The Battle Lord Saga 02 - Her Battle Lord's Desire

Her Battle Lord’s Desire

(Book Two of the “Battle Lord” Saga)

By

Linda Mooney

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's

imagination, or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to

actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

Her Battle Lord’s Desire

Copyright 2011 by Linda Mooney

ISBN#: 978-1-4507-1945-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print

without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to

Copyright laws you cannot trade, sell, or give any ebooks away.

The Battle Lord Saga

The Battle Lord’s Lady

Her Battle Lord’s Desire

A Battle Lord’s Heart

www.LindaMooney.com

“Sir?”

Yulen glanced up from the diagrams and sketches scattered over the table in front of him.

For some reason his Second appeared more agitated than usual. Yulen’s brows knitted as he

lifted his chin. “Yes? What is it, Cole?”

“Sir, we have guests at the front gate. They’re asking for Atty.”

This time one eyebrow traveled skyward. “Are they...?” Yulen began.

Mastin nodded. “Yes, sir. They’re from Wallis.”

The Second turned and followed the Battle Lord outside and to the main gates that were

opened. Standing outside, just beyond the gates, two men in a single horse-drawn wagon sat

waiting. As Yulen drew closer he immediately recognized one of the men, and a big smile creased

his face.

“Fortune Kalich! Welcome back to Alta Novis. Please, come inside!”

It was apparent the one man was relieved at such a positive response. However, he

remained cool and aloof. His companion also seemed surprised by the warm greeting, although

he continued the scan the battlements overhead for any sign of aggression or trickery. They had

willingly and purposefully come to the compound seeking help, but they knew there was always

the chance they could just as easily find a sword at their throats or a knife in their intestines.

Several months had passed since they’d returned Atty to this man she claimed was her

husband. Since then they’d received no word from anyone, which was why they had expected the

worse.

It wasn’t until present circumstances forced them to realize they needed help, and they

needed it now. And the only possible person who could help,
if
he would help, was the Battle

Lord of Alta Novis. Atty’s husband. Thus, with prayers and hopes that this man, who had taken

one of their own to wife, would give them what they sought, they had set off on their mission.

The decision had created major havoc and turmoil within the Mutah community. Which

was why Fortune Kalich had volunteered to be the one to approach D’Jacques, as regrettably as

he’d hated the prospect.

Slowly, and with obvious caution, both men climbed down from their wagon. Fortune

started as a soldier took the reins of their horse. Yet the warrior displayed no visible signs of

distrust as he calmly began to lead the horse into the compound. Giving the Battle Lord a wary

glance, the Mutah introduced his companion. “D’Jacques, this is Bertrand Fairchild, a friend and

fellow member of the hunters caste.”

Yulen greeted the man with a deep bow of his head. “I’m honored to have you here. I

hold an especially high regard to those of the hunters caste.” He held out a hand to direct them

into the compound city. “You’ve had a long journey, and I’m sure there’s a very good reason for

it. Come inside for something to eat. How long do you plan to stay at Alta Novis?”

Fortune bit down on the inside of his cheek, hoping it would quell his nervousness. The

last time he had been inside the tall, fortified walls, he had been accompanied by over a thousand

armed Mutah warriors. Today, it was just he and Bertrand, and a covert glance at his friend

proved he was just as jittery. However, they were damned if they’d let D’Jacques become aware

of their hesitancy.

“With luck, we hope to be back on the road to Wallis in the morning,” Fortune responded.

Yulen paused in surprise. “So soon? Surely you can stay a couple of days. I know Atty

will be delighted to see you when she returns.”

Returns? Fortune narrowed his eyes at the man. “She’s not here?” he asked, unable to

take the chilly edge from his voice. If the Battle Lord noticed his caution, he never showed it.

“She should be back shortly. She’s usually back around this time if she leaves out before

dawn.”

Yulen continued to lead the two men past the stables and the soldier’s barracks, down the

narrow road to the main lodge. As they passed the other soldiers they got the stares and

occasional guarded looks they expected. But something had changed since his last time inside,

Fortune realized. Something that neither frightened nor put him on guard. Something...tangible.

It was Bertrand who picked up the thread of conversation. “You mean she’s no longer

here? Or just temporarily absent?” he repeated.

Yulen shook his head and smiled. They’d reached the main hall. Directing them inside,

the Battle Lord called out for food and drink, even though it was clear midday meal had been

some hours before, and the evening supper was still a couple of hours away. “I meant she’s not

here at this moment,” he finally answered.

“But she
does
live here?” Bertrand emphasized. His eyes scanned the walls of the main

hall where a vast array of armament hung in sections around the room. In particular he saw

where the outline of a crossbow on a nearby wall gave mute testimony that the weapon once had

graced that spot. He nudged Fortune with a double-jointed arm, and nodded at the image.

Yulen gave them a small, amused smile. He had seen where their investigation had taken

them. “Yes,” he answered in a softer voice. “My wife and I reside here. In this lodge.”

My wife and I.
The acknowledgment set Fortune’s teeth on edge.

The Battle Lord led them over to one of the long tables near the fireplace. Several large

sheets of paper with drawings and diagrams on them were scattered across the planking. Yulen

carefully gathered them together and rolled them back into a tube, which he secured with a length

of leather lacing.

