Hawk (Vlad) Read Online Free Page A

made sure I hunched over so the blood wouldn’t go down my throat and pushed myself with my feet and rolled over on my back on top of her and then blood did go down my throat and coughing was maybe the worst thing ever, except I don’t remember much of it. I knew, as the world collapsed into a contracting tunnel of light, that she could heal me. I knew because she’d done so before; but then I’d been holding her in my hand. I wondered if she could do that while I was just sort of lying on top of her.
    Interesting question, I decided.
    The tunnel collapsed.

 
    2
    M AKING T RACKS OR M AKING A H OLE
    There’s a long time in there where I don’t know what happened, but I figured that either the other assassin didn’t manage to find me, or, more likely, didn’t know how helpless I was and decided he didn’t want to take on me and Lady Teldra by himself.
    The other possibility, that he was going for help, didn’t cross my mind.
    I know I dropped the knife I was holding, but Lady Teldra must have healed me fast enough to keep me breathing. At some point, I realized I was staring up at an empty sky, and I became aware that Loiosh and Rocza were next to me. I felt a little ill, and I knew that if I tried to stand I’d get sick, so I lay there. This stuff is hard to reconstruct after the fact.
    “Boss?”
    “I think we’re—” I had a moment of panic thinking of Lady Teldra, but then I connected her with the profoundly uncomfortable lump digging into my back. I rolled over. My right arm was working, so I took her into my hand. She felt warm, and almost seemed to be vibrating, though none of my senses were very reliable at that moment.
    “I think we’re okay,” I said, and closed my eyes.
    A little later I became aware that I was shivering.
    “Am I bleeding?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    My left hand was working, so I reached up and felt my throat. It hurt, but my fingers came away dry. I wondered if I could do something strenuous like, I don’t know, sit up. I tried. The world spun but settled down after a while.
    From time to time, Loiosh or Rocza would take off, fly around for a bit, then land again; the other would stay near me like I was a nest full of eggs.
    “I think we can conclude they’re gone,” I said.
    “Good call, Boss. What happened?”
    I tried to get to my feet, made it as far as my knees. I sheathed Lady Teldra, then used both hands to stand up. A few feet away was the body of someone who had almost been good enough. Almost will kill you. I put him out of my mind as I tried to walk. I wobbled for a bit, and the world spun; but after a minute it seemed like I might be able to move. I tried a step. It worked. I tried another.
    “Boss?”
    “Just let me concentrate on walking for a bit.”
    In a few more steps, I was doing all right—if I’d been seventy years old and had let myself go. But I moved. I worked my way back to the place in the park where I’d started, where I had a good view in all directions. It was dark, but lights from the City worked with the enclouding to provide a bit of illumination.
    I stopped there, breathing heavily, and tried to figure out my next move.
    I said, “I don’t know how they found me, but—”
    “Boss, are you all right?”
    “I’m fine. A bit dicey there for a minute, but it’s the first attempt I’m worried about.”
    “The first attempt? How many were there?”
    “Just two, I think. But—”
    “You think?”
    “I’m pretty sure. But— ”
    “Pretty sure? You’re pretty sure how many times—”
    “Loiosh, be quiet for a minute. I’m trying to tell you something. It’s the first attack I’m worried about. I mean the second. The first one here, in the park.”
    “Oh, well that’s good. I’m glad you weren’t worried about the one where you had to cut your own throat. No reason that should worry—”
    “You were the target, not me.”
    There was a significant pause, then, “Oh,” he said.
    “I should have been expecting