This Battle Lord's Quest (19 page)

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Evidence

Yulen stared at what had to be a forty-foot drop.
The mountain side had been sheared off by some cataclysmic event. The rock was
still scarred and barren of all plant life, even after all these years. A
glance upward revealed the sun directly overhead. It was midday. It was time to
stop for a bite to eat, and to rest the weary horses, when instead he wanted to
push on in their search for Atty.

Fortune walked up to glance over into the chasm.
“That makes, what? The sixth time we’ve had to stop and backtrack?”

“I’ve lost count,” the Battle Lord growled. This
was their fifth day in their attempt to descend from the top of the cliff, down
to where a lush valley awaited. And Fortune was right. Once more they would
have to retreat, backing up to where they had been forced to decide between two
or more routes, and take another path.

On the first day, it had quickly become clear that people
rarely traveled down the rocky slopes, if ever. There were no clear paths, no
trees blazed to show the way, or any sign to indicate people went through here.
Yet, Yulen insisted that Atty had not turned around once she’d reached the top
of the cliff, but had somehow descended to the valley floor. Although Fortune
admitted he could not find any trace of the Battle Lady, not a footprint or a
tree marking to show she’d come this way, a tiny voice deep within him
continued to urge him onward, whispering encouragement, and promising he was
drawing nearer to his goal.

This was day five. If there was any positive news,
it was the fact that their store of rations were nearly untouched, thanks to
Fortune’s hunting skills. They’d also managed to find several small springs
erupting from the mountains, easy to find because of the cluster of green plant
life growing around them.

However, they all were growing tired and
despondent. Twice Yulen had given the others the option to return to Alta
Novis, but the men had flatly denied the offer. One way or another, Renken
swore to him, they would find out what happened to Atty. Only then would they
turn around to go home.

“And if we don’t?” Yulen countered. “What if we
never find another shred of evidence? How long will you continue to follow me?”

It was Mastin who voiced what the others were
thinking. “When you say it’s time to stop searching and go home, we will, too.”

Fortune brought his horse up next to Yulen’s.
“We’re very close to the valley,” he observed. “Another day, maybe, and not too
soon.”

“More snow?” Renken asked, over-hearing.

“I’m thinking ice, and that’s not the kind of
weather we need to be out in. One slip on the stuff, and a horse could break a
leg. Or worse, one of us.”

“Could we take cover in the trees?” Mastin
suggested.

Yulen shook his head. “Taking to the trees would
mean we’d have to go up to reach them. That’s losing ground after we’ve worked
so hard to get this far. No, we keep heading downward, and hope we reach the
bottom before bad weather hits.”

As usual, Fortune took the lead, finding the least
obstructed path. On occasion, he would carve his initial into a tree trunk to
show which direction they’d gone. On the trees he’d marked where they were
forced to retrace their steps, Yulen noticed where he’d Xed over the initial.

A cluster of boulders provided a small ledge where
they could rest and eat. Fortune built a small fire to roast the birds he’d
picked off, as the others stretched their legs and relaxed.

“I wonder how Warren’s doing,” Mastin remarked
offhandedly.

“I have every confidence in Liam to keep him
alive,” Yulen responded. “Especially with Saxon’s aide. I don’t know if he’ll
be able to resume his duties as Second, or if he’ll ever be able to take up the
sword again, but that’s a minor issue. Paxton is and will always be a good
right hand.” He tossed a stick into the fire. “I’m more worried about other
things right now, and not just Atty.”

“You’re worried about the compound?” Renken said.

“No, believe it or not. My thoughts are on Mattox,”
he admitted. “Being gone for a few days or weeks is one thing. But what if
something happens to me, and he loses both parents? If I was forced to return
without Atty...” He tried to swallow, but his throat had gone dry, making the
next few words impossible to utter. He took a deep, calming breath and tried
again, fighting back the sting of tears. “If I’m forced to go back without
Atty, I worry how that will affect him growing up.”

“There are many children who’ve had to grow up with
only one parent,” Renken softly remarked.

“But none like Atty,” Fortune commented, glancing
at the Battle Lord. “You’re not talking about the lack of a mother so much as
you’re talking about Matt’s Mutah abilities, aren’t you?”

