by Linda Mooney
The soldier in charge took them. “Any sign of an infant?”
“No, Sir.”
The man whirled on Tory. “Where’s the baby? Who do these belong to?” he harshly demanded, holding the booties in front of her face.
Tory flushed and snatched them from his fingers. “I made these as a gift. A friend of mine is about to give birth.” She continued to stare angrily at the soldier, silently challenging him. After another couple of seconds, the soldier backed away.
“All right. We’re clear here. Let’s move.” He waved at the others to leave. Tory and Atty watched as the men slammed the door behind them. After another full minute had passed, they were certain the soldiers would not be back. Tory dropped onto the stool opposite Atty and heaved a sigh of relief.
“That was too close.” She glanced over at Atty, who set the bowl back on the hearth. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She tugged the edges of the shawl over the leather wristlet. The potato she’d held in that hand had helped to disguise the makeshift cast.
The woman held out the pair of booties. “Here. I guess I forgot to pack them.”
Atty reached out to take them. As their fingers touched, they both began to giggle with nervous laughter.
“That’s a sound I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing for quite some time.” Fortune entered the living area and sat on the rug between them. “Damn, that attic is cold!”
“I can’t believe they didn’t search up there,” Atty remarked.
“I’m guessing they either didn’t realize we had one, or they don’t know about attics,” Tory surmised.
“Hey. Give me some credit for camouflaging that door in the ceiling!” Fortune playfully pouted.
They laughed softly. Atty glanced wistfully down at the booties in her hand. “Do you think Danna made it to safety?”
“I’m certain she did,” Tory assured her. She reached up to brush a lock of hair away from Atty’s face. Fortune watched the gesture.
“You know, black hair kind of suits you.” He looked to his wife. “How long will it stay that color?”
“Oh, it’s permanent. It’ll have to grow out.”
Atty smiled. She reached up to take a strand between her fingers, and lifted it before her face. “At least we know now that D’Jacques’ men can’t identify me without blue hair.” She glanced at the window. “What happens now?”
Tory also looked to the window. “What do you mean?”
“Yulen’s gone. Madigan and Liam are gone. Mattox is gone. My home has been ransacked, and everything we owned has been burned. What’s next? What else can happen?”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Fortune reached out and patted her arm. “You’re free. You’ve just escaped detection. I’d say the odds are running in our favor at the moment.”
“I agree,” Tory said. “Right now, you need to concentrate on getting your strength back. We must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, if circumstances force us to.”
“Fortune?”
“What?”
“I need a weapon.” She looked up at the hunter. “My long bow and Ballock are gone, but I can still fight.”
“With one arm?” Tory asked.
Fortune chuckled. “I’ve seen Atty fire arrows with her toes. What kind of weapon were you thinking of?”
“There’s a crossbow hanging in the main lodge.”
He nodded. “I know exactly the one you’re speaking of. You bagged that snake with it, the day me and Bertrand arrived here, seeking Yulen’s help.”
She smiled. “Yep. That’s the one.”
“I’ll drop a word in Berta’s ear. We’ll get it for you. Meanwhile, how are you feeling?” Fortune asked.
“Care to try and eat something?” Tory smiled. “We saved you some of the rabbit.”
Atty nodded. “I’ll try the rabbit. After all, I need to eat if I’m going to get stronger.” She winked at Fortune. “By the way, those were good throws back when you came to rescue me. I knew it was you the moment I saw the first knife.”
“Yeah. Too bad I couldn’t retrieve those knives. They were three of my best.” He got to his feet as Tory went into the kitchen to prepare a bowl for Atty. “I’m going back up into the attic and see if I can spot those soldiers. Keep the water hot for some tea, would you?”
Tory smiled an answer and gave her husband a quick kiss before he vanished into the back room. She looked back at the fireplace to catch Atty rubbing her breasts.
“Are you still lactating?” She hurried over to the woman and crouched down in front of her after setting the bowl of food on the hearth. Gently, she pressed down on Atty’s breasts. “Heavens, you’re as hard as rocks.”
“It hurts the way it does before I nurse Mattox.”
“Pressure?”
“Yeah.”
Tory got to her feet and hurried into the back bedroom. A moment later she re-entered the living area with her knitting basket. She dug inside the woven basket, finally pulling out a roll of cloth.
“I usually keep these for when I want to make a quick quilt or blanket. Or, in this case, bindings. Here. Lift up your gown and I’ll wrap you up nice and tight. I think we might still have some of those pain pills Dr. MaGrath gave Fortune when he fell on that deer antler and tore a hole in his thigh. When we’re finished here, I’ll go look for them.”
“Tory.” Atty reached out and snagged the woman’s arm. She knew she could open up to the woman who had taken the place of the mother Atty had lost not too long ago. “You know how much I need you right now. How much I need you and Fortune, and how I need to hear the positive. But I also have to be realistic, and be ready in case the worst should happen.”
“Shhh. You can’t afford to think that way,” Tory gently admonished her.
“But I have to,” Atty insisted. “Life isn’t always warm sunshine and baby birds. People depend on me, and I’m afraid I’ve let them down. I mean, I let D’Jacques capture me. Now look at me! Look at the trouble this compound’s in!”
