Cheryl Brooks chink in the breastplate of his opponent's armor and slid through it effortlessly to pierce his heart. On the other side of the clearing, the blond's sword engaged Rafe's, and there now seemed to be nothing between me and death at the hands of the oncoming rider but a few yards of snow-covered ground. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Calla spin away, withdrawing Leo's blade from his victim's body as it fell.

Leo saw me then and didn't hesitate for a moment.

Drawing back his arm, he launched his sword, and I watched as it flew, hilt over blade, flashing in the sunlight until it hit my attacker in the back with enough force to burst right through the middle of his chest. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Max charged in again to seize the galloping horse by the nose, turning him sharply to keep him from running me down. Having followed the flight of the blade, Leo and Calla were upon them in seconds, and the big cat snatched his sword from yet another slain opponent's body that stained the pure white of the snow with a spray of crimson as it fell.

But the fight was far from over and, with a roar, Leo wheeled Calla around and together they rode to Rafe's aid. The blond rider heard the roar and, seeing their charge, was momentarily distracted-which was all the advantage Rafe needed to slip under his guard. Leo was right behind him in moments, and the man fell, pierced by both blades at once. The impact of Leo's thrust at a dead run drove his sword right through the chain mail and sent the man flying from the saddle, only to be slammed against the trunk of a large pine. That impact alone probably would have been enough to kill him, but I was pretty sure he was already dead.

*144 *29*.

warrior 145.

I glanced around the clearing, taking in the sight of the three dead men, their riderless horses, and one large, stunned purple bird that was attempting to right himself in the deep snow. Max was grinning hugely and wagging his tail in victory. Gerald was nowhere to be seen, and Morgana, having bitten the bay on the butt again, trotted up to me seeming terribly pleased with herself. Rafe was taking a moment to bind up his bleeding wrist, and Leo-oh, my God, Leo!-was cantering toward me with his blood-stained sword held high, his hair flung out behind him in the wind, and joy shining out from his eyes-the very essence of a triumphant hero. Flinging his sword into the air once again with a shout of laughter, he caught it easily as it returned to earth before swinging it unerringly into its scabbard with a movement that spoke of years of practice. No, this man was no slave, he was a warrior, and I gazed up at him with every ounce of my love for him written plainly on my face.

Rafe rode up a moment later, but I didn't even look in his direction, for I was still staring at Leo, speechless with admiration.

"Are you all right, Tisana?" Rafe called out as he approached.

"Just fine," I said absently, my eyes never once leaving Leo's face. By the gods, he was magnificent!

"Well, then, mount up and let's get going," Rafe said curtly. "Though we probably should gather up their weapons first, since we may need them before this is over." When I didn't move, he said again, "Are you sure you're all right, Tisana?"

"Yes," I replied. I glanced over at Royillis, who was *145 *30*.

146.

Cheryl Brooks now standing upright, but still seemed a bit woozy. That he was also rather tattered was a given.

"Well, come on then!" Rafe urged. "We still have to catch the rest of them!"

"Rafe," I said suddenly, and rather breathlessly, "do you think Carnita would let me have Leo if I gave her the whole bird?"

*146 *30*.

Chapter 7.

Royillis had probably saved all of our skins and deserved nothing less than our undying gratitude, but, given the circumstances, I think I could be forgiven for blurting out such nonsense.

"I doubt it," Rafe replied grimly. "Especially now that she's gotten a look at him."

"Now wait a minute, Rafe! I distinctly remember you saying that he just looked like a big cat," I reminded him.

"What's the matter? Change your mind about that?"

Rafe's response was more of a grumble than actual words.

"I wouldn't let her have him if I were you, Rafe," I said, wagging my head. "He's too-"

"Save it for later," Rafe said, cutting me off. "We've got to get moving."

"Okay then," I said. "But I promise you, you'll be sorry!" Starting toward Royillis, I added, "You guys can go get their weapons, but I'm going to gather up those loose feathers! I've never had anything of any value in my life, and I'm not passing up the opportunity."

"I'm not really sure they're worth all that much,"

Rafe began. "I only-"

"I don't care!" I declared. "I'm taking them anyway!

