by Linda Mooney
Straightening, Atty stepped back inside. Paxton had the two soldiers re-secure the door and joined her by the body.
Paas looked up from where she crouched beside the dead man. “Why is his blood black?”
“What?” Atty stepped closer and squatted next to the body. “Somebody get me a torch.”
One of the soldiers hurried to fetch a lantern from a nearby apartment and brought it back to give them more light to examine the corpse. It was immediately obvious Paas’ observation was correct.
“Blood,” a soldier murmured. “He’s a Blood.”
“Was a Blood,” Paxton corrected. “Atty, this man was supposed to be a Mutah sentinel. What happened?”
“I saw a figure run from the hunters’ door. This man was standing guard and identified himself as Oorlas. I asked him if someone had exited through that door, and he said I was mistaken. That’s when I thought I heard someone trying to come back into the compound, and he attacked me.” Atty got to her feet. “Warren, have our men gather the councilmen and have them meet at the council hall.”
“What about this guy?”
“Find somewhere to put it so it won’t be disturbed before we can examine it. Then we need to figure out all we can about this guy. One way or another, I’m going to find out why a Blood was allowed to take residence inside Wallis.”
“Do you want me to send some men out to see if they can track down whoever left the fortress?”
“No.” She shook her head. “There’s no sense in endangering their lives for that purpose. By now that person’s probably miles away from here. We don’t know if they had an accomplice with a horse waiting for them or anything. Besides, the snow’s already filled in the tracks.”
“Atty, what if there’s more of them inside the compound?”
Paas’ question sent chills through her.
“Let’s just hope and pray there aren’t.”
Chapter 11
Fullmont
They walked in single file. Balinkar led the way, holding onto his horse’s reins with one hand and his scimitar in the other. Yulen followed behind him, then Mastin, Del Ray, Renken, Batuset and Tabb, Perrault, and Fortune Kalich. Malso guarded their rear, for which Yulen was grateful. He trusted the Mutah warriors’ instincts beyond his own, the same way he trusted Atty’s instincts to detect danger before Normals could.
The area was eerily quiet. Rags had been tied around the horses’ eyes to keep them from being spooked, but the animals’ ears twitched nervously. Instructions were relayed via hand signals, as no one dared to make any unnecessary sound.
Twice Balinkar had them halt, signaling for absolute stillness until he determined it was safe to continue. Gritting his teeth, Yulen tried to attune his own senses to their surroundings. Atty had always told him that fighting the Bloods was much like fighting Mutah because they were also Mutah, but more advanced. Although their bodies were more grossly mutated, so were their senses, almost to the point of seeming impossible. He believed the Bloods could detect them with greater accuracy and from greater distances than the Mutah could, which was his biggest reason for bringing the hunter warriors with him. Without Balinkar and the others, he knew they wouldn’t stand a chance. Yes, Fortune was Mutah, but their odds were better with four Mutah in their ranks instead of one.
Rather than circle around to the south before heading east toward Fullmont, they went north until they could turn eastward. It meant taking a longer route to the Mutah compound, but they couldn’t take the chance of stumbling into the horde of Bloods which had attacked from the south. On the positive side, however, Fullmont was a few short hours away by horse. By following the chain of smaller compounds, they would be able to take advantage of each one’s protection. Otherwise, they would be perilously vulnerable if they tried to make it all the way from Wallis to Foster City by remaining out in the open.
But there was also the possibility that Bloods had converged on those compounds as well. Or that they were being kept under watch, same as Wallis. Or worse, that one or more of them could already be in the hands of the enemy. Still, Yulen felt they had no other choice. It was a chance they had to take.
Dawn was on the verge of breaking when they came to a small clearing. Balinkar threw up a fist. Yulen froze, his eyes glued on the Mutah warrior as he strained his ears. After a few tense moments, the man nodded and signaled for them to continue forward. The Battle Lord had lost track of time, but he knew they had been moving east southeast for a while. His Palomino stallion shook its head, weary of being forced to have its eyes covered. A couple of times it balked, not wanting to continue, but Yulen managed to soothe it and convince it otherwise.
