The Commander's Desire by Jennette Green Read Free Book Online Page B

but she saw no
urgency in his pose. No slapping the reins against the horse’s
neck. It was as if they merely accompanied her joy ride.
    Frowning, she tried to ignore his presence.
Instead, she focused on the sweet breeze, the rush of grass beneath
Sir Duke’s hooves, and the crisp feel to the fall air. Soon, the
russet leaves would fall. Would she be home before then?
    Would she ever make it home?
    Fear drove her knees more urgently into Sir
Duke, and he doubled his stride, hooves flying over the earth.
Adrenaline pounded through Elwytha as fears meshed and tangled
inside her soul. If only she could reach that stand of trees…. If
only she could go home! A small cry gathered in her throat, but she
swallowed it back. Sir Duke needed direction to keep him on course,
and to keep them both safe.
    Still, the Commander followed several lengths
behind, allowing her to set the pace, and making no move to
overtake her. Elwytha felt Sir Duke’s lungs laboring and his heart
pounding as they approached the wood, and knew she needed to spare
her steed. She eased up and the horse slowed to a glad canter. He
had enjoyed the run, no doubt.
    She urged him into the sun-dappled trees. The
forest here consisted of thin saplings and low bushes.
Unexpectedly, Sir Duke pulled up, snorting, flanks quivering.
    She gripped the reins tighter. “What is it,
boy?”
    The Commander cantered to a stop beside her.
Sweat glistened on the black’s coat. Before he could say a word,
two men on horseback appeared over the rise. Both were bearded; one
was blond and scruffy, and the other was raven-haired. They bore
the crest of her palace. And full armor.
    The Commander edged forward. In that instant,
her enemy transformed before her eyes. His face hardened into a
formidable mask, and his countenance stiffened, projecting a
forceful, threatening aggression. His hand rested on the hilt of
his sword.
    Trepidation leaped. She had never met the
Commander in battle before, although she had seen him at a
distance. A distance she would prefer to keep, even now.
    “ Get behind me,
Elwytha.”
    “ They won’t harm
me.”
    “ Get behind me, Elwytha!” His voice cracked
like thunder.
    Still, Elwytha refused to comply. These were
her brother’s men. They owed her their allegiance. She spoke
directly to them. “Why do you trespass here, upon the Prince’s
land?”
    One curled his lip. “Already, you pledge
allegiance to the enemy?”
    “ I ride through the woods,”
she returned, easily donning her regal, authoritative tone. “State
your purpose.”
    The blond one urged his horse closer. Unease
slid through Elwytha, though she refused to show it. At her side,
the Commander gripped his sword handle, although the blade was
still sheathed.
    Her brother’s man edged still nearer, so now
his horse sidled next to her own. He grinned at her. “The King
wishes to parlay a message to you.”
    Something was wrong. Elwytha felt it, deep in
her spirit. In the same instant, she noted the man’s hand on his
dagger, and the sword at his side. Quicker than thought, she
relieved him of the sword, backing her horse up at the same
time.
    The blade in her hand flashed in the sun
streaming through the quiet trees. “Speak your message and be
gone.”
    The man’s hand tightened on the dagger, but
it relaxed when he saw that the Commander had unsheathed his sword,
too. The blond man bowed his head slightly to Elwytha. Only the
twist to his mouth proved his servitude a lie. “The King agrees to
your match. He will attend your nuptials, two weeks hence.”
    Elwytha’s eyes narrowed. “Give thanks to my
brother for the message.”
    “ I shall.”
    Beneath her, Sir Duke moved restlessly. She
soothed his neck with her free hand.
    “ My sword?” said her
brother’s warrior.
    Elwytha flung it, far over his head, into the
wood. It landed, quivering, in a tree trunk. Exactly where she had
wished it to stick.
    “ Godspeed,” she
said.
    With a barely disguised snarl, the man