Erich propelled him forward with one hand in the center of his back. There was no going back, so Connor strode into the firelight beside Verena with feigned confidence.
Everyone turned to stare. The soldiers could have all passed for brothers. They were tall, broad-shouldered, with wide, rugged faces, close-cropped blond hair and blue eyes. They watched Connor with unreadable expressions.
On one side of the fire, a woman wearing a brown linen dress sat beside a whip-thin fellow with a pinched face. He bounced slightly up and down as he sat. Another woman, wearing a long, blue dress, stood off to one side of the group in the deeper shadows farther from the fir. She wore her black hair pulled back, and her eyes glittered with an inner fire as she looked at him.
Erich moved up beside Connor and said something loudly in a harsh, guttural tongue. A tall, shapely woman rose and called out something in reply and laughed. Her voice was rich and smooth. She wore her thick, blond hair tied in a braid that fell to her waist, and she dressed in black leathers like Erich. They looked a lot alike, and had to be siblings.
Another woman rose from where she sat at the far side of the fire and drew Connor's gaze as she approached. Slender, with raven-black hair, she shared the same bright blue eyes as most of the men, and dressed in the same black leathers as Erich and his sister.
She had to be a full Linn or noble-born Meur, although Connor had no idea if the Grandurian classes were equivalent to those in Obrion. Her face was strong and she walked with confidence. Connor couldn't guess at her age. She wasn't old, but wasn't young either.
Erich saluted smartly. She nodded a reply, looked to Verena, who grinned and made a little bobbing motion that might have been some kind of curtsy, and finally turned her piercing gaze on Connor.
"What have you brought us, Verena?"
Verena, still holding Connor's arm, gave it a squeeze. "This boy is going to show us the way across the mountain."
The soldiers around the fire did not outwardly react, but tension seemed to drain from them. The thin, nervous fellow jumped to his feet, but slowly sat again at a gesture from the woman seated beside him.
The woman facing Connor smiled and extended a hand and shook with a firm grip. "Very good. What is your name, boy?"
Again with the boy?
It had to be a problem with translating from Grandurian.
"Connor."
"I am Ilse, captain of this company."
Captain? She looked tiny compared to the warriors. How was it possible? Granadure must be a strange place.
"Where is this trail?" Ilse asked without preamble.
Before he could reply, the flap of a nearby tent he hadn't noticed before whipped aside and a young woman marched out, past a pair of soldiers stationed to either side. She strode into the firelight and made straight for Connor.
He stared, transfixed.
Her figure was trim, but fuller than Jean's or Verena's. Her features were delicate, with high cheekbones, finely arched brows, a small nose, and a long, graceful neck. She wore her long blond hair braided. She was clearly noble-born, and looked to be close to his age, probably Leigeil-Meur. She wore an indigo silk blouse that clung to her figure, a black skirt that extended to mid-calf, and sturdy hiking boots. She looked nothing like the other Grandurians.
She stopped barely a pace away, her eyes never leaving his face. His heart began to beat faster and his palms to sweat.
"You are a local?"
He could have listened to her rich voice all night.
"Yes, ma'am," Connor said, eager to please this lady.
"And you have promised to show these invaders how to escape our lands?"
Connor nodded slowly, but realized then how foolish he'd been to agree to anything the Grandurians wanted.
"Why would you betray me?"
Chapter 11
Connor couldn't imagine what to say as the young woman's hazel eyes filled with tears on the verge of flowing freely down her smooth cheeks. In that moment, she looked completely
Everyone turned to stare. The soldiers could have all passed for brothers. They were tall, broad-shouldered, with wide, rugged faces, close-cropped blond hair and blue eyes. They watched Connor with unreadable expressions.
On one side of the fire, a woman wearing a brown linen dress sat beside a whip-thin fellow with a pinched face. He bounced slightly up and down as he sat. Another woman, wearing a long, blue dress, stood off to one side of the group in the deeper shadows farther from the fir. She wore her black hair pulled back, and her eyes glittered with an inner fire as she looked at him.
Erich moved up beside Connor and said something loudly in a harsh, guttural tongue. A tall, shapely woman rose and called out something in reply and laughed. Her voice was rich and smooth. She wore her thick, blond hair tied in a braid that fell to her waist, and she dressed in black leathers like Erich. They looked a lot alike, and had to be siblings.
Another woman rose from where she sat at the far side of the fire and drew Connor's gaze as she approached. Slender, with raven-black hair, she shared the same bright blue eyes as most of the men, and dressed in the same black leathers as Erich and his sister.
She had to be a full Linn or noble-born Meur, although Connor had no idea if the Grandurian classes were equivalent to those in Obrion. Her face was strong and she walked with confidence. Connor couldn't guess at her age. She wasn't old, but wasn't young either.
Erich saluted smartly. She nodded a reply, looked to Verena, who grinned and made a little bobbing motion that might have been some kind of curtsy, and finally turned her piercing gaze on Connor.
"What have you brought us, Verena?"
Verena, still holding Connor's arm, gave it a squeeze. "This boy is going to show us the way across the mountain."
The soldiers around the fire did not outwardly react, but tension seemed to drain from them. The thin, nervous fellow jumped to his feet, but slowly sat again at a gesture from the woman seated beside him.
The woman facing Connor smiled and extended a hand and shook with a firm grip. "Very good. What is your name, boy?"
Again with the boy?
It had to be a problem with translating from Grandurian.
"Connor."
"I am Ilse, captain of this company."
Captain? She looked tiny compared to the warriors. How was it possible? Granadure must be a strange place.
"Where is this trail?" Ilse asked without preamble.
Before he could reply, the flap of a nearby tent he hadn't noticed before whipped aside and a young woman marched out, past a pair of soldiers stationed to either side. She strode into the firelight and made straight for Connor.
He stared, transfixed.
Her figure was trim, but fuller than Jean's or Verena's. Her features were delicate, with high cheekbones, finely arched brows, a small nose, and a long, graceful neck. She wore her long blond hair braided. She was clearly noble-born, and looked to be close to his age, probably Leigeil-Meur. She wore an indigo silk blouse that clung to her figure, a black skirt that extended to mid-calf, and sturdy hiking boots. She looked nothing like the other Grandurians.
She stopped barely a pace away, her eyes never leaving his face. His heart began to beat faster and his palms to sweat.
"You are a local?"
He could have listened to her rich voice all night.
"Yes, ma'am," Connor said, eager to please this lady.
"And you have promised to show these invaders how to escape our lands?"
Connor nodded slowly, but realized then how foolish he'd been to agree to anything the Grandurians wanted.
"Why would you betray me?"
Chapter 11
Connor couldn't imagine what to say as the young woman's hazel eyes filled with tears on the verge of flowing freely down her smooth cheeks. In that moment, she looked completely
Similar Books
