Warrior Rising (Goddess Summoning #6)(44)

“My lord, Odysseus, has sent me.” The warrior began speaking before he’d completely caught his breath.

“Is Odysseus well?” Achilles asked.

“Yes, but not all of the Ithacans have been so lucky. Today’s battle was hard fought.” The warrior’s voice was not condemning and his voice held no hostility, but beside her she could feel the tension that radiated from Achilles. “Odysseus sends me to ask if the healer, Melia, would be allowed to tend them.”

“Is Kalchas too busy sniffing around Agamemnon to bother to tend the wounded?” Achilles said in a cold, flat voice.

“Kalchas!” Jacky practically shrieked. “You mean that filthy old fool who tried to be sure Patroklos’s arm rotted off?”

“Yes, my beauty, that would be Kalchas,” Patroklos said, draping an arm around her shoulders.

“Well, then, let’s go.” Jacky extracted herself from Patroklos’s arm and made a shooing motion at the messenger.

The messenger looked from Jacky to Patroklos to Achilles. Jacky looked from the messenger to Patroklos to Achilles to Kat, and then back to Patroklos. Kat braced herself for trouble.

Jacky put her hands on her narrow hips, an action which was totally Jacky-like when she was pissed, and Kat thought how weird it was that just the way she was holding herself made her look like her body was more lush. But before she could tie into Patroklos or Achilles, Kat stepped forward.

“She should help Odysseus’s men. You know we’ve been sent here by Athena, and Athena is Odysseus’s patron goddess. She’d want Melia to tend his wounded men.”

“It does make sense,” Patroklos said.

“I do not like her going alone.” Achilles looked pointedly at me. “And you do not like blood, so you will not be going with her.”

“My beauty will not be going alone,” Patroklos said, putting his arm back around her. “She has me. I will escort her.”

Jacky gave him a look that was one part long suffering, one part amusement and one part appreciation. “And will you be sure the men do what I tell them to do, even if it means they have to boil and wash things?”

“I will do that for you, if you perform a favor for me later.” Patroklos’s infectious smile was more than a little naughty.

“I might be interested in that, if it doesn’t involve anything that will tear out those stitches.”

Achilles gave the runner an almost imperceptible nod, and then, with Patroklos laughing and whispering to Jacky, the three of them began moving off down the beach in the direction of the Greek camp.

“Ithacan! Leave your spear,” Achilles said abruptly. The runner paused, looking nervously back at the scarred warrior. Achilles’ lips twitched up slightly. “I have a taste for sea bass.” The warrior, with obvious reluctance, handed Achilles his spear. “Cousin, be sure this is replaced with one of ours.” Patroklos smiled and nodded, and then he and Jacky hurried after the retreating warrior. “Did the man really believe I was going to spear him with his own weapon for nothing more than asking to borrow a healer?” Achilles muttered, more to himself than to Kat.

“Sure looked like it.”

“And here you are, alone with such a fearsome warrior. Some people would call you mad.” His turquoise eyes studied her.

“And how often have you speared one of Odysseus’s men?”

“Never.”

“Well, then it sounds like I’m the sane one and the men like Odysseus’s messenger are the ones who need a reality check.”

“No.” His deep voice had gone flat and cold. “They are right to fear me. You should not ever forget that there is a monster waiting to possess me, body and soul.”

Kat met his gaze. “I’ll remember, but I prefer to focus on the man, not the monster.”

She saw surprise flash through his eyes. “Have you always been so contrary?”

“Definitely.”

He snorted a half laugh. Then, still studying her carefully, he said, “I’m going to spear some sea bass. You may come with me or return to camp. The decision is yours.”

“I like sea bass. A lot, actually. I’ll come with you.”

He gave a short nod and they started walking side by side down the beach, away from the disengaged camps of the Greeks and the Myrmidons. He didn’t offer Kat his arm, but he did walk slowly. They were so near the lapping water that Kat took off her slippers so that she could dig her toes into the wet sand. She did touch him then, using his arm to balance as she had the night before. He felt warm and strong under her hand, and she thought how weird it was that his presence could be so reassuring when the truth was there was a dangerous warrior and a monster lurking not far under his skin. She didn’t look up at him, but she could feel his eyes on her, just as she could feel them on her as she walked closer to the waves, holding her robes up so that the warm water could play around her feet.

“Do you miss your home?”

His question surprised her into answering with complete honesty. “Yes, I do. I’m homesick for normal things.”

“Such as?”

Kat realized she’d answered herself into a corner and thought quickly, discarding answers like the Internet and hot running water. When she finally answered, it was, again, with an honesty that surprised her. “I miss my freedom. I’m used to being able to do what I want to do and not worry about asking permission. I like being responsible for myself.”