Chapter Twenty-Three
Durrow
The battle lord didn’t push them, but they kept to a steady clip and covered a lot of ground. A couple of times Yulen went to talk to his men and captains, checking on them as he always did. Lucien also noted his father taking the time to inquire on the wounded Mutah. Iain rode next to the wagon to keep an eye on the man.
Less than an hour after they departed Whiterock, they came to a split in the road. Yulen studied the trail that turned southward as they continued on toward the west. Curious, Atty asked, “Where does that lead? Do you know?”
“I don’t know where it eventually ends up, but Alta Seran is in that direction.”
Lucien perked up as his mother softly wondered aloud, “Do you ever think about him?”
Him. Rafe D’Jacques. Fortune had told Lucien about the time his father’s half-brother had tried to take over Alta Novis by force, claiming since he was firstborn, the compound was his by right. But Rafe’s hatred for all things Mutah had led the man to abusing Atty, as well as many others. In the end, Yulen had killed him and sent Rafe’s mother, Janelle Callahan, back to Alta Seran.
Yulen gave his wife a loving smile. “Not if I can help it.” That seemed to satisfy Atty, and they said no more about it.
Surprisingly, the battle lord called for a halt a little past midday. Believing they’d made good headway, he gave everyone an hour to eat and stretch their legs before returning to the road. Johna grabbed her spear and vanished momentarily between the trees. Lucien took the opportunity to go over to where his mother was already cooking a couple of squirrels she’d managed to snag during their trek. The smell of roasting game over the open fire made his stomach growl. Atty flashed him a smile, which let him know she’d heard it. “Dinner will be ready shortly. Where’s your friend? She’s welcome to join us. There’s plenty.”
He turned to go get Johna, when a sneeze caught him off-guard. It didn’t come from him. Surprised, he gave his mother a concerned look, which she waved off. “Pepper.” She sniffed and blew her nose on a rag. “Hurry. We eat when your father returns.”
“He’s returned,” Yulen drily remarked as he strode into their personal campsite and took a seat on one of the mats she’d placed on the ground. Holding out his hands toward the fire, he looked at Lucien. “Was that you who sneezed?”
“No. It was Mom.”
Yulen turned to Atty, who waved at the sizzling squirrels. “Drop that expression, D’Jacques. I got some pepper up my nose.”
Chuckling, Lucien went to get Johna. When they returned, Iain had joined his parents. Lucien and Johna took a seat next to him as Atty carved portions from the meat. “Good thing about squirrels is they cook fast,” his mother remarked.
“They smell wonderful,” Johna praised her.
“Do you cook?” Atty inquired, handing the young woman a trencher.
“No.”
“You should learn. A good hunter doesn’t just kill the meal. He should be able to cook it, as well.”
“The kitchen staff at home uses a lot of Mom’s recipes,” Lucien informed her. “You know how tough beaver can be? It’s not like that when it’s fixed Mom’s way.”
“Iain, how’s our new friend?” Yulen asked the physician.
“He’s stable, thankfully.”
“What have you learned? Anything?”
Iain accepted a trencher from Atty, thanking her before answering. “His name is Durrow Chalom. He’s a fruit and seed merchant. He told me that about a month ago a woman and her young daughter arrived in Whiterock. She claimed to be looking for employment. So the compound took her in, and shortly afterwards people started getting sick. Within two weeks they were dying.”
“Was the woman sick when they took her in?” Atty questioned.
“He didn’t say. If they weren’t aware of the virus, they wouldn’t have thought twice about letting her in so she could seek medical attention. But I’m thinking she could have been a carrier.”
“You mean, someone who’s survived the virus but can still infect others?” Lucien clarified.
Iain gave a nod. “Exactly. Or, she could have recently gotten infected, and wasn’t showing any signs until after she arrived. At that point, she may have contaminated everyone.”
“Excuse me,” Johna spoke up. “Are you saying you can be sick and not show any symptoms?”
“I’m saying that there’s an incubation period between the time a person becomes infected and when they begin showing signs of illness. In the case of this virus, it has a very short incubation. Normally twenty-four hours, give or take a few hours, depending on the person.”
“So, if the woman had been in that incubation period…”
“Then chances are she’d gotten infected while at one of the other compounds,” Iain concluded.
“Go on,” Yulen urged the doctor. “The woman infected the compound?”
“Yes. The majority of them fell ill. More than half died. It left the compound vulnerable. A month later, they were besieged by Bloods. Durrow says it took less than a day for the Bloods to overrun them. They ate those they killed, and imprisoned the rest. Every few days, they’d take away a couple of people, who never returned. It’s assumed those people were also eaten.”
“I think they were, too,” Atty commented.
Yulen agreed with her. “How was Durrow able to escape?”
“He and several others took turns chewing at each other’s bindings. Eventually Durrow’s came loose first. He told me he had hoped to escape sometime during the night, when the prisoners got wind of something going on. They had no idea what was causing the Bloods to get all worked up, but he saw it as his opportunity to make a run for it. He hoped to reach the next compound and let them know about their situation at Whiterock.”
“If all the prisoners were bound, how did they eat?” Johna asked.
“Like animals,” Atty told her, sadness heavy in her voice. “They put the bowl or bucket on the floor, and you’re expected to bend over and eat it that way. That is, if you’re lucky enough to have it served to you in a container. In a lot of cases, most of the time, the food is dumped onto the ground. And there’s only a small amount of it. Which means you have to fight others for whatever scraps there are.” She turned her head slightly, then added, “And don’t ask me about relieving yourself.”
Lucien felt a coldness go through him. From her tone, it was frighteningly clear that his mother had either gone through that kind of depravity, or was intimately aware of it for some other reason. Either way, he refused to let his imagination take hold. Fortunately, his father broke the awkward silence that followed her comment.
“Then it was our showing up that provided him with a diversion that enabled him to escape. Poor bastard.”
“No telling how many souls are still imprisoned inside that compound,” Johna noted.
“Don’t worry. Teeterson and his men will release them soon enough,” the battle lord promised.
For the next half hour they ate with no further conversation, other than an offhand comment about the weather or the food. When they were done, Yulen gathered up the dirty dishes to hand over to a soldier for cleaning. Lucien was snuffing out the fire when Iain approached him.
“Let me take a look at that head wound before we get back on the road. Been feeling any pain or dizziness?”
Lucien glanced over at where Johna stood, watching them. “No. Not a thing.”
The doctor gave him a pat on the back. “It’s dry, and there doesn’t appear to be any leakage or pus. You may have lucked out on this one, Luc.”
“Boys? Are you coming or not?” Atty called from atop her horse.
Chuckling, the threesome went to retrieve their mounts, and the army continued on its way toward Schutz Ridge.