The Battle Lord's Lady (31 page)

Was she awakening at all?

As hard as it was to admit, Yulen knew there
was the overwhelming possibility 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.”

“What’s step two?”

“Some food. If you’re going to keep looking
for her, and I know you won’t stop until you find her, you’ll need
your strength. No food equals no energy. Simple arithmetic.”

“Kitchen’s closed for the night,” the Battle
Lord told him.

MaGrath could see a faint smile on the man’s
lips. “Yeah, but I know where Berta hides the keys to the cold
room.”

“So do I.”

Both men turned and began to walk back into
the main lodge. Shift change was over. Several men passed them,
heading for their own beds for the evening.

Inside the main hall, Yulen raised the light
on one of the three remaining lanterns always left lit throughout
the night inside the vast room. The fire in the grate was almost
out, but it still managed to give off a little warmth. Presently
MaGrath emerged from the kitchen with a small tray of bread,
cheese, and cold meat. Another brief trip, and he brought them mugs
of cider.

For the next ten minutes they both ate in
silence near the fireplace as Yulen remembered the last time he’d
eaten was that morning. He and Atty had taken their breakfast
downstairs in the main hall, under the curious eyes of the men also
there to eat. Atty had never had waffles before, and she managed to
elicit a laugh from Berta when she’d asked for her third helping.
The memory brought a wistful smile to his face.

“What are you thinking?” MaGrath spoke
up.

“Atty and her waffles.”

The physician gave a little grunt. “The girl
does have a sweet tooth when it comes to syrup. Yulen?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll find her. I just know it in my
gut.”

“So do I, Liam,” the Battle Lord admitted
softly.

MaGrath went to replenish their tankards when
Verris came bursting into the main hall, followed by several of his
men. He was flushed and out of breath, alerting Yulen. Instantly
the Battle Lord was on his feet and on his guard.

“Sir!” Hurrying over he placed a small
package on the table before his leader. Yulen gave it a quick
glance as his Second explained. “We just discovered this pinned to
the forest gate.” Opening his other hand, Verris added, “With
this.”

Yulen froze at the sight of the Ballock
dagger. Atty’s dagger. The one missing from its scabbard
upstairs.

“The forest gate?” he repeated.

Verris nodded. “Yes, sir.” The gate Wougen
had escaped through when he’d left the compound with Atty.

By that time MaGrath had joined them as Yulen
reached for the package. It appeared to be a length of material
bound with two green vines stripped of their leaves. Crude, but
effective.

Yulen used the dagger to slice through the
vines, and slowly began to unroll the material across the table.
Two turns of the cloth, and they saw the inner fabric was soaked in
blood. A coldness washed over the Battle Lord as several men sucked
in their breath.

“My God, what’s inside?” MaGrath wondered
aloud.

Yulen continued to unwind the package. As he
reached the end, he threw back the last bit of material, expecting
the worst. Handfuls of lustrous blue hair spilled onto the table.
Atty’s hair.

“He’s taunting you,” the physician stated in
a tight voice. “That son of a bitch is taunting you.”

“No.” Yulen shook his head. “He’s telling me
he has her, and where he’s taken her.” Reaching down, he picked up
the length of material and shook it before holding it out for all
of them to see. It was a pennant of dark gold with a single slash
of red running diagonally from the upper corner down to the
opposite corner. The pennant marking the compound of Bearinger.

Verris groaned. “Collaunt? Collaunt has
her?”

She’s mine now.

Suddenly it all made sense. For years
Bearinger and Alta Novis had been at war with each other, but
neither had been able to gain the upper hand. Despite D’Jacques’
soldiers’ superiority, Syrus Collaunt’s men were more bloodthirsty.
Ever since Rory D’Jacques’s death, there had been an uneasy truce
between Battle Lords. Yulen knew it was a truce that would never
remain untested. It could be next week, next month, or next year
before Collaunt would try again to take Alta Novis and claim it for
his own.

Too late, Yulen realized that time was
now.

“Verris? Fetch Mastin and Karv. Tell them I
want them here immediately.”

The Second nodded and barked orders to have
the others notified.

“I’ll go get my things,” MaGrath said, and
left to fetch his medical bag.

Yulen turned back to his Second, along with
his men. “I’m going to Bearinger, starting tonight. Spread the word
this is a voluntary call only. I do not plan to start a war with
Collaunt, although he’s made it clear he has every intention to. I
only plan to rescue Atty and bring her home.”

“And you think you’ll be able to do that
without attacking Bearinger?” Verris questioned him.

Yulen nodded. “I have some men on the inside.
Perhaps they can help figure out a way to do it with as little
bloodshed as possible. Alta Novis may be bigger than Bearinger, but
Collaunt’s trained his men to be vicious killers who make no
distinction between Mutah and Normals.” He narrowed his eyes at the
Second. “I’m not leading my men into a suicide mission, although
Collaunt believes I will.”

Mastin ran into the hall, followed soon after
by Karv. Again, Yulen repeated his orders for them to make ready to
head for Bearinger. They would leave within the hour.

As everyone departed, Yulen went upstairs to
pack. It was a three day ride to Bearinger. There was no way to
determine how far ahead Wougen was. As a last-minute thought he
grabbed the Ballock’s scabbard to take with him.

