Beowulf - Curse of the Dreygurs - Chapter 14

A Common Enemy

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Chapter 14

Appa whipped around at the sound of her voice. He fumbled for his sword while his gaze focused on a young woman standing a few paces away. Her attractive face showed no fear. She just smiled; a hint of intrigue came from her green eyes.

“What do you mean?” he glanced around.

“Are you not Appa, son of Ida?” she asked, her smooth voice laced with the air of vast superiority. Her eyes entranced him, and Appa could only nod.

“I was waiting for you. Come! Join me!”

She walked over to a quiet flat spot in the middle of several small, thin stones, turned gray from the years of weathering. He noticed she went to an area away from his horse, which whinnied at her presence, and he wondered about the location of her horse.

She wouldn’t travel alone on foot in these lands.

The woman carefully sat on the brown grass. She leaned back on her hands as she watched him join her, looking too comfortable in the cold air. She wore no cloak, and her black two-layered dress seemed too thin, even with the underdress of linen and a black overdress of wool. Around her waist was a belt of woven cloth that had a pouch of wool embroidered with a figure of some unknown beast. However, around her neck hung a necklace that kept his attention, for the amulet at the end of the black leather cord was the same design worn by the dreygurs.

Appa sat cross-legged in front of the beautiful woman, leaving his sword in its scabbard. Something in the pit of his stomach gnawed at him, but her eyes and face told him what he wanted to hear.

“Woman, you have my attention,” he told her. “First, explain how you know me and how could you know I was coming this way?”

“I will reveal all in due course, my young warrior. I have ways of knowing such things,” she said coyly. “But first, I should introduce myself, since I hope we’ll become quite close. I am Verch.”

The Angle warrior scrambled to his feet, pulling his sword. His quick scan of the open area and the nearby trees revealed nothing. He looked down while she laughed. She rolled over on her side. The woman’s suggestive figure catching Appa’s gaze.

“You have nothing to fear from my Brython warriors for the moment.” The tone of her voice was light and soothing, but he noted her caveat.

“Sit and listen, for we have much to discuss if you wish to rid your lands of this Beowulf.”

The young warrior returned to a spot in front of her, looking around to make sure they remained alone.

“You say you will help me,” he snickered at her while still glancing around cautiously. “What makes you think I won’t just take you as my prisoner? Your ransom would leave me with all I need. How can a lone female far away from your king and warriors stop me?”

Her face smiled, but her eyes were cold.

“Very well. It appears you need a lesson.”

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