In the Skin of a Nunqua Read Online Free PDF Page A

the last of her bloodline, she had been coddled all her life. If Bayla failed as a soldier, the Guardians of Willovia would fight to ensure that she never wore the crown.
    This woman Shanti might be just the person they needed to show Rega Bayla that a woman could command.

4
    Scheming Women
    S hanti returned to camp with one thing on her mind: a bath. The trip to the Outer Boundaries had lasted fourteen days. No bandits, no belligerent townsfolk, no equipment troubles—just the open road and endless questions from the other guards. The soldiers treated her with curiosity rather than disrespect and tried to get her to gamble away her money like some inexperienced newcomer. Nunqua warriors had done the same when she first joined them. Military men were the same everywhere, she supposed.
    She put her horse in the stable, then headed to her room to unload her gear. A barrel-chested, broad-shouldered man intercepted her.
    “So you’re the woman everyone’s been talking about.” White teeth gleamed behind his bushy mustache. He radiated rank, but his demeanor was casual. Too casual by half.
    Shanti straightened her posture. “Sir.”
    “No need for such formality. I’m Commander Mossgail. How was the trip? No problems, I assume. By the way, I have something for you.” He showed her an armguard with an eagle and two flags punched into the leather. Holes perforated the edges in a decorative design. “I hear you’re training with the men, so I thought you might need this for archery.”
    “I already have an armguard, sir.”
    “This one’s made by the royal leather crafter.”
    Although handsome, the band was too wide to be practical. And “royal leather crafter” sounded like a load of manure. “No, thank you.”
    “I’ve heard about the darts you wear. May I see?”
    Shanti raised her arm but did not remove the weapon.
    “I know a fellow close to the king who would give good money for such an item. You could buy ten swords for the price he’s willing to pay. What do you say?”
    “The weapon has sentimental value, sir. I’ll not part with it.”
    Leanna tromped toward them, and Mossgail grinned. “Aren’t you looking pretty today?”
    “Shove it, Mossgail.”
    Shanti’s eyebrows rose at the defiant outburst.
    “Don’t be sore just because things didn’t work out between us,” he said to Leanna.
    “Did you bring back any supplies?” she asked Shanti.
    “A few things. They’re in the cart.”
    “Where’s the cart?”
    Shanti gestured in the direction of a wooden building, and Leanna hurried away.
    Mossgail’s grin vanished, and he followed Leanna. “No, you don’t. Those items need to be inventoried first. If you take anything out of the cart without authorization, I’ll have you jailed.”
    Shanti returned to her room, then went to the bathhouse. Warm water never felt so good. She put her hair in the warrior’s knot, donned her one clean uniform, and brushed dirt off her boots before going to the infirmary with a burlap bag slung over her shoulder.
    Leanna sat beside a bed and scowled at nothing. Her plans to access the cart were obviously unsuccessful.
    “You and Mossgail,” Shanti said. “Now it makes sense. You’re not angry about the supplies; you’re angry about being rejected.”
    “Then why don’t we have medicine?” Leanna said. “No bandages, no splints, no extra bedding—”
    “And no respect,” Shanti said.
    “You’re so stupid.”
    She lowered the bag from her shoulder and dumped the contents onto the mattress: dried herbs, strips of cloth, packets of seeds, bottles of medicine. “I may be stupid, but I’m not blind. Went to the infirmary at the Outer Boundaries. They were overstocked and willing to share. It’s not much, but Mossgail can’t claim this on his inventory.”
    Leanna sorted through the supplies. “Shanti, what are you doing tonight?”
    Finally, Leanna had called her by name. “No plans.”
    “Come with me into town. I want to show you