The Centurion's Woman

Chapter 23

HER GIGNO'S FRIEND watched the fighting outside for a few more seconds, and then motioned the small group to retreat further back into the building. They stopped near to where Poldi's chair was lying. Alex noted the pity on Brasus's face as he looked at her, and slowly shook her head for 'no'.

        "Lady, our plan was for you," Brasus said. "Max would be good to bring, but—"

        "Then change the plan," Alex interrupted. She'd rescued Big Man from Mark over the past two years, even trained him to accept her wearing armor in the past weeks, loved him damn it, she wasn't going to leave him behind now without even trying. That would be like leaving one of these guys.

        "Alexandria!" Ixillius reprimanded. His fury and jealousy at her reactions since the fighting ended leaving him obviously one more argument from blind rage.

        "Then change the plan," Alex replied, her quiet tone leaving no question that she was no longer arguing. Ixillius stepped close, meeting her challenge.

        "I did not go through all of this so that I would lose you over a horse," he snarled down at her.

        "You should not even be here!" Alex hissed back, her anger at the risk he'd taken – to both of them – boiling over. "I die, and nothing. You still live. You die and I live, I am no more. I am no father, no owner. Idiot!" She nearly spit the word up at him. His breath rushed out as if she'd struck him and with a shake of her head she buried her own rage back behind the wall between her thinking mind and her emotions.

        "I will not leave Max," she stated, turning her gaze back to Brasus.

        "You don't know where we're going once we leave the village," her gigno's friend stated quietly. Alex regarded him for a second, and then turned to the boy.

        "Do you ride very well?"

        Ixillius barely heard the eruption of whispered arguing over whether or not Lothar was able to ride with Alex should she attempt to go after Max. He'd nearly been in a blind rage, and then Alex had laid out what she considered a glaring tactical mistake on his part: coming to get her. His fury sank into the cold calculations of planning an exit strategy that included attempting to rescue her stallion without getting any or all of them killed in the process. The plan of striking her hard enough to knock her out, leaving the horse and carrying her back to Chlodochar's village looked a lot easier from every angle he viewed the situation.

        Lothar's hand shot out toward Brasus in a stopping gesture, and Alex immediately followed the direction of his arm with her sword, not even looking to see what the threat was before launching an attack. Brasus dropped by instinct, spinning to land on his back and see his attacker. The old witch that had been speaking to Poldi of babies and kings before the fight broke out gurgled, the knife she was wielding frozen at the height of her shoulder, the blade of Alex's sword embedded in her chest.

        Ixillius stared at the woman he had just been furious at, seeing the corners of her lips curl into a smile as she twisted the blade and sliced to the side rather than pulling the sword out cleanly. The witch's confused gaze remained as she toppled. Alex's smile transferred to the sword she held, and Ixillius realized with relief that Alex wasn't smiling at killing, she was pleased with the weapon. Brasus rolled quickly out of the way of the body falling towards him, his legs coated with fresh blood.

        Chlodochar stared at Alex for a long moment, and then looked to his son, clearly uneasy that the man who had raised his boy had also raised this woman. Ixillius found his eyes drawn to his friend as Brasus climbed back to his feet. There was something about the way that Alex had just attacked that reminded him too much of Brasus, but he didn't have time to think right now because Chlodochar had just told his son to be careful and Alex and Lothar were walking toward the wall behind Poldi's throne.