“Funny how the past repeats itself,” she quipped, and urged her mare forward. Chuckling, Yulen followed her, with Lucien taking up the rear. He didn’t have to ask his mother what she was talking about. He’d already heard the stories about how his parents met, and what they’d been forced to endure in order to be together. Even though he’d never asked them directly how much of it was true, and how much was elaboration, Madigan, Liam, Paxton, Mastin, and Fortune were more than willing to share their experiences with him whenever his curiosity got the better of him.
As they slowly advanced into the woods and toward the seemingly abandoned compound of Whiterock, Lucien took one final glance behind him at the lone figure still sitting by the stream. He wondered if they would ever see the angry Mutah again. He didn’t regret his decision not to outright kill the man, but at least he knew there was a slim chance the man would survive long enough to reach a place of safety.
After a while, he no longer thought about it, and concentrated instead on their mission ahead.
*
Her head throbbed. Gradually, Johna came to realize the slow swaying she felt was because she was on the back of a horse. She could also make out the sound of many hooves making their mark on the soft earth, and the sharp tang of metal filled her nostrils.
Groaning, she lifted a hand to her cheek, when another hand encased in a glove touched her arm. A voice softly whispered, the deep voice resonating against her chest, “How do you feel?”
Lucien. It was Lucien. Wow, I must really be out of it if I couldn’t tell it was him I was leaning against.
“Johna?”
“I’m…” She started to tell him about her dizziness, when her stomach revolted. She automatically leaned over the side of the horse and retched. Miraculously, Lucien kept a firm grip on her, preventing her from falling off. That, and she felt a rope of some sort circling her waist. The gelding never stopped as she threw up a second time. With her stomach emptied, she spat and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
A water bag was pressed into her hands. “Here. Sip slowly.”
“Thanks.” Her voice croaked. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. A blow like you took to the head will do that to you. Any dizziness?”
She assessed herself. “There was at first. It seems better now.”
“How about your vision?”
Blinking, she carefully looked around. Each person glowed like a small fire as their armor took on their body heat. The animals they rode radiated more heat, since their temperatures were higher. A check of their surroundings revealed a patchwork blanket of blues and purples, and grays and blacks. It was still nighttime, but a vague brightness in the distance told her dawn wasn’t too far away.
“I think I’m okay. What happened?”
“If you’re worried about Lomas Mortigan, you have nothing more to fear from him or his sidekick.” Something in Lucien’s tone sounded different. It wasn’t the banter she’d heard before. It was harder, more authoritative and decisive. It was the voice of a battle prince.
“Johna, it’s time you came clean with me. Why did those men attack you? Why were they planning on drowning you?”
“They were?” Her dizziness was suddenly back. She leaned heavily against him as she caught her breath and tried to steady herself. He didn’t comment, but waited patiently for her to continue.
“Lomas has tried to force himself on me for years. But because his hunting skills are subpar, he was relegated to guard duty, instead of being allowed to go outside the compound with the other hunters. He’s tried to intimidate me, and at one point he went to the council to demand I marry him.”
She felt Lucien’s surprise. “I didn’t know the council had that kind of power,” he remarked.
“They do if a person’s been labeled a pariah,” she softly told him.
Silence. After a while, he spoke again. “Because you’re half Mutah?”
“Because my father was a Normal, and part of a regiment that attacked our compound. And while they almost destroyed us, he raped my mother, who was barely into her menses.”
“And yet you survived.”
“Foga, one of our councilmen who lived through the attacks, told her I would bear the Mutah mark, and that I would be beneficial to the compound and the people because of it. That’s why she relented and gave birth to me.”
“Where is your mother now?”
“She died from the wasting disease when I was eight.”
“Then who raised you and taught you how to hunt?”
“Hobron. He’s been my mother, my father, my guardian and my teacher.”
Again, Lucien went silent, and she was unable to read him.
They continued on. Johna found herself starting to fall either to sleep or unconsciousness, when the horse abruptly halted. Lifting her face, she looked over his shoulder to see the battle lord signaling. Almost as one, every soldier dismounted, including the battle prince. He reached for her, as if to help her down. She held out her arms, and felt his hands go around her waist, letting her slide out of the saddle. He lightly set her on her feet, and for a moment they remained standing there, neither of them willing to separate. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she wondered if he could hear it. Staring up into his eyes, she noticed he was focused on the swelling on her forehead.
“What now?” she murmured.
“From here we walk. Will you be able to make it?”
“Watch me,” she replied. He finally released her, to her regret. Grabbing her spear from where it was strapped to the saddle, she followed him over to where his parents were waiting for him to join them.
Chapter Twenty
Discovery
They left the horses hidden in the forest and advanced slowly toward the makeshift barricade. It was exactly as Atty had described it—a haphazard mixture of tree limbs and trunks, brush, and roughly-hewn planks. It was clearly obvious anything they could get their hands on was used to throw onto it, including a few pieces of broken furniture.
Yulen stopped at the base and checked the top of the structure. “It should be easy to climb, but I worry about the stability.”
“What if we follow it?” Atty suggested.
“We’d waste valuable time we don’t have trying to find the end of it, when there may not an end at all. It’ll be daylight soon.”
“But we don’t know that,” she softly argued. “There could be a gap somewhere.”
Lucien looked behind where the soldiers were spread out low, like a blanket, across the open field. Their eyes were glued to their captains, who watched the battle lord for a signal on what to do next.
A few feet away, Johna peered through a gaping hole at the compound in the distance. Lucien saw her stiffen, and moved up next to her. “What do you see?” He also stared across the expanse that separated the barricade from the compound’s outer walls, but was unable to spot anything.
“There are people there,” she replied.
“Where?” Atty joined them and took a look. “Where are they?”
“There’s at least a handful on top of the parapets.”
“Any in the field?” Yulen questioned.
“No. Not that I can see. But…” In the partial moonlight, he could see her face had gone pale.
“But what?”
“They’re the wrong color.”
“What do you mean?”
“What color are they?” Atty added.
“They’re…blue.”
“What does that mean?” Yulen asked. “Do you know?”
“It means…they’re dead.”