Page 11 of The Warrior Priest
“Apologize to the governor,” the guard demanded.
“Why should I apologize? I’m the one who got wet!”
The guard kicked him in the stomach. The crowd gasped as the man doubled over, groaning. The guard kicked him again, this time in the side, sending the poor fellow rolling in the dirt in pain.
One of his companions stepped forward. “You can’t do that!”
The first guard pointed his sword at the man’s throat. “You’ll find we can.” He bared his teeth in a sneer. “Governor?”
“I’ll forgive it this time.” The honeyed voice of my uncle was at odds with the cruelty of his men and the tension pulsing from the group of bystanders. It seemed to calm them a little.
It chilled me to my core.
“Young man, mind your language,” Uncle Roderic went on. “This is a public square. There are ladies present whose menfolk may object. Next time, I may not be here to protect you from them.”
He signaled for the coachman to drive on. The guards jumped onto the footboards and sheathed their swords as the carriage drove off. I watched as it passed me.
The governor happened to be looking out.
I quickly flipped up my hood, but it was too late. With a hand on the door, he leaned out of the window aperture, and stared directly at me.
I ran.
I didn’t wait to see if anyone followed. I couldn’t hear footsteps chasing me, but my blood pounded ferociously in my ears so I couldn’t trust my hearing. I darted into the marketplace where the crowds of shoppers made pursuit harder. Even so, I didn’t stop until I reached the large tree outside the temple of Merdu’s Guards. With my back to the trunk, I tucked my hand down my shirt and touched the talisman pendant, rising and falling against my chest in time with my heavy breaths. It was warm from my heated skin. It was safe, as was I.
I loitered in the shadow of the tree near the main gate of the temple, hoping Rhys would emerge sooner or later. He had never told me who in the order knew about me, aside from his three closest friends, so I didn’t want to ask the priest guarding the gate to let me in. Although the order accepted visitors, women weren’t allowed, and I was reluctant to break their rule, even if Rhys was the only one who knew I was female and I thought the rule was ludicrous.
I’d once considered scaling the temple’s walls to see inside but dismissed the idea. They were too high to scale without being seen. Rhys assured me it was rather dull inside anyway, with nothing more than a training yard, garrison and outbuildings along with the temple itself.
The gate opened and a warrior priest emerged. It was Vizah, one of Rhys’s closest friends. He spoke to the guard on duty, then both laughed heartily about an incident that had occurred at breakfast involving a young priest. After the guard closed the gate behind him, Vizah drew in a deep breath, rocking back on his heels as he did so. He seemed content, without a care in the world.
I moved out of the shadows and hailed him. “Vizah. Is Rhys inside?”
He didn’t care that I hadn’t addressed him as Brother Vizah. None of Rhys’s three close friends cared that I dropped formalities. I didn’t know if they knew I was a woman. Rhys had never told me if he’d mentioned it to them, and I’d never asked.
Of all of Rhys’s friends, Vizah was my favorite. Despite the curved scar bracketing the corner of his mouth and his bear-like size, he wasn’t at all intimidating. He was a mischievous rogue who liked to drink and fight, sometimes at the same time. His darker skin was a clue to his part-Zemayan heritage, but he had no idea who his parents were. The orphanage where he’d spent his childhood claimed he’d been left on their doorstep as a baby. At twelve, Vizah ran away after his constant misbehavior brought out the cruelty in the orphanage staff. At thirteen, the master of Merdu’s Guards caught him stealing and took him in instead of turning him over to the sheriff. Like Rhys, Vizah formally joined the order when he came of age at eighteen.
“He is, but he’s holed up with Master Tomaj and the high priest,” Vizah said.
“The high priest? Sounds important.”
“They elevated Rhys to second-in-command of the order. It’s an honor.” If it was such an honor, why did Vizah sound a little apprehensive?
“Rhys must be pleased,” I said.
“He should be.”
Vizah looked at the gate, then turned back to me with a shrug. It was as though the action shrugged off whatever was bothering him, and he was once again his nonchalant self. He clapped me on the shoulder, hard, then chuckled when I stumbled forward. It was confirmation that Vizah didn’t know I was a woman. I’d seen him in the presence of women, and he was always respectful. I doubted he would be so rough with me if he knew the truth.
“Did you need to speak to him, Jac?”
“I completed an errand for him and I didn’t want to wait until tonight to report in.”
Vizah nodded knowingly. I knew Rhys had told his friends that I occasionally spied for him. There didn’t seem to be many secrets Rhys, Vizah, Rufus and Andreas kept from one another, my true gender being the exception. “I’ll let him know you’re here,” Vizah said. “Do you need anything? There might be leftovers from last night’s dinner in the kitchen.”
“As delicious as day-old sludge sounds, I’ll pass.”
“We had a feast last night. Sludge is on the menu for tonight.” He folded his arms over his chest and frowned down at me. “You’re too skinny, Jac. When I was your age, I was the size of a horse.”
