The Battle for Amatista (Legionnaire Book 4) by Gilbert M. Stack

Author:Gilbert M. Stack [Stack, Gilbert M.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2018-06-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

The Sort of Man Who Always Gets What He Wants

“How many are there?” Estela whispered. A day and a half had passed and they stood watching a seemingly endless line of Gota horsemen file into the courtyard in front of the mansion Marcus had inherited from his brother. It was a truly large building but it was not clear that it would be able to house everyone that Thegn Geberic of Peridota had brought to Amatista with him.

“Roughly two hundred warriors,” Marcus whispered back, “and just about the same number of servants.”

It was truly a ridiculously large entourage and Marcus decided right then that he wasn’t going to put up with this imposition. The Thegn, his family, and his immediate servants could stay. Everyone else would have to find their own accommodations.

Marcus stood on the front steps of his house with Avina on his right, and Estela and Sujean to his left. Avina’s maternal uncle, Lord Kunimund, stood to her right with his two wives. Avina’s Gota ladies—they weren’t precisely servants—were arrayed to their right, while some fifty or so of the Gente and Qing household staff stood quietly behind them. Everyone was waiting for Avina’s father to get off of his damn horse and recognize their presence.

The delay had become insulting and Marcus wasn’t going to put up with it any longer.

Avina gasped when he started down the steps toward his father-in-law. The Peridota alliance was very important to Amatista, but it set the wrong tone for Marcus to permit himself to be disrespected by Thegn Geberic in his own house.

He reached the Thegn who was still studiously ignoring him although a dozen of his warriors observed Marcus’ progress with displeasure—especially a giant nearly seven feet tall who had combed the usual unkempt Gota beard so that it forked into two separate lengths of hair.

He stopped just by the head of the horse and shocked everyone by reaching up as if to take hold of the bridal—an unforgivable insult in Gota culture for it suggested that the Thegn could not control his own mount. As the fingers of both hands neared the leather straps, Marcus subtly altered their course to cup and caress the horse’s face. He leaned in close as if he loved the great beasts instead of merely respecting them and let the stallion lick his cheek. “I should have brought some sugar with me,” he announced to the Thegn and his entourage. “What a magnificent animal! He is truly worthy of your station, Father!”

Geberic had turned to study Marcus with clear disapproval and his frown deepened at the final word, but apparently he chose not to be offended for after a moment he broke into a hearty fit of laughter. With the graceful movements of a man who’d spent his life in the saddle, he hopped off his steed before stroking the animal’s long majestic neck. “He is impressive, isn’t he?”

“Quite possibly the best I’ve seen since coming to the north,” Marcus agreed. Then he paused and cocked his head as if thinking.

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