This Battle Lord's Quest (25 page)

Yulen continued. “As soon as we return to Alta Novis,
I’ll dispatch a squad of men to come here. Their length of stay can be
determined on what we agree.”

Dahyan nodded. “And I can send one or two of my
people back with you, to help guide them back here.”

“I volunteer to go,” Droo automatically spoke up.
Atty noticed the questioning look Dahyan gave the young man, as if silently
asking if he was sure. The warrior nodded, then looked at Paas. “How about the
two of us being their guides?” he asked the woman.

Paas bowed and shook her head. A stricken look came
over the Second’s face at her refusal, but he said nothing.

Dahyan turned her attention back to the Battle
Lord, but not without a glance at Atty. “I take it, then, you’ll be leaving
soon?”

Yulen glanced at his wife, who slowly nodded once.
The relief that came over his face was clearly evident. “Yes,” he answered,
then added. “Tomorrow.”

Chapter
Thirty-Six

Advice

He spent the day helping Dahyan refortify the
village and storehouses, which Dristoll refused to have moved.

“Critters try to get inside. It’s best the
storehouses remain away from the village proper so the animals don’t wander the
streets.”

From the advice he was given by others of the
counsel, Yulen began to re-think where his own storehouses were located at the
compound. He made a mental note to make them a priority issue when he returned.

He didn’t see Atty at all that day. Although her
disappearance didn’t bother him, he realized how much he needed to catch the
occasional glimpse of her. It didn’t matter if she was working, eating, or
simply walking from one place to another, Yulen finally understood why he had
such a hard time coping whenever she was gone. Each sighting was like taking a
little bit of love and savoring it, the same way a child tries to make a cookie
last one nibble at a time. When he caught sight of her, it reminded him of an
incident, or a word, or a moment he cherished. And no matter how exhausted he
was, no matter if he was angry over some issue, or upset, or worried, simply
seeing her was enough to make him pause and re-center himself. There were many
days he wouldn’t have been able to manage if she hadn’t been there for him.

“You know, you might want to think about washing
off the rest of that blood,” a voice wryly commented.

Yulen looked up from the map of the valley Dristoll
had given him to see Mastin holding out a mug. He took it without asking first
what it contained, and quickly drained it. The tribe was lucky to have the
falls as their clean, fresh source of water. Alta Novis was built over a series
of underground springs, which the Battle Lord prudently protected. “Thanks,” he
finally muttered, and handed the mug back to his Second. “How’s the clean-up
progressing?”

“We’re done. Dahyan is taking care of the warriors she
lost. The bodies of the enemies have been dumped into the woods.”

“Did you strip them first?”

“Yes. The weapons are at the long house,” Mastin
told him, indicating the building where they had met with Dristoll and Dahyan
that first night when they’d arrived. “Atty made sure to grab a share of the
arrows. She’s at the lake right now, cleaning them off.”

She was at the lake. Yulen inwardly smiled. If he
couldn’t see her for himself, knowing where she was and what she was doing
would satisfy him.

“And the gold?”

It was incredible how much ornamentation the Orlins
wore. Some of Dahyan’s warriors had even found rings and studs piercing various
body parts. Yulen guessed there had to be nearly fifty pounds of gold the tribe
could use to melt down or barter with.

“I’ve also repacked our saddlebags,” Mastin added.
“The horses will be ready to go at first light.”

Yulen nodded. “I spoke with Fortune earlier. He
said a couple of the warriors showed him a different route we could take going
up. It’ll take us a bit longer to climb, but it won’t be as steep.” He held out
the map and indicated a line the Mutah hunter had drawn.

Mastin scratched his upper lip. “You know, Yulen, I
still haven’t figured out how Atty got down here so fast. I mean, when we were
up top, we couldn’t have been more than a day or two behind her. But by the
time we got down the slope, she had been in the village for over a week.”

