The Battle Lord Saga 02 - Her Battle Lord's Desire (30 page)

of the bed and was pressing a cool, wet cloth to Atty’s face.

“The Council is
letting
her return?” Tory caustically echoed.

Fortune winced at the sound. “They ordered a wagon and four guards to see her to the

front gates, but that’s all. I volunteered to be one of those accompanying her.”

“How gentlemanly of you,” Tory said bitterly.

Another minute passed in uncomfortable silence. Fortune shuffled his feet where he

stood in the doorway. Neither woman moved. “I’m going over to the stables to get a horse.”

Tory glanced back at him. “You’re leaving now?”

“Before first light, but we’re packing tonight.” He nodded in Atty’s direction where the

woman appeared unconscious. “Piron said to send everything she owns with her. We...we’re to

break all ties. She’s being branded a deserter.”

“Insufferable bastards.” Tory’s voice shook. There was no way she could hide the

sound of tears in her oath, and that gave Fortune a sense of relief. He much preferred his wife

upset rather than infuriated. He could deal with her tears, but not with her wrath.

Quietly he left, making sure he closed the front door with a noticeable sound. He had

learned early on in their marriage that his hunter’s ability to stalk almost invisibly was

unnerving for his new bride. It forced him to consciously remember to make noises wherever he

went with her, so as not to shock or surprise her by his reappearance.

With her husband gone, Tory gave her full attention to the young woman lying too

passively in bed. “I’m sorry, Atty. Please forgive those fools. They think they’re doing the right
thing.”

“Tory?”

“Yes?”

Atty opened her eyes, allowing Tory to see the torment that continued to flood their blue-

gray depths. “Do you think Yulen will want me back?”

The question stunned her into silence before another wave of white-hot anger washed

over her. “Will he...Atty, they didn’t tell you?”

The moment she asked the question, she knew the answer. Of course not. Those

insufferable sons of bitches hadn’t told her anything. Damn them!

Giving Atty’s hand a squeeze, Tory leaned over to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Yes, Yulen will want you back,” she started to explain, when Atty rolled her head away and

weakly commented.

“Does he even care if I’m still alive?”

“Oh, God, Atty.” Tory’s voice hitched in her chest, held back by the thick press of tears.

“He risked everything when he came here for you.”

She could see the woman tense at the remark. Atty turned eyes filled with hope as she

stared at Tory. “He was here a week ago. Alone. They made him drop his weapons belt outside

the compound and enter unarmed.”

“What did he want?” The weak voice trembled, drinking in her words as if they were a

life-giving force.

“You.”

Atty gave a sob, clutching Tory’s hand with shaking fingers. “What did they tell him?” It

was already obvious that Yulen had left without her, which meant the Council had forbid him.

“Nothing.” Tory shook her head. “They told him nothing. Not even that you were still

alive and recuperating in our home.”

A low moan of pain came out of Atty’s throat. Pain not from the remnants of poison that

refused to give up its possession of her body, but pain from her heart. The fact that the Council

had forced her husband to desert her. The moan turned into a single word. “Yul!”

Bursting into the tears that had been threatening to fall, Tory pulled Atty into her arms,

and together they both wept for the injustice of it all.

Grabbing Atty’s cold hands and giving them a squeeze, Tory flashed her a warm smile.

“Hey, let’s not go back there. It’s an old, unwanted memory we don’t have to relive if we no

longer want to. Come, I want to show you something I’d promised to show you a couple of

nights ago.”

They reached the end of the walkway where it opened up into a spacious area where

several merchants would set up their vendor’s carts. Tomorrow the traders from two other

Mutah compounds would arrive for their monthly visit. It would prove to be a very festive day.

“Teal! Where’s that little angel? I wanted to show her off to Atty!”

“Atty?” The young woman turned around as a delighted smile brightened her face.

“Atty!”

The two childhood friends exchanged warm hugs before Teal bent down to pick up her

new daughter from the basket at her feet. “We named her Valla,” she said proudly as she handed

the tiny bundle into Atty’s arms.

“Oh, my gosh, Teal, she’s so tiny!” Atty giggled, accepting the sleeping infant. She held

the baby close to her breast, supporting its head in the crook of her elbow as she gazed down into

the wrinkled face. “Would you look at all that hair.” Lifting a hand from where she was cradling

the child’s bottom, she ran her fingertips through the thick tuft of dark hair. She gave Teal a

warm smile. “You are so blessed. She looks wonderful!”

Teal sighed loudly as she returned the smile. “Babies are our small blessings. I was in

labor for almost two days, but she was more than worth it. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”

Tory glanced around and noticed the cobbler wasn’t at his stall. “Where’s Posso?”

“He’ll be here soon. He went back to the house to pick up a pair of boots he’d repaired

for that merchant from Delphine. You remember him, the guy with the hand-carved children’s

toys?”

“Oh, yeah! I remember him.” Atty adjusted her hold on the infant to where she could

lower her head and bury her nose against the child’s fragrant skin. She closed her eyes and

allowed herself to drift in the warmth pressed against her. When she finally opened her eyes, she

noticed Tory was intently watching her, a shadow of a smile on her lips.

“Do you remember when you used to help Eenoi after Keelor was born?”

“That was so long ago,” Atty admitted ruefully. “Keelor was sick most of the time. And

it took Mohmee a long time to get well after having her.”

Nodding, Tory wrapped an arm around Atty’s waist and leaned in against her shoulder to

coo down at the baby. “Know what I’m thinking right now?” the woman asked. At Atty’s

inquisitive look, she pressed her cheek along the young woman’s arm. “I’m seeing someone with

a natural instinct for motherhood.”

Atty stared at her.

