by Linda Mooney
Slowly, she took a deep breath. The cold made it nearly impossible to grasp any scent. The thing responsible for the attack could be anywhere nearby.
Atty closed her eyes and drew on her hunting instincts. She felt the hairs on her head rise as her ears sharpened.
The crackle of leaves was her only warning. Whipping around, she let the arrow fly. It caught the soldier in the hollow of his throat. At this close range, the shaft penetrated all the way to his spine. Vainly, he released his weapon and tried to grab the wood to pull it free as blood spurted outward in an arch. The hot fluid steamed in the air.
Her body warned her of more danger a split-second before she dropped into a crouch. At the same time, she heard the solid sound of a sword penetrating flesh. Blood droplets sprayed her face as something inside her told her to duck.
And then the world grew quiet.
She waited, struggling to keep herself from being spotted, when she caught the whisper of a raspy breath.
“Atty?”
Yulen stood less than ten feet away, beside a fallen spruce. His sword still dripped from the encounter. Atty glanced down at the second soldier, his head nearly decapitated from his body.
“There’s another one.” She pointed behind her. “He had a long knife.”
He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “As long as you’re safe.”
She started to tell him more when they were interrupted by the sound of many feet crashing through the underbrush. The first to reach them was Renken. He glanced down at the fallen soldier, then at Yulen’s gory blade.
“What happened?”
“That’s what I want to know,” Yulen said darkly. “Where’s LeGreen? Did he follow you in?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Renken admitted. He pointed his sword at the dead man. “He’s wearing LeGreen’s uniform.”
“So was the man I killed,” Atty spoke up. “And so was the man who was murdered to lure us here.”
“How do you know he was a lure?” Yulen asked.
She shrugged slightly. “I don’t. Not for certain.”
Mastin and Paxton arrived, with Batuset not far behind. They all took a long look at the downed soldier.
“Atty, are you—”
“I’m fine, Warren.”
“Cole, go fetch four men and bring them back here to retrieve the bodies.” Yulen turned to his wife. “How far are the others?”
“Just beyond those oak trees. There are two of them.”
Nodding, the battle lord amended his command. “Make that six men, Cole.”
Batuset frowned. “Are they all LeGreen’s men? Why not make him come and get them?”
“Oh, he will,” Yulen promised. “I’ll make certain he sends them back to his compound where they’ll receive full honors at their funeral pyres. In the meantime, Atty, when we return to the group, bring Twoson to me. Let him know I’m going to need his expertise when I grill LeGreen about this.”
“What do you need me to do?” Paxton asked.
“You and Garet stay here and watch the bodies until they’re recovered,” Yulen ordered. Bending over, he wiped his blade on the front of the dead soldier’s tunic but kept a firm grip on the hilt, rather than re-sheath the weapon. Placing his other hand at her back, he pushed her ahead of him in the direction of the road.
When they emerged, Atty got the distinct impression that a look of disappointment crossed LeGreen’s face. In the next instant, she saw a hardening come over the man as Yulen advanced toward the battle lord.
“Get down off your horse.” His order was terse.
LeGreen feigned a confused look. “What’s the problem, D’Jacques?”
“I need you to answer a few questions. Now.”
Atty turned to search for Twoson, but the Mutah council member was already heading her way. Without explaining, she motioned for him to go around to the other side of the crowd. The man nodded and vanished among the soldiers gathering around the battle lords.
Atty returned to her husband’s side, where there appeared to be a stand-off. She sensed his growing frustration. LeGreen refused to get down off his mount. At the same time, the older man made it clear he wanted to keep a safe distance between himself and Yulen. To Atty, it was the throne ploy all over again. LeGreen wanted to make it appear he was dominant. By staying on his horse, it forced Yulen to look up at him.
