This Battle Lord's Quest (7 page)

It made a lot of sense, the way he said it. When
Rafe D’Jacques had tried to overtake Alta Novis, Yulen had been absent, and she
had been unable to prevent the half-brother from claiming the compound as his.
Yet, once Yulen returned, everything seemed to fall into place, until it was no
longer a matter of
if
they could take back their home, but
when.

She stared up at the trees where the stars played
peek-a-boo between the leaves. The night was cool, giving her the impression
that the winter would be brutal. She didn’t know how she was able to predict
it, but if she asked the other Mutah hunters, she was certain they would all
agree with her.

Maybe they would find bigger game tomorrow. At
least, she hoped they would. If not, she dreaded what the next few months would
bring.

Chapter
Seven

Prickle

Someone tapped the bottom of her foot. Atty was
awake instantly, her Ballock in one hand as she reached for her bow. Above her,
Gerenth signaled for silence. She paused to listen.

Faint, but not too far away, there was a rustling
noise. She glanced overhead, but the leaves were still. There was no wind to
cause the brush to move. She gave the Mutah a questioning eyebrow, but was answered
with a shrug. He had no idea what was causing the sound.

Using the tip of her bow, she tapped the soles of
the men lying beside her. Long ago, she’d learned not to wake a seasoned hunter
or soldier by poking, grabbing an arm, or by any other method normally employed
by most people. Otherwise, she could end up with a knife in her belly, or
worse. A warrior struck first to defend himself. Even when he was where he
considered was a safe place, like his home or among family, the survival
instinct remained paramount. One never knew when someone or something with evil
intent could creep into the abode and dispatch everyone. However, for a reason
no one could understand, gently striking the bottom of a foot didn’t alert the
defensive instincts.

Both soldiers pulled their weapons and moved into a
crouching position as the other men closed ranks. Fortune glanced up at the
trees, then motioned for Atty and Meesel to climb the two tallest. She nodded
and kept low as she advanced toward it. Throwing her bow over her shoulder, she
made it up to the first overhanging branch and paused to survey the area. The
campfire had reduced itself to glowing coals, leaving the men to appear as dark
shadows below.

Narrowing her eyes, she strained to see if she
could spot any movement below. A vague thought went through her mind as she
wondered if Mattox was capable of night vision. Not noticing anything, she
reached up to move to the next branch, when Meesel shouted a warning.

“
Pines!
”

The Mutah hunter let fly an arrow, and a squeal of
pain rent the air. The ground instantly erupted into a mass of barb-tipped
jeopardy.

“Find a shield!” Fortune shouted. Several of the
men hit the ground to keep from becoming easy targets. Around them, a flurry of
quills embedded the trunks and surrounding vegetation with a series of
rapid-fire
thunks!

Atty nocked an arrow and fired blindly into the
thick of the prickle. A porcupine dropped in its tracks, the shaft protruding
from the back of its neck. From the corner of her eye, she caught Klodon rising
to one knee and aiming horizontally into the cluster. Realizing he was about to
make a serious, perhaps fatal, mistake, she screamed and aimed her next arrow
directly at his bow.

“
No!
”

The arrow knocked the bow from his grasp, but he
had already let fly. The small spear buried itself into one of the creature’s
ribs, and the animal automatically responded. A handful of quills were launched
directly at the Mutah hunter, who tried to duck and roll away. The man shrieked
and lay still, the hollow spines sunk deep into his back and arm.

“
Shoo! Go!
”

From somewhere, a length of wood swirled through
the air and landed in the middle of the herd. Then another piece followed it,
and then a broken branch. A yell went up, the blood cry of a warrior, and she
saw a flash of yellow pass between the trees as Fortune dashed around to the
opposite side, followed by Vashayn’s red jerkin.

Up in the trees, Meesel launched another arrow,
catching a youngster through a rear hamstring, and pinning the animal to the
ground. The beast struggled as it violently launched more quills at its enemy
as it tried to free itself, but the Mutah hunter was too high for the barbs to
reach him.

Atty glanced around to see Renken dragging the
unconscious Klodon out of sight, in case the porcupines tried to make a mad
dash into the open area. She searched for Paxton, but couldn’t find him in the
murky darkness.

She and Meesel continued to fire into the pack
until all of the animals stilled. After another long minute or two, the forest
grew quiet once more. The porcupines ceased moving, and she caught a whiff of
the ripe scent of blood. Carefully, she descended to the ground and, nocking
another arrow, and advanced on the fallen lot. The other hunters also emerged
from behind the trees and brush, and slowly walked over to the dying and dead
animals.

Dergus gave one of the beasts a tentative nudge
with the tip of his bow. The porcupine remained still. With the animals huddled
in a knot, their quills overlapping and tangled amid each other, it was
difficult to tell how many there were.

