Every Battle Lord's Nightmare (23 page)

            Another one of those things landed on the tent roof. This time, one of the middle supporting poles cracked under the weight, and everything came crashing to the ground. The lit lantern that had hung on the pole spilled its containment of oil, and flames began to spread across the doused pillows.

Long claws started ripping through the tough fabric as the creature tried to untangle itself from the material. It screamed when a portion of its wing came in contact with the flames. Steadying herself, Atty aimed, waiting for a good shot.

A mouth appeared in the slit. She let fly an arrow, but the bat jerked a micro-second before it hit, and the barb pierced its lip instead of going all the way to the back of its throat. The bat gave an ear-piercing shriek and tried to shred the tent fabric to get to her. Calmly, Atty lifted her chin, pulled three more arrows from her quiver, nocked one, and waited.

A bat landed heavily mere feet away of the other side of the tent. Atty caught the sound of men dispatching it, then hurrying away.

The fire slowly crept over the bedding and pillows. Heat and smoke gradually filled the tent, making her cough. She glanced down at the man lying between her feet. She knew he was totally oblivious to what was going on around him, which was both a hindrance and a blessing. But if the fire continued to expand, she would be forced to make the decision either to let him remain in the tent where he could suffocate, or drag him outside where he would be at the mercy of those winged terrors. She couldn’t wake him. Even if she could, he wouldn’t have the strength to fight them off, although she knew he’d try.

A loud ripping sound jerked her attention back to the bat. The fire had made its way to the side of the tent and was crawling up the fabric like a reverse waterfall. The smoke was getting thicker to the point where it nearly obliterated all sight of the animal.

“Come on, you worthless piece of shit!” she yelled at the creature, and sent another arrow into the animal. The bat shrieked again in pain and redoubled its efforts to reach her. It was exactly the move she’d hoped for.

She finally got the shot she needed when the bat stuck its entire head through one of the slits. It opened its wide mouth to reveal the pink maw and curved fangs. Large black eyes glittered in the firelight.

The arrow went directly into the creature’s left eye, into the brain, killing it almost instantly. The bat backed away, releasing its grasp of the tent as it went into its death throes and eventually stilled.

Throwing down her weapon, she ran over to where the fire crept closer to where Yulen slept. Grabbing a blanket, she beat on the flames to extinguish them, but they seemed to spread even wider. She was vaguely aware of someone shouting her name. A moment later, Twoson joined her to help fight the blaze.

It took them another few minutes before they managed to put out the last of it. As Twoson checked for embers, Atty straightened up and wiped her sweaty face with the back of her sleeve. Her heart continued to race, and she felt weak in the knees. Her arms ached from the strain. Thankfully, the child within her womb remained calm.

“Is it over?” She strained her ears, but the sound of battle was fainter, more distant.

“It’s over…for now,” the Mutah councilman told her. He was smeared in charcoal, leading her to believe he’d used a burning log from one of the campfires to defend himself.

“Help me move Yulen outside where the air is fresher.”

They dragged the battle lord on his pallet outside the entrance when Paxton ran up, sword in hand. “Atty! Are you all right? What happened?” He was spackled with blood. The weapon he carried still dripped. He spotted the bat and his face paled more than it already was. “I saw that thing land on the tent. I prayed it missed you.”

“It did. Are you hurt?” She reached out to him, but he shook off her concern.

“A couple of scratches. Nothing serious.” He grinned lopsidedly. “I’ve had worse.”

Atty took a deep breath and coughed again. The air was foul with the animals’ toxic stench. “It tried to dig its way in. Or out. I managed to stop it before it could attack us.”

Twoson walked over to her. “The fire’s all out. How’s Yulen?”

She didn’t need to glance at her husband to know the answer. “Still unconscious.” Somehow she managed to grin and give a weak chuckle. “He’s going to be surprised and pissed when he finally wakes up.”

“How’s that?” Paxton asked.

She waved a grimy hand at the mess before them. “Surprised when he sees this, and pissed that he missed the fight.” She grew serious. “Mastin and the others?”