They went another few hundred meters when Balinkar paused again, but this time he turned around to face them. Motioning for Malso, he waited for the man to make his way to the front of the line, then whispered something to the Mutah warrior. Malso nodded and pushed ahead of them, disappearing into the scrub brush.
Yulen tied the reins around his saddle horn, then went over to where the man continued to stare out into the distance. Balinkar spoke before he had the chance to say a word.
“We’re within shouting distance of Fullmont.”
Yulen frowned. He immediately understood the man’s reticence. If they were within being sighted by the guards, they should have been given a challenge. A sentry should have called out to them, demanding they identify themselves. Failure to do so, or failing to convince the guard of their identity, would instantly be answered by a hail of arrows in defense.
“Are you thinking Bloods may have overcome the compound?”
Balinkar gave a slight shrug but didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. It was exactly what Yulen was thinking. Mastin and the others moved up to join them. Yulen held up a hand for silence as they waited for the warrior to return.
Minutes crawled by. Yulen tilted his head in Balinkar’s direction to ask what the man would suggest they do if Malso didn’t return when the hunter unexpectedly reappeared. He was out of breath, his face sweaty in spite of the cold. They gave him the chance to compose himself.
“The guards are there, but no one challenged me,” he finally managed to tell them.
“Did you call up?” Yulen questioned.
Malso shook his head. “No, but they saw me. They watched me circle halfway around the compound before I slipped back into the woods to return.”
It was a wise move, going back into the trees instead of backtracking. It would leave the guards unsure as to which direction the rest of Malso’s squad was located if they believed there were others lying in wait.
“No challenge?” Mastin turned to Yulen. “Is the compound still under Mutah control?”
Yulen raised an eyebrow at Malso, transferring the question over to him. Malso raised his hands, unsure.
“So what do we do now?” Renken asked.
“Maybe the compound is just not taking anyone in. Not Mutah or Normal,” Del Ray suggested.
Fortune pooh-poohed the idea. “Mutah never turn their backs on fellow Mutah.”
“Maybe they thought he was a Blood,” the lieutenant remarked.
Malso grimaced. “It’s possible. But if they did, why didn’t they fire on me?”
“He’s got a point,” Renken pointed out. “If you see an enemy scout, you don’t let them check out the place and then slip back into the woods to report to his commanders what he found. You kill him outright.”
“Exactly,” Yulen agreed. “It’s both common sense and basic military procedure.”
“What do we do next?” Mastin inquired, glancing from Yulen to Balinkar and back.
Rubbing his chin, Yulen turned to Fortune, who was keeping watch on their surroundings. From the man’s demeanor, he could tell the Mutah hunter was bothered by something. “Fortune? What are you thinking?”
“That it ain’t good either way.” The man faced them. “My gut tells me to avoid this place, but I can’t explain why. But we can’t stay out here. Not out in broad d
aylight. So do we take the chance and try to enter the compound?”
“Do we have a choice?”
“Fullmont doesn’t fly your banner,” Del Ray pointed out.
“No, but under the treaty we’ve made with Wallis and West Crestin, we should be granted access and welcomed at any and all Mutah compounds.” The Battle Lord rubbed his stubble again. “Well, Fortune’s right about one thing. We can’t stay out here. I say we take our chances and try to gain entry into the compound. But we stay close. Don’t let them divide us up in case they’re planning something. We give ourselves a few hours to rest, then we head out again. Barkertonville is next in line, right?”
Malso bobbed his head. “Right. Twenty-one miles southeast from here.”
“Do you want me to approach the main gates?” Balinkar asked.
“No. I will.”
They remained in single file as they approached the compound’s wall. Although Yulen had never personally been to this fortress, he knew they would be aware of him.
