The Rose and The Warrior by Karyn Monk

Author:Karyn Monk
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780553903232
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

“A quick release and my arrow drove clean into the target, showing that with a sharp eye and uncommon skill, ’twas a shot that could be made,” boasted Magnus proudly.

“Excellent work, Magnus,” praised Laird MacKillon.

Hagar bobbed his balding head in agreement. “No wonder Melantha insists you be part of her band.”

“A pity you were aiming for the bale of hay far to the left of the bucket at the time,” muttered Thor sourly.

Magnus’s white brow shot up in indignation. “I most certainly was not!”

“Then why had you told your men that was the target?” challenged Thor.

“That was their target,” Magnus qualified. “But when ye’ve such keenly honed skills as mine, ye must challenge yerself, or else ye lose yer touch.”

“And I suppose you were challenging yourself that day you nearly speared my foot to the ground?” Thor’s voice was quivering with anger.

“Now, Thor, I’ve told ye time and again ye were in no danger,” said Magnus. “I was aiming for a wee stone beside ye, and that’s what I hit.”

Thor gasped in outrage. “You said it was a leaf!”

Magnus shrugged. “The details aren’t important.”

“You can’t remember because there was no leaf!” roared Thor. “And no one in their right mind would want to put a hole in a slops bucket!”

“Bea did complain about the mess it made,” reflected Hagar.

“If Magnus says he was aiming for the slops bucket, then I’m sure he was,” intervened Laird MacKillon. “After all, his exemplary skills as an archer have been proven time and again during his raids with the Falcon.”

“In case ye’ve forgotten, I was the one who felled Roarke just as he was about to slay Melantha,” Magnus reminded Thor. “Now, there’s a shot to make ye choke on yer unsavory accusations!”

“Who in their right mind aims for a man’s backside?” scoffed Thor. “You should have shot him through his greedy, shriveled MacTier heart, then plunged your dirk deep into his gut and hacked out his stinking bowels—”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Magnus challenged.

“It certainly did,” agreed Laird MacKillon, “and Roarke seems to be none the worse for it. Thor, why don’t you tell us how your training is going with the MacTier Viking?” he suggested, changing the subject.

“I never met a more objectionable, impatient, arrogant know-it-all in my entire life,” huffed Thor irritably.

“I have,” Magnus muttered.

Thor’s dark little eyes bulged in fury as he reached for his sword. “By God, Magnus, if it’s a fight you’re wanting—”

“Your pardon, gentlemen, but we’ve no time for this,” objected Laird MacKillon. “We still haven’t heard from Laird MacTier regarding our ransom demands, and the MacKenzies have refused to agree to an alliance until they receive payment in gold. As we don’t know what the MacTiers plan to do next, it is essential that we be prepared for an attack. Are we?”

“Almost,” said Magnus evasively.

“Shouldn’t be much longer,” added Thor.

Hagar looked at them in confusion. “How much longer?”

Magnus scratched his snowy head, considering. “A week,” he decided. “Two at the very most.”

“Two weeks may be fine

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.