“We don’t know,” Yulen admitted, then gestured behind him with a shake of his head. “But if you examine what these people are using, I’m assuming they might be similar in construction.”
A thought came to Lucien. On impulse, he turned and gestured to Johna for her to join them. The huntress walked over, and she and his mother exchanged glances.
“Mom, this is Johna. Her mark gives her the ability to see things in a range our own eyes can’t. She’s also able to tell if someone has had the virus and survived. But, no, before you ask, she can’t tell if a Mutah who’s had the virus is Damaged.”
“What is the name of your compound?” Atty inquired of the young woman.
“Asa Valley. Have you heard of it?”
“No, but there are many I’m not familiar with. Is it far from here?”
“It’s many weeks away.”
“Johna?” Lucien gently touched her arm. The young woman turned her attention to him. “Did you happen to get a good look at the bogus D’Jacques when he attacked your compound?”
“No.”
“How about his troops?” Yulen asked.
She shook her head. “I wasn’t part of the enforcements. Even if I was, no one was allowed to get up on the walkway encircling the battlements after our guards were shot down.”
“So how did you communicate with the fake battle lord?” Atty inquired.
“We didn’t. One morning we woke up to find ourselves surrounded by his army. He yelled his demands through the front gate, and Hobron and other members of the council went out to see what he wanted.” She gave a wan smile. “After all, he claimed to be the Battle Lord of Alta Novis.” Her smile instantly vanished. “They attacked and killed the other councilmen. They wounded Hobron, but allowed him to live so he could return with their ultimatum.”
“That being?”
“To open the doors and allow them inside. If we refused, they would wait us out. They said they’d prevent us from going outside the compound to gather food, or to seek help. They said they didn’t care if we starved to death. That was their intent. To eventually kill us all.”
“Surely you attempted to come to some sort of compromise with him,” Lucien insisted.
“We tried, but they never answered. All they’d say is, ‘Open the doors. Open the doors.’ They’d chant it over and over and over, all during the day and night, until you almost went mad from the litany.”
Atty crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m guessing that, because of their armor, plus the fact that they kept mostly to the woods, if these were Mutah pretending to be Normals, that would have prevented anyone in your compound from discovering their ruse.”
“I agree. I’ve never encountered a battle lord with inferior weapons. Although I will admit that putting a compound on starvation watch used to be a common tactic used to defeat an enemy. Luc.” The battle lord turned his attention to his son. “Go fetch Prudeau.”
“What do you plan to do?” Atty questioned.
“I’m going to have him take a squad and escort these people to New Bearinger. Then return with fifty more men.”
“You intend for us to sit here and wait for them to get back with reinforcements?”
“No. By then I hope to be on the other side of Whiterock. The others can follow when they arrive.”
“Excuse me, Battle Lord,” Johna interjected. “Did you say you’re sending us to New Bearinger?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Why not Alta Novis?”
“It’s closer.” Yulen didn’t explain further, and gestured to his son to obey his orders. Lucien gave a quick nod and hurried toward the slope.
As he started to ascend, he sensed someone following him, and paused to check, knowing it wasn’t one of his parents. Johna hurried to catch up with him, giving him a pleading look when she joined him. “May I ask a favor? I know I have no right to, but—”
“What is it?”
“Don’t let the battle lord send me to New Bearinger. Allow me to accompany you to this Green River compound.”
Her request surprised and puzzled him. “Why?” As soon as the question was asked, he realized it made perfect sense to bring her along.
She checked back over her shoulder, not at where his father and mother were still in deep discussion, but where the others of her compound were gathered around the fire. When she turned around to face him again, her expression was almost pleading. “Please. Just…please. I promise not to get in the way. And I’m a good hunter. I can help supply your men with game while we’re on the road.”
“What about your own people? Don’t they need you to help supply them?” He could tell something was wrong. Well, not wrong, but off. Different. She wasn’t afraid, but she was very concerned.
“They are capable of finding enough food without my help.” She tried to make it sound like she either wasn’t needed, or…
Lucien stared at the Mutah still hunched over the fire pit. The one his father had knocked out was finally coming to, and a couple of men were helping him to sit up. Trusting his intuition, Lucien gave a nod. “Come with me. We’ll talk.”
Johna flashed him a grateful smile, relieved to know that he hadn’t outright denied her request, and followed him up the embankment. But he already had a very good idea the reason behind her plea. Someone in her own group had her so apprehensive, she was willing to face the unknown with people she barely knew. Gritting his teeth, Lucien knew he had to find out who it was, and why she felt she had to distance herself by abandoning the very people she’d known all her life.
As for asking his father and mother to include her on their mission, he’d already made that decision the moment he’d looked into her strange eyes. This woman intrigued him, and the fact that she could be a tremendous asset for them only sealed it for him.
Besides, he needed to know what color those unique eyes were when daylight came.
Chapter Seventeen
Concern
“How far ahead of us is the barricade?” Yulen asked.
“I’d say about six hundred yards. At the bottom of a small ravine.” Atty pointed to where the road took a dip. They’d followed Lucien and the girl up to the top of the embankment, then went to crouch on the roadway as men and horses quietly passed behind them to disappear back into the woods. The rain had stopped, and the clouds had parted enough for some moonlight to filter over them, which made it imperative that they try to remain unseen as much as possible from the compound.
“Any idea as to its size?”
“About fifteen feet high, but I couldn’t see either end of it. It’s like they built an additional wall all around them, and made sure to cut off the road to prevent anyone from entering or leaving.”
“Then we have to assume the road’s also cut off on the other side. Do you think there’s any chance the wall only extends so far, and doesn’t completely circle the compound?”
“Anything’s possible. One thing’s for certain. A battle lord didn’t build it. It’s haphazardly made. Just debris and fallen trunks all piled up on top of each other. There are some areas where you can see right through it to the other side.”
“So it’s more like a deterrent rather than a protective barrier?”
“Yeah. That was my impression.”