The Wayfarer King by K.C. May Page B

met Feanna’s eyes over the top of Liera’s head. “I’m like a hired sword, except that he doesn’t actually pay me.”
    “How interesting,” Liera said. She patted Feanna’s arm and winked at her. Liera’s earlier disappointment evaporated, replaced by eagerness and excitement.
    “How long will you two be staying?” Feanna asked.
    “I don’t know yet. I think he’d only planned to stay the night, but an unexpected development might delay us.” Daia was smiling broadly now and looking directly at Feanna, as was Liera. “It seems he has his eye firmly set on you.”
    Heat washed across Feanna’s face and neck. “Oh, do you think so? I wouldn’t have thought a warrant knight would be much interested in a woman who was burdened with a house and children.”
    “Gavin’s not quite what he seems at first glance,” Daia said.
    When they arrived at the backyard where the pig was roasting, Liera went back to work basting the meat while it cooked, turning it with a crank on the handle. The girls, interrupted from their hopping game, stood aghast at the sight of the brawny swordswoman. While Tansa and Jilly gaped, Iriel came forward with a dreamlike expression. “Are you a Viragon Sister?” she asked.
    “This is my daughter Iriel,” Feanna said. “Iriel, this is Miss Daia.”
    “How d’you do?” Iriel bobbed a clumsy curtsy. “So are you?”
    “I was,” Daia said, smiling.
    Feanna went to the fire pit to check the potatoes.
    “How come you’re not anymore?”
    “Iriel, that’s none of your business,” Feanna said. “I’m sorry, Miss Daia. She’s obsessed with becoming a Viragon Sister.”
    Daia put a hand on Iriel’s shoulder. “I felt the same way when I was your age. I couldn’t hear enough stories about battlers and their adventures.”
    “Can I touch your sword?”
    “You may but only on the hilt. The blade is very sharp.”
    Since Daia seemed to have matters in hand, Feanna went back to work. She used her sleeve to wipe the sweat and wet hair from her forehead then sat to peel the eggplants. Her mind returned to Rogan’s brother, wondering why he’d come. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him, but she’d heard rumors about warrant knights and their lifestyles and had no interest in becoming anyone’s bedfellow. She’d always wanted a child of her own, but a ’ranter’s bastard was not what she had in mind.
    Jilly came to sit beside her and watched Daia silently from a distance. Tansa ambled over to listen to Daia tell Iriel about joining the Sisterhood.
    “How old must I be to join?” Iriel asked.
    “Twelve at least.”
    “I’m almost nine. But I’m tall for my age, and strong too.” Iriel flexed her biceps. “They could let me in early. I could keep up.”
    “No doubt,” Daia said, “but the Sisterhood has many rules which mustn’t be broken. If you get caught breaking rules, you can get kicked out. It wouldn’t bode well to break a rule to get in, would it?”
    A deflated Iriel sat hard on the ground. “I guess not.”
    “You’ll be twelve before you know it. Meanwhile, do your best to help your mother. Chores help you develop discipline and strength, traits of a good battler.”
    Feanna gave Daia a thankful smile, which she acknowledged with a wink. Feanna got the impression she and Daia would get along just fine.

Chapter 15

    Gavin watched Feanna walk away, appreciating the shine of her honey-colored hair in the sunlight, the narrowness of her waistline, and the sway of her hips beneath her skirt. If he’d known this was the woman Liera had wanted to introduce him to a few weeks ago, he’d have stayed another day, maybe two. Damn she gave him the itch. Judging from her haze, she was equally attracted to him. It probably wasn’t fair to see into her like that, but he’d only wanted a peek.
    Something else about her haze had piqued his interest. It glowed brilliant golden yellow with a second haze of pure white around it, like a belt. At one point, when