Free The Humbled (The Lost Words: Volume 4) by Igor Ljubuncic

him. There were so many people coming and going, busy and pretending not to pay too much attention to his doings. He was grateful for what little privacy he got in this chaos. At least he had that.
    “You could say that.”
    The mercenary aahed knowingly. “That is why we have many women, Lord Count. Saves trouble. If there are two, you must choose one. Not an easy task. Makes things difficult.”
    “I can almost believe that,” Bart admitted. Sonya and Constance, eating biscuits and sipping hot tea together, chatting, gossiping. One or the other would end up stabbed with a spoon before the tea cooled.
    “You have a boy; that is good. Strong blood, strong ties. You have a future now. You have an heir. This is important. Men will respect you more now.”
    “Not quite.” He knew the Borei was all too aware of the political dynamics in the realm.
    Junner placed the last coin in a pouch, pulled the cinch tight, and made a complicated knot. Then he deftly and quickly stashed it into one of the many pockets of his hide vest. “Gotta feed my olifaunts now.” He stood up, and cursed as the resin drops on the bench sucked on his trousers like a giant limpet.
    Bart pointed at the game. “What, we don’t have time even for one little game?”
    Junner seemed wary. “You want to play against me, Lord Count? Why?”
    Bart realized he was grinning, his worries subdued for now. “Why not?”
    The mercenary was staring at him very intently. He looked concerned. “You gonna cheat?”
    Bart chuckled. “Come on, Junner, what do I know about cheating?”
    “Oh, that worries me, Lord Count.”
    Bart flicked his finger at one of the clerks. The man started, almost dropping his ledger. “Your Highness?”
    “Do you have any gold or silver on you?”
    The man’s eyes went wide. “Your Highness?”
    Bart shook his head. “Never mind.” He looked back at the Borei. “We will play this game upon honor. You will remember your winnings and losings. And then, afterward, you will go to Master Lorcan and ask him to pay you, should you win.”
    “No money now, we do not write anything down, just… word of honor?”
    Bart chuckled again at the terrified expression the other man was wearing. “Yes. Unless you wish me to ask one of those adjutants to bring me some paper—”
    “It is fine. We are men of honor, you and I.” Junner had that greedy glint in his eye again.
    Bart felt a tingle on his left cheek. He realized Constance was still there, watching him, a mix of forlorn worry and female persistence etched on her pretty face. He ignored her. He did not understand women, or children, but he sure understood how to lose money to a Borei mercenary. With perhaps too deliberate of a motion, he scooped up his pieces.
    “You don’t mind if I start?”
    Junner was leering like a monkey. “No, no, Lord Count. Please. But I’ll be watching your hands.”
    Laughing, Bart set about having some fun and depleting the nation’s coffers a tad more, ignoring reality, his wife, his mistress, and his potato-headed bastard of a son.

CHAPTER 6
    S ergei pulled on the reins and made his filly stop. She was a new animal, still somewhat unsure about her owner.
    He had named her Marusya. A fine, beautiful beast with a dark, glossy brown coat.
    Riding a horse through the city and out of its southern gate to stand in the field outside was perhaps too much of a symbol of pomp, power, and pride, but today, it was necessary. Very much so. He had a proper entourage tailing behind him, half his court and a sizable body of his soldiers, all dressed for the occasion.
    It was not a majestic procession, he had to admit, and the circumstances were almost comical. Roalas was a fairly small city, and it didn’t have the space and splendor of architecture that could create or amplify the needed effect of awe. Instead, he felt like a lazy, petty lord who could not be bothered to walk for a few moments at eye height with his citizens.
    Theo had told him Emperor Adam