at the burly captain of the Ravenwind. He strode forward, his hand thrust out, his face beaming with pleasure.
“Van de Lar?” he barked in his thick accent. “It is pleasure to meet!”
Holm took the hand of the Outer Kingdom sea captain and cocked his head toward the sleek vessel lying at anchor in the cove. “She is a rare beauty! What do you call her?”
Serge lifted his chin. “She is Anya Katrine.”
“A lovely name for a lovely lady,” Holm assured him. “I can’t wait to get aboard.”
“We sail in three hours,” Serge told him and then looked about at the men who had disembarked the Ravenwind. “The Wind Force?”
“Most of them,” Holm agreed, then introduced the man to the others.
“Chalean!” Serge shrieked with joy and began to converse with Tyne in his native tongue.
“Boisterous fellow, ain’t he?” Thom asked Sentian.
“Conar spoke highly of him,” Roget said.
“Your
ship
handsome.”
Sentian turned around to see a man he knew could be nothing else but a Shadow-warrior.
He smiled. “Conar named her.” He held out his hand, somewhat surprised when the man did not hesitate in taking it.
“I,” the man said, jabbing a thumb into his chest, “Alexi Romanovitch.”
“Sentian Heil, Thom Loure and Roget du Mer,” Sentian introduced themselves.
“You,” Alexi said, pointing at Thom, “he tells me of.”
Thom’s high forehead drew together. “Conar?”
Alexi nodded. “Fight fire together. Hear tale of how long.” He looked pointedly down at Thom’s crotch, then grinned and reached out to slap Thom’s shoulder. “Much good, eh?”
Sentian glanced up at Loure and saw the man blush. He laughed and found the Outer Kingdom man’s hand on his own shoulder.
“You, he say got big temper!” Alexi squeezed Sentian’s shoulder. “Say good friend.” He jabbed his thumb into his chest once more. “ My friend, too!”
“I’d hate to know what he said of me,” Roget quipped.
Alexi shook his head. “Not gamble with you.”
Roget’s brows shot up. “No, that’s Teal you’re thinking about.”
“Not gamble with you !” Alexi repeated, walking off.
“Wait a minute!” Roget called out, following the man. “He was talking about my brother.
Not me! Alexi!!”
Meggie stared at the tall, burly men walking around her on the deck of the Outer Kingdom ship and was amazed so many big men could gather in one place and not sink the ship. She smiled at them, was relieved to see them grin back, if only fleetingly.
“Brutes, they are, I bet,” she mumbled, shaking her head of fuzzy white hair.
“But
polite
brutes.”
Meggie glanced up, seeing only a dark outline above her for the speaker’s back was to the afternoon sun. She shielded her eyes with her hand and sniffed.
WINDDECEIVER Charlotte Boyett-Compo 52
“Can’t see a bloody thing with you standing there. Sit yourself down here by me and let’s have a little talk.”
Wyn glanced across the deck and saw the woman sitting with Meggie. He elbowed Rylan.
“Do you think that’s her?”
Rylan squinted through the murky haze drifting in from the Sinisters. “Probably.”
“Should we go speak to her?”
Rylan shook his head. “Not until Meggie’s finished with her.” He tried to see the woman’s face, but could see nothing more than a slim nose and a cap of dark curls.
“They called her Your Grace,” Paegan told them as he hurried up. “That’s Conar’s woman!”
“You sure?” Grice Wynth asked as he glanced behind him.
“Go ask her!” Wyn insisted.
“When Meg’s through,” Grice answered.
“What was her name, now?” Holm asked, standing with the others and staring across the deck.
“Her name is Marie Catherine Steffenovitch,” Ching-Ching informed the men in a haughty tone that said they shouldn’t be gossiping. “And yes, she is Conar’s lady.”
“What’s she doing here?” Sentian asked, craning his head to see the woman, too.
“Come to help get her man
“Van de Lar?” he barked in his thick accent. “It is pleasure to meet!”
Holm took the hand of the Outer Kingdom sea captain and cocked his head toward the sleek vessel lying at anchor in the cove. “She is a rare beauty! What do you call her?”
Serge lifted his chin. “She is Anya Katrine.”
“A lovely name for a lovely lady,” Holm assured him. “I can’t wait to get aboard.”
“We sail in three hours,” Serge told him and then looked about at the men who had disembarked the Ravenwind. “The Wind Force?”
“Most of them,” Holm agreed, then introduced the man to the others.
“Chalean!” Serge shrieked with joy and began to converse with Tyne in his native tongue.
“Boisterous fellow, ain’t he?” Thom asked Sentian.
“Conar spoke highly of him,” Roget said.
“Your
ship
handsome.”
Sentian turned around to see a man he knew could be nothing else but a Shadow-warrior.
He smiled. “Conar named her.” He held out his hand, somewhat surprised when the man did not hesitate in taking it.
“I,” the man said, jabbing a thumb into his chest, “Alexi Romanovitch.”
“Sentian Heil, Thom Loure and Roget du Mer,” Sentian introduced themselves.
“You,” Alexi said, pointing at Thom, “he tells me of.”
Thom’s high forehead drew together. “Conar?”
Alexi nodded. “Fight fire together. Hear tale of how long.” He looked pointedly down at Thom’s crotch, then grinned and reached out to slap Thom’s shoulder. “Much good, eh?”
Sentian glanced up at Loure and saw the man blush. He laughed and found the Outer Kingdom man’s hand on his own shoulder.
“You, he say got big temper!” Alexi squeezed Sentian’s shoulder. “Say good friend.” He jabbed his thumb into his chest once more. “ My friend, too!”
“I’d hate to know what he said of me,” Roget quipped.
Alexi shook his head. “Not gamble with you.”
Roget’s brows shot up. “No, that’s Teal you’re thinking about.”
“Not gamble with you !” Alexi repeated, walking off.
“Wait a minute!” Roget called out, following the man. “He was talking about my brother.
Not me! Alexi!!”
Meggie stared at the tall, burly men walking around her on the deck of the Outer Kingdom ship and was amazed so many big men could gather in one place and not sink the ship. She smiled at them, was relieved to see them grin back, if only fleetingly.
“Brutes, they are, I bet,” she mumbled, shaking her head of fuzzy white hair.
“But
polite
brutes.”
Meggie glanced up, seeing only a dark outline above her for the speaker’s back was to the afternoon sun. She shielded her eyes with her hand and sniffed.
WINDDECEIVER Charlotte Boyett-Compo 52
“Can’t see a bloody thing with you standing there. Sit yourself down here by me and let’s have a little talk.”
Wyn glanced across the deck and saw the woman sitting with Meggie. He elbowed Rylan.
“Do you think that’s her?”
Rylan squinted through the murky haze drifting in from the Sinisters. “Probably.”
“Should we go speak to her?”
Rylan shook his head. “Not until Meggie’s finished with her.” He tried to see the woman’s face, but could see nothing more than a slim nose and a cap of dark curls.
“They called her Your Grace,” Paegan told them as he hurried up. “That’s Conar’s woman!”
“You sure?” Grice Wynth asked as he glanced behind him.
“Go ask her!” Wyn insisted.
“When Meg’s through,” Grice answered.
“What was her name, now?” Holm asked, standing with the others and staring across the deck.
“Her name is Marie Catherine Steffenovitch,” Ching-Ching informed the men in a haughty tone that said they shouldn’t be gossiping. “And yes, she is Conar’s lady.”
“What’s she doing here?” Sentian asked, craning his head to see the woman, too.
“Come to help get her man
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