Every Battle Lord's Nightmare (3 page)

            Glancing around the room, Atty observed who was in attendance. Of everyone present, the only person who appeared out of place was the compound's newest physician, Fergus Thrasher. Already, the villagers had started calling him Dr. Gus. A recent immigrant from a northern compound, the short, stocky man was already proving his worth.

            She glanced down at her hands as her thoughts went back to the elderly Dr. Manderly Saxon. Although she hadn't known the man long, she missed the scholarly physician, who'd succumbed to pneumonia a little over a month ago. Thrasher had been Saxon's understudy. When the sick man realized he may be lying on his deathbed, he had sent word for Thrasher, requesting the physician relocate to Alta Novis. Luckily, Thrasher arrived shortly before Saxon succumbed. Or, as she would like to think of it, the old man had stubbornly clung to life long enough to say his final goodbyes to his student.

            Hopefully, Thrasher would prove the old adage that third time was the charm. Of the two men whom MaGrath had been training to take over his practice, one had been killed, and the other, a Mutah named Benito Filles, had gone to a Mutah compound that was in serious need of a physician.

            “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

            Atty glanced up to see her husband addressing the group.

            “The reason I've asked you here is twofold. I wanted to speak to each of you, but time prohibits me meeting with you individually.” He took a deep breath. “Atty and I have been invited to attend a summit conference in Corado. That's an eleven-day journey just to get there. The summit is scheduled to begin on May sixth. That means we need to leave in three days to make it on time.”

            “A summit usually calls for an armistice,” a voice drawled from the back of the room. Everyone's eyes looked over to where Garet Renken leaned against the wall, one boot crossed over the other. “I hope you're planning on packing some heat, anyway. Just in case.”

            Yulen grinned. “You’re right. You never know what we'll encounter along the way. Mastin, Paxton, enlist three dozen men to accompany us. We'll take two wagons. One with supplies, the other for arms. Also, send word to New Bearinger. Tell Roth and Sy I need one of them back here to oversee the troops in my absence. I don't care who. Mother and Liam will be in charge, but I want a trained commander to head my army if something should happen.”

            “Warren's going, too?” MaGrath spoke up from where he was standing behind Madigan, who was bouncing their young son on her shoulder.

            Yulen glanced at Atty, then back at MaGrath. “If you're asking if Atty's leaving with me, the answer is yes.”

            Atty leaned forward to address the issue before the man could protest. “Yulen and I have already discussed this, Liam. Our decision stands. I'm going with him.”

            “It's crucial that she does,” Yulen continued. “I believe the only way these treaties will come about, if there are to be more, is because both sides need to see how well we all work together. They need to see me and Atty together.”

            “What about Mattox? Is he going with you?” Madigan inquired.

            Atty answered. “No. Not this time.”

            “We were hoping you and Tory could sort of...watch over him.” Yulen grinned at his mother. “Trade off taking care of him when he gets to be too much of a handful.”

            A loud sigh caught their attention. Fortune raised a hand. “I'm hearing myself volunteering for this thing,” he halfway joked.

            “We need you, Fortune,” Atty told him.

            Tory laid a hand on his shoulder. “You know your feelings would be hurt if they didn't take you with them. Or at least ask you,” she chided her husband in a loving tone. The man snorted but gave her a warm smile in response.

            “Liam.”

            MaGrath turned his attention back to the battle lord.

            “Liam, you know that Atty and I would be more than grateful if you'd accompany us, but we're also aware that you need to remain here to take care of Mother and the baby.” Yulen dropped his eyes to the other physician. “That's why you've been included in this gathering, Fergus. The mantle falls on you. We need you to come with us to Corado.”

            The young doctor paled slightly, flabbergasted by the order Yulen had disguised as a request. “I'm... All right.” He turned to MaGrath. “I'm going to need some pointers on what to expect. And what to pack.”

