by Jaci Burton
Battle cries mixed with the howling of balons resounded below as the Centuri advanced. They’d brought ladders to scale the towers, and catapults to sling heavy boulders into the battlements and courtyard of the castle. Flying rocks sailed toward them.
“Get the women and children out of harm’s way!” he yelled to the guards standing at the ready in the courtyard. The assault continued as the warriors advanced. Tension coiled deep inside him, and he felt a great need to fly out through the gates and confront the enemy with his sword. But he knew that he and his warriors would have to wait until the time was right.
Arrows flew at them and they had to duck for cover. Coupled with the flying rocks, several of his people had been injured. When the ladders hit the battlements and the Centuri warriors came scrambling over, Lycan drew his sword and prepared to take on as many as he could.
The sounds of steel crashing against steel filled the air. Shouting, screaming, and angry battle cries rent the early morning. Dawn broke over the mountains to the east. At least they could see better now.
Lycan sliced through a Centuri warrior and gazed over the top of the wall. They were already deluged by warriors coming up the ladders. And as far as he could see in the gray morning light, there were more and more. Too many to count.
Raynar would never survive an onslaught like this. Despite their strength and position, they were simply outnumbered. Lycan pushed past a few combatants and searched for Tor, finding him engaged with two warriors. Choosing one, he quickly dispatched the invader, then watched as Tor took care of the other.
“There are too many of them,” he shouted with panting breaths, directing Tor to look outside the walls.
Tor nodded, his expression grim. “They outnumber us. But we are stronger and better trained. Perhaps we can still hold them off.”
No more words were spoken as Centuri warriors approached, their faces menacing, swords held high. As Lycan engaged two of them, he realized Tor was right. Raynar was stronger and better skilled, but the Lonai and Zhendahl warriors were an unknown factor. Were they as savage and brutal as the Centuri, but lacking in training? Or did they possess the finesse and heart of the Raynar warriors?
That remained to be seen. And they would find out soon enough, as a battering ram was brought forward. Flags signaling the Lonai and Zhendahl approached the gates, and pushed the ram in place. With one quick thrust they rammed the outer gates. Sounds of splintering wood could be heard as high as the tower where Lycan stood.
It wouldn’t take much time to make it through the outer barrier. The inner barrier, while reinforced, would only hold so long. Lycan found several of the captains and instructed them to take flanking positions at the gates and all the entrances into the inner castle. The last thing he wanted was to put the women and children in harm’s way.
The battle wore on for what seemed like hours. Raynar was holding steady despite the sheer numbers of Centuri, Lonai and Zhendahl climbing over the walls. Although the archers had killed or wounded a great number, it seemed as if there was no end to them.
It was only a matter of time now. Lycan knew his soldiers were weary. They had been fighting since before dawn, and now the sun shone high above the castle. Fatigue would take its toll and there were still warriors on the ground outside the gates who had not yet taken up their swords. They would be fresh and full of energy.
A part of him refused to accept that they could die today. Raynar was the strongest kingdom on the planet. No others were a match. And yet he foolishly hadn’t expected the other kingdoms to join with the savage Centuri. No one thought highly of Golan.
Not even the Dognelle.
He searched for the flag of the Dognelle, hoping against hope that Starr and her people had not joined in with Golan. Yet the dust from the hooves of the balon had marred those in the back of the groups approaching Raynar. For all he knew, Starr could be among the many warriors coming to take possession of his kingdom.
Coming to kill him and his people.
No, he wouldn’t believe she was capable of something like that. She had feelings for him. He knew she did. She had to feel the same as he did.
But if she was part of this, if she had joined with Golan, he would meet her on the battlefield and kill her like any other.
He would do whatever he had to do to save his kingdom, even if it meant doing battle with the woman he loved, even if it meant driving his sword through her heart. Even if the thought of hurting Starr brought a wrenching pain to his gut.
With a resounding crash the inner door began to give way. Lycan and Tor exchanged glances, knowing if the gate was breeched they would soon be overrun. This could be the last time that Lycan set eyes on his friend. They nodded and continued to fight. Lycan kept glancing at the numbers outside the gates, when he spotted a rustling of the trees to the west.
The forest.
Dognelle warriors riding balons emerged from the crop of trees. No wonder the trees were crashing down around them. He’d been in that forest before. Trying to ride balons through the thick branches would cause quite a ruckus.
There were hundreds of them pouring from the protective cover of the forest. His heart fell as he watched their approach toward Raynar, their flag held high, their queen at the lead.
Starr had come to do battle with Raynar—with him.
He had been wrong about her, about her feelings.
Bearing down upon the castle at breakneck speed, he knew the Dognelle would join up with the trailing end of the Lonai and Zhendahl.
Damn the stars! He would not give up his kingdom, his people, without a fight. He was about to turn and engage the Centuri again when something miraculous happened.
Starr’s troops didn’t fall in with the other warriors. They began to slay them. Their surprise attack had an immediate effect as Lonai and Zhendahl began to fall. Relentless, Starr and her troops sliced up through their ranks with a precision he had to admire.
