Free Blackstone (Book 2) by Honor Raconteur Page A

that.
    With the table settled, the same two men scurried about
grabbing cushions and set them out at intervals.
    “Please, sit,” the woman councilor—he’d forgotten her
name—invited in that cool, clear voice.
    Wolf had no idea if there was a proper place for guests to
be, so hung back until half the guild had found a spot, then he sat with his
back to a wall and a clear view of both doors. It was also on the end of the
table, so he could stretch his legs out.
    The councilor that was introduced as a strategist, Hyun Woo,
came and sat directly next to him. Under those bushy eyebrows were sharp eyes,
weighing and measuring Wolf without censure. “Eric Wolfinsky, was it?”
    “Or Wolf,” he invited, “As you prefer.”
    Hyun Woo’s eyebrows arched. “In this land, we call people by
nickname only if we share a very close relationship with them.”
    “In Robarge, you only hear your full name if it’s official
business or you’re in trouble with Siobhan,” Wolf responded dryly. “I answer to
Wolfinsky just as well, if you’re more comfortable with that.”
    “I am, thank you.” Hyun Woo gave him an inclination of the
head, meaning he was grateful for…something. Wolf didn’t know the nuances of
this culture well enough to figure out what. “Man Fei Lei-gui introduced you
earlier as an enforcer. I am not familiar with this word. Could you explain?”
    “Warrior, or fighter, that is a set protector over a guild.”
Wolf tapped a finger against the table’s surface, trying to find the words to
explain something that he just naturally did. “Guardian might be the best word.
The safety of the entire guild is in my hands. I am responsible for them.”
    Hyun Woo’s head cocked to one side, then to the other,
showing that he had heard, even though he didn’t understand completely. “Is not
your guildmaster in charge of that?”
    “Well, she is, but she runs the guild as a whole. The
business side of it is what she does, and looks out for her members on a
general level. But if there’s danger near any one of them, I am the one to
respond. Well, either me, Fei, Tran, or Rune. We’re all enforcers in the
guild.”
    “Then, if the guild was a kingdom, you four are its
soldiers?”
    That seemed an odd analogy to make, in this land that had
not seen governments of any sort in hundreds of years, but Wolf flipped over a
hand in agreement. “Yes, I suppose.”
    “Then it is you four that I must teach how to fight as a
unit.” Hyun Woo sat back, satisfied. “Siobhan-jia stated earlier that the
knowledge of how to fight as an army, in a united front, was unknown to the
world now. This is true?”
    “Very,” Wolf grimaced. “Even in a guild, we don’t always
fight that way. We watch each other’s backs, sure, but our fighting styles
don’t blend well together. We’re more likely to get in each other’s way.”
    Hyun Woo nodded, not surprised. “Then first, to teach you
how to fight in a unit. That must be done before we talk of battle strategies.
An army that cannot be broken into smaller units is not an army at all. It is a
mob. Siobhan-jia said that you will stay at least a week? Good. Then gather
your fellow enforcers and meet me at the main field in the morning. We will begin
learning then.”
    Wolf felt a thrill go straight up his spine at the idea of
learning more tactics. That was always a pleasurable way to spend a day. “I
will.”
    Fei came around the table and leaned down next to Wolf’s ear
long enough to whisper, “Pour the man’s drink. It’s a polite way of saying
thanks for the offer he just gave you.”
    He gave him a glance, showing that he heard. Satisfied, Fei
moved off, going around to sit at Siobhan’s side again. Wolf reached for the
small decanter of clear liquid sitting on the table. Lifting it up, he gave
Hyun Woo a look that asked, can I?
    Eyes crinkling up in a smile, Hyun Woo held out his glass,
which was no bigger than a man’s palm, and held it steady as Wolf filled