            “Don't worry. I'll help you get ready,” the older physician promised. He turned to Atty. “And, for the record, I don't think it's a good idea that you travel in your condition Still...” He gave her a weary smile. “Since when has my opinion changed your mind once you’ve set it? Be safe, bluebell. And that's an order.”

            “Why am I here?” another voice spoke up.

            Yulen dropped his eyes on the woman sitting thigh-to-thigh with his second. Paas threw him a bewildered look.

            “You were welcomed into our squad of elite hunters,” the battle lord reminded her. “But you are not certified as one of my soldiers. Therefore, I have no right to order you to do anything when it comes to protecting this compound.”

            Again, Atty intervened. “Paas? What he's trying to say is, you are one of our best hunters, and an excellent warrior. Which is why it was my decision to ask you if you would come with us, as well.”

            Paas stared at her open-mouthed for a moment before shutting it. The flush in her cheeks faded, and she visibly took an emotional step backwards. Atty smiled, knowing why. “You thought you were expected to remain here?”

            “Why else would you tell Cole to have me come here with him?”

            “To fight alongside him,” Atty answered. “I remember how it was when Yulen and I were separated. I don't want to put you and Cole through that. Not after all you've done for us. I know you plan to exchange vows come the spring. I want to make sure you get to do that.”

            “Then my answer is yes.” The woman smiled warmly.

            “Good. Now that we've made those decisions, it's time to pack.” Yulen glanced around the room. “We leave at first light the day after tomorrow. I suggest everyone get as much rest as possible before then, because this could turn out to be a hard, grueling trip.”

            Fifteen minutes later, the small crowd had left, leaving the battle lord and his lady alone. Drawing an arm around her, Yulen pulled her close and dropped a kiss to her hair. “Afraid, excited, or both?” he inquired.

            She laid her head against his shoulder. “Both.”

            “So tell me what worries you.”

            When she glanced up at him, he snorted. “You know I can read you as well as you can read me.”

            “What worries me? The unknown. That always worries me. As much as it worries you. But I know that we can handle whatever is thrown at us when we're together. Let's go and attend this summit with an open mind, my love, and hope we make a difference.”

            “We will, Atrilan. We can only hope that we will.”

Chapter Four

Contingency

            They made good time those first few hours after leaving Alta Novis. The day was cold and bright, without a cloud overhead to shadow them, or pelt them with frozen rain or snow.

Yulen glanced over where his wife rode even with him. Within the past few minutes, he’d noticed she was lost in thought. Or, more accurately, in grief. Not a soul-burning grief. But the grief of a mother who was feeling the ramifications of leaving behind her only child after he’d cried and begged her not to go away.            

            Nudging his Palomino closer, he reached out a hand to touch her leg. “I can remember a time when a certain blue-haired woman once confessed to me that she was terrified of becoming a mother.”

            She gave him a trembling smile. “Times change. Circumstances change.”

            “Bet you never thought you'd suffer from baby withdrawal, did you?” he gently teased.

            Atty let out a sigh. “It was so damn hard that time I had to send him away when Rafe took over the compound. It's just as hard this time, too.”

            Yulen bit his lower lip before replying. “You had no choice the first time. You did it to protect him. You saved his life by keeping him out of sight. We had no choice this time, either. Mattox is too headstrong and precocious to take on a trip like this. But I promise you. When we get back, after our daughter is born, we'll take an honest-to-goodness vacation.”

            Atty gave him a surprised look. “A vacation? Where?”

            “I was thinking about traveling to a couple of Mutah compounds. See how things are holding up.”

            “You mean West Crestin.”

            He nodded. “It displays my banner, which means I'm responsible for the compound and its inhabitants.”

            “But I thought you get quarterly reports from them and from Wallis.”

            “I do. But every so often it's wise to do an on-site inspection to make sure nothing is amiss. I don't expect things to run smoothly one hundred percent of the time, but I do expect things to be run my way.”