Paxton ran up to join them. “Klodon’s still alive,
but we gotta get those barbs out of him.”

“Those barbs have nasty tips,” Vashayn commented.
“It’ll take a while to remove all of them. Let’s just pray he doesn’t bleed out
before we get back to the compound.”

“I agree,” Fortune announced. “This hunt’s now
officially over. Gerenth, here.” He tossed the man a large butcher knife. “I’m
going to start working on Klodon. The rest of you separate these pines, slit
‘em, and clean ‘em. Renken, you and Paxton lash together two travois. We’ll
carry Klodon on one and load the other with the meat. Let’s hurry, before the
scent of blood draws more unwanted guests.”

“Fortune, I’ve removed porcupine barbs in the past.
I can assist.” Before Fortune could respond, Renken pulled up his left pants
leg to reveal three ragged scars above the knee.”

Fortune’s eyes widened. “On yourself?”

“By myself. Had no choice.”

“Here.” The Mutah hunter pulled a slender knife
with a long, slim blade from his bandolier hanging across his chest. Expertly
flipping it around, he handed it hilt-first to the man. “Since you have the
experience, you do it. I’ll assist.”

“I’ll help with the travois,” Dergus offered.

Fortune thanked him, then hurried off with Renken
to work on the fallen man. Atty unsheathed her Ballock, then paused. Gerenth
noticed her hesitation.

“We gotta wrap our hands before we tackle this,” he
voiced what she was thinking as he glanced around. “Any idea what with?”

She nudged one carcass with the toe of her boot.
The big animal had to be at least a couple of hundred pounds, if not more.
Using her blade, she lifted one limp leg. “Pines are said to curl up to protect
their bellies against predators, but I wonder... I’ve got an idea.” Holding
aside the creature’s leg, she slit open the belly, and began slicing away the
skin in a long rectangular shape. When she was done, she held it up and wrapped
it around her fingers and palm like a length of cloth bandage. It was bloody,
but it would protect her hands against any accidental jabs from the quills.

Meesel looked impressed. “How’d you know to do
that?”

“This one’s a male. It has to mount the female. I
took the chance that its belly had to provide it some protection against
getting stabbed.”

“Smart idea.” He searched the pile for another
male, when they heard a cry of pain. Wordlessly, they bent to their task of
gutting the dead animals.

By the time Paxton and Dergus returned with the two
travois, the porcupines were ready to travel. Atty eyed the three males, four
females, and two juveniles. She estimated they would produce at least a
thousand pounds of meat, not to mention how the quills could be utilized into
weapons.

“We’re going to have to smoke it if it’s going to last
the two days back,” Gerenth observed.

“How are we going to do that?” Paxton asked as
Vashayn began lashing the carcasses to the travois. “Don’t we have to build a
shed or something to hang the meat?”

“We smoke it on the way,” Atty smiled. “We’ll build
up the campfire until we have some good coals. In the meantime, we’ll stuff the
bellies with green wood and herbs, then place the coals inside and stitch up
the meat. The pines will roast during the trip.”

“What about the outside?”

“As long as we keep the hide on them, they should
stew in their own fat,” Gerenth added. “If the cooler weather holds, all of
this will remain edible until we get back.” He nodded to someone walking up
behind her. “How’s Klodon?”

Turning around, Atty saw Renken standing there with
blood-stained hands. The thighs of his pants and jerkin were also smeared.
“He’ll live, and he’ll sport some very impressive scars to show for the
encounter. Fortune has him ready to travel. How are we doing here?” He looked
in wonder at the load of meat. “I’d say this hunt was successful.”

“It’s only successful if we return without any
injuries,” Meesel corrected.

“It’s only successful if we return without any
deaths,” Atty hastened to defend the soldier. Before anyone could argue
further, she trudged back to the campfire where Fortune was already coaxing the
coals into flames.

“Meat’s ready.”

Fortune nodded and handed her a water bag. Atty
took a few swallows, then splashed some on her hands to wash off the blood.

Renken followed her and stopped near the travois
where the wounded Mutah lay strapped onto the conveyance. She noticed him
examining what must have been one of the quills he’d extracted. She walked over
to him and handed him the water bag. In exchange, the ex-mercenary held out the
quill, and Atty plucked it from his fingers.
 
The hollow tube was a good twelve inches long. The barb itself was over
two inches, ragged, ugly, and facing backwards, making it easy to pierce the
flesh, but nearly impossible to remove without exacerbating the wound and
causing extreme pain. She glanced at the unconscious Mutah and wondered what
Fortune had given him to get him through the extractions.

“Worse part’s over for him,” Renken murmured. “We
just need to make sure he doesn’t lose any more blood.”

Atty held up the quill. “MaGrath has several of
these stitched to his medicine bag, but they’re smaller. Probably from a
juvenile. I’ve never asked him where or how he got them. I think I’m too afraid
to find out.”

