Page 64 of Lucie
Chapter Thirty-One
Imposter
Lucien knew the man was blowing steam, yet it wasn’t quite a bluff. He had no doubt this imposter who called himself the Battle Lord of AltaNoviswouldn’t hesitate to order his men to attack. It was only a matter of how far each side could push the other before one of them either backed away…or charged.
His first inclinationwas to call the man out on his charade. To tell him he’d metYulenD’Jacques, and this man was a phony. But that same sense of caution that had made him claim to be an entirely fictitious person from an equally nonexistent compound now told him to hold off on that idea. Instead, Lucien chose to see just how long he could hold off this ragtag, albeit powerful army, until his father arrived to assumecommand.
“Forgive us, Battle Lord. We’re only passing through on our way to Upper Strong Bay. We had no knowledge that this land was under your holding.” He gestured behind him with his thumb. “We saw the rubble of the last compound we passed by, and figured it would be okay to camp the night here before continuing on.”
The fakeD’Jacquesglanced back in the directionof Schutz Ridge. At the same time, Lucien noticed how the majority of his own forces were keeping to the trees to hide their true numbers. Fortunately, the horses and wagons were also tethered farther into the woods where this bogus battle lord couldn’t see them and make a guess as to how many soldiers he was actually facing.
Then again, neither doI. I don’t know how many men thisimposter has, either, he told himself. The road made a turn a hundred yards or so away. From just eyeballing it, and given that this man’s troops were riding in pairs, he counted at least three dozen armed individuals. It would be wise to assume there were more out of sight around the bend.
As if reading his mind, the counterfeit battle lord drew his horse closer to Lucien. “Howmany of you are there?”
“How many doyouhave?” Lucien countered. The man grinned, revealing gaps in his teeth, and Lucien wondered if it was from poor dental hygiene or the result of battle.
“You have quite a mouth on you, young battle prince. Then tell me, how manyMutahdo you have in your army?”
“Why do you want to know?” Answer a question with aquestion. It was one of the first tactics he’d learned from his father.
A thread of worry crawled up his spine. This man had told others he was out to kill as manyMutahas possible. If he caught sight ofJohna, with her distinctive eyes, there was every chance he would try to attack them without further provocation.
The man’s head jerked up to look over Lucien’s head. Hearing the sound ofhis soldiers moving out of the way from behind him signaled to Lucien that his father was coming to join him. When the battle lord stopped beside him, from the corner of his eye Lucien noticed he was in full battle armor, including his helmet to conceal his face.
Slowly,Yulendrew his sword. “Identify yourself,” he demanded of the imposter.
“YulenD’Jacques, Battle Lord of AltaNovis. Areyou the battle lord of Twelfth Rock?”
“Are we being challenged?”Yulencountered.
The fakeYulenfrowned. Either he wasn’t accustomed to not having his questions answered, or he hated being stonewalled. Lucien felt the tension rise a notch higher. Something had to give, and it would be sooner rather than later. The hope that this impasse could be resolved without violence was becoming lessand less feasible.
“You are trespassing on my land, Battle Lord,” the imposter stated. “You did not get permission to camp here. Therefore you owe me a tax for that infringement.”
“What kind of tax?”
The man eyed the weaponsYulen’smen were brandishing. “I want all your swords and spears.”
Yulenmade a rude sound. “And leave us defenseless?”
“That is what you owe me for your offense.”
“No deal,”Yulensaid flatly.
The fauxYulengave him another toothless smile. “Last chance, Battle Lord. Pay for your transgression, or be slaughtered.”
“Why should I pay attention to a liar and fake?” Before the stranger could respond,Yulenpulled his helmet off his head and tossed it to the ground. The man gaped, wide-eyed with shock, andYulentook that moment to raise his sword abovehis head. “Yield! Drop your weapons and yield to the realYulenD’Jacques, Battle Lord of AltaNovis!”
The bushes seemed to erupt all around them. Lucien stared in surprise as his father’s soldiers emerged from amid the trees on both sides of the road and surrounded the men on horseback. Although they were on foot, and at a height disadvantage, there was no mistaking thatD’Jacques’ men werethe more powerful force.
The men on horseback gave their leader nervous looks. The fake battle lord refused to face them. Seconds went by as everyone waited to see what action the man would take next. Adjusting his grip on his sword, Lucien kept his eyes on the imposter. This was not a man who would give up so easily.
The pretender suddenly screamed and charged directly at Lucien.Yulenrammed himself against his son, and the impact bounced the two of them apart just as the horse barreled its way between them. Lucien heard a swish of the man’s sword as it narrowly missed his unprotected head. The blade struck the mesh collar and was deflected away.
The fake’s army took that as a signal to attack, but it was clear from the outset that this would be a short battle. Their numbersmay have been even, but the imposters were greatly outmatched.
Lucien rolled aside, glancing up to see his father throw up his sword to block the other man’s downward swing. The stallion reared up, off-balancing the fake battle lord, and he started to slide off his saddle.
