One Battle Lord’s Fate (6 page)

“When I say to, scoot through between my legs and run like hell. Can you do that?”

It was a woman’s voice. Unable to stop shaking, Case still was able to nod to show he understood, although he doubted if he had any strength left in order to do as he was told.

He opened his eyes and barely turned his head in both directions to see her feet. There was enough room for him to go between them if he angled slightly.

There was a movement of brush behind him. He could both see and sense the woman’s tightening of her stance.

“Whatever happens, Case, don’t look back and don’t stop until you reach the compound. Understand me?”

The boy took a gulp of air. It was Atty. Atty had come for him. And now she was going to stop the wolfen from taking him. He gave another nod.

“Stay south. You’re about a mile away. Lieutenant Paxton isn’t far away. He’ll guide you safely back to the compound.”

He could tell she was tensing. Behind him he could hear the animal breathing heavily, whuffing in loud puffs. A low growl rumbled in its throat like soft thunder.

“Go.”

He leaped forward, sliding between her legs before scrambling to his feet and taking off. The last sounds he heard was the twang of a bowstring and a shrill scream—whether from the wolfen or from Atty, he couldn’t tell, but he wasn’t going to stop and go back to investigate. The Battle Lady had told him to not stop. He wasn’t going to make her sacrifice worthless by disobeying her order.

Where the extra burst of strength came from, he had no idea. All he knew was that he was on his last reserves when he plowed through the thick brush and suddenly burst into a small clearing. A hand grabbed him by his vest and hauled him underneath a thicket of brambles.

“At-...Atty...” Case gulped for air as the soldier glared down at him.

“Where is she?” the man demanded, but not harshly.

“Wolf-...wolfen.”

Paxton understood immediately. “You were being stalked by a wolfen?” At the boy’s frantic nod, he added, “Atty’s taking on the wolfen by herself?”

Another nod.

Paxton hesitated, his indecision clearly etched on his face. At any moment, the man would either take him to the safety of the compound, or leave it up to Case to return alone while he went after the Battle Lady. Still shaking with fear, Case managed to stammer, “She said...you would take me...h-home.”

The man frowned. Although it was indirect, it was still a direct order from the Battle Lady. She needed her Second to make sure the child was safely returned to Alta Novis. But it didn’t make his final decision come easy.

“Come on. Can you walk?” Grabbing the boy by the scruff, Paxton lifted him to his feet and set out for the compound. But they had gone less than a dozen yards when Case collapsed in exhaustion. Wordlessly, Paxton lifted the boy into his arms and started running. The sooner he got the kid back home, the sooner he could go back into the woods to help Atty.

Forcing himself to keep a steady pace, Paxton soon broke out into the open. Alta Novis lay directly ahead of him. From this position he could see the practice fields to his left and the open gates to his right. A sharp pain in his side and shoulder reminded him of what he had endured from the Bloods after the Massacre at Bearinger, and let him know he was pushing himself to his own limits. If he wasn’t careful, he wouldn’t be of any use to Atty or the Battle Lord.

Lowering Case to his feet, Paxton helped him half-walk, half-stumble toward the compound. There was a shout from the guards walking the parapet. A minute later he could see several people running toward them. At that moment, the boy’s body went limp. The child’s legs would no longer hold him, and his feet would not take another step. Paxton reached for him as Case slumped to the ground, still conscious but totally drained.

“Oh, God! Case! Case! Talk to me! Are you all right? Oh, God!”

It was his mother, reaching him first while others ran toward them from the compound. Grabbing her son, she held him tightly against her as she rocked back and forth. Crying and saying his name over and over.

“I’m all right, Mom. Just tired,” he managed to muffle against her chest. The boy closed his eyes, knowing he was finally safe. Knowing it was okay to stop running. To stop being afraid.

Paxton backed away and bent over with his hands on his thighs as he dipped into an inner well, hoping for a few more bits of energy to go back in after Atty. A large hand grasped his shoulder, and he glanced up into the Battle Lord’s face.

“She’s still in there,” he managed.

Yulen turned to the child. “Case. Look at me.” It was an authoritative voice. One the boy knew well. The Battle Lord could see fear uncurling inside the young man as he lifted his face to see Yulen bending over him and his mother. “Case, did you see Atty?”

