Page 77 of Mattox
“They want to finish the last-minute touches on the schoolroom before the teacher arrives tomorrow.”
“Well, then, wouldn’t Keelor need us to watch her kids, too?”
Atty shook her head. “Warren’s shift ends at five, so he’ll take care of them.” Taking her husband’s arm, she snuggled next to him. Their hands met, and fingers entwined.
She waited for him to ask, like he did every morning ever since Mattox and Caralas had left. She didn’t have to wait long.
“How’s Matt?”
She smiled against his sleeve. “Same as always. He’s happy. He’s well. And very busy, from what I can read from him.”
“Running that massive compound while breaking in a new second and training his men in Mutah techniques, is a task even I would be hesitant to take on. What’s it been now? Almost two years, right?”
“Yes. Two years as of last week.” Her heart ached, but she knew it couldn’t match the sadness in Yulen’s heart at the loss of their firstborn.No, not a loss,she corrected herself for the umpteenth time.He’s doing what he was born to do. Be a great battle lord, as well as a loving husband.
“Atrilan?”
She started, but waited for him to continue. He never called her that unless it was something special.
“How do you feel about making a little trip out west?”
She gave a little cry of surprise and turned to look up at him, wanting him to see the jubilant smile on her face. “Really? When?” Another thought quickly shot it down. “But can we afford to leave Alta Novis for such a long period of time? It would take us six months in travel time alone!”
After wiping his fingers on his pants, he cupped the side of her face. “The compound is in safe hands. Besides, it’s time Misty and Luc shoulder the responsibility. It’ll be good for them. But if something should happen, they have Renken, and Fortune, and the best trained troops that ever walked on soil.”
“Are you thinking of taking Cole and Warren with us?”
“Yes. Of course. And Keelor and Paas, too. Plus the grandlittles.” His smile widened. “I’m curious to see how well Matt and Cara are faring.”
“Plus, you’ve been dying to see what a compound with a population of five thousand people looks like, and how it’s run,” she teased.
He made a face and bounced his head from side to side. “Guilty as charged.”
“Riders, ho!” the sentry in Tower Eight called out. “To the north!”
Atty rose up on tiptoe to look.
“See them yet?” Yulen asked.
“No. Wait! Yes! They just reached the top of the rise.” She automatically gripped his arm tighter. “Yulen, there’s a lot of them.”
“What? How many?”
“I can’t tell, but that’s not a caravan. It looks like a full battalion. They’re armed.”
The battle lord immediately shouted orders. “Code Yellow! Code Yellow Alert! Approaching is armed!”
The order went down the line in both directions, with each guard in the next tower relaying the information to the next one, which also informed the soldiers on duty on the wall. Before the advancing platoon had gone another twenty yards, the compound walls were dotted with guards and archers at ready.
Yulen and Atty hurried along the catwalk, toward the front gates, as it appeared the strangers were keeping to the main road, and weren’t going to spread out and surround the compound. But from past encounters, they knew that could be a deception.
“Think their intended target is us?” Atty asked.
“Guess we’ll soon find out,” Yulen answered. He squinted, then pointed at something. “Is it me, or does it appear they’re pulling a wagon carrying something very large on it?” He glanced down to see his wife go pale, making her eyes appear almost luminous. “You’re thinking what I’m thinking, aren’t you?” he whispered, his voice shaking.
Atty managed to shake her head. “Rollie Durwood.” Like him, her voice was husky from the sudden lack of saliva. “But he’s dead,” she reminded her husband.
“That doesn’t mean someone else may have found a stash,” he noted. Raising his sword above his head, he was about to announce battle stations, when Atty suddenly jerked on his other arm.
