Chapter Eighteen #3
He headed over toward the gatehouse with her in tow, collecting about ten soldiers as he went.
Anaxandra motioned to a few women who had come down off the wall, all of them with crossbows, and they dashed outside with the armed escort to collect any loose bolts.
Weapons, and ammunition like the bolts, were expensive and precious, so anything that hadn’t embedded itself in a man would be collected and reused.
Unwilling to leave Anaxandra’s safety to a few soldiers, Estevan headed out with them.
By now, the fog was completely gone and it was a bright day overhead, but Estevan couldn’t relax.
He watched the trees diligently, as did the soldiers he’d brought with him, while Anaxandra and the other women quickly gathered the bolts they could find.
Some were in perfect condition, simply embedded in the ground, while others were twisted and broken.
Estevan gave the women just a few short minutes to gather what they could before he was herding them back into the compound.
Only when the gates were closed and the portcullis lowered did he feel safe enough to breathe.
But there was no rest for him.
Only duty.
Once back inside, he caught sight of Caelus and Lucan and went to embrace his brothers.
Neither one of them had a scratch from the battle and were, in fact, rather excited about the entire fight.
Since Kaladin had told them everything about the situation at St. Margaret’s, they knew what had happened and why.
But much as Estevan had been when he first arrived at the abbey, they were curious about the Templar nuns.
A great curiosity, indeed.
They watched the women with the crossbows and how they took all of the gathered bolts over to what used to be the smithy stall and began cleaning them up.
There was also a group of women who had spears and shields, who had made it up to the wall during the battle, but who had been called off by Mother Margaret because bolts were already flying and she didn’t want to accidentally kill any dun Tarh soldiers.
Estevan couldn’t tell them very much about the nuns, or the way St. Margaret’s functioned, because he didn’t know much about it himself.
He hadn’t been there long enough to learn more than Anaxandra had told him or what he’d observed personally.
Around him, soldiers were finally being organized against the wall in groups and the carriage and two provisions wagons were lined up over by the sanctuary.
There were no horses at St. Margaret’s other than the ones Estevan and the others had brought, and the stables themselves weren’t large enough to hold the conveyances.
As the brothers headed back over to the wall to help the sergeants with the men, Lares emerged from the sanctuary and made his way over to Estevan.
“This is quite a situation,” he said to his son. “And it all started with finding a woman on the riverbank?”
Estevan nodded. “It was by accident,” he said. “Rody found her.”
“Where is Rody?”
Estevan looked around, finally spying him over by the gatehouse. “There,” he said. “With Titan. The portcullis is in rough shape, Papa. I think they’re trying tae figure out how tae strengthen it somehow.”
Lares could see the knights studying the wooden grate. Scratching his head, he looked around the bailey, inspecting it. It was worn, and not particularly well appointed. There was nothing impressive about it.
“Ye know this attack was simply tae test our strength,” he said quietly. “They’ll be back.”
Estevan nodded. “Probably,” he said. “Have ye fought against the Ormsfolk before?”
Lares drew in a long, pensive breath. “Aye,” he said.
“There used tae be more of them around, especially on the outer isles. I remember my grandfather speaking of them and how they’d wear shells on their clothing and shave their heads.
There was a time when they’d paint themselves with the blood of their enemies before tossing the bodies tae their eels.
As a child, the elders used tae frighten us with tales of the Serpent People. ”
Estevan scrutinized his father for a moment. “Ye still seemed frightened.”
“I am,” Lares said, looking at him. “There is nothing good about these people, lad. The only way tae defeat them is tae destroy all of them. Otherwise, they’ll keep coming back tae the last man.”
Estevan considered that very real possibility. “They followed their captive all the way here,” he said. “We thought they’d come tae the gate and ask if we knew anything about her, but they never even asked. They simply attacked when yer escort reached the gatehouse.”
“They were trying tae get in,” Lares said. “They waited until the gatehouse was being opened and they struck. That is when a fortress is most vulnerable.”
“But we closed it before anyone could get in.”
“Aye, we did,” Lares said. “But it was opened tae admit us. Someone could have slipped in then in the crowd of men.”
Estevan frowned. “’Tis not possible,” he said. “Only dun Tarh men entered.”
“Are ye sure?”
He wasn’t. Estevan couldn’t guarantee it. He began to look around at all of the soldiers inside the bailey and a feeling of dread swept him.
“I’m not,” he said. “Ye must line up every man here and make sure he belongs in yer army. Ye know all of yer men, dunna ye?”
Lares nodded. “I know every one of them because I invited them tae join me,” he said. “I’ll have Kal and Caelus and Lucan line them all up now. We’ll identify everyone.”
“Good,” Estevan said. “But meanwhile, we’d better not say anything tae the women. I dunna want tae upset the mother abbess and have her order us all out.”
Lares understood. “Not a word.”
As he wandered off to find his other sons, Estevan found himself looking for Anaxandra.
He couldn’t go two minutes without thinking about her, and given what they’d just gone through, his concern was justified.
He couldn’t help but be impressed when he remembered her selflessness at pulling Zora out of danger.
He found himself looking at her through new eyes because the woman wasn’t just talk.