“Oh, yes,” Tory nodded slowly, smiling warmly. “Believe me or not, Atrilan. You hold

this child, and respond to it, just like it was a precious package that had been unwrapped so it

could be oohed and ahhed over.”

Little Valla moved slightly in Atty’s arms. One miniature hand escaped the swaddling

blanket. Without thinking, Atty touched the pearl-like fingers with her thumb; the infant grasped

it instinctively. A deep shudder came over her. This time, when she glanced over her shoulder at

the woman standing beside her, she saw a wise, understanding expression on Tory’s face.

Leaning closer so as not to be overheard, Tory whispered in her ear, “Now...imagine she’s

yours and Yulen’s.”

Atty closed her eyes and nuzzled the fresh, new-baby scent of the infant’s skin. A hundred

emotions were running through her—conflicting, fighting, tenuous feelings that argued and

shouted at each other deep inside her heart. “You fight dirty,” she murmured to the woman.

“I’ve known you all your life, Atty. No amount of arguing would make you see how

naturally you fit into motherhood unless I did something like this to prove it to you.”

Teal walked over to kiss her newborn daughter on the forehead. “Go ahead. If you want

to take her for a walk, I won’t mind. But when she wakes up, I’ll need her back so I can feed

her.”

“Can I watch?” Atty asked.

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

“Great. Thanks, Teal. I promise I’ll take extra special care of her. Come on, little one.

Let’s let your mother have a moment’s peace, and I’ll tell you a story that’ll curl this mop of hair

on your head.” Smiling, Atty turned and slowly started walking back down the walkway with

Tory remaining by her side.

They slowly made their way down the street, stopping on occasion to let others get a

glimpse or to stroke the baby. As they rounded the corner which opened up to the courtyard,

Tory glanced up to see the Battle Lord at the far end, standing over by the Council table,

surrounded by the majority of the Council members. As Piron George had formally excused

himself from all proceedings the day before, his exit left Twoson Pike to conduct all business as

Council Leader by unanimous decision. And the two men, Battle Lord and Council Leader, were

almost constantly together during the day.

It was less than a minute when Yulen’s gaze raked over the courtyard, as she knew he

would, instinctively checking the compound for anything that might need his immediate attention.

Or for Atty.

A rush of warmth came over her as the man’s eyes caught sight of his wife cradling the

tiny bit of new life in her arms. With Atty keeping her head bent over to prevent the September

sun from shining on the baby’s face, she missed the look of incredulity that came over her

husband’s face, or the way he raised his head up to stare at her. Tory saw him glance her way, as

if seeking some kind of reason or answer. She was unable to give him any sort of sign, however,

as several others hurried over to get a look-see at Teal’s new daughter. Smiling, she stayed by

Atty’s side and allowed her to show off the child.

It was only until little Valla began to whimper and cry did Atty finally return her to her

mother. As Teal sat beneath the shade of a large poplar to breastfeed the baby, Atty sat with her

to talk about the birth, and to ask questions about pregnancy in general. Her friend answered her

truthfully, emphasizing the good but not hedging on the bad aspects. At one point Teal glanced

over at where Tory sat nearby. Atty saw the looks exchanged between the two women, and she

chuckled.

“Both of you fight dirty,” she announced, making Teal laugh.

“As I told you the other night,” Tory reminded her, “Eenoi would have wanted me to take

care of you. You’ve become a woman, Atty. You need to know what to expect, should you ever

decide you’re ready to have a child.”

Atty tore blades of dead grass from the ground. Already her arms felt strangely empty

after relinquishing little Valla back to her mother. “If I decide I’m ready...when I decide...oh,

damn, Tory, how do I know what kind of questions to ask when I know nothing about what I’m

talking about?” she exclaimed irritably, throwing the grass back onto the ground.

Laughing softly, Tory got to her feet and extended a hand toward her, helping her up.

“We need to go and let Teal finish getting things ready for tomorrow. So say thank you to Teal

for letting you share Valla.”

Grinning, Atty obliged. “Thank you, Teal, for letting me share Valla.”

“You’re welcome,” Teal laughed.

“Now you and I are going to have that mother-daughter talk I never got to give because I

had a son. And one which I know for a fact Eenoi never got to finish because you took that

idiotic oath.”

Atty lifted an eyebrow as the woman began to hustle her away from the market area and

toward the apartment houses. “This ought to prove interesting!”

“Oh? How so, smarty pants?”

“You don’t think I’m going to make some comparisons?”

Laughing loudly, Tory swatted her on the arm. “Just you wait. I might be able to give

you some pointers, if not some eye-opening facts.”

“Go ahead, Tory. I double dare you. I may have been a virgin before I married Yulen,

but he’s been an excellent teacher.”

“I take you up on that dare, Atrilan D’Jacques. But first I’m going to fix us a pot of

chamomile tea, just in case things get interesting, and the subject takes longer than I expect.”

“All right. But if Yulen comes looking for you later on to ask what in the hell’s gotten

into me—”

Tory shrieked with laughter and gave Atty a hard shove. Atty turned around and threw an

arm around the older woman’s waist, giving her a hug as she giggled.

Together the two women hurried along the street, already engaged in whispered

conversation long before they reached Tory’s front door. It would prove to be a very educational

discussion, indeed.

It was a slight rustling in the trees, right at the edge of his peripheral vision. The sentry

froze, still as stone, and waited to see if the movement repeated. Most predatory wild animals

that roamed the wood often hunted at night. They moved predictably, taking their cues from

ground level and not caring if they could be seen from above. Believing the foliage would cover

their movements below.

A minute passed. Then another. There was a flash of something reflective, like a mirror.

Or silver. Or polished steel. So quick, it was almost too easy to believe it had been a trick of the

eyes.

Casually, the sentry resumed his walk along the battlement, catching the attention of the