“Then I will make sure he comes with Sigfried. I am keen to meet the man who has finally turned my daughter’s head.”
Damon let out a loud snort. “Any chance we can get going? I do have things to do other than listen to Arianna’s latest conquest.”
“When it comes to conquests, you are legendary,” Arianna flung back at Damon.
She stalked off to get her belongings, which were stuffed in true teenager style into a backpack. When she re-emerged, it was only Damon in the living room. His scowl was even deeper than usual.
“I’m not happy about you escorting me either but try and look a little less pissed off by it,” she grunted.
“Why do you continue with this nonsense about an interest in another warrior,” he growled.
Arianna’s nerves all stood to attention. “It’s not nonsense. I like the guy. Sorry if that crushes your fragile ego. Now let’s go.” As she walked past him, he grabbed hold of her upper arm.
“You know it is me you’re destined to marry so I would rather I didn’t get second hand goods,” he sneered.
Arianna responded by slapping his face hard with her free hand. “You are the last man I would align myself with.”
Instead of letting her go, he pulled her to him and kissed her hard enough to almost draw blood. Unlike before where his kiss had been enticing and passionate, this was cold and clinical. And as the toad would not let her go, she only had two options. Freezing him to death was not good for relations with Vasmaar so she took the only other route open to her and brought her knee up to his groin with reasonable force.
“No-one kisses me without my permission. Remember that, dick head.” She left Damon writhing on the floor. Serves him right, he really was too full of himself. Pulling on her hat and gloves before mounting up on horse she felt truly empowered. Being heir to the throne was not the burden she used to think it was. She was going to make one very ballsy queen one day.
CHAPTER 23
Damon was feeling thunderous. He could not believe Arianna had kneed him in the dick. Not that he didn’t deserve it, he couldn’t help himself. She brought out the worst in him. The woman was nothing but an irritant; an irritant who held the Kingdom of Lokranor in her hands.
“Oh dear, that look can only mean Arianna has put you back in your place once again.”
Damon tossed his cloak onto the bench in the entrance hall. Wonderful, his sister. “Morganna, back so soon?”
“Such a welcome. No wonder you’re not winning Arianna over yet.”
“I don’t want to win that harridan over, I want to put her six feet under.”
“Now there speaks the voice of man who has been scorned. What you need to do, dear brother, is change tactics. Your current methods in winning the fair lady’s heart are ineffective so find a different approach.”
“A fair lady is the last thing I would call that hissing viper.”
Morganna chuckled. “I do so love it when someone knocks you off that pedestal you’ve put yourself on.”
“Are you here for any particular reason other than to get under my skin too?” Damon grunted. As much as he loved his sister, now was not a good time to start goading him.
“Yes. It’s Mum’s birthday next week and we’re arranging a small gathering.”
“By small gathering, you mean half of Muirhead?”
“Something like that. So make sure you’re present otherwise I really will show you the meaning of pain.”
Damon raised an eyebrow. “A command and threat in one sentence. You really are pulling out all the stops today.”
“I learnt that from you,” she tapped his cheek affectionately. “Now I need to get back. I’ll see you next week.”
“The snow is starting again.”
“It’s always snowing in this damn place,” Morganna looked up at the sky as she fixed her cloak.
“You can stay, you know.”
“I’ve got a hot date I don’t want to miss. A little snow isn’t going to get in my way.”
“A date?” Damon was immediately on the defensive. “Who with?”
She gave him an enigmatic smile before heading out the door. Damon stomped into his study. Morganna might be nineteen but perhaps he should check out who she was seeing. The last thing he wanted was his sister involved with some serial womaniser like himself.
Morganna was beginning to think that perhaps her brother had been right and she should have stayed at the castle; the weather had closed in much quicker than she had anticipated. Visibility was bad so she slowed her horse to a trot. She could not be far from Damon’s hunting lodge so would stop the night there if the weather deteriorated any further. Then again, the gateway she used for Muirhead was not that much further.
Oh hell, who was she kidding. She was not going to make it home that night. Her date with Henry was going up in flames; she couldn’t even text him so he would think she’d stood him up. Could her luck get any crappier?
She wished she hadn’t thought that because it did. The snow storm had now become a blizzard. If she didn’t find shelter soon, she would turn into a human snow cone.
“Sorry, Thor,” she leant forward and patted the black gelding’s neck. “There’s a big bag of hay for you when we get out of this mess.”
