The Blacksmith Queen (The Scarred Earth Saga, #1) - G.A Aiken Page 0,46
unison, the ends of steel poleaxes were slammed into the ground and then crossed, blocking their entrance.
Laila clicked her tongue against her teeth and her horse walked her closer to the guards. “We’ve brought the future queen to see your mistresses,” she announced.
The guards didn’t answer, but Keeley didn’t even know if they could answer.
Laila dismounted and handed the reins to a terrified-looking Samuel. She glanced around at the horses and, without warning, the animals all moved back or simply away.
With a toss of her blond and brown hair, Laila shifted into her centaur form. Once the antlers appeared at the top of her head, she pawed the ground with one hoof, leaned forward a bit, and roared in the faces of the guards.
Still the guards didn’t answer, but they did move. Quickly. Pulling back their poleaxes and stepping aside.
* * *
It had been a few years since Caid had been inside the mountain fortress of the Witches of Amhuinn. But nothing had changed. He knew that as soon as they walked into the main stone hall with their horses, and a young witch quickly approached with a scroll clipped to a piece of flat, polished wood gripped in one hand and a quill in the other.
“Yes?” she asked, gazing at them over the half spectacles she wore.
Laila, not bothering to shift back to her human form, gave a short bow of her head before she said, “I am Laila of the Scarred Earth Clan and Only Daughter of the Clan Chief. As requested by the Witch Queen, I have brought Beatrix of the Farm—”
“Only if you plan to be a blacksmith, and I think we all know that Beatrix has no intention of doing that.”
“You go by Smythe and you’re not a blacksmith.”
“I can make a sword and I know the Old Songs.”
“Ooooh,” Keeley mocked, wiggling her fingers. “You know the Old Songs. I’m so impressed.”
Beatrix, still sitting sidesaddle on her horse, snapped her fingers in the direction of her sisters. The sound startled both women into silence but their expressions told Caid much. While Keeley looked moderately impressed, Gemma appeared ready to snatch her younger sister off her horse by her hair and beat her soundly.
“Beatrix of the Farm is just fine,” Beatrix announced.
The witch nodded and quickly scanned the scroll she had in her hands. Then she dipped her quill into the pot attached to the piece of wood and checked something off on it.
“Now, please, leave your horses here.” She motioned to a young man nearby. “He’ll take your horses to the stables inside our fortress and—”
When the man tried to take the reins of the gray mare, the horse reared and backed up.
“Sorry,” Keeley apologized. “She stays with me.”
“Fine,” the witch replied crisply before adding, “Take the others.” She looked everyone over. “You may keep your weapons. Caid of the Scarred Earth Clan, feel free to be yourself.”
For some unknown reason, that offer had Keeley turning to him with a giant, happy smile on her face and her eyes wide. Kind of like a happily startled farm dog. She looked so ridiculous, he had no option but to chuckle and tell the witch, “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Excellent. Right this way,” she said, before turning on her heel and moving off.
“You don’t want to be yourself?” Keeley whispered to him.
Caid placed his hand against her back and gently pushed her ahead, ignoring her giggles. As he started to follow, his sister grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Leaning down, she asked, “What is going on with you two?”
“What? Nothing.”
“Are you sure? Because you’re doing that thing again. With your face.”
“What thing?”
“Some might call it a smile. I, however, just wonder if you’re having some kind of fit.”
Caid yanked his arm away from Laila. “Can we just get this bloody thing over with?”
The witch led them out of the main hall and into another large part of the fortress. The library. The three sisters stopped and stared in wonder at all the books. This was only one of the libraries that the fortress boasted. There were at least five more, with three new ones currently being built deeper into the mountain.
“All these books,” Keeley breathed out. “I could spend years here.”
“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Beatrix asked. “What knowledge these witches hold?”
“Think they’ll let us spend some time in here before we go?” Keeley asked.