Heading downstairs, he turned the corner of
the staircase to find MaGrath waiting for him. Standing just behind
him was Madigan. Yulen stopped in surprise.

“Liam?”

“She’s going with us,” MaGrath told him in
that I’m-not-going-to-argue-with-you-about-this tone of voice Yulen
knew too well.

He couldn’t begin to fathom the man’s and his
mother’s motive, but to hell with them. The Battle Lord gave them
both an ugly look. “Then keep her away from me. She’ll be your sole
responsibility while we’re gone,” he growled, and headed for the
front doors. He didn’t see the looks of relief they gave each other
before they followed him out into the courtyard.

Once Yulen was outside, he never looked up as
he threw his saddlebags over his horse. It was nearly midnight. He
wouldn’t be able to push them far before they would have to rest,
but he intended on keeping their pace brisk. They had to reach
Bearinger as quickly as possible, because the longer Collaunt had
Atty, the greater the chance he would inflict serious injury to
her. The man wasn’t just brutal, he was inhumane.

“Sir? The troops are ready,” Mastin rode up
to tell him.

Swinging into his saddle, Yulen pulled his
horse around to stare behind him. He had to stop just to focus on
what he saw. Mastin watched the look of surprise dawn on the Battle
Lord’s face. “They’re all voluntary, sir,” the Second answered the
unspoken question.

“They want a chance to taste Collaunt’s
blood,” Yulen said, eyeing the nearly one hundred men, almost a
third of the total of his soldiers at the compound. He had hoped
for a couple dozen, expecting fewer than that. This showing of
loyalty left him stunned.

“No, sir,” Mastin smiled, shaking his head.
“You said this was a rescue mission to get Atty back. Well...that’s
why they’re here.”

Yulen shot him a disbelieving look. After
several seconds, the Battle Lord raised his arm and signaled for
them to head out. It would be a long, hard ride to face Syrus
Collaunt, yet somehow Yulen had no doubt they’d manage to get Atty
back.

Dead or alive.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Plan

It was their second evening out when Yulen
called his close circle together for a conference, meeting inside
Madigan’s elaborate tent she always brought along whenever she went
on the road. For once, the Battle Lord found having it had
benefits.

Inside, seated on one of the rugs, he faced
his three Seconds and MaGrath. It was time he told them what he had
planned, and then allow them some time to see if they could come up
with any suggestions or a better solution. Far to the rear of the
tent, he could see his mother listening but keeping silent. True to
MaGrath’s word, she had not approached the Battle Lord since they’d
set out three nights ago.

“You know why I called you here tonight,”
Yulen began. “Tomorrow we’ll reach the outer perimeters of
Bearinger. Most likely Wougen has already arrived at the compound.
We also have to be aware of the fact that his accomplice may be
nested within our ranks this very instant.”

MaGrath started. “You haven’t said a word
about that to me!” he said with a hint of disappointment in his
voice.

“How can you be so sure?” Mastin
inquired.

“Simple arithmetic,” Yulen stated. “Wougen
wouldn’t hang around the compound, waiting for nightfall so he
could place the pennant on the outer forest door. Too much at
stake, and too risky. No, once he’d gotten Atty out of Alta Novis,
he got on his horse and headed straight here, and let his
accomplice leave the message.”

“But didn’t we agree his accomplice had to be
someone on the outside?” Verris spoke up.

Resting a hand on one upraised knee, Yulen
smiled bitterly. “I agreed to nothing. The less I said, the more I
knew you would carry on that assumption. That’s why I’ve asked you
here tonight. To let you know what I know, and to see if together
we can come up with a feasible plan if you feel my suggestion is
somewhat...dangerous.”

“Which already tells me it is,” MaGrath dryly
grumbled. “Okay, Yulen. Let’s hear it.”

Yulen motioned to the squadron of soldiers
outside the tent with a brief wave of his hand. “Out there is
Wougen’s accomplice. The moment we arrive within distance of
Bearinger, he will either disappear from our hold, or he’ll meet up
with Wougen or another one of Collaunt’s men to brief them on our
mission. Collaunt is expecting me to come charging in with a full
battalion to try and rescue Atty. Well, he’s going to have to live
with disappointment. I’m keeping our men out of range while I go in
alone to get her.”

“No!” Immediately Mastin, MaGrath, and Verris
jumped to their feet in protest.

“Yulen, have you gone
nuts?
” MaGrath demanded. “Go
in
alone?
”

“Sir! Take me with you!” Mastin offered.
“Take at least a couple of us to watch your back!”

Yulen shook his head. He’d expected their
protests. “I have a couple of moles who’ve been living in Bearinger
for the past few years, ever since the man took control of the
compound. They’ve been sending me regular updates and reports on
the man’s insidiousness. Syrus Collaunt is a vicious tyrant, and
frankly those reports do not make for good bedtime reading.” He
took a deep breath.

“More than likely he’s going to have Atty
placed in a holding cell until he decides what he wants to do with
her. And he won’t decide until he knows what I plan to do. He
challenged me when he sent me his pennant. I’m going to answer his
challenge...just not in the way he expects me to.”

“How do you plan on rescuing her? Steal her
from under Collaunt’s nose?” Karv asked critically. Yulen gave him
a secretive smile.