Moon Burning - By Lucy Monroe Page 0,74

defend themselves as it was. Not even all the Chrechte women had been willing, but Sorcha was there, her daughter Brigit and Verica. Aodh’s wife, the new housekeeper for Barr, had wanted to learn to fight as well.

“Do you wish to be able to protect yourselves and your children?” Earc asked.

“It is not our place to protect ourselves. It is for the warriors of our clan to do.” The first woman who had spoken said this.

Sabrine made no effort to hide her disgust. “And when there is no warrior near at hand to do so? What then?”

The other woman did not reply. She was here, so clearly she was open to learning. She had been a good student thus far. What was the matter with her now?

“Barr is not here to test us or catch us out as Rowland might have done,” Verica said in a voice both soothing and laced with an old sadness. “He wants his whole clan to be safe and strong.”

“’Tis right, that.” Barr crossed his arms and nodded. “You are all valuable and should not fear for your safety, no matter the circumstance.”

“We live amidst a warring people; all must fear for their lives at some time or another,” Sorcha said, but her eyes were filled with hope.

The more she’d learned to fight, the more peaceful she had grown. Still, she had the right of it now. There was much in their world that threatened their safety. Which was a reason to learn to fight, not to give up.

Barr shrugged.

Sabrine nearly rolled her eyes. The man was just too complacent in his own rightness. “Even in war, a woman should know she is not without her own resources to defend herself.”

Verica nodded vehemently.

Earc smiled at her before turning a more serious expression to the other women. “We will help you gain confidence in your ability to fight not only an opponent of a size with you but one who is bigger as well.”

“No offense.” Sorcha curtsied. “But you and our laird are bigger than most men; could we not do this learning with smaller men from our clan?”

Barr’s lips tilted, but the smile did not break forth before his expression turned deadly serious. “Earc and I are the most experienced and well-trained warriors in the clan. There is no chance you will accidentally come to harm training with us.”

The man offered the best to his clan, be they men or women. Sabrine’s love grew so that she could no longer deny its existence in that moment. She would love him until she breathed her last breath, and no matter the pain that might cause her, she could not regret it.

If he were Éan, he would be her ideal mate. If she did not have responsibilities to her people that made it impossible for her to stay among the Donegals, she would gladly spend her life as his true bonded. Faol or not.

He looked at her and winked as if he were reading her mind. He did that often and she wondered just as frequently if he was indeed doing just that, but the Faol did not have the additional gifts of the Éan. It was not possible.

Though sometimes, she could not help thinking, and mayhap hoping even more so, that things that should be impossible were not . . . with Barr.

Chapter 16

The efforts to teach the women to defend themselves against bigger and stronger opponents went well. True to his word, Barr knew exactly how to push the women to the limits of their ability without allowing them to hurt themselves on his or Earc’s strength. A true opponent, bent on doing them harm, would not be so considerate, but these women were not warriors.

In a dangerous situation, their more primitive instincts would come to the forefront and help them fight off any attacker. She hoped.

She called a halt to the training and sent the women back to the keep when the sun had moved another hour across the sky.

After the other women, Earc and Verica had left the forest, Barr turned to Sabrine. “You’re a fierce fighter, even with a wounded arm.”

“As a protector of my people, I do not have the luxury of allowing injury to stop me from doing my duty.” Besides, her injury healed more each day. She hoped to be able to fly again soon. “The pain is almost gone anyway.”

“Tell me more about your people.”

It was not the first time he had asked. Though usually, he waited until