Chapter Forty-One
Attack
They didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later they spotted a line of lanterns weaving their way through the trees. As the group from the compound advanced toward them, Lucien saw more Mutah hunter warriors emerging from the sides in an attempt to surround them. As the Mutah eyed their weapons, every man in Yulen’s brigade kept their hands on their reins. No one dared as much as touch his sword.
A man with an extra pair of arms sprouting from his chest approached the battle lord. By his robes, Lucien recognized him as being one of the Council. Stopping near the Palomino’s head, the Mutah defiantly stared up at Yulen.
“I am Coboros Minn. Before you say anything more, the answer is no. You may not enter our compound. Leave now. This is the only warning you will get.”
Yulen casually leaned over his saddle horn. “I told your sentry we were not requesting entry. We only request permission to camp outside your walls for the night. We’ll be on our way in the morning.”
Minn appeared confused. “You’re not welcome here, D’Jacques…or whatever your real name is.”
Yulen smiled. “That’s my real name. The reason I’m not requesting entry based on the Three Laws of Equality is because my wife and another companion are recovering from the maddening disease. Until my physician assures me they’re no longer contagious, I don’t want to risk passing it along to your compound.”
The battle lord’s admission seemed create more confusion for the Mutah councilman. He turned to two others standing behind him, and they had a brief conversation.
Lucien surveyed the Mutah hunters standing guard around them. It was difficult to read their expressions, but their posture showed they were fearful, as well as determined. He couldn’t fault them.
At the same time, that sense of uneasiness continued to grow. It was possible he was getting some kind of feedback from the hunters. Whatever was causing his skin to tighten in response, he didn’t like it. It was leaving a metallic tang in his mouth, and he fought the urge to spit.
“D’Jacques,” Minn addressed the battle lord again. “You claim you have the battle lady with you?” Obviously, the Mutah had gotten word that the reason the fake battle lord was on the warpath was to avenge his wife’s death.
In answer, Yulen motioned with his hand. From the middle of their circle, Iain rode forward, dragging the travois that held Atty. The doctor stopped next to the Yulen and slid out of the saddle. “Have any of you had the maddening disease?” he asked, not approaching the group.
Minn shook his head. “No, but we’ve heard of it. We’ve been very careful about allowing fellow Mutah into our compound.” He lifted his lantern as he stretched his neck to look at the figure on the stretcher. Lucien also peered at his mother, who remained oblivious to the world. But there was no mistaking her blue hair. Her renowned mark.
Yulen noticed the councilman’s surprise. “I told you, I’m the real D’Jacques. A few days ago, we were set upon by that man who pretended to be me. We managed to defeat them, when we were suddenly attacked by Bloods. We fled to the deserted compound that used to be known as Schutz Ridge, and that’s when Atty and our Mutah companion came down with the sickness. Dr. MaGrath here tells me they’re starting to recover, but we’re still several days away from our home. All we request is that we have your permission to set up camp outside your walls, so we can use your compound to protect our backs. I promise we’ll be gone come morning.”
Lucien didn’t catch Minn’s response. Instead, he heard soft whistling far to his right, back into the denser part of the forest. The sound of it sent shivers running through him, and he unconsciously reached for his sword. The action was noticed by the Mutah hunters, who immediately took a defensive posture and raised their own weapons.
“Lucien?” Yulen’s voice was both derisive and questioning. Disobeying a direct command from the battle lord was a serious violation, but…
“Dad…it’s closer.” His own words sounded distant, as if his ears were plugged up. The coldness creeping up his spine and leaving his flesh covered in goosepimples had intensified.
His father asked a question, but he was unable to hear it. A reddish film gradually came over his eyes. Everything inside him screamed run! Run!
Lucien drew his sword just as two Mutah hunters were pounced upon from behind, and a soldier yelled a warning. “Bloods!”
Howls erupted from the trees, and more than a dozen of the creatures erupted from where they’d been hiding, swarming the two armies in a blind attack. The creatures had been skulking in the background and preparing to ambush both parties. Using the distrust and caution between the two to their advantage, and sneak up on the men while their attention was directed elsewhere.