The other two kingdoms were small in comparison to the Centuri and Raynar. Dognelle was more than a match for them. In no time at all the Lonai and Zhendahl had turned tail and fled toward the mountains from where they came.
Which left only the Centuri.
And Golan.
With a cry and renewed hope, Lycan surged forward, seeking out the Centuri leader. He knew that Golan was outside the gates, but no longer feared opening them. He amassed the majority of his guards and threw open the long planks, forcing the battle out into the flatlands in front of the castle.
They stormed the Centuri guards, driving them back with a ferocity that fired Lycan’s blood. A second wave of strength came over him and he knew what he had to do to assure peace in their lands.
Their skirmish mingled them in with the Dognelle warriors. Lycan had to admire the way they fought, with a strength and tenacity that surprised him. He turned to fight off a Centuri, and bumped into someone behind him. When he whirled, sword raised to strike, he came face to face with Starr.
Her face was dirt streaked, her sword as bloody as his. She wore a grin that clearly indicated she was enjoying the battle.
She’d never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment.
“Let’s go find Golan and see if we can end this,” he said.
She nodded, and they wielded their way through the throng of soldiers. Lycan would have liked to watch Starr and the way she fought, but he couldn’t turn his back on the enemy. What really struck him was the fact that he wasn’t worried for her as he assumed he’d be. Considering she was a woman, and a woman he cared about, he figured as soon as he saw her that his thoughts would stray to her safety.
Chancing a glance in her direction, he saw her fighting off a Centuri warrior twice her size. She was holding her own, in fact had the warrior turning around in circles due to her speed and agility.
Lycan spotted Golan surrounded by his solders. They swarmed around him like a protective cocoon. Disgust filled him at the cowardice of this man, a leader of his people. He should be ou
t there fighting alongside his soldiers, instead of cowering under their protection.
Starr spotted him too. Golan leveled a vicious glare in her direction.
“Traitorous bitch! You were supposed to fight with us, not against us!” he growled.
Starr approached him while Raynar and Dognelle soldiers fought off his protective circle of warriors. “I don’t fight alongside snakes,” she shot back.
Starr looked at Lycan. “Go on,” she said, giving him the opportunity to fight Golan himself. “I’ll keep the others away from you.”
He grinned at her, then turned his attention to the Centuri king.
Lycan circled Golan. Fear flickered in Golan’s dark eyes, but he quickly masked it with a sneer. “You will not win today, Lycan. Raynar will be mine!”
Golan tipped his sword and lunged at Lycan, who feinted and moved away easily. Golan wasn’t as large as Lycan, so he had the advantage of being lighter on his feet. Lycan, however, was stronger and more adept at handling a sword. After a few clashes, there were nicks on Golan’s arms and across his shoulder. Blood began to seep from his wounds.
Starr fought off the Centuri trying to protect their king. Between her prowess and the Raynar and Dognelle soldiers fighting with her, he knew he would be well insulated against any attacks while he was concentrating on Golan.
This further served to anger the Centuri king. And as Lycan well knew, anger led to mistakes. He patiently countered Golan’s attacks and waited for him to make that one fatal error.
It didn’t take long. Thinking to drop down and swipe his sword across Lycan’s legs, he left Lycan an opening. Before Golan could swing his sword at Lycan’s knees, Lycan had leveled his at Golan’s neck. Golan looked up in time to see the blade arcing towards him. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to scream. He never had a chance to make a sound.
Lycan took no joy at the Centuri king’s death. Raising his sword in the air, he bellowed loud enough so that the other Centuri around him could hear. “Golan is dead! Drop your weapons or die along with him!”
But as he expected, the Centuri didn’t give up. They retreated, fighting their way through the approaching Raynar and Dognelle soldiers. Leaping onto their balon, they made haste toward the desert. No doubt they’d be choosing a new king and would redouble their efforts for the next attack on Raynar.
But for now, it was over. They had won. With the Dognelle’s help, they had won.
He searched through the throng of Raynar and Dognelle warriors, hoping to spot Starr.
When he found her, his heart fell to his feet.
She limped toward him, blood seeping from a wound at her side. He raced toward her.
“What happened?”
“Damn Centuri soldier blindsided me while I engaged another. It’s nothing.”
“Come inside with me. My people will tend to you and your soldiers’ wounds.”
Starr shook her head. “We will head back to Dognelle.”
“Are you insane? The ride is one day. You’ll bleed to death.”
“I’ll bleed a free woman, then. I’m not going back inside Raynar again, Lycan.”
“Because of the bravery of the Dognelle kingdom, Raynar has been saved. You have my word as king that your people will not be enslaved.”
Her gaze searched his as if she were hunting the truth of his statement. Finally, she nodded, giving the signal to her warriors to follow them.
The gates were closed as soon as everyone was safely inside.
Lycan led Starr’s warriors to the hall, but took her aside.
“You will go to my chambers.”
She arched a brow. “Giving orders again, I see. I will stay with my people.”
“I wish a word alone with you while my physician attends you.”
