Page 81 of The Warrior Priest
My fingers ached around the handle of my bloodied dagger.
Giselle’s screams of pain changed to shouted curses at me, calling me some colorful names I’d not heard since my days living on the streets. She spat at the warrior priests who came to disarm her, but when she realized that wouldn’t work, she tried to reason with them again.
“Jac is stealing your master from you!”
“That doesn’t justify murder,” one said.
“She’s a whore. She’s everything you loathe about women.”
The same priest stood over her and shook his head sadly. “You misunderstand us. We don’t hate women of any description.”
I pushed to my feet, clutching my shoulder as the pain ripped through it again. I closed my eyes only to open them again at the sound of horses approaching. A lot of horses, and a carriage, too.
Rhys rode in the lead. He was unharmed, thank the goddess. Relief filled me, pushing aside the pain and the fear that had festered within me ever since we parted. He jumped down from the saddle and scooped me into his arms, only to aggravate my shoulder.
He sprang back at my cry of pain. “You’re hurt.”
I clutched my shoulder. “I think it’s dislocated.”
“Merdu, you’re white as a sheet.” He signaled to one of the warriors. “Brother James is a healer. He sees these sorts of injuries all the time.”
Brother James spoke reassuringly as he gently felt my shoulder. “It’s definitely dislocated. Now, this will hurt. On the count of three, I’ll put the shoulder back. Are you ready?”
He didn’t give me a chance to nod. He pushed my shoulder back into place. I cried out, only to have it smothered by Rhys’s chest. He held me, stroking my hair, until I realized the burning spike had become a dull ache.
I pulled away. “Thank you, Brother James.”
The healer nodded. “Make sure you rest it. No lifting anything heavy for a few days.”
Giselle snorted. “What about me?”
Brother James bent to inspect her wound. She sucked air between her teeth but unlike me, she didn’t cry out. “Get your needle and thread, Brother. I can cope with the pain. Unlike some.”
While the healer returned to the temple to get his medical kit, I took in the newcomers. Rhys was accompanied by Vizah, Rufus and Andreas, still on horseback, as well as several of the high priest’s guards, either on horseback or riding on the carriage itself. The high priest sat inside, his face stony as he glared at Giselle.
She glared back from where she sat on the ground. “You idiot! You let him catch you. Why didn’t your men protect you?”
The high priest turned his face away without answering.
“Because they trained in the order of Merdu’s Guards,” Rhys said. “They’re loyal to the faith, not to any single man. Not even him. Once I explained the situation, they agreed to let me confront him. By the time Andreas, Vizah and Rufus arrived, it was clear he was guilty.”
“There’s proof,” said one of the warrior priests. He handed Rhys the letter Giselle had dropped.
“You think I’ll make it easier for you?” she snarled at Rhys. “Merdu, you two make me sick. I wish I’d killed you while you slept, Jac.”
“She would have heard you entering the room,” Rhys said, as calm as can be.
Vizah peered over Rhys’s shoulder to read the letter. He whistled. “That’s a large sum of money. The orders who feed and clothe the poor could do a lot with that.”
“It wasn’t about the money for Giselle,” Rhys said. “She wanted Jac dead because she’s jealous of her.”
Giselle barked a humorless laugh. “Jealous? I don’t love you, you arrogant prick. I never have.”
“It’s nothing to do with me. You’re jealous of Jac because she’s better than you and you loathe that.”
“She’s not better than me. She’s good, but more practice would have made her better. Years more. She was lucky today, that’s all.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I do need more training. I knew I wasn’t ready when we left Upway, and I remember telling you as much. But it’s more than that. I also lack the quality you have, the hunger to kill or the desire to be the best fighter. But it wasn’t luck that helped me beat you, Giselle. It was your own arrogance. You think being better than everyone means they’re less than you, and when you believe that then you stop noticing them. You thought the warrior priests would support you in murdering me because it’s what their high priest wanted, but you misunderstood them. You misjudge people because you don’t get to know them. You don’t value friendship, loyalty and honor, but they do, as does Rhys. Your downfall was isolating yourself from friendship even when it was offered to you.” I tapped my chest. “I’m sorry for you, Giselle. You brought this on yourself.”
