Read Online Eochaidh - Legend of the Horsemen (Book One) by Terri Reid - Free Book Online Page A

the
enchantment, and we ain’t going to let nothing or no
one get in our way,” he explained.
    Shaking her head in wonder, Meaghan was dumbfounded.   “This is all about a fairy tale?   The Eochaidh enchantment?” she laughed. “You
do know it’s a tale mothers tell their children at bedtime to keep them from
roaming the forest.   Truly you don’t
believe in this farce.”
    “It ain’t a fairy tale,” he
growled. “It’s an oath that we’ve honored for centuries, and we mean to
continue.”
    “You’ve honored for centuries? Funny, you don’t look that
old,” she replied. “And did your dear grandmother swear you honor bound when
you were three or four?”
    “ Ain’t you the funny one,” he
said, putting his whip down and pulling a knife from his belt. “Let’s just see
if I can’t make you see the serious side of things.”

Chapter Twelve
    The knife had a twelve-inch blade and a carved hilt that
seemed to fit easily into Murphy’s hand. He hefted it a few times, testing its
weight and Meaghan’s reaction. He was concerned and perplexed that she wasn’t
showing the proper amount of fear as he slowly approached.
    “I am going to stab you,” he insisted.
    She nodded casually at him. “Oh, I have no doubt you plan to
do so,” she replied. “Nice knife, by the way.”
    He stopped cold in his progress and stared at her,
open-mouthed for a moment. “Are you daft?” he asked, incredulous. “I am going
to cut out your heart, right here in this building, and all you can say is nice
knife?”
    Meaghan studied the distance between them and knew she only
needed him to step a few inches closer to be in range of her sword.   She smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders.
“Seemed like the thing to say. Besides, I’ve heard about your fighting skills,
and I’m really not all that worried.”
    Surprise, then rage, washed over his face.   His arm lifted in attack as he lunged toward
her.   Meaghan reached to her side and
lifted her sword with both hands, swinging true and knocking the knife from
Murphy’s hand.   She attacked again,
catching him on his stomach, cutting through his coat, vest and shirting to
scratch the skin beneath.
    Stumbling backward, he tripped on a chair and fell hard on
the wood floor.   Meaghan dashed forward,
picked up the knife and placed it in Jepson’s hands before turning back to the
prostrate magistrate. She pointed her sword at his neck and held it, her arm
ready to thrust, only inches away. “I would suggest you stay in this position,”
she warned him, “if you value your singing voice at all.”
    “You would murder the Duke’s magistrate?” he threatened.
    “Well, the way I see it, if you move, you’ve thrown yourself
on my sword,” she replied easily. “So, I merely watched the Duke’s magistrate
commit suicide before me.”
    She batted her eyes dramatically. “And I can truly say I
will never be the same again,” she replied, sotto voce, as she moved the sword
fractionally closer to his neck.
    Having sliced through the thick cords of leather, Jepson was
finally free, and he moved to her side. His wrists were bloodied, and she could
tell he was in a great deal of pain.   “Father is probably on the way here,” she said to him, never moving her
gaze from Murphy. “Shall we wait?”
    Walking across the room, Jepson picked up his shirt and,
wincing, pulled it over his head, and then slipped into his jacket.   “No, I fear there may be others already
riding this way who have also sworn to uphold this oath,” he said. “I believe
it best to retreat to the estate where we may fortify our position.”
    He picked up the leather cords and walked back to Murphy.
“Slowly lift your arms above your head,” he ordered the man lying on the floor.
    Narrowing his eyes, Murphy glared at him. “I don’t take
orders from Gypsy scum,” he growled.
    Meaghan lowered her sword tip, grazing Murphy’s neck so a
slim line of red appeared. “You will listen and