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

by Linda Mooney

  “Do it!” Madigan ordered the townspeople. “Do it! If you will not accept the fact that Yulen turned this compound over to her, then take my word for it!” Taking the steps back down to the ground, she proceeded over to the Blood leader, halting a few feet away. There, she bowed her head and made a deep curtsy, taking a knee before the woman. “Please, Your Most Holy One, grant leniency to my son and husband.”

  Mink chuckled. “I can use an obedient servant such as yourself. What are you called?”

  Without lifting her face, Madigan answered. “I am Madigan D’Jacques MaGrath.”

  Mink reacted in surprise. “D’Jacques?”

  Madigan nodded. “Yulen D’Jacques is my son.”

  “And this doctor is now your husband?”

  “Yes…Your Most Holy One.”

  Looking very smug, Mink gave a signal to the guards surrounding the physician, who immediately withdrew their spears. MaGrath slumped to the steps with a groan. Madigan rushed to her husband, embracing him protectively as she kept her face averted from Mink. MaGrath saw the burning anger in his wife’s eyes, and they both knew that if Mink saw it, it might cause more harm to him.

  Neither would he forget the sight of every person in Alta Novis slowly moving forward in line to bow before Mink as they pledged themselves to her.

  Chapter 32

  Access

  As the townspeople slowly made their way back to their homes, Mink allowed Madigan to help her husband over to the clinic to clean and bandage his wounds. Peeling off his coat and shirt, he took care of the punctures around his chest, stomach, and sides while Madigan bathed the ones to his back.

  “They don’t look deep,” she remarked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he told her. “It’s not the depth that worries me. It’s the infection I could get from those weapons. Where’s Iain?”

  “I left him with Berta in the kitchen.”

  MaGrath tried to chuckle. “Oh, great. That woman and her helpers spoil him rotten. Ouch!” He hissed in pain as Madigan pressed too hard on one wound.

  “Sorry, but you said to be sure and clean well around the incision. Liam, do you think Mink is going to spare Yulen?”

  “I’m hoping she lets him live long enough for us to discover what’s happened to Atty and the rest of his troops. If we’re very lucky, she’ll let him live just so she can taunt us with torturing him. Or use him to keep us obedient to her. Are you done back there?”

  “Done.” Madigan took the bloody rags and bowl of water, returning them to the side cabinet as MaGrath wrapped himself with bandages. She then helped him with the final windings around his upper back and underneath his armpits, tying the ends. Laying a hand on his shoulder, she placed a kiss to his bare skin. “Liam, do you think there’s a chance Yulen could rouse his soldiers here in the compound to overcome Mink and her troops?” She kept her voice low and spoke close to his ear, even though they were alone inside the clinic.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know how bad a shape he’s in.”

  “But if he could, there are enough of our men to take down Mink’s.”

  “I agree, but I worry about the townspeople. I worry that Mink could order her Bloods to start slaughtering innocent people. If she does, it could be enough to force our soldiers to surrender.”

  “Remember when Rafe tried to take down this compound, they took it out on the townsfolk, but he didn’t prevail. He didn’t win.”

  “But Yulen wasn’t Rafe’s prisoner.”

  “No. Atty was.”

  He narrowed his eyes at his wife. “What are you trying to say, woman?”

  “I’m saying that maybe we could get our soldiers to create enough of a diversion so that Yulen can escape the compound, and then direct the attack from a safe location.”

  “What if Yulen’s too weak or too sick to lead the attack?” MaGrath asked her. Deep inside, he already knew what she would say.

  And she did.

  “Then I’ll lead them. You will take Iain and Mattox from here where Mink can’t reach us, and I’ll call for our soldiers to rebel.”

  A soft knock came from the rear door. Knowing that Mink’s men wouldn’t be as cautious, Madigan went over to open it. Berta stood with a small tray of food inside the narrow hallway which led to the main dining hall. “I saw what happened out there,” the portly woman told them. “I thought you could use a little something to eat to help keep your strength up.”

