One Battle Lord’s Fate (9 page)

Her cool hand touched his cheek. “What if what you’re trying to do fails?” she asked softly.

“I can’t let it fail.”

“But you can’t deny that possibility.”

Snorting, he took her hand and kissed the palm. “True. If this fails, I’ll try again. And again. And again.” He kissed her hand once more. “Go upstairs and rest. You’re looking drained.”

Atty started to reply when they heard a discreet knock at the door. Yulen went to let Mastin inside. Once the door was shut behind him, the Second launched into his report.

“We’re hearing of some disagreements sprouting up between humans and Mutah all over the compound, but so far there hasn’t been any sign of violence.”

“That you know of,” Atty added.

Mastin nodded once. “Let's just say the doctor hasn’t been called to bind up any suspicious wounds.”

“But that doesn’t mean anything. The other Battle Lords may have brought their own physicians with them,” she pointed out. “My people don’t know how to fight. Even if they were cornered, they wouldn’t have any way or knowledge of how to defend themselves. That’s what our hunters are for.”

Yulen frowned darkly. “Atty, do you suspect your people are keeping us in the dark about these covert attacks, if they do exist?”

“You know how quickly we can heal. Unless the attack is particularly vicious, like removing an arm or leg, a Mutah could heal sufficiently overnight, and resume his or her work the next day.”

Rapid healing was a normal part of Mutah physiology. The doctor once explained that he believed it was nature’s way of compensating for the aberrations caused hundreds of years ago when something hit the moon and split it into several pieces, bringing about the massive upheavals and changes to Earth.

Yulen tilted his head. “What are you saying? Why would Mutah keep these confrontations a secret? Why are they trying to hide them?”

“Because they want you to succeed!” Atty almost yelled back. Her face had gone paler, and she wobbled a bit on her feet. Yulen lifted her into his arms and carried her over to one of the overstuffed chairs, sitting her in one.

“Mother!” He glanced overhead at the bedroom area.

“She’s not here. She took Mattox over to the clinic.”

“Shall I fetch her?” Mastin asked.

Yulen shook his head. “No. Go check with the sub-lieutenants. Get back with me if you find out anything.”

The Second nodded and hurried out the door. Yulen strode into the kitchen and ladled some water from the bucket into a mug, then took it back to her. Atty drank it all.

“Better?”

“Yeah.” She gave him a loving smile.

He quickly unbelted his sword and threw it onto the other chair. Then he sat on the floor at her feet. “Okay, Atty. Tell me what’s going on. Tell me what my men aren’t seeing.”

“They’re doing it to protect you.”

He blinked, momentarily taken aback. It was not an answer he had anticipated. Atty continued.

“The Mutah know how much this summit means to you. They also know that any little problem could quickly escalate, and possibly blow this whole thing up in your face.”

“So they’re keeping knowledge of all those attacks from me and my men?”

She nodded. “I get regular reports. They want your mission to succeed. They know it has to succeed if there’s any chance for our kind to continue living.”

He frowned slightly. “How many attacks have there been?”

She bit her lower lip, and he could feel his gut tighten. That little quirk of hers told him the answer would not be to his liking.

“Forty or so, give or take.”

“
Forty?
”

“Nothing serious,” she hastened to add. “Mostly name calling. Taunts. Threats. Little
accidental
encounters. Our soldiers have been doing a very good job of keeping a constant presence among the population.”

“Forty?” He bowed his head, resting his forehead on her knee. A hand reached out to stroke his hair. It reminded him of the countless times he’d done the same to her. The effect helped to ease the headache that had started to plague him.

“How could I have been so naive?”

“My love, what you are attempting is monumental in itself. The fact that so many Battle Lords have agreed to this meeting is a remarkable feat. You’ve come so far. Yes, there are going to be missteps. Problems. Complications. But remember, nothing is easy if it’s worth obtaining.”

Reaching up, he snagged her hand and brought it to his lips. “Sometimes, Atty, your faith in me is frightening.”

She laughed lightly. “I could say the same.”

Sitting up, he looked her directly in the eye. “In the future, I want to know every time something happens to a Mutah, understand me?”

