Grudging (32 page)
Authors: Michelle Hauck
He'd seen death many times in the last few days, but this wasn't death. These Âpeople had been torn apart.
This is savagery.
He scrubbed his hands on his breastplate and forced himself to join his fellow soldiers.
“A wildcat?” Arias was saying. “The Northerners didn't do all of this. There are more of them dead than civilians.”
Sergeant Jorge shook his head. “Bears perhaps.” It was clear, though, he didn't believe that either. Bears would kill for food. This wasn't hunting. This was a massacre.
Ramiro remembered the white-Ârobed priests of the Northerners and the rod they carried that could kill a man with one touch. His fellow soldiers hadn't seen the fanatical light in their eyes or witnessed their depraved cruelty. They killed from more than necessity. They
enjoyed
it. This must be a new devilry of the Northern priests. He could picture the fanatics killing their own soldiers for running from Claire's magic.
Claire.
Ramiro's heart leaped, and his hand darted to his sword hilt. If the Northern priests sought revenge, she would be their prime target. Claire was alone, except for his mother. The girl might have magic, but she was immature in so many ways. He had to return to the camp. “Sergeant, I'll escort the civilians we found back to safety.”
Sergeant Jorge gave him an absent nod, waving off the flies. “Arias, go with him. The rest of you spread out and look for more survivors. Try and get a count on the dead. See if anyone can find any signs of what happened here. Animal prints. Anything. Otherwise all we've got is a group of Northerners killed some refugees, then turned on each other. Insane devils.”
The sergeant's voice fell behind as Ramiro returned to Sancha, only to be brought up short. He'd rode double on Sancha before with Claire, but the girl was small and he'd been without most of his armor when it was left behind and stolen by that blackguard Suero. Now he wore borrowed armor from fellow soldiers . . . and Lupaa was no slip of a girl.
Arias arrived, and they traded glances, both aware of the difficulty. “I'll take the boys and you the woman,” Arias said. “It's going to be a long walk back.”
Ramiro turned to help Lupaa mount. The prickle along his spine demanded he hurry. Ramiro closed his eyes for calm as he realized his volunteering had actually harmed his cause. Camp was only a few hours away, but leading Sancha while the civilians rode meant they'd be lucky to be back by nightfall. The rest of the patrol would beat them there.
He just hoped his mistake didn't cost Claire.
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MICHELLE HAUCK
lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A bookworm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. She is the author of the YA epic fantasy,
Kindar's Cure
, as well as the short story, “Frost and Fog,” which is included in the anthology
Summer's Double Edge
.
Find her on twitter under @Michelle4Laughs or her blog Michelle4Laughs: It's in the details.
www.michelle4laughs.blogspot.com
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from
Faithful
copyright © 2016 by Michelle Hauck.
GRUDGING
. Copyright © 2015 by Michelle Hauck. All rights reserved under International and Pan-ÂAmerican Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-Âbook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-Âengineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperÂCollins e-Âbooks.
EPub Edition NOVEMBER 2015 ISBN: 9780062447159
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062447166
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