  Madigan gestured for her to enter, closing the door behind her. The housekeeper took the tray over to the counter and set it down next to the bloody rags.

  “Thanks, Berta. How’s Iain doing?”

  “He’s on his third sweet roll but he’s behaving so we can get our work done. Do you want me to bring him back?”

  “No. Not yet. Now that that woman knows who I am, by letting her know we have a son, and Yulen has a half-brother, she could try to take him from us and use him against us,” Madigan told her.

  “In that case, the girls and I will keep him safe and occupied until you come for him,” Berta promised.

  MaGrath addressed his wife. “Where did you say Mattox was?”

  “Tory has him. He was getting restless, so she promised she’d show him how to make dried flower pictures.”

  The doctor paused to recollect. “Maddie, I saw Tory in the gathering outside. She didn’t have Mattox with her.”

  “Maybe she had someone else watch him.” It was a lame excuse. They both knew it, but at the moment neither of them were capable of going out to retrieve their grandson. And the last thing they wanted was to bring the child to Mink’s attention.

  “Oh, dear God.” Madigan raised a hand to her mouth as her face paled. “Liam, what if he sees someone’s at the lodge, and he goes to investigate it? What if he tries to confront that woman and tells her who he is?”

  Taking his wife’s hand, he gave it a squeeze. “The people of this compound will help protect him.”

  “I’ll get word out to be on the lookout for him,” Berta promised. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

  “Where can he be? Why hasn’t he come back to the clinic?” Madigan clasped her hands with worry.

  MaGrath tried to keep her spirits up. “You know as well as I do that Mattox has had free rein of this compound since he was old enough to walk. Atty always knew where he was, and the soldiers helped Yulen keep an eye on him. We know when he gets hungry, he’ll go to the kitchen.”

  “Speaking of, I need to get back there and supervise dinner. He’s probably already there, begging for a sweet bun. When I send someone to fetch the tray, I’ll have them tell you what I’ve learned.” She cast her eyes between them. “If he shows up, what do you want me to do? Bring him back here?”

  “No,” MaGrath quickly told her. “Take him back to Tory. Since she’s Mutah, Mink’s people will easily believe she’s his mother. We can’t let Mink know he’s Yulen and Atty’s son.”

  After Berta left, they took the opportunity to eat, speaking little, the both of them lost in their own thoughts and worries as it grew late in the day. When they were done, they retired to their chambers in the rear. MaGrath went into the bedroom to put on a clean shirt before joining her in the small parlor. There they waited.

  Shortly after dark, there was another knock, but this one was much more forceful, and it came from the direction of the clinic’s front door. MaGrath got up from his chair and went to answer it. One of Mink’s guards stood there. The Blood glared at MaGrath, then glanced over his shoulder. The doctor could sense his wife coming up behind him. The guard dismissed her, and his next words explained why.

  “Her Most Holy wishes to see you.” The guard was sent for him, not Madigan.

  “Maddie, fetch me a jacket, would you, please?”

  His wife hurried into an adjacent room where his office was located and retrieved one, bringing it back to him as he reached for his satchel. The guard refused to wait for him to put it on, grabbing him by the arm and shoving him out of the build
ing. MaGrath stumbled but managed to keep from falling, and proceeded over to the lodge. A freezing gust of wind hit him outside, but fortunately they didn’t have far to go. As they crossed the yard, he also noticed how empty the compound appeared, as if it had been abandoned. Everyone had taken refuge inside their own homes.

  The guard at the door opened it as soon as he spotted MaGrath, ushering the doctor inside. Lit by a single lantern sitting nearby on the floor, the lodge was sweltering with heat. A cloud of smoke also filled the downstairs, making MaGrath wonder if the fireplace’s damper was closed. Mink was back in her chair. The young girl he’d seen tending the fire earlier was crouched over in the far corner of the room, almost obscured.

  MaGrath paused once he entered and bowed his head. He was unable to bow from the waist as he’d done earlier because of his wounds, but he hoped Mink wouldn’t fault him for that slight. “Do I have Your Most Holy’s permission to redress?”

