This Battle Lord's Quest by Linda Mooney Page B

and allow himself to let go of the tension from
the day.
    A guard waved from his station but didn’t call out
or address him. His men were trained not to disturb him unless there was an
emergency. Tonight, as he listened to his steps clopping on the boards, the
sounds coming from the compound were a comforting background noise.
    “What are you doing right now, Atty?” he murmured
to himself. He gripped the wooden poles, which made up the compound wall. Out
past them was the forest, now eerily silent due to the lack of small game.
    He glanced over at the nearest burning torch. “Are
you sitting around a campfire? Are you eating your meal? Maybe talking about
your adventures with Renken and Paxton? Or have you already taken to your
bedroll and fallen asleep?”
    “What do you dream about, Atrilan, when you’re on
your own? Do you ever dream of me? Of our life here? Of our son? Or are you
still plagued by nightmares of things that have happened to you in the past? Of
things that have happened to us, and how they tried to separate us forever? I
know you still have those nightmares. I’ve been awakened by your cries and your
tears, and I’ve watched you wrestle with the ghosts of things that no longer
exist, except in your memory. Sometimes, I tried to wake you when it seemed you
were losing, but you rarely awoke. And when you did, you didn’t remember the
dream, or remember me waking you.”
    In the distance behind him, he heard a child’s
laughter. It reminded him that Mattox was spending the night in the barracks
with the soldiers. It was something the child had been begging to do, but Yulen
had been reluctant to grant until tonight. Tonight, Yulen needed time alone.
Time to think and time to pray.
    “Come home to me, Atty.”
    His head was throbbing. He rubbed the heels of his
hands against his eyelids. It was late. Too late to disturb MaGrath for a pain
killer. Maybe there was some powder left in the bag Liam had left at the house
a few weeks ago. Yulen grinned. The physician was learning first-hand all about
babies and their sleep patterns, and he was having to pull some all-nighters to
take care of his restless son.
    “Iain Stuart MaGrath.” He chuckled. Liam and
Madigan had named the baby with every intention of calling him Iain. Instead,
they had started referring to him as Stuart.
    He took the nearest ladder down to the ground and
walked back home. Once inside, he stopped for a moment to listen, but all he
could hear was silence. No sound or movement came from the loft bedroom.
    Strange how empty this place feels when she’s gone.
    He undid his weapons belt and tossed it onto the
table by the door. Although he was tired, he wasn’t ready to go to bed. Not
yet. He couldn’t face lying in that bed all alone. Not until he was exhausted
to the point of unconsciousness, and then he might be able to rest.
    He walked over to one of the big overstuffed chairs
in the living area and dropped into it. It was a comfortable friend who always
welcomed him. Leaning his head back, Yulen closed his eyes and let his mind
drift.
    Water. Cold water.
    Pain. Arm. Head. Leg.
    Head. Blood.
    Darkness. Blood.
    Yulen jerked awake. His heart was racing, and sweat
rolled down his face. It was hard to catch his breath as he fought to focus, until
one thought shined with brittle clarity.
    “Atty.”
    Jumping to his feet, he snatched his belt and
bolted out of the house, running toward the main hall. On the way, he yelled to
one of the soldiers standing guard in the nearby tower.
    “Have Mastin report to the dining hall!”
    “Mastin to the main hall, check!” Yulen heard the
guard repeat before the man started to descend the ladder.
    Entering the hall from the side entrance, the
Battle Lord ran to the door leading to the clinic and went in to go directly to
the apartment. As he had hoped, MaGrath was still awake. Yulen found him seated
in a rocking chair by the fire in the living room, with the baby resting on his
shoulder. The