The Treason Blade (Battle for Alsaar Book 1) by Jenny Rebecca Keech

Traevyn trying to kill her,” Davaris muttered into his
drink.
    Traevyn
glared, but glanced at Gavin and Glyndwr. “You are in agreement?”
    Both nodded.
    “Yes,” Gavin
added, “We will be ready to ride in the morning.”
    Traevyn rose.
“Are any of you dining tonight with Eira and Ishar?”
    Davaris
nodded. Glyndwr groaned.
    Gavin nodded
slowly. “I do not think Glyndwr is up to it but I will be there. Ber will not.
Lysandr had a word with him about toning down the antagonism toward Ishar and
Ber told him if the Haaldyn could not handle a little disapproval, perhaps she
needed to ride toward home.”
    Davaris
sighed. “That went over well.”
    “It also
explains why Ber was fighting mad.” Glyndwr groaned and glared at his friends,
“why does no one tell me these things? Then I would have known not to accept
the training match.”
    Gavin
shrugged. “Lysandr told Ber to stay away from Eira’s table until he could learn
to not insult an accepted guest of the holding.”
    Traevyn
nodded toward Glyndwr. “You will be ready in the morning.”
    Glyndwr gave
a short nod.
    “Then I will
see the rest of you at dinner.” As Traevyn wove his way out, Ber walked past
them and went up to the bar with a loud roar, his fist slamming the counter.
Jaya shook her head and came from behind. She kissed him until he was
speechless, then passed him a drink. Traevyn smiled,
Jaya was the only person he knew who could cool the fire inside Ber when he was
raging. Ber grinned, kissed her back and moved to where the other Raanan
warriors sat, talking. The first thing he did was slap Glyndwr on his left
shoulder. Glyndwr grimaced and glared at Ber. Ber laughed and poured his drink
into Glyndwr’s cup before motioning to Jaya to refill his own. Traevyn shook
his head at their antics and stepped out into the darkness. Their laughter
filtered out into the night after him. It pulled at him but he walked on through
the inner gate before stopping with a sigh. He needed to clean up before dining
at Eira’s table. Traevyn made a right and headed for the well.
     

4
    Ishar woke early the next morning. The sun was only
a glimmer on the horizon, the air crisp and cold. She dressed quickly. Ishar
slid into her undertunic and padded top. The day would soon grow all too warm,
and she would not need the armor riding or hunting. Ishar also grabbed her
fighting daggers, her bow and quiver and her sword in its shoulder sheath. The
blade felt comfortable and familiar positioned snug against her back. Her burda
she threw over her left arm. She would don it to fight the early chill of the
day.
    Closing her
door, Ishar made her way down the hall toward the stairs. She thought back to
the night before. The evening meal had progressed better without the presence
of Ber. Though Lysandr had been the most reserved, the other warriors had shown
a polite interest and had acted with a determination to include her in their
conversation, which culminated in an offer of a morning ride and hunt. Ishar
had quickly accepted. She was determined to bring down several deer. The meat
at the evening meal had proved far superior to the boar prepared the night
before. The offer had been made by Traevyn, who had behaved as if their earlier
dispute in the horse shelter had never occurred. Ishar wondered if the offer
was a concession on his part. It was hard to tell. He had been remote, as
unrevealing as ever. It frustrated Ishar that she could not read him as well as
the others. He would be an admirable opponent in battle, she realized. But as
an ally, his detachment proved an irritation.
    As Ishar came
into the main hall, she was surprised to find Traevyn waiting for her before
one of the crackling fires. He turned as she entered, studying her as was his
normal custom. He made no comment at the sight of her with her sword across her
back. Ishar frowned at his extended silence. “Do you never just say the first thing
that comes to your mind, your first impression?” she asked