No words were spoken. Nothing needed to be said as the foursome held each other in one tight knot.
A hand came into view. She glanced up to find a man extending it to help her to her feet. But when she tried to put some weight on her right leg, it buckled again.
“Whoa, there!” He grabbed her by the waist. “Looks like that bear got a lick or two in.”
If he said anything more, she never heard it. The world went dark, and everything ceased for the time being.
30
Resume
“D’Jacques? Might I have a word with you, please?”
Yulen turned to find Lorgon Edge standing at the foot of the ladder leading up to the parapet. “Hold on. I’ll be right down.”
Edge stepped back and waited until the battle lord joined him. Yulen had a good idea what the man wanted to speak to him about. He’d heard whispers behind his back for the past couple of days. That, and his men, including Mastin, had come to him to let him know what they’d heard, as well.
It was time to make a decision, which wasn’t as hard as he’d thought it would be.
“Before you say another word, let me have mine,” Yulen told the man before his feet touched the ground. Turning around, he faced him. “This conference will go on. It will continue, even amid all the rebuilding. But if you want to pack up and leave, that’ll be your decision, not mine. I won’t try to stop you.”
Edge made no move to hide the tears rising in his eyes, or to hide the emotion nearly choking him. “I lost my daughter and three good men. I need to go back home and let my people know. We need to give her a proper burial. And then I need to…” The man broke, averting his face for a few seconds.
“You know you’re not the only one who’s lost family, don’t you?” Yulen questioned. “You’re not the only battle lord to have lost men. Good men. Good soldiers. Loyal troops, and perhaps good friends, too. I’m sending word around to the other battle lords and Mutah camps that we’re meeting in the main hall within the hour. We’ll discuss whether they want to stay or leave, same as I told you.”
Edge sniffed, pulling a piece of cloth from his pants pocket to wipe his eyes and nose. “Very well.”
In a softer tone, Yulen inquired, “Are your accommodations adequate?