Their Battle Lord's Sacrifice (The Battle Lord Saga Book 7)

by Linda Mooney

  Atty surveyed the open area. Behind her she could hear the shouts and cries of the men as they battled the Bloods. Beside her, Castalon hefted his bow. “You feel them, too, don’t you?” he asked, his voice barely audible.

  “I think we’re being set up with a diversion. I think they’re deliberately trying to draw all our troops over to that side of the compound.”

  “That’s what I think, too. The question is why?”

  “Guess we’re about to find out.”

  She peered out at the open area. It was difficult to see all the way to the ground because the lanterns weren’t strong enough to reach that far. Atty checked the light posts situated every ten meters along the wall.

  “If they try to chop their way through, it would create too much noise. Burning would be more difficult.”

  When it hit her, she whirled on Castalon. “Douse the lights!” Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled at the top of her voice. “Douse the lights!”

  The Mutah warrior took up her cry as she took down the nearby lantern and extinguished the flame. Up and down the wall, the lights went out, throwing that entire section of the compound into darkness.

  Castalon moved closer to her and dropped his voice. “What are you thinking?”

  “Ladders.”

  “Ladders?” He didn’t try to hide his disbelief.

  “Or grappling hooks.”

  “Seriously?”

  Atty shushed him, and they waited in silence.

  Seconds passed. Their eyes grew accustomed to the night. Her sense of unease increased, and she focused her attention on the line of naked trees that stood like ghostly sentinels in the distance.

  The sound of rustling came from behind them. Several people climbed the ladders to the parapet. Presently Yulen found her, sword drawn and ready. “What’s going on?” he whispered in her ear.

  “How is the fighting going on the other side?” she responded.

  “Strangely. I got the impression they’re putting on a show. Banging on the gate, waving their clubs, throwing rocks, but there’s no real threat that I can determine. Why were the lights doused? Are you sensing something?”

  “Uh-huh. Diversion.”

  “What kind?”

  A shadow moved in front of the trees. Then two. Three.

  Atty raised her bow and aimed. “That kind,” she told him, and let one arrow fly.

  There was a cry of pain as the projectile met its target. The figure went down but was suddenly replaced with another. And another. And more. Atty braced herself, and Yulen took a stance beside her as they watched the oncoming mass.

  As before, the Bloods came at the fortress in total silence. A nearly invisible swarm rushing toward them like a swarm of bees. When they reached the wall, there was a series of thumps. Atty felt the catwalk vibrate under her feet. Before she could call out what was going on, Yulen yelled to the troops.

  “They’re scaling the wall!”

  She fired at every moving figure. All along the outer wall, makeshift ladders were propped up against the timbers. No, not ladders. Tree trunks stripped of their limbs, leaving ragged stumps that provided crude but effective hand- and foot-holds. Atty caught a glimpse of one that landed within arm’s length of her before Del Ray crawled over the wall. Holding onto the upper ledge, he managed to kick it to the side, sending the Bloods climbing it tumbling to the ground.

  She continued to riddle the Bloods with her arrows. Someone set a tub of fresh ammunition next to her when her own supply was exhausted. The soldiers continued to knock away every ladder as soon as it hit the outer wall. Within a few short minutes, either the enemy realized their plan wasn’t going to work, or they were ordered to pull back. Whichever it was, the whole contingency suddenly vanished back into the trees as quickly and as silently as they had appeared, taking their climbing trunks with them.

  Paxton trotted up to her. “What the hell? They were going for the subversive attack!”

  “Guess we’ve seen another example of Bloods acting in a way that’s totally unconventional to past behavior.” Yulen reached out and snagged Atty by the arm, drawing her to the side. One look at her husband’s face and she knew what he was about to say. Her heart fell into her stomach as he said the dreaded words.

  “I must go.”

  “Yul…”

  “Now, while they’re still retreating.” He cupped her cheek, his gloved hand warm. She continued to stare into his eyes. Eyes that beseeched her to be strong because he needed her strength. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to turn and walk away from her.

  They no longer cared who watched as he bent down to kiss her goodbye. They didn’t care who overheard them when he told her that he would love her forever. When he promised that they would be together again, in this life or the next. And when he descended the ladder, leaving Atty on top of the battlements, it didn’t matter if anyone saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.

  It took every ounce of willpower not to follow after him and watch him slip out of the west gate. Instead, she took her time climbing down to the ground, then trudged back to the tent where she could mourn in private.

  Chapter 9

  Guarded

  After a few short, restless hours, Atty returned to the top of the wall. Her cold fingers remained clutching the bow and arrow as she surveyed the tree line. Somewhere out there Bloods were regrouping for another attack. She was certain of it.

  She turned to glance back inside the compound, but something else was bothering her. Something she couldn’t pinpoint. Yet it was enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck.

  “Atty?” Paxton trotted up to where she stood. “There’s been no further activity on any wall.”

  “What about the gates?”

  “They’ve been briefly inspected. They’re sturdy and holding.”

  “That’s good to know.” She turned her back on him and resumed her observation of the land outside the compound’s wall. However, Paxton knew her well enough to discern something else concerned her.