She didn’t just fire bolts from overhead and stay out of any real fighting.
She had exposed herself greatly by doing what she did for Zora.
He hadn’t even thanked her for it.
Anaxandra was over in an old smithy stall with several other women, all of them going over the bolts they’d collected.
She had her head down, cleaning dirt and grass out of some grooves in the head of one of the bolts and didn’t see him approach, but the women around her did.
In fact, they began to scatter, startled that a man had entered their orbit.
Anaxandra only looked up when she realized everyone was leaving.
A glance over her shoulder showed her why.
“Do you always have that effect?” she asked.
He smiled as he came near. “What effect?”
“Chasing people away with your mere presence?”
He nodded seriously. “It happens every day,” he said, watching her grin. “Did ye not see the enemy run when they saw that I was in the battle?”
She chuckled. “Come to think on it, they did leave very quickly,” she said. “It must be a talent you have.”
“Something I’ve worked hard at,” he said, but soon enough, his face took on a warm expression. “And there’s a talent ye have also.”
“What’s that?”
“Bravery.”
She wasn’t quite sure what he meant. “We were all brave today.”
“True,” he said. “But ye were the only one I saw lowering yerself with a rope tae save my sister. Thank ye for doing that, Ana. Ye dinna have tae do it, but ye did. Ye saw a woman in trouble and ye risked yerself tae help.”
Anaxandra was back to flushing brightly for two reasons—he’d called her by a diminutive, something only Mother Michael or Sister Hildegarde did, and he’d also complimented her on her courage. No one had ever done that before.
“Is your sister well?” she asked.
He nodded. “She seems tae be quite well,” he said. “She’s strong. Any daughter of Mabel dun Tarh is strong, but Zora has the issue of my father being overly sympathetic tae everything that happens tae her. He still sees her as a small child in need of a father’s overwhelming protection.”
Anaxandra grinned. “And you do not believe she still needs her father’s protection?”
He nodded quickly. “She does,” he said. “Especially since she manages tae enrage or annoy nearly everyone she comes intae contact with, including her brothers. She needs for my father tae protect her from them.”
Anaxandra giggled. “I’m afraid I did not grow up with a family or brothers, so I would not know,” she said. “You are the closest thing I’ve ever experienced in that regard.”
His smile faded. “I dunna want tae be yer brother, lass,” he said in a low, seductive voice. “Ye do understand that, dunna ye?”
She was back to flushing bright red again. “I do.”
“And ye’re agreeable?”
She couldn’t even voice the words. It was too… something. Overwhelming? Embarrassing? But she was absolutely agreeable, so she nodded eagerly, eyes averted.
Estevan laughed softly.
“Good,” he said. “Because I plan tae tell my parents so they can approach Mother Michael for permission. That means my mother must meet ye. She’ll appreciate ye, I promise.”
Anaxandra’s gaze lifted, meeting his. “I do not know why,” she said. “In many ways, I am ignorant. I know nothing of the Outworld.”
“Ye’re going tae live with my family and learn. We’ve discussed this.”
She nodded, lowering her gaze again. “I find that this all seems like a dream,” she said. “It does not seem real. Does it feel that way to you, too?”
He couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
“I dinna think when I brought an injured women to the lair of the Templar nuns that I would find a wife here,” he said, his gaze drifting over her lovely face.
“But I think I did. I hope I did. But she’s never said that she is excited about this.
All she’s ever done is ask me if I’m certain I want tae go through with it. ”
She grinned, both a modest and coy gesture. “I said that I was agreeable.”
“Did ye ever say, ‘Estevan, ye’re a handsome devil and I’m fortunate tae have ye’?”
She put her hand on her face, snorting, completely unused to the gentle flirtations between men and women. Still, she was taking quickly to it, or at least trying to.
“Estevan, you are a handsome devil and I feel very fortunate,” she said, watching him laugh.
She chuckled with him before quickly sobering.
“I’ve never wanted to become a nun. I told you that.
But I did not know how I would leave this place, or what I would do, or if I would actually ever leave at all.
God brought you here, Estevan. He left that wounded woman on the riverbank for you to find so that you would come here.
I will believe that until the day I die. ”
The humor faded on Estevan’s face. “I think they call that destiny,” he said. “I’m yer destiny and ye’re mine.”
Anaxandra thought on that for a moment before a smile spread across her lips. “I like that,” she said. “I never knew I had a destiny.”
“Nor did I.”
“I certainly never knew it was you.”
“Are ye glad?”
Her smile widened and she nodded, yet again, agreeing with him but unable to voice it, yet again.
She would have to practice her responses to him, but he was giving her the courage to try.
His response was to reach out and pull her to him, gazing deeply into her eyes before kissing her most sweetly.
“Finish yer duties,” he said huskily as he released her. “When ye’re finished, I’ll introduce ye tae my mother.”
Breathless from his kiss, Anaxandra nodded unsteadily. “I look forward to it.”
Knowing how his mother could be, especially with women where her sons were concerned, had him give a little snort. He wanted to say something like, I hope you feel that way once the introduction is over, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want to frighten her.
Mabel could do that all by herself.
But something told him that his mother was about to meet her match.