He nodded. “Uh-huh. Sh-she found me. She told me to run.”

Yulen glanced up at the place where they had emerged from the woods. “Where is she?”

Case shook his head. “A wolfen was chasing me. Almost got me, too. She was facing it down when she told me to run.”

A strange look came over the Battle Lord’s face. “Did you see her fire at it?” he asked in a tight voice.

“No, Sir. I heard her firing. And I heard something scream. But that was all. She told me not to look back, so I didn’t.”

Danna hugged her son more tightly. “I was so worried about you.”

“I’m fine now, Mom. But Atty’s still back there.” The boy looked up at the big man looking worriedly at the tree line. “She said the compound was south, about a mile away. I ran all the way until the Lieutenant found me.”

“A mile?” Yulen glanced at Paxton for verification.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Sir, I’m going back in to see if I can find her,” Paxton said.

The Battle Lord shook his head. His red-gold hair hung loose over his shoulders. A breeze blew it away from his face.

“No. Let’s give her a little while to make it back by herself.”

“But, Sir, what if she’s injured and needs our help?”

The look Yulen shot the man was enough to make Paxton take a step back in surprise. “One hour, Warren. If she hasn’t returned in one hour, we’ll take a squad in after her.” He looked down where Danna continued to clutch her son. “I’m glad to know you made it back in one piece, son,” he said softly. “Next time, though, take a buddy with you, or wait until you’re a bit older.”

“I’m sixteen, Sir,” Case snapped back peevishly.

A partial smile creased one corner of Yulen’s face. The side without the deep scar. “How well I remember my sixteenth year. But, trust me, Mr. Abalam. You’re not seasoned enough to go off hunting on your own so far from the compound, much less to the east. Heed my order. Take a buddy, or give it another couple of years.”

Making an abrupt about-face, Yulen headed back for the compound with the three soldiers following in his wake. Danna helped her son to his feet before they did the same.

Chapter Nine

Scratches

Half an hour had barely crawled by when Yulen decided not to wait any longer. It wasn’t like Atty to take this long to return to the compound, especially if she hadn’t gone out specifically to hunt. She had found the boy and sent him packing. Surely she would have followed him back as soon as she could to make sure he had made it.

He threw down his pencil and got up from the table where the paperwork he had been putting off lay scattered. He hadn’t taken a half dozen steps toward the big double doors of the main lodge when Paxton entered the room and spotted him. Yulen felt his skin tighten as if someone had stretched it over his bones when the Second hurried toward him.

“Atty?”

“Just cleared the barrier. I sent Mastin for Dr. MaGrath.”

Yulen was running at that news. Atty was back but injured. Otherwise Paxton wouldn’t have had a reason to send for the doctor.

His feet pounded the dry ground as he ran through the main street leading from the main dining hall to the front gates. Already he could see the agitation in his men as they learned the seriousness of what had happened. Gossip ran like lightning through the troops. Rumors spread like wildfire. Yulen would bet that every man knew of the Abalam boy’s rescue and Atty’s delayed return by now.

His first reaction was one of cautious relief when he saw her. She hadn’t come far into the clearing. She was less than a dozen yards from the forest edge, but his sixth sense immediately knew something was wrong. She was standing still and tilting slightly to the right. It was as if she was waiting for him to catch up. Splotches of blood covered her from head to foot. Yulen prayed it wasn’t hers. Several soldiers had already caught up with her but were waiting to the side, ringing her in a semi-circle of protection. They knew the Battle Lord would want to see to her personally. They were only there to provide backup.

“Atty? Are you okay?”

A thin smile creased her lips even though the rest of her face appeared separated from the expression. One blood-stained arm lifted to show him the long furry tail she had confiscated from her kill. “Give this to Case. He earned it.”

She started to reach out to give it to him, taking a step toward her husband, when her legs buckled. Yulen caught her before she hit the ground. A soft expletive passed her lips, and she closed her eyes. He could feel her muscles relax as she went totally limp.