The two men took a seat across from him as a large, matronly-looking woman brought

them a tray. Giving each of the newcomers a bright smile, she looked over at the Battle Lord for

confirmation. “Will that be all, sir?”

“Yes. Thanks, Berta. That should hold them over until supper. By the way, what are we

having?”

The woman snorted. “What do you care, sir? You’re going to eat it anyway. But if

you’re so determined to know, it’s the two ground lizards Madam caught yesterday.”

At Yulen’s pained expression, the housekeeper raised a hand to reassure him. “Trust me,

sir. Once you see how she’s having us fix it, you’d never know it wasn’t farm-raised.”

Yulen chuckled. Turning back to the men eating at the table, he noticed their wide-eyed

expressions but made no comment, allowing them to continue with their meal uninterrupted as he

went over to stand before the small fire.

It was only the early part of September, but the evenings were beginning to turn chilly, if

not uncomfortably cold. Although there were at least another couple hours of sunlight left before

dusk, a wind had kicked up from the northwest, bringing with it the smell of another change in the

weather. Yulen suspected it would be an early and long winter for them.

A fresh-faced soldier entered the main hall and approached the Battle Lord to let him

know the visitors’ horse had been settled for the night, and the wagon was left tied to the stables.

“Shall we go ahead and resupply them with provisions, sir?” he added.

The comment surprised the Wallis hunters.

Yulen shook his head. “Not yet. Thank you, Hampstead. That’ll be all.”

The soldier nodded and hurried out. Fortune watched him go. “What was that all about,

D’Jacques?” the man asked.

“You mean about the provisions? Why shouldn’t we supply you for your trip home?”

Fortune pulled his hands away from his meal and got to his feet. “What kind of trickery

are you pulling, D’Jacques? Why the niceties? Why the hospitality?” He waved at the tray of

food. “Is this stuff poisoned? Is that what you have planned? To keep us off-guard and

unsuspecting while you manage to have us conveniently disappear?” He was not prepared for the

flash of sorrow and anger that appeared on the man’s face. But he could not let go of forty-

seven years of oppression quite so easily.

“Where’s Atty, D’Jacques? Where’s my goddaughter? Where is she, in truth? Why not

go ahead and admit to us that you’ve done something with her? Why not tell us she’s dead, and

we’ve managed to fall for your—”

Outside the main hall’s large double doors that had been left propped open came the cry

Yulen had been waiting for.

“Battle Lady about!”

Before the call had faded, a familiar and beloved figure literally came bouncing into the

room, all out of breath and flushed with her latest conquest.

“Yulen? Where are you? Oh, there you are! Oh,
God
, Yulen! Have you tried this

crossbow? This thing is
mar
velous! Come outside and look at what I bagged—”

Atty stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted the two men sitting at the nearby table.

Her eyes widened in shock. “Fortune?
Bertrand!
” Squealing with delight, she tossed the

crossbow onto a nearby table and descended on the hunters with undisguised joy, hugging them

both in turn and smothering their faces with kisses.

Fortune could only stare at the woman, speechless. Not only was she alive, she literally

glowed with health and happiness. Gone was the woman of five months ago, a creature pale and

weak after battling a major poisoning. Vanished was the woman who had begged at the feet of

the Council of Elders to be returned to the enemy stronghold, to the man she claimed had total

possession of her heart.

Even more astonishing was the realization that her hunting prowess and abilities appeared

to be even stronger than before, despite the surety they were supposed to fade away with her

deflowerment.

Atty saw his look of incredulity and snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hey,

Fortune! You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” She giggled again, giving him another squeeze for

good measure. “Oh, you guys look wonderful! What brings you to Alta Novis?” She leaned

back and glanced at her husband for an answer, seeing as the other two were a bit on the

dumbstruck side at the moment. He answered her with a quick shrug.

“Atty?” Fortune swallowed thickly. His hands cupped her beaming face, and he stared

into her bright eyes. Several tendrils of dark, indigo-colored hair had escaped her braids. He

tucked them behind her ears. Finally accepting the fact that she was whole and happy, he pulled

her into his arms to hug her. “We’ve missed you, girl,” he murmured against her cheek.

“I’ve missed you all as well,” she whispered in return. Suddenly, her mercurial mood

became playful. She stepped back, pulling on his hands and jerking on his arms to bring him to his

feet. “Come outside and see what I caught!” She danced away from them, heading for the door.

They had no choice but to follow her outside.

Already her kill had attracted the attention of the soldiers in the compound. But, then

again, whatever she brought back usually attracted a lot of attention. Today was no different.

The snake was a good twenty feet long, and at least as big around as a man’s thigh. She

had tied a rope behind its head and dragged it back to the compound behind her horse. Yulen

observed the crossbow’s arrows protruding from each slitted eye.

“
Two
arrows, Atty?” he teased with a grin. “Getting extravagant now?”

Atty gave a noncommittal shrug. “Damn thing wouldn’t go down. Besides, they were

little arrows. Snakes don’t know they’re dead when you hit the brain.”

Something in her tone of voice gave Yulen pause. Leaning over so he was close to her

ear, he whispered, “If ever, for one minute, I think you’re putting yourself in unnecessary danger,