Page 23 of Lucie
Chapter Twelve
Whiterock
The weather was cold and drizzly the entire way toWhiterock. Add to that, the terrain gradually became more hilly, which made for some difficulty in getting the heavily loaded wagons up the steeper parts of the roadway, slowing down their progress. Along the route, conversation was sparse, if at all.
Lucien said nothing abouthis uneasiness, which continued to gnaw at him during the trek. With his parents in close proximity, especially his mother with herMutahhearing, he didn’t dare. Even if he’d felt like it or wanted to,Yulenasked for reduced noise as the miles went by.
“Don’t forget that these are not justDamaged. They’re alsoMutah, which means they’ll be aware of us approaching long before wesee or hear them,” the battle lord explained in a soft voice.
“How will we know ifWhiterockis safe?”Paasasked.
“Good question,”Renkenquipped.
“We won’t,”Attyadmitted.
Mastinwhispered, “What’s our plan ifWhiterockis occupied? Do we try to take it back? Or do we go around and avoid any confrontation?”
“We’ll have tosee what the situation is before we make a decision,”Yulenadmitted.
They continued on for a few more hours, never stopping as a whole for a break, as was normal protocol. The only time anyone broke ranks was for a quick chance to relieve himself. They ate their rations from their saddles as the weather went from drizzly to a light but steady rain. Fortunately, being encased intheir metal armor kept most of the moisture at bay. If they’d been wearing only their soft leather armor, everyone would have been soaked to the skin within their first few hours on the road.
It was growing dark when they topped a small rise. The compound lay in the distance atop another hill, barely visible in the fog. Lucien stared at the walled structure asYulenraised his arm,fist clenched in the signal to halt.
“Shouldn’t we have been hailed by the outpost guard by now?”Mastinremarked.
In answer,Yulenglanced back at his men. Lucien saw his father look to the two seconds before eyeing him, then turn back to Atty. “Getting anything?”
She gave a quick shake of her head.
“What do you think?” Paxton queried. “Bad strategynot to man the outposts? Or maybe the compound fell.”
“It’s possible the compound lost too many men for the battle lord to assign perimeter guards,”Attysuggested.
“The last thing you should withdraw are your perimeter guards,”Yulencountered. “Even if your numbers are sorely depleted, you can’t afford allowing your enemy the opportunity to sneak up on you.”
“Dad?”
Yulengave his son a quizzical eye. Lucien motioned toward the compound. “Why aren’t there any lights? There should at least be some signal lights along the top of the wall.”
The battle lord whirled around to double-check, as did those gathered nearby. If keeping a perimeter guard was imperative, lighting the compound walls was more so.
“Guess we know who’sin charge now,”Mastinremarked, silently confirming what they all were thinking.Whiterockwas no longer under Normal control.
“Do you think they know we’re here?”Renkenwhispered.
“If there’s anyone there at all,” Echo wondered aloud. “Maybe it’s been abandoned.”
Lucien peered back at the troops lined up behind them. They moved in ranks of twos, sometimesthrees, along the roadway. Because of the inclement weather, they didn’t carry any torches. Neither was there any moonlight to reflect off their metal armor. And they were too far away for the sound of the horses or their hooves on the packed earth to be heard. For the moment, they were invisible to the compound.
“Only one way to find out.”Attyslipped off her mare. To no one’ssurprise, Echo also dismounted. She gave the young woman a curious stare. “I think should do this alone.”
“Not without backup,” Echo countered, making it clear there would be no further arguing on the matter. Seeing the woman’s reasoning,Attygave a nod of agreement.
“We’ll retreat to the forest and wait for you there,”Yulentold her. Lucien watched him lean overhis stallion to softly add, “Be careful, beloved.” His parents kissed, thenAttytook off on foot toward the compound with the warrior woman right behind her.
The battle lord gave the signal to dismount. He then signaled to Paxton to take the rear squad of mostly NewBearingersoldiers and disburse into the woods on the north side of the road. Everyone else accompaniedYulenandMastinpast the trees on the south side.
They led their mounts deep into the forest, tying the reins to bared branches before returning to the tree line to wait. Lucien found a position where he could see the compound, and crouched down behind a pile of toppled trunks. He felt Iain approach but said nothing when the physician plopped down beside him.
