Page 9 of Wolf Heir (Highland Wolves of Old #3)

If the man took Coinneach down in a few minutes and he couldn’t fight anyone else, how would that appear to others? That he couldn’t fight well and join the men who worked for Hamish.

No one wanted to challenge the big man, and Coinneach straightened his shoulders and headed for him. The warrior flexed his massive muscles in a show of strength and intimidation. Coinneach wasn’t backing down. He either did this or he didn’t, but he had to try his best.

The man’s blue eyes widened as Coinneach approached him.

Coinneach was not as muscled as this man, though when he was dressed for winter, he looked a lot bulkier, like the man before him. Yet he had worked hard all his life, and he thought he could make a good show of it.

“Are you sure you want to fight me?” the blond-haired man asked, giving Coinneach the option of backing out. He wore his hair back in a tail, his muscles spectacular, and Coinneach knew the warrior would use them to his advantage.

“Aye.”

He grinned. “I’m Aodhan. You have guts, I’ll give you that.” His eyes were as vivid a blue as the sea washing up near shore.

Coinneach was always ready for a challenge. “I’m Coinneach.”

As soon as Aodhan swung his sword at Coinneach, he felt the wash of air sweep across his bare chest and leaped out of the way. If Aodhan’s sword had connected with Coinneach’s, he knew he would have been separated from it as much force as Aodhan had used to try and hit Coinneach’s sword.

Coinneach quickly swung at Aodhan, connecting his sword with a clang.

“No’ bad.” Aodhan returned with a swing that could have cut a man in half.

Again, Coinneach dodged the blow, using the techniques Alasdair had taught him over the years to fight a heavier foe.

“You have wits,” Aodhan said as Coinneach came in for a counterattack and easily swept Aodhan's sword to the side with a clank.

“You carry a Viking sword,” Aodhan finally said, noticing the weapon Coinneach carried.

Coinneach did, though he hadn’t had the honor of killing the Viking, and he didn’t want to let on that he did.

Since Aisling had sworn him to secrecy that she had killed the Viking as a wolf, he’d kept her secret, though he’d wanted to tell everyone of her bravery, that Aisling had killed the raider as a wolf.

“Mayhap you are better at sword fighting than I gave you credit for.”

While Aodhan was wasting his breath in conversation, Coinneach was strategizing. Somehow, he had to take down the mountain of a man before Coinneach wore out.

He rushed forth, getting so close that he caught Aodhan off guard. He grabbed Aodhan’s massive arms, his sword still in hand, slid his leg behind Aodhan’s right leg, and, kicking back, shoved him hard at the same time with all his might.

Despite or maybe because of Aodhan’s massive bulk and size, the giant couldn’t stop himself from falling and landed on his back on the ground.

Coinneach, relieved to the gods that the maneuver had worked on a man that size, a maneuver he had practiced with Tamhas until his brother could take Coinneach down, was worried now that Aodhan would be furious and take him to task.

Aodhan sat up and actually grinned at him. “You are all right.”

Coinneach offered his hand to Aodhan to help him up as a gesture of friendship. Aodhan could have pulled him right down, but he took Coinneach’s hand and helped himself up, mostly on his own. Then Coinneach realized that more than half the fighting men were watching them.

They all cheered to see that the bout had ended on friendly terms.

“You will sit beside me at the meal,” Aodhan said. “Now go. Fight someone your own size.”

Coinneach laughed. “You are a fearsome warrior to be reckoned with. If you’d hit my sword even once, I would have been done for.”

“It would never have happened. Not with your fleetness of foot.”

Coinneach inclined his head in thanks, then went off to fight someone else, but no one seemed to want to fight him after he had beaten Aodhan, even if it was in an unusual way.

Alasdair joined him and slapped him on the back. “I nearly died when I saw you take on Chief Hamish’s champion. You did well, my friend. Come, fight me so you can get in some more practice.”

Aodhan was Hamish’s champion just like he’d suspected!

After Coinneach and Aodhan fought, both had sweat beading their chests and faces. Both were flushed with exertion, their hearts beating wildly from their previous fights. Coinneach glanced around for Aisling.

Giving him a half smile, she looked relieved that he hadn’t gotten himself killed. He was relieved he hadn’t either.

