Mercenary

Mercenary: Chapter 4 - A Bet and an Insult

As the men gathered round the armory, they stared at Adella in distaste. She assumed it was because of Lord Alexander’s rule against women on the training grounds, but it could also be the way she was dressed, or the fact that she was gripping a sword and a bow as if her life depended on it…

On second thought, it was probably just her in general.

She couldn’t count on Wilhelm to intimidate the men into leaving her alone this early in the morning. After years of traveling together, she at least knew him well enough to realize that he'd still be asleep at this time. The twins would be down soon, but not soon enough, and Longshot was probably in the woods, practicing his archery in solitude. No, this early in the morning, Adella stood alone.

She’d done it dozens of times before.

“Get back up to the castle, girl. You know you’re not allowed down here,” one man growled. Adella looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was a very tall, very hairy man who had issued the insult. He was husky, and the lilt to his voice suggested that he was a country man. His long red beard flowed down his chest, and he looked positively terrifying.

Not that Adella was going to let him know that.

Instead, she set down her bow and sword gently, before placing her hands on her hips and cocking one eyebrow questioningly.

“And who are you to tell me to leave?”

“I am Corrin, leader of the fifth company. And who are you, little girl, to argue with me?”

“She’s The Phoenix,” a calm voice said from the outskirts of the crowd.

Instantly the crowd parted for him, like the red sea for Moses. Adella smiled fondly when she saw it was Longshot. He strode toward her, confident in his steps, not hurrying whatsoever.

“Longshot,” Adella said, grasping his forearm. Longshot did the same in return, a smile breaking through his emotionless exterior. “Nice of you to join us.”

“Her? The Phoenix?” a voice from the crowd exclaimed. “If she’s The Phoenix, then I’m the king of Castania!”

The entire crowd burst into rowdy laughter. Adella sighed. This was how it always was. Glancing around the crowd, she saw that there couldn’t be more than thirty men here. The king had told Wilhelm that there were nine and fifty men left at Brierwood, so the others must still be on their way. And by the looks of it, Wilhelm and Alexander were among those still on their way.

Adella bit her lip gently. The men were still laughing noisily, and there was no indication they’d be stopping anytime soon. She’d really hoped that she’d be able to wait for all the men to arrive in order to stake her claim, but it seemed as though she’d have to do it a bit early.

“Longshot,” Adella whispered to the unmoving form beside her. He looked down at her, question marked clearly in his eyes. “Would you mind helping me up on the table? I do believe it’s time for my announcement.”

Longshot’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Are you sure? All the men can’t have arrived yet.”

“I’m hoping they’ll all get here by the time the match actually starts.”

Longshot shook his head slightly. He was doubtful of this, but then a certain man’s comment reached his ears.

“What’s that girl doing on the training grounds in the first place? Doesn’t she know that we do not have a stove or a duster out here?”

The men burst into another round of laughter at this, but the comment made Longshot’s blood boil. Nodding tersely to Adella, he helped her up onto the table.