by Linda Mooney
She glanced over to where a guard stood beside the side doorway which opened out into the wide expanse of cleared ground surrounding the outer walls. “I’m sensing in the direction toward Alta Novis, but I’m not so sure—”
Pain sliced through her with burning agony. Atty cried out, unable to keep herself from falling as she fought to remain conscious. Darkness fogged her vision as her knees gave way. There was a hard jerk on her arm when the reins she still clutched stopped her descent to the ground, but her mind was not aware of her physical reaction.
More pain, sharp, knifing, went through her. She moan as she waited for more to come. She didn’t have to wait long. When it struck her again across her back and bare buttocks, she threw back her head and screamed.
Arms wrapped around her. Voices filled with concern spoke to her, yelled at her. Hands shook her. It wasn’t until Mistelle’s wails filtered through the layers of anguish that she managed to reemerge into the present. Someone held her up as the reins were unwrapped from around her wrist, then she was gently sat onto the ground.
“Atty! Atty!”
She wrapped her arms around her daughter and buried her face in Mistelle’s sweet warmth. In her baby scent. In the total innocence squirming in her embrace.
“Atty!” Paxton tried to shake her shoulder. “Atty, speak to me!”
Shakily, she finally managed to hold up a hand, signaling for a moment or two to steady herself.
She wiped her face and eyes on the baby’s blanket, but her emotions remained attuned to wherever her husband was. To the torture he was enduring. It had felt so real, she wouldn’t be surprised if she bore superficial marks on her body.
Clutching Mistelle closer to her, she opened herself again and tried to send Yulen whatever comfort she could, however small. I’m here, my beloved. I’m here, but not for long. I’m coming for you. Just hold on. Keep fighting. Stay alive, Yulen! Stay alive!
Chapter 20
Code
Yulen and Mastin were dragged back to the hunters’ lodge and thrown onto the floor. The others remained silent as they waited for the two men to let them know what had happened while they were away. They could tell something traumatic had occurred, and gave the two men time to recover.
Although his arms were completely numb from the ropes, Yulen managed to wriggle over to where his second remained lying on his side and placed his face next to Mastin’s. “How are you doing?”
The man tried to chuckle but failed. He was still too shaken from his near-decapitation. “I will never complain about four A.M. surprise inspections again.”
A spear suddenly rammed into the floor between them, narrowly missing slicing Yulen’s nose. Obviously, the Bloods didn’t want their prisoners colluding where they couldn’t be heard.
Rolling onto his back, the Battle Lord managed to hoist himself up into a sitting position. The creature pulled his weapon from the ground and stepped back into place. The room was still ringed with Bloods guards, all of them intently watching their prisoners. Listening to their conversation. All the while fingering and gripping their weapons with agitation, as if anxious to have any excuse to use them.
Yulen glanced around the small circle of his men before lowering his eyes. “The news is this. Mink wants Alta Novis and all compounds under my flag. She claims to have insurgents inside every Normal and Mutah compound as far south as New Bearinger. They’re waiting for her signal to slaughter those in command and assume control of those fortresses.”
“Why do they need a signal?” Batuset asked. “Why not take them now if they’re ready?”
“She wants me to voluntarily hand over my control in front of witnesses.”
“It sounds like she—” Del Ray abruptly closed his mouth and cast a side eye to the Bloods standing nearly. It wasn’t safe to talk, but they had to. They had to discuss their options. They had to find a way out of this situation, but Mink had placed invisible gags on them all.
Or has she?
Yulen looked to Batuset. “How do you think the Battle Lord of Foster City will react if he finds out his compound has been invaded with moles?”
Batuset frowned at him to where Yulen could almost see the wheels turning inside the man’s head. “How do I think?” he repeated.
“Yeah. Once he finds out, do you think he’ll send his soldiers to search for the Bloods?”
A light seemed to go off, and Batuset swallowed his smile. “Yeah. He would. If he’s any kind of half-ass decent battle lord, he would.”