Yulen nodded. “She understands his specialness. She
knows what his limitations should be, and how he might be able to accept his
difference. I know my son has few enemies, if any, within Alta Novis, but when
he grows older and leaves the compound...” He ran a hand over his face,
scratching at the many days’ growth on his cheek. “Atty once commented to me
that she’d wear a hat over her hair to disguise its color, which would enable
her to walk among the Normals with little to fear. Fortune, you yourself would
bind up your tail to keep from being detected. Mattox isn’t able to do that.
He’ll never be able to hide his eyes from strangers. I’ve never had to worry
about inciting the hatred of those around me. But, unfortunately, despite all
I’ve done to try and bring peace between Mutah and Normals, the world hasn’t
changed enough to give my son that same peace of mind.”

Each man retreated into his own thoughts, and their
meal was quietly eaten. When they were done, Fortune left to scout for another
suitable path. While they waited for the man to return, Yulen climbed over the
smooth stones until he could barely make out the lake in the distance. The
water glittered like a layer of diamonds as it reflected the sunlight. He
chanced looking up, to see if he could spot the ledge where their descent had
begun nearly a week ago, but they had lost sight of it from their first day’s
journey.
  
Shielding his eyes against
the glare, he stared out again at the large body of water and vaguely wondered
if the fishing was good. Maybe they could camp there for the night, perhaps see
if they could toss a line into the water. He couldn’t remember the last time
he’d had a good fish dinner.

There appeared to be movement along the shore.

His heart suddenly began pounding, and he rushed to
his saddlebags to pull out the small spyglass. Taking it back to the edge, he
scanned the lake again, but whatever he thought he’d seen was either gone...

...
or maybe it had never been.
He lowered
the instrument, as his hopes sank a little further.
Am I starting to imagine
things?

“See anything?”

He slowly shook his head. “I thought I did. Must
have been wishful thinking.”

“Here.” Mastin held out his hand. “Let me take a
look.”

Yulen glanced at his Second as the man scanned the
distant body of water. Renken came up behind them and gave the Battle Lord a
questioning glance.

“Yulen.” Mastin finally spoke with a nonchalant
tone. “Have you thought about which way we’ll go once we reach the valley
floor?” Without looking behind him, he passed the spyglass to Renken. The
ex-mercenary studied the area the Second pointed out.

“Which way we’ll go?” Yulen repeated.

“And don’t say east.” Renken snorted and handed the
spyglass to Yulen. “If we continue east, we’ll walk straight into another
forest.”

“I think I’d rather head toward that mountain
range.” Mastin grinned.

“But before we do, we’ll have to swim that lake.”
Renken gave the Second a nudge in the arm.

“I don’t know.” Mastin shook his head in denial. “I
never learned to swim.”

“Too bad. I bet it would take days to circumvent
that lake.”

Yulen gave the men a perplexed look. They had
something up their sleeves, and he didn’t like being in the dark.

“All right. What are you two talking about?”

Grinning, Mastin pointed again in the direction of
the valley. “I have an idea. Let’s take one of those boats, like those people
are using.”

Yulen gasped. Extending the spyglass with a snap,
he checked the lake again. And he saw it. A rowboat, with one person. His hands
began to tremble to the point where he had to take a deep breath to steady
himself. The person, a man, appeared to be fishing.

“There’s somebody out there,” he finally managed to
speak. The man’s presence meant there had to be a compound close by. A compound
meant people, safety, a haven.

“Atty!”

Yulen ran to his horse and jumped into his saddle,
jerking the reins to guide the animal down the mountain. Now that they had seen
signs of habitation, their sagging hopes had been given a fresh shot of energy.
Their spirits renewed, they knew their trek was almost at an end. For reasons
he couldn’t explain, Yulen knew that this was where he would find Atty. She had
made her way here, and she was probably waiting for him to find her.

Patience had never been the Battle Lord’s forte.
And now that the end of their journey was possibly nearing the end, it took
every ounce of willpower not to urge his mount to move faster down the slippery
slopes. By the time the sun began to sink behind them, he estimated they were
mere yards from leaving the cliff’s side.

