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

with a curt tone as
she stalked toward him. He always managed to unsettle her with those reserved
eyes.
    Traevyn came
forward to meet her and motioned toward the table. They made their way over to
sit and Ishar set her burda in the chair beside her. They were both served
bowls of the sweet porridge and the warm paera drink. After the servants moved
away, Traevyn spoke. “No.” It was simple and that was Traevyn.
    Ishar arched
an eyebrow at him. “Really? What happened to the
Traevyn I met yesterday afternoon?” She watched his face tighten at her words.
    “That should
not have happened,” he said abruptly. “It will not happen again. You have my
apologies, of course. You are a guest of the holding and I did not show you
respect.”
    Ishar
frowned. “I rather enjoyed meeting that Traevyn,” she stated pointedly. “He
felt real.”
    Traevyn’s
eyes narrowed. “I wanted to wrap my hands around your neck and strangle you
into silence.”
    Ishar
laughed, and then shrugged. “You know, they say it is the closeness of death
that makes us see everything else in life so much more clearly.” She smiled.
    “You are a
strange woman,” Traevyn muttered but it was said with the slightest smile.
    They finished
the meal quickly. Ishar slid off her sword and donned the burda before slipping
her weapon back over her head.
    Traevyn
motioned her overguard. “It looks warm, but there are no sleeves.”
    Ishar glanced
down at her bare arms. “Thank you for your concern, but the drape around my shoulders
keeps my throat warm and the snug wrapping around my chest keeps the fabric out
of the way of my weapons. The lack of sleeves means that nothing prohibits my
arm movement in battle. Since this one is also fur-lined, it provides necessary
warmth for cool mornings such as this. It is an excellent overguard. We call it
a burda.”
    Traevyn
studied the design. “Do men wear these?”
    Ishar smiled.
“They wear an overguard that has a slightly different design and is shorter in
length. The leather outer covering is durable no matter the environment. Not
all are lined. Some burdas are simply plain leather. Besides, you forget,
Traevyn, I am used to a far harsher climate than your mild southern region.”
    He gave a
slight nod of agreement at her words. They made their way out of the fortress
and down toward the horse shelter. Gavin and Glyndwr were already there,
checking the straps of their saddled horses. Jusa held the reins of her solid
black mare and another gray gelding Ishar assumed was Traevyn’s. She quickly
ran her hands lightly over her horse, checking the girth belt and the other
straps to make certain they were tight. It was not an insult to Jusa. It was
ingrained in every soldier to check their gear and their horse themselves. She
nodded approvingly to the Britai steward and took Simi’s reins. “Thank you,
Jusa,” she said softly.
    He gave a
small nod and a smile. “Safe riding and good hunting, my
lady.”
    Ishar nodded
another thanks before turning back to Simi. Gavin gave a solid jump from the
ground and smoothly mounted a dark brown gelding and Glyndwr executed the same
movement on a tall, black mare. Ishar and Traevyn mounted and the group of four
made their way through the inner gates and past several groupings of soldiers
fighting with drawn swords. Ishar noted Lysandr gave an abrupt nod in their
direction from where he stood on the watch tower by the front gate. Ber’s look
from where he stood by the soldiers’ barracks was a solid glare, directed at
her. Ishar turned her focus forward. They rode out through the outer gates and
down the facing slope toward the village. They skirted its edge and continued
on. For a while there was only the rhythmic sound of animals and leather.
    After a
particular long stretch of silence, Ishar noted the groups’ subtle turn of
their horses. She commented to Traevyn.
“You seek a particular direction?”
    Traevyn
pointed to the north east direction directly ahead of them.