Every Battle Lord's Nightmare (2 page)

            They were interrupted by the sound of wood smacking on wood. Atty looked up to find that Mattox had grabbed his play sword where he'd left it by the fireplace and was attacking the tables with jabs and swings.

            Yulen straightened. “I’ll let our guests know what we decide before they leave. Since they've come this far, it's only right I let them know whether or not we'll attend, so they can inform their battle lord upon their return.”

            He got up from the table and walked over to where his son was practicing. Atty smiled at the two seconds. “Between us, doesn't the thought of traveling into unknown lands sound a bit exciting?”

            Paxton chuckled. “More like intimidating.”

            “I thought I'd had my fill of unknown lands when we tracked you to the east,” Mastin admitted.

            “Yeah, but you have to admit, you're glad you did,” she teased. “Otherwise, you wouldn't have met Paas.”

            Mastin blushed at the reminder. She glanced at Paxton. The man was resting a hand on his abdomen where he'd sustained life-threatening wounds when she'd gone east to hunt and almost lost her life. “I know MaGrath released you to resume your duties, but do you think you're fit enough to make the trip?” she asked him.

            It took the man all of two seconds to realize what she was asking him. He blanched. “Atty, I wouldn't need to go unless you were. Good God, are you actually contemplating accompanying the battle lord over such a long distance? In your condition?”

            “I'm barely seven months along, Warren. I was further than that with Mattox when we went to Bearinger to find out what happened to Yulen after the Bloods attacked the compound. Say it takes us a little over a month to get there, stay a few days, then return. I'll be back long before my due date. Besides, Liam says I'm doing a lot better with this pregnancy than I did with my first, and I agree.”

            “So you think Yulen will accept the invitation to the summit?” Mastin inquired.

            Atty shrugged and got to her feet. “All I know is that all the work Yulen has done to bring about these treaties isn’t over. Now that some agreements have been put into place, we can't sit back and hope the good he's done continues on its own and spreads outward. No, we need to spread the word ourselves. We need to venture into areas where it wouldn't otherwise be heard. Am I looking forward to being away from home for such a long stretch? Not really. But sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.”

            “The greater good?” Paxton echoed.

            Atty felt a warm glow go through her as she observed her husband and son skirmishing in mock battle. “Yes. The greater good. For me and Yulen, that good is the future we're leaving for our children.”

Chapter Two

Decision

            Yulen glanced up at the mug being held in front of his face. Smiling, he accepted it and watched Atty make herself comfortable in the chair opposite. The fire going in their fireplace may be smaller than the one in the main lodge, but it was just as warm. Cozier, in fact, with only him and Atty sitting in the overstuffed armchairs.

            “I love this time of the evening,” he admitted.

            Atty laughed softly. “Until Mattox wakes up and demands something to drink. Or has to go to the bathroom. Or...”

            Yulen felt his smile widen. “I think he's past the demand stage and entering the I'm tired of waiting for them to pay attention to me so I'm going to get it myself stage.”

            Atty laughed out loud, slapping a hand across her mouth to muffle the sound. Her movements tilted her mug, and some hot tea spilled over her tunic, directly above her slightly swollen belly. “Ugh. Ow.” She lifted the material and waved it to cool the burning liquid.

            He sat up. “Did it burn you? Do I need to get a cold press?”

            She shook her head. “I'm okay.” Sighing, she looked at him. “We're going, aren't we?”

            Yulen hesitated. Atty noticed it and knew the reason for his reticence.

            “Please don't tell me you were thinking of going without me.”

            “Atty—”

            “Fuck this, Yulen! We've had this conversation before! We've suffered because of your pig-headedness! If you're going, I'm going with you! End of argument!”

            He stared at her in surprise. Not because of her outburst. He had expected it. But Atty never used profanity. If she did, he'd never been around her to hear her, although the soldiers were guilty of lacing their language with vulgarity.

            She continued to glare at him with narrowed eyes. Her breathing was agitated, and her face was flushed, visible even in the orange glow of the fire. He gave her another minute, in case she wanted to say more. When she didn't, he took a sip of tea and continued.

            “My love, the dangers that could befall us—”

            “We'll face together,” she concluded in that no-nonsense tone he was well acquainted with.

            Sitting up, he leaned over his lap, moving his face closer to her. “Very well. We'll face this journey together. But I'm placing conditions on the trip.”

            She lifted her chin. It was clear she was satisfied she'd won this round. Now she was ready to hear him out and make concessions.

            Atty was his equal in almost every way, and far superior in the use of a bow and knife. But she didn't always have the foresight needed to plan ahead. She could lead a platoon. Hell, she could lead his entire army into battle, but she lacked the finesse of strategizing. That's where the two of them blended perfectly. His know-how, plus her abilities, equaled a synergistic force that was stronger with them together than the both of them were apart.

            He had already accepted her coming with him to Corado. It hadn’t even crossed his mind to leave her behind. But he had wanted her to believe it was a possibility in order to make her less resistant to his other demands.

            “Point one, Mattox stays here.”

            “With Madigan?”

            “And Tory. I think between my mother and your adoptive mother, the two of them should be able to handle him while we're gone.”

            A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. Lips he had the sudden urge to kiss. He felt his body tense up with the memory of the past few months. Their wild, uninhibited need to copulate because of Atty's surging hormones, and the lure of her out-of-control pheromones emitted during that first trimester of her pregnancy, often left them exhausted but elated. Fortunately, with her in her second trimester, that would no longer be an issue.

            In addition, since her return from the east, her mental recovery had accelerated. Her memories had clarified and strengthened, until all that was left of her ordeal were a few odd holes remaining in her long term recollections, and a small scar along her temple she kept hidden underneath her hair.

            “You're expecting Liam and Fortune to go with us?”

