out there that dangerous?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Yulen replied. “We have no choice but to go into Oka City. Fortune, Twoson, if either of you get any negative vibes, let me know, either directly or passed through the lines. But whatever you do, don’t let the outsiders know you’re aware. Don’t give anything away. Like Atty said, stay mum. Let them think it’s business as usual, but keep your eyes and ears open. If we appear to be unaware of anything, chances are they’ll give us just enough slack that could give us the upper hand.”
“I agree,” Fortune said. “They think we’re here for the summit. They expect us to have our minds on that, and not on what’s going on around us.” He waved toward the paper in Yulen’s hand. “Most battle lords would follow those instructions without question. So would you, Yulen. And you would, too, Batuset. Three, four years ago, neither of you would have questioned them, or suspect that LeGreen had any ulterior motive. But that was then. Since then, you’ve both changed. You found out that, despite outward appearances, there’s very little difference between Normals and Mutah, and you’ve accepted that.”
“What’s your point?” Renken challenged.
“My point is, you’ve gotten protective of Mutah. That’s why you’re not approaching this summit with blinders on.” Fortune pointed a forefinger at Yulen. “When you held that summit last year at Alta Novis, you called all the shots. It was your compound, your men, your rules. But I take it you don’t think LeGreen’s had the same kind of epiphany as you did. It’s his compound, his men, and his rules. And because you don’t know if the man has changed, we have to assume the worst, right? Am I right?”
“D’Jacques?”
Yulen turned his attention to the Mutah council member.
“How far are we going to go before you determine it’s too dangerous to pursue this any further?” Twoson questioned.
“I don’t know. That depends.”
“On what?”
“On what your instincts tell you. On what you, Fortune, and Atty feel as we go in. Until you give me a good reason not to continue, I’m hoping to make a difference at this summit. If I can change one battle lord’s mind, just one, that’s one less yearly cleaning mission, and God knows how many lives saved. One,” Yulen repeated. “One battle lord at a time. One compound at a time. It may not seem like a lot to most of you, or worth the effort, but I’ll accept any advancement I can get. As long as it puts another mark in the win column.”
The tent grew quiet as everyone mulled over the battle lord’s comment. It was Paxton who broke the silence.
“So…we’re going in using the isolation formation?”
“What’s that?” Renken asked.
Yulen grinned. “Don’t worry. You’re a smart man. You’ll catch on quickly. Yes. The isolation formation. All right, people. Let’s try to get a good night’s sleep because we may need the energy tomorrow.”
The tent quickly emptied as everyone exited to their own and bedrolls. Atty remained sitting on the cushions and watched as her husband placed a spare sword and dagger next to the pallet where they would rest. Once he undressed, he would add his weapons belt. He caught her perusal and smiled.
“You want to comment about something that was said tonight?”
“No.”
“Then why the intent look?”
She gave him a loving smile. “Have you always been this hardheaded and determined to get your way, regardless of the odds?”
“I
“It doesn’t matter,” Yulen replied. “We have no choice but to go into Oka City. Fortune, Twoson, if either of you get any negative vibes, let me know, either directly or passed through the lines. But whatever you do, don’t let the outsiders know you’re aware. Don’t give anything away. Like Atty said, stay mum. Let them think it’s business as usual, but keep your eyes and ears open. If we appear to be unaware of anything, chances are they’ll give us just enough slack that could give us the upper hand.”
“I agree,” Fortune said. “They think we’re here for the summit. They expect us to have our minds on that, and not on what’s going on around us.” He waved toward the paper in Yulen’s hand. “Most battle lords would follow those instructions without question. So would you, Yulen. And you would, too, Batuset. Three, four years ago, neither of you would have questioned them, or suspect that LeGreen had any ulterior motive. But that was then. Since then, you’ve both changed. You found out that, despite outward appearances, there’s very little difference between Normals and Mutah, and you’ve accepted that.”
“What’s your point?” Renken challenged.
“My point is, you’ve gotten protective of Mutah. That’s why you’re not approaching this summit with blinders on.” Fortune pointed a forefinger at Yulen. “When you held that summit last year at Alta Novis, you called all the shots. It was your compound, your men, your rules. But I take it you don’t think LeGreen’s had the same kind of epiphany as you did. It’s his compound, his men, and his rules. And because you don’t know if the man has changed, we have to assume the worst, right? Am I right?”
“D’Jacques?”
Yulen turned his attention to the Mutah council member.
“How far are we going to go before you determine it’s too dangerous to pursue this any further?” Twoson questioned.
“I don’t know. That depends.”
“On what?”
“On what your instincts tell you. On what you, Fortune, and Atty feel as we go in. Until you give me a good reason not to continue, I’m hoping to make a difference at this summit. If I can change one battle lord’s mind, just one, that’s one less yearly cleaning mission, and God knows how many lives saved. One,” Yulen repeated. “One battle lord at a time. One compound at a time. It may not seem like a lot to most of you, or worth the effort, but I’ll accept any advancement I can get. As long as it puts another mark in the win column.”
The tent grew quiet as everyone mulled over the battle lord’s comment. It was Paxton who broke the silence.
“So…we’re going in using the isolation formation?”
“What’s that?” Renken asked.
Yulen grinned. “Don’t worry. You’re a smart man. You’ll catch on quickly. Yes. The isolation formation. All right, people. Let’s try to get a good night’s sleep because we may need the energy tomorrow.”
The tent quickly emptied as everyone exited to their own and bedrolls. Atty remained sitting on the cushions and watched as her husband placed a spare sword and dagger next to the pallet where they would rest. Once he undressed, he would add his weapons belt. He caught her perusal and smiled.
“You want to comment about something that was said tonight?”
“No.”
“Then why the intent look?”
She gave him a loving smile. “Have you always been this hardheaded and determined to get your way, regardless of the odds?”
“I
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