A Battle Lord’s Heart (2 page)

           
“That was Rory’s decision. He wanted
Dr. MaGrath to finish all his studying. He said that if he sent word that
Galway was dead, the man would feel obligated to come back here early, and lose
out on his studies.”

           
“Yeah, he would have.” Atty released
her and dug back into the drawer, pulling out another pair of pants which she
managed to button. As she concentrated, she unconsciously tossed her head to get
her hair out of her way. Berta reached over to hold it back for her, running
her fingers through its thickness.

           
“What do you have planned for
today?” the housekeeper asked, then suddenly bit her tongue. It was none of her
business what the Battle Lady had planned, and she’d just stepped beyond her
duties when she’d asked. Who did she think she was? The girl’s mother?
Mortified by her breach of etiquette, Berta dropped the double handful of hair
once Atty snatched a long-sleeved tunic to drop over her head. To her complete
astonishment, Atty didn’t appear to notice or even care the woman had made the
inquiry.

           
“I’m going over to the archery field
to practice,” the Mutah woman announced, tying the rich blue strands into a
loose ponytail behind her neck. “If this baby is going to play havoc with my
skills, I’m just going to have to work all that much harder to keep them honed.
Right?”

           
“Oh, before I forget.” Berta dug
into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it
to her. “I was told to give you this.”

           
Atty quickly read the brief note,
smiling. “It’s from Yulen. Thanks.” She tucked the paper into her pants pocket
and walked over to the closet to fetch her lightweight jacket. If today was
anything like yesterday, it would be warmer than usual, despite the small
mounds of snow doggedly hiding in the shadows and refusing to admit defeat
after the last snowfall.

           
Giving the stunned housekeeper a
kiss on the cheek, Atty grabbed her bow and the last sausage link off the tray,
and left the bedroom.
 
Berta sighed, one
hand unconsciously raising to cup the still-warm spot on her cheek.
 
Okay, not her mother, the woman conceded,
but the Battle Lady definitely needed an adult confidante, and it appeared it
was going to be her.

*
* * *

           
Skipping down the stairs, Atty
pulled the slip of paper out of her pocket and re-read it, a tender smile
reaching from her lips to her eyes. It was the first note Yulen had ever
written to her. She wondered if he realized it. In the past he’d always left a
message for someone else to relay to her regarding his presence or requests.
Word of mouth, usually sent via a soldier-in-training, or left with Berta, or
sometimes with MaGrath.

           
A gust of freezing cold air nearly
tore the door from her hand as she left the main lodge by the back door. A
cacophony of sound also greeted her, and Atty remembered it was Market Day.
Another first was about to occur. This would be her first outing among the
residents of Alta Novis since Yulen’s announcement yesterday afternoon.

           
Atty took a deep breath and giggled.
The last time she’d felt this apprehensive, it was spring, and she was the
compound’s newest resident. The Mutah woman sleeping in the Battle Lord’s bed,
the one rumored he would soon wed. The biggest scandal and juiciest bit of
gossip to hit Alta Novis in years. The day that woman slugged her in the face
with an oak bucket.

           
A lot has happened in a few
months,
the Battle Lord of Foster City had commented to Yulen. “Boy, you
said a mouthful,” Atty muttered under her breath, stepping out into the
walkway.

           
Her appearance was met with shouts
of good morning and congratulatory wishes as a sentry overhead gave the
announcement, “Battle Lady about!”

           
Blushing furiously, she gave several
a little wave as she hurried down the lane, brushing by people standing in the
way as they conversed in pairs or small groups. Most smiled, but none tried to
stop or touch her with a pat or handshake. They knew Atty wasn’t the type to
stand around and converse. Besides, they could see she was wearing her bow,
which meant there was a purpose to her being outside. She had a mission, and no
one dared to slow her down or delay her.

           
She saw the huge man and his
companion standing near a stall selling freshly roasted nuts. In the back of
her mind she took note of him blowing on his burnt fingers as he ate the hot
nuts, but she paid no more attention to him than she did all the other
strangers taking advantage of the Saturday to do their shopping. There were so
many new people moving in or stopping at the compound for a few days, she could
no longer keep track.

           
Slipping past two women carrying
baskets of eggs, Atty caught sight of Cavender standing outside his little
lodge where he displayed the knives and daggers he made. She graced him with a
big smile when a fur-covered arm and shoulder came from out of nowhere and
sideswiped her, knocking her heavily into the stall on the other side of the
roadway. Atty twisted her body, trying to break her fall with her hands and
arms, instinctively protecting her stomach. She landed amid the barrels of
drink, scattering mugs, as several people shouted out a warning. A stab of pain
went up one leg, but fortunately that appeared to be the worst of her injuries,
other than a few bruises. Her jacket had protected her from anything more
serious.

           
Heat infused her as her anger
flamed. From where she lay sprawled on the ground, she looked up at the big
burly man she’d seen at the nut stall standing a few feet away, calmly munching
on his purchase as he gave her an amused grin. Turning to his companion, he
said, “Hey, look at the Mutah bitch” and chuckled. “You never know what they
let in here, do you?”

           
“Excuse me,” Atty said tersely as
the people around them grew quiet, “but I think you did that on purpose.
Therefore, you owe me an apology.”

           
The burly man gave her a surprised
look. Leaning over, he exaggerated holding a hand to his ear in her direction.
“Huh? What was that?
 
Anders, did the
little bitch try to say something?” His expression suddenly went dark. “Come on.
Let’s go see what else this burg has to offer. I’m beginning to feel sick to my
stomach, having to smell this Mutah at this close range.”

           
A sword suddenly descended between
the two men from behind them, its point pressed to the burly man’s shoulder.
Both men halted in surprise as a calm voice said, “The Lady asked for an
apology. I strongly suggest you give it.”

