by Linda Mooney
A soldier passed nearby and off-handedly commented to the man he was dining with that the market had shut down in the middle of the day. “Just closed up early and everyone gone home.”
Getting to his feet, Yulen called to the soldier. “Greene. Did you say the market had closed early?”
The soldier glanced up, his face blanching at being singled out by the Battle Lord. “Yes, sir. Shut down for the rest day.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, the man’s eyes darted to the physician. Yulen had his answer.
“All right, Liam,” he leaned over and hissed. “Somehow you’re mixed up in this. It does have something to do with Atty, doesn’t it? I want a direct answer from you, and I’m wanting it now.”
MaGrath wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Truth? I may have said a few choice words to the crowd after you left.”
“Such as?” Yulen challenged, his eyes glittering.
“Leave it, Yulen. Suffice it to say, I’ve reached the end of my rope as well.” Tossing his napkin on the table, the physician got to his feet. “I’m going to my office to see how badly Macintyre is botching up my records. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check on Atty. In the meantime you would be doing everyone a great service by going out among your men and listening to them. Something miraculous happened out on the archery field today, if you care to remember, and an entire garrison paid homage to her skill. If you’re the leader I think you are, you’ll see there’s still the very real possibility this compound will accept our blue-haired Athena. But you have to go out there and present her to them by presenting yourself.”
Having said what was on his mind for the second time in less than an hour, MaGrath could feel his energy draining out of him like air out of a balloon. Wearily he left the main hall for his medical suite.
Yulen glanced upstairs, debating with himself whether to do as his friend suggested, or to go back to Atty’s side. Although his heart wanted to be with her, wisdom said his duty was outside.
Grabbing a mug of beer at the serving table, Yulen quickly drained it before heading for the barracks. He was woefully past due an inspection.
Chapter Thirty-One
Taken
Yulen rarely called a surprise inspection. But since the day already had borne many unexpected events, he felt one more wouldn’t make any difference.
As much as he hated to admit it, diving back into his work felt good. It was like a security blanket, a familiar routine that kept his mind occupied and ate up time. Before he was aware of it, Mastin was dismissing the men, and Verris had joined him to discuss promotions.
In the midst of their evaluations, Mastin interrupted their train of thought with a glance and a nod of his head. Yulen looked up to see MaGrath trudging toward them. Once he got within earshot, Yulen called out, “How’s Atty doing?”
The physician gave him a puzzled expression. “I was about to ask you the same question.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, she wasn’t in your room, so I—”
“What?”
“She’s not in your room.” MaGrath froze. “Oh, my God.”
Yulen began running toward the main lodge with the physician close behind him. “How far could she have gotten?” he asked.
“There’s no way. I gave her enough of that extract to keep her under for at least six to eight hours.”
Their footsteps echoed in the nearly empty main hall. Yulen took the steps two at a time and pounded the door open with his fist. The bed was rumpled, but Atty was gone. A quick glance in the bathroom, closet, and balcony yielded no signs of her. Striding over to the bedside, Yulen noticed the pile of blood-soaked rags lying scattered on the floor beside the bed. He bent to pick one up, holding it so MaGrath could see it.
“If you were under sedation and just waking up, Liam, would you reach across the mattress to drop your compresses on the floor?”
MaGrath paled at the implication.
Yulen pointed to the empty scabbard still hanging from the back of the chair. “The dagger’s gone, but the bow’s still here.”
At its mention, MaGrath noticed the weapon propped against the wall beside the door. Bile began to rise in his gorge as the truth set in.
If Atty had left on her own accord, she would have taken the bow. It was like an extension of herself, and she’d never leave it behind. And the dagger...no one took their weapon without taking the sheath for it.
“Who could’ve...” He took another painful breath. “Who?”
Rising, Yulen hurried out the door and went downstairs. “Berta!”
Moments later the servant woman came through the kitchen door, followed by several of her staff. “Sir?”
“Did you or anyone see Atty leave within the past couple of hours?”
The woman shook her head. “No, sir, but I can check with the others real quick.”
He nodded, and Berta disappeared back into the kitchen. As she questioned the rest of the help, Yulen whirled on MaGrath, demanding, “Are you sure there was no way she could have come out of that sleep on her own? Didn’t you once say her internal makeup was different from ours?”
“I swear to God, Yulen, on my word as a physician, there is no way on this earth she could have awaken, much less walk out of here by herself!” MaGrath promised him.
“Sir?”
Both men turned back around at the sound of the servant’s return.
“No one saw her leave,” she told them. Behind her several more of her staff gathered, curious to learn what had happened.
“Are you certain no one’s been up in my rooms since MaGrath and I left her there?”
“No one, sir, except for your lieutenant.”
“What?” Yulen barked. There should have been no lieutenant looking for him. Not when he was in the middle of a full-fledged inspection of all the troops during that hour.
“Wougen, Sir. He went upstairs to give you a message. I told him you had left a short while ago,” Berta explained.
“What did he say to that?” Yulen asked, already feeling a cold dread creeping into his bones.
