Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 32461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
She couldn't argue with that.
Eudora remained standing as well, studying him more closely. Of the three, Legion was the one she had immediately associated with war, though she couldn't have explained exactly why. Perhaps it was the watchfulness she'd noticed earlier or the calmness that seemed so much a part of him. He didn't have Torden's impatience or Creagan's easy amusement. He simply waited.
“Which of the three are you?” she asked.
A faint smile touched his lips. “I am Legion.”
“That was not what I asked,” Eudora said, wondering if all three men were deliberately difficult. But then she could be difficult as well as outspoken when called for. “I would guess War.”
Something changed in his eyes. It was slight, but she caught it.
“War that conquers,” she said, words from the summons.
Legion said nothing.
“You are the Lord of War.”
She did not need him to confirm it. She knew she was right
“I am Legion,” he repeated.
“That is not a denial,” she said pleased.
“Nor is it an admission.”
Eudora smiled. “My grandmother warned me you three could be trying.”
That brought a more noticeable smile from him. “As could she, and I see you have her stubborn nature.”
“I know my grandmother had met with the three of you, but she never confided why. What was her reason?”
Legion's smile disappeared. “You have a task for me.”
He had deliberately not answered and that annoyed her. “You are obligated to obey me, and I will have an answer to my question.”
“I cannot answer you.” He held his hand up when she went to argue. “My obligation is to your grandmother when it comes to that question. She forbade us to ever answer it.”
That so shocked Eudora that she did not know what to say. What had her grandmother known that she swore the three lords to silence?
“Tell me my task,” Legion urged, wanting it done.
Eudora hesitated. She had gone over this countless times since Agnes brought her the information, and each time she reached the same conclusion.
“There is a woman I need you to find.”
Legion's brow rose slightly. “A woman?”
“A young woman. She is believed to be living in a clan not too far from Dunsire.”
“Believed to be?”
“My information is limited. The person who brought it to me could learn only so much without drawing attention to herself.”
“And why am I looking for her?”
“Because there are those who believe she has a legitimate claim to my throne. I don't even know if the woman herself is aware of it. What I do know is that her existence is being discussed by some of the same people spreading the rumors against me.”
“That doesn't make her responsible for them,” he said in defense of the woman who could be nothing more than a pawn of men who sought power.
“Nay, it doesn't,” she agreed.
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if her answer surprised him.
“I have no intention of condemning someone for the actions of others,” Eudora said. “But I cannot ignore what is happening. Five villages already refuse to send men for training. If more follow, chieftains will begin choosing sides before they even know what they're choosing between.”
“And you think finding this woman will stop that?”
“I think finding out who she is will give me answers.”
Legion nodded. “The name of the clan?”
“Clan MacBrine.”
Legion went completely still.
Eudora noticed. “You know the place?”
“I've been there.”
That surprised her. “Recently?”
“Aye, I stopped for a night of shelter and food.”
Perhaps fate had finally decided to favor her.
“Then this should make your task easier. The woman serves in the chieftain's household,” she continued. “My source believes she has known no other home.”
Legion knew before Eudora said another word.
Senna.
He had thought of her more than once since leaving the castle. The easiness he felt when with her. That she was pleasant yet showed no signs of fancying him. The way she'd thanked him after he'd stopped the man who had grabbed her.
He had wondered if he would ever see her again. Now it appeared he would. The thought pleased him more than it should have.
“What is her name?” he asked.
“Senna.”
Legion kept his reaction from showing. “You want her brought to you?”
“Nay.”
That wiped away the small measure of pleasure he'd felt.
“I want you to learn everything you can about her. Who her parents were. How she came to be in that household. Whether she knows anything about the claim being whispered about her and whether she's had contact with those spreading the rumors.”
“That sounds simple enough,” he said, relieved to hear that Senna was meant no harm.
“It is not the whole of your task.”
That brought back concern and he waited to hear more about the task that had suddenly turned troublesome.
Eudora drew a slow breath. “If you confirm she is the woman they intend to put forward as the rightful heir to Morra Mist, you are to make certain she can never be used to divide this kingdom.”