           
The men stepped aside to where Atty
could see the person at the other end of the sword. “Who the fuck are you?”
Burly Man demanded irritably.

           
Mastin gave a semi-dramatic
half-bow. “Second-in-command Cole Mastin. Now, about that apology.” He turned
to Atty with troubled eyes. “Are you all right?”
          

           
Atty opened her mouth to reply when
the burly man suddenly knocked the sword upward, throwing Mastin off-guard.
Unprepared for a retaliatory attack from the man’s companion standing behind
him, the Second never anticipated the roundhouse blow to the back of the head
that dropped him to the dirt.

           
Several women screamed as the Burly
Man reached down and grabbed Mastin’s sword from the man’s nerveless hand.
Somehow, Atty managed to find her footing as the men were dealing with the
soldier. She cursed herself for not bringing her quiver of arrows with her, but
the Ballock slid into her palm, warm and ready to do her bidding.

           
Before the Burly Man could lift the
sword for whatever purpose he had planned, the dagger was digging its point
into the thick part of his Adam’s apple.
 
Atty stood at arm’s length, her eyes darting between the bent-over man
and his partner. She had no idea what to do next, or even how to protect
herself. But she knew that at some point one of them would have to end the
stand-off.

           
“Leave this compound. Now,” she
ordered, panting slightly.
 

           
Burly Man growled as his eyes raked over
her face and figure. “Anders, get this bitch’s pig sticker outta my throat
before I ram this sword up her pretty ass.”

           
“Touch her and I’ll kill you,”
another voice menaced darkly.

           
Before anyone could comprehend the
swiftness, the companion melted to the ground in an unconscious heap. Yulen
stood behind him, the pommel of his sword held high from where he’d bludgeoned
the back of the man’s head. Casually, the Battle Lord advanced toward the burly
man, twirling his sword expertly before stopping its point inches away from
where Atty held the man at bay. “You were ordered to leave this compound. I
expect you to obey,” Yulen told him, his face as flushed with anger as were his
words. He made no attempt to disguise his temper or disgust.

           
Burly Man gave him an astonished,
disbelieving look. “Who the fuck are
you?
”

           
Rather than answer the man, Yulen
glanced over the hunched back at his wife. “Are you all right?” She gave him a
quick nod. “What happened?”

           
“He knocked me into the beer stand,”
she indicated with a nod of her head. Yulen’s eyes swept over the mess.

           
“Did he hurt you?”

           
“A few bruises, but I’ll be okay,”
she assured him.

           
Burly Man gave a loud snort and a
groan. “Oh, fuck, I don’t believe this! Who the hell cares whether this Mutah
bitch is hurt or not?”

           
For his remark, Yulen smiled cruelly
and jammed his sword a quarter-inch into the man’s neck. Burly Man gasped with
pain as a thin line of blood began to drip onto the ground.

           
“What is your name?”

           
“Herridge. Tall Herridge.”

           
“What is your business in Alta
Novis?”

           
“N-no business. My partner and I are
on our way to Port Destiny.”

           
“Then I suggest you take your
partner and leave immediately,” Yulen ordered, still in that soft voice filled
with darkness. “You are no longer welcome here. By the way, my name is Yulen
D’Jacques. I’m the Battle Lord of this compound. And the Mutah ‘bitch’ you so
forcefully denounced is Atty, my wife and the Battle Lady of Alta Novis.”

           
Releasing him, Yulen stepped back
and raised his sword to his shoulder. “Guards!” Appearing like spirits drawn
from the air, two soldiers came to attention at Yulen’s side. “Escort Mr.
Herridge and his partner to the main gate and have them evicted.”

           
Without a sound the two armed
soldiers grabbed both men and dragged them down the walkway, out of the market
area. The moment they were seized and pulled away, Atty dropped to her knees
beside the soldier still lying comatose on the ground.
 
An egg-size swelling radiated heat from the
back of Mastin’s head. Yulen knelt down beside her.

           
“I’ve sent for Liam. How is he?”

           
“I don’t know. He tried to come to
my aide, but that guy’s friend pulled an unexpected.”

           
“Are you sure you’re okay?”

           
“Yeah.” She gave him a sincere
smile. “At least it wasn’t a bucket this time.”

           
The remark brought a smile to his
eyes that vanished as quickly as it had appeared. In the sunny, cold morning
she appeared to glow, as if an inner flame had been lit to spread its radiance
throughout her body and her face, and shine in her eyes. It took Yulen several
seconds to collect himself enough to remember what he meant to ask her. “Did
you get my note?”

           
“Yeah. I was heading for the archery
field, but I was going to drop by on the way.”

           
MaGrath threaded his way through the
crowd and made a quick examination of the man before ordering several men
nearby to carry the soldier to the clinic.
 
“Atty?”

           
“I’m fine, Liam. Honest.”

           
Nodding, the physician took her word
and hurried after his comatose patient. Yulen looked back at his wife. “Archery
field?” he reiterated. “Can I watch?”

           
“Okay, but no snide comments, or I
just might be tempted stick this Ballock up your—”

           
“Atty!”

           
“Well, he pissed me off!”

           
“Same here. So let’s go take it out
on the target.”

           
“What about the—”

           
“We can do that later,” he told her.
Getting to his feet, Yulen took her hand and helped her up, and together they
headed for the back of the compound.

Chapter
Two

New
Home

           
The men who were already on the
field readily relinquished it to her when Atty arrived at the range. However,
that didn’t keep them from backing away a respectful distance to watch. After
news of what had happened yesterday, they were more than a little bit curious
to see how she would fare at practice today, and wondering if they would
witness another debacle.