The first thing he noticed was that the walls had been buttressed in the same manner he’d had Wallis shore up their walls. There were also more sentry stations. In addition, the forest had been cleared a good twenty meters away from the compound, to prevent anyone from using the trees as an entry point. In the past, Mutah compounds relied on camouflage, on blending into the forest where no one would see them until they literally walked into the walls. It had taken Yulen several earnest arguments to convince them that the sounds and smells emanating from within would draw unwanted animals and enemies to them, thus negating the camouflage tactic. That was how he and other Normals had been able to find them.
“Every suggestion you made for us was relayed to the other compounds,” Balinkar commented as Yulen perused the upgrades.
The Battle Lord approved what he saw. “They’ve done a good job. All right. Everyone stay back until I give the signal.”
“Take care,” Mastin whispered. When Yulen glanced back at him in surprise, his second shrugged. “I promised Atty I’d get your butt safely to Alta Novis.”
Yulen stifled a chuckle. It sounded exactly like something she’d make the second do. Handing the reins to his horse to the man, Yulen tightened his grip on his sword and walked out into the open area.
He kept parallel to the wall as he walked the circumference, aiming for the front gate. He knew he was being watched. Whether or not they recognized him, he couldn’t tell. Neither, as Malso had claimed, did anyone challenge him.
When he reached the large, wooden set of doors, he turned and faced them directly. The lanterns suspended along the top of the wall cast a pale gleam onto the ground, but he knew they could see him clearly enough in the early morning sunlight.
“Ho! Fullmont!”
He caught movement along the parapet. A minute passed, then two, but no one answered. Moving several steps closer, he called out again.
“Ho! Fullmont!”
There came a creak, then one of the doors moved slightly. Enough for a single figure to slip through to approach him.
Yulen kept his sword pointed downward, but he didn’t sheathe it. He needed to give the impression that he would defend himself if the occasion warranted, but he wasn’t going to present himself as being fully trusting by putting away his weapon.
As the figure drew closer, he was surprised to discover it wasn’t a councilman coming to greet him. It was a warrior. A large man covered in large scaly patches and carrying a mace. Yulen eyed the man’s reach and realized that, even with his arm and weapon, the guy had a good foot on him in length.
The Mutah finally stopped a few meters away and hefted his spiked club. “What say you?”
“Who are you? What do they call you?”
The man squinted at Yulen. Apparently it wasn’t what he’d expected to hear.
“Tevel.”
“Tevel, do you know who I am?”
The man frowned. “You are the Battle Lord called D’Jacques.”
Yulen nodded. “Yes, I am.”
Tevel switched the mace to the other hand. “Go away. You’re not wanted here.”
Yulen refused to dance around the issue and got straight to the point. “I evoke the Three Laws of Equality.”
The Mutah’s mouth dropped open. He hesitated, then glanced over his shoulder as if looking for instructions from someone still within the compound.
Dismissing him, Yulen raised his voice for everyone on the wall to hear. “I evoke the Three Laws of Equality!”
There was no delay in the door creaking again. This time a woman strode purposefully toward them. She carried no weapon as far as he could tell. She stopped next to Tevel to glare at the Battle Lord. Her four-inch tusks glistened in the sun.
“You know we cannot turn down anyone who declares the Three Laws, D’Jacques, but I’m afraid we must in this case.”
Yulen felt his hackles rise but kept his voice calm. “Why? I have the right.”
“You’re not Mutah,” the woman snapped.
“Then I evoke the Three Laws.” Balinkar moved up from behind Yulen. Taking a stance next to the Battle Lord, he raised his scimitar to where the blade reflected the lantern fire back into Tevel and the woman’s faces. “And I am Mutah.” It was clearly a challenge.
Tevel glanced again at the woman, as if silently seeking guidance. The woman appeared uneasy. Her apprehension was not lost on Balinkar.
“What’s the holdup, Parilla? Why aren’t you allowing us inside? Isn’t my word good enough?”
