Honor Bound by Michelle Howard Read Free Book Online Page A

spoken.”
    “Three years
asleep in a cave. It is hard to imagine.” Argan cursed and spit on the ground.
“We can not take her word. We must see for ourselves, Vaan.”
    “When we reach the
home where she resides and take care of the joining, I will send a scout. It
will be easy to ascertain if she lies.” Vaan placed his hand on the dagger
strapped to his thigh. “If she seeks to trick us, she will meet punishment at
the hands of the Overlord.”
    Argan worried. It
was there in the crease of his brow.
    “Speak your mind
friend. Ever have I listened,” Vaan encouraged.
    The sound Argan
made was one of disgust. “Thenl proves you should not always.”
    Vaan thought
deeply. Argan argued heavily for the warrior Thenl to reach Warlord status. If
any other pushed on such a choice, Vaan would not have listened. “A warrior’s
way is to err and learn. We learned.”
    They both grunted
at this bit of truth. Still Argan pushed. “Perhaps, it is best to wait for the
scout to return before tying yourself to the female.”
    “It is a small
debt to pay. What price would you put on the life of fifteen Warlords and your
Overlord?”
    Argan had no
answer, letting silence flow while deep thoughts weighed heavy. The appearance
of her home in the distance brought a deep sigh of relief from the female. The
large rectangular structure reached two stories high yet paled in size to his
home in Kaban but it looked a sturdy dwelling with its amber colored stone work
and red tiled roof. From their approach, Vaan studied the massive framework of
the gate surrounding the entire property. A wise security precaution. His own
home had no such gate.
    As they approached
the gate of the Raasa’s home on foot, the first thing Vaan noticed was the lack
of guards around the perimeter. No one stopped their entrance into a home that
harbored defenseless women and children.
    He sensed his men
were troubled by the like as well. Their eyes betrayed disgust at this basic
measure.
    “There is much to
accomplish if we are to make this a formidable spot.”
    Argan’s words were
truth. Vaan thought of his own compound and the warriors who patrolled the
Galip stronghold throughout the day. At no time could anyone enter his home
without his knowledge. He faced the woman who maintained a set distance between
he and his Warlords. She fairly reeked of her woman’s anger and again, Vaan’s
humor made an unusual appearance, causing him to keep his head angled away so
none would question his smile.
    The Raasa female
was not pleased with Argan’s deception. She believed him to be the Overlord and
was dismayed at her error in judgment. Still with fifteen warriors to choose
from including the man she’d thought was the Overlord, she’d selected Vaan and
he admitted to pleasure at the fact, though he could not say why.
    Vaan shifted his
attention to his best friend. Argan’s reaction he could not explain. His right
hand Warlord remained firm in his distrust of her and wanted to kill the Raasa
and be done. Argan’s irrational anger made Vaan view everything with a second
eye. He’d already made one bad decision and could ill afford another. Vaan
would be more cautious with their second chance at life.
    When they crossed
the threshold there were shouted greetings. The massive gate opened at their
approach without question. They entered her hall unchecked and Raasa bowed in
their presence murmuring, “Su-Su.” The term was unfamiliar to Vaan, though he
knew a few words of the Raasa speech. The split at the end of their tongue made
it impossible to mimic the sounds completely. Add in the clicks and hisses and
it was not an easy language to learn.
    Women in brightly
colored tunics surrounded Mikayla and cried out, their arms touching her
familiarly. A few caressed her hair. The men approached, bald heads angled down
in admonishment and welcoming smiles on their faces. Vaan forced himself to
remain still but when the men attempted to add their touches, he pulled