Free The Mercenary Knight by Elyzabeth M. VaLey Page B

flock of birds flew in the distance and she wished that she could fly away from all this turmoil. She sighed.
    “He called me a whore,” Tanya hissed.
    “He is mad, Tanya. It was hard not to hear you making love with Gregorii and Wybert.”
    “You heard it too?”
    “Yes.” Tanya studied Johann. He scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.
    “It wasn’t love. It--“ she paused. “It could have been him in that room,” she said, her voice shaking. “He kissed me and ran off, leaving me with them. He didn’t want me.”
    “Conrad’s afraid of his own feelings, Tanya. He’s a soldier, a captain, he’s used to being in command and when he’s around you he loses what little control he has.”
    “I think you’re wrong.”
    Johann lifted his shoulders, indicating he didn’t care what she thought.
    “Maybe, maybe not. I’ve known the man for the past five years and before that there were rumors of his feats. He is an honorable man and his heart is in the right place.”
    Tanya shook her head and stared out the window. She wrapped her arms around herself trying to shake of the feeling of desolation. There were a lot of able men in the Kingdom. It didn’t matter if he had honor or was a good man. What was important was if he had feelings for her, and after their argument, she felt that that was not the case.
    “I think I would like to be alone for a while now, Johann.”
    The tall man nodded in understanding. He stood up and came to her side. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. “Don’t worry yourself, he’ll come around.”
    Tanya remained quiet. She heard the soft click of the door as it closed but she didn’t move from her post next to the window. Deliberately, slowly, she began to undo her braided hair. No, Johann was mistaken. Conrad was a knight or at least had been a knight, and that sort of man brought nothing but trouble. Her mother had taught her that. She wouldn’t commit the same errors. Tomorrow morning she’d have a word with the innkeeper. Perhaps he could do with another maid. If not, she would check around Hadford. It was a big enough town and she was sure something would come up. Whatever happened, starting tomorrow she would part ways with the men, even if it broke her heart.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    “What?” Conrad glared at his horse. The animal seemed to be giving him an equally reproving stare.
    He picked up the brush, which he had dropped at some point and began to comb the animal. Snippets of his conversation with Tanya intruded his mind, but the memory of the pain in her eyes caused him to groan. He leaned on Splendida’s neck.
    “What have I done?”
    The animal snorted and Conrad looked up. Whore or not, he was in love with the tavern wench, and he had to stop running from her. He patted his horse and donned his clothes. A nervous tingling rushed from the top of his head to his toes. He could do this. He was a soldier, a man that had withstood life-threatening battles. He would confront the girl and clear things up. All manner of situations and possible outcomes presented themselves to him. It was almost like planning an attack before a major offensive, but he knew that no matter what he came up with the result would almost never be the one expected.
    Conrad entered the common room at a quick stride. He didn’t bother to acknowledge his men as he raced up the stairs. He had to do this and he had to do it now. However, as he reached Tanya’s door, he paused. What if she refused to talk to him? It would be understandable considering how he had behaved. No. He had to stop this destructive behavior. She would listen, even if he had to tie her down. He knocked softly on her door.
    “Tanya?” He chewed on the inside of his cheek. There was no reply. He raised his hand and knocked a little harder. He cleared his voice.
    “Tanya.”
    “Conrad.”
    “Aye.”
    Conrad shuffled his feet and passed a hand through his hair. He heard her