Fortune pulled beside him as he eyed the view. “Two
hundred more yards, I’d estimate.”

“Then let’s go. We’re wasting time.”

“Yulen, hold on.” The hunter leaned over his saddle
and snagged the man’s leg. “It’ll be dark before we reach the bottom, and you
know this mountain is too treacherous to attempt swiftly or blindly.”

“She’s out there, Fortune. I know it. I feel it!”

“Another day isn’t going to make a difference,”
Renken spoke up.

Mastin agreed. “We’re as anxious to find her as you
are, Yulen, but are you willing to risk your neck for a few measly yards?”

Yulen gripped the reins until his knuckles turned
white. Every pore in his body cried out to keep going, to bring this search to
an end. More than that, he was starved for the sight of her. His heart needed
to know she was alive and well, and his soul begged to feel her again in his
arms.

Unfortunately, their argument was sound, if not his
only choice. He couldn’t take the chance of injury when he was this close to
finding her. But knowing a few scant yards was all that separated them was both
infuriating and frustrating. Dejectedly, he concurred.

“All right. We’ll camp here, but at the first hint
of daylight, we’re going to be back on the trail.”

Chapter
Twenty-Six

Denial

As they had ever since leaving the upper ledge,
they spread their bedrolls on the ground, utilizing the fallen trees and large
rocks to prevent them from accidentally falling down the slope in their sleep.
They each took turns keeping sentry, in the event some animal tried to encroach
upon their campground.

It was nearly midnight when Renken awakened the
Battle Lord to take his turn at guarding them. Grunting softly, Yulen grabbed
his sword and walked to the edge of the tiny clearing as the ex-mercenary took
to his pallet. With the campfire at his back, he moved a bit further away from
the men, keeping his blade raised and against his chest. If there was one thing
he taught his men, it was that being on guard meant their weapon was to be kept
constantly at-ready. In the event there was an attack, needing to draw one’s
sword from its scabbard could mean the difference between life and death.

With few trees to block the view, he gazed up at
the night sky ablaze with light. The air was crisp like an autumn apple, making
the stars appear unusually bright.

Yulen shivered slightly as a cold wind coming from
the northwest brushed against him. Although the cliff buffered them against
most of the chill, it wouldn’t keep the clouds from gathering, nor prevent the
weather from taking a nasty turn.

The fire popped. The sound of it was a silent
invitation for him to return to its warmth, but he needed to remain alert. The
coziness would only make him drowsy, whereas the chill would definitely help
him remain attentive.

The dry wood snapped again.

Yulen froze.

That hadn’t been the fire. The sound had come from
a different location.

He crouched, sword ready, and debated how he was
going to awake the others, when a figure suddenly appeared a few feet away. The
man was covered in furs, and he bore strange markings over his face and neck. A
long spear was held rock-steady and level, and aimed at the Battle Lord.

Yulen’s first impulse was to raise his sword and
brace himself, but with the spear, the stranger could either charge him or toss
the weapon. It would be to Yulen’s advantage if the young man threw it. It
would give him the chance to dodge the weapon before advancing. His eyes
quickly scanned the man’s body. Unless he also carried a knife on his person,
which was very likely, Yulen believed it would be a brief fight, ending in his
favor.

Except...

Slowly, he lowered his sword and straightened. The
man never took his eyes from him, although his expression showed his surprise,
as well as relief. Apparently the man also knew he was outmatched by the bigger
and more muscular Battle Lord, but there was another option Yulen had to
consider. Surely the man had more sense than to confront him alone. There had
to be others with him.

“My name is Yulen D’Jacques. I’m the Battle Lord of
Alta Novis. It’s a compound located far to the west.”

“There’s nothing west except danger,” the man
responded in a low voice.

“The opposite is what I’ve been told my entire
life. That the east is filled with nothing but ruined cities containing
monstrous creatures and unspeakable danger.”

The man’s weapon never wavered, but his eyes
briefly glanced upward. “Are you saying you came from the fallen heavens?”

It took Yulen a moment to realize what the man
meant. “Are you talking about the cliffs above us? Yes. We came from there.”