A wetness covered his hands at the same time his fingers felt the shredded tunic. Her clothing was saturated in gore, but the stuff he was feeling was still warm. Too damn warm if she had killed the wolfen nearly an hour ago. Behind her he could see one of the solders blanch at the sight. Hoisting her into his arms, the Battle Lord rushed to take her back into the compound where the physician would be expecting them.

* * *

She could tell she was lying on a table. On her stomach, no less. Atty winced. Damn thing was too hard, especially with her right cheek mashed into the unyielding surface. Adding to her misery was the fact that her overly-full breasts were protesting like crazy, reminding her she was past due feeding Mattox.

She was tired. Way more tired that she thought she would be. But going after that wolfen had forced her to use muscles she had gotten lax in using. So she had no one to blame but herself. She needed to get back into shape, and soon, or else next time she wouldn’t be so lucky.

A blanket was draped over her. Actually, it was draped over her bottom. It’s softness felt comforting. She could wriggle her toes, meaning someone had undressed her. A nice cold compress was on her back, and more than likely one of Liam’s salves was slathered on it, too. Atty sighed at the lack of pain, knowing it was temporary.

At the sound of her sigh the physician was in her line of sight. The turned down corner of his mouth and the lowered eyebrows over his brown eyes were a sign of disapproval she was familiar with. “How do you feel?” he asked in a very business-like tone.

“Other than the fact that my boobs are about to burst and my back might look like raw hamburger, I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, Atty,” he started to argue when another face blocked him from view. A face that loomed closer.

“What happened, Atty?”

Oh, great. Either she was going to get chewed out, or she was going to get a lecture. She might as well be unconscious. Briefly she wondered if she might be able to fake it.

“Don’t take that tone of voice with me, Yulen. I hurt and I don’t feel like listening to it. I thought the damn thing was dead and I turned my back on it, all right? My mind was on the boy. I was worried about him getting back safely.” Raising questioning eyes to her husband, Atty added, “He did get back okay, didn’t he?”

Yulen nodded. “Regardless, that was a stupid stunt, turning your back without finalizing the kill.”

“If it had been any other animal, it would have been dead. I’m sorry. You’re right. It was a stupid stunt. I’d stopped thinking like a hunter and started thinking like a mother.”

She watched as Yulen’s gaze roamed over her back. Gently he brushed her shoulder-length hair to one side, then lifted the edge of the poultice. She saw him wince.

“No backpacking for a while?”

“Atty, I ought to spank your butt. I don’t know whether to punish you, or get down on my knees and thank God you’re going to be okay.”

“I have a better idea.” Holding out a hand, she waited until he took it in his own warm, calloused hand. He pressed a quick kiss to her fingers, and the look of love and relief on his face made her heart do a somersault.

“What’s that?” he murmured.

“Bring me Mattox so I can nurse him. Then I’ll take whatever foul-tasting medicine I know Liam’s over there concocting for me.”

Rolling his eyes, Yulen yielded to the physician’s expertise. “When do you think she’ll be fit enough to be moved to the lodge?”

Walking over to the couple, the doctor made a face as he thought. “I need to keep an eye on her overnight, just to make sure I cleaned out those scratches thoroughly. If I don’t see any signs of infection, I’ll turn her over to you in the morning.” He gave Atty a thinly-veiled look of irritation. “You’re not a teenager anymore, bluebell. You lost a lot of blood out there, and your body had just gotten over the loss you suffered when you had Mattox. Another incident like that, and you’re going to go into shock. If that happens, there’s no medicine, mine or Mutah, that will be able to help you.”

He leaned closer. “I don’t have to tell you this. You know from now on you’re going to need to take even greater precautions whenever you go out. It’s not just Yulen anymore who needs you.”

Closing her eyes, she nodded as she swallowed around the lump in her throat. It hadn’t taken her long to realize how out of touch with the forest she had become since her son’s birth. Her stamina had withered, not to mention her agility. The only thing that hadn’t been affected was her ability, thank heavens.

Or was it? She was beginning to doubt. The single shot to the wolfen’s brain through its eye should have put it down permanently. At least it appeared it had done its job when the animal thrashed and squirmed before finally coming to a weakened halt.

If only she hadn’t turned her back on it and just stood there as she thought about the boy. If only she had turned and started walking back to the compound instead of just standing there next to the body.

