Page 15 of Sword of Rage
“I want Gytha to remain here as Idina’s personal guard.” As a woman, she could be inside the tent at night with Idina.
Owen smiled. “I’ll make sure your sister is well protected. I’m entrusting you with my cousin, you can offer me the same courtesy with your sister. After all, she will be my wife shortly.”
Ackley had seen Owen wield a sword and knew he was well trained. Even though he might not know how to lead an army—or kingdom for that matter—he certainly knew how to fight and take care of himself. And the match between Owen and Idina wasn’t just political. Since the moment Owen met Idina, he’d been taken with her. Any time she snapped at him, he only fell deeper for her. Rationally, Ackley knew Owen would protect Idina. But they were in an unstable kingdom. And this was Ackley’s only sister they were talking about.
Instead of arguing or voicing his concerns, he simply nodded and headed back to his tent to gather supplies. He wouldn’t need much. Just some food and his weapons. Traveling alone would allow him to move faster. And once he reached Kreng, he would be able to discover the information he sought without a clumsy soldier tagging along. He’d gotten a good look at the map and knew the terrain and where he needed to go.
After shoving everything in his traveling bag, he exited his tent, coming face to face with Idina. “Is something the matter?”
She folded her arms and raised her eyebrows. “You’re not going anywhere alone. It’s too dangerous.”
Not in the mood to verbally spar with his sister, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Of course not. I don’t even know my way around this kingdom.” He shouldered his bag.
“Please be careful.”
He knew what she wasn’t saying. That they’d lost too much already—their father, their brother. “I will. But you have to promise me you won’t go anywhere without Gytha.”
Her eyes searched his. “Take Gytha with you.”
“I’ll take a Melenia soldier.” He couldn’t believe he was lying to his own sister, but he had to go alone. He needed to clear his head.
Gytha approached the two of them. “You look better.” She sounded mildly disappointed.
“Don’t let my sister out of your sight.”
“I won’t.” She jerked her chin toward him. “But before you leave, I want to see you throw that dagger in your boot. How about you hit the wood peg holding up the right side of the tent over there.” She pointed behind him.
What an insult—he could hit that blindfolded.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Gytha chided him. “You’ve been unwell for a couple of weeks. I doubt your strength has returned. Maybe you should see before you find yourself in a fight for your life.”
“I concur,” Idina said, leaving no room for discussion.
Since these two insufferable women would persist until he complied, he dropped his bag on the ground, withdrew his dagger, and bowed with a flourish. Idina simply blinked, clearly not amused. He sighed. The target was eighteen feet away and slightly to the right, the two-inch circular peg at a downward angle. A simple throw. The familiar feel of the hilt in his palm calmed his mind and forced it to focus. He threw the dagger. It sailed through the air, landing with a satisfyingthump.
Ackley stood there, staring at the dagger embedded in the ground just below the peg. He blinked. If that were a person, being off by that much could mean the difference between life and death.
“You’ll get your steady arm back in another day or two,” Gytha said, her voice low so no one would overhear.
Ackley ran his hands through his hair, unable to remember the last time he’d missed a target like that. His hands only shook slightly. However, his stomach felt queasy and the ground seemed to be swaying again, though not nearly as bad as before. He should have taken those things into account. Walking over, he withdrew his dagger. Not wanting to practice there in front of everyone, he slid the weapon back in his boot. Alone in the forest, he would get his aim back—even if it killed him.
After slinging his bag over his shoulder, he turned to face Gytha. “Protect Idina.”
“King Owen has assigned a dozen men for her protection. She doesn’t need me. You do. I’m coming with you.”
Stubborn was another word he’d use to describe Gytha. And right. Not wanting his pride or foolishness to guide him to a bad decision, he simply nodded and started walking toward the path cut into the mountain. A few minutes later, he heard the crunch of boots on dirt as Gytha caught up with him. Considering that it only took her a handful of minutes, she must have still had her belongings packed and ready to go. He half wondered if this had been her plan all along. No matter. Even though he wanted to travel alone, having a skilled fighter with him was a good idea. Especially if he had to break Owen’s cousin out of prison.
At least the world seemed still again. It was only when he turned quickly or bent over that his sense of the ground beneath him swayed. By the time he reached the other side of the mountain, his legs ached from the lack of activity over the past couple of weeks. He welcomed the pain.
Ackley
Ackley and Gytha traveled all day with little conversation. While Ackley itched to practice after being sick on the ship for two weeks, he decided traveling as far as he could was a better use of his time. Besides, the idea of embarrassing himself in front of Gytha wasn’t something he cared to do.
“Are you going to stop and make camp?” Gytha snapped, her steely voice cutting through the darkening sky. “Or do you plan on walking all night?”
“If you can’t keep up, you can head back to Owen and the others.” He didn’t need a nursemaid.
“I can keep up just fine,” she huffed. “It’s you I’m worried about.”
