Time Dancer Read Online Free Page A

making lists of who could possibly wish Batu dead. So far, she had nothing but a few idle scratches and a sad-looking vine curling around half the page.
    “Come in, Papa.”
    She dropped the quill back into the inkwell and deliberately smiled.
    The High Captain of all Eldwyn, the King’s Might and Law, the most menacing man in all the country, entered the room timidly. He seemed overly massive in a chamber decorated in pinks and yellows, with a beloved doll on a shelf and feminine trinkets scattered about. The black eye patch covering his left eye added danger to the image of a powerful soldier. But Jana could still recall him telling her bedtime stories, drinking imaginary tea from tiny cups and tickling her until she wet herself. For all his battle scars and gruff bluster, he was her Papa.
    New lines of strain had formed around his mouth this week. The assassination attempts weighed heavily on him and he let out a tired sigh as he sat on her bed. “I need to talk with you about something important.”
    “All right.” Something hesitant in his tone made her raise her chin, to brace for bad news.
    One calloused hand rubbed his neck. “I really don’t like doing this but I said I would, so... What do you think of Argot?”
    “Argot?” She blinked several times. “Is he all right? The healer said he—”
    “No, no, he’s fine. He won’t even scar.” His fingers toyed with the edge of lace on her pillow. “Well, maybe one leg, but that’s nothing. I mean, what do you think of him...as a man?”
    “As a man?” Her heart began to gallop. Her father was used to issuing orders that never went unheeded, but any time he had to discuss personal matters, he fidgeted like a schoolboy. “Uh, he’s very brave. And honorable and...I like him. Why?”
    “He asked me for permission to court you, inquired about a marriage contract. He’s nearing thirty summers. It’s normal for a man to begin thinking of settling down then and...” Papa shoved the pillow aside. “You don’t seem to have your heart set on anyone that I know of. Argot’s a fine soldier and a good man. You could do a lot worse.”
    “I could.”
    Something inside her shriveled, not in horror but in shame. Argot was a decent, caring man and she felt friendly affection for him, but marriage? She’d never considered it. Her lips went dry and she licked them, forcing the image into her mind. He wasn’t unpleasant to look at, although none would call him handsome. Like her father, menace and security radiated from him. But when he smiled, he looked like a big goofy puppy who wouldn’t harm a flea.
    “You haven’t...” Papa cleared his throat and massaged his forehead. “There isn’t another man I don’t know about, is there?”
    Anic Muscon’s face flashed before her eyes and she fought a shiver. If she had her way, her father would never hear that name. “No, there’s no one else.”
    Unlike Anic, Argot wasn’t cruel. His massive hands could snap an enemy’s neck but had held hers with an almost reverent care when they’d danced at festivals and parties. To him, women were to be treasured, not terrorized. She’d seen him interfere once in the village when a tradesman began beating his wife, then listened to him grumble how only a weak man would strike a woman.
    She, Feena, Batu and Argot had passed many nights playing games of intellect and skill. Argot had never demeaned her when she won. When she bested him at archery, he only sighed and shrugged, praising her keen eye. For two seasons, she had served as his partner at state functions and dinners. Theirs was an easy, comfortable friendship.
    “Jana, I won’t force this on you. I want you to be happy. If you’re not interested, then so be it. I’ll deny his request.”
    Which could cause tension between the High Captain and his protégé. No soldiers were closer than those who guarded the monarchy. She hated the thought of being a wedge between men who gave everything to protect