Page 15 of Mated to the Alien Warlord

"Thank you." I turned to my father. "Good night, Father."

"Good night, daughter. Remember your duties."

Another jolt hit me, and my face flamed at the unnecessary reminder. Strangely though, I felt a jolt of tension run through Vandor's arm underneath my palm. Was he as offended by my father's words as I? Was he offended for me? Or was I reading too much into things?

WhenVandorandIturned from the fire, I was surprised to see the small city of tents that had been erected in the short time since I sat down.

More fires had been lit all around the clearing, and many torches flickered in the slight breeze coming off the river. Men sat around the bowl-shaped braziers talking, some were accompanied by women, and my face flamed even more at the realization that most of these women were camp followers making gold off the soldiers.

Raised voices and laughter rang through the groups and some greeted us by pressing their fists against their hearts as we walked by.

"Kronin, I better not find you drunk tomorrow," Vandor called over to a group of twenty men sitting around one of the braziers.

A man laughed loudly. "I'm more than happy to beat you even drunk, Warlord."

"In your dreams you fool," another man replied. "Don't worry, Warlord Vandor, we'll keep an eye on him."

I learned two things from the small exchange: one, Vandor knew some of his soldiers by name, which was an honor and would endear his men to him, and two, he was on good, even teasing, terms with them. His men respected and liked him, which eased some of my anxiety.

Vandor led me toward two tents that were larger than the others, but by the extravagance, I could easily tell which was the khazar's and which Vandor's.

Still, the opulence inside Vandor's tent was like nothing I could have ever imagined. It was more luxurious than my chamber in my father's palace.

Low fires burned inside two golden, bowl-shaped braziers that lit the tent in an intimate glow.

A bed slightly raised on four posts stood off to one side, set with inviting-looking furs. On the other side stood a large table filled with rolled up papers and a laid-out map.

Trunks decorated the outer edges, one holding a tray with beverages and an assortment of snacks.

In another corner, I noticed the promised bathtub already filled to the rim with steaming water, and my face flushed when I wondered if Vandor expected me to bathe while he was in here with me.

"I've already ordered a servant to find clothing for you from the kallini camp followers. They will, of course, be cleaned before they are brought in."

His thoughtfulness filled my heart with pleasure once again, and I thanked him.

"You must be tired," he commented. "The khazar, your father, and I still have plans to discuss. Please feel free to make yourself comfortable during my absence."

Relieved to have a bit of alone time before the inevitable would happen, I thanked him again. His expression was inscrutable when he left, closing the flap behind him.

Soft carpet greeted my feet when I took my boots off, and again, I marveled at the luxury in Vandor's tent.

With a nervous glance at the tent flap, which could open at any moment, I began to take my clothes off and rushed into the tub.

The water was still warm, and as it lapped around me, I closed my eyes and let out a loud sigh, silently thanking the khazar for loaning it to me. This was utter heaven. I already felt my tired muscles relaxing and some of my weariness left me.

I didn't want to sit in the tub for too long though, unsure of when Vandor or a servant might enter. I found a soft towel made of an absorbent material thoughtfully folded on a chair and used it to wrap my wet body.

Faced with the decision of putting my dirty clothes back on or remaining wrapped up in the somewhat damp towel, I chose the latter and set to exploring Vandor's tent. I investigated the map on the table with curiosity. Cast figures stood on it and it wasn't hard to deduce that they represented our army and Fionbyr's.

The map itself was beautiful, the artist put much detail into each section, even marking Udrun territory.

The tips of my fingers followed roads and moved over mountains to the Dark Sea, where several strongholds along the coast were marked with their warlord's name. I smiled when my finger caressed Wyrkymburg, my new home, and I wondered what it would look like.

"You are still up," Vandor remarked, startling me because I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't heard him enter.

"Your meeting didn't last long," I observed, giving him a shy, tentative smile, unsure of what would happen next.

"Our khazar showed mercy on me." He moved to the trunk holding beverages. "Would you like anything?"

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