“Atrilan Ferran D’Jacques!” Tory stared at her with undisguised anger. Her face suddenly fell, and the woman ran a hand over her forehead. “Atty, what I’m about to tell you, only two other people know about. Well, one now. Your mother knew, and she kept my secret safe. You see, I have a special ability, too.”
“You do?”
“Uh-huh, but even among the other Mutah I won’t reveal it.”
“I guess the other person you said know is Fortune,” Atty whispered.
“Yeah.”
“So, what kind of ability could you have that you have to keep it secret?”
Tory bit her lower lip before confessing. “I can foresee the future.”
“What?” Atty smiled with delight. “Really?”
Tory nodded. “The good and the bad, but only in bits and pieces. Atty, I see a lot of destruction ahead of us, but I also see you and Yulen getting back together.”
Atty clutched her hands. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “Truthfully?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“And Mattox?”
“Lives. I’m not sure, but I think there will be more children in the future.”
Atty cried out and wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck to fiercely hug her. “Thank you, Tory. Thank you. Thank you.”
“It’s okay. But please promise me you’ll carry my secret to your grave.”
“I will. I promise. I can see now why it must stay secret.”
Tory tied off the binding she’d wrapped around Atty’s breasts, and gave the knot a little tug. “There. How does that feel?”
“Tight, but it feels good that way.”
“It’ll have to remain that way until your body adjusts and stops producing milk. There’s no telling how long it’ll be before you’re reunited with your son. Guess you’ll both have to adapt to an early weaning.” Sniffing, Tory swiped at her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. “You go ahead and eat before it gets cold. I’ll go look for those pain pills.”
“Tory? What’s wrong?”
She glanced up to find Fortune peering down at her from the small attic door in the ceiling. “Nothing. Why?”
“I thought I heard shouting.”
“Atty was feeling despondent. I had to shake her up a bit to change her attitude. Are the rest of your pain pills in here?”
“In a small leather pouch. How did you change her attitude? By yelling at her?”
“No. I told her I actually had a special ability. I told her I could foresee the future in little bits and pieces. I told her she and Yulen were going to get back together. I said Mattox would survive, and there might be more children in the future, but I wasn’t too sure. I also said there was going to be some more destruction, but everything would end up fine in the end.”
Fortune glanced over at the door, lowering his voice. “Why would you go and tell her something like that? You don’t have that kind of ability.”
“But she believes I do, and it did the trick. She’s more determined than ever to get better so this can all be over. Ah! There it is!” Pulling out the small leather bag, she double checked its contents. Satisfied, she closed the satchel and stashed it underneath the bed. “How much longer are you going to remain up there?”
“Not much longer. The soldiers are finished checking this sector and have moved on into the outer courtyard.”
“Good. I hate you risking getting sick up there. I’ll go heat you some water, so it’ll be hot when you’re ready for your tea.” Giving her husband a loving smile, Tory left to return to the living area to give Atty one of the pain pills.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Incompetence
Janelle stepped out of her temporary living quarters on the top floor of the main dining room and stared out over the vast empty hall. Compared to the one in Alta Seran, it was three times bigger. Of course, Yulen D’Jacques had that many more men under his command.
She particularly liked the way the old Battle Lord had decorated the walls with armaments and weapons. It gave the room its own sense of power. If we ever return to Alta Seran, I will see to it that those bare walls in the dining hall are also adorned. But I will use the weapons and shields of our conquered enemies as decorations. They will serve as a warning to all who see them that we are the mightier. The stronger.
She spotted her son sitting over by the enormous fireplace in one of the overstuffed chairs the soldiers had confiscated from the old Battle Lord’s lodge. An hour ago, he and his Battle Lord allies had been in a heated discussion. He must have ordered the others out.
She descended the flight of stairs and walked over to where he was deep in thought. He held a dagger in his left hand. Every few seconds he would skillfully flip it between his fingers. She eyed it. It must be a new one. She’d never seen the likes of it before.
“What is it, Mother? I have no time to chit-chat.”
“I have a few questions I need answering.”
He lifted his free arm and propped his jaw on the tips of his fingers. He was listening.
She stood to the side, rather than directly in front of him. “How far are you planning on raising your level of incompetence?”
His puzzled glance slid over to her. “I beg your pardon?”
“Rafe, no one else is brave enough to tell you to your face, but this whole takeover has become one big farce! It’s laughable!”
Slamming the blade of the dagger into the chair’s arm, he sat up. Eye narrowed, he stared at her. “How dare you tell me¯”
“Yes! Yes, I dare because it’s the truth, Rafe! Look at what you haven’t accomplished! The Battle Lord’s heir is missing. We don’t even know what the thing looks like. The bitch has escaped. You know Yulen is going to return and challenge you to get the compound back. Just what part of this whole conquest would you place in the win column?”
Rafe held out his arms. “Look around you, Mother! This is Alta Novis! The strongest and best fortified compound for a thousand miles! And it’s ours! Ours! I’d say that’s a pretty big check in the win column, don’t you agree?
