WolfeBlade: de Wolfe Pack Generations by Kathryn Veque (reading an ebook txt) 📕

horrible family, but they kept to themselves and left de Wolfe properties alone. They’d never had any trouble with them. If he had to choose between de Soulis and the Scots, he knew which choice he had to make.

He finally shook his head.

“Nay,” he said. “I suppose not. But they would not take our help even if I offered it. You’ve seen Hell’s Guardhouse. It’s as impenetrable as The Lair. As long as de Soulis keeps himself sealed up inside, the Scots cannot take it.”

“Then mayhap you should send him a missive to do just that,” Blayth said. “He may not know about the movements of the Scots towards the west.”

Scott’s focus lingered on his map for a moment before finally shrugging. “Very well,” he said. “I’m not beyond at least warning the man. But let us return our attention to Falstone. Andreas?”

Andreas’ head came up from where he’d been sitting near the hearth, looking at his hands. “Aye, Uncle Scott?”

Scott met his gaze. “You will take a thousand men with you and head for Falstone,” he said. “I’ll send word to Castle Questing to have two thousand more sent along. You will hold that fortress and if anything happens to Hell’s Guardhouse… well, I’m afraid you may have to protect it, too. Blayth is right –as much as I don’t care what happens to John and Nicholas de Soulis, we cannot let the Scots overrun it.”

Andreas nodded smartly. “Aye, my lord.”

“Take Gareth, Will, and Brodie with you,” he said, looking to Troy. “Is it agreeable to send de Reyne along?”

Brodie de Reyne was one of the older knights in the de Wolfe arsenal. A tall and muscular man, he was from the prestigious de Reyne family, a very large family that had roots in Northumbria and York. He had a vivacious personality, something that ladies took to quite easily, and he had no shortage of female admirers.

With his blond good looks and bright smile, Brodie had quite a reputation as a lady’s man, something that had ended when he’d met Scott’s eldest daughter, Sophia du Rennic. Twice her age, it brought a good deal of consternation from Scott, who was particularly overprotective of Sophia since her biological father had perished years before. It had taken some doing on Brodie’s part to woo her, and it had been quite an adventure, but he was part of the family now.

But the de Wolfe brothers still liked to pick on him from time to time.

Therefore, Troy nodded.

“Get that dolt as far away from me as you can,” he said, but fought off a grin when Brodie smiled broadly at him. “Besides, I have Cassius de Shera in command of Kale Water Castle and I have a de Bocage son at Monteviot Tower, so for now, I can spare that fool. But beat him if he misbehaves.”

As Brodie chuckled, Andreas stood up wearily. “Is there anything else I need to know before going to Falstone?”

Scott ran a weary hand over his face. “Possibly,” he said. “We had a group of minstrels who passed through here right when the wars with the Scots was heating up,” he said. “I was told that Lord de Leia may be suffering from some kind of madness. Some days, he seems well and other days, he does not. Be cautious going in, Dray. And once you’re there, send a contingent of men down to Blackgate Castle to the south. As I recall, it’s a small but important outpost. Warn them of the Scot’s activity and ask them if they require reinforcements.”

Andreas nodded. “I will,” he said. “What about Carlisle?”

Scott sighed heavily. “They could possibly be a target,” he said. “Carlisle Castle is a royal garrison right now and could have quite possibly already heard about the Scots, but it would be wise to send them word. We may need them if things grow worse.”

Andreas was silent a moment, thinking on the assignment he’d been given. Something seemed to be troubling him.

“Uncle Scott,” he finally said. “Falstone will be the last fortified castle in a line that stretches all the way from Berwick. There is still Gretna Green and then Carlisle. We’re not covering the entire border and if the Scots move past Falstone, what then? It’s quite possible that will happen because they’ve not been able to breach the border where we hold the line. But if they keep moving further west, eventually, they’ll be able to break through.”

Scott looked at his nephew. The brilliant knight who hadn’t been the same since returning from London those months ago. Scott’s sons, Will and Tor, spoke of a mysterious woman that Andreas had fallen for, one that had simply disappeared without a word.

They all knew what had happened.

Even if they hadn’t, it was obvious that something had been amiss with Andreas. He was usually such a kind, gentle man with members of the family. But the past six months had seen a man who was particularly withdrawn. He didn’t want to socialize or engage in the gatherings, and he didn’t spend an inordinate time with his brothers or friends anymore.

He’d become a bit of a loner.

Troy was concerned, of course, but he knew his son. He knew Andreas would work through it somehow, although he didn’t like the blow that he’d taken from the woman no one knew. But that blow had other side effects.

Whatever angst, sorrow, or disappointment Andreas was feeling had come out on the battlefield. Andreas had always been a formidable fighter, but the last five months against the Scots had seen him turn into a beast of a knight. He had more kills than any of them, brutal kills that took off heads or cut torsos nearly in two. Troy had seen him take off half of a man’s head – just the top half – in a spectacularly gory death. He’d become so powerful and courageous that the armies had given him a nickname –

Loup tueur.

Killer wolf.

Still, others were calling him WolfeBlade because of the way he swung his