“How?”
Batuset gave a little shrug. “He’d probably round up all newcomers and vet them.”
“How far back?” Fortune inquired. He lifted an eyebrow in Yulen’s direction, letting the Battle Lord know he was in on his strategy.
“How far back what?”
“How far back would he vet those newcomers?”
Batuset pondered on the question. “Good question,” he finally confessed. “I mean, they’re Bloods. There’s no telling how long those Bloods have been infiltrating the compound.”
The man was making it clear his thoughts were on the same trail as Yulen’s. The only way to find who was and wasn’t a Blood, and do it swiftly and efficiently, was through their blood. Normals and Mutah had red blood, but the stuff running through the veins of a Blood was darkish, almost brown or black. Sometimes a deep green or purplish. But it wasn’t reddish. The only true way to distinguish a Blood from a Mutah was to cut them.
“Yulen.”
He turned to see Renken examining the creatures that surrounded them. The ex-mercenary motioned at them. “Those guards appeared to be well-armed. I wonder who’s been training them.”
The Battle Lord scanned the room. It was immediately obvious the guards weren’t well-acquainted with their weapons. Some were fiddling with them. Others were holding them in ways a seasoned soldier wouldn’t. It was clear the Bloods weren’t capable of any direct or sustained hand-to-hand fighting if it came down to it.
“I don’t know,” Yulen replied. “But whoever’s working with them knows his stuff.”
His father had taught him the three rules of subversion when face-to-face with the enemy:
Praise the enemy’s supposed strengths.
Sound doubtful that your own strengths may not be equivalent.
When speaking in code, emphasize the clue words.
So far, Yulen was holding three small aces. Mink didn’t realize she already had the Battle Lord of Foster City in her grasp. Neither did she know Fortune was Mutah because he didn’t overtly show his mark. The long tail he’d been born with had been chopped off when Yulen’s half-brother had tried to overtake Alta Novis.
But the third ace was one no one else knew about…until now.
“Makes me wonder if Atty could get some pointers.”
Every man’s eyes widened slightly. It was Mastin who asked the next question.
“Think she might learn a thing or two?”
Yulen slowly nodded. “She would.”
Renken let out a noisy breath. “I wonder how long before nightfall?”
They now knew Atty was coming for them. Had they been out of earshot, they would be bombarding him with questions, but at this point he wasn’t able to give them anything else other than what he felt.
Yulen glanced upward as if he could see outside. There were no windows in the lodge. Neither was there any heat, although the close confines of the small lodge, and rank odor coming from the Bloods, was making for a suffocating atmosphere. They had yet to be offered anything to drink or eat, and he doubted they would. At least not until the next day.
“I wonder...” Mastin cleared his throat. “I wonder what Atty is doing at this moment.”
“Probably enjoying the fresh air and a beautiful morning.”
They caught his hint that she wasn’t too far away. Like him, their only other question was how many men she was bringing with her. But did she know she was walking into a trap? Or was she heading directly for Alta Novis a
nd bypassing Fullmont altogether?
Atty, if you can hear me, if you can sense me, please be aware of our circumstances. Come to Fullmont. The person leading the Bloods is a female, and I wouldn’t put it past her to put someone in her place to throw you off guard.
He didn’t want Atty in the middle of all this, but he no longer had that option. He knew from the moment he’d tried to save Mastin’s life, and nearly lost his own, that Atty had become aware of his situation. And there was nothing he could do to prevent her from coming for him.
Take care, Atty. Take great ca—
He was grabbed by the arms and hauled to his feet. He heard his men yell in protest as two Bloods carried him back outside. At first he thought they were taking him to Mink again when they stopped in the middle of the square. Throwing him down, both Bloods pressed the tips their spears in the back of his neck where a single thrust would slice through his vertebrae and decapitate him.