A shudder ran through her as memory reminded her of the black pain that had torn through her when the wolfen had swiped its paw across her back in one last desperate attempt to punish its executioner.

She felt a kiss on her cheekbone. Atty opened her eyes as Yulen released her hand and left to fetch their son. That left her with nothing but empty air to talk to, although she could hear the doctor somewhere behind her making rattling sounds.

“Liam?”

“Yeah?” He was at the other side of the table, but she didn’t have the energy at the moment to turn her head in the other direction.

“Thanks.”

There was a pause in whatever he was doing. Another minute nearly ticked by when she felt his hand on her calf.

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“You know what I meant.”

“I do.” He sighed. “Ready for me to help you sit up?”

She nodded, gritting her teeth. The compress and medicants helped, or else she wouldn’t have been able to do what it took to get her propped up. A pillow at her back helped. They were nearly ready when Yulen walked back into the clinic with a fussy infant in his arms. Wordlessly he handed Mattox over to her and helped drape the blanket over her shoulder to keep her warm.

The baby latched onto her nipple with zeal. His ruby-red eyes gazed up at her as he hungrily sucked. The surge of milk being pulled from her breast was welcome relief. Atty sighed loudly and leaned against the strong bulk of her husband’s chest. Together they sat side-by-side on the examination table as they watched their son nurse.

No words passed between them as the soothing peace and quiet wrapped them in their own little world of solitude. Liam left the room at some point to check on his other patients.

Atty felt her husband place a kiss above her ear and tuck several loose strands of hair behind it. “I’m glad you found the boy safe and sound,” he rumbled softly, dropping his hand to her opposite hip.

The sound of his father’s voice diverted Mattox’s attention away from his mother’s gaze. The infant gave a little grin around the plump nipple before resuming his meal. A tiny hand reached upward. Yulen caught it with his thumb and watched as the baby’s fingers curled around it.

“He used his training when he was out there. He didn’t lose his cool. He didn’t panic. If he had, he wouldn’t have survived. Did you give him the tail?”

“Yeah. He was stunned.” So was he and his men, Yulen almost confessed. The thick, gray tail had been at least a yard long. If the tail was accepted as a third of the wolf’s length, then the creature she had killed had to have been at least eight to nine hundred pounds. Definitely a bachelor male, or else the ending to their story would have been much different if the kid had attracted a roaming pack.

“If he chooses to become a soldier, he’ll be a fine addition.” She shifted slightly. A hiss sucked through her teeth when her back protested the movement. Yulen gave her hip a squeeze with his fingers.

“Want something to drink?”

“Yeah. I could do with a glass of water.”

“Or milk?” He tossed her a smile as he slid off the table. Atty returned it.

“Or milk.”

“I won’t be gone long. I need to clear off my paperwork, then I’ll be back.” He didn’t wait for her reply, disappearing out of the examination room on silent feet.

The room grew quiet again. Mattox suckled noisily and stretched his long legs beneath his swaddling blanket. Chuckling, she switched him to the other breast and was tucking the cloth around him when a single knock came at the door. She glanced up to see Liam poke his head around.

“Atty, Danna Abalam wants to see you. Do you feel up to it?”

“Is she alone?”

“Yeah.”

Atty gave him a nod as her answer, lifting one corner of the blanket to cover her other bare breast. Then she waited.

Another knock came a moment later. Liam opened the door and ushered the woman in before giving Atty a questioning look. She knew why he was reluctant to leave her. Nodding slightly, she assured him, “Go on. We’ll be okay.”

It was what he had wanted to hear. Flashing a quick grin, he closed the door, leaving the two women alone.

Atty watched as the woman looked about the small examination room. Her eyes lingered on the stainless steel bowl heaped with bloody rags. The torn and stained tunic they had been forced to cut off of Atty was still lying on the table next to it. Slowly, the two women locked eyes. “I came to give you my thanks,” Danna reluctantly said in a low voice.

“You’re welcome.”

“I still don’t care for Mutah. I still don’t care for you,” the woman admitted.

