Read The God Warriors for Free Online Page B

to take her hand, and, bending at the waist, he brought his lips to the back, causing her to blush. The older man kissed her hand for only a moment before suddenly stiffening and straightening slowly, still holding onto her. He turned it over in his, spreading her fingers out. Carefully, he rubbed his own fingertips over the heavy calluses of her hand, circling those on the pads of her fingers and the thick ridge on her thumb.
    "Thank you, Sir." Elsa responded with a shy smile, trying to pull her hand back to no avail. The commander’s grip was like iron, and she waited as his attention now focused on her father.
    "Sword and bow, Mad Dog?" The question was simple and direct.
    "Yes, Sir, and trained by my hand since the age of five. My guess would be that you've not a man or woman here that can beat her. My girl wants to join the guard, so I'm looking for the right sponsor. Trust me, Colonel, when I say she is good enough for the King’s Own, but without the right sponsor, she'll end up in some trash company in the middle of nowhere, fending off men trying to grab her from behind while beating away mosquitoes the size of your fist. Commander, I'd take her at my back before anyone else," her father finished fiercely.
    Slowly, the troop commander turned his eyes back on her, and, pulling her closer, he ran his hand up her arm, feeling the tight compact muscles beneath the leather. Then he felt the muscles in her shoulder, before finally releasing her, turning back to her father.
    "Has she done any shield work?" the commander asked.
    "No, Sir, not yet, as proper shields were a bit too pricey for me to justify the expense with the missus."In silence, both men looked at each other before the commander turned his head, addressing the junior officer.
    "Milstein. Two practice swords, and drag Gunnor out here. We have an entrance test to conduct. Oh, and find a helmet that will fit her, but no shield."
    "But Commander," the man protested. "Wouldn't it be better to test her using one of the new guard recruits?"
    "No. If Mad Dog trained her, I want to see her against our best. Spar will be in leather jerkin without armor other than helm," responded the commander, as he waved Milstein away.
    Slowly, the encouraging words of her father and that of this other man instilled confidence within her, and a smile grew across her face. The commander looked over at her again and spoke, a stern expression on his face.
    "Elsa, you do realize that if you join the guard, there is no modesty within the common ranks, as we do not distinguish between male and female. When not on guard duty, you will be training incessantly, living in a cramped barracks with dozens of other men and women, and cleaning up each day in a community bath. If you have a complaint, you will take it to your squad leader and not me. If I sponsor you, you will obey the law and rules of the company and kingdom."
    "I understand that, Sir," she said in a husky voice. "My father explained the guard and barracks living to me, Sir." She finished before glancing at her father.
    "Well, I'm not going to mince words because you're testing. You've been gifted with your mother’s endowment. I can see that plainly, even though your figure is large for your gender. Large is good, but some of the men and perhaps a few of the women will be…interested. What would your response be?"
    "To seek out my squad leader and voice my complaint," Elsa said, looking down at her full chest and shrugging. The commander was correct. Of the three girls her mother birthed, only Elsa had gotten her looks, breasts, and hair. However, her frame came from her father's side of the gene pool, as her mother was short and petite. Still, she knew she was well endowed, more so than many women.
    "And if it still continued?" he asked.
    "Well, Sir, Da says to beat them black and blue until they stop causing issues. I already have to do the same with some of the village boys."
    The men and few women around her laughed,