It didn’t take long for Mink to arrive. She never spoke to him, but several hands started ripping his clothing from him, shredding his tunic and pants. Knives sliced through his beaded weapons belt, and more hands jerked his boots off his feet, discovering the small blade hidden there. Once they'd stripped him naked, they stepped aside, but the spear points remained at the nape of his neck.
The cold quickly inundated him like a freezing blanket. Unable to move or turn his head, Yulen waited for what would come next. He didn’t have long to wait before the hem of Mink’s robes came into view.
“If you’re thinking of ways to overthrow me, Battle Lord D’Jacques, let this be a little lesson to you. And in the future, if I receive word that you may be discussing how to overthrow me, remember this moment, because the next time I’ll do this to one of your men, and I will not stop until there is nothing left but shredded meat pooling in blood on the ground.”
The robes left his field of vision, to be replaced with the sight of several thin leather strips. At the end of each strip was a rusted sliver of blood-stained iron. Yulen barely had time to steel himself when the whip was lifted.
And when it came down across his back and buttocks, the pain was indescribable.
Chapter 21
Plan
“Atty.” Paxton’s face loomed in front of her. “Atty, what are you sensing? It’s Yulen, isn’t it?”
She slowly nodded. “Yes.” Her voice came out in a croak. Clearing her throat, she held out a hand. Her second grabbed it and hauled her to her feet.
Mistelle moved inside her carrier and whimpered. Lifting the babe out of the bag, Atty cuddled and soothed the infant, rocking her daughter as she finally faced the man. “We need to go, and go now.”
“Are you sure?” His eyes checked her out from head to toe.
“Yeah. Let’s head out. We have to go now. I’ll explain later.”
He held the mare’s head as she swung into the saddle and moved up to where the others were waiting. By the time she joined them, she had managed to compose herself. A quick check of those armed and ready revealed she was the only Mutah in the battalion. Apparently her second had chosen to leave the warriors behind to continue fortifying Wallis.
“We head east toward Fullmont. We’re going to move fast. I don’t know if we’ll stop there once we arrive. It depends on what I discover when we reach the compound, so keep your eyes peeled on our surroundings. I also don’t know if we’ll encounter any Bloods. If we do, my orders are to defend yourselves at all cost. Don’t wait for me to signal the attack.”
The soldiers didn’t question on how she would discover if anything was amiss. These were seasoned men who had ridden with the Battle Lord and Lady in the past, and knew well that some things could not be explained.
She glanced over at Paas. When the woman told her she was going to accompany them to rescue the Battle Lord, Atty couldn’t refuse her. The warrior woman gave a barely perceptible nod of her head to show she had Atty’s back, and inwardly Atty smiled.
Giving them the signal, she exited through the gate, followed by Paxton and Paas, then the rest of the soldiers. Atty set off at a lope so as not to tire the horses too quickly. They had a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time to do it in.
They stopped only once to give the horses a break and to water them. Fortunately, the day was turning out to be beautiful—cold but windless, and without any threat of snow as far as she could sense. The riding kept them warm, and Mistelle slept blissfully. Atty knew having the baby with her posed an additional hazard. If the child awakened and cried, the noise could lure Bloods to them. But after the regret she’d felt when she’d sent Mattox away to save him, she’d sworn to herself that she’d never voluntarily part with her infant daughter.
As they neared the cutoff to Fullmont, Atty signaled for a halt. So far they hadn’t seen any Bloods, but the tingling sensation coating her skin as though she had walked into a cloud of gnats never abated.
Paxton moved up next to her and waited for orders. “Are you sensing anything?”
“Constantly.”
“What about Yulen?”
She opened her mouth to reply, then realized she couldn’t. Since his torture, he’d been silent. More likely unconscious. She couldn’t feel him, but she knew he was still alive. Damaged, but alive. Ghosts of what he’d endured continued to haunt her.
“Do we go in?”
“Yes. We must.” She turned to him. “Either he’s here, or he’s been here. We won’t know until we get inside.”
