Outside Waterford, Ireland
Maverick pulled the shirt back over his hard body as the house maid fixed her hair heading for the door.
Maddox stopped as he walked into the room catching a glimpse of the maid turning red as she went out the side door, "With everything going on, you can't take a break from anything?"
Maverick smiled back at him as he started lacing up his boots.
Maddox rolled his eyes as his head swordsman was grinning from what he had done that morning.
Maverick glanced over at Maddox as Maddox was just standing in the corner of the room, "What happened?"
"I have one of the older maids watching over the little boy we found."
"And?"
"Isabel's armies have displaced hundreds of kids. Or they have killed them."
"Again, and?"
"Solomon is the head of those armies."
Maverick bite down on his tongue as he knew were the conversation was going.
"He isn't my brother anymore."
"Everything changed that night man. Solomon went through a lot that night. I mean dealing with the loss of his child and the love of his life, shit wasn't good that night."
Maddox glanced out the window as several people were still walking around the market. "I don't think what we are doing is gonna help with what Isabel wants."
"Isabel wants us dead. She wants control."
Maddox glanced down at his hand, "Any chance we have a plan on how to stop that?"
Maverick started laughing back at him.
"I'm guessing not."
Cork, Ireland
Kari rubbed her hands together as Sanna glanced up from the fire.
I pulled my hood over my head as the sun was just starting to break the fields.
Casey started coughing when Raquel sat up shaking the dew from her jacket, "Any chance we can get into a house soon?"
I glanced over at her when I heard the shouting. "Did you hear that?"
"Kinda." Raquel stood up at the same time Kari did.
Kari narrowed her eyes, "Anyone understand why ships are docking?"
I reached down for my sword as I took off toward the docks.
Casey followed behind me as did the others.
Raquel and Kari filled in behind me as Katherine smiled at the guests stepping from the large ships.
I narrowed my eyes at the red and yellow flags, "Spain?"
Raquel nudged me, "What?"
"They are Spanish. I don't understand why they are here."
"Trade?" Kari added in.
I glanced back at the soldiers that stepped off the ships. They were covered in heavy armour with thick blades. "You don't trade with military grade swords."
Kari glanced up as several of them glanced over in our direction.
Sanna stepped up as Katherine laughed with one of the men, "She seems to know them."
I narrowed my eyes back at the last guy who had the same symbol from the other night at the cliff and at Raquel's house.
He walked past us with his head held high following his group into the tent in the middle of the village.
"McKenzie?" Kari looked back at me.
"We are joining that meeting." I said back to them as I took off for the tent.
Raquel's eyes got wide as I pushed my way into the tent.
Katherine was smiling at the man as I stepped into the tent.
Christian glared over at me as the man who was laughing with his mother glanced down at me.
"Confused girl?" He smiled back at Katherine.
Katherine stood as she wanted to speak but I did first.
"I'm McKenzie Lothbrok and I request to know why you are on my land."
The man narrowed his eyes back at me.
"I won't ask again."
Christian looked around as the tent started to fill with wolves.
The man glanced around as a smile pulled the corners of his lips, "There was rumors of the girl who talked to wolves. The one that controlled an untamable beast."
Katherine glanced up at me but I kept my eyes on the visitor.
"I am here to give some of my men over to Katherine as protection."
"Protection from what?"
He grinned at me as one of the wolves snarled up at him. His grin faded as he finally glared up at me, "Protection from Isabel."
"No."
Everyone in the tent looked back at me.
The man glared up at me, "What?"
"I said no, we don't need your help. Now leave." I glared back at him as the grip on my sword was turning my knuckles white.
Katherine laughed as she turned back to him, "She is very confused. She doesn't understand what is going on."
"I know Isabel. I know what needs to happen. I will not have outsiders come into my land and think they will take it over."
Katherine shook her head back at me as the man stood up, "I hope you die for wasting my time!"
"I could really careless man." I pointed at the door as he stormed out.
Katherine's eyes got wide as she ran out after him.
Christian shook his head back at him, "Do you understand what you have done?"
"Inviting the enemy to dinner only poisons you." I looked back at him as his eyes narrowed at me.
"You are gonna get us killed!" Christian shouted at me as Raquel walked into the tent with a smile on her lips.
"Can we please have what belongs to us now?" Raquel grinned back at me.
Christian narrowed his eyes at me.
"We start tonight; gather as many that look able." I said back to her.
Raquel grinned back at me as she went out of the tent.
"What are you doing?"
I went over to the table that displayed the map, "She is pushing south, you can see that every day they are moving more and more into our territory."
Christian followed my hand that went over what used to belong to the Ragason clan was now becoming Isabel's area.
I picked up a pawn that was a symbol of her army, "I came back for a reason and if that reason means killing her men, then fine. I will kill as many as I have to until she understands, I won't back down."
"Your plan is to raid."
"My plan is to liberate her people who are living in fear. Tell them that a better life is coming. And take out the guards that her implying the fear of Isabel's reign on them."
"You think like that, everything will change?"
"I have a year."
"A year?"
"If things aren't good in a year, we go to war and the south doesn't win."
Christian swallowed back the pain that took over his face as Sanna walked into the tent.
"Sanna, I need you to do me a favor." I kept my eyes on Christian.
"I guess I'm staying here instead of going on the raids..."
"No, I need your hands in this." I finally looked back at her.
Sanna narrowed her eyes at me confused.
"I need someone to take Casey back to the palace and get Maddox. I need your brother in this. Maddox is the only one that will stand next to me as a strong force."
Christian crossed his arms, "My mother's maid will go with him. She knows the path to the main palace."
Sanna shook her head. "No, Maddox won't trust an outsider."
"I will go."
I turned around as Kari walked into the tent.
"My arm is a little fucked up so I am no good on a raid. You need the strong and right now I can only tell Maddox that you are back."
Sanna grinned over at her, "She is right McKenzie."
"Get on your horse and head out now. I need Maddox back at this village when we return in a few days." I tossed over a bag to Kari.
Kari glanced back at me, "Any reason for the bag?"
"I thought the bow inside would be good for you."
Kari unwrapped the bow as she smiled back at me, "You had this made for me when you arrived."
I smiled back at her, "I found it out in the out storage barn in the back by the river."
Kari laughed back at me as she ran her fingers down the bow, "8 years without this thing."
"Go, go get Maddox."
Kari nodded her head as she ran out of the tent.
Christian walked up next to me as Sanna fixed her vest, "You really care for your people."
I glanced back at him, "They are my family Christian. You don't walk away from family. You don't turn your back on them."
Christian smiled back at me as Sanna walked out of the tent, "Is that why you would rather save Solomon then kill him?"
"If you loved someone so much but they did so much wrong, you would climb mountains to make sure they weren't breaking themselves."
"Solomon really fucked up walking away from you."
I narrowed my eyes back at him as he went out of the tent. I shook my head as I saw Katherine standing outside the tent yelling at Christian for what I had done.
I went to head for the door when I felt something tight around my neck.
My arms went back as I tried to free my airway.
"You should have never come back!"
My eyes got wide as I saw the symbol on his arm as the lack of air to my brain caused me to black out.