He eyed the newest of his belongings, an elegant, shiny black walking stick with a silver skull handle and a lethal sword hidden inside that he’d received as a gift from Tuan. It was so much like the one used by Moriarty in the old Sherlock Holmes television series that he’d annoyed Tuan and Edward by laughing out loud. While it was true he knew how to handle a sword without killing himself—from spending the time with a Kendo master at Donte’s home in Spain—it wasn’t likely that he’d survive against even a moderately experienced opponent. But it made him look so very cool. Adin stood in front of the mirror, holding it, playing with it a little a la Fred Astaire, until he heard a knock on the door. He called out, and when he heard Boaz’s voice on the other side he opened it. Boaz entered and looked at the cane in his hand. “You are going to get yourself killed with that thing.”