  “What’s going on, Atty?”

  She slowly shook her head. “I…don’t…know.”

  He gazed out across the forest. “Are you worried the Bloods will return tonight?”

  “No. They won’t come back tonight. I thought they might, but now I’m pretty sure they won’t.”

  He didn’t question why she was so certain. He’d worked alongside her long enough to accept that her senses, especially her sixth sense, were better honed than his.

  “It’s the middle of the night. You should be resting. You should be with your daughter, not standing up here, exposed to the cold. If you’re certain the Bloods won’t try to attack us again tonight, why are you on sentinel duty?”

  She managed a frown as she finally faced him. “I can’t explain it, Warren. There is something very, very wrong here, and I just can’t put my finger on it.” She could admit her uncertainty and show this man her rising apprehension. He was more than a confidant. He was one of a handful of people she trusted her life with, and he had risked his own life to save hers countless times.

  Paxton glanced out over the wall. “Wrong as in how? Like there’s going to be a major attack with a bigger force? Or with more weapons?”

  Sighing, Atty checked the inner yard again. The prickling was growing stronger, and her inability to pinpoint or put her uncertainty into words was becoming an irritant, like a burr under a saddle. The more it rubbed, the worse the wound. Before she could comment, they heard someone coming up the ladder. Paas appeared. Her face was clouded with worry, and Atty knew why.

  “East wall is secured,” the warrior woman announced. “I also stopped by your tent to check up on your sister and daughter. They’re both asleep and appear to be all right.”

  “Thank you, Paas.”

  There followed a moment of awkward silence. Paxton took the hint and stepped away. “I need to check on the archers and see that they’re well-stocked. Is there anything you want me to look into?” />
  “No. It sounds like you have everything covered. Thanks, Warren.”

  The second saluted her and descended the ladder, leaving the two women alone. Atty studied her friend but remained mute, waiting for the woman to broach the real reason why she was there.

  Paas grabbed the top of the wall and leaned against it, looking out over the land on the other side. “Cole often told me how much alike and how different our compounds were. He used to tease me that I might be taken as one of your people, and I can see why.”

  “Does it bother you? Being mistaken for a Mutah?” Atty eyed the woman’s vari-colored hair, and the odd way Paas twisted and tied her locks with feathers and beads until they resembled jeweled ropes. She also wore a tiny silver ring through the septum of her nose. Although her appearance wasn’t as anomalous as that of most Mutah, she did stand out among the Normals.

  The warrior woman cast her a small smile. “No. Not at all.” The smile vanished and Paas chewed on her lower lip. Taking a shaky breath, she let go of the wall and turned to face Atty. “How do you manage? How do you…” She wrung her hands as she searched for the right words. “This is all new to me, Atty. I’ve always been independent. I’ve never had to worry about someone I love being killed. Not even my parents or my sister. I always assumed they would survive because they were so strong.” She started to say more, when her chest hitched.

  Atty reached out to her and the two women hugged, clasping tightly to each other, sharing their mutual fears and worries. Paas sniffed. “This is new to me. I know how strong Cole is, but he’s not immortal. Atty, for the first time in my life I’m terrified I’m going to lose h-him. I’m so sc-scared he won’t survive this mission.”

  Atty hugged her tighter, then released her as the woman moved back to the wall, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “How do you cope, Atty? How do you not let it eat at you? How do you manage to go on without it barging in on your thoughts and keeping you from doing your job?” Paas turned a tear-stained face toward her. “How do you manage to sleep? I can’t rest. I can’t close my eyes without seeing him being ripped to shreds.”

  Laying a hand on the warrior woman’s back, Atty gave it a pat. “I have a connection with Yulen. I can’t explain how or why. But I know when he’s in pain, when he’s in trouble, when he’s at the point of dying. Whenever he leaves, that connection remains between us, and it’s become both my curse and my salvation.”

  “What are you feeling now?” The woman needed reassurance. She was grasping for anything that would give her hope that the man she loved would survive. Atty understood exactly how she felt.

  “He’s tense. Afraid. Worried. Guarded.”

  “But not in pain.”

  “No.”

  Paas wiped her nose on her sleeve and chuckled. This was a side of Paas Atty had never seen. A woman weakened by love. Paas had come to her because there was no one else she trusted to let down her guard. But more than that, she knew Atty was going through the same frustration and anguish as she was.

  “I’m with child.”

  Atty stared at her wide-eyed, now fully aware of how deeply her friend was suffering. Drawing an arm around the woman’s waist, she laid her cheek against Paas’ back. Together they commiserated in silence as a light snow began to fall.

  Chapter 10

  Subversive

  “You need to rest.” Paas echoed Paxton’s recommendation, causing Atty to snort in amusement. “You know you should,” the woman insisted. “The last thing this compound needs is for you not to be at one hundred percent if, no, when another attack comes.”

  “You’re right. I need to rest, and I will.”

  “When?”

  Atty smiled. “Now. But I can’t guarantee I’ll actually get any decent sleep.”

  “At least try,” Paas urged.

  “I will, on one condition. You need to promise me you’ll retire to your tent as well.”

  Paas managed a weak smile. “I wish I could but I can’t.”

