Kiss Across Swords (Kiss Across Time Series) (20 page)

“Let me come with you.”

“It will be hard travelling. Hard even for a modern girl.”

“I would rather be with you than alone.” She threaded her fingers through his. “You’re not the only one who feels like a fool tonight.”

“What did you do?”

She shook her head. “I tried to arrange a surprise for you. It backfired horribly.”

“A surprise?” He kissed her hand, his lips nibbling along her wrist.

Taylor knew that disinterested tone of his. Brody would have it out of her whether she wanted to tell him or not. She gathered her courage and told him about her visit to Selkirk’s camp, how she had baited Veris, even how she had bargained with Selkirk for Veris’ services and the last desperate wager, using a contemporary version of rock-paper-scissors and how Selkirk had won two out of three draws.

“He laughed at me,” Taylor told Brody. “He enjoyed winning the bet and he laughed as he had me shown out. He was still chuckling as that woman passed me outside the tent with a superior smile. She walked into the tent and snapped the flap shut in my face.”

“That sounds like Davina, from everything that Veris ever told me about her,” Brody said. He kissed her fingers. “Your visit wasn’t a total disaster. You sent Veris straight to me. You reached past his defenses. We know now that he is vulnerable to you, just as we suspected.”

“But he rejected you.” Taylor wanted to weep. “And we won’t be back until the siege engines are almost completed. Even then, what if we get hauled back to our own time before we get back? I’ll be gone, your younger self will be left here with no memory of what we’ve been doing and wondering what on earth he’s doing in the middle of the desert looking for water, or whatever—”

Brody touched her lips. “Shush,” he said. “Shhhh…”

She swallowed back the rising panic inside her.

Brody kissed her. It was a soft, comforting touch of his lips to her temple. “We ignore everything but success because failure for us is unthinkable. We don’t compromise. We don’t let go for a second. Veris doesn’t get a choice on this either. As soon as we get back from finding water, we ramp up the seduction again. Both of us at full wattage. Veris won’t know what’s hit him and will have no idea which way to turn. He may not like the loss of control, but he’s going to have to accept the inevitable because we simply can’t afford to do anything but win on this one. We don’t give up until Veris gives in. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” She stifled a sudden yawn.

Brody laughed. “That’s a signal even I can read.” He rose from the bed. “Sleep. I’ve got arrangements to make for the journey tomorrow, especially if you insist on travelling with us.”

“I do,” she said, snuggling down on the hard mattress.

“Will you let me make decisions for you?”

“You know I trust you,” she said sleepily.

She felt his lips brush her cheek. “Sleep, my beautiful Tyra.” He spoke the words in his native, archaic Celtic, which even Veris did not know. It was Brody and Taylor’s private language.

Taylor could feel herself smiling as she drifted to sleep. A happy note to end a dreadful day. Brody may deny it constantly, but the bard in his blood knew a thing or two about romance.

She woke to find Mary shaking her shoulder. Harsh sunlight pierced her eyes as soon as she opened them and she winced.

Then the noise registered. Men shouting and talking. Ropes straining, horses snorting and stomping.

“He said to wake ye when they were hitchin’ up the horses,” Mary said. “Bring ye food and get ye ready, so ye could get a good long sleep for the way ahead. You’re actually going with them, m’lady?”

Taylor nodded and opened her eyes again. The dazzling sun was shining directly into the tent and even the gauze didn’t not diminish its power. Only when someone stepped in the way of the early morning rays was there relief. She rolled over to face away from the east and sat up.

She clutched her stomach as the bed seemed to rock beneath her. Nausea swept her. Taylor swallowed as her mouth filled with saliva and her body flushed in heat. She did not want to vomit in front of Mary, who would instantly interpret the symptom correctly. So she breathed steadily, trying to stay on top of it, willing the sickness away.

Thankfully, it passed.

Shakily, Taylor turned to Mary. “You said something about food?”

* * * * *

Thirty minutes later, Taylor accepted the reins Brody held out to her and deliberately copied the knights and soldiers around her who were accepting boosts from pages to hoist themselves up onto their horses. Just like the knights, Taylor was wearing chainmail, leggings, tunic, belt and a sword strapped to her side. Her hair was parted and braided in two long braids down her back, her only concession to womanhood. She wore leather gauntlets rather than mail gauntlets and a knife in her belt. She had also left off the braies, but wore the undershirt to save herself from scratches from the mail.

The chainmail was marvelously flexible, but she felt considerably heavier than usual and she was already sweating.

Brody was grinning as he watched her settle on the horse. It was a big stallion and twitched at her slightest movement.

“This is Goliath,” Brody told her. “He’s a trained war horse and as good as a third arm in a fight.”

“You put me on a war horse?” she asked, incredulous. “I thought the chainmail was pushing it.”

“We’ll be in enemy territory, Tyra. I’m not letting you put a foot there without all the protection I can devise. You’ll wear mail and Goliath will protect you in a fight. And you will do what I say without question if there is a fight. Is that clear?”

She bit her lip, remembering Brody as she had seen him in the first few hours of their arrival, yesterday—bawling orders at his men, splattered in blood, swinging his long sword. She would be in the middle of something like that, if they came across locals who wanted to fight them. She would be hopelessly, helplessly lost. “You make yourself perfectly clear,” she told him.

