Page 31 of Sword of Rage
“No.” The warrior woman shook her head. “I meant, how are you feeling? A lot has happened. You look like you’re about to fall apart. I’d like to keep you together until we reach your cousin.”
She hadn’t expected Gytha to care. “I’m fine.” She would survive. Even if she lost a toe or two, she was alive, and that was all that mattered.
Gytha chuckled. “You’re not what I expected.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. “What did you picture?”
“I’m not sure, but not you. You actually remind me a lot of Owen.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Since her cousin was close with Hollis, she’d spent a lot of time with him and knew him well. He was an honorable man.
“Good, because it is one.” She picked up a stick, poking one of the logs so it moved into the flames a bit more. “Do you have any questions for me?”
Harley studied the warrior woman. “Questions?”
She nodded. “Like how your cousin is doing.”
“I assumed he’s okay. Otherwise, you would have said something.” So much had been going on that Harley hadn’t considered Owen not being well.
“He’s fine. He had some trouble in Marsden—that’s where Ackley and I are from. One of his own men, Commander Beck, tried killing him and taking control of Melenia’s soldiers.”
Panic filled Harley. Her father-in-law had tried killing Owen? “Are you certain it was Commander Beck?”
Gytha nodded. “When Owen received word your kingdom had been overthrown, he struck an alliance with our king. Ackley and I came here with Owen, along with a few hundred Marsden soldiers. We are here to help you retake Melenia.”
Not only was Owen here, but he’d returned with extra soldiers. For the first time in weeks, hope took root.
“I’m telling you this so you understand that Ackley and I are here to help. We’re on your side. Even if he seems a little standoffish, Ackley’s a good man.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” As for Ackley, she didn’t care if he was a good man or not. All she cared about was that he was on her side. The more people fighting against Russek, the better.
“I need to get some sleep so I can relieve Ackley in a few hours.” Gytha laid next to the fire, across from Harley.
Harley stretched out on her side. “Have you known Ackley long?” The two of them seemed rather close, and she wondered if they were romantically involved with one another.
“No. But he’s one of the most skilled fighters I’ve ever known. Of course, he’d have to be to be a knight.”
“What’s a knight? A man who fights for the king?”
“More along the lines of an assassin.”
Her cousin had sent an assassin to fetch her? “What about you? Are you an assassin?”
“No. I’m a captain in the king’s army. I fight. Ackley can fight, but he also gathers information and can kill a man in a crowded room without anyone seeing. I admire him. If you’re going to be in a scuffle, Ackley’s the man you want guarding your back.”
It was hard to think of an assassin being a good man. Her uncle chose not only skilled fighters to be part of his guard, but men of nobility and honor. Not assassins. She should have known Ackley was skilled in the art of killing. He’d fought those men back in Kreng as if toying with them. A snake to mice. It had been so simple for him to incapacitate four men in under a minute. She shivered. He could have just as easily killed them. “Are there other women soldiers where you’re from?”
“During our journey here, Owen told me a little bit about your kingdom.” She rolled onto her back, staring up at the sky as she spoke. “Your kingdom does things differently from mine. I’m from Axian, which is the southern part of Marsden. There, women are equal to men.”
An intriguing notion. Women fighting alongside men. “Are female soldiers allowed to marry?”
Gytha chuckled. “Yes, but I’m not married if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I think I’d like to visit your kingdom one day.”
* * *
Harley opened her eyes. The sky had just begun to lighten. A thick fog coated the land, hiding most of the charred rubble. Directly in front of her, Ackley lay sleeping. Harley’s back remained warm; the fire still smoldering. Near her feet, Ledger slept, snoring lightly. She didn’t see Gytha anywhere. The warrior woman was probably on watch.
