Dragon's Fire

Talon shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's not impossible."

The cleric looked at her, but said nothing. If she's gonna talk, she'll talk without me telling her to, he thought. They rode along in silence for a while, before Talon spoke again.

"Aren't you even curious, handsome?"

The cleric simply shrugged. "If you want to tell me, you will."

Talon shrugged. "If you're going to rely on me, shouldn't you know something about me?"

The cleric shrugged. "I know enough."

"Oh, do you now?" Talon looked interested. "What exactly do you know?"

"That your skills are sufficient for what I need. That you're wanted, in several kingdoms. And that you seem to have an invincibility complex."

"Is that how you see it?"

The cleric shrugged.

"Invincible? Not by a long shot. I may not value my own life much, but I'm far from invincible. I can fail at jobs, and I can get caught. Understand that now, Shadow."

"The infamous Talon, caught? I'd never believe it," the cleric replied sarcastically.

"How do you think I got the reputation I have now? Not by my own bragging, I'll tell you that."

"Then why do I hear so many stories about your work?"

"Because most of my colleagues feel the need to advertise my services. Not my choice, but I can't silence them."

The cleric raised his eyebrows at that, but was silent, realizing that he was hearing something important.

"Most of the fact that I'm wanted stems from a failed escapade several years ago. A lot went wrong with that one, including bad information. The result was that I spent several months in a very unhealthy dungeon, being questioned, and doing my damnedest to survive. Luckily, the authorities in that kingdom had an intense interest in learning everything about every crime I ever committed, so that I could be executed for all of it, not just the one they caught me at..."