            “I'm pretty sure Fortune will accept my invitation. As for Liam...” He shrugged and made a face.

            “I know he told you he wasn't going on any more missions with you,” Atty noted. “But he still went with you when you came searching for me when I disappeared to the east.”

            “True.” Yulen agreed with a nod. “But things have changed. Madigan's health hasn't been the same since she gave birth. And I don't blame him for wanting to remain here to take care of her, and be with his new son.”

            “That leaves Dr. Gus.”

            Yulen scratched his cheek and took another sip from the mug. “Yep. Guess it’s time for our new doctor to get his feet wet.”

            “He's a good man and a good doctor, but do you think he can handle being on the road?”

            “Won't know until we cross that hurdle.”

            “Speaking of being on the road, I wonder if Foster City received an invitation. Since we'll be heading north, we'll get to spend the night there, right?”

            “Right. And again, we won't know until we get there,” Yulen responded.

            They drank their tea in silence. Watching the flames. Basking in its warmth and each other's company. When he reached the bottom of his mug, he debated whether to get up and get some more, when Atty spoke again.

            “There's something more you're not telling me.”

            He looked up at her. She knew him too well.

            “Does it have to do with Corado?” she asked.

           
God, how does she do it?

           
“Have you been there?” She tilted her head as she stared at him.

            “No. I haven't been there, but I've heard stories.”

            “Stories?”

            “From other battle lords. And from my father.”

            “Good stories?”

            “Not always.”

            She didn't seem surprised. “The world is and always will be a dangerous place.”

            “It was a very dangerous place, even before the Great Collision,” he murmured.

            “Tell me,” she softly insisted.

            The urge to get another mug of tea vanished, replaced by the need to tell her everything he knew. To warn her, and thus make her aware of what they might come across. It would help to prepare her. He stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles.

            “You've probably figured out by now that compounds are arranged in clusters. Yes, many are strung along the main road leading up to Far Troit and down to Mexco. But we're not evenly spaced out. You may travel for days before reaching the next one in the chain, and then find two or three more scattered around it.”

            “Was it planned that way?”

            “I don't believe so. Dad once told me when survivors began to regroup, little pockets of militia popped up and took over. Claiming leadership. Armed demigods assumed control, and the first battle lords were created when they fought each other for domination. It was bloody and far more dangerous than it is now. People struggled to survive, and they didn't care who was tapped to watch over them as long as they felt protected and had enough to eat.”

            “That's what I was taught in school,” Atty admitted. “Except, when the first Mutah were born, they were killed. Those whose parents managed to hide them survived because they were smuggled away from the compounds, where they met others like themselves. That's how Mutah compounds came into being.”

            “But, in my opinion, the Mutah developed a more democratic governing system, based supposedly on the one that had been in place in this country before the Great Collision,” Yulen pointed out. He laced his fingers together and rested his hands on his stomach. “It's a shame the Normals couldn't act with the same amount of wisdom.”

            “What do you think we'll find up in Corado? Did you see those men's faces when I entered the lodge?”

            “I studied them from the moment I was introduced to them,” Yulen told her. “They were also amazed by the fact that you could read.”

            Atty snorted. “You caught that, too, huh?”

            “Once we pass the outskirts of Wallis, we'll need to be extra diligent. Although the battle lords up north and west may have heard of the treaties, we can't assume they agree with them. Neither can we believe they want me there to oversee any peaceful negotiations between Normals and Mutah. The dissidents continue to outnumber us, and we can’t forget that, or let down our guard.”

            “You think this could be a trap?” The quiver in her voice betrayed her fear, making him quick to reassure her.

            “No, not a trap. At least, I hope not. In any event, we'll remain well-armed and alert, just in case.”

            “Then why are they having a summit if you think they don't want to bring peace among themselves?”

            “I have no idea, Atty, but I think it’s possible Alton Highcliff is calling it a summit to mask his true intentions.”

            “Bad intentions?”

            “Let's hope not. But if that's the case, he needs to be stopped. I hate being used as a scapegoat, or placed in the middle of someone else's argument.” He caught sight of a shadow peeking over the balcony, and he smiled. “Our little escape artist is watching us.”

            Atty let out a loud sigh and started to rise when he waved her to remain where she was.

            “Stay put and have another cup of tea, if you want. I'll go see what he needs and put him back to bed.”

            “I need to get to bed myself. Care to join me?” She flashed him a flirtatious grin that made his heart beat faster. He groaned inwardly.

            “I'd love to, but I want to check up on our guests. See what they've been up to. I won't be long.”

            He leaned over to kiss her. It always amazed him how sweet her lips were. How soft and tantalizing. For a moment, he wished he could forget about his duty and crawl into bed with her. Although those heady, pheromone-fueled days of dizzying passion were gone, the good old-fashioned desires remained. Pulling away, he smiled at her and placed a hand on her belly.

            “A girl this time, huh?”

            “Yep. A daughter.”

            “You're sure?” When she gave him that look he was hoping for, he grinned widely. “Have the bed warm when I return. I'll be back before you know it.”

            She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I haven't heard that song and dance before.”

            Chuckling, he turned toward the spiral staircase and the little figure halfway down the steps. “All right, Mattox. Back to bed, and that's an order!” he barked in a half-serious tone. When the child ran, laughing, back up the stairs, he growled playfully and chased after his son.

Chapter Three

Meeting

            Once Yulen informed Matriman and his party that he and Atty were accepting the invitation to attend the summit in Corado, the brigade left Alta Novis. With their guests on their way home, he called for a meeting of those Atty considered to be in their inner circle of friends and confidants. They met in the battle lord's lodge. She and Madigan took the comfy chairs, while the others either sat on the floor, or stood around while Yulen took a stance in front of them.