The Fallen One by Kathryn Le Veque Read Free Book Online Page B

try to cheat a man out of his earnings? You are a
dishonor to the knighthood, both of you!”
    Mathias’ eyebrows lifted at her furious
manner and brave tactic of throwing the stool she had been sitting on in order
to disable the armed knight, but in truth, he wasn’t surprised. She had shown
remarkable bravery the day before whilst fighting with a man three times her
size.   If he thought about it, his
respect for her had sprouted at that moment; she was a strong and courageous
woman. Now, with this latest show of courage, his respect for her had gone from
a sprout to a healthy bloom.  
    “’Tis all right,” he soothed her, trying to
steer her away from the men who were trying to gain their feet.   “Please go and sit down. Do not trouble
yourself over this.”
    Lured by the commotion, Sebastian appeared
from outside the stall.   His brow
furrowed at the men on the ground.
    “What goes on here?” he demanded.
    Mathias merely shook his head but Cathlina
spoke. “These men were trying to cheat your brother out of his earnings for
shoeing this horse,” she pointed angrily. “They tried to attack him.”
    Sebastian’s red eyebrows flew up in
outrage. “Is that so?” he said, going to stand over the young knight who had
started it all.   He was just starting to
sit up as Sebastian loomed over him and glared. “You were trying to cheat us?”
    The young knight rolled to his knees,
attempting to stand up and keep a distance from the enormous red-haired knight.   “He… he was slow and lazy,” he
stammered, his arrogance gone now that he was being challenged by two very big
men. “It is within my right not to pay him for a job he did not complete when
he said he would.”
    Sebastian reached out and grabbed the man
by the neck as Justus, lured from the opposite side of the stall by all of the
scuffling going on, came around to see both of his sons standing and two armed
knights in various positions on the ground.   The big old man with the long gray hair went straight to Sebastian.
    “What are you doing?” he hissed, pointing
fingers at the man in Sebastian’s grip. “I have warned you against harassing
our customers.”
    Sebastian didn’t let the young knight go.
“He is trying to cheat us out of paying what he owes,” he told his father. “He
tried to attack Mathias.”
    Justus looked at his eldest son. “Is this
true, Mat?”
    Mathias had positioned himself between
Cathlina and the men tussling, including his brother.
    “He tried,” he confirmed. “But it is of no
matter. His horse is finished and he owes a crown.   If he refuses to pay, as he has declared to
be his intention, then we keep the horse. Hopefully he has reconsidered, as a
knight without a horse is a sorry sight indeed.”
    The young knight had managed to yank
himself away from Sebastian and was fumbling angrily for his purse.   Mathias untethered the charger and held out a
hand, refusing to hand the reins over until the young knight paid him in
full.   By the time the young knight got
the reins in his hand, he was so angry that he yanked at them and the horse
took offense.   A big head swung at the
young knight, nearly knocking him over, as the young knight and his companion
stumbled from the stall.
    When they were gone, Mathias went about his
business cleaning up as if nothing was amiss.   Sebastian, however, followed them out and stood in the entry to the
stall, watching them walk down the street with an expression that dared them to
turn around and look at him. He would have liked nothing better than to go
charging after them.  
    With the situation settling down, Justus
eyed his two boys before realizing that Cathlina was standing back in the
shadows.   Surprise filled his expression
as he gaze beheld her lingering on the fringe.
    “A lady?” he said, pointing to her. “God’s
blood, there is a lady here. Does she have business with us?”
    Mathias put his hammer on the anvil and
began to remove his leather apron.