Gwaynn glanced at Samantha as she rubbed on her midsection, and smiled. He did not want to leave her…did not want her here in the midst of war, but she refused to leave and as yet her pregnancy did little to hamper her ability to lead and train men.
“No more than a week,” Gwaynn answered. He’d wanted to take her with him, to show her off to Tar Nev and perhaps Kostek, maybe even cajole her into staying on Noble for safety, but she refused, knowing that her time with her archers was running out.
“Zarina Monde believes she’ll be strong enough to return in only a day, but I doubt Nev will be that easy to convince.”
“You really think you can convince him?” She asked and moved to Gwaynn. She put her arms around his neck while he reached down and took over the duty of stroking her growing belly.
“He’s growing bigger,” Gwaynn said as Samantha moved away to put on her own clothes. Gwaynn stood attentive as she did so.
“She,” Samantha insisted.
“Nev likes his solitude, but he did tell me to call if ever I needed his help,” Gwaynn added, returning to the subject at hand. He chaffed at the thought of leaving Samantha, and worried about his growing cowardice. Over the past month his fear was growing steadily and there were times, in the darkest hours of the night that he would come awake with a jolt, his heart pounding to the rhythm of some unremembered terror. It mattered little to him that his fear was for someone other than himself. It was still cowardice; still weakness, and it worried him. He could feel it growing inside like a poison, mirroring the bulge in Samantha’s midsection. The very thought of the newborn baby terrified him in many different ways.
“I’ll be fine,” Samantha whispered coming closer and nuzzling his neck. “You go get some Tars to fight on our side and then we will have no worries at all.”
“I wish,” Gwaynn said rolling his eyes. He gently pulled away from her but still kept hold of her hand. He led her from the room and out into the main hall of their new home. It was quiet, empty and still in the hall itself, but sounds of construction filled their private rooms as men erected platforms along the interior of the main wall of the fortress.
They stepped out into the day. It was bright and sunny, though it had rained sometime over night and the ground was wet and muddy in spots. All the men working looked up and nodded. They were a popular couple and the warriors of Massi were becoming fiercely loyal to them both. A few workmen shouted out greetings, some of them smiling and briefly forgetting for a moment that they were working on the very walls designed to hold out an army, an enemy army that was moving inexorably closer.
As they zigzagged their way around the muddy spots, Gwaynn could feel the pressure of the approaching army; feel the pressure of the High King.
‘He means to kill me and kill Samantha and kill the baby growing inside her,’ he thought and another wave of concern and cowardice flowed over him. The thought of running, hiding in the hills and leaving all the danger and warfare behind, flitted briefly through his brain but then he grew angry.
Samantha’s hand returned the squeeze he hadn’t realized he was giving and Gwaynn glanced at her. She was watching him as they moved together through the main gates and into the square that separated the two motte and baileys. Krys, Emm, Cyndar and Lee Brandt were waiting with the Zarina Monde. Along one side of the Traveler stood Queen Ramona, who was currently residing in the sister fortress, her son had already returned to the Gap to guard against the imminent attack they all felt was coming.
Waiting on the opposite side of Monde was the Weapons Master Tabernas, who would be joining Phillip at the Gap shortly, and the Speaker Zebo Sorbello. Traveler Jess na Gall departed two days ago on horseback, bound for Heron. From there she would Travel to Parma, the large port city and Capital of the Cassinni. Lonogan Bock and five other handpicked men went along with her as escort, just in case King Marc Cassinni attempted to make any claim on the Traveler’s freedom. na Gall believed such “protection” was not necessary but Gwaynn insisted, and Bock seemed more than eager to get away from Manse for a while and accompany the beautiful Traveler to an exotic and distant land for a few days. It was Gwaynn’s hope that King Marc would judge all of Massi against Lonogan and thus feel more confident in supporting their cause.
“Anything from our High King?” Gwaynn asked Lee Brandt, who would be assuming Bock’s duties in his boss’s absence. Gwaynn had offered to elevate Brandt to Captain, but the big man just shrugged. He cared nothing for titles and had little trouble motivating those who worked under him. Gwaynn nodded slightly to Cyndar, who appeared nervous and was standing slightly behind the big man, as if for protection. Gwaynn wondered briefly at her behavior, but did not guess she was using Brandt’s large body to shield herself from the eyes of Zarina Monde. The two of them had met briefly over a year ago and in fact there was a scar on the Zarina’s right shoulder given to her by Cyn de Baard. How she had not recognized her immediately, Cyndar could not have said, but she knew it might be only a matter of time before Monde made the connection.
‘Samantha and Gwaynn would have to die soon,’ Cyndar thought, ‘the bitch immediately, while her beloved prince was away.’ It was a happy thought and Cyndar had to suppress a smile.
Brandt shook his head at Gwaynn’s inquiry, but it was Ramona who answered.
“My son reports no activity along the Gap and as of an hour ago Captain Wicks claims the waters around Cape to be free of enemy vessels,” the Queen said wanting to do more than just report on the front. She knew her people were doing their share to prepare for the upcoming battle, but she felt useless and impotent in the face of approaching battle. What advice could she give when it was her decisions that led to the loss of her own country? Her confidence was shaken, but she was still Queen and so must carry on with pretense.
“I will be here to await word if anything menacing develops,” she added bitterly but smiled faintly as Tabernas put a hand gently on her shoulder.
Gwaynn nodded, catching the older woman’s mood. “We’ll be able to return immediately if it comes to that,” he said then stepped forward and embraced the Toranado Queen.
“You have given us valuable time,” he whispered into her ear. “No one could have stood against such a force. My father couldn’t and I no longer blame him.”
“But you did,” Ramona whispered back and hugged the young man fiercely.
“I was the fool, not my father,” Gwaynn replied and pulled away but gave an extra squeeze with his hands before completely disengaging and turning to Krys and Samantha.
“We’ll stay in close contact,” he said in a louder voice. “This may take a week or a day. There is no way to tell.”