“Bind them together and seat them in a group out in the open. Have at least six guards watching them at all times until I determine our next move.” He glared at the impersonator. “We’ll keep this one separated from the rest until I can learn more about him and find out why the hell he thought he could get away with his scheme.”
They proceeded into the forest, back to camp, as the soldiers worked to remove all trace of the skirmish, in the event someone else should pass this way. As they neared the tent where Pechard and his men were quarantined, Lucien was surprised to see several guards holding the three men near the central fire pit.
“Why are they out of their tent?” Yulen questioned.
“They tried to make a run for it during the incident,” one soldier answered. “Guess they figured all of us would be occupied elsewhere.”
Lucien watched as the emissary caught sight of the new prisoner. His eyes widened, and he immediately dropped his gaze. Lucien turned in time to see the imposter also look away, and a realization struck him. “Dad, these two men know each other.”
Yulen halted in his tracks. “What?”
He pointed to the emissary, and then to the fake battle lord. “These two men know each other. The way they just looked at each other… Dad, before the attack, Johna examined the emissary and his men as you requested. All three of them have had the virus. Pechard lied to us! He said they hadn’t been infected, but it’s a lie.”
“Where’s Johna now? I want her to look at this fraud and tell me what she sees.”
“Renken says he last saw her heading for your tent,” Lucien told him, when a loud shout came from the direction of a road. Seconds later, three soldiers burst through the brush, yelling and waving their swords.
“Bloods! Bloods are coming! Take cover! Bloods!”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Schutz Ridge
“How many?” Yulen called to the men.
“At least a dozen, but there could be more,” one soldier answered, pausing to catch his breath. “They’re swarming from the north.”
“What if they’re from that bunch that tried to attack New Bearinger?” Renken remarked.
“Could be. We can’t take the risk in thinking they might have low numbers. We gotta get out of this forest where they have the advantage.” Raising his sword to signal to his men, Yulen yelled orders at the top of his voice. “Free the prisoners! Mount your horses! Head for Schutz Ridge! Leave the wagons and tents! We don’t have time to waste! Go, go, go!”
Yulen began running toward the area where the horses were corralled. Lucien hurried to join him when the battle lord stopped. “Go to the tent. I’ll join you there.”
“Why Schutz Ridge? It could be indefensible.”
“It’s our only chance in case this Blood army has substantial numbers.”
Lucien didn’t question his father’s decision. He saw the logic in it. The compound may be a crumbling ruin, but it would provide them with a modicum of protection, unlike the surrounding trees.
By the time he reached the tent, soldiers were already riding away, heading down the road toward the deserted fortress. Flinging aside the door flap, he entered the tent just as a spear appeared at his throat. Johna pulled back on the weapon at the last second to avoid piercing him through the jaw. She was barely able to stand, and her face was pale and sweaty.
“Oh, God, I thought it was you, but I wasn’t sure!” She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. Her body radiated heat. “My senses are all screwed up from this crap!” He wanted to keep holding her, but there was no time. They had to flee, and do it now.
Over on the other side of the tent, he saw Iain standing over Atty’s unconscious form. The physician held his mother’s bow at ready, an arrow nocked and ready to be released in case they were attacked. Unlike his father, who had no skill with any weapon, Iain practiced whenever he could with the archers under the battle lady’s guidance. Seeing Lucien, he lowered his arms.
“What’s going on?”
Lucien pulled Johna’s arms away. “We gotta go. Grab Mom. Dad’s coming with the horses.” He turned to lead Johna outside, when she stumbled. It set off a fit of coughing that dropped her to her knees. He lifted her into his arms and glanced back at Iain. “Hurry!”
Throwing his medical satchel over his shoulder, the doctor bent and picked up Atty into his arms. Together they exited the tent just as Yulen and Echo galloped up with two extra horses. Iain handed Atty up to her husband, who placed her in front of him. Echo slid off her mount to help lift Johna up to Lucien once he was mounted. When he was assured she was secured in his lap, he took off down the road, following his father, and with Echo and Iain directly behind him.
They could hear the screeching and howls coming from the woods as the Bloods swarmed the campsite. Lucien also caught the screams of men being overtaken. Men who were probably being eaten alive in their haste to get away. More than likely, after they were freed to fend for themselves, the fake battle lord’s army had attempted to flee in the other direction, or further into the woods, and were now paying for that bad decision. Lucien pressed his lips together at the irony. Bloods wouldn’t eat the soldiers’ horses. They’d use them like any other army would, for transportation. But they wouldn’t hesitate to eat their enemy, which was why they were so dangerous. Being taken a Blood’s prisoner meant you were only being kept alive long enough to feed them.
The trees thinned out as they entered the more desert-like terrain. When they topped the rise, Yulen pulled his horse to a stop to check behind them. He waved for Echo and Iain to keep going as Lucien adjusted his grip on Johna and also turned around.
The shrieks were fewer, but the bone-chilling howls continued. Two soldiers galloped up to the battle lord. “Are there any more left?” Yulen questioned.
“Don’t know, sir. I think we’re the last ones out.”
“What about the prisoners? Do you know if any of them were able to escape?”
“Most of them fled back into the trees.”
Yulen nodded. There was no need to ask any more questions.
The guards had managed to pile up broken and burnt furniture in front of the main entrance when Yulen and the others finally arrived. Once everyone was inside the compound, the soldiers finished blocking the entrance.
Mastin ran over to help take Atty from the battle lord. Iain accepted the unconscious Johna from Lucien’s grasp. Renken hurried up and motioned to the doctor. “We’ve set up a temporary clinic this way.”
Paxton, Destino, and Grimsy rushed up to them as two soldiers led away their horses. “I’ve ordered perimeter guards on top of the catwalks, including our archers,” the second informed them. “The other captains have gathered in what’s left of the main house. This way.”
“Did any of the prisoners end up here?” Yulen asked as they hurried for the building.