Renken wiped his clean hands on his pants. “Did you
know that before the Great Concussion, it’s said porcupines couldn’t aim and
fire their quills? They’d shake themselves, and the quills would fall off, but
you’d have to get right on the thing, and reach down as if to grab it, and actually
ram your hands against the barbs before getting hurt.”

Atty motioned toward the man’s knee. “What’s your
story?”

“There’s not much to tell. I was chasing a man. He
stumbled into a nest of them. I was following too close and fell in with him.
We both managed to crawl out, but we were bleeding heavily.”

“Did he survive?”

Renken grimaced. “Let’s just say, I had to make the
decision whether to save my leg, or him.”

“I hope the guy deserved it,” she softly remarked.

The soldier bowed his head. “He was a rapist and
sadist of the worst kind. It was a pleasure to watch him writhe in pain.”

“How did he finally die?”

“I don’t know. Probably from exposure. It was the
middle of nowhere, in the worst storm of the winter that I can remember. Or
maybe he starved to death. Maybe the wolfen got to him. We shed enough blood to
attract predators for miles around. He was still alive when I cut off his hand
to take back to the Battle Lord of Monteleon to collect my pay.” He looked up
at her, knowing what her next question would be. “He had a brand burnt on the
back of his hand, put there when he was initially captured.”

“Are we ready?” Fortune called over to them. “It’s
getting light. Let’s stuff those pines with these coals and get moving.”

Atty handed the quill back to the soldier.
“Someday, I want to sit down with you and listen to all your stories.”

“Then you’d better make sure you have something
comfortable to sit on, because it’s going to take a while,” he smiled.

Together, they went to finish getting prepared for
the trip back.

Chapter
Eight

Proposal

“Something’s bothering you.”

Atty glanced up to see Paxton had moved over to walk
beside her. She glanced around at the other hunters walking in a single
vertical file or by twos, rather than in a wide horizontal line as they had
starting out. It made the going faster, as well as helped them better protect
the wounded Mutah and the meat against any animal hungry enough to approach.

“No. Nothing’s bothering me.”

“Your face says differently.”

“It’s more like heavy thinking.”

“Something’s bothering you,” the Second repeated,
adding a grin. “What’s going on in that blue-haired head of yours?” He squinted
at her crown. “Actually, it’s more like blue-black hair. Are you planning to
cut off the dyed portion some time soon?”

Atty touched her hair where it was pulled back into
its usual braid that hung down her back. “I was thinking of trimming off the
dark stuff once my regular color was long enough to tie up. Probably around
spring.”

“You’re evading the issue. I may not be able to
read your mind, but I sure as hell know you well enough to know when you’re
planning something.” At her sharp glance, he laughed. “Hey, it’s my job.”

“I’ll get back with you,” she promised.

Nodding, Paxton slowed down to give her room, but
remained directly behind her until they stopped around midday to rest and have
a bite to eat.

A fire was made to cook the rabbits Vashayn had
bagged, and to replace the coals cooking the insides of the porcupines. Atty
noticed Renken remained next to Klodon’s travois, switching out with Fortune in
pulling the man’s carrier. She took the moment to approach the Mutah hunter,
who was seated on a fallen log, and squatted next to him.

“Taking out those quills must have been
horrendous.”

Fortune nodded. “Renken has the touch of a surgeon.
Otherwise, Klodon would have ended up as minced meat.”

“We heard him cry out. Once. I’m surprised the pain
didn’t wake him.”

Fortune smiled. “You’re wanting to know what I gave
him to keep him under? You can thank your own doctor MaGrath. It’s a grayish
powder. I don’t know what it’s called, but I was warned not to give out more
than three fingers of it.”

“Ah-ha. I know it well,” Atty chuckled. It wasn’t
but a couple of years ago when the physician had given her the same stuff to
help her get over the brutal attack made on her by the now-deceased Tosh Karv.
She glanced at the wounded man, noting his pale color, but he appeared stable.
“We’re making good time.”

“Yep.” It was all Fortune would say. Apparently the
man wanted some time to himself. Deciding this would not be a good time to
bring up the subject, she got up and wandered back to the fire. It wasn’t until
hours later, when the Mutah leader called a halt and had them set up camp for
the night, that she finally ventured to speak her mind.

“Fortune, I have a suggestion.”

The man tossed a bone from one of the squirrels
they’d cooked into the ground. The rib stood straight up, with half of it
partially buried in the dirt. “I knew something’s been eating at you all day.
It must be serious.”

She bit her lip, causing Fortune’s eyes to widen.
“I know that look, Atty, and before you say anything, the short answer is no.
To make myself any clearer, the long answer is hell, no.”

“Hear me out first.”

“Damn it, I said no.”

“Fortune!”

“I’ve known you all your life, Atty. I can tell
when you’re planning something from a mile away. I hate to be crude, but my
answer is still fuck it, no.”

