Warrior's Soul (Book 3 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 18

Leyla let her first arrow fly, shooting a Bone Eater in the back before she took in the scene in front of her. A dozen Bone Eaters lay in a puddle of their own blood while another twenty or so were foolishly attacking a medical wagon protected by nine Warriors.

Bloody Diya! It was obviously a set up. The Warriors could have easily handled this without their help, but it was too late now. One of the blue uniformed men saw her and Athiri, then called out quickly: "Arrows!"

Four Warriors stepped behind their comrades, dropping their swords to pull their bows forward.

Damn it! They had marked them aggressors. She saw Liam stabbing the Bone Eater coming at him. There was no time! Her bow ready, Leyla stepped in front of him, shielding him from the Warrior archers as she began to fire.

"Liam get back! Athiri, sit!" Leyla used her most commanding tone and stepped in front of the animal while drawing another arrow. Liam sliced at the Bone Eater that attacked him, then rushed to her side just as she fired.

One, two, three, four, five. The Bone Eaters in front of the first line of Warriors fell to their knees in quick succession, staying the hands of Warrior's who had placed their arrows.

The leader of the Warriors, a Captain by the marking on his jacket, looked straight at her for another moment before shouting: "Swords!"

Leyla let go of the breath she was holding as the Warriors switched the bows for their swords once more. Everything moved quickly after that. The Warriors made short work of the men who attacked them, while those who approached their small group either got felled by Liam's sword or her arrow. The two Bone Eaters who actually noticed Athiri skidded to a halt and tried to run, but they were not fast enough to escape the Warriors.

The battle ended with the death of thirty-six Bone Eaters and nary a scratch on the survivors. Seeing the Warriors checking the bodies for those who might be alive, Leyla tugged at Liam's shirt, "Let's go."

He raised his brows, but looked like he was going to comply until the stomping of hooves alerted them to the arrival of yet more Warriors.

Leyla recognised the man at the front with a sinking feeling. Golden braids pulled back into a pony tail, his brows drawn over sky blue eyes, Alec slowed his horse as his group of men approached the wagon.

Bloody Diya! Her lips parted beneath the mask as her mind whirled. What should she do? If she revealed herself...if she told Alec that she was on the run, what then? He would want to help her, no, he would absolutely insist on her coming back to the Warrior Kingdom. And then? How long before the Light spies inside the keep found out? If the Warrior King harboured a Light fugitive, it would only lead to conflict between the two kingdoms.

People would be in danger because of her.

Feeling her tense, Liam moved closer and gave her a small smile, "Don't worry, Warriors will not harm those who have helped them."

That was not the problem here! Leyla spoke quickly as she watched Alec jump down from his horse with, Sten, Toke, Wolf and Bo close on his heels. They were too focused on the bodies around the wagon to have noticed them yet, but it wouldn't take long.

"Liam, I'm mute, got it?" She whispered.

Liam's expression was full of question, but he had no time to speak before Wolf was walking towards them, one hand on the hilt of his sword: "You there! Step out from the shadows!"

Liam stepped forward in front of her, his easy smile in place as always. Leyla put her hand on Athiri's head to keep him calm.

"And hello to you, Warrior. You're probably wanting to thank me and my companion for helping with this lot," Liam looked at the dead bodies with a shake of his head, "but there's no need. Bone Eaters are the enemy of all who seek a peaceful life."

Wolf looked at the bodies of Bone Eaters strewn close to their feat and let his hand fall from his weapon, but only for a moment. "Wait, what is that behind the boy!?" Before Liam could so much as answer, Wolf was calling back to the Warriors by the carriage: "Protect the King!"

Not again! Leyla took a step closer to Athiri so that her right leg brushed against his soft fur while her fingers inched towards her sword.

"At ease!" Alec's voice cut through the sudden tension. The Warriors who had immediately moved to surround him, now parted as the annoyed King glared at Wolf. "Since when do I need protection, hmm?"

Leyla took an instinctive step back as Alec came to stand beside his most trusted man. "I apologise for my Warrior's lack of manners and thank you for your aid," he began. Then he was looking towards her and Athiri, prompting Leyla to avert her gaze. "Is that your pet, boy?"

Liam took another step forward and gave a quick bow, "We are the ones who must apologise, your Highness, for causing your Warriors needless distress. The Hayvan is indeed the boys pet and no danger to anyone who does not try to harm him."

Leyla could feel Alec's gaze burning into her hood as she continued to look only at Athiri.

"Why don't you speak for yourself boy, do we scare you?"

Liam took a step towards Alec, his smile fading as he lowered his voice, "The boy is mute, your Highness. It's probably his disability that makes him shy."

Alec looked surprised for a moment, then he was speaking to Leyla once more: "You've tamed a creature that makes all of Gaia cry for fear so hold your head high!"

Leyla swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. Defender of the weak to the very end; Alec was still the same as he always had been. Suddenly she missed the days when things had been simple, the days when she had lived in the Warrior Kingdom and trained day and night. The days when she knew what she had to do and what the next day would bring...

Athiri whimpered and nudged her leg with his nose, feeling her sudden change in mood. Voices floated around her for a moment then Liam was standing in front of her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Well, this is what we get for running to help without thinking, right?" Liam joked, his voice low so as not to be overheard. "Nine Warriors being ambushed, those Bone Eaters must have lost their minds before they lost their lives."

"It wasn't an ambush," Leyla whispered beneath her mask, her eyes scanning for anyone watching them. Alec was back conferring with his Captain while the rest of the Warriors got busy shifting bodies. "Four Warriors would have been outside, six inside. When they were attacked, the rest jumped out and one left to inform the reinforcements of their exact location. It was no ambush, they are hunting Bone Eaters."

Liam gave her a strange look, before he looked back at the Warriors, "It won't be long till dusk falls and the Warrior King has insisted we share their campfire. It might cause problems if we refuse."

Leyla nodded. Alec was being pleasant, but he wouldn't let them leave without making sure the discovery of a boy with a pet Hayvan was not going to affect his plans in anyway. Whatever his plans were...

"He will ask a lot of questions," she warned Liam.

His green eyes narrowed on her for a moment, "The way you talk of the King...it feels like you know him. Did you meet him before?"

Leyla looked away, shaking her head, "I'm warning the wrong guy, you're the one with endless questions."

The twinkle was back in Liam's eyes as tempered a laugh, "Only when it comes to you, Protector. Everything about you makes me curious."