Page 60 of Bought to Break
She wandered sluggishly towards the citadel that was nestled into the hillside, knowing that Greygor and the others in command would be there – assuming the campaign had been successful.And if it hasn’t been?She shuddered. If the Brothers were all dead, then she supposed she would soon be as well. She doubted she could raise a sword at the moment even if she was proficient in its use. Oddly, thoughts of her own demise didn’t terrify her as much as the idea that any of her unit were gone.
She walked uphill, little by little, not seeing or hearing anyone, though once in a while she caught the twitching of a curtain or the slightest movement of a door, as if she was being watched by the Islanders huddled in their homes. But if that was the case, no one confronted her, and finally she made it to the great open drawbridge of the keep unmolested.
She looked back the way she’d come with a slight frown on her face. She’d never been in a battle before nor seen the remnants of one, but she would have thought there’d be more … bodies, blood, signs of battle, perhaps? Instead there were just deserted streets. The Brothers weren’t known for their restraint. In fact, the opposite was true. Stories of their bloodlust and desecration of, well, everything, were told in shocked tones and lowered voices in the taverns all over the land. Even the mention of Dark Brothers merely passing through sent some scurrying into the forests and hills to hide.
Lana entered through the raised portcullis, finding two bored-looking soldiers on the other side. They stood to attention when they heard her footsteps but quickly relaxed when they took in her attire, the colour and cut of her clothes identifying her as one of the Brothers at once.
‘Where is my unit?’ she asked without preamble.
The bearded one smirked at the other and looked her up and down in a way that made her skin crawl. ‘We’ve heard about you. Can’t go even a few hours without one of their cocks in you, eh?’
A significant part of her wanted to turn away from their lewd words and escape, but instead she drew herself up and adopted the bored expression she always saw on Kane’s face. It seemed to work well for him and, regardless of how that bastard treated her, shewasa freewoman. ‘Are you going to answer me or shall I stuff yours down your fucking throat?’
The other one chuckled. ‘He don’t mean nothing by it. Just jealous of the cunts.’ He pointed towards the other side of the square. ‘They’re in the main hall with Greygor.’
Her unit was all right. Of course they were! Instantly she felt relief, but she needed to see them for herself just to be certain. Without another word to the two soldiers, she strode to where the guard had pointed, pretending a strength she did not feel. As soon as she had slipped through the bulky wooden door – which, thankfully, was ajar – and she could no longer be seen, her shoulders slumped and she had to lean on the wall to catch her breath. What was wrong with her? She’d never felt so depleted of energy.
Once she had recovered enough to continue, she looked around, staying in the shadows until she was ready to make her presence known. Truth be told, she might just turn around and go back to the ship once she knew without a doubt that they were all right. They need not even know she’d come.
The main hall was a leviathan of a room. Tapestries depicted scenes of the island and surrounding seas, and chandeliers hung from an impressive, domed ceiling. There was a large table off to one side where a few men were gathered, her unit and Greygor included. They spoke in hushed voices and Lana suppressed a shiver as she watched the Commander – the man who had so readily given her to Ryon and his Brothers to be theirentertainment. He didn’t look at all as impressive to her now that she wasn’t scared shitless. He looked strong and he was obviously ruthless, but his years showed.
She edged closer to listen as a Brother she didn’t know gave a report.
‘… deploy to the other main islands. I recommend we don’t bother with the outer banks. There are hundreds, and their populations are too sparse to be much more than an annoyance to us.’
‘Agreed. The inner isles will have heard by now. Send a contingent of three hundred men to each of the five until we’ve found it. We shouldn’t have a problem with them. They’re mostly scholars and priests. Minimal threat once the citadels are under our control.’
Found what?Lana’s brow furrowed. This entire invasion was to find something?
‘Do we know where it is?’
‘They’re bringing the High Priest of the Mount here as we speak. He should arrive imminently. He’ll know the location.’
‘Excellent. Now, casualties. How many men have we lost?’
‘Five.’
The room fell silent, astonishment and incredulity written on each of the faces Lana could see.
‘Five?’ one man finally murmured before a chorus of voices sounded through the room.
‘Five hundred?’
‘No. Five.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Have all the units checked in?’
Greygor held up a hand and all were silent. ‘Islanders?’
‘Seven.’
Again, the hush was complete.
‘There’s something else. The five men were soldiers. They were killed when a staircase collapsed. The seven islanders were killed in the same accident.’
‘So no one was killed in battle. Any injured?’
