Lass' Valor (The Pith Trilogy) by Kara Griffin

hadn’t been so occupied helping
his cousin, Douglas, with his difficulties, he probably would have gone, and
his sweet niece wouldn’t have been abducted. Too late now to feel such guilt, at
least he’d found her and she was safe.
    He
took a plaid from Gil and covered them. Something rubbed against his leg and he
looked down at his feet and saw a cat, a very fluffy cat that meowed at him. He
opened his pouch, took out dried meat and fed the animal. A string around the
animal’s neck interested him, and he touched the covered object. The cat
hissed, then went to lie down with its mistress, and began cleaning itself.
    Never
in a hundred years had Brendan thought he’d be lying in the woods watching a
bean-sith, a feline, and his niece slumbering beside him. He gave a hand signal
to Gil, indicating that he wanted him to do the rounds, but he wouldn’t rest
until he was assured his niece was safely tucked away on their land. Brendan
leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes, listening for sounds of danger.
A smile came to him—a very unusual occurrence.
     

Chapter
Five
     
     
    Kate
awoke in her customarily cheerful manner. That is, until she felt the coldness
from the ground, which chilled her. She opened her eyes and saw the warriors
standing beside their mounts. With a loud piercing scream, she gripped the
covers. She’d forgotten where she was, that warriors were around, and that she
was fleeing for her life. Everything came trickling back into her mind. The
soldiers came running with their swords drawn and her eyes widened in horror.
The dark warrior motioned them back, and watched her stand.
    He
scoffed as he approached her. “Why did ye scream?”
    “I-I
um … forgot where I was, and the men frightened me and … I didn’t mean to
scream.”
    The
man looked at her, apparently studying her from her head to her toes. She
pursed her lips, and wanted to scold his boorish behavior.
    “I
know we look a wee frightening with our paint, but we only do it for our
amusement. Our ancestors painted each other and we … I’m only telling ye
because we don’t mean to scare you.”
    “I
see. Thank you for explaining, I shan’t be frightened any longer.” Kate was
sure the Goddess was shaking her head at her for telling such a fabrication.
    “Fix
your gown, you’re showing a little too much skin. I don’t want the men to see
you.”
    “Oh,
Goddess above.” Kate straightened her garments, and her face reddened. No
wonder he had scrutinized her. The warrior sounded possessive, which irritated
her. Before she could counter him, he shoved food at her.
    “Eat.”
    She
shook her head. “Nay, thank you, sir.”
    He
shoved the food at her again. “You will eat, now.”
    “I
don’t usually eat this early, perhaps later. Do we have far to travel?”
    “Aye,
very far.”
    Kate
realized he was a man of few words. He continued to stare at her, and he didn’t
look happy. Did the warrior always wear such a fierce look? Even through the
paint on his face, she could tell he scowled. Too cowardly to ask, she
refrained from asking his name. She prayed he was Robin, the man who had
married Bonnie’s mother’s friend. He just had to be, because there was no way
she’d travel with such an arrogant man who wasn’t at least married. She might
be tempted to curse him or make him a potion which would make him silly and
lighten his foreboding manner, the thought of that made her smile.
    “How
many more days?” She grumbled her question.
    “A
few. Bonnie will ride with Gil, you’ll ride with me.”
    Kate
didn’t like his commanding tone. Her usual appeasing personality took on a
cranky nature. “I will do no such thing. I have my own horse, my lord.”
    “Lass,
that is not a horse. He’s old and will never make it up the incline.”
    She
looked at Ralph and had to agree. Poor Ralph had all ready ridden so far and he
wasn’t bred for the hilly terrain they had traveled. “What should I do with
him?”
    He
narrowed