Luckily Thor didn’t seem overly bothered by the blizzard, he just kept moving ahead. Hopefully in the direction of home, Morganna thought.
Much to her relief the snow started to slow and her surroundings became brighter. Morganna pulled Thor to a standstill as she glanced around. They were in the middle of a small copse, deep green trees surrounding them. It was one beautiful spot. The trouble was she hadn’t a damn clue where she was. The cracking of a branch made her turn just as three horsemen appeared from the woods. Most people in Vasmaar recognised her as Damon’s sister. If she was in Lokranor, chances were they would recognise the Vasmaar medallion around her neck and leave her alone. No-one wanted to incite the wrath of Valkarin’s heir. Even so, her hand was on her sword.
Aware they were closing the gap, Morganna went on the defensive right away. “Stay where you are and state your purpose,” she barked at them.
The lead horseman pulled his horse up several feet from her and indicated for his companions to halt also. From what she could see of his face, he was about Damon’s age. “I do believe it is the first time a lady other than my mother has given me an order.” His voice had that wonderful Scandinavian lilt to it. He tilted his head and studied her for a moment. “Looking at the amount of snow on your cloak, did you fall off your horse?”
Bloody cheek, Morganna thought. “I have only ever fallen off my horse once and that was when I was six. The snow is from the blizzard we just had.”
“Blizzard?” he queried. “The sun has shone all day.”
“Perhaps in the tavern you were no doubt getting drunk in. That is the only way you could have missed that storm.”
“There was no storm, my lady.”
“Whatever,” Morganna waved her hand. Clearly the guy was not all there. “I got turned around in the storm you apparently missed, could you point me in the direction of either Vasmaar or Lokranor?”
“Lokranor or Vasmaar?” he gazed at her strangely.
“Oh dear God,” she raised her hand to the heavens. “Why did I have to run into the village idiot?” She looked around the man to his two companions who appeared to be trying not to laugh. “Are either of you sober?”
“Quite sober, my lady,” one responded.
“Vasmaar or Lokranor Castle, which way?”
“I do not know of any castle by that name.”
“Let’s try an easier one then. Could any of you tell me the name of the nearest town or village to here?” She spoke deliberately slowly.
“Bassengaard.”
“Bassengaard?” Morganna queried.
“Yes. Large city, big castle right in the centre. Kind of difficult to miss.” The man in front of her spoke.
“Bassengaard is in the Fifth R
ealm. We are in the Second, fool.”
His horse took a few paces closer to her. “I am no fool, my lady. And you cannot be from the Second realm, we have had no contact with them for millennia. So perhaps it is you who is intoxicated.”
Morganna noticed his eyes were an amazing piercing blue. Such a shame he was either blind drunk or short of few brain cells. At least that was what she hoped. Arianna and Katya had opened gateways to the Fourth Realm. But that was with a sun and moon stone. She’d not picked anything up. Was it possible? No. She’d just run into some dimwits. Backing her horse up a few steps away from his slightly threatening presence, Morganna glanced over her shoulder and cursed. She had taken her eyes of his two companions and now they were behind her. Damn it, she was not in the mood for a sword fight.
Her hand went back to her sword as she drew it slowly. “I would advise you to call off your men if you want them to live.”
“You think a mere woman can take down two of my best warriors?” he asked incredulously.
“A mere First realmer can any day,” she smiled mischievously and dismounted, handing the reigns of Thor to him. “At least make yourself useful and look after my horse.” He looked positively shocked, even more so when he hadn’t seen her undo the girth to his saddle. A few seconds later he landed in a heap at her feet. “At least taking you down was easy,” she grinned.
To her surprise he laughed and held up his hand to halt his companions. His hat had come off to reveal fine wavy golden brown hair and some pretty good bone structure. In fact, he was rather gorgeous. Morganna wished she could stop the fluttering in her stomach. She extended her hand to help him up.
“Might I know your name, my lady?”
“Morganna Voktere. And you are?”
“Brimir, of the House of Bassengaard.”
THE END
Other books by Juliet Anderson:
Opposing Forces
Obsession
Mark of Mars Series:
Mark of Mars
Blood Never Lies
Destined for a Deity
Realms Gate Series:
Realms Gate
A Realm Divided
The Realms Unite
The Fourth Realm (Realms Gate) Page 28