“That’s okay,” Atty told her in all honesty. There would be those who would never accept her or the treaties she and Yulen were forging between their people. Hundreds of years of hate and prejudice would not be eradicated within their lifetime. She and Yulen acknowledged that. But she knew that what they had started would continue to grow and flourish so that, over time, and with luck, what they had begun would reap benefits in the future. Among those benefits being peace.

Mattox was half Mutah, but he bore a mark that would challenge him all his life. If her and Yulen’s son was to be the next Battle Lord of Alta Novis, they had to prepare him for the world, as well as prepare the world for him. Their initial steps were the beginning. It would be up to Mattox and any other children they might be blessed with to take up the reins and carry through.

Danna’s eyes dropped to the child growing sleepy against Atty’s breast. His face was slack as the tiny rosebud lips tugged drowsily on the nipple. Slowly, Atty disengaged him and laid him over her shoulder to burp him.

“Was there anything else you needed to tell me?” Atty asked softly.

“No.” The woman shook her head and reached for the doorknob. “No. That was it.”

Nodding, Atty added as the woman turned to leave, “Case will make a fine soldier if he chooses that as his life’s ambition. But he will also make an excellent hunter. I wouldn’t...”

Danna paused, halfway out the door. “You wouldn’t what?”

“I wouldn’t mind showing him a few ropes if he wants to go out again.”

To her surprise, the woman seemed to consider it. “We’ll see,” she finally responded, and left.

Atty remained focused on the door. Mattox let go with a nice belch before reaching for a handful of his mother’s deep blue hair.

How would she be able to convince the woman that the reason she had gone out to find Case was not out of any sense of loyalty or protectiveness she believed was her duty as the Battle Lady? Laying a hand on her son’s back, she rubbed a cheek against his warm, vibrant body. How could she convince Danna Abalam that the main reason she had gone to hunt for the woman’s son was because she now knew the depth of a mother’s love for her child?

Her pondering was interrupted by a third knock on the door. This time it was her husband with a tankard of cold milk. All further musings fled her mind as she reveled in the love and attention he came to give to her and their son.

Chapter Ten

Alta Seran

“I said get out!
Now!
”

Janelle Callahan stood in the hallway and waited for the inevitable eruption to occur. The door to her son’s room was already open. A heartbeat after hearing his roar of disgust, Moiven Sees rushed out, barely dodging the dagger that followed him. The Second ducked, and the slender blade buried itself in the oaken wall behind him.

“When you have those men in better formation, then you can venture to stick your nose back into my room.
Am I clear?
” the roar continued.

Straightening, Sees turned to face his Battle Lord. “Quite clear, Sir.” Giving a snappy salute, he pivoted and began to hurry down the hall, back to the practice field where the men were waiting. Seeing Janelle standing in the middle of the passageway, he gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

“Bad day?” she whispered as he rushed by.

“No more than usual,” the man curtly replied and flashed her a brief grin. He quickly disappeared around the corner.

Bracing herself, the woman tried to appear unaffected by the show of anger as she worked the dagger out of the wall and continued into the man’s study without knocking or announcing herself first. There was no need to anyway, she told herself. Rafe D’Jacques could bully all the others as much as he wanted, but he wasn’t going to have that attitude around his own mother. She wouldn’t allow it. Besides, where did he think he got that ability to run roughshod over people?

The man was leaning over a table with his back to her. In front of him the fireplace threw shadows against the walls and flickers of light over the dark brown hair as it outlined the powerful, broad shoulders. The lantern sitting on the table near his arm was the only other source of light. He must have heard her come into the room, but he didn’t turn around to face her as he brusquely asked, “What do you want?”

“Your full attention for the next fifteen minutes,” Janelle snapped.

His entire body went rigid. Whirling around, Rafe glared at his mother standing just inside the room. Cobalt blue eyes dropped to the dagger she was holding in one hand, then to the missive she had in her other hand, before looking back up at her. “I’m busy, Mother. Make it quick.”

She walked over and handed him his dagger, which he silently accepted and slid back into its sheath. Then she gave him the envelope she had already opened.

He knew better than to ask her what was in it. He grimaced as he pulled out the thick sheet of paper and unfolded it to read it for himself. She was expecting the surprised and confused expression that came over him as he reread the announcement, and she wasn't disappointed.