“Did any of you happen to spot any guards?”
“No, and we didn’t sense any, either. They may be keeping the guards situated only in the compound.”
“Or there could be none at all,” Yulen countered. “That compound might be empty.”
“Or dead,” his wife remarked, echoing his second-best guess. “So how do you want to do this?”
He checked over his shoulder. Neither Mastin nor Paxton were in sight, but Lucien was. But he was deep in conversation with the Mutah woman. Atty noticed where he was staring and snorted in amusement.
“I don’t think he’s noticed how pretty she is.”
Yulen lifted an eyebrow at her. “What?”
“And neither have you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s too enthralled with her mark. And you’re too concerned about her impact on our son.”
“Aren’t you? Concerned about Luc?”
She reached over and gave his arm a squeeze. Her expression grew grim. “I’ve never stopped being concerned about him since he was born. And especially now. It’s been several hours since he was attacked. If he’s going to exhibit any signs of illness, it should be soon.”
Yulen glanced again at the young couple. “Why do I get the feeling he’s going to ask that we take her along with us?”
“Because you know he will. We both do. It would make perfect sense. She has incredible vision that could be a great asset to us.”
He gave a nod. “That’s what I’ve been thinking.”
“There’s something else I’m sure you’re aware of.” She gave him that teasing little smile he loved so well. “When was the last time you saw Lucien actually interested in a girl?”
His eyes widened. Laughing softly, Atty patted his arm. “Let’s go back down to the creek and discuss our plans with the others. Oh, and when Lucien asks for the girl to go with us, promise me you won’t give him a hard time about it, okay?”
“Why would I give him—”
Her narrow-eyed look made him stop.
“All right. You have my word. But we don’t have an extra horse for her.”
“Trust me, I don’t think either of them will mind if they have to ride together.”
They crab-crawled to the edge of the road before getting to their feet to join the others. Yulen made sure to get his son’s attention before he and Atty vanished behind the tree line. Although his wife didn’t say anything further about Lucien and the girl, he knew she was thinking about them. Atty didn’t appear concerned about the Mutah woman, which gave him peace of mind. He valued Atty’s intuition more than anyone else’s, including his own. If she was willing to trust the stranger with their son, then so should he.
At least it was one less thing for him to worry about.
*
“What happened to you?”
Lucien glanced over his shoulder where Johna kept pace with his long-legged stride. After notifying Prudeau that the battle lord needed him, he’d gone to fetch his horse to take back to the ridge. Johna walked behind him as they made their way through the thick brush. He started to ask her what she meant when he remembered the wound on the back of his head, and reached up to touch it with his fingertips. Feeling the cold wetness, he made a mental note to get Iain to replace it.
“I was attacked by a bat.”
“It looks fresh. The padding is bloodstained. How long ago were you bit?”
Was it his imagination, or did she sound apprehensive? “I wasn’t bit. I was scratched. And it happened last night.”
“Scratched. Bit. Either way you could have been infected.”
He felt her tug on his arm, and stopped, turning to face her. In the faint moonlight, the pupils of her eyes took on a strange glow. She seemed to study his face.
“You don’t have a fever. You were very lucky.”
“It may be too early to say that. No one knows how a half-Mutah will react, if at all.”
“True. It also explains why your parents seem so concerned about you.”
He snorted. “They’ve been that way all my life. It’s nothing new.” He started to tell her about his birth, but held off. This was not the time or place.
Memory of a slice of advice his older brother shared once came to him. “If you want to keep a girl’s attention, ask her about herself. Women love to talk about themselves.” Johna was half Mutah like him, which meant they had that much in common.
“Mind if I ask you a question?”
Her face was unreadable. “What do you want to know?”
“You said you’re half Mutah like me. Which parent is Mutah?”
“Was. My mother was Mutah. My father was… Look, can we talk about this some other time?” She sounded both uneasy and angry.
“Sure. No problem.” He wouldn’t push it, but his curiosity was working overtime.
They reached the edge of the bluff. Lucien took his horse over to where others had been tied to a rope, and added his gelding to the herd. Johna was waiting for him to join her before descending to the stream.
“Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate?”
“It’s been a while. We haven’t stopped since we left New Bearinger before dawn.”
“We fixed some badger stew. You’re welcome to have some.”
“I need to check with my parents first.” At her surprised look, he chuckled. “To see if they have any further orders for me. I may be the battle prince, but I’m still under the command of the battle lord and lady like all the other soldiers.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“Tell you what. Why don’t I come join you by the fire when I’m done?”
She glanced over at the pit and the men gathered around it. As he suspected, the big one who’d threatened him was among the group. Watching them for a moment, he noticed how they kept their heads bowed, occasionally checking to see where the battle lord or any of his men were located. It was clear they were talking about the newcomers. By associating herself with the Normals, Lucien got the impression Johna was putting herself at risk for retaliation.
“On second thought, why don’t you stick with me?” he amended.
The relief that came over her was unmistakable, but he made no comment about it. Flashing her a smile, he went in search of his parents.
Chapter Eighteen
Attempt
Those nights when he couldn’t sleep, Lucien tried to trick himself into it by telling himself that, if he remained absolutely still, eventually his body would give up and succumb. Tonight, however, that ruse wasn’t working. He was too wound up, and from the sounds of the other soldiers surrounding them, they were equally restless.