She had no qualms about walking over to LeGreen’s horse, her Ballock sliding into her hand. Seeing her advance, LeGreen pulled on the reins to distance himself further, but with one quick movement, she slashed the cinch. The horse jerked backwards. There was a loud snap when the leather strap parted. Atty watched as LeGreen threw up his arms as the saddle made its slow but inevitable slide off the animal with the battle lord fighting the fall. The man landed in an undignified heap at Yulen’s feet.
Yulen waited until LeGreen managed to extricate himself. “Are you ready to give me some answers?”
“I don’t have to tell you a damn thing.”
“Maybe you don’t have to answer to me,” Yulen snapped. “But you owe us all, including your own soldiers, an explanation. It was one of your men out there who screamed when he was killed.”
“So an animal got to him. It happens.”
“Is that also why another one of your men happened to try to kill me?” Atty demanded. “Because he thought I was an animal?”
LeGreen sneered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She took another step toward him and pointed a finger at him. “One of your men was deliberately killed to lure us in. And don’t tell me an animal got to him while he was taking a piss. I know an animal kill from a human one, and that guy was gutted with a knife. He died painfully, slowly, which was why he was able to call out before he died. And when I went to investigate, the man who’d murdered him tried to take me out.”
“Same as the second man. His backup, in case the first guy failed,” Yulen continued.
LeGreen got to his feet and dusted himself off. Facing Yulen, he let his anger show. “Now listen to me, D’Jacques. I told you. I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about. Are you accusing me of trying to have you killed?”
“Why else did you look disappointed when I showed up?” Atty challenged.
LeGreen ignored her. His eyes bore into Yulen. “I’m not surprised that a few of my men turned on you. Not everyone is as tolerant of Mutah as you are. But I did not order my men to attack you or your wife.”
Atty glanced over where Twoson stood. The man grimly shook his head, and his disappointment shadowed hers. She turned to signal to her husband, when Mastin returned, along with LeGreen’s men carrying the dead soldiers.
“You should allow a few of your men to return the corpses to Oka City so they can be given a decent funeral,” Yulen strongly advised.
“And what if I choose not to?” LeGreen almost spat back.
“Then I will make it my duty to inform the other battle lords in Rocky Gorge that you refused to honor one of the most sacred pacts you promised to abide by when you took the position.” Batuset responded loudly for all to hear. The big man stepped closer to also glare at the man. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you cared about those men personally,” the battle lord of Foster City continued scathingly. “What does matter is how you present yourself to your men and to your people. Whether or not you believe me, trust me when I tell you I personally have seen battle lords overthrown by those they were supposed to serve, and I can tell you, it wasn’t a pretty sight.”
“You have enough troops to spare half a dozen,” Atty remarked.
LeGreen glanced around at the sullen and defiant stares of the people surrounding him. Eventually, he made a huffing sound. “Bastion!”
“Yes, m’lord?” The second seemed to appear from out of nowhere.
LeGreen waved a hand in the young man’s direction. “Assign a detail to take the fallen soldiers back to Oka City.”
“Yes, m’lord.” Bastion
gave a quick bow and hurried away.
LeGreen lifted his chin toward Yulen. “There now. Satisfied?”
“Not by a long shot,” Yulen snapped. “Not until I find out why your men turned on us.” Pivoting on his heel, the battle lord of Alta Novis went to gather his horse. Atty turned to follow him, catching up first with Twoson. “Well?”
“He told the truth. He did not order the attack. I’m sorry, Atty.”
“Don’t be. He may not have ordered it, but I’m sure he was behind it somehow. We just have to figure out how. Try to stay within range of him, could you, please?”
The Mutah councilman nodded and left to fetch his mount. Draping her bow across her shoulder, Atty pulled her coat tighter around her and went to find her mare.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ill
He couldn’t breathe.
Yulen sat up, gasping for air. His head felt like a massive weight on his shoulders. His body shivered, running hot one minute and cold the next. His throat was aflame, making swallowing nearly impossible. Yet, the worst wasn’t the way he felt physically. It was the fact that Atty was one tent over, sharing it with Paas. Without her comforting presence, this illness seemed to be sucking the life out of him.
