Maxi cast a worried glance at the sleeping knight. “I-It only relieves him of the pain temporarily.”
“That is more than enough. Please leave the rest to me. It is just a monster’s curse; it shouldn’t take long to find a way to undo it,” Ruth said, looking uncharacteristically determined.
Offering him an encouraging smile, Maxi quietly gathered her things and stepped out.
They had been in the tent for quite some time, and the sky had dimmed to a glowing shade of lilac. Maxi quickened her steps. She wanted to check on the injured men in the infirmary once more before retiring for the night.
She was almost out of the barracks when someone suddenly blocked her path. Startled, Maxi took a step back. A tall man with fierce eyes looked down at her.
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” he rasped. “Why’re you wandering about the barracks?”
“Stand back!” Ulyseon quickly hid Maxi behind him and grabbed the hilt of his sword. “Her ladyship is not someone the likes of you can address so lightly.”
“And what do we have here?” Clearly unfazed, the man smirked and looked Ulyseon up and down. “Aren’t you the white lizard’s little puppy? What a shame. Here I was thinking two pretty lasses were in need of a pimp.”
Ulyseon’s face flushed crimson. In the blink of an eye, hissword was out of its sheath and poised at the man’s throat. He moved with such speed that Maxi could not believe her eyes.
The man appeared to be taken aback as well. He retreated a step, but Ulyseon swiftly closed the distance between them.
“I suppose you northern swine know nothing of decency,” Ulyseon growled menacingly, looking nothing like the guileless young man that Maxi knew. “If Sir Riftan had not commanded us to avoid trouble, I would cut off your head for tainting her ladyship’s ears with your vile snorting.”
Snickers rang out at the squire’s retort. Hunched behind Ulyseon, Maxi flinched and turned her head toward the direction of the sound. Not far from them, a circle of burly men sat playing dice.
One of them howled with laughter and shouted, “Oi, Devron! Didn’t I warn you not to mess with that kid? A few have lost their noses to him because they were fooled by his pretty face. Think how bad his temper must be for people to call him the devil’s spawn when he’s still just a squire.”
Ulyseon’s expression hardened, and Maxi warily studied the speaker’s face. He was a young man with ash-blond hair that was nearly white. Despite his relative youth, a dangerous glint in his eyes conveyed a fierce demeanor. Tossing the dice onto the table, he gave Maxi a stilted smile.
“Damn, another two-three. I’m having terrible luck today, miss,” he crooned. “Why don’t you come here and be my goddess of fortune?”
“That’s enough!” Ulyseon roared. “I will not condone any disrespect to her ladyship, even if you are the vice commander of the Knights of Phil Aaron!”
Maxi’s eyes grew wide. This crude man was acommanding officer of Balto? She could hardly believe that he held such a high rank.
“Her ladyship? Listen here, devil’s spawn,” the man spat. “There are no noblewomen here. Even a princess isn’t regarded as one on a battlefield. Still, with you making so much fuss, it does make me wonder who she is.”
Taking a swig of wine straight from the bottle, the man scanned Maxi from head to foot with the cool gaze of a serpent surveying its prey. “I heard Calypse dragged a woman to his tent. I guess that was you.”
The man’s sinister air made Maxi shrink into herself. When he leaped to his feet and began walking over, Ulyseon tried to get between them. The man managed to evade the squire and grabbed Maxi’s wrist, yanking her toward him.
He smirked. “She is rather appealing. But nowhere near your princess. I wonder what trick she had up her sleeve to rope in someone as cold-blooded as Calypse.”
“Unhand her, Richard Breston!” Ulyseon barked. He pointed his sword at the man, who did not even bat an eyelid.
“Look here, runt. No one has dared point their sword at me and survived,” the man said scornfully. “Should I take this as your death wish?”
“She is Sir Riftan’s wife!” Ulyseon shouted. “If you do not unhand her this instant, it will be you who won’t be spared!”
“Ha! What a show that would be.” Breston’s eyes flashed as he looked down at Maxi. “I’ve always wanted to see that southern mutt foam at the mouth!”
Having reached the end of his patience, Ulyseon charged. All at once, the men standing at the back drew their swords and blocked the young squire.
Sensing that the situation was escalating out of hand, Maxi held her breath, her knees wobbling. She was more terrified now than when she had faced monsters.
Breston tugged Maxi closer to him, his grip painfully tight on her wrist. “You, I heard that you’re of royal Roemian blood. As someone from such a prestigious lineage, don’t you think it’s preposterous that a pagan mongrel from the south is hailed as Rosem Wigrew’s reincarnation?” Still clutching her arm, he reached out with his other hand to cup her chin. He yanked her face forward and added in a chillingly soft voice, “Wigrew is the hero of the west. His name should not be sullied by a peasant with a barbarian mother.”
Maxi’s eyes blazed at the man’s despicable sarcasm. How dare this lout mock the greatest and most honorable knight in the realm? Forgetting that she had been trembling with fear just moments ago, Maxi glowered at the man.
In a surge of anger, she kicked Breston’s shin. Unfortunately, he was wearing gaiters. A sharp pain shot through Maxi’s foot. She hopped up and down in agony as Breston roared with laughter, still clutching her wrist.