The man never took his gaze away from the Battle
Lord, but he must have given a silent signal. More men, nearly a dozen,
suddenly appeared. Yulen glanced around, verifying that the camp was
surrounded. Like the young man, the others held their weapons at-ready, but it
was also clear they were willing to listen first before they made any further
decision.

“We’re not here to harm you,” Yulen continued,
hoping the men wouldn’t try to attack them. Neither did he want them to leave.
This was their first human contact in over a week. “We’re on a mission. We’re
searching for my wife. Have you seen a woman with blue hair? Her name is Atty.”

The first man blinked rapidly. “Atty? No. I haven’t
heard of anyone by that name.”

Yulen felt a nearly overwhelming sense of despair
come over him, until the stranger spoke again. “But a woman did come to our
village a couple of weeks ago. She has blue and black hair, but her name is
Aggee.”

Yulen felt his breath catch in his chest. Was it
possible? Did he dare to hope?

“This...Aggee. When she came to your compound, was
she hurt in any way? Injured?”

Incredibly, the man lowered his spear, but
continued to keep it at-ready. “Yeah. She had a broken arm, and a pretty bad
laceration to the side of her head.”

From the corner of his eye, Yulen noticed the other
three men from his party coming to stand behind him. They knew they were
surrounded, but moved slowly so as not to give the strange warriors any reason
to believe they were dangerous.

The stranger brought his spear back into play, but
it was clear he had grown very nervous. With a doubt, Yulen realized this man
was about to come to a decision.

Cautiously, Renken, Mastin, and Fortune took their
stance to form a barrier around the Battle Lord—Mastin to his right, Fortune to
his left, and Renken guarding his back. They continued to keep their weapons
drawn, but held the tips pointing downward in a non-threatening gesture. Before
either of them could speak, Yulen sheathed his sword, then held out his empty
hands.

“You said she had blue-black hair? As in blue on
top, but with black ends?”

The man seemed more comfortable, now that Yulen and
his men had removed any immediate threat. At least, not at that moment.

“Yeah.”

“But she calls herself Aggee?” Mastin softly spoke
out.
 

“He said she had a bad laceration to the side of
her head,” Fortune commented. “It could have affected her memory.”

“Can you take me to her?” Yulen asked. “Please.
Take me to her.”

The man eyed the three standing around the Battle
Lord. Before Yulen could say anything, his men made a show of taking their
weapons out of play, sheathing them with one unanimous motion to hopefully calm
the stranger’s fears.

“Please,” Yulen pleaded softly. “We’ve been
searching for nearly two weeks. We’re not here to harm you or your people.”

The stranger nervously licked his lips. “How many of
you are there?”

“Just us four.”

“Only four?” The man frowned. “How do I know you’re
telling the truth? How do I know Aggee didn’t escape from you, and you’re
wanting to take her prisoner again?”

For a split second, Yulen wondered if the other man
might have an emotional stake in this. It didn’t matter. If there was the
slightest chance this Aggee was his Atty, he would do whatever it took to find
out. The Battle Lord sighed. “Take me to her. Let her see me. Then you’ll know
I’ve been telling the truth.”

Several long seconds passed as the man considered
Yulen’s request. Finally, he motioned with his head and spear to the others.
“This way, but stay in front of me.”

A couple of warriors with torches took the lead,
with Yulen and his men in the middle, as they continued down the slope, taking
a route that seemed less rocky than usual. The stranger remained a good ten to
fifteen feet behind them, his spear continuously pointed at their backs, as
were the weapons of the other warriors who surrounded Yulen and his men. It was
Renken who finally broke the silence.

“How’d you find us?”

“Your fire,” came the simple answer. “We’ve been
watching your descent for the past two nights.”

“Why confront us now?” Mastin asked.

“Why didn’t you attack us outright?” Renken added.
“You have us outnumbered, and we were asleep.”

“Because you came down the mountain,” the young man
replied. “No one, as far as memory serves, has ever come down off the
mountain.”

“So you were curious about us, and why we were
here.” Fortune grunted. “Interesting.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question as to why
you didn’t initially attack us,” Yulen pointed out. “You realize, don’t you,
that it’s possible we could have defeated you?”