Her smile disappeared. “Yulen.”

“I need to know. I want to see if a single person is behind all the attacks, or if there is a group or any kind of conspiracy out there trying to destroy the purpose behind this gathering. Promise me you’ll keep me informed.”

“I will.”

“One more thing. When we met with Tabert, I could tell something bothered you. What was it? Is he one I should keep a closer eye on?”

“He’s oily, Yulen. He reminds me so much of Collaunt.”

Yulen gritted his teeth. Anger continued to seethe inside his chest as he recalled the ex-Battle Lord of Bearinger. “I was a fool to believe this entire event was running as smoothly as it appeared.”

“Might I make another suggestion? Relocate those Battle Lords whom you know are loyal to you inside the first wall, and let the remainder camp in the second circle.”

“That makes sense. I’ll have my men help with the moving.”

“How will you explain the changes if the Battle Lords object?”

Grinning, Yulen replied, “I don’t have to explain. It’s my compound.”

“Some won’t like the change.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not here to please everyone’s whim. I’m here to try and broker peace between Normals and Mutah. Now.” He got to his feet and helped Atty to stand. “You promised you’d go back to bed.”

“Tuck me in?” She peered up at him through her dark blue lashes and added an impish grin.

Chuckling, Yulen lifted her into his arms and carried her up the winding stairs, but it would be a while before he came back downstairs to retrieve his weapon and leave.

Chapter Fourteen

Renewal

Atty awoke at the first restless movement she heard coming from the baby’s room. A glance out the multi-paned window revealed the peach pale glimmer of dawn. She looked over at the form lying beside her to discover her husband hadn’t been roused. It had been late when she’d retired. No telling how much later it had been when he’d finally called it a night. She had no memory of when he’d joined her.

Slipping out of bed, she walked around the foot to the other side, to where the nursery was located, and went into the next room where Mattox was already pulling himself up to a standing position at the side of the crib.

“Hey, little man. You’re up early this morning.”

The child smiled at her and cooed. His eyes were a soft shade of pink as he lifted pudgy arms for her. Atty picked him up and cradled him, placing kisses on his forehead and cheek as she carried him over to the changing table.

“I hate to do this to you, Mattox, but you’re going to be spending a lot of time with your grandmother these next few days. Your daddy and I don’t want anyone to get an idea of what you look like. There are some bad people who might to take you away from us. But don’t worry. We’ll come see you often, and I’ll still feed you. And when this is all over, I promise to take you outside the compound again so you can see the birds and all.”

She changed his diaper as she talked to him. The baby boy watched her as he blew spit bubbles of delight. When she was done, she carried him over to the rocking chair near the nursery window. As she rocked and watched out the window the comings and goings of the new day, she fed her son. So engrossed in the moment, she wasn’t aware they were being watched until a low voice spoke.

“They say that in the days before the Great Collision, there were boxes called cameras that could take a picture of what was happening that very instant. That way you would always have something to remind you of that moment.”

“Sounds nice.”

Yulen stepped inside the nursery and padded barefoot over to where she was gently rocking their son back to sleep. “I’ve lost count of how many times I wished I had one of those cameras. Especially for moments like this. Seeing you and Mattox, sitting here like this with the sunrise shining behind you.”

He leaned down to kiss her, then dropped a kiss on his son’s thick crop of brown curls. “What was that I heard about Mother keeping him for a while?”

“I asked her if she’d take care of him while everything was going on. I don’t want anyone getting a good look at him, and possibly targeting him.”

Yulen frowned. “I never thought of it, but you’re right. We shouldn’t put Mattox in harm’s way. There’s too much of a chance this conference could backfire, and someone might get the idea of taking him hostage.”

Atty shook her head slowly. Her hair had grown out until the ends touched her collar bone. In the morning light, the strands reflected with bright blue glimmers. Yulen watched for another couple of minutes as the infant’s suckling became sporadic, and his eyes began to droop.

“I’m going ahead and getting ready to start the day’s festivities.”

“I’ll join you as soon as I deliver Mattox to Madigan.”

