Free Death and Honor: Book 2 of 2 by James Wisher

a table in the corner of the near empty room. Xander ordered steak, spiced potatoes, and bread. They split a bottle of good red wine. During the meal Sophia talked about the other girls and nice they all treated her. She also raved about how good the meal tasted. Xander smiled. He’d never seen her so happy. He would have paid twice the three gold pieces price to see the joy in Sophia’s face. She seemed to be getting over her days as a slave. He was even happier now that they didn’t need to leave the city. Sophia probably wouldn’t have handled the move well.
    They finished their meal and sipped the wine. “We’ll have to do this again,” Sophia said.
    “Maybe not so extravagant next time. I’m almost broke again.”
    Sophia smiled. “As long as you sit with me and we can enjoy it I don’t care what we eat.”
    “Deal.” He sighed. “I better get back. See you tonight.”
    Xander left Sophia sipping her wine and retraced his steps back to the guild hall. The day boss sat in his chair eating cheese and sausage. He glanced up when Xander entered. “Do you need anything done, sir?”
    The boss shook his head and jerked a greasy thumb toward the door leading deeper into the building. After that articulate exchange Xander went to find Kraven. Behind the door he found a long hall lined with doors. Halfway down was a staircase leading to the second floor. The first two doors were locked so he walked to the end of the hall and found the door open. He poked his head into a large dining hall. A dozen rough looking men and women sat in small groups talking. Xander spotted Kaylin deep in conversation with a handsome fellow he didn’t recognize. He doubted she’d appreciate him intruding, so he retreated to the staircase and went upstairs.
    At the top of the stairs the clacking of wooden practice swords greeted him. Xander grinned. He loved that sound. He followed his ears to a room with a thick padded mat in the center. Five men sat around the mat while two more sparred in the center with wooden swords.
    “This is where the enforcers train.”
    Xander about jumped out of his skin when Kraven spoke. “Could you please try to make a little noise?”
    “Sorry, force of habit. The day boss was impressed with your collection earlier.”
    “He must have had low expectations of he didn’t think I could handle an unarmed man.”
    “The last two he sent couldn’t”
    Xander shrugged. “I’m not them.”
    “Kraven.” A gravelly voice interrupted their conversation. Xander looked back to see a gray bearded man with a bad limp headed their way. “What do we have here?”
    “Master Jerrod,” Kraven said. “Allow me to introduce our newest enforcer. Xander this is Master Jerrod, he oversees the enforcer’s training.”
    Xander bowed at the waist. “Sir, I look forward to learning from you.” The other students laughed and Xander frowned.
    “Boy’s more polite than the thugs you usually bring me, but can he fight?”
    “He claims some skill with a blade,” Kraven said. Xander looked at him and he winked. “Why don’t you try him out yourself?”
    The old man grinned. “You read my mind. Anyone want to try the new guy?”
    Seven hands shot up. Xander’s frown deepened. Their eagerness showed a distinct lack of respect. He’d fix that.
    Jerrod pointed to a bald man about twenty years Xander’s senior. “You first Se’Wan.”
    Se’Wan got up and the other students helped him dress in a padded leather vest. Xander studied his opponent a moment. He was a big man with a broad chest, his whole body thick with muscle. Not as much as Crusher but enough that Xander would need to rely on his speed.
    “I’ll get you some protection,” Jerrod limped to the back of the room where a rack of padded swords sat. Beside the sword stand was a table covered with leather vests. Jerrod picked through them until he found what he wanted. He limped back with a sword and vest. “This is the smallest we’ve got.”
    Xander