Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 32461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Eudora went perfectly still.
Creagan saw the recognition in her eyes before she could hide it.
By debt unbroken, by promise bound.
To everyone else in the hall they were simply words, not so to Eudora. Her gaze remained on him for several heartbeats before shifting past him.
Creagan didn't need to turn to know where she looked.
Legion and Torden stood together at the side of the hall.
Her violet eyes returned to him. “You came to Dunsire with friends?”
“Aye, Your Majesty.”
“The two warriors standing together at the back of the hall?”
“Aye,” he confirmed, noting she referred to Legion and Torden as warriors.
Eudora looked at them again and raised her hand pointing from one to the other. “The two of you, come forward.”
Wilford stepped closer. “Your Majesty?”
Eudora ignored him.
The two men made their way forward, stopping alongside Creagan. Neither spoke.
Eudora studied them. She hadn’t known what to expect from the three lords she had summoned, but it certainly wasn’t this kind of arrival. If they were the three lords at all. But the one called Creagan had spoken words from the summons. No one would do that unless…
“I will speak with you three, privately.”
Wilford moved closer to the queen. “I would advise against that, Your Majesty.”
“I will take that under advisement,” she said and rose.
Creagan had thought her tall while sitting, and she was taller than most woman but not as tall as he expected, though she was commanding, her shoulders straight and chin lifted as she looked at the three of them.
“You three will follow me,” she ordered.
Wilford went to follow. “I should be present.”
“I said privately, Wilford,” Eudora said abruptly.
Creagan watched the exchange with interest. It was obvious that the queen's adviser was accustomed to being included. More than that, he appeared accustomed to believing he had a right to be included.
“I don't like the thought of you alone with three armed men you don't know,” Wilford said, making his objection known.
“I will not be alone. There will be three armed warriors to protect me.”
Wilford clearly didn't agree. “Your Majesty—”
“That will be all, Wilford,” Eudora said, dismissing him.
Wilford was not pleased and it showed in his knitted brow. “As you wish, my queen.”
Eudora descended from the dais.
Creagan watched her approach, intrigued by the woman who had summoned them and now stood only a few feet away. She moved with grace and confidence and if she feared them, had any doubts at being alone with them, she did not show it.
Eudora’s gaze settled on Creagan. “And you.”
Creagan turned a charming smile on her. “Aye, my queen?”
“You can stop looking for your woman.”
“You found her for me?” he asked gleefully.
Eudora stared at him. “Of course, I did.”
She turned and walked away, not reminding them to follow. She had ordered once for them to do so. She need not repeat it.
“Finally, this will be done,” Legion said as they followed a distance behind her.
“The Gods willing, for the last time,” Torden said and the other two nodded in agreement.
Chapter 15
Legion’s Task
Eudora waited until the door to her private solar closed behind the three men before turning to face them.
For a moment, no one spoke.
She had waited longer than expected for this moment. She had wondered if the summons had failed, if the men no longer existed or if the tales her grandmother had told her were nothing more than legends passed from one generation to the next.
Now three men stood before her.
She looked to each one. “I expected you sooner.”
“We're here now,” Torden said. “Tell us what you want from us so we can see it done.”
His tone made it clear he wasn't pleased to be there.
Eudora studied him. He was a large man, taller than most, with a powerful build that suggested the massive claymore strapped across his back was no burden to him. Dark hair fell to his shoulders and there was something hard and weathered about his features. He stood with the impatience she'd already noticed in the Great Hall, as if he'd rather be anywhere but standing before her.
“And which one are you?”
“My name is Torden,” he said, “that is all you need to know.”
The rumble in his voice made her think of thunder that roared, but Eudora kept the thought to herself.
She looked at the man beside him. He was quieter, but just as formidable, though in a different way. Tall and broad shouldered, with thick dark brown hair brushing his shoulders and fine features. He hadn't spoken since entering the solar, but he watched, attentive to his surroundings like a wise and skillful warrior would do. One who knew the intricacies of war.
“And you?” Eudora asked.
“I am known as Legion.”
Of the three, he most resembled what she had imagined when her grandmother had spoken of legendary warriors. There was something about the way he stood, a stillness that suggested he didn't need to prove what he was capable of.