Warrior (Princesses of Myth #2)

Lieska unstrapped a knife from a sheath on her calf. “Your father said you would not be harmed, but take it.”


I lifted the cuff of my blue jeans, and strapped the band of warm leather above my ankle. Slotting the blade carefully into place, I resolved to see to his instructions. I would not let him down.

Goldie crossed her arms. “This is why the Wincrests rule Dralion. We do what we must.”

Lieska fisted her hands. “Yes, and Alexo asked me to speak to Guy next. Our young enchanter has made his own arrangement with Faith since he spotted her in Peacio. Alexo needs Guy to know he’s heard of his talk with Faith, and he expects him to keep quiet on all he’s discovered about her being mated with Loveria. No word of any of this can get back to Donaldo. Faith’s mated relationship took with Loveria before her ties to Alexo were known. Now their soul-bond cannot be undone. Even the Loveria family keeps quiet.”

Horses whinnied from the corrals and Goldie checked over her shoulder. “Guy’s here somewhere. Probably with Maslin in the stables. Give me any further updates the moment they come to hand. With Davio Loveria mated to my new niece, and a protector soon coming into contact with Hope, we need to take the utmost care.”

“Certainly.” Lieska turned to me and set her hands on my shoulders. “I told Alexo I would keep an eye on you, but he said you’ll handle what’s coming. Make sure you do. You do not have any strength skills.”

“I promise I’ll take care.” My eighteenth birthday had passed a few short weeks ago, and no skills had come as I’d entered adulthood.

Her fingers pressed deeper, smearing dirt on my red-checked outback shirt. “I have confidence in you.”

“Thank you, and for all the information you’ve given me.”

“Do not thank me too soon. You are to meet a protector.” With a nod, she stepped back, teleporting away.

“Argh.” Goldie shivered. “I do not care for the thought of you coming into contact with one of the enemy, yet I can’t argue against Alexo’s forethought. Your father is a menace though, with his prophecies and allowing them to unravel as they should.”

I smiled. “Perhaps I’m supposed to kill the protector once I’ve seen to this discovery of Kate Sol’s line.”

Goldie chuckled. “Make sure you do.”

My grin widened and I set my thumbs into the loops of my jeans. “They are a thorn in our sides. If we had Carlisio Loveria’s land, imagine how much more prosperous Dralion and our people would be.”

As we passed under a towering stand of eucalyptus trees Goldie linked her arm through mine. A touch of shade relieved the oppressive heat for a second. Drought was killing this land.

“How I would love a slice of Peacio. We would actually have grass to feed our cattle. Even this off-world station suffers as our lands at home do.”

Once the rains came, we’d return our stock numbers to full force on this massive Australian outback holding. “It’s fortunate we have the mighty river bordering this land, and Maslin’s water skill.”

Maslin, a warrior two years older than me, had earned my respect. He moved large quantities of water during the river’s release periods and sent it further infield. With just a flick of his fingers and a thought, it flowed and soaked into the ground, bringing life to the river pasture and sustaining it for our remaining stock.

Tucking one loose blue shirttail into her black jeans, Goldie eyed the red plains that ran forever into the distance. “I love this place. When it finally rains, I’m going to roll around in the fields. All of them.”

“That won’t be possible. There’re eight-thousand square miles out there.”

She flicked my arm. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes me. So much space will make the task all the more enjoyable.”

We walked alongside the high-railed wooden corral. Saunder, the thirteen-year-old nephew of two of our station’s warriors, offered a treat to the stallion hitched to an inner holding post. Two years ago, Peacio’s protectors had taken Saunder’s father at the battle of Eventide. Without either of his parents, he’d chosen his uncles to raise him. The child was one of the few allowed outside Dralion who was not a Wincrest or a warrior.

Goldie opened the corral gate and grinned at Saunder. She crossed to him and ruffled his messy brown hair. “I see you’ve saddled our boy. Does he want a run?”

“I knew you’d be down soon.” He gave her a lopsided smile, plucking his fingers through suspenders holding up his loose, long-legged pants. The boy adored Goldie.

Bumping my shoulder into Saunder’s, I winked. “You should be doing your schoolwork. Your father would expect it if he were here.” We adored our children, ensuring their immediate and extended family raised them, usually within Dralion’s villages. Yet Saunder had asked to come here, and his wishes couldn’t be denied.

“I have to help feed the mares first. My uncles asked me to.”

“I’ll take this one from you then.” Goldie reached for the stallion’s leads.