“You’ve certainly made yourself comfortable.”

We exit the portrait room to a sarcastic voice. A young man, maybe a few years older than me, with heavy stubble and short dark hair stands in the middle of the trophy room, a frown on his face. What I notice about him most is the dagger strapped to his waist. Who walks around the house armed? Suppose it’s another quirk of the fort.

“Lou, meet Lucas Branwell, probationary knight of the Order of the Bleak Moon,” Alana says in a drab tone.

A cruel smile curls the corners of his lips. “What? No more Brother Lucas?”

“We used to train together. Back when I was young and naive, I thought the older trainees had useful information to pass on and gave them the respect I thought owed to my seniors. Lucas was the one to show me that anyone can be full of shit no matter how old they are or where they’re from. A valuable lesson.”

“I see your time at the Hall hasn’t taught you any manners.” His eyes move to me. “And? Who’s the stranger you’re bringing to places you shouldn’t be in?”

“You forget yourself,” Alana seethes. “You may be a member of the Moons but I am a James. You don’t get to tell me what I can and cannot do in my family’s home.”

Under the weight of her glare, the knight raises his palms. “Forgive me, young lady James,” he says sarcastically. “This insolent knight forgot his place. I merely wish to express my concern. You know how Lord Zachariah is about these things.”

“My brother has more important things to contemplate than my movements. I’m sure you do too. Shouldn’t you be training?”

“With the many strangers about the Fort, Lord Zachariah decided that the lord’s daughters should have protection. I’ve been asked to look after you.”

Alana stiffens. To me, this sounds perfectly normal. Young ladies are escorted all the time. In Summer Spire, Maxine was escorted by her family’s knights. At first glance, this appears like nothing more than brotherly concern.

I have to remind myself that this is Victory. A place that values personal might above all else. I think of Alana’s desire to prove herself and what being assigned a guard must mean, in light of that. Is her brother saying he doesn’t trust her to protect herself? In Victory, isn’t he calling her useless? So, if I’m right, this is an incredible insult. May as well have slapped her across her face.

“I don’t need your protection,” Alana snarls. “Leave.”

“Please don’t be stubborn, my lady.” Despite his use of the title and more polite speech, there is no respect in this man’s tone. “Your brother’s concern for you is genuine. While allowing hunters and whoever else to help with the campaign has bolstered our numbers, those beyond our walls can’t be trusted.” His eyes briefly flick to me. “This isn’t an insult to your abilities. Lady Yulianna has also received a guard.”

“The true insult is the fact that you’re still standing before me when I’ve told you to leave.” I grin as Alana looks at him with pure disdain. To think she never threw around her title at the Hall. Well, she certainly isn’t afraid to do so now. “Are your ears decorations? Or do you have no respect for the James family?”

“I have nothing but respect for your family. As such, I cannot disobey an order from Lord Zachariah.”

“My brother may be the heir but he is not the duke. His orders have no superiority to my own. The fact that you continue to ignore me is your own bias.” She sneers. “You’re looking down on me, aren’t you?”

I think this is a good time for me to be me. “Where I’m from, if a servant doesn’t want to listen to a lady of the house, they’re thrown out on their ass,” I say lazily. “You’d think a knight from an order sponsored by the family would know to shut up and do what he’s told.”

I easily grab the knight’s attention. “And who are you?”

“Lourianne Tome, Alana’s bannerwoman. It’s your honor to meet me.”

“Bannerwoman!” He loses all pretense of respect as he straightens. For some reason, I imagine him as a cat, hair sticking up and tail standing straight. “You chose a bannerwoman from beyond Victory? Did too much sun melt your mind!?”

“Alana, how does your family treat servants that don’t know their place?”

“I’m not sure.” Her eyes are cold. “They tend to disappear and never be heard from again.”

“Mm. Then you don’t mind if I teach him some manners?”

“Go ahead.”

The knight regains his senses. With the veil of civility ripped away, he sneers at me. “For the sake of your lady, you should rethink your actions. I doubt it would look good if her bannerwoman is sent to the healers before the fighting’s began.”

I casually walk over to him, purposely moving at a glacial pace as I reach for his throat. Giving him plenty of time to try and stop me. He does try, a hand grabbing my wrist in a tight grip that I completely ignore. His eyes bulge with surprise as I ignore his attempt to pull my hand aside and grab him by the throat, lifting him until he’s forced to stand on his toes.

“Now, I may be new to Victory but I do know a few things. Firstly, the James are the governing family of this land. Their word is law. As their servant, you don’t make decisions. You don’t think. If you are confused, you let your betters direct you. Run your ass to the duke himself, if you must. You certainly don’t raise your voice to a lady of the house and speak to her as if you’re her equal.” I squeeze his neck. “You certainly don’t think you’re her equal…do you?”

He gags and shakes his head. I hold on until the hand on my wrist turns to clawing fingers. Then I drop him. He stumbles but manages to stay on his feet, one hand hovering over his throat as he coughs. He looks up with red and watery eyes.

To his credit, there is no fear in his gaze. Only the calm evaluation of a threat.

“You can tell her older brother who is so worried about her safety that she has me to look after her. Seeing the gap between our abilities, I don’t think he will have any complaints.”

“…of course.” Lucas straightens and smacks a fist to his chest. “It is heartening to see the bannerwoman of the young lady is so capable. Then, if I have your leave, I will return to report this to Lord Zachariah.”

“You’re the one who’s been wasting time lingering,” Alana says dismissively.

“Thank you, my lady.”

He turns and swiftly marches from the room, as quickly as decorum allows. I scoff as he disappears. “What was that supposed to be?”

“The first exchange of a long battle. Victory may be united in the war effort but that doesn’t mean there are no internal struggles. And, unlike the rest of Harvest, it’s not so rare for women to be in charge.” Her eyes practically gleam with the light of ambition. “If I prove myself, I inherit. Lucas was my brother gauging my attitude, I think. Seeing if I am still as…meek as the girl who left.”

“So what does us sending his pet knight scurrying off with his tail between his legs say to the great Lord Zachariah?” I could hear the genuflection in Lucas’ tone when he spoke of the favored heir.

“It says he better be prepared for a fight.”