An odd expression crossed the woman’s face. For some reason it set Yulen on edge, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. After exchanging glances again with the hulking Mutah standing beside her, she gave a brisk nod, turned around, and led the way into the compound.
Chapter 12
Mink
As soon as they entered the compound, Yulen’s uneasiness expanded into full-blown alarm. Although nothing may have appeared to be off-kilter to the untrained eye, to him nothing appeared right. He also noticed that neither Balinkar nor Malso sheathed their weapons, which told him they also sensed something was dangerously wrong.
The woman named Parilla continued to lead them toward the center of the small compound. Like Wallis, there was an outer ring of apartments, with an inner ring of markets and stores. He glanced upward at the rooftops to see if there were any guards posted there. He spotted several forms standing in the shadows.
Then one of them moved. Sideways. Crab-like. And remained crouching with legs akimbo.
Alarm bells went off in his head. Halting in his tracks, he whirled around to check behind them. The big double doors had been shut, but now a line of hunter warriors stood in front of them, their swords and pikes drawn and at-ready.
“Balinkar.” He turned to address the Mutah warrior, when he went completely still, stunned by what he faced.
A full phalanx of Bloods had emerged from where they’d been hiding inside the shops. He studied the creatures as they slowly got into position to completely surround the newcomers. As he’d observed in the past, they appeared to be a ragtag group, wearing ragged and crudely-stitched clothing. But unlike those he’d fought in the past, these creatures were armed with swords and lances, pikes, clubs, and long knives. Not with rocks and broken tree limbs.
Or a bow and arrow. Yulen tucked that little bit of knowledge into the back of his mind. Using a bow required skill. And although using a sword also required practice and ability, anyone with enough strength could cause untold carnage simply by swinging it about, unlike a bow where accuracy was paramount to create any sort of damage.
Subconsciously adjusting his grip on his sword, Yulen cast a glance at Mastin. Like him, the second held onto his weapon with one hand, not with both. The moment they took their swords in both hands, the Bloods would take it as an overt threat and attack.
But what he was seeing, the behavior he was witnessing, was nothing like the way Bloods had acted in the past. This posturing, this deliberate taking
of a stance, was a complete antithesis to the way the creatures had behaved in all the years Yulen had been fighting them. These beings attacked without forethought or provocation. They attacked in small groups and in large masses, and rarely if ever retreated unless their prey was no longer within their reach. By changing their own rules, the Bloods had become more dangerous than ever. And right now this situation had gone from troubling to extremely perilous.
The line of Bloods parted, giving way for someone in a billowy blue robe. It was a woman, short and robust, with nearly translucent hair, making it difficult to tell its true color. She came toward them in a slow, seemingly undulating fashion, as if she had no legs, but instead was formless beneath the robe to where she was forced to ooze over the ground. Yulen checked the other men standing with him, and they all wore the same curious but wary looks on their faces. As for the residents of Fullmont, they were nowhere to be seen. It left him wondering if they were in hiding, or incarcerated. Or alive.
The woman stopped several meters from them and eyed each man, as if to size them up. When she finally spoke, it was with a deep yet authoritative tone.
“Which of you is D’Jacques?”
Mastin automatically started to step forward, but Yulen threw a hand out to stop him.
“I am Yulen D’Jacques, Battle Lord of Alta Novis, New Bearinger, Wallis, West Crestin, and Rocky Gorge. Who are you?” He dispensed with the niceties and decided to cut straight to the point.
The woman responded with a smile. “I am Mink. I am the Supreme Leader of the New People.”
Yulen snorted. “Is that what you call yourselves now? The New People?”
“It’s what we’ve always called ourselves. You’ve just never made the effort to find out.”
She waved a hand, and a dozen beings surged forward. The pretense of civility was over. Throwing down his reins, he and the others raised weapons with both hands. Their actions caused Mink to make a phlegmy, rasping sound, which Yulen believed was laughter.
“It won’t do you any good to resist,” she advised. “It’ll only bring about your deaths that much quicker. Give them your weapons and be done with it.”