The Battle Lord nodded. “There must be an alternate
route we don’t know about.” He glanced at his Second, and saw the look on the
young man’s face. It didn’t take a mind reader to figure out Mastin was worried
or bothered by something. And he would bet his horse that something was a sharp
female warrior he’d been talking about for the past day and a half. “What’s up,
Cole? Talk to me.”

Mastin made a face and rolled one shoulder to
relieve a kink in his back. “It’s nothing, Yulen. Don’t worry. It doesn’t
affect you.”

“If it affects you, it definitely affects me,”
Yulen replied. “I know that look, Cole. God knows I’ve seen it enough times
reflected back at me whenever I looked into a shiny surface. It’s that woman,
isn’t it?”

The Second slowly nodded. “Paas.”

“Does this have anything to do with the fact that
she was asked to accompany us back to Alta Novis, but she declined?”

Mastin sighed. “It has everything to do with it.”

“Have you spoke with her about it?”

A head shake. “Not yet, but I intend to.”

Laying a hand on the young man’s shoulder, Yulen
gave it a little shake. “Hurts like hell when the woman you’ve fallen in love
with won’t be with us, doesn’t it?”

His answer was a short grunt. “So much of what I’ve
seen happen between you and Atty is clearer to me now. I mean, I understand a
little better how much you two love each other. I love Atty, too, but it’s
nothing like the way I feel about Paas.”

“Are you certain Paas feels the same way about
you?”

“Yes. I’m certain.”

“Then why do you think she refused to join us?”

Mastin shrugged one shoulder. “I have no idea.
That’s why I’m going to talk to her tonight.”

Yulen gave the man a pat on the back. “It will work
out. Trust me. If she truly loves you, it’ll work out.”

A movement at the corner of his eye brought his
attention over to where the warriors were building a guard tower next to the
storehouse, as Yulen had strongly suggested. Atty stood to the side, the
confiscated bow and a quiver full of arrows slung lengthwise across her body.

Instantly, Yulen felt his groin tighten at the
sight of her. She had ditched the multitude of tiny braids, and instead wore
her hair down where it barely grazed the bottom of her jaws. Two golden clips
held the blue tresses above her ears and away from her face. She looked like
his Atty once more.

He swallowed hard. “Did you need to see me?”

“You look like shit.”

She even sounds like my old Atty.

He gave her a partial smile. “I’ve been busy.”

“You need a bath.”

“I will. Later.

“No.
Now
.” There was a slight emphasis on
the last word, as if it was her final word on the matter.

Yulen felt the map being lifted from his hands, and
he glanced at Mastin.

“Go, Sir,” the man smiled. “I think she’s trying to
tell you she’s ready to welcome you into her life again.”

Slowly and half-dazed, Yulen walked over to where
Atty waited. Taking her proffered hand, she began to lead him toward the
village.

Chapter
Thirty-Seven

Reason

Mastin lifted his mouth from hers and pressed his
forehead to the marks below her hairline. Out on the lake, they were surrounded
by the darkness. The broken moon barely threw a handful of light on them. The
village was a black shadow in the distance, where they could see lanterns and
torches moving about like fireflies.

“Come with us,” he begged softly.

“I can’t,” Paas repeated. Her voice trembled, and
her tears were silvery streaks on her face.

“Then I’m staying here with you.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“I won’t be the reason for your unhappiness.”

He lifted his face to look into her eyes. Even in
the pale heavenly glow, he could see his own reflection in their depths. “How
could you ever make me unhappy?”

“You will be. In time.”

“You’re not making any sense,” Mastin gently
accused her, his hands still cupping her face.

“We are not your people. This is not your home.”

“I’ll make it my home. I don’t care, as long as
we’re together.”

“No,” she emphasized again, this time with a single
shake of her head.

“Is that why you won’t come back with us? Because
Alta Novis isn’t your home? Because the people who live there aren’t from your
tribe?” He fought to keep the anger out of his tone. Knowing it could be months
or years before he saw her again was creating a deep pit of despair inside his
chest. It was an emotion he was ready to wage war against.

