Elrik’s stomach knotted at the last part of the King’s statement. Something about David’s emotionless, steady tone of voice when he said he intended to put a halt to Brandr’s plans was...unsettling. The King already knew what he was going to do—and Elrik wondered if there was more to his involvement than David was willing to divulge at this moment.
For over ten years he’d been the King’s Wolf. Not once had he questioned any order he’d been given, not even the ones that had forced him to harden his heart, or turn a deaf ear to those pleading for mercy. But this was different—it was personal. It touched on the very reason he’d sold his soul to the King. ‘Why me?’
‘The girl had nothing to do with the past.’ David’s stare darkened. ‘At that time, she was but a child and her father hadn’t yet claimed her as his daughter.’ He paused before leaning forward to add, ‘Your father made his choice. He would have done nothing different whether Brandr had been involved or not.’
Elrik disagreed. He’d been there. He’d heard Brandr’s rallying speeches against the foreigners King David had put in control of what were considered choice areas of land and seen the effect the man’s passionately spoken words had had on the older men gathered in Roul’s Great Hall. With nothing but his voice, he’d stirred them into a frenzied desire for revenge.
The striped scars crisscrossing his back were a permanent reminder of the hellish glee Brandr took in seeing punishment meted out to those deemed insubordinate—whether they had been or not. Brandr hadn’t applied the lash, but he’d done much to ensure it had been used.
Elrik wasn’t about to voice his thoughts to the King. Brandr was a king’s grandson and the nephew of a very powerful lord, while he was nothing more than a traitor’s son.
‘You will do as ordered, Roul.’
Elrik kept a tight hold on his rage, swallowed the bitterness coating his tongue and nodded. ‘Of course, my lord.’
King David leaned back against the chair and tossed him a sack of coins. ‘This should cover what you need. I’ve no men to spare.’
Elrik dropped the smaller sack into the leather pouch secured to the inside of his cloak. The money would come in handy and additional men would only slow him down. ‘What need I of any men?’
‘Perhaps I failed to mention that Brandr’s men found evidence that someone might be hunting the lady. He fears their intention is not to bring her home alive.’
Copyright © 2018 by Denise L. Koch
ISBN-13: 9781488086809
One Week to Wed
Copyright © 2018 by Laurie Benson
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