You go get all the swords and knives you think you'll need-Leo and I could both use shields, too-and we might as well take their horses while we're at it. Spoils *147 *30*.

148.

Cheryl Brooks of war and all that, you know! And remember, we might have killed these three, but there may have been more than the four in their party that Toraga saw. We probably haven't seen the worst of it yet. And, Rafe, you'd better let me see your hand-let's not have any macho 'it's only a scratch' stuff-you're bleeding."

Rafe, unfortunately, zeroed in on the one part of my little tirade that I wished he hadn't heard. "Toraga?"

he echoed, dismounting. "Do you mean to say that the boy's dog told you?" He was staring at me as though I'd lost my mind, which was wearing thin, so I assumed a similar expression and aimed it right back at him.

"Were there any other witnesses that you know of?"

I snapped, pulling out my medicine pouch.

"Well, no," he conceded, backing off, "but do you mean to say that instead of seeing it in the fire, you were talking to the dogs?"

Rolling my eyes, I nodded glumly. "That's my claim to fame, Rafe," I admitted. "I can communicate telepathically with animals."

I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as I tended to his injured wrist; fortunately, it really was only a scratch. "That explains a lot," he said at length. "You don't bewitch the animals, you actually talk with them."

He paused to think a moment longer before adding, "But the flames rose when you were staring into the fire. How do you explain that?"

"Do I have to tell you that one, too?" I moaned.

"Really, Rafe, I'd much rather-"

"Just tell me, Tisana."

At that point my blossoming entrepreneurial spirit *148 *30*.

warrior 149.

kicked in and, cocking a speculative eye at him, I said archly, "What's it worth to you?"

"Nothing more than the knowledge," he replied. If he wasn't being honest with me, his expression certainly didn't give him away. Nope, couldn't get Leo from him that way.

"Well, there go all of my secrets, then," I said ruefully.

"But, please, Rafe, could you at least promise me you'll keep quiet about all of this?"

Obviously I shouldn't have said that, since he replied, "If you make it worth my while." He was smiling, but somehow, I knew he meant it.

Peering at him disdainfully, I said, "Well, you can just forget it then. It's something you don't need to know." I looked up to see Gerald bounding across the snow toward us. "Hey, Gerald!" I said. "I see you made it through the battle all right and tight! I don't suppose you'd give me a hand picking up these feathers, would you?"

"Sure thing, Tisana!" he said brightly. "The big cat put on quite a show, didn't he? Made ol' what's-his- name look like a regular bejeteil."

I gave a shout of laughter, since bejeteils were a species of small, furry creatures that were wellknown for their ineptitude when it came to defending their territory. When confronted, they usually gave up and played dead-after that, they simply moved on to live somewhere else. They might not have been particularly brave, but there certainly were a lot of them around. Of course, Gerald hadn't actually made a stand of any kind himself-and had lived to tell *149 *30*.

150.

Cheryl Brooks about it, so I suppose there was some logic in making a run for it in times of trouble.

From the look in his eye, it was fairly obvious that Leo had some idea of the nature of the exchange that had just occurred between Gerald and me, but he had sense enough to keep quiet about it when Rafe, again, demanded to know what was so damned funny.

"You don't need to know that, either," I said haughtily and began to trudge through the snow to where Royillis was sitting. He appeared to be feeling much better and seemed especially pleased when I informed him that we'd killed all three of the men and also that we had no intention of stopping to bury them.

"Then you may take as many of my feathers as you like,"

he said graciously. "I shall be molting soon, anyway."

"I wish I'd thought of that before," I said candidly.

"You had me worried there for a minute! Still, you lost an awful lot of feathers! Are you sure you can fly?"

"Yes," he assured me. "My wings are undamaged.

He hit me in the head, actually."

"Hard-headed, then?" I inquired.

"Quite so," he replied.

I reached out and lifted his head with a finger beneath his beak. Scrutinizing him carefully, I was able to report that while his head didn't appear to be damaged significantly, he did, indeed, have a small area of swelling beneath his left eye.

"It will pass," Royillis said dismissively. "I have recovered from far more serious injuries."