“Don’t forget to wear your blue velvet gown and your circlet. Meet me at the main tent near the bell. As soon as you can get there, the sooner I can welcome everyone, and we can proceed.”

He kissed her goodbye and left the room. She could hear him going into the bathroom. Shortly thereafter, the sound of boots descended the stairs, and the front door opened and closed.

Berta had hung the freshly-cleaned dress on a hook on the bedroom wall. Atty hadn’t worn it since she and Yulen had traveled to Wallis where Yulen presented her as the Battle Lady. Following that, he had helped her people reinforce their compound, and immediately after that he claimed Wallis as one of his holdings, promising the Mutah his protection.

She slipped on the dress, noting how Berta had let out the seams around the waist, hips, and bosom. She was no longer the thin, half-starved woman Yulen had captured and brought to Alta Novis a year ago. Since then, with proper food, Yulen’s love, and the birth of their son, she had filled out at bit. “You put some meat on those bones,” as Berta often teased her.

After brushing her hair, leaving it in loose waves, she placed the silver circlet with its large purple sapphire upon her brow. The results seen in the small mirror hanging in the bathroom were of a young and mature woman. But if someone were to look into her eyes, they would see the shadows of an old soul who had already witnessed and experienced a lifetime of experiences, both good and bad, in her twenty-one years.

She wrapped Mattox in a blanket, grabbed the bag she kept packed, and hurried to deliver him to the clinic. Liam opened the door and ushered her inside.

“Madigan is getting dressed. Is this everything?” The doctor peered inside the bag. Atty smiled, knowing the man didn’t have a clue as to what infants needed.

“Yes, that’s all.”

“What about feeding him? I don’t see any milk packets.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve sort of developed a routine. About the time he gets hungry, my breasts start crying.”

Liam chuckled. “I’ve never heard it put that way before. By the way, you look very beautiful.” He took the bag and laid it on one of the chairs in the waiting room. Turning around, he saw the curious look she was giving him. “What’s the matter?”

“Why are you all dressed up spiffy like? Is Yulen going to introduce you to the other Battle Lords, too?”

She noticed he hesitated before answering. “Actually, yes, he is. If some of the Battle Lords brought their own physicians. I thought it would be beneficial if we all gathered and compared notes. I have quite a bit of information about Mutah physiology that I’d like to share with them.”

Atty smiled again. “Sounds like you’re going to be a busy man. Look, I’m heading over to the central area now. Want to escort me?”

Again, the man seemed to hesitate. “I’m not quite ready. Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll catch up with you shortly.”

He was hiding something from her. By his actions and tone of voice, there was a hint of playful mischief behind it. She debated for a moment if it would be worth it to try and wrangle the secret out of him, but decided not to. She was curious to see how the game ended.

“Okay.”

She left the clinic, and immediately caught the familiar smells of breakfast cooking wafting through the air. Only this time the odors were intensified by the amount of food being prepared because of the vast number of people who needed feeding. Here and there she could see a servant rushing to and from the main lodge. Her stomach tightened with anticipation.

It wasn’t until she came around the corner of her and Yulen’s lodge that she got the first glimpse of the multi-colored decorations lining the walkways. Banners and pennants hung from ropes strung between every building, and lighted lanterns swung from poles planted every few feet. Rolls of multi-colored cloth were stretched across the walkways like sun shields, and the fabrics bounced up and down in the morning breeze.

Here, the air of expectation was thick. She could sense it racing over her skin. It was almost palpable, and rhythmic like an invisible heartbeat.

And silent.

Atty paused. Her joyful mood instinctively shifted into hunter mode. It shouldn’t be this silent. Not this morning. Not on a day that Yulen and she had been planning and anticipating for weeks.

Fear rose in her chest. She pressed her back to the building next to her and strained her ears for the smallest sound. All of a sudden, the compound had become utterly silent and empty. Where had the servants gone? Where were the familiar noises of people preparing for the day?

This isn’t what she expected after feeling Liam’s attitude. Maybe he wasn’t expecting it either. Life at the compound was a double-edged sword. Things could change from calm to calamity with a single arrow or well-placed knife.