The Battle Lord Saga 02 - Her Battle Lord's Desire (16 page)

Normal? I mean, we’re talking about Atty here! Remember her? The little girl who never did

anything unless it was done in the best interest of everyone? The young woman who brought in a

wolfen because she desperately wanted to be accepted by others? The young woman who made a

hundred friends but never once allowed anyone into her heart? The woman who...who took an

oath of chastity in order to protect what she believed was her most precious gift? Her hunting

skill?”

Fortune’s voice dropped. “Haven’t you even once wondered what kind of man Yulen

D’Jacques is, when night after night she cried to be with him? This is the man she was willing to

give up everything for, including her oath. Well,
I
can tell you, after four days on the road with him, after seeing them together...” He paused and shook his head.

“Despite what we put them through, it wasn’t Atty who agreed to help us in this time of

need, despite what everyone probably thinks. It was D’Jacques. The man you threatened. The

man you turned away. The man you deprived of a wife.” Licking his lips, he squared his

shoulders. “Frankly I never thought I’d be here today with an armed guard and wagons filled

with supplies to tide us over until we can bring in fresh meat. I don’t know about the rest of you,

but thank you seems to be a pretty paltry payment.”

The sun disappeared below the treetops but no one moved to light the lanterns. It grew

extremely quiet in the courtyard as everyone waited for the Council to make their move. This

time, though, it was Twoson Pike who stepped forward past George as if by silent agreement the

rest of the Council had chosen to no longer let the man speak for them. Looking at both Atty and

the Battle Lord, he said, “There has been enough bloodshed and heartache on both sides.

D’Jacques, you’ve honored your part of the treaty, and then some. Perhaps your coming here can

be the start of something better for both our peoples.”

Yulen nodded. “I had the same hope.” He glanced at Atty, then back at Twoson, making

his next expectation very clear with the lift of an eyebrow.

Clearing his throat, Twoson looked down at the changed woman still standing flustered

and ruffled before him. “I’m sorry, Atty. We’re all sorry. Forgive us, but we thought we were

doing the right thing. We though we were protecting you, but we were wrong. Can you forgive

a bunch of old fools?”

Slowly the flush of anger drained from her face. Atty bowed her head, hands on hips as

she deliberated. The toe of one slippered foot scratched a pattern in the dirt. Yulen saw her eyes

glance his way, and he noticed she was trying to hide the smile that wouldn’t stop forming on her

lips.

“Feel better, my love?” he grinned as he folded his arms across his chest.

She sighed loudly and lifted her face, but kept her eyes averted from the Council. “Yeah,”

she admitted in a small voice.

“You want to go get my dagger, then?”

Almost meekly, she walked over to the tree and jerked the blade out of the trunk, but not

before giving the pinned man an angry glare. Returning to where her husband was standing, she

spun the knife in the palm of her hand before flipping the weapon back into its sheath.

“Thank you,” Yulen said. “By the way, why didn’t you use your own?”

“Couldn’t get to it in time,” she answered with an apologetic grin.

“Why not?”

Her eyes traveled down to the front of her dress. “Because it’s strapped to my leg

underneath this dress, and I didn’t think it would be appropriate to hike my skirt up in front of

everybody to get it.”

Yulen nearly choked on his laughter as the others around him tried to keep a straight face.

“Atty, do I even dare ask you where you put your longbow?”

Atty groaned and rolled her eyes. “Oh, good heavens, I married a comedian! For your

information, it’s still tied to my saddle, beneath that cape on my horse!” she exclaimed. However,

the last part of her explanation was lost in the sound of her husband’s laughter, and she turned to

see Mastin and MaGrath standing directly behind her, vainly trying to keep from joining him. On

the other side of the platform, Fortune and Bertrand began to snicker. Even the Council was

having a difficult time holding back. Before long, the entire crowd was beset with fits of laughter.

