Free NOCB 070 - Time Raiders - Delilah Devlin - The Warrior's Touch by Nocturne Page B

“Your business, mistress?”
    She’d been outfitted in warrior’s clothing, suitable for a Scythian woman of means. “I’m seeking an audience with Queen Hippolyta.”
    The guard crossed his spear over his chest, then stepped to the side. “Follow the main road. You’ll not miss the palace.”
    She waved her thanks, then indicated Caleb behind her with a jerk of her chin. “He’s with me.”
    The guard stared, his forehead wrinkling into a frown. “Is he Greek?”
    “Hardly. He’s a Celt and my captive,” she said, suppressing a grin.
    “Is he destined for the auction block?”
    Aware that Scythians did a brisk slave trade, she shook her head. “He’s mine. My servant.”
    “Be wary of the queen, then, mistress. One as big as he is will surely catch her eye.”
    Just what Fari needed. They were supposed to get into the palace under the radar, and snag the piece of the medallion they suspected powered Queen Hippolyta’s famous belt.
    Legend had it that the belt had been a gift from her father, the Greek god Ares. Which was odd, since Hippolyta wasn’t Greek. But the supernatural qualities of the belt and its mysterious origins had been enough of a red flag for the project to send a team to recover it. A clue cemented when the medallion fragment recovered during the last mission pointed toward Scythia.
    “I appreciate the warning, but her highness would only toss him back. The man barely speaks any Scythian, is lazy and hasn’t figured out that women are the stronger and smarter half of the species. No, he’d not last long.”
    “Tell it to the queen,” the guard said, laughing as he eyed Caleb’s reddening face. “You don’t want to cross her. Best to keep your head down, Celt. Women rule here, and we’re grateful to the gods every day for their blessings.”
    Caleb snorted, and passed the guard with a quelling glare. “Layin’ it on a little thick, ma’am?” he said under his breath when they were well away.
    “Just getting into the role.” But her attention was already drawn by her surroundings. She’d expected a rough wooden fortress. Not much of Scythian construction had survived for archeologists to study, other than the fortress’s foundations and kurgan burial mounds.
    Fari wished she had a camera, but settled for mental “snapshots.” She’d expected rugged and natural, not sophisticated artisanship at every turn. Carved bear and wolf heads peered down from beneath the edge of the wooden walk two stories up, sturdy scaffolding that permitted the city’s defenders to easily scale the wall in times of attack. Painted signage over doorways advertised each establishment’s wares. And there were murals everywhere depicting women in battle, riding on horseback and brandishing swords, as well as winged gryphons attacking horses, eagles attacking stags.
    And then there was the clothing.
    When Fari had first seen her embroidered jacket with its gold appliqués, she’d been sure the richness of detail was overkill. Apparently not.
    Citizens here wore their wealth around their necks, on every finger and wrist, and as rich appliquéd panels that weighted down the hems of their jackets and gowns.
    Something Fari quickly came to appreciate given the strong, cold wind blowing in off the sea.
    She kept her horse’s pace slow, her chin high and her expression set and proud. Caleb rode slightly behind her, as was appropriate for a man in an Amazon’s service.
    She remembered how he’d snorted when he’d discovered the roles they would play. He’d glanced down his nose at her small frame and raised both eyebrows at Professor Carswell and General Ashton. “Seriously? Her as an Amazon?”
    Fari was lucky both women had understood she’d need to allay any fears that she was the right choice for this assignment.
    While he’d still been smirking, she’d lashed out, turning and pushing off into a cartwheeling leap, clipping his chin with her toe. Before both feet landed on the ground, she’d