Page 70 of Lucie
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ideas
The battle lord was holding a meeting with his captains and the two seconds when Lucien entered the dining hall. The men were gathered in a circle aroundYulen, who was kneeling in the center. Holding a burnt stick from the small fire burning nearby, he used it to draw on the floor.
His father glanced up briefly to acknowledgehis arrival as he continued with what he was discussing. Taking a stance next toMastin, Lucien looked down at what was already there. A crude rectangle represented the compound, with a ragged line drawn on one side to signify the ridge, and a straighter line on the other for the road.Yulentapped the crooked one.
“This gorge is too wide and too deep to cross. If worse came toworse, we could climb down to the bottom, but that would mean leaving the horses behind. Even if we did that, we don’t know if it’s wide enough at the bottom, where it may lead, or if we’ll be able to climb back up.”
“It looks as though they used the fields on both sides of the compound for practice,”Grimsyremarked.
“They’d have to,” Paxton responded. “There’s barelytwenty yards of clearance between the rear of the compound and that drop-off.”
Destinocleared his throat. “Yougottaadmit, abutting this place that close to the ridge puts a serious crimp in any enemy’s plan of attack.”
“Not to mention having nature provide you with a wide open easement to enable you to see them coming for miles,”Yulenadded. “But, by the same token,there’s no escape route for those trapped inside this compound. Not like we have at AltaNovis.”
Mastingestured to what lay outside the room. “How long do you think we can remain under siege?”
“Comfortably, a couple of days, if we ration ourselves. But unless we can find a source of fresh water, things could get ugly real quick. And that’s not counting on whether ornot the Bloods attack. If they evoke a series of strikes, we’ll be lucky to hold out any longer than that.” He looked up at his men. “I want the sentries changed every two hours. Have the soldiers get as much rest as possible. We can’t fight when we’re exhausted.” He stood. “Our supplies are gone. All we have are what’s in our saddlebags. Even if we manage to retrieve the wagons, we can’t assumeeverything will still be intact. Time to live off the land, men, so keep your eyes open for game.”
“If the Bloods don’t get to it, first,”Dulcydrawled.
Vasticsnorted. “I doubt they’ll look twice at game right now. They already have enough food to last them for a long time.”
Lucien felt his stomach roil with nausea. No one asked for clarification. Everyoneunderstood what the man meant.
The room momentarily fell silent. He took the opportunity to speak. “I’ve spoken to a couple of men. None of them have ever witnessed what the Bloods are doing now. What do you think their tactic is? Why are they just standing out there? Are they waiting for something? Or someone?”
Destinolooked at him. “We were discussing that before you got here. We haven’tseen that kind of behavior with them, either. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t done it elsewhere.”
Bodacaigave his friend an astonished grin. “You don’t think them standing stiff as a board for hours on end like that is usual behavior for them?”
“What doyouthink they’re up to?”Yulenchallenged.
“Oh, I got two ideas. One is that they all may be bat shit crazy out of their minds becauseof the virus. They could have gotten the disease, and because their genes are so far out of whack, more than aMutah’s, the survivors have a different reaction than what we’d expect.”
“It’s plausible,” Paxton commented. “Of course, you have to admit that their behavior before the virus was always what you could call bat shit crazy.” The men chuckled in agreement.
“And your second one?” thebattle lord urged.
Lucien noticed how his father didn’t outright dismiss the captain’s remarks. Instead, he showed he was willing to listen and give the man some credence, even if the suggestions may not pan out in the end. It was another lesson thatYulenhad drilled into him.“You never know when something that sounds outlandish might be the exact thing you’ll need to survive.”
“I thinkthis place is haunted. I think there’s something in this compound that scares them so bad, they don’t dare step foot in here. So they’regonnawait out there for us. For when we finally discover it for ourselves and try to beat a hasty retreat.”
Destinoscoffed. “Haunted? Like ghosts? Don’t tell me you believe in that crap, do you,Jostin?”
“It doesn’t matter whathebelieves,” Lucien countered.“It matters iftheybelieve it.”
For the second time, a sense of uneasiness came over him. Ghost stories had always left him spooked when he was growing up. At the mention of this compound possibly being haunted, he felt that cold finger of apprehension running down his spine again, raising goosebumps on his arms.
Yulentossed the stick away. “Well, whatever the cause or reason, we’re temporarilystuck here.Turenski, send several of your men out to scour all the apartment buildings.Jarish, you take the markets and examine the back wall. You’re looking for a spring or any incoming source of water. Check all the plumbing and pipes, whatever you think might be conduits. There has to be something, or else this place wouldn’t have been erected here.” The captains repeated the order and hurriedoff.
Yulenpointed toTinsdale. “I know we checked this place out when we first entered it. Now I want you and your troops to look for food, clothing,wood, anything you can scavenge. Edible plant life. Hell, a snake or two. Anything.”Tinsdaleacknowledged him and headed out.
“Warren, go ahead and reassign the men to take two-hour shifts.”
“Got it,” Paxton answered, and left via the sidedoor.
