get me on a horse.
What in the world do I have to do to prove to you…” I stopped
short. “No. Forget that. I don’t need to prove myself to you. I
have spent my entire life proving myself. I have proven myself.” I
pulled the coffee can out and took a few deep breaths to calm
myself. How in the world did that blasted man manage to get under
my skin each and every time he opened his mouth? I glanced at him
and tried not to notice how the flames turned his grey eyes amber
or how his arms bulged as he brought the axe down to cut some fire
wood. I knew part of the reason I couldn’t stand the man had
something to do with the fact I was starting to see him as exactly
that; a man. Another reason was that he refused to call me Chael
now that we were travelling, and insisted on talking to me as if I
was a woman. But you are a woman, my inner voice argued with
me.
“Chaela!” His voice broke through my internal
ranting.
I looked up, my intent to tell him to call me
Chael, but my voice caught in my throat. He was running toward me,
his dagger ready. My second warning not all was right was Whisk’s
growl just as my head exploded with pain and all went dark.
When I finally came to, my head was pounding.
I lay still, trying to remember what had happened. A groan to my
right made me open my eyes and my heart dropped.
“Ian!” He lay on his side, his hands tied.
He’d been beaten. He opened his eyes and tried to smile.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“My head hurts, but other than that, I’m
alright. What happened?”
“We were fighting… again. They managed to
sneak up on us. One got you on the head.”
“How many?”
“There were five.”
“Were?”
“There’s three now.”
The men around the fire laughed.
“Go get the Knight. He’s got to have some
expensive things on him. We can sell it when we reach another
town.”
Ian’s eyes widened as a man walked over and
grabbed me by one of my tied arms before dragging me back to the
fire. The man pushed me down to the ground in front of his friends
and proceeded to check the pockets of my vest.
“These vests are worth a fortune.” He frowned
as his hand brushed against my chest and he pulled my tunic up to
investigate. “By gods, this one’s a woman!”
His friend grunted. “Women aren’t allowed to
be Knights.”
“Well, obviously she’s pretending to be one.”
The man kneeling over me grinned. “Either way, this is turning into
a very profitable excursion.” He squeezed my face in his hand and
turned it from side to side. “She’s decent looking enough.” He
mumbled a few things to himself as he cut my band of cloth off and
took an appraising look.
“What do you think? Will she bring top
dollar?”
I looked on as Ian tried to get to his feet,
anger and fear fighting for a place on his face.
“She won’t if she’s pure. I had one man say
he wouldn’t pay a cent for a newbie. Complained as how he had to
wash the blood up afterwards.” He grinned and pulled his belt off
which he threw back behind him. “I suppose that’s an easy enough
fix, don’t you think, girly?”
Fear settled in my stomach. I raised my tied
hands awkwardly and tried to hit him. He laughed as the blow
glanced off of him.
“Come on, now. Be a good girl. This can be
fun for the both of us if you let it.” He started to unbuckle my
belt.
“If you so much as touch her, I will kill
you,” growled Ian. He threw himself at the man, driving his
shoulder into the other’s face. I rolled and grabbed the filthy
man’s belt, fumbling to get his dagger loose with my tied
hands.
Ian groaned and I quickly cut through my
ropes, only to be tackled to the ground as I turned. My lip split
with the impact of the man’s fist. I swung and shoved the dagger up
with all of my strength into his abdomen. The blood poured over my
hands. I pushed him off of me and stood, taking in the situation as
I did. Ian stood, his hands still tied in front of him, facing the
two
What in the world do I have to do to prove to you…” I stopped
short. “No. Forget that. I don’t need to prove myself to you. I
have spent my entire life proving myself. I have proven myself.” I
pulled the coffee can out and took a few deep breaths to calm
myself. How in the world did that blasted man manage to get under
my skin each and every time he opened his mouth? I glanced at him
and tried not to notice how the flames turned his grey eyes amber
or how his arms bulged as he brought the axe down to cut some fire
wood. I knew part of the reason I couldn’t stand the man had
something to do with the fact I was starting to see him as exactly
that; a man. Another reason was that he refused to call me Chael
now that we were travelling, and insisted on talking to me as if I
was a woman. But you are a woman, my inner voice argued with
me.
“Chaela!” His voice broke through my internal
ranting.
I looked up, my intent to tell him to call me
Chael, but my voice caught in my throat. He was running toward me,
his dagger ready. My second warning not all was right was Whisk’s
growl just as my head exploded with pain and all went dark.
When I finally came to, my head was pounding.
I lay still, trying to remember what had happened. A groan to my
right made me open my eyes and my heart dropped.
“Ian!” He lay on his side, his hands tied.
He’d been beaten. He opened his eyes and tried to smile.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“My head hurts, but other than that, I’m
alright. What happened?”
“We were fighting… again. They managed to
sneak up on us. One got you on the head.”
“How many?”
“There were five.”
“Were?”
“There’s three now.”
The men around the fire laughed.
“Go get the Knight. He’s got to have some
expensive things on him. We can sell it when we reach another
town.”
Ian’s eyes widened as a man walked over and
grabbed me by one of my tied arms before dragging me back to the
fire. The man pushed me down to the ground in front of his friends
and proceeded to check the pockets of my vest.
“These vests are worth a fortune.” He frowned
as his hand brushed against my chest and he pulled my tunic up to
investigate. “By gods, this one’s a woman!”
His friend grunted. “Women aren’t allowed to
be Knights.”
“Well, obviously she’s pretending to be one.”
The man kneeling over me grinned. “Either way, this is turning into
a very profitable excursion.” He squeezed my face in his hand and
turned it from side to side. “She’s decent looking enough.” He
mumbled a few things to himself as he cut my band of cloth off and
took an appraising look.
“What do you think? Will she bring top
dollar?”
I looked on as Ian tried to get to his feet,
anger and fear fighting for a place on his face.
“She won’t if she’s pure. I had one man say
he wouldn’t pay a cent for a newbie. Complained as how he had to
wash the blood up afterwards.” He grinned and pulled his belt off
which he threw back behind him. “I suppose that’s an easy enough
fix, don’t you think, girly?”
Fear settled in my stomach. I raised my tied
hands awkwardly and tried to hit him. He laughed as the blow
glanced off of him.
“Come on, now. Be a good girl. This can be
fun for the both of us if you let it.” He started to unbuckle my
belt.
“If you so much as touch her, I will kill
you,” growled Ian. He threw himself at the man, driving his
shoulder into the other’s face. I rolled and grabbed the filthy
man’s belt, fumbling to get his dagger loose with my tied
hands.
Ian groaned and I quickly cut through my
ropes, only to be tackled to the ground as I turned. My lip split
with the impact of the man’s fist. I swung and shoved the dagger up
with all of my strength into his abdomen. The blood poured over my
hands. I pushed him off of me and stood, taking in the situation as
I did. Ian stood, his hands still tied in front of him, facing the
two
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