had completely tired himself out.

We settled Zofie down on her blanket next to me with Fumiko on the other side. Cabrina, who had been silent most of the day, took a spot by the door and agreed to take first watch. Considering the attacker today, we thought it prudent to keep our guard up.

I too was exhausted from our journey, because at least from my reckoning, we had traveled half the world in only three days. I had been hoping for a reprieve, but no such luck.

Fumiko knelt beside my blanket and patiently waited for me to finish with Zofie. I looked up at her with tired eyes and almost asked if we could wait. I had to admit, her method was effective. I was quickly mastering skills that I would never have dreamed of only a few weeks ago. Fumiko and I had spent time practicing just at sunset, and the results were noticeable. But each session took a toll, leaving me feeling a little shaken. Especially the last one. Even though it wasn’t my memory, I could not get out of my mind the battered and bruised face of the girl Fumiko had killed.

As we considered each other, I could tell she was reluctant to share further memories. She was baring her soul to me. I would never again think of her as a mousey girl who liked books and quiet evenings by herself.

“I apologize for this, but we will be in the palace by tomorrow. I need to reinforce some of the skills you’ve received.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

She shuffled around to kneel beside my head. When she touched my temples, her hands were cold, and I could feel a slight tremble.

“Are you all right?” I asked in concern.

Her eyes held sadness. “You wanted to know why I have a price on my head. This memory will explain it.”

I shook my head. “Fumiko, if it’s that painful, you don’t have to....”

She put a gentle finger to my lips. “You need to know. And at the right time, you are free to share this with Zofie. I release you from your earlier promise not to share. It