He nodded. “I want you to ride by me for a while. The men will think it odd. Women are supposed to ride at the back of the line with the wagons. However, you are the only woman on this expedition and I am the leader and I am fast acquiring a reputation for oddness.” He was smiling as he said it. “I want to watch how you handle Goliath. So come along with me now.”

She nudged Goliath into a walk alongside Brody’s big mount as they rode down a short line of men on horses and three big wagons. Two of the wagons were filled with barrels and the third was filled with gear.

“Two wagons of barrels to bring back water,” Brody said, pointing. “A wagon of food and a small amount of water to get us there and back, along with some camping supplies and not much of those. We’re going very light and lean because I’m trusting Alexander knows exactly where the water is and that I don’t have to wander the desert looking for it. We go there and straight back.”

“All these men are not just to haul water. It’s because we’re in enemy territory, right?”

“And because we must protect the water on the way back. We are not the only people who suffered when the Fatimids poisoned the wells here.” Brody brought his horse to a halt at the front of the line and Taylor tugged on Goliath’s reins. Her horse was marvelously responsive. He came to an immediate halt and she nudged him forward a few steps more.

A man about the same age as Brody in appearance sat upon a large chocolate mare, wearing the apparel of the Fatimids, except for the turban. He had close–cropped, curly black hair, olive skin and a full beard that was neatly trimmed. His eyes were black and alive with thought. Taylor knew this must be the Alexander that Brody had spoken about.

“Alexander, I present my lady, Tyra,” Brody said.

Alexander inclined his head. “My lady.” His gaze travelled over her. “I have heard much spoken about your beauty. Now I begin to understand why.”

“Thank you,” she said, suddenly uncomfortable with his scrutiny. Exactly how much could he see with his placid gaze? “Men far from home have too much time to talk among themselves,” she added.

“True,” Alexander agreed easily. “Yet one would expect their rumor mongering about a lady among them to center upon her more obvious…endowments. Yet they linger upon your beauty. Surely, that is a true compliment?”

Taylor could feel her cheeks heating furiously. Brody was smiling, enjoying her discomfort.

“Shall we start out?” Taylor suggested. “We are wasting valuable daylight.”

“The lady speaks,” Alexander said, with a quirk of the lips at Brody.

Brody’s smile broadened. He lifted his arm in a signal that was repeated down the line of men behind them, then moved his horse off at a slow walk. It was quite undramatic and after all the noise of preparation, almost silent. Only the occasional snort of a horse and the creak of the wagon wheels marked their progress.

Then there was a shout behind them and the thunder of many hooves. More shouts for Brody to wait.

Brody held up his hand again and came to a halt. He turned to look behind the long column of horses and gear.

So did Taylor, using Goliath’s rump as leverage to twist herself around.

There was another column of riders and horses and two more wagons, overtaking theirs. The column was shorter, with fewer riders.

Selkirk colors.

Were they going to compete with Brody for the water source?

Taylor sought out the lead riders, her heart suddenly racing.

It was Veris. No matter that she couldn’t properly see his face because of the visor, or the movement of the horse, or the adrenaline in her system making her shake. Nothing could disguise his size and no other knight Taylor had seen in Selkirk’s household had shoulders like Veris’.

He cantered up to where Brody and Alexander sat waiting, bringing his horse to an easy stop and pulled off his visor. He glanced at all of them, even Taylor. His gaze seemed to heat through her face, searing her flesh.

Veris was not a happy man.

“My lord has instructed that my men and I join you in your search for water and food. We are to bring back enough of both for the northern camps, as you are to do for the southern.”

Taylor felt a touch of admiration for Selkirk’s sense of politics. He wasn’t going to lend her Veris, but he didn’t mind looking like a hero to the rest of the Christian allies with a bit of careful rephrasing and the cost of a few more men and two wagons for a few days. As Taylor had pointed out to Selkirk, he gained by ridding his household of a troublesome domestic problem while there was no chance of any serious fighting, and now he gained an enhanced reputation among the allies, too.

Brody’s smile had disappeared as he studied Veris. “I’m sorry you have been saddled with a duty so clearly not to your taste and pulled away from the comfort of your camp.”

Veris snorted. “I’m not.” He slapped one gauntlet on top of the other. “Permission to file my men with yours, my lord?”

Brody blinked. Taylor knew that was his reaction when he was hiding surprise. It was the “my lord” that had caught him, along with Veris’ lack of distaste over being here. “Of course,” Brody said.

Veris pulled his hand out of the gauntlet and waved it. Behind him, the men he’d brought started to merge with the line of riders behind Brody and Alexander. The two wagons were maneuvered into position with the three already in file.

Brody lifted his arm in the signal to ride and began to walk his horse forward.

Alexander was riding on Taylor’s left and Brody on her right. Veris fell into place almost naturally on Brody’s right. He removed the other gauntlet and placed them both on the horse’s back between his thighs, holding the reins in place.

“Forgive me, my lord, but I do not know the fellow to your lady’s left.” Veris nodded toward Alexander.

“Alexander,” Brody said. “A Christian, despite his dress. I would trust him with my life.”

Alexander nodded toward Veris.

“This is Sir William of York, one Selkirk’s best knights,” Brody explained to Alexander.

“I have heard of you, Sir William,” Alexander replied.

Veris shrugged. “You are a listener. I imagine you’ve heard about all of us here.”

Alexander smiled. “Yes.”

“A collector but not a dispenser,” Veris added.

Alexander’s smile widened. “That would simply make me a conduit. One cannot collect wisdom if the knowledge is only passing through.”