He didn’t know he’d groaned until Mastin moved. “Yulen? You okay?”
Slowly, his joints aching, Yulen got to his feet and pulled on his coat. “I can’t sleep. I’m going over to Dr. Gus and see if he can’t give me something that’ll help.”
His second sat up. “I thought Dr. Gus already gave you some medicine.”
“He did, but it’s not working.”
Yulen coughed violently. When he finally stopped, his knees gave way, and he slipped to the ground. Mastin reached out to grab him before he collapsed completely.
“Yulen!”
“I’ll be…okay. I need to sp-speak to Atty.”
“You stay here. I’ll go get her.” Mastin grabbed his coat. “You stay put, Yulen. You’re sick and you need to rest.”
Yulen tried to chuckle. It came out as a gurgling cough instead. “Hard to rest when I can’t get any air,” he gasped.
The second exited the tent. As the seconds went by, Yulen realized the drowning sensation wasn’t overwhelming if he remained upright as it was when he laid flat. Bending over, he buried his face in his hands and tried to focus, but his thoughts were as congealed as his sinuses. At some point he realized someone had entered the tent. His hand automatically reached for his sword when a voice whispered, “My love?”
“Atty, stay back.” His voice croaked, and he held up a hand to keep her from getting any closer. She obeyed, kneeling just inside the tent flap.
“Cole went to get Fergus and Twoson.”
“Twoson? Why?”
“Because you’re not getting any better. And because I don’t believe the medicine we got from Oka City is helping. In fact, I think Fergus was given the wrong medicine. On purpose.”
“It helped some. In the beginning,” he argued. He could make her out now, a shadow on a shadow. But what bothered him was the fact that he couldn’t feel her anymore. He couldn’t sense her, although she was no more than four feet away from him. He saw her nod.
“Maybe so, but I think it was a temporary fix, made to make you think you’d been given the right medicants.”
He managed a weak smile. “You may be right. I no longer trust anything LeGreen tells me. Same as I no longer trust any of his people accompanying us on this trip.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for getting you involved in this whole mess. I’m sorry for becoming ill. I’m—”
“Stop that, Yulen,” she gently admonished. “You couldn’t prevent getting sick.”
The tent flap opened, and Thrasher entered with his medical bag. “Yulen?”
“He’s worse,” Atty told him.
“I can’t…breathe,” Yulen admitted as the physician lifted his shirt and pressed an ear to his back.
“Try to breathe as deeply as you can,” the doctor ordered. “I need to listen to your lungs. Breathe through your mouth.”
Yulen stifled a chuckle as it would lead to another round of coughing. “It’s the only way I can breathe.” He took several breaths that felt like he was dragging soup into his lungs with a rope. As the doctor listened, Twoson entered the tent and sat on the other side of Atty.
Thrasher shook his head as he leaned back on his heels. “It’s not good, Yulen. I hear water in your lungs. You may have pneumonia.”
“Fergus, it’s our belief you were mistakenly given the wrong medicine in Oka City. That, or you were deliberately given the wrong kind,” Atty informed him.
“Is there anything else you give me now?” Yulen asked.
“I…don’t know. I don’t have any more antibiotics. And if the medicine Dr. Tridor gave me isn’t working, there’s no sense in giving you any more of it.”
Fortune stuck his head inside the tent and glanced around. “What’s going on?”
“Yulen’s gotten worse,” Atty told him. “And there’s nothing Dr. Gus can give him to make him better.”
“What about the medicine you got in Oka City?”
“It’s not working. As much as I hate to think it, I don’t believe it was meant to help in the first place. Come in and get out of the cold, Fortune.”
The Mutah hunter crawled inside while Thrasher checked Yulen’s pulse.