“Let’s do it.” Coinneach had wanted to fight others to prove to himself that he could. But Alasdair had been trained well, and so any practice proved helpful.

They squared off and were about the same size, so Coinneach could still get a workout.

“You were holding out on me,” Alasdair said.

“How’s that?”

“You have to teach me that maneuver you used to take Aodhan down. Chief Hamish asked me who you are.”

“Oh?” Coinneach struck Alasdair’s sword and knocked him back a few paces.

To their surprise, another man stopped them and said to Coinneach, “I’ll take you on.”

Alasdair looked to see if Coinneach agreed.

Coinneach nodded. “More later, Alasdair.”

“Aye, to be sure.”

Coinneach was glad to fight someone else who might use some techniques different from what Alasdair had taught him and his brother.

This man was good, though, as he fought Coinneach, and he assumed that’s why he challenged Coinneach. Maybe to prove to the rest of their men that Coinneach wasn’t anyone to fear.

Coinneach put every ounce of his heart and muscles into the battle. He swung his sword with precision and a cool head, nearly knocking his opponent’s sword from his grasp. In a real fight, Coinneach wouldn’t have allowed him to recover.

“Who are you? One of Chief Alasdair’s elite warriors?” the man asked, striking back at him, and Coinneach quickly deflected the blow.

He couldn’t help but be pleased that the man, skilled in sword fighting, would think that a mere farmer was an elite warrior.

“I’ve never seen you before. I would have remembered you.”

“Coinneach. I’m friends with Alasdair but work on a farm under Chief Hamish’s rule.”

“Coinneach,” the man said, thrusting his sword at Coinneach. “I’m Drustan.”

Again, Coinneach deflected it with a clash and thrust at the man, who had to parry and step back. “I’m in charge of our warriors. How did a farmer learn to fight so well?”

“Alasdair. He has been a good friend of mine for years.”

“You carry a Viking sword.”

Coinneach couldn’t pretend to have killed the Viking. He hoped Drustan wouldn’t tell anyone else, but felt he had to tell the man the truth. “Aye. My lass killed the Viking as a wolf, just so you know I didna kill him with a pitchfork.”

Drustan laughed.

“I beg you no’ to tell anyone else about this because she doesna want anyone to know.”

“Who is she?”

If Coinneach didn’t give a name, no one would still know. But something made him believe he could trust the man. “Aisling.”

“One of Cook’s assistants? She is as talented as you are when you took down Aodhan. No one has ever bested him. Ever. Do you have kinfolk who can help manage the farm?”

“My da and mother and my twin brother Tamhas.”

“Then your brother, if he is capable, will take over the farm when your da can no longer manage. And you will work for me. What say you?”

Overwhelmed at the idea that it would truly come to pass, Coinneach stared at him in disbelief.

In his wildest dreams, he had always hoped to do more with his life beyond farming.

But he couldn’t decide such a thing without talking to his family first to make sure they would be all right with it, even though he had spoken to them about this before.

Before now, he hadn’t had a real plan. Though he knew his brother was much more suited to farming than he was.

“I would be honored, but I must speak with my family first.”

“Aye, as it should be. I’ll expect you to be here first thing in the morning, and you’ll stay in the barracks with the other bachelors.

” Drustan sounded like he didn’t take no for an answer.

“You need a lot of training, but have the courage, wit, and strength to fight the other men. Mayhap you were a bit reckless in taking on Aodhan, but sometimes taking chances will mean the difference between life and death.”

“I couldna conscientiously have left him without a sparring partner.”

“And you didna know any better.”

Coinneach smiled. He had known better. He just had to prove his worth in any way that he could.

After Coinneach spoke with Drustan, everyone headed to the great hall to eat.

Alasdair joined Coinneach and said, “What do you think of that?”

“I want my brother to have the farm one day, so I could find my own way in the world. I just hope my family is ready for it.”

Alasdair nodded. “They will be proud of you.”

Coinneach hoped they wouldn’t be disappointed. But one day, Tamhas would have a wife and children, and Coinneach wouldn’t be needed there. Being closer to Aisling was what Coinneach wanted more than anything. Somehow, he would convince her mother he was a good choice as a mate for Aisling.