As he expected, several of the warriors snorted in
disbelief, including the young man, who informed him, “We are trained in the
art of battle. Plus, there are fourteen of us against the four of you.”

Yulen stopped in his tracks and turned to face the
young man. “That’s true. You have us outnumbered. But we are seasoned soldiers
who have fought and won against what were considered undefeatable odds. I’m not
saying we’re going to fight you. We won’t, because we’re not at war with you.
We’re here only because we are on a mission of mercy. I love my wife, and I
want her home.”

The stranger didn’t reply. Instead, he motioned
with his spear for them to continue walking.

They reached the valley floor within the hour, much
to Yulen’s surprise. Rounding a large tumble of boulders, they were met by a
dozen more warriors bearing torches and lanterns. Some also carried spears, but
the majority held swords, and a couple carried bows. Altogether, they were
stunned to see Yulen and his men still carrying their weapons, albeit sheathed
and non-threatening.

An older warrior stepped forth, keeping his sword
drawn, the tip raised. “Who are you, and why are you here?” he demanded
gruffly.

“My name is Yulen D’Jacques. I come from a compound
called Alta Novis, located far to the west.” Yulen pointed overhead, eliciting
a few chuckles in response. Yulen ignored them and continued. “A couple of
weeks ago, my wife, Atty, who is one of our hunters, left with two others to
search for food. They were attacked by coon, and one of the men was severely
injured. The other...” He pointed to Renken. “...who was also injured, managed
to drag the man to safety. Unfortunately, we lost all contact with Atty. We
managed to track her to the edge of the cliff, but lost the trail. We saw the
lake in the distance, and hoped she would have headed in that direction.”

It was clear the older man was still deciding
whether or not to believe the Battle Lord. “What makes you think she came down
here? She could just as easily have turned around and gone back the way she’d
come, and you simply missed each other.”

“She’s here. I know it.” Yulen patted his chest
with one hand. “I feel it in here.”

The older man glanced at the younger warrior who
had led them down the mountain. “Droo?”

“They drew their weapons on me, then put them away.
They swear they’re not here to harm us. They only want the woman. The one with
the blue-black hair.”

Yulen’s keen eye caught several of the men glancing
at each other. “I think she’s calling herself Aggee.”

The older man started. “Aggee? With blue hair?”

“Have you seen her?”

“Borlis, how do we know she wasn’t their prisoner?”
the young man he now knew as Droo commented. “How can we be sure they’re not
here for that reason?”

Yulen continued to face Borlis. “Take me to her.
That’s all I ask. Let her confirm who I am. Will that satisfy you?”

After thinking it over for several moments, the
older man nodded. “Fair enough. Let’s go. But first, you must hand over your
weapons to show your good faith.”

“Yulen?” It was Renken. His voice clearly expressed
his concern at the loss of their swords.

“We have to trust them,” the Battle Lord told them.
“We have to prove we can also be trusted in return, or else we won’t ever find
out if this Aggee is our Atty.”

As difficult as it was for him and the others to
relinquish their weapons, they knew they had no other choice. Vaguely, the
situation reminded Yulen of the time when he’d entered Wallis after Atty had
been taken from him and returned to her home compound. The last time he’d seen
her, she was dying from borash poisoning, and he had to find out whether she
had succumbed to its effects. At that point, he’d cared little for his own
safety. It was with little surprise he realized he felt that same way now about
entering the strangers’ compound. His whole focus was on finding Atty.

One of the warriors had been dispatched to go ahead
and notify the townspeople of their approach. As they exited the last of the
tree line, and began walking through a grassy field, Yulen could see the
village in the distance. He was amazed to discover how open it was. He was also
astounded at the number of ancient stone buildings left intact. Buildings which
the compound incorporated as part of their holdings. If he had to guess, he
would swear that many, if not all of the structures, dated back to the pre-Collision
era.

He could see a small crowd beginning to gathering
at the outskirts of the compound. He scanned the faces, searching for the one
that would answer his question, and put an end to their search.

For the person he needed in order to survive.