“For another thing, we have doubled the size of our army. Not to mention the trade, the merchants, the people living here.”
“Those people are living in fear now,” Janelle pointed out.
“They’ll get used to it, just like they got used to living under Yulen’s rule.”
“I seriously doubt he governed with an iron fist,” she replied with heavy sarcasm.
Sighing loudly, Rafe sat back in the chair and crossed his legs. “Is that it, Mother? Did you come down out of your golden nest to vent a bit of vitriol at me?”
“I’m not done. I want to know what you plan to do next.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big boy now. I don’t take orders from you, or from those other Battle Lords with their illusions of grandeur. My word is law.”
Janelle nodded. “You’re right. Your word is law. But you didn’t conquer this compound fairly, and I have a feeling that little fact is going to come around and bite you squarely on the butt.”
Her remark got a chuckle out of him. “How do you figure that? Because you expect D’Jacques to return and challenge me to a fair duel? How can he?”
A loud rattling from the main double doors interrupted them. A soldier stood there, clearly agitated as he saluted. “My apologies for barging in, Sir, but we’re under attack.”
Rafe jumped to his feet. “By who? D’Jacques?”
The soldier’s eyes widen. “Who? No, Sir! By creatures! By hideous-looking monsters!”
“Mother, stay here,” Rafe ordered and followed his man outside. Janelle paused in the doorway where she could hear the sounds of battle already filling the air, but it was not like any struggle she’d heard before. There were ear-splitting screeches, and screams that could not have come from human throats. Closing the door, she bolted it from the inside. Turning to hurry to her room, she glanced over at the wall of polished weapons, and realized for the first time that someone was keeping them cleaned and oiled, and probably sharpened.
“What I wouldn’t give to have one of those right now.”
A bright flash of light caught her attention. Swiftly, she rushed over to the chair and pulled the dagger from the arm. It wouldn’t afford much in the way of protection, but it was something.
She turned to leave, when she noticed the big empty spot on the wall above the fireplace. It was then she realized that Rafe hadn’t been staring into the fire. He had been studying the bare section above it.
A quick glance around didn’t reveal any other open area. In fact, the walls were nearly filled to capacity with weaponry. Squinting, she moved closer to see if she could make out what might have been there. A faint outline barely hinted of a bow and cross, and a small quiver. A crossbow had sat there until recently.
“Why would Rafe be interested in an old crossbow?” she wondered aloud. A muffled scream right outside the door reminded her of the danger. Picking up her skirts, she fled upstairs and locked herself inside her room.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Fire
“Sir, the Bloods are attacking Alta Novis!”
Yulen and the others rushed out of the tent where the reconnaissance party had just returned. “Bogram, report!”
The soldier slid off his horse and saluted. “An army of perhaps three to four hundred Bloods are attacking the compound, Sir. It was a sudden rush, the kind we’ve seen before.”
“From which end?”
“The north, Sir. But they’re stretched out all the way to the end of the second courtyard.”
“How are defenses holding up?”
“Well, from what we can tell. Our men are handling the brunt of it. The other soldiers, they look ill-trained. Sir, it doesn�
��t appear as if D’Jacques’ men have had any prior contact with Bloods.”
“It’s possible.” Batuset stopped next to Yulen. “As far south as Alta Seran is, it’s very likely Bloods haven’t migrated that far yet.”
“Sir?”
Yulen turned to see Renken standing a few feet away. “What?”
“Mind a suggestion?”
“Depends on the suggestion.”
The ex-mercenary bent down and picked up a handful of leaves and twigs. Tossing them into the air, he commented, “Wind’s from the north. Bloods are attacking from the north. What if we went in behind them?”
Yulen nodded. “A squeeze play might work, but that would mean they’d be downwind from us. Those creatures could smell us coming.”
“Not if you clogged their noses with smoke.”
“It might work,” Batuset agreed. “This past winter’s left a lot of dead limbs and brush in its wake. The weather’s been dry up until recently.”
“Are you suggesting setting fire to the forest?” Paxton asked.
“Not to the forest, but close to the tree line.” Renken drew a semi-circle with his forefinger. “Set the fire directly behind them.”
“The field between the tree line and the compound’s wall is nothing but dry and brittle grass. Without the spring rains, it hasn’t had time to green up,” Gaines noted.
Yulen looked to the east. “But it could work. The wind would send the smoke toward the Bloods. It would put them in a bind. Maybe even split their forces. If that happened, they would be easier to trap between us and the compound, and easier to defeat. Paxton, Volcheck, have the men mounted and ready to leave in ten.”
The two Seconds rushed off to prepare the forces. Batuset sent his own Second to do the same with the soldiers he’d brought from Foster City. Within the allotted time, the soldiers were assembled in ranks and ready to go.
Yulen swung up into his saddle as MaGrath ran up. “Bloods are attacking the compound. D’Jacques’ men won’t be able to hold them, and my men are seriously outnumbered. We’ve devised a plan to start a fire in the woods surrounding the walls. Once the Bloods are sandwiched in, we’ll press our advantage.”