Lucien swung his sword downward to stave off a Blood wielding a lance. His blade sliced through the thing’s bicep, separating its arm from its body. Another Blood tried to grab his horse’s bridle. The animal reared instead, and for a moment the Blood dangled off the ground. Lucien brought the sword across, and the side of the thing’s face flew away.
He caught his father yelling orders to form a phalanx around Atty and Johna. Another squad of D’Jacques’ men charged the Bloods, with the Mutah hunters covering their rear. Together, they started driving back the creatures as his father’s inner circle took position to protect the ill and those too injured to fight.
Lucien’s horse whinnied and tried to back up. Two more Bloods grabbed for the animal’s front legs and pulled. The unexpected action jerked Lucien forward. Off-balanced, he dropped his sword to keep from landing on it. He tucked his head at the last second, and landed on his right shoulder and side. A third Blood jumped on him, and Lucien felt a hard pounding on his back. The impact shoved him face-down in the dirt. The creature slammed into him again, this time with enough force to almost make him black out. He tried to roll over, when another Blood jammed something into the back of his leg as he struggled to get away.
Dimly, he was aware of someone yelling his name. He scrambled for the dagger on his weapon’s belt, but that part of his body was digging into the ground. His fingers felt around almost blindly for something to use as a weapon, when he came in contact with a rock about the size of his fist. Grabbing it, he swung outward. It connected with something warm and furry. He heard a grunt, and suddenly the weight holding him down was gone.
Freed, he managed to roll, swinging the rock again. It caught the other Blood on the kneecap, where it made a crunching sound. The creature shrieked in pain.
Lucien struggled to his feet. Lifting his head, he barely caught sight of another Blood aiming for him, a broadsword held aloft with both hands. Without thinking, he threw the rock with as much force as he could. It hit the thing in the center of its face, crushing its nose and one eye. The creature stumbled backwards, letting go of its weapon, and collapsed, unconscious.
“Lucien!”
He glanced up to see his father urging his horse forward. The battle lord leaned sideways, one arm extended as the horse raced toward him. Lucien steadied himself, then grabbed Yulen’s hand and swung himself up into the saddle behind him as the stallion galloped past.
Yulen wheeled his mount around to return to where a small battalion of his men and Mutah were holding steady, when a fresh wave of Bloods poured from between the trees. Several ran straight for the two men on the Palomino, and slammed their bodies dead center against the horse. The stallion screamed as it toppled sideways, taking the battle lord and battle prince with it.
Lucien jumped right before the horse went down. He managed to land correctly this time, and rolled. But when he tried to get back up, his left leg suddenly buckled on him. Hard, hot pain shot up into his buttock and back. In the next instant, he was pushed downward, and he realized another Blood had hit him.
He turned his head to see his father also trying to fight off a Blood, when an arrow seemed to magically appear through the creature’s neck. A second arrow pierced its chest from the back as the creature raised its club, and for a second Lucien stared in shock at the sight of the colored fletching at the end of the shaft. His mind barely had the chance to take in what he’d seen, when the Blood landed on top of him. It tried to stab his neck with its crude weapon, but the metal collar protected him. Lucien raised an arm to try and grab the Blood, when the creature suddenly jerked. It gave a raspy howl of pain, then jerked again.
Sensing this was his chance, Lucien scrambled to crawl away. Once he was free of the extra weight, he turned to find Johna straddling the Blood. She plunged her knife repeatedly into its back and neck as it fought to get free of her, but she held on, keeping the creature in a vise-like grip between her legs. It wasn’t until the Blood stopped squirming that she finally sat back. She was breathing heavily. Her face and clothes, and the dagger she held, was covered in gore.
He continued to stare agape at her, when she lifted her face to look at him. For one heart-stopping second he wondered what she would do next, and his hand clutched Mattox’s weapon in preparation.
Several feet behind her, Yulen shrugged off a Blood with an arrow piercing its head from ear to ear. His father barely glanced at him as he ran off, out of Lucien’s range of vision. From the sounds around them, he could tell the battle was winding down.
