Page 14 of Between Two Barbarians

“If Idrull finds us here, he’ll have us on trench duty for months,” Torgrind murmured. “Let’s make this fast.”

I nodded once in agreement as we stepped inside, coming to a halt when I noticed we weren’t the only clan brothers who’d come here. Yngvar sat at the bar, his back to the room, while a familiar group of casaks surrounded him, jeering at him for his lack of sight.

“Not so tough now, are you?”

“Did your clan abandon you? I know I would.”

“You’re pathetic.”

“They’re going to die,” Tyos commented. “You might not want to get involved. This won’t take long.”

“Let’s send them a message, shall we?” the leader from the night prior said. “Next time they’ll think twice before threatening us.”

I agreed that Yngvar could likely handle himself, but when the leader grabbed him and pulled out a knife, I refused to allow my clan brother to face it alone. I moved to join the fight, Torgrind at my back, and went for the one closest to me. Between the three of us, it wasn’t a long fight, not when the criminals fought so poorly. It almost didn’t feel like enough to assuage me after the way they’d hurt Jamal.

When the fight ended as abruptly as it began, I heard Jamal whisper from where he was half hidden behind Tyos’s back. “That was hot.”

CHAPTER NINE

JAMAL

While I’d hoped for a fight, looked forward to the barbarians putting those assholes who hurt me in their place, I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. With two barbarians against six thugs, I thought there’d be more of a tussle. But not only did Yngvar fight with them, which I hadn’t expected since he couldn’t see, but they also moved like they were one person. For two barbarians who were constantly snarking at each other and willing to come to blows over a lover, they fought together really well.

Yngvar, the barbarian who always supplied me with the good alcohol, snorted when he heard my comment and straightened from his fighting stance. “Little troublemaker, what are you doing here? Didn’t the clan leader tell you to leave?”

I didn’t understand him at first, since he spoke neither my tongue nor the common tongue, but Torgrind translated for me, and I felt a smirk stretch my lips as I lifted my chin defiantly. “Yeah. He didn’t tell me not to come back though.”

Torgrind huffed a laugh as he translated, and when he heard my response, Yngvar threw his head back on a laugh. He turned back toward the bar, tapping his hand on the surface and waiting for the barkeep to stand from where he’d crouched before. Without a word between them, the barkeep handed over a small purse, and Yngvar nodded in thanks before leaving.

Confused, I looked at the other three, who all looked just as unsure about what had just happened. The big one who they’d asked to watch over me shook his head, his common tongue even worse than mine. “No ask questions. He will not say honest words.”

Brenek snorted, leaning over one of the bodies and pulling something from his belt. When he brought my coin purse to me, a smile overtook my face. I wasn’t tall enough to reach his lips without help, so I stood on my toes and kissed his jaw instead, leaning against my chest as I purred at him. “However can I thank you?” in the common tongue since I knew he struggled with my language.

The heated expression he gave me said he was on board with my earlier plan. I was one step closer to my goal. If one barbarian cock was good, two had to be better, and I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had them both.

Torgrind urged us out of the tavern where we joined the others getting water. Neither of my barbarians made me carry any heavy pots back, which was nice, and when we rejoined the clan, and I noticed the clan leader eyeing us suspiciously, I flashed him a grin and winked at him.

His disgruntled expression made me snicker, and when he called out over the noise of the clan packing up their things, he didn’t scold like I thought he might. “Do I want to know?”

I opened my mouth to say yes, since that short battle had been sexy as hell, and I wanted to share it, but Torgrind had put his pot down and scooped me up instead, handing me off to Brenek like I was nothing but a toy for them to play with. I couldn’t help my grin as Brenek tossed me onto his horse’s back and hopped up behind me with ease.

“What? Is it supposed to be a secret?” I asked innocently.

“If we want to avoid trench duty, yes,” Brenek murmured. “Be kind, varakai. I’d rather spend my nights with you.”

Well, I couldn’t argue that. Though them getting punished with trench duty was a little hilarious.

While we moved to join the rest of the clan, Torgrind spoke to the clan leader, I assumed keeping things vague enough to keep them out of trouble. When he came back, he hopped onto his horse and fell in step beside me and Brenek, winking at me when he noticed my attention on him.

“How long will it be this time?” I demanded. The more they flirted with me, the more I wanted this trip to be over so we could get to the fun part.

“Not long,” Brenek said. I twisted to look at him suspiciously but before I could demand more information since he’d said that last time, Torgrind distracted me.

“Tavi. Want to learn to ride?”

Spinning around, I eyed him eagerly. “Really?”

He nodded, tipping his head toward the mount without a rider next to him that I hadn’t noticed. It was a lot bigger than a normal horse, not that I knew how to ride those by myself either. It wasn’t something the son of a steward needed to know. I’d gone on rides before with stable boys but always in front or behind them. Never on my own.