The Protector

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Authors: Madeline Hunter
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chair. She straightened, preparing to put him in his place by asking him to leave.
    Ascanio saw it coming. He caught her eye and shook his head. “We may need him,” he muttered.
    Her attention snapped back to the matter at hand. “What is it?”
    Ascanio turned to the guard. “Tell her.”
    The guard was younger than she, not much more than a boy. She recognized him as Louis, one of the farmers' sons whom Ascanio had recruited and she herself had trained in archery.
    “Well, my lady, you know that my family lives close tothe manor's north end. I went to visit them, because I got word that my father was ill. While I was there, a man passing through their village said that he had seen a small army moving in our direction. So I rode out and looked for myself.”
    “It sounds like another free company,” Carlos said.
    That was indeed bad news. Such companies, made up of knights and soldiers under no lord's command, had been plaguing Brittany with their brigandage for years.
    “If so, it was a big one. There were over a hundred men, well provisioned.”
    “They may not be coming here,” Josce said. “They may only be aiming for the coastal road, to go south.”
    “If so, they will still pass through these lands, even if you are not their goal,” Morvan said. “Did you see any colors, boy? Any banners?”
    Anna's annoyance with Morvan spiked again. He demanded answers as if he had the right to do so.
    “Aye. Red and black, quartered, with castle and dragon.”
    The words penetrated her head like darts. All thoughts of Morvan's presumptions disappeared in an onslaught of shock.
    “You are sure?” She did not hear her own question, and wondered if she had even uttered it.
    “I watched from a hill as they passed. They are moving slowly, because they have the wagons and foot soldiers, but—”
    “How far away?” Morvan again. At least she thought so. The chamber had become distant and dreamlike, as if the pulse pounding in her head left it no room to absorb forms and sounds completely.
    “With the wagons, six days, more if it rains.”
    A visceral chill clutched her chest with hundreds oficy fingers. She could not conquer the horrible sensation of having the breath squeezed out of her.
    Fear. This was what fear felt like.
    Someone else spoke. The men moved. A hand touched her shoulder, and she jolted alert. She looked up into Ascanio's concerned face, then glanced around. Louis, Carlos, and Josce had left, but Morvan remained, and his dark eyes studied her.
    Ascanio squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. “There may be no real danger here. There is no indication they will even cross your lands. Still, we should take precautions.”
    Morvan moved closer. He took her chin in his hand and raised her head so he could look into her eyes.
    “This army is indeed coming here, isn't it? You know it is.”
    “Aye.” She brushed his hand away. “We have lived through hell these last months, but I never expected the devil to arrive at the gate.”
    “Then you had better explain who the devil is, lady, so we know what we face.”
    “She will do so when she has calmed herself,” Ascanio said sharply. “This has unsettled her badly.”
    “I know that, priest, as well as you—”
    “His name is Gurwant de Beaumanoir,” she interrupted. “It is his banner that Louis described.”
    “I know the Beaumanoir family,” Morvan said. “They are among Brittany's leading allies of the French king, are they not? The Franco-Breton lords' taking of a strong coastal fortress would have important strategic implications. Still, trying to conquer an estate so far from their holdings is overbold.”
    “Gurwant could have once had a claim on this estate. That is why he journeys so far, and dares to be so bold.”
    “What claim?”
    “The claim was through me. We were once betrothed. It was annulled.”
    Both men reacted with surprise. Ascanio in particular appeared astonished. He was her closest friend, but there were some things

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