Chosen (The Warrior Chronicles #1)(26)

“Temper, temper,” she taunted with a playful smirk. “Everyone will think you don’t have a sense of humor.”

“What are you doing in my clothes?” Sanders barked. “And where is your protection? And-why are-you-in-the-middle-of-fifty-dangerous-men-who-are-half-mad-with-adrenaline? Do you have a death wish? Or do you want me killed, because if the Captain found out you were here I would be cleaning the latrines!“

“Shoot. My Honor Guard arrives.” Xavier was running at her in a full sprint. “I’ll leave you to it. But first…”

She grabbed Derek’s knife by the blade, spun, and threw with barely a glance at the target. It was easy and effortless and her aim was true. There was a resounded thunk as the knife hit the middle of the bull’s-eye.

Thank the grace of the Elders! Muscle memory was a wonderful thing. She would have made a real ass of herself if she’d missed.

She walked away to an entire training ground of dead silence. That was, until Rachie showed up.

“Oh thank f**k, we found her! I thought for sure she was hiding in the men’s bathroom again!”

As she let them lead her away, Sanders frothing in her wake, she said, “Fuck? It seems you’ve been tight-lipped about a very important swear word. Explain.”

Chapter 10

Sanders walked into the Captain’s office with a brisk pace and lead in his chest. The Captain sat behind his desk, completely composed, but a man just never knew where they stood when called out of the blue. His punishment was nearly up, so that was probably it, but he hadn’t kept a very close eye on his charge, so he could be getting reamed out for that.

Or possibly his men were the problem. They wouldn’t stop trying to intercept the foreigner and engage her in some way. Half of them already proposed. They loved hearing the ways they were rebuked. A bunch of young, horny fools was what they were.

Then there were her band of boys. They’d do whatever she said over whatever anyone else said, no matter if Sanders slapped them around or not. It was her way or silence. He didn’t know how she did it, but it was making a right mess of things in the practice yard.

Especially since they were starting to use a strange fighting style. And winning.

“Captain, you wanted to see me?” Sanders asked, coming to stand in front of the desk.

Eerie blue eyes looked up from crisp white papers. The Captain’s shoulder length hair was back, tied at the nape of his neck. It meant he had battle in mind, which had Sanders immediately on point.

“Mugdock are gathering en masse,” the Captain started, sticking Sanders with those eyes and drilling him into the floor. “Something is brewing, but right now they have no clear target in mind. At least, they don’t seem to. They’re huddled outside of our lands, but not heading to our farming areas or mining operations. I’m debating sending a large party to break them up.”

Break them up was code for kill them all. Only way to do it with the Mugdock. “Is it just that one group?”

“So far, yes. It is probably half of their battalion. I have scouts looking for the other half.”

“Do you think they intend to raid?”

The Captain leaned back and closed his eyes. “I don’t know. It is fierce bad timing. I have a delegation coming through day after tomorrow to meet me and the council. They want to open trade lines between here and farther east. In addition, I planned on asking them about our foreigner. I don’t want to advertise our problems with the Mugdock.”

“Think they’ll know of one stray female traveler?”

Sanders wasn’t trying to be funny, or even grouchy, so he had no idea why the captain, eyes still closed, had a smile creeping up his face. Possibly laughing at a joke he’d told silently to himself. Possibly the young bugger was going mad. And if he was going mad, Sanders wasn’t planning on telling anybody because then it would be his problem. To that end, he stood right where he was, not daring to utter a single sound.

The Captain finally said, “She’s eclectic. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”

Eclectic wouldn’t have been Sanders’ word of choice. More along the lines of royal pain in the ass. “Should I send a party to disband the Mugdock?”

The Captain went reflective, then shook his head. “No, not yet. That’ll cause a grotesque scene. Get men ready, though. If anything happens, I want our reaction swift and complete.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I hear the girl made her way to the Pit?”

Sanders’s balls tightened up. He knew that tone. “She escaped her Honor Guard, sir.”

The Captain’s eyes, made of steel, honed in on Sanders. The air pressurized, causing fear to creep through Sanders’ now hollow veins.

The rough voice was quiet as it said, “You will take her in hand, Commander. Put an experienced man on her. If she so much as sneezes, I want to know about it. There is more to that woman than mere traveling. Ordinary people don’t have swords like that. She’s hiding something, and I will not let my people come to harm due to ignorance.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How is it going with you and Junice?”

“Wh—fine, sir. Thank you for your concern.”

“The foreign girl isn’t coming between you? There isn’t jealousy there?”

Sanders’ eyes widened momentarily. “No, sir. Not that I am aware. The gir—Shanti leaves every evening to the park—followed by members of her Guard. She comes back just after our bedtime. I rarely see her.”