Free The Danu by Kelly Lucille Page A

glacial, and deadly. 
"Careful brother, it is not your decision to make, and the girl is under
my protection."
    Ansgar snorted, clearly
not seeing the deadly promise in his brother’s eyes.  How could he?  He was too
busy planning Katrine's death.  "You may have been in the South when the
battle of the wilds took place, but I was here, I watched thousands die in
these cursed woods.  My men, brothers, swallowed by magic and green places.  I
know exactly what the deceptively soft little witch is capable of."
    Katrine did not realize
she had drawn a knife until Khalon reached over and pulled it from her hand.  She
allowed it only because she had more.
    His words were for both
of them, even though he spoke to the bloody prince.  "The war is over,
brother."
    "Our people never
wanted a war to begin with," Katrine said through a partially closed
throat, her words coming out as a harsh whisper, coated by her own rage. 
"It was you and your troops that burned the wilds, killed the Danu and
brought the destruction of the woods on your own heads."
    Ansgar the Bloody
actually laughed at her words, harsh and raw though the sound was, it made
Katrine angrier.  "My brother may not have been there.  I saw firsthand
what your kind is capable of."  The rest he spit out with derision. 
"It was not peace."
    "You brought fire
and flame to the wilds, not us, and then you blamed the Danu for what the wilds
did to protect itself."
    "I saw it.  I saw
your kind wielding magic, turning the very ground against us.  It is not
something that I can un-see."  He stood with a loud screech of his chair
to tower over her, his food forgotten in his anger at her words.  “Your King
spewed peace with the same serene eyes I see in your witch eyes.  And stabbed
us in the back just as fast as you will.”
    Katrine did not even care
that he looked ready to strike her dead, she was suddenly just as angry. 
"You see nothing," Katrine snapped back at him, finally finding her
full voice.  "You burned the wilds!  The Danu are all dead for nothing!  Your
men died for nothing!  The green is more dangerous now than it ever was.  Have
you asked yourself why that is, or do you intend to wallow in your blindness
forever?"
    Ansgar growled, and it
turned into an angry roar as he lunged across the table at Katrine.  Khalon cursed,
reaching for his brother.  He need not have bothered, Katrine was not there for
Ansgar to strangle, which is what it looked like he wanted to do.  She moved so
fast she was summersaulted up on the table and out of the way before he crashed
down where she had been.  She smashed his own trencher of food over his bigoted
hate filled head.  There was a struggle at the table besides them that rivaled
their own and Katrine turned to see Ragnar was dealing with the Royal Prince’s
guards.  Katrine pulled a knife and threw it in almost the same move.  The
Guard Ragnar had already beat down, dropped the blade he had just pulled with a
curse.  He yanked Katrine’s blade out of his hand a moment later.  His eyes on
Katrine promising mayhem.
    "Enough,"
Khalon shouted.  Making everything around him stop.  When Katrine looked he had
a chokehold on his brother that was obviously firm, and enraging the bloody
prince further.  "Enough!"  Khalon roared again, shoving his brother
to the side and into the arms of his wounded guard.  The other one was shaking
his head and trying to stand from a position under the table.  Ragnar stood
above him with a bench made of solid Oak in his hands ready to use it again. 
"The Kings orders are to bring her in unharmed," he said loudly
before his brother could speak and no doubt call for his head.  "You may
be the heir but you are not the King yet," he finished low and in a
warning growl.
    "And if she turns
the ground of Dunsen against you and kills you all?"  The rage still in
his eyes, Ansgar was listening at least.  Even if his head was bleeding and his
eyes were calling for her blood as