“Dispatching the last of the fallen animals. We were lucky it was a brief fight. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the bats happened to spot us as they were flying overhead.”

“Yes,” Twoson agreed. “And if
I
didn’t know better, I’d swear we’d been laid out like a feast for them, ready for the taking. I don’t like thinking this, but it’s very possible Highcliff knew this would happen, and deliberately put us in harm’s way.”

“It would explain why his own guards were removed from the catwalks,” Atty noted.

She looked at the tent. It was a total loss. There was no way she and Yulen would be able to use it again. Wiping her face once more, she glanced up to see Mastin running toward her. Like Paxton, he was covered in blood, but he appeared to be unhurt. When he spotted her, relief shone on his face. “We’re fine,” she told him when he noticed the destruction to the tent. “How are the men?”

“I’m having Del Ray report to me after he takes roll.”

Atty surveyed the area around them, and the amount of damage the bats had done was enormous. Most of the tents were flattened or gone. By her quick estimate, there had to be at least a dozen or more of the dead creatures littering the ground, and that was just what she could see nearby. With darkness now upon them, the only light came from a few scattered campfires. “I wonder how the Mutah camps fared.”

“One thing’s for certain,” Mastin grimly stated. “You know Highcliff’s people were spared any catastrophe.”

“Atty!” Renken rushed to join them. He glanced at the destroyed tent and blanched.

“We’re okay, Garet. Yulen’s safe.”

“Yeah, well, that’s why I’m here.”

“What?”

“There’s a rumor going around that a soldier from another compound overheard a couple of LeGreen’s soldiers talking right before the gates were shut.”

Atty frowned. “If it’s a rumor, how much can we take for the truth, Garet?”

“I don’t know, but at this moment, I don’t care. Atty, word is the bats aren’t the only thing we have to worry about.” The ex-mercenary turned to Mastin. “Those gates weren’t closed to protect us. They were closed to trap us in here.”

“Trap us?” Twoson repeated. “What for?”

“Damned if I know, but it’s supposed to happen sometime tonight. That’s all I can tell you. If there’s even a grain of truth to the rumor, Atty, we need to prepare.”

Mastin took immediate charge. “I’m gathering the troops together. Warren?”

“Staying here to keep watch until your return,” Paxton told him.

“What can I do?” Renken asked.

“Hurry and find Zane. Tell him what we’ve learned,” Atty said. “You’re right. Whether or not we’re to believe the rumor, I’m not taking any chances.”

Renken gave her a nod and ran to find Batuset. With him dispatched, she turned to go back inside the ruined tent, when Twoson grabbed her arm.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m getting my bow, my coat, and something more to wrap Yulen in against this cold,” she told him. “Get a fire going, would you? It’s going to be a bitch of a wait until we find out what Highcliff is up to.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Dream

            The stars were incredibly bright in the calm winter sky. What could be seen of the broken moon hovered above the treetops like a disassembled lantern. Not a sound whispered.

            The compound was safe. Mattox was asleep in his bed. Atty was in his arms. The world couldn’t be more perfect at that moment.

            “It’s so beautiful out here.”

            Yulen glanced down at her upraised face. Without hesitation, he lowered his mouth to hers, and her kiss was sweeter than he’d ever tasted. Lifting his lips, he nuzzled her forehead as he wrapped the blanket tighter around them. Although the cool night air felt good on their sweaty skin at that moment, he knew they’d soon grew chilled if they didn’t retreat off the balcony and return inside their bedroom.

            “I agree,” he murmured. “It’s a beautiful night for a dance.”

            Atty snorted softly. “You’re kidding, right?”

            Instead of answering her, he began to move from side to side. Gently swaying to a soundless tune. The feel of their bodies sliding skin across skin teased his senses, and Yulen could feel himself regaining the erection he’d lost after their recent coupling. Atty noticed it, as well.

            “Me thinks you’re doing this on purpose, my lord,” she teased with a loving smile.

            “Truthfully, this is all spontaneous. But I like where this may be going. I always did have a good head for making the right moves.”

            “Good head is right,” she teased back. Her innuendo was quite clear.