A shudder went through her. Her sixth sense was throwing up red flags. Worse, her stomach was roiling, leaving her nauseous. Atty gestured ahead.
“There are Bloods up ahead.”
“Surrounding the compound?”
“Or inside it.”
Paxton’s eyes widened in alarm. “How do you want to handle this?”
She noticed him staring at her hair. At the same time, both a warning thought and an idea came to her. “Go get Paas.”
Her second gave a quick nod, turned his mount around, and trotted off to fetch the woman. By the time they returned, Atty had tucked her hair underneath her cap, hiding its unique color.
“I have a favor to ask, but it could be dangerous.”
“What is it?” Paas showed no hesitation.
Atty pointed to the forest ahead of them. “We’re nearing Fullmont. It’s a Mutah compound, but I’m sensing something is very wrong.”
Paas’ eyebrows rose. “Bloods?”
“I can’t say for certain, but I can’t disregard this feeling, either.”
“How do I play in?”
Atty faced her full-on. “I need you to be me.”
A lopsided grin came over the warrior woman’s face. “Run that by me again? You want me to be you?”
“The Mutah inside will assume you are one of them. You’ve already discovered that. You’re also carrying a bow and quiver. All you need to do is convince them you’re me. I promise I will protect you.”
“I’m not worried about that. I know you’ll keep me under guard. But why the deception?”
“If Yulen’s in there, there’s a good chance they know about me. And they might know about our connection. At this point, I can’t dismiss anything.”
“But why do you want Paas to substitute for you?” Paxton questioned, still unsure.
“If Bloods have taken over the compound, and they think she’s the Battle Lady, I’m hoping they’ll show their hand. If they try to go for Paas, that’ll give me enough time to take action.”
“Do you think they tortured Yulen to bring you here?” Paxton asked.
“They might have. Again, I’m not disregarding any possibility. We must remain open to any and every scenario.”
“All right. Let’s say we announce ourselves and they let us inside. Won’t some people know I’m not you?”
“That could happen, but I’m thinking…” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m thinking that if there are Bloods inside, then they’ve taken the townspeople pr
isoners. If one of the Mutah realizes you’re not the real Atty, they may not sound out.”
“Because you may be their only hope of defeating the Bloods and freeing them,” Paxton surmised.
Paas glanced at the carrier strapped to Atty’s belly. “What about the little one?”
“I have a plan.” Dismounting, Atty reached inside where her daughter was already stirring and removed the infant from the carrier. The baby whimpered when the cold wind hit her, but she didn’t cry out. Quickly, Atty placed a clean nappie on her before re-wrapping her in her blanket and giving her a breast to nurse. “As soon as Mistelle is fed, we can approach. She’ll be clean, and full, and warm, and hopefully she’ll fall back asleep. Warren, fetch me a blanket to throw around my shoulders.”
“To disguise the carrier?”
“And to further disguise the fact that I’m female. We must make the compound believe Paas is me, and is the only female leading this troop of Normals. It will add more credence to her being the Battle Lady.”
“And then what? Let’s say they let us inside. What happens next?”
“Once we’re inside, I’ll know whether or not Yulen and the others are there.”
“And if they are?” Paxton queried.
Atty managed to smile. “Then we’ll get them out.”
“But what if the Bloods are in there?” Paas appeared worried but also eager for a fight.
“Then we’ll take them out,” Atty answered. “Wherever we find Bloods, we take them out.”
“All right. Last question.” Paxton looked back to where their men were patiently waiting. “If Yulen and the others aren’t there, do we go on to the next compound?”
Atty shrugged. “I don’t know. All I do know is that we’ll eventually return to Alta Novis.”
“Will we go back to Wallis and get the rest of your army before we continue on?” Paas adjusted her weapons to where she could reach them at a moment’s notice.
“I don’t know if we will,” Atty admitted. “It depends on what happens inside that compound.”