Castle Walls by D Jordan Redhawk Page A

his inspection.
    The two soldiers interrupted his inspection as they returned from their search. "Anything?" he asked.
    "No, sir," one responded, scanning the blonde woman's length. "Only one bed. A few changes of clothing for this one, though nothing but a shift for the other."
    Pursing his lips, the captain turned his attention to Ros, an eyebrow lifting in question.
    With a wave at Katerin's dirty appearance, the owner said, "That's hardly surprising, is it? Her job is to take care of the braziers during performances. I'd be a fool to waste money on more for her. She'd soil it within minutes." She continued with an ingenious grin, "Besides, her other… attributes are what I keep her for and clothing isn't necessary."
    It took a moment for the comment to sink in. While one soldier was able to keep a straight face, the other burst into a wicked guffaw before he could stifle himself.
    The captain's eyes narrowed, his expression turning cold. His grasp on the small woman's chin tightened and he leaned forward to stare at her. "Is this true?" he grated. "Do you share this…woman's bed?"
    His weathered face filled her vision and Katerin forced herself to look at him. Gods! Now what do I do? Realizing that the situation precluded Ros being able to help her, the brunette went with her gut instincts. A sweet smile crossed her lips, and she said, "Yes, sir. I keeps her warm at nights."
    Releasing her and stepping backwards, the captain sneered at the blonde. "Sapphist bitch."
    Ros' smile turned feral as she smoothly moved between the man and woman. "Aye, that I am. Not only a sapphist, but a bitch as well. You'd do well to remember that." Her tone was not quite a threat and she made no move to reach for the sword hanging from her hip.
    After staring at her in disgust for another minute, the captain waved his soldiers off. "What we're looking for's not here," he pronounced. "Let's go." Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the camp.
    There was a long pause as all watched them go. Just near the tent entrance, the three gathered large warhorses and mounted. With a final derisive glance backwards, the captain kicked his steed into a gallop. The thunder of hooves faded into the distance and silence reigned for a few moments.
    Katerin, still standing behind Ros, stared at the blonde woman, relief washing over her. She watched the woman reach up to scratch at tousled blonde hair and rub the nape of her neck. A sudden desire washed over the dark woman, a yearning to ease the burden on those shoulders and her hands almost reached up before she caught herself. Staring down at the ground in mild confusion, she balled her hands into fists. Chuckling caught her attention and Katerin looked up as the circus owner turned.
    " That ," Ros insisted, "was priceless!" Without thought, she grabbed the smaller woman into a hug, spinning her around. "You've outdone yourself, Kat! You've missed your calling!" She set Katerin back onto her feet, chortling.
    Flustered, half embarrassed and half pleased, the brunette allowed a small grin to cross her face. "Thank you." As the rest of the troupe approached, laughing and talking excitedly in relief, Katerin could still smell the circus owner's scent, feel the strong arms about her, and her skin tingled in response. What is this…? Before she could analyze the strangeness, Ilia approached and distracted her.
     
    It was late, most of the troupe long ago having gone to their beds in exhaustion. Ros looked up from the small book she was updating, diverted from the last minute accounts by a noise. She was seated at the small table in her wagon, a hooded lantern illuminating her work. In the bed to her right, Katerin had fallen asleep and it was from there the sound came again. Puzzled, the blonde adjusted the lantern, allowing the light to sweep across the sleeping form.
    The smaller woman moaned and tossed her head, her expression pained.
    Another bad dream. Ros rose and settled on her