“Twoson,” Yulen rasped. “We haven’t had the chance to talk since this afternoon. Tell me what you felt with LeGreen. You said he didn’t lie when he claimed he didn’t order the attack?”
“He didn’t lie about that. But he wasn’t being completely honest, either. He’s hiding something, Yulen. I’d swear on it.”
“That’s exactly what we think, too,” Atty admitted. “After what Renken and I overheard at the lodge…”
“What did you hear?” Fortune interrupted.
“His men discussing something about shutting the gates when it was time.”
“What gates?” Twoson asked.
Atty shook her head. “I have no idea. For a while, I thought they were referring to the main gate at Oka City. But after what happened this afternoon…”
Fortune looked at Yulen. “We’re walking into a trap,” he bluntly told the battle lord.
Yulen slowly nodded. “I agree.”
“Your heartbeat’s irregular,” Thrasher announced. “You’re pushing yourself too hard. You’re not going to make it if you keep up this pace.”
Twoson spoke up. “Yulen.”
The battle lord blinked blearily at him and waited.
“Yulen, we’re what? A day and a half away from Rocky Gorge?”
“I think so.”
“I have a request to make of you, but it means I’ll need to take a few of your men with me.”
Atty placed a hand on the man’s knee. “What’s the request?”
Twoson patted her hand, yet his eyes remained on Yulen. “There’s a Mutah compound about a day’s ride from here. Let me go there and get you the medicine you need.”
“I can’t allow you to put your life at risk,” Yulen started to protest, when a coughing fit overtook him. When it was over, he slumped back onto his pillow.
“But I can, and I will,” Atty firmly declared in that tone he knew too well. Her mind was set, and nothing would sway her to change it. She turned to Thrasher. “Let Twoson know what you need. Twoson? You’re leaving within the hour. Warren? Where’s Warren?”
“Right here, Atty.” The second stuck his head inside the tent. “I’ve been listening. What do you need?”
“I need you to round up our three best swordsmen to accompany Twoson to… What’s the name of the compound?”
“Four Trees. It’s south of us.”
“Four Trees. I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there.”
Fortune stood. “I’m going with him.”
Atty smiled at the man. “Thanks.”
“We better hurry,” the Mutah hunter remarked. “It’ll b
e dawn in a few short hours. Warren, have the men individually walk their mounts into the woods and wait there. We don’t want LeGreen’s men to see us leave as a group.” Turning to Yulen, he added, “We’ll meet you at Rocky Gorge with the medicines you need to beat this thing. You just hold on until we do.”
Weakly, Yulen nodded his head. “I will.”
The two Mutah exited the tent, followed by Mastin. Atty watched as Thrasher gave Yulen a mug. “Don’t ask. Just drink it. It’s got an analgesic in it to help fight that fever.”
Yulen winced but downed the draught as ordered. Handing back the mug, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Thrasher turned to Atty. “I need to go make a list for Twoson. Will you stay here with him until I return?” At her nod, he left the tent.
As silence closed around them like a comforting blanket, Yulen could hear how labored his breathing had become. Atty remained near the doorway, watching him. “This sucks,” he whispered.
“We’ve been through worse. We’ll get through this, as well.” There was a hint of humor in her voice that made him smile.
“I miss being near you. I miss reaching over to touch you, to reassure myself you’re there.”
“I know what you mean,” she admitted. “I miss your warmth. Heaven help me, but I even miss your snoring.”
He tried to see her in the shadows cast by the dying brazier they used inside the tent to keep the cold at bay. Every so often, he caught a glimpse of her face. “How are you feeling?”
She placed a hand over her belly. “I’ve been through worse. I’ll get through this, as well.”
He snorted. “We make a fine pair, Attycake.”
It took her a few moments before she responded. “I miss Liam.”
“So do I, my love.”
“Do you think…” Her voice trailed off, but he could guess what she was referring to.
“Are you wondering if Liam could have done a better job than Fergus at keeping me well? Is that what you’re asking?”