Too late. Atty threw up her hands, admitting defeat, as a slow blush covered her from

neckline to cheeks. “All right! One more time make the blue-haired girl the brunt of the joke!”

She whirled around to make at least some sort of dignified exit on her mare, when a pair of

armor-clad arms snagged her and pulled her against him. Yulen gave her an apologetic kiss that

warmed her down to her toes. When he lifted his lips from hers, she opened her eyes to give him

a smoky look. For a moment she let her guard down, and he could see her desire, desperate and

aching, in her blue-gray depths. A second later her defenses were back up, making him wonder

for the hundredth time what was keeping her away from him. But he had promised himself to

give her time. She had sworn to him it wouldn’t be much longer, and she had never lied to him

before.

Releasing the long sigh he hadn’t been aware of holding, Yulen gave a nod to Mastin, who

came over to begin helping him to remove the ornamental armor.

“What do you want us to do?” Twoson asked, realizing the man was preparing to take

charge.

“First things first, my men will begin unloading the wagons. You’ll need to see that the

foodstuffs are distributed equally. Second, let’s get some chairs and a table out here. If we’re

going to discuss fortifying this compound against future attacks, we’ll need room to spread out.”

“Where should we tell the men to make camp?” Mastin asked, unbuckling the shoulder

plates and lifting them over the Battle Lord’s head. Yulen looked to the Council for answers.

“Anywhere throughout the compound will be fine,” Twoson told them. “We have no

barracks or guest quarters that will accommodate everyone.”

“Yulen?”

He glanced over at where Atty stood watching and listening. “Time for me to get to

work, my love,” he told her. “Aren’t you chomping at the bit to go out and get re-acquainted

with your friends?”

“You don’t mind?”

“It’s going to be a—”

“Long night,” she finished in unison with him, adding a wistful smile. “I know. It’s not

like I haven’t heard that old excuse before.” She snickered. “Okay. I’ll be back in a little while

to see how things are going.”

Fortune stepped forward to get her attention. “I slipped Tory a nutria. She’ll have dinner

ready in another hour or so. We would be honored to have you for supper.”

Atty slapped him on the shoulder in mock anger. “I would have been devastated if you

hadn’t asked. Yulen?”

“At least let me get things somewhat situated here first,” he laughed as Mastin removed

the final piece of armor and handed him his weapons belt before carrying the armor away to pack

for the return trip home. “Come back later and get me.”

Atty walked over and stretched up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, then hopped off

the platform and into the waiting arms of the crowd, who gathered around her to bombard her

with questions. Yulen watched her departure until Paxton nudged his elbow.

“Where should I have the men erect the tent?”

It wasn’t difficult giving him an answer. “Put it under Atty’s tree,” he told him.

“Sir?” The lieutenant appeared baffled.

“Come,” a Council member Yulen had yet to be introduced to gestured to the young man.

“I’ll show you where it is.”

When the rest of the Council had cleared the platform, Yulen found himself facing Piron

George alone. The Council leader had not moved or said a word during the entire series of events

since Twoson had accepted responsibility. Strangely, even though he stood on foreign soil, on the

older man’s home territory, Yulen felt an odd sense of home. It was almost as if he knew this

compound and its people were destined to become a permanent part of his life. “I’m here to give

your people a future,” he quietly said, buckling on his weapons belt.

George nodded. “I know that.”

“Then why won’t you accept me? Why won’t you accept me being with Atrilan?”

“Give me time, D’Jacques,” George told him with the ghost of sadness in his weary voice.

“I have a few more years of hatred to overcome than she did.”

Slowly, the Mutah stepped off the platform and disappeared into the gathering gloom as

some of the Wallis inhabitants began to go from pole to pole, lighting the streetlights. Behind

him, Yulen could hear the sounds of people preparing their suppers, the majority of them eating

decently for the first time in many days. There was laughter and the occasional cackle of joy. If

he closed his eyes he could easily believe he was in Alta Novis.

