Eager to take up his sword, his right fist tightened. He shook off negative thoughts as death was only one possibility. The odds against him and his warriors loomed, but their mission started out as a peaceful one. He grumbled at the prospect of disappointing his clan should he not survive to see it through. As he rode ahead of his men, his mount’s muscles bunched for flight. Kirk held him steady by easing the tension upon its flanks. Leaning over, he whispered a few soothing words in the animal’s ear. The dun-colored beast snorted as another steed’s hooves thundered closer. “Torturing your mount, cousin?” “My poor beast senses my worries.” Kirk glanced at Cameron Robeson’s face. Through the falling dusk, his cousin’s amber eyes twinkled with amusement. Cameron’s bushy, golden eyebrows wiggled and the weathered skin around his mouth stretched wide. Streaks of waning sunlight peeked between storm clouds.