A dubious expression crossed her face, but finally she nodded. He reached an arm across her shoulders, noticing her gait slowing with each step. Her skin paled and the wound continued to gush blood.
Lycan swept her into his arms, ignoring her very loud objections. “You’re about to faint. Quit squalling and let me help you.”
“I can walk just fine,” she said, but ceased her struggles as she winced in obvious pain.
He ordered one of the guards to fetch his physician and kicked the door to his chambers open, settling Starr on his bed.
She laid there, watching him expectantly, clearly not trusting his word.
He didn’t blame her. Now that he had her here again, would he ever be able to let her go?
Chapter Fourteen
By the time the sun slid down over the forests, Starr had been bathed, fed and her wounds cleaned and bandaged. Minor in nature, as she expected, she had only felt faint because of the blood she had lost and because she hadn’t eaten in so long.
She was exhausted and craved sleep, but wanted to check on her warriors. Unfortunately, Lycan prevented her from leaving his bed, ordering her to stay put or he would chain her up again.
“When do we leave this nightmarish place?” Rhia stood next to the bed, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her gaze flitting to the door.
Starr smiled at her cousin. “We are hardly in danger of marauders here in Lycan’s chambers, Rhia. Relax.”
“I won’t relax until we are free of the confines of this slave kingdom.” She turned her irritated gaze upon Starr. “I’m surprised you are so comfortable. I thought you hated slavery.”
Clasping her hands over her stomach, Starr said, “I am hardly chained up here. Plus, I know Lycan. He will honor his promise.”
Rhia’s only response was a snort of disbelief.
“Has everyone been attended to? How are our people faring?”
Rhia shrugged. “Fine. They have been fed and their wounds fixed. We lost only ten warriors, although it was ten too many, if you ask me.”
That much was true. Each time one of her people died, a bit of Starr died with them. And yet they had lost many more than that during battles with the Centuri. “We did what I felt it necessary to do. The survival of our people depended on the Centuri being defeated.”
“Perhaps.”
“And truly, it isn’t so bad here in Raynar, is it?”
Rhia sat on the bed. “I don’t like it. It’s too…too…”
“Comfortable?” She knew Rhia felt the same guilt that she, herself, had felt the first time she had been to Raynar. Luxuries existed here that they would never have in Dognelle.
“Yes. Too comfortable. These people live lavishly. And they bathe much too often for my liking.”
Starr giggled, remembering thinking the same thing. But it was nice to feel clean, to wash the battle dirt off her body, to lay in a bed that wasn’t infested with sand fleas or the grit of the planet’s surface. She wished she could offer this kind of life to her people, but knew that Raynar would never be a place they could call home.
“When can we leave?”
“When Starr is well enough to travel, and not before.”
Starr turned at the sound of Lycan’s voice. She felt the tension emanating from Rhia’s body, and placed her hand over her cousin’s. “Relax. He won’t hurt me.”
Lycan glanced over at Rhia for only a second, then at Starr as he approached. Her pulse picked up a quick rhythm as she watched him meander across the room. His powerful strength was evident in his confident stride, his muscles rippling under his tight leather breeches.
“We will not remain here long,” Rhia countered.
“You will remain here as long as I say you will.”
So much for her freedom. She should have known better than to trust him.
“We are Dognelle, and are free. If necessary we will fight our way out.”
“Rhia, leave us,” Starr said, not wanting her cousin and the man she loved to engage in a war in Lycan’s bedchambers.
“I think you need to be guarded.” Rhia pressed her point by fixing her stare on Lycan.
“I think I’m fine. Please, I need to speak to Lycan alone.”
> With a curt nod Rhia left, slamming the door behind her.
“She reminds me of Tor,” Lycan said. “So much anger inside.”
“She has reason to be angry. And all my people are tense here in Raynar, wondering if you will keep your word to let them go.”
Admittedly, she wondered the same thing. Still doubtful that Lycan would honor his oath, she watched his face for any subtle signals.
Right now he stood at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed, his expression stern. She tried to get up, but he fixed her with such a glare it was like his hands held her bound to the bed. Every time she tried to swing her legs over and get up, he shot daggers from his eyes.
Not that it made much difference. Perhaps her wound was a little deeper than she at first imagined, because she couldn’t hide the wince of pain when she tried to rise. She laid back on the bed with a frustrated sigh.
“You will not move until you’re well,” he commanded.
Offering up a glare of her own, she said, “I will leave when I am damn good and ready.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “We’ll see about that. I have a mind to keep you here.”
Her throat went dry, her heart pounding against her chest. The last thing she wanted to do, was even capable of doing, right now was battle with Lycan. “You cannot hold us here against our will. You promised you would let my people leave.”
He paced alongside the foot of the bed and looked down at the floor. “Yes, I did promise that, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t do for a king to go back on his oath, would it?”
“No it wouldn’t.” What was wrong with him, anyway? One minute he was threatening to hold her prisoner, now he was second guessing himself? Lycan had never been one to vacillate when he made a decision.
“You should never have left me the first time.”
“You should have never imprisoned me against my will.”
“You belong here in Raynar.”