            She smiled, understanding. A good battle lord didn't sit back and hope the reports he was receiving were the truth, and that everything was going as planned. Once in a while he had to check up on things, to ensure the people he'd left in charge hadn't staged a silent coup.

            Giving her leg a pat, the battle lord turned his horse around and pulled to the side of the road to watch the small battalion pass. He did that frequently, in case one of the men had a question or needed to comment about something. It was one of the many things his father had taught him, and Yulen prided himself with always being accessible and approachable to all his men, as well as to the people of the compound.

            That evening they camped near a stream. It was a site where they usually stopped when journeying north. Having done a little hunting along the route, Paas and Fortune were able to provide enough game to feed everyone supper. When they’d asked if she’d like to take part in the hunt, Atty had passed on going with them.

            Walking over to where she sat on a fallen log near a fire, Yulen parked himself next to her. “So far, so good. The way seems clear. The men say they haven't spotted anything out of the ordinary. What about you? Are you picking up anything I should know about?”

            She shook her head. “No. I get no sense of danger. Nothing. It's calm.”

            “Same here,” Fortune spoke up. He threw a leg over the stump, where he took a seat. “Game seems to be coming back, too.”

            “That's good. It keeps us from having to hit our supplies,” Yulen commented.

            “D'Jacques?”

            Renken strode up, but remained standing outside the circle until Yulen gestured that he could join them. Yulen stared as the ex-mercenary took a spot on the other side of Atty as he waited to hear what the man had to say.

            “Two words,” Renken stated. “Contingency plan.”

            “What about it?”

            “Do we have one?”

            “No, I don't have one.”

            Renken's eyebrows lowered. “What do you mean? Are you intending we go in blind? Are you trusting this summit is on the up-and-up?”

            “I didn't say that,” Yulen corrected him. “I'm saying I don't have anything prepared. Not now. Not until we get closer and I can see more of what's going on.” He glanced at Fortune. “I'm relying on you and Atty to keep me posted if you sense anything suspicious.”

            “Always do,” Fortune replied.

            “So you're wanting to scope out the place before you make any sort of decision?” Renken made a face.

            “You got a better idea?” Yulen challenged him.

            “This is the third extended trip I've made with you.” The man pointed at Atty. “First one was with the Battle Lady to save your butt from the Bloods. The second one was to find Atty after she went missing.”

            “And at either time did we have a contingency plan?”

            “No. But back then, when we were heading into situations where the Bloods were holding you, and down the mountain to the place where we located the Battle Lady, at those times no one was anticipating our arrival. We had the element of surprise on our side both times. This time, that's not the case. You were handed an engraved invitation, and they're going to be notified of our coming. They're gonna be waiting for us.”

            A snort caught Yulen's attention. “He's got your there,” Fortune chuckled.

            Yulen turned to the Mutah hunter. “Thank you for that observation. Has Liam been giving you pointers?” he half-joked. His remark made Atty laugh, and she laid a hand on his shoulder.

            “You wanted council to keep on your toes? You got your wish.”

            He shot her a look, but she could read him too well. She knew he depended on other points of view. She was also aware that he missed having MaGrath tagging along.

           
Looks like Liam's spirit has attached itself to Fortune,
he mused. He glanced back at Atty and saw her nod.

            “I think so, too,” she whispered.

            Bending over, he placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together, lifting his face to address them. “All right. You have a point, Garet. To be honest, I'm fresh out of ideas. That's why I was hoping the time it'll take us to make this journey will help give me a fresh perspective. Since you've pointed out the obvious, I'm betting you also have a suggestion. Want to throw it in the pot?” His eyes swept the group. “Anyone else want to chime in?”

            “I do have one,” Renken answered.

            “I'm listening.”

            “Halve your battalion. Present a smaller portion of your troops when you arrive, and keep the rest concealed. Come up with some sort of signal to let the hidden troops know when they need to make their presence known, if the need arises.” The ex-mercenary motioned toward Atty. “Maybe you could send another flaming arrow into the air, or something like that.”