“Just that he’d leave the note in the room for you.”
Yulen turned to see MaGrath looking directly at him, both of them knowing what the other was thinking. As the physician rushed back upstairs, Yulen turned again to the woman. “Did you see him depart?”
She shook her head. “We were right in the middle of cleaning up. Did any of you see Wougen leave?” she turned to inquire of her help again. At their negative responses, she apologized to the Battle Lord. “Sorry, sir.”
“Yulen!”
Hurrying upstairs, he met MaGrath coming out of the bedroom. A piece of paper was in his hands, and a haunted look was in his eyes.
“I found it on the bureau.”
Tearing it from his fingers, Yulen glanced at the short sentence written on it.
She’s mine now.
He could feel his anger and hurt rising like a storm thick with fury. He swung a fist at a nearby post, impacting it with the side of his hand as he gasped for breath.
Who had taken her? Who had written the note? Who was “mine”?
“Mastin!”
The Second halted in the middle of the room after following the Battle Lord into the main hall. “Sir!”
“Wougen! Find him! Now!”
Without confirming the command, Mastin ordered the men behind him to return outside. From where he stood by the bedroom door, Yulen could hear the Second shouting orders to look for the missing lieutenant. As the men dispersed to begin their search, MaGrath voiced what deep inside he knew was the truth.
“They’re no longer in Alta Novis.”
Rather than reply, the Battle Lord descended the stairs and exited the main lodge. “Verris!”
“Sir!”
“Where’s Karv?”
“Taking care of the ground troops, as you ordered, sir.”
“Have him report to me as soon as possible
. Wougen was under his command. Did you know him?”
“Yes, sir. A little,” Verris admitted.
“Tell me all you know about him,” he ordered, trying to keep his temper and his fear in check.
“He’s only been here about eight months, sir. Originally came from Dal Worth, down in Teksus.”
“Any family?”
Verris shook his head. “He quartered with the bachelors.”
“Check his barracks. I want to see everything that we didn’t issue to him.”
Nodding, the Second headed over to search the missing man’s belongings.
“Why do you think he took her?” MaGrath asked him as they watched the soldiers thoroughly searching every inch of the compound.
“I have no idea why, but I know what he’s going to face when we find him,” Yulen promised between clenched teeth. He paused, then added, “Do you think he’ll hurt her?”
MaGrath gave a ragged sigh. Suddenly he felt cold all over, and he shivered. “God, I hope not. She’s been through so much already.”
Another half hour went by without spotting the missing lieutenant, whom Mastin confirmed had been absent for inspection. Verris returned to report there was nothing in the man’s effects that was out of the ordinary, or which could give them a clue as to where he might have taken the Mutah woman.
“He had the perfect opportunity. With her out cold, there was no way she could resist him. It was right after mealtime, so the help was occupied with clean-up. And we were out here, away from the lodge, giving him quick and easy access to her.” MaGrath buried his face in his hands and tried to rub the burning sensation out of his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Yulen. I’m the one who told you to leave her be.”
“I don’t need you wallowing in blame, Liam,” came Yulen’s icy response. “We need to try and figure out where he could’ve taken her.” He glanced down again at the piece of paper he’d crumpled up in his hand.
She’s mine now.
Wougen was as good as dead.
Mastin ran up to report the sentry at the forest gate remembered seeing Wougen passing through the compound walls and disappearing into the wood right around mealtime.
“Did he have Atty?” Yulen demanded.
“He had a large bundle that he had slung over his shoulders,” the Second told him. “The sentry said he remembers asking the lieutenant why he wasn’t heading for the inspection grounds, and Wougen said he had first been ordered to get rid of an old deer carcass out in the woods, and then he would join up.”
“Out at the forest gate?” Yulen repeated.
Mastin nodded. “I already have men scouring that part of the wood to see if they can find any sign of him.”
“Is there the possibility he didn’t act alone?” the Battle Lord thought aloud.
Verris spoke up. “All the other men are accounted for. If he did have an accomplice, he didn’t play his hand, or he was on the outside.”
“What about Wougen’s horse?”
Both Seconds looked dumbstruck. Yulen’s expression grew darker. “Check. Now.”
“But the man walked out of the compound,” MaGrath reiterated.
“And if he already had his horse waiting for him in the forest, the man could be miles away from here,” Yulen told him.
Minutes later he had his answer. The soldier’s mount was not at the stables.
“What are your orders, sir?” Verris asked once they’d re-gathered.
“You’ve got to go after her,” the physician told him.
“Then tell me where to start looking for her!” Yulen snapped back heatedly. He ran his hands through his hair. “The man has a good two, maybe three hour head start. In which direction do you suggest I start looking? Did he take Atty for himself? Or was he paid by someone else to snatch her? Go ahead, Liam! Since you’re so good at figuring things out and telling me what to do, what do you suggest?”
Pivoting around, the Battle Lord angrily strode back toward the main lodge, hoping for a moment’s silence so he could think clearly. Outside his men were waiting for his word, when Yulen had nothing to say.