“No.” She grasped his hands and turned them over to
kiss the calloused palms. “It’s because if I go with you, once we reach your
village, you’ll ask me to stay.”

He caught his breath. It was a thought he’d mulled
over, but had never spoken aloud to anyone. With a thumb, he caressed her full
lower lip. “What if I do?”

“Please. Don’t.”

His hand paused. “Don’t what? Don’t touch you? Or
don’t ask you to stay at Alta Novis?”

“Cole, I’ve never been further than the top of the
fallen heavens. I’ve traveled to the foot of the mountains, but I don’t know what’s
on the other side. This valley, this village, it’s been my entire life.”

“You’re afraid.”

A silent moment passed, then she nodded.

Mastin smiled. “You know, I could always kidnap
you.” He hoped she would hear the lightness in his tone, and realize he was
joking. A faint grin lifted the corners of her mouth.

“Yeah, you could, but then my mother would come
after you. Trust me, Cole. You don’t want to get on Dahyan’s shit list.”

“Not to mention having to explain to Yulen why we
have an extra body tied and slung across the back of the horse,” he quipped.

Paas snorted, and he kissed the top of her head. It
was so quiet here on the lake in the middle of the night. Their little boat
drifted aimlessly on the black water.

“I would give anything for you to come with us,” he
admitted. “You know that, right?”

“Then we are at an impasse, aren’t we? I am too
fearful to go. You would stay, but your job, your loyalty, your place is with
the Battle Lord. It may take some time, but you would come to resent making the
decision to stay.”

She lowered her head. Her shoulders shook, but he
heard no sound come from her. He was about to gather her into his arms when her
soft voice said his name.

“Cole?”

“Yes?”

“This hurts so Stephen damn much.”

“I know.”

“I thought...I thought...we...”

“This is new for you, too, isn’t it?”

She looked up at him. “Is it for you?”

“Yes,” he admitted softly. “I’ve had girlfriends in
the past. I believed I loved them. But this time, the way I feel about you,
this is it. This is real, and I can’t believe how fucking awful I feel. Having
to leave you is tearing me apart inside. But there’s one thing, Paas, that
keeps me going.”

“What?”

“It’s knowing you’re here, and that I can come see
you if circumstances allow. Or maybe, maybe you’ll change your mind and come to
Alta Novis.”

“If Dahyan will grant me permission.”

“Oh? Would she really object?”

Paas gave a humorless chuckle. “The woman goes
crazy if I’m gone hunting for more than a day.”

“She’ll let you come.” Mastin smiled lovingly at
her and nodded. “She’ll allow it, and do you know why?”

“No. Why?”

“Because she’d rather see you happy and
content...and gone.”

He kissed her again. Or rather, Paas grabbed him by
the shirt and pulled him to her. They fumbled in the dark as their hands
searched one another, touching and stroking what warm flesh they could find,
while managing to prevent the boat from capsizing.

“Make love to me, Cole,” she breathed against his
lips. She reached into his lap and grasped the hard rod protesting like a caged
animal between his legs. Mastin groaned, and a shudder ran through him.

“I want to. God, I want to, but what if I leave you
with child? I can’t risk that, Paas. I can’t take the chance.”

“It’s my choice,” she argued, giving him another
squeeze.

“No.” He pushed her away. Not far. Just enough to
give them a bit of breathing room. “No. It’s
our
choice. Yours and mine.
I may not always be with you in person, but from now on, everything I see, or
say, or do, I’ll think of you first. And your presence in my heart will determine
my actions.”

“Then leave me with the memory of you,” she begged.
“Leave me with a reason to change my mind and come after you, Cole.”

It took him less than a second to make his
decision. Grabbing the oars, he guided the boat back to the shore. Taking Paas
by the hand, he led her into the dry grass where she stretched out on her back,
and he covered her with his body.

There, they loved one another with their mouths and
their hands, bringing each other to fulfillment. Afterward, they held each other
tightly in the chilly night until a light layer of pre-morning frost forced
them to get dressed and make their way back to the village.