“Sir?”

Turning around, Yulen saw where the table and chairs from the Council lodge had been

brought out and set on the platform. Straightening his tunic and belt around his waist, Yulen

opened the box set before him and pulled out the sheaf of notes he’d written several days ago. He

wondered where Atty had gone, and what she might be doing at that moment, but he didn’t have

long to dwell on it. The Council members would soon be returning to take their seats and find

out what the Battle Lord had planned for them. He had to be ready to defend every suggestion he

needed to make. Not to mention swallowing a lot of humble pie.

Sighing, Yulen rubbed a hand over his face. It had been a very long day, and it would be a

very long night, indeed.

“Well, Fortune was right,” Irmalee announced loudly. “It
was
pretty shitty how the

Council treated you. We didn’t know ourselves that you were back until Fortune went before

Piron and requested a council meeting!”

“I have no recollection of being brought back, either,” Atty admitted. “One moment I was

marrying Yulen, and the next thing I remember is waking up in Fortune’s spare bedroom feeling

like someone had run over me with a team of wild horses.”

She was sitting on a stump near the schoolyard, surrounded by at least two dozen friends

and others eager to hear her story.

“Imagine you, married to a Normal. And you were going to give up everything for him.”

Jessit shivered. “Oh, he just does something to you when he looks at you, doesn’t he?”

Portia reached over to rub the material of the velvet gown between her fingers. “You are

sooo lucky. And he is sooo handsome!” Several others agreed with her, bringing a rush of blood

to Atty’s cheeks. “Sooo, what kind of lover is he?”

Several of the young women leaned closer, hoping not to miss a single word. Atty raised

an eyebrow at them. “Like I would tell,” she said, flustered. All the questions they had thrown

at her earlier hadn’t been too difficult to answer or dodge. This was a different story altogether.

The flush that crept up to her face was beginning to spread throughout her entire body. Already

she could feel herself subconsciously responding to their probing questions. For every intimate

detail they wanted to know about, a dozen memories reminded her body of his.

“He’s strong, isn’t he?” Irmalee smiled, adding a little giggle.

“Did you see his buns?” piped up the petite girl sitting next to the stump, right beside their

guest of honor.

“Corianne, you notice
every
body’s buns!” Jessit retorted as everyone hooted and laughed.

“Well, he has cute buns,” Corianne defended with a pout. Sliding her eyes upward at

Atty, she tried to get confirmation. “I bet he’s got a magnificent body underneath those leather

britches.”

Atty slapped her arm and gave her a stern but playful warning look. “What would your

mother say if she heard you talking like that?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders. “Mohmee would probably ask you the same question,

Atty!”

“Hey, everybody! Have you see what they’re doing over by Atty’s tree?” Mendenall

asked, running up breathlessly. When he had everyone’s attention, he told them. “They’re

putting up this big blue tent! And one of the solders said it was the Battle Lady’s tent!”

All eyes turned her way. “Is that what they call you? The Battle Lady?” Portia asked in

awe.

Atty sighed. “Yeah.”

“What does
he
call you?” Corianne asked.

A tender smile came over Atty’s face. It was not lost on the rest of the group. “He calls

me Atty,” she admitted with some hesitancy.

Jenna Beth barked with laughter. “I’ll bet that’s not all he calls her!”

“I heard him call her ‘my love’ just like that. Clear as day!” Portia added.

“He did? In
public?
” Jessit asked in astonishment.

“Right out there in the courtyard. Don’t tell me you didn’t hear him.”

Jessit pouted. “Aww, geez. I was too far in the back.”

“Did you at least see him kiss her? Ahhhh!” Corianne fell onto her back in a mock faint.

The group laughed at her antics, including Atty.

From behind her, Sarasue reached over to finger the circlet on Atty’s forehead. “That’s a

real stone, isn’t it?”

“Sapphire,” Atty admitted.

“Does he make you happy?”