"Well, you might consider leaning your head against an icicle for a while," I advised. "It might keep it from getting any worse."

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warrior 151.

"I thank you," he said politely with a slow blink of his large eyes. "But now I must take my leave."

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" I asked. "You're pretty handy in a fight. We could use you. We're trying to find his children," I added, with a gesture in Rafe's direction. "These men we killed were some of the ones who kidnapped them."

Royillis was sympathetic to our cause, but reminded me that he had his own family to consider.

"But we've left them well provided for," I pointed out.

"We carry food with us, too, so you'd be well fed."

"True," he conceded. "Very well, then. I will consult with my mate and possibly join up with you again. If I do not return, I wish you good fortune."

Waving at him as he flapped his huge wings and flew away, I commented to no one in particular, "Beautiful, isn't he?"

"Really, Tisana!" Rafe exclaimed. "We could have used that bird! Why didn't you ask him to help us?"

While his words didn't convey his sarcasm, his tone of voice certainly did, which made it obvious that he still wasn't convinced. Perhaps telling him my secrets wouldn't have had too many repercussions after all.

"I did," I replied. "He's gone to ask his wife's permission."

Leo made a heroic effort to control his reaction but couldn't quite manage it and roared with helpless laughter. Rafe began scowling at him and probably would have made some curt remark except that Gerald, in the meantime, had gathered up all of Royillis's stray feathers and chose that moment to hop over to hand them to me. Well, he didn't actually hand them to me because, *151 *30*.

152.

Cheryl Brooks instead of his paws, he had used his cheek pouches to carry them in, so when he jumped up onto my shoulder, he looked as if he had a pair of shiny purple feather dusters sticking out of his mouth.

Rafe took one look at Gerald and gave up even trying to appear stern. Quickly mounting and turning Sinjar, he rode off to catch one of the other horses, but I could see his shoulders shaking as he went. Sinjar-whom I could hear-was chuckling to the point of succumbing to a coughing fit, while Max sat there and grinned.

"Thanks, Gerald," I said, retrieving the feathers from his pouches. "I think we needed that." He gave a pleased twitch of his tail in response and scampered over to the edge of the trees to nibble on a nut, and, for once, Max didn't chase him. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and folded the feathers up in it carefully before stowing them in my saddlebag. Then I looked up at Leo, who was still sitting there on Calla, smiling broadly. "You really were something out there, Leo," I remarked. "I'm glad you were on our side."

"I will always be on your side, my lovely witch,"

he said softly, "it is for you that I fight, and no other.

You are very brave, as well, though you should be more careful." He paused for a moment, as his smile grew even wider. "Especially now that you carry my child."

My jaw dropped in surprise. "And just how would you know that?" I demanded when I found my voice again. Considering what we'd been up to for the past month, he might have guessed, but the funny thing was that he didn't seem to be guessing; he seemed to know.

"I cannot explain it anymore than you can explain this gift you have of communicating with animals,"

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warrior 153.

he said. "I simply saw you standing there in the snow as that outlaw galloped toward you, and I knew." As I watched, I saw a fleeting glimpse of the horror he must have felt pass over him at the mere thought of what might have happened to me-and to our child. "That knowledge gave me increased strength in my arm and a greater keenness in my eyes. I knew I would not miss, for you are my mate, Tisana, and it is my purpose to protect you."

Gazing up at him while my eyes filled with tears, I said, hopelessly, "I may be your mate, Leo, but that doesn't mean we'll ever be together. I don't believe that Rafe has any intention of setting you free." In fact, I thought he might actually take a perverse pleasure in keeping us apart, though I hoped he wouldn't be so cruel. Actually, Rafe was already beginning to seem more human than he had in a long time; perhaps there was a chance, if only a slim one, that he might swallow that stubborn pride of his long enough to let Leo and me have our own chance for happiness.

"We shall see," he said. "There may yet come a time when it will be so, but for now, we must do our best to find Rafe's children while we protect our own."

I nodded, though my tears continued to fall as I mounted Morgana. The adrenalin rush of the battle was wearing off, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness at the sight of the men lying dead on the ground.