  “Can’t what? Go back to your tent? Or get some rest?”

  “Both. It’s a small tent, but it’s too big and empty without Cole.”

  Nodding, Atty reached down and grasped the woman’s hand. “Come with me to my tent. If we can’t get any sleep, at least we can keep each other company.” She didn’t mention she needed to feed Mistelle. In the short time since Paas had joined her up on the catwalk, she’d felt her milk come in, filling her breasts until they ached. By the time they reached the tent, she knew the infant would be awake and fussing to be fed and given a clean nappie.

  Paas gave a short bob of her head in acquiescence and descended first. Atty reached for the ladder when that sharp sense of foreboding hit her again, but this time it was different. Distant, but clear.

  Yulen.

  She froze, closing her eyes to focus on their link in an attempt to glean more information. Stretching herself emotionally and mentally to reach him.

  Yulen.

  “Atty?”

  She opened her eyes to find Paas’ worried face looking up at her. She managed a weak grin in return. “I’m coming.”

  Swinging her bow across her shoulders, she reached for the ladder. For some reason, she cast one final glance over the wall.

  A solitary figure dashed from the side of the compound into the tree line.

  She reacted automatically, instinctively. Rushing back to the wall, she had an arrow nocked and ready to fly, but the figure had disappeared. Peering over the barricade, she checked the location where the person had exited, then hurried to the ladder.

  Paas followed her as she rushed to the hunters’ gate where a Mutah warrior was stationed. She didn’t recognize the man, but when he spotted her running toward him, he immediately raised his spear to bar her from passing.

  “Halt!”

  Atty skidded to a stop, facing him. “Who just left this compound?”

  The man blinked. “What?”

  Gritting her teeth, she pointed to the doorway a few meters away. “Who just left this compound?” she repeated more slowly, carefully enunciating each word.

  The man shook his head. “No one.”

  “That’s horseshit! I just saw someone leave from that door!”

  “I’m sorry, madam, but you must be mistaken. No one’s come this way all evening.” He was hedging, hiding something. She would bet her life on it. She started to retort when Paas ran up to join her. Atty glanced over at the warrior woman. “Find one of my soldiers and have him bring Warren.” Paas briskly nodded and ran off. Atty turned back to the man. “What is your name?”

  “Oorlas.”

  She frowned. “You don’t look familiar. Are you from Wallis?”

  “No, madam. I’m from Turtingale.”

  “Turtingale? That’s west of New Bearinger. What brought you to Wallis?”

  Something rattled behind him. It sounded suspiciously like someone trying to enter the compound through the gateway. Oorlas glanced behind him, then turned back to face Atty, but made no move to challenge whoever was on the other side.

  She no longer had any doubts.

  At the same time, the Mutah launched himself at her, thrusting his spear forward. Atty managed to leap aside a split-second before he could impale her. She managed to pull her bow over her head as the man swung his weapon downward like a club. Holding it out like a shield, she met the force of his swing, which sent hard vibrations through her arms. She heard a loud crack!, and her first thought was that the blow had broken her bow, until she saw the man raise the ragged section of what was left of his spear. He tried to knife her with the wooden shaft, but Atty rolled as he buried the stick into the ground.

  She rolled again, bringing up her bow. With the same motion, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it. She never expected the warrior to duck, grab her by the boots, and throw himself sideways. The movement twisted her legs, jerking her hips and pulling her over. Her bow and arrow hit the ground. She tried to raise her we
apon to aim again, when the man grabbed her bow.

  They wrestled for possession. The man had the advantage as he stood straddling over her. Slowly Atty felt herself losing her grip on the bow, when she suddenly let go, shoving the weapon away from her. The man fell backwards, stumbling as he tried to remain on his feet.

  Hefting her arrow, she lifted her arm and threw it as hard as she could. The projectile burrowed into his midriff, directly underneath the ribcage. The man gave a grunt of pain and toppled onto his back. Before he could roll away or get back up, Atty drew another arrow and threw herself on top of the man. The Mutah stared at her in shock before she plunged the barbed head into his left eye. As his hands fought to push her away, she adjusted her grip on the shaft and bore down, shoving it deeper, until it pierced his brain. She didn’t release it until she felt the arrow scrape the back of the skull.

  Breathing heavily, she was still lying on top of the body when Paxton, Paas, and two soldiers ran up to her. She quickly signaled for them to be quiet and motioned toward the hunters’ door. Paxton gave her a hand to help her to her feet. Grabbing her bow, she nocked another arrow and ran over to the wall to press her ear against the wooden portal.

  After a handful of seconds, and unable to detect if anyone was on the other side, she gestured with her head for Paxton to stand on the other side. The second sheathed his sword. Slowly, cautiously, as Atty took aim, he raised the security bar barricading the door and quietly placed it on the ground.

  They waited several seconds. Paxton gave her a questioning look, to which she nodded. Hefting his weapon, he reached for the door latch. Another nod, and he threw the door open. The portal flew outwards, and Atty leaped out, with Paxton taking a stance beside her.

  The area was empty.

  She scanned the expanse, concentrating on the line of trees in the distance. Nothing moved.