“Those pines came from the south!” she nearly
yelled.

Around them, the other hunters, including the two
soldiers, listened attentively, but no one dared to intervene. Fortune threw
another rib into the ground, burying it in the dirt directly next to the first
bone. “So they came from the south. Animals migrate. They move, and they keep
moving in order to search for food. It’s basic science.”

“I think our coming across the pines was a fluke.
You know as well as I do that if you’re fishing in a pond, the difference
between landing a nice catch and drowning worms could be inches,” she insisted.

Paxton finally broke in. “I’m sorry, but I’m lost.
What are you two talking about?”

“Atty wants to keep hunting,” Renken answered.
“Isn’t that right?”

The Second shook his head. “I don’t see the
problem. Once we get back to the compound—”

Fortune glared at the man. “She doesn’t want to
wait for us to get back to Alta Novis.” Turning back to Atty, he put on his
best my-decision-is-final-and-there-will-be-no-further-arguing face that she
recognized from years of dealing with it. “You will remain with us until we
reach the compound. Then you can discuss this issue with your husband.”

Atty felt the slow burn start in her gut and move
up to her face.

Paxton gave a low whistle and shook his head. “Bad
move, Fortune. Do you honestly believe the Battle Lord can sway her, once she’s
set her mind to do something?”

“Let her at least have her say,” Meesel suggested.

The Mutah hunter tossed a third rib bone into the
dirt. Now there were three of them, all lined up neatly and orderly, and all at
the same height, like pikes in a row.

Atty took a deep breath. “All right. Here’s what
I’ve been thinking. I noticed the tracks led south. What if we’ve been missing
good-sized game by a mile or so? What if we went south a ways, then continued
east from there?”

“You’re talking more than a couple of days,”
Fortune noted.

“True, but at least a couple of days more could
give us some idea as to whether or not we want to press onward.” She waved a
hand toward the travois bearing the carcasses. “There’s nearly a thousand
pounds of meat over there. How long do you think it’ll last, huh? Berta feeds,
what? Five to six hundred soldiers three times a day, and that’s not counting
the families without hunters who are forced to rely on the cut they receive.
Even if we proportion it sparingly, even with the vegetables, it won’t feed all
of us through the winter.”

“I’m not arguing the fact that we need more meat,”
Fortune snapped. “I’m against you traipsing off on your own to pursue your
hunches.”

“She won’t have to be alone,” Paxton interrupted.

“I’m in, too,” said Renken.

Smiling slightly, Atty tilted her head toward the
man who had been her father’s best friend, and who had adopted her when she’d
been orphaned. “If we leave in the morning, we could be out and back in less
than a week. Come on, Fortune. There
is
game out there. The pines are
proof enough. We just have to figure out where it is! Besides, you know that
eventually we’ll have to send out another scouting party, and soon. This is the
time of year when the animals are stocking up against the coming cold. If we
wait much longer, we could lose that advantage.” Leaning over, she stared
directly into his eyes. “And you know what it’s like when a compound has to go
into starvation mode,” she reminded him.

Vashayn spoke up. “Fortune, what if—”

“
No!
” Fortune turned on him, face reddening.
“You all are to accompany me back to Alta Novis. I need every one of you to
help with the travois. Plus, I gave my word to the Battle Lord. Am I clear?”

Vashayn and Meesel nodded, while the other two
Mutah hunters remained silent.

“And as for you, young lady.”

Atty remained stone-faced but silently dared the
man to order her to stay.

Fortune paused, then sighed deeply as he shook his
head. “What am I going to tell Yulen?”

“You tell him what he’ll already suspect,” Paxton
answered. “That his head-strong wife was concerned about the welfare of the
compound, and took off in search of more food...along with two of his
soldiers.”

Lifting a hand to his face, Fortune rubbed his
eyes. “I hope he doesn’t kill me for what I’m about to agree to. Atty, promise
me something?”

“Depends,” she quipped. The man knew, as well as
everyone else, that she never gave her word lightly. But first, she needed to
know what he wanted.

“Promise me that once you find more game, if you
find more, you’ll bring back what you kill and not track any more.” The man
looked sternly at her. “Promise me you’ll return to Alta Novis as soon as you
find more game.”

Atty got down on her knees and placed her hands in
his, giving them a squeeze. “I promise, Fortune. Once we bag more meat, we’ll
all return immediately to the compound.”

Nodding, Fortune pressed a kiss to her forehead to
seal the deal. “All right. It’s getting late. Dawn will be here before you know
it. Let’s all try to get some sleep. Atty, if you’re gone before we awaken,
good hunting.”

“Thank you, Fortune.” She got to her feet and
brushed off her pants before heading for her bedroll. Paxton and Renken each
gave the Mutah hunter a nod, and rose to follow her.