Where was Wougen taking her? Why had he taken her? For what purpose?
Stopping in the doorway, Yulen pressed his forehead against the wood frame as another possibility reared its terrifying face.
What if the man was a Mutah hater, and was determined she could not be allowed to live? What if...
Yulen felt his gorge rise with the prospect.
Atty was completely defenseless, drugged nearly comatose. The man could easily take her at his leisure before slowly slaughtering her and disposing of her remains. He had all the time in the world, and absolute freedom from discovery.
“Oh...God... Atty!” he moaned softly, feeling the heat of tears swelling in his throat.
For the first time in his life, Yulen cursed his birth fate.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Collaunt
The men had continued to search the surrounding forest without luck. Two small garrisons had spread north and south to search the road and to question anyone traveling the route. When they returned late that night, their disappointment was like a pall cast over the compound.
Outside, near the main gate, Yulen stood by the men’s barracks, awaiting final reports from Mastin and Verris. He heard someone coming up from behind him but ignored him until a voice spoke.
“Maybe it’s for the better that she’s gone,” Madigan began.
He whirled on her, hand raised as if to strike her. At the last second he stopped himself and lowered his arm, but his face never lost its icy visage. She gave a small cry of fear and stepped back.
“Go back inside to your warm room and your bundled existence, Madigan,” he told her darkly. He would not disguise his feelings for her at that moment, nor at any time afterward.
“You would’ve hit me?” she accused.
“For what you’ve said, I would put you outside this compound in a heartbeat if you weren’t my mother.”
“I only meant to say—”
“You’ll say nothing!” Yulen swore, resuming his vigilance.
“You can’t order me around,” she told him, her voice trembling. She watched as her son turned back to her with a look that sent her heart to her feet. “She’s a Mutah, Yulen! Even your own people don’t want her here!”
“Guards!”
Immediately two soldiers detached themselves from the detail stationed at the main gates. Yulen pointed in Madigan’s direction. “Take her back to her rooms and sequester her there. She is not to be allowed to leave them until I order it.”
“That’s imprisonment, Yulen!” Madigan protested hotly.
“It’s better than you deserve,” he snapped at her, and gave a curt dismissal before turning his back on her again. Now was not the time to be getting into a debate. He had neither the time, the desire, nor the inclination to argue whether or not Atty deserved to live at Alta Novis. There simply was no decision to be made.
He rubbed his burning eyes. Overhead the soldiers were beginning their shift change. There was nothing he could do. There were no clues as to where Wougen had taken Atty. Six hours later, it was if the man had never existed.
Or her.
Yulen knew he could remain out in the compound, hoping something would be found, some word would be passed to him, but he knew it would not happen.
She’s mine now.
He turned to look back over his shoulder at the main lodge. There was no way he could go back into that bedroom. No way he could lie down on their bed, much less get any kind of restful sleep.
His face itched where the scar had healed. It reminded Yulen of Atty’s injuries, and he wondered if she was still in pain. Liam had told him the liquid he’d given her would keep her under for at least six to eights hours. Was Atty awake now? Was she coming around to find herself in the company of a total stranger?
Was she awakening at all?
As hard as it was to admit, Yulen knew there was the overwhelming p
ossibility she was already dead. Unless there was something to stay the man’s hand, Wougen could have had his way with her and then dumped the body so it wouldn’t slow him down.
But there was still the miracle he had kept her alive. Even then, she would prove to be more than a handful, despite the pain she was enduring.
Yulen shook his head. He’d gone over a hundred scenarios in his mind—some with Atty dead, some with Atty alive, some with Atty fighting for her life and her honor... His favorite was imagining her plunging her dagger into the man’s heart, and then finding her way back to Alta Novis. Which was why he had stood by the main gate for the past two hours, hoping and praying he’d hear one of the sentries call out.
“Yulen.”
He lifted his head and straightened his shoulders, but didn’t turn around to acknowledge the voice. “I will offer no apology to Madigan, Liam, if that’s why you’re here,” he said stiffly.
“Personally I think you were more than fair, locking her in her rooms,” the physician told him.
This time Yulen did turn toward him, a wary look on his face.
“I didn’t come to talk about her. I came to talk about you.”
“I’m in no mood for a lecture,” Yulen told him, turning his back on him again.
“Good, ‘cause I’m in no mood to lecture. I know why you’re out here. You’re hoping she’ll come walking in through those gates, aren’t you?”
Yulen snorted softly. “Actually, I was imagining her riding through those gates.”
“She’s a lousy rider.”
“Yeah, but give her time. Once she sets her mind on it, she can master anything.”
Yulen paused as he realized he was talking about Atty in the present tense, as if she were still alive. He gave MaGrath a puzzled stare. The physician smiled.
“What does your heart tell you, Yulen? It’s telling you she’s still alive, isn’t it?”
“You did that deliberately.”
MaGrath gave a little nod of his head. “Someone had to pull you out of that funk you were so determined to drag yourself in to. That was step one.”