            Yulen chuckled and pulled her tighter against him. Her belly was keeping his growing length from lifting any higher. Pretty soon he’d have to either lift her in his arms and carry her, or escort her back to the bed.

            “I don’t think at this moment that I could be any happier,” he admitted, and added a kiss to the edge of her hairline.

            She sighed. Her breath feathered his throat, making it tickle. “Nor I.”

            Yulen glanced about the compound, knowing the guards in the towers had spotted them, even though he and Atty were mere shadows in the darkness. But the soldiers had remained silent and not called out when their battle lord and lady had emerged, allowing them their privacy.

            The tickling persisted, slightly irritating, but Yulen detested the thought of releasing his hand where it rested against the sweet curve of her buttocks to scratch the itch. Oddly enough, it was the numbness creeping into his bare feet that finally told him it was time to go indoors.

            “My feet are cold, so I know yours are, too. Come, my forever love.”

            She turned to go with him, when he caught a whiff of her fragrance.

            And he realized he could breathe.

* * *

            He could breathe.

            His face felt cold, and the coldness seeped into his lungs. But warmth covered him. Something soft continued to tickle his cheek and chin. A body snuggled next to him. A long length lay along his right side, and a weight rested on his shoulder.

            He could hear murmuring. People were outside the tent. He couldn’t tell what they were saying, but they had to be close by. Otherwise, the tent would muffle the sound.

            Gradually, Yulen opened his crusty eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was nighttime. The light from the nearby lantern cast a pale shadow on the linen hanging overhead. White linen, not dark blue. It took a few more moments before his brain registered that fact.

           
White ceiling?

           
He’d been dreaming they were in Alta Novis. For some reason, in his dream their son had been born and Atty was pregnant with their daughter, yet they were still living in the main lodge. Strange, considering he’d had their personal home built behind it before Mattox had entered the world.

            Lifting his free arm required some concentration. His hand wavered in front of his face, and he tested his grasp by flexing his fingers. When his muscles should be unresponsive, he was surprised to discover he had full control. Reaching over, he lifted whatever it was tickling his face, and found himself holding a lock of deep blue hair.

            The body beside him shifted. A hand reached over to touch his face.

            “Yulen?”

            Before he could answer, Atty sat up and reached for the water bag nearby. “I must have dozed off. Here. Drink.”

            She lifted his head and held the bag to his lips. He drank thirstily, relishing the cool liquid gushing past his parched throat. He would have drunk more, but she took the bag away and lowered his head back down.

            “Where are we?” he croaked.

            A wet rag wiped his face and eyes. Atty tenderly smiled down at him. “In Zane’s tent.”

            “Zane’s? Why no—”

            She held a finger to his lips to silence him. Yulen stared up at her in confusion.

            “Long story short, we were attacked by bats. One of them landed on our tent and destroyed it, so Zane loaned us his so you wouldn’t have to be out in the cold.”

            Taking her hand, he kissed the palm, then looked back at her. “Now tell me what you left out. What have I missed?”

            Atty leaned over to pick up his sword and lay it over his chest, wrapping his hand around the hilt. “We’ve discovered Highcliff has banned his own compound from attending the faire. Paas found this out from a young woman named Keelor, a Mutah with butterfly wings for ears. Yulen, I think she’s my sister.”

            His eyes widened. “Go on.”

            “Warren and I also believe all Mutah here are being fed tainted or poisoned food at the faire. Fergus is trying to verify it.”

            “What are you holding back, Atty? You’re giving me facts, but you aren’t telling me what’s been done.”

            “Because we can’t. Right before dusk, the gates were closed between the sections, and Highcliff’s men evacuated their posts on the catwalks. That’s when the bats struck. We lost a few men, but on the whole we’re okay. But we’re trapped in here. Renken overhead a rumor that Highcliff isn’t finished with us tonight. So we’re keeping a tight guard on things until we find out what Highcliff has planned.” She paused, biting her lip, then added, “LeGreen moved his men out of this area before the gates were shut. We believe he knew about the bats coming.”