Page 23 of Blood Fist
The man with the dual knives nodded, his lips twisting into a smile. “It was. He is a fine swordsman.”
“And Henroen,” she addressed the big man with the mustache. “Was it not Corric who rode out with you to the base of the mountains to gather the berries your mate is so fond of?”
“Aye, Chief. She made a pie.”
A smirk worked its way across the powerful woman’s face. “Doesn’t sound much like a captive to me.”
General Bargrave guffawed, forcing his laugh to linger for longer than was necessary. Even Brune could see it as a stalling tactic.
“And we are just supposed to take your word for it? The word of aClansmen?”
Osmond reached for his sword, but the chief lifted her hand to stop him. She didn’t bother to answer Bargrave, just continued staring him down. Brune couldn’t even smell her scent. She was subduing the man with the power of her presence alone.
He shifted uncomfortably. “Why don’t you bring the boy out, then? Show him to us so that we may judge his…freedoms.”
Chief Restrina stood, swinging her weapon gracefully out of her way. “Because unlike you,” she hissed, her fangs dropping. “I do not use children to fight my battles. I do notsell pupsoff to be wed before they have even presented.”
Bargrave growled, his lips pulled back to reveal uneven fangs. “The omega was promised to me by his alpha?—”
Chief Restrina snarled over him, fingers white where they gripped the staff of her weapon. “You are finished here,” she slammed the staff down onto thewooden floor, the men behind her stepping up and drawing weapons as one.
“This parley has ended. Take your men and get out of my clan. When we meet again, it will not be with words, but blade to blade. And I swear by Artrax’s Teeth, you will have to rip each and every bone from my body before I let you near a single one of my children.”
His scent of old moss becoming unbearable, Bargrave looked like he was ready to meet her challenge. “We shall see.” His words were garbled around his dropped fangs.
With another snap of his cloak, he turned and pushed his way through the gaggle of soldiers. Osmond followed as they retreated through the village. He didn’t stop until they were back into the darkness, disappearing as quietly as he’d appeared.
CHAPTER SIX
A WARRIORS HEART, COWARD’S MIND
Brune shifted on his feet, trying to keep the blood flowing. Falling asleep was a hazard of guard duty, especially when there was nothing but darkness to look at. He sighed, trying to focus on his duties.
This time it wasn’t the exhaustion or the boredom, it was quite the opposite. He felt like his heart was racing. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get the events of the night before out of his mind.
He hadn’t spent much time considering what the Clansmen would be like. Perhaps that was a mistake, but he highly doubted anything he could have conjured in his mind would be close to reality. They were so unique. From the way, they disregarded secondary gender to the informality of their military structure.
But the strangest thing of all was that they weren’t strange at all. Even with his quick glimpse around the clan, he saw all the things he would see back home—laundry hanging to dry, children peeking around cautious parents. Save they seemed to be well fed and clean, strip their clothes and the location and they were no different from the people of Kaledonea.
Which brought him back to his ache inducing thoughts.Why are we here?Folsom said it was for land. And land the Clansmen had in abundance. Their success could be seen in the camp dogs and cats. Brune had never seen so many. Back in Kaledonea they were skinny mangy things, if you saw them at all. Most of them were caught to be eaten. Here they were fat with sleek coats and wagging tails. Even horses were rare in Kaledonea, only the richest nobles able to afford keeping them.
Perhaps it was Brune’s lack of political sense, but this seemed like a lot of trouble for just some land. It reminded him of the story he heard as a child—the one where the knight attacked the dragon guarding the princess without stopping to askwhythe dragon was there at all. Wouldn’t it be better to ask the Clansmen for help rather than attack them?
And then there was the missing Tylock prince. General Bargrave seemed to think he was being held against his will, but Chief Restrina said he was given weapons and freedoms. The only time the dominant alpha lost her cool at all was when Bargrave suggested bringing the prince into the fold.
Brune might not know much about politics, or much about anything at all, but he knew when an alpha was defending their pack.
After the officers left, he’d asked Niklas about the missing prince. He said he hadn’t even known he was gone. King Krait said he left for an education and the household staff never questioned it. No one did. The prince’s mother had long since died and his only sibling had been married off for an alliance or some such.
But to find that he’s been here, possibly for a while, and King Krait is just now coming for him?
Brune could understand fighting for a child, but it allseemed so…strange. And there was discomfort growing in his stomach over it. Back when he was just running drills and trying not to upset officers, he didn’t care about the whys. He was getting fed. He had a bed and a roof. It was all he could ask for.
But now he was looking at war. A full-blown battle where people will lose their lives, and for what? Land? Food? A missing prince no one even knew was gone?
His younger self would be kicking him in the shins for thinking this way. Food! Comfort! That was all that mattered. Or at least, it did. Now he wasn’t so sure. Now he wondered if he was going to be standing on the right side of the battlefield.
Was he ready to stand beside General Bargrave? To take up arms on his say? Yesterday he was. But after meeting Chief Restrina, he wasn’t so sure.