  Mink answered with a wave of her hand. He hurried to put on his jacket. When he was done buttoning it up, he remained where he stood and waited.

  “I have given thought to your request to tend to the Battle Lord D’Jacques. After witnessing how loyal these people are to the man, I have decided to grant you access to him.”

  MaGrath felt his heart leap inside his chest. Lowering his face, he murmured his thanks.

  “Eekok will take you there and observe all that you do. If he reports back to me of any conspiracy, I will order the Battle Lord be killed, and his remains divided up and put on display throughout this compound. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Your Most Holy.”

  “When you are finished, you will come back here and let me know what you have learned.”

  “I will. Your Most Holy, what if there are medicants I need to treat him?”

  “You may retrieve them when you return.”

  You may retrieve them. That implied a possible second visit.

  Steeling himself, MaGrath put forth one more question. “Your Most Holy, will I also be allowed to tend to the men in his company?”

  “They are of no consequence,” Mink replied dismissively.

  “On the contrary, Your Most Holy. If you keep them alive, they can be used as leverage to keep the Battle Lord in check.”

  Mink let out a laugh that sounded too much like blades clashing, iron screeching across iron. “I have no need for the others, but I will allow you to tend to them. Now go. Be back within the hour.” She was giving him permission because he amused her. Because she was reveling in his groveling. As long as he continued to obey her without question and keep her entertained, she would give him what he wanted.

  “Thank you, Your Most Holy.”

  She gestured to the guard, who opened the door. MaGrath exited the lodge where a third, different guard was waiting and carrying a lantern. As soon as the physician noticed they were heading for the far southeast corner of the compound, he immediately knew where Yulen and the others were being held. Another guard kept watch over the underground entrance to the dungeon. MaGrath silently followed the Blood in front of him as they took the narrow steps down into the dark hole.

  It had been years since MaGrath had been inside these cells, but he remembered their simple layout. Three rooms on the left and three on the right, all barricaded with thick, heavy wooden doors. There was also one larger cell at the far end, facing the walkway. It was there the guard stopped, put down the lantern to open the door, and motioned for MaGrath to go inside. Taking the lantern, the physician slowly crept into the room where the smell of filth and death permeated the air. He held up the light, but was unable to individually discern the shadows huddled in the far left corner.

  “Yulen? Cole? Who all is in here?”

  He detected a stirring from the far corner, and a weak voice whispered, “Doc?”

  Whirling around, MaGrath gave a sharp command to the guard. “I want several fresh bowls of warm water and towels brought here immediately from the kitchen.”

  “Her Most Holy has not said you could have those items—”

  Stepping up to the Blood, MaGrath got nose to nose with the creature, and didn’t try to disguise his anger. “You will go send word for those items now, or else I will inform Her Most Holy that I heard you ridicule her behind her back.”

  The guard gasped. “I did not!”

  “Who do you think she’s going to believe, since she gave me permission to tend to these men? Now get your scrawny ass outside and go do as I told you! And bring another lantern when you come back!”

  The guard hesitated for only a second, then turned and left, but not before closing the door and firmly locking it behind him.

  Chapter 33

  Rescue

  MaGrath made his way over to the far corner, holding his lantern up to where he could get a better look at the men huddled in a tight ball. The first set of eyes he met were set in a stricken face. A face masked in hunger and suffering.

  “Cole?”

  A couple more bodies shifted, moved, rolled over. MaGrath recognized the rest of the men he’d briefly seen in the dining hall. All except for…

  “Where’s Yulen?”

  Garet Renken struggled to sit up. “Here. He’s in bad shape, Doc.”

  The men parted enough to where he could get down next to the Battle Lord. It didn’t take a medical eye to realize how close to death the man was.

  “We been trying to keep him warm,” Mastin told him.