Johna straightened but made no overtly threatening move toward him. Her chin trembled, and her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
“L-Lucien?”
At that moment he realized she was lucid. Sane. Whole.
Alive.
Hope.
He got to his feet and limped toward her. Dropping his dagger, he held out his arms. Johna tossed her blade to the side and rushed into his embrace, throwing her arms around his neck as he momentarily hugged her tightly. A quick check around them showed they were momentarily in the clear. Still, he’d feel better if they were closer to where the others were gathered, and not exposed out in the open.
As they hobbled over to the main group, he spotted his father and mother embracing each other tightly, then kiss. He couldn’t stop the smile creasing his face as they kissed, the both of them cupping each other’s face. Looking down at Johna, he waited until she glanced up at him. Taking her chin, he lifted her mouth to kiss her.
“You have blood running down your leg.” Iain’s voice filtered through the loving haze in his brain.
“I think I was stabbed.”
“Let me look at it. Are you injured anyplace else that you know of?” The physician whipped out a strip of leather to apply a temporary tourniquet before examining the wound more closely.
“Not that I can tell.”
Mastin motioned to Atty. “How did you manage to get free?”
“I cut them loose,” Iain admitted.
Yulen stared at the doctor. “You took the risk they weren’t Damaged?”
Iain flashed a quick smile. “They woke up almost simultaneously. I think they both sensed you two were in danger. Don’t ask me how. One moment they were completely out of it, and the next, Atty was demanding I cut her bindings because you needed her.” He nodded in Johna’s direction. “She was a little more direct. She threatened me.”
Curious, Lucien raised an eyebrow at her. “What did you say?”
“I told him if he didn’t cut me loose, and you died because I couldn’t protect you, I was going to kill him the second I had the chance.” She added a grin, but he could tell she’d meant every word she’d said.
Renken walked over and tossed a couple of the Bloods’ weapons on the ground. “These look exactly like the spears that fake battle lord’s men were carrying.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Yulen remarked.
“Where do you think those Bloods came from?” Mastin queried.
“I’m guessing from Whiterock,” Renken replied.
Yulen agreed. “It’s possible a large contingency of the Bloods from that compound followed us to Schutz Ridge, while the rest remained behind. At some point they had to have been notified we’d defeated the group.”
Teeterson spoke up. “We saw and heard nothing when we went by Whiterock, on our way to join you. Guess they were in hiding.”
“But somehow they found out we were coming back their way,” Lucien noted. “That’s when they probably decided to follow us.”
“It would also explain why they were carrying the fake battle lord’s weapons,” Renken added. “They may have thought they had a good chance to defeat us, now that they were better armed.”
“A few got away.” Paxton pointed in the direction where the rest of the Bloods fled. “Think they’ll be back?”
“Probably not,” the battle lord replied. “At least, not for a long while. Not until they can get their numbers up.”
“D’Jacques.” Minn approached with a handful of his hunters. This time it was clear there was no longer any animosity from the Mutah. Yulen gave him his attention, but he never loosened the grasp on his wife, who rested her cheek on his chest. “We offer you our apologies, Battle Lord,” the Mutah humbly said.
“No apologies are necessary, Councilman. I understand your hesitancy in accepting my word. I would have reacted the same if our situations were reversed.”
“Nevertheless, our compound is open to you and your men.” The Mutah stared at Atty. “It appears as if the Battle Lady and your companion are no longer a threat to our health.”
Yulen looked to Iain, who shook his head. “I think they beat it.”
“But could they still be carriers?”
The doctor eyed Lucien, but his answer was directed at the battle lord. “I seriously doubt it.”
Yulen faced the Mutah councilman. “We graciously accept your offer, Minn. As soon as we’re able, we’ll be on our way home.”
“Perhaps, while we’re resting and recuperating, my husband and I might be able to meet with the Council to discuss the possibility of a treaty between your compound and Alta Novis?” Atty spoke up.
Minn bowed his head at her. “That thought had already come to mind, Battle Lady.” Saying nothing more, he turned and led the way back to their compound.