Warrior's Heart (Book 1 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 34

"Have you seen the bastard?" Michael stood beside her in the crowded courtyard, and tried to look around the tall guards on either side of him. The sun was setting on their second day at the Warrior Kingdom and instead of getting ready to leave, they had been coerced into staying for another night in order to attend the Celebration of the Sword. "Lady Delphine, do you see him on that end?"

Delphine didn't even try to look around the towering Warrior to her right, "Curator, I've never seen the generals face, how would I look for him?"

Leyla watched as the flames from the bonfire at the centre of the yard grew larger, blocking her sight of the King and the Princess who stood on the other side. Soon all of the newly appointed Lieutenants of the Warrior Kingdom would cross the circle the spectators had created and accept swords from the Sword-smiths waiting in front of the fire. "Why are you looking for him, Michael? It'll be better for us to get through this day without another encounter."

"You're right, it would have been best if we could have left already. Especially with that oaf taking it upon himself to test you like that!" Michael fixed the high collar of his elegant white coat, his eyes blazing with anger. "How dare he! How dare he shoot at a Lady of the Land of Light?"

"It wasn't at her. The arrow would not have touched Lady Delphine, even if I didn't pull her back." Leyla knew it sounded like she was defending Alec, but she needed to assure Michael that harming Delphine was never his intent and that they were perfectly safe in the Warrior Kingdom.

"Yes, so you said. But, that hardly changes the fact that he scared the wits out of Lady Delphine," Michael resumed looking around, while the Lady in question stared at the floor.

"I thank you for your concern, but I am absolutely fine." The lady in question spoke up.

Leyla sighed, then pulled at the belt of her dress. Clenched tight just below her breasts, the crystal studded accessory was making it hard for her to breath. Small steps and small breaths; the life of a lady was stifling. Her eyes wondered back to the fire, to the familiar faces of the Warrior Kingdoms three senior Sword-smiths. The second in line, Gareth Sharpedge, had given Leyla her sword on Celebration of the Sword day, three Gaian years ago. Perfect balance, perfect height, he had created a work of beauty, something she had not expected. Only later did she find out that Alec had commissioned the weapon himself, having asked Gareth to make it lighter but just as sturdy as normal Warrior swords. She had to make sure she got it back, once Raphael broke off the engagement.

"Oh my," Lady Delphine gasped when a loud drumroll announced the arrival of the officers. They walked in line, six new Lieutenants, and circled the fire amidst cheers of the crowd. The first of the Lieutenants knelt and accepted his sword with two hands. He raised it high, swung it in a perfect arc then lay it on the ground. The second Lieutenant repeated the process, then the third, until six swords lay in a row, with each officer standing two steps away from his weapon.

"What's happening?" Lady Delphine sounded anxious beside her as she watched several officers break from the circle and walk towards ladies close by.

"Officers lead the ladies and lords of royal houses over the swords," Leyla smiled to settle the girl's worries. "By stepping over the weapon, they acknowledge both its creator and its wielder as protectors of their lives and the kingdom."

When two officers started walking in their direction, Lady Delphine panicked. "They wont pick me, right?"

"I don't think they will involve guests," Leyla replied, watching the officers stop a few paces away and pick their partners from the circle.

Delphine did not look convinced, "But what if they do? Would it be offensive if we left now?"

Michael stepped forward, holding his hand out to Delphine. "Come on. I'll take you over the swords. We can't have you fainting and give us a bad reputation."

Leyla's smile at Michael's heroics was short lived when a familiar hand grabbed hers.

"Captain Leo?" She turned to face the man who had approached from behind.

Leo's mouth curled in pleasure. "I see that my reputation precedes me, my Lady."

A shiver of disgust running through her, Leyla shook his fingers off her wrist and frowned. "You have been mentioned." Her tone implied that what she heard was nothing good.

"Ah, but I am sure that a wise Lady of the Land of Light knows better than to believe malicious gossip." Leo ran a hand over his artfully crafted braids and shot her a heated look. "I arrived too late at yesterdays feast to be able to greet you. Now that we have met, let me put myself at your disposal."

Leo had no idea how glad Leyla was to have avoided him, and how badly she wanted to continue doing so. She remembered well, that smug expression on his face when he accused her of being a traitor. Curling her fingers into her palms to stop herself from throwing a punch, Leyla spoke through clenched teeth: "I have not felt the loss of your presence, please leave." She looked in the direction that Michael and Delphine had gone and saw them waiting in line to cross over the swords.

"Come now, my Lady. You don't have to play hard to get." Leo trailed a finger down the short sleeves of her dress, then down her bare arm. Her stomach churned at his touch, and she was about to give him a short jab in the ribs as retaliation when she saw Alec. He was standing a few paces away, watching them with a clenched jaw.

Alec knew Leyla despised Captain Leo. Knew that Leo had nearly gotten her killed by sending her on a fake mission and had tried to brand her a traitor. Since he seemed to suspect her of being Leyla, then she had to do something Leyla would never do.

Suppressing her nausea, Leyla forced herself to smile at Leo. "I suppose I shouldn't refuse the company of such a handsome man. You have come to take me across the swords?"

"Of course!" Grinning like a fool, Leo put his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to his side. Every muscle in her body protested, but she walked with him until Alec turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

"I knew the moment I laid eyes on you, that you would be mine." Leo whispered next to her ear, pressing his large nose into her neck.

Leyla slammed her heel down on his foot, then elbowed him in the gut. The air left the Warriors' lungs in a sharp burst, turning his face red. She left before he could recover, feeling grim. She made several turns around the bonfire before she found Michael and Delphine waiting for her a little distance from where they had first stood.