Hark: Still no quotes... Not going very well.



Chapter 15: Bodyguard against his will



"I'm telling you, you don't need to follow me," Shandara said to Entreri when they headed towards the main hall. "I don't think Aran will throw you out of the guild just because you let me walk alone for a moment."



"I'm not taking any chances," Entreri said, and Shandara wasn't - once again - sure whether he was joking or not. "And I wish to talk to him as well."



"Fine," Shandara sighed when they entered the main hall. "Wait here, please," she said. "This is private," she continued and headed towards the Shadowmaster, who was writing something by the light of few candles. The hall was almost empty, there were only four of Aran's bodyguards standing in each corner of the room.



"You still haven't rested," Shandara said in an accusing tone and sat down in front of Aran. The man put down the quill and looked at her sharply. "I thought I told you we would talk tomorrow."



"You did. And once again I decided to disobey you," Shandara said calmly. "I need to talk to you now. And I think Entreri will soon break my neck unless you find me a new bodyguard. Why on earth did you make him my bodyguard?"



"He's good," Aran answered. "I wanted you to have a bodyguard who can actually guard you. Of course, now that Faershan is back I need a bodyguard for her too."



"She's back?" Shandara said in a surprised voice. "You can get her a bodyguard, but I don't' think I need one. After all, you can't find bodyguards for all the whores, so why should I need one?"



"You're my friend," Aran said. "You and Faershan will both have guard, because I don't want anything bad to happen to either of you. Isaldora, well, I think she can take care of yourself, like Mitsu. Oh, and a guard for Mirjami too. Where do I find the people for that?"



"Alenson is a good option. And Jarlaxle and Entreri too. They have no reason to betray you. But please, get me someone else. Entreri can't stand me," Shandara sighed, looking at the assassin who was leaning on the wall. "Too bad. I wouldn't mind if he was around," she said, winking at Aran.



"Then he'll stay as your bodyguard," Aran said. "He won't hurt you, and you'll be safe. And you can have your fun, as long as you don't go too far."



"I never do," Shandara said. "And besides, I don't think that he's interested."



"Then it's his loss," Aran said. "You are perfect, my lady," he added, bowing his head. "And if things were different... Maybe we..."



"They're not," Shandara said quietly. "I love you, but things are what they are."



"And I love you, my dear," Aran said, taking Shandara's hand and kissing her fingers. "Please, be careful from now on. Entreri will take care of you, but you have to be careful around him also. Don't push him too far. He hasn't got anything to do with the new guild, but he may be... unstable. Or at least my informers have told me that when he returned to Calimport last time, his actions were strange. He didn't act like he used to did. Maybe it's a good thing, since he used to be a cold-blooded murderer."



"And you want him guarding me?" Shandara grinned. "I trust you. And for some reason I also trust him. So do you want to tell him the bad news, or should I do it?"



"If you could," Aran said when she got up. "I really don't need to argue with him now. I should get some rest, like everybody has been telling me to do."



"You do that. And don't worry. Things will get better. After all, we are the Shadow Thieves. We can't be beaten," Shandara said and winked. "I'll take care of Entreri, don't worry."



"I'll always worry about you," Aran whispered when Shandara walked away towards the assassin.



"Everything's in order then?" Entreri asked the woman when she reached him.



"Not really," Shandara said walking past him. "Come on, Aran is going to rest and it wouldn't help if you talked with him anyway. You're my new bodyguard. If you want to break some things, I have this old stool, and you're welcome to come and throw it at the wall."



"You can't be serious!" Entreri said, rushing after her and snatching her wrist. She looked at him calmly and pulled her hand free. "Don't do that. There's no use. And I promise that I'll be a good little girl," she added with an evil grin.



"You..." Entreri started, but then shook his head. "Very well. Seems like I have no other choice."



"No," Shandara said. "But don't worry, as I said, I'll be a good girl. We'll get along just fine as long as you don't treat me like dirt. Which I'm not," she said smiling. "Do we have a deal?"



"Yes," Entreri said. "And hopefully this will be over soon."



"You sure know how to make a girl feel appreciated," Shandara laughed. "Come on. We can talk. You need to know about my strange little habits so that they won't come to you as a nasty shock."



"How strange?" Entreri asked, with a little smile on his lips. Shandara smiled back and motioned him to follow. "Very strange. And you could tell me something about yourself. Or maybe not," she added when she saw the look on Entreri's face. "No need to tell me anything. Just listen and learn," she grinned. This would be difficult. But she was patient, and she trusted her charms. Artemis Entreri would learn to like her, that she had decided.