"You think that you're a challenge for eighty trained soldiers, even without our magic?" Lyall said scornfully.
"Do you want to try us?" Brianna challenged. "Even if you do ultimately win, there are going to be losses. And none of that is going to help you figure out what is going on here."
She hoped it would work, hoped Lyall hadn't changed so much that he wouldn't care about the loss of his men.
She was relieved to see him check. "How will you do that without admitting that you too, are a mage?"
Brianna shrugged. "I'll just tell them I overhead you talking about it."
Lyall stared at her for a moment, and she stared firmly back.
"So that's how it's going to be?" Lyall asked. "If I tell them about us, you'll tell them about the shield?"
Brianna nodded. "I will."
Lyall stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, if that's the way it has to be. Just until I find out what is going on and a way to get rid of that shield. But I am not going to forget about this, Brianna. When I leave here, you're coming with me."
"We'll see about that," Brianna shot back. "I'm not a little girl who can be bullied around."
"No, you're my partner. For life. Nothing can change that."
Lyall's words shook her more than she cared to admit. What had she done? She'd had no idea, when she slept with him, that the consequences would be so far reaching. And he had neglected to tell her. He'd trapped her, essentially, even though he had known that she wasn't ready for a commitment.
That had been the reason he'd held back for so long, knowing that he was making a huge commitment, wanting to be sure he'd made the right choice. He should have told her and given her the opportunity to make the same choice.
Would she have slept with him if she had known? Probably not. He was right, it was a bigger commitment than marriage, one she wasn't free to make. But she couldn't bring herself to regret it, couldn't regret that wonderful night they'd spent together. And if she hadn't, she wouldn't have Lylis.
She turned blindly towards the entrance to the tent, her only thought to get away from him. She needed to clear her head, and she couldn't do it here in his presence.
Lyall caught her around the waist before she made it that far. She twisted in his arms and raised her face to glare at him, to yell at him to let her go.
His lips crushed hers before she could get a word out. Anger flared. He still thought he could just kiss her and it would all be forgotten. She raised her hands to his chest, intending to push him away, but they just wouldn't obey her. In fact, they were itching to reach up around his neck and pull him closer. Her body craved his, even if her head didn't want to admit it, especially when he lifted his head to stare intensely down at her.
"You are not leaving tonight. I've waited far too long to see you again."
Lyall's words shocked her out of her trance. It seemed like power had gone to his head. "Yes, I am leaving. I have people waiting for me. Let go."
His hands didn't loosen around her waist. If anything, they tightened, pulling her up against his hard body, making her achingly aware that he wanted her. And she wanted him.
"They can wait until the morning," he said roughly.
"What, you think you can order me to stay with you?" Brianna demanded, using her anger to dampen the desire that coursed through you. "Have you come so far that you think your position means you can command anyone you want? Well I won't be commanded. Let go of me!"
Her last sentence fell flat as he had released her before she even finished it. He stared at her, shock written on his face. "I didn't mean it like that, Anna. You know I would never … force you. I thought you wanted it as much as I did. That the only thing holding you back was loyalty to your sister and your village."
He looked so bewildered that she felt the urge to go to him and hug him. But she held herself back. "Yes, loyalty to my sister and village is what is holding me back," she said softly. "And their loyalty to me. They look up to me to lead them. If I don't return home soon, they will make plans to come look for me."
Lyall shrugged. "Let them come. They won't reach us, I can assure you. If it makes you feel better, you can tell them I kept you here against your will."
"You underestimate how determined my people can be," Brianna told him. "They won't give up until I'm safely home. I don't want anyone to get hurt, on either side. Once we reach that point, there can be no cooperation between us, no working together to find out what is going on here."
Lyall hesitated, indecision written on his face. She could see his responsibilities warring with how much he wanted her to stay. The exact same war played out in her head. He took a step towards her and rested his hand against her cheek. It was a feather touch, barely there, but it sent eddies of feeling through her body. "Will you stay, just for a little while?"
His soft, gentle request was almost her undoing. Her body swayed towards his hand, her eyes threatened to close just so she could focus on his touch. It would be so easy just to say yes, to stay even for a little while.
"Sir," Urster's voice at the entrance to the tent saved her from giving in to temptation.
"What is it?" Lyall growled. His hand dropped from her cheek.
Urster eyed her knowingly. Had he interrupted them deliberately? She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed.
"Sir, I need to discuss something with you. In private," he added.
"It can wait." Lyall's voice was short. His eyes were on her, not Urster.
"With respect, sir, it can't. It's a security issue."
Brianna snapped around at his words. Had Mianna and Terion already planned something? Had someone been hurt? Urster's rocky face gave no indication.
Lyall stared at the man, anger flashing in his eyes. "I think I may know what you're talking about, and it is not an issue," his voice was tight.
Her? Was Urster talking about her? She could have laughed at the thought. Though perhaps he had a point.
Urster was unruffled by Lyall's murderous stare. "It's about the barrier."
Lyall brow furrowed, and his eyes narrowed. He stared at Urster for a few moments, before nodding curtly. Then he looked down at Brianna, regret in his eyes. "You'd best return home. I will see you in the morning."
As Brianna slipped out of the tent and made her way back to the village, she was aware of a keen disappointment. If Urster hadn't interrupted them, she wasn't sure if she could have stayed strong enough to keep Lyall at arm's length. Her body ached with denying the need.
But it was dangerous. Lyall wasn't the man she had left behind on Isla de Magi two years ago.
He had changed, and so had she.
"This had better be good," Lyall growled, once Brianna had left the tent, "and not just an excuse to interrupt me."
Urster ignored his threat. "We can't complete the barrier."
Lyall's eyebrows shot up. "Can't complete it? What do you mean? Is the magic shield affecting it?"
"I don't know, sir," Urster said, unruffled. "We set the barrier up just outside where the magic seems to disappear, as you said, and it was working until we reached the cliffs at the back of the village. There's a point there where it just won't form. We can't reach it on foot, so I don't know if there is magic there or not."
Lyall frowned. "Is it because of the cliffs themselves? Maybe there is something in the rocks."
"I don't think so, sir," Urster said. "They seem just like ordinary stone to me, and stone shouldn't stop the barrier."
Lyall nodded agreement. The only thing the barrier couldn't pass through was living tissue. But then again, he'd never heard of a way to remove magic from an area either. "Well, so long as the areas you can't cover are impenetrable, then I don't suppose it matters at this point. We'll investigate more thoroughly in the morning."
"Yes, sir," Urster agreed.
That should have been it, their conversation was finished, but the old man didn't leave.
Lyall sighed. "Go on, out with it."
"You need to be careful, sir. I know you care about her, but she's shown already that she can't be trusted. Her presence here just indicates that she must be involved with them somehow. It is the only explanation."
What he said made sense, even if it didn't agree with the truth Lyall felt in his heart. He wanted to insist upon it, but to argue with Urster would only make him look careless. "I'm aware of that," he said tightly. "But accepting her ruse gives us the chance to get closer to the villagers that gives us more chance to find out what is going on. Right now, we have no idea what's preventing our magic working within the village, or why a community of mages have been hiding away here all this time. Once we get to the bottom of that, I can decide what to do about her."