The man reached for it, but it was no longer there, claimed by Ludo almost the second it hit the ground. The second guard—Eppy or Prest or whatever his name was—hadn’t been idle while his buddy charged, drawing his own weapon and launching himself into the fray.

Now Ludo didn’t make a habit of playing with his foes, but this was a rare opportunity where he wasn’t the King’s Blade lurking in the shadows but a street brawler knocking the kingdom’s enforcers off their high horses. And knock them he did.

The second guard’s sword was added to Ludo’s collection with a flick of his own borrowed blade. The guard seemed to realize he was in over his head and turned to flee, but Ludo cut him off with a thrust of the man’s own sword. The guard pivoted and tried to go the opposite way, but Ludo merely stepped with him, like a strange dance. In the same motion, he offered the first guard a generous kick to the face just as he tried to regain his feet. He flopped back down and this time he didn’t move.

“Now, I’m sure we can work something out,” Eppy said. “Let me speak to Crando about your request.”

It was an obvious lie, but it still might’ve been successful had Ludo not been watching the man’s eyes. Eyes that had flicked over his shoulder twice now. He pretended not to notice, relying on instincts honed over years and the barely audible scrape of boots on stone as the final attacker—Guard Crandon himself—grew overzealous now that he was so close to his target.

Ludo spun, slamming his elbow down hard enough to crack stone—and therefore, bone—on Crandon’s arm. The man yowled and dropped his sword, which Ludo swiftly added to his growing arsenal.

Crandon staggered back, clutching his broken arm. As the fog lifted from his mind, his expression narrowed. “You…but that’s…that’s impossible. I saw your face. You were bloodied. Bruised. I carried you to your room.”

“It wasn’t my room, but that’s being nitpicky. The important thing is that I wish to express my gratitude for your fine service to the city of Kestrel and to me personally. Thank you, Guard Crandon.”

“The void?” Crandon said, frown deepening. “Are you serious?”

Ludo couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped from his lips. “Course not. I know all about you and your comrades’ skimming of funds from the city treasury.”

Both men’s eyes widened and they exchanged a furtive glance. “Who are you? Do you work for the Royal Treasury?”