  “I can see that. Your body heat may have prevented him from freezing to death.” The physician leaned over as he checked Yulen’s pulse and breathing. Reaching inside his satchel, he withdrew several vials, one of which he uncorked. “Fortune, tilt his head up a little. I need to pour this inside him.”

  He managed to get the stimulant down Yulen’s throat, but the Battle Lord remained unresponsive. A quick examination of the man’s hands and feet showed signs of frostbite. MaGrath prayed Yulen wouldn’t lose any digits because of it, but he couldn’t remain optimistic.

  “Is he going to live?” a hoarse voice whispered over his shoulder.

  The physician glanced back to find Zane Batuset staring down at his friend. Cold shock went through him at the sight of the Battle Lord’s face. The man appeared to have aged twenty years. The last time MaGrath had seen such grief on a man’s face was back when Atty was dying from Borash poisoning, and Yulen had isolated himself with her as he waited for her to die. When the Mutah had shown up with its massive army and taken Atty away to return her to Wallis, Yulen had suffered in a way MaGrath never wanted to witness again for as long as he lived.

  And now, the Battle Lord of Foster City wore that same devastated expression, making MaGrath wonder what had caused it.

  “Doc, they took a lash to him,” Mastin managed to say.

  “His back’s all torn up,” Del Ray added.

  They rolled Yulen onto his side, but it was difficult to tell how bad those wounds were. “Who covered these in mud?”

  “It was his idea,” Renken answered.

  “It was a smart move. The mud is acting like a bandage to prevent him from bleeding out. But it can’t stay that way. Those cuts have to be cleaned as soon as possible.”

  Having taken care of Yulen first, he reached out to examine Batuset and the others. Every man showed signs of exposure and exhaustion. Worse, they were dehydrated and starving. MaGrath tried to contain his frustration. He could medicate and tend to physical wounds, but these men needed food and drink, and they needed it immediately. As well as blankets and heavy clothing. The dungeon was like a block of ice, with zero heat and poor ventilation.

  He gave them what he could, all the while wishing the Blood guard would return soon with the items he requested. Presently, a cold gust of wind swept down the hallway and slipped underneath the wooden door. The guard had returned.

  “I hope that idiot brought exactly what I told him to,” MaGrath muttered as they heard the bar being lifted. Getting to his feet, he went over to open the do
or, in case the Blood’s hands were full.

  Atty greeted him with a drawn arrow. For two full seconds they stared at each other, then Atty lowered her weapon and threw herself into the doctor’s arms. It only lasted a brief moment before she pushed him away and hurried over to where Yulen lay.

  MaGrath gaped at her until two more figures hurried into the cell. He watched as Paxton quickly closed the door while Paas made a dash for the group of men. Spotting her husband in the group, she gave a little cry of relief and threw her arms around Mastin.

  Clapping a hand on the second’s shoulder, MaGrath let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God you’re safe. Is this all of you?”

  “The rest of the troops are waiting in the woods for our signal.”

  “Mink’s people will be returning soon with items I requested,” he told them. Going over to where the women were embracing their husbands, he whispered to Atty, “He’s not doing well.”

  “He’ll make it.” She gave him a look he well understood. This woman would challenge Heaven and Hell to bring Yulen back from the dead. “We have to get everyone out of here.”

  “We have to wait first until those guards come back,” MaGrath informed her. “They’re supposed to be bringing me some supplies. If we try to leave now, we could run into them. Or they could see us trying to escape, and raise the hue and cry.”

  “Then we wait here,” Paas declared. “When they come, that’s when we make our move.”

  “Warren, you’ll have to help me carry Yulen.” MaGrath looked at the others who had remained silent. “Can the rest of you manage on your own?”

  “Just watch us,” Del Ray croaked.

  “Liam.” Atty motioned toward the door. “Won’t the guards be suspicious if they find the door unbarred?”

  “I’ll go back outside and bar it, and hide inside one of the empty cells,” Paxton told them. Before anyone could object, he cracked the door enough to peer out at the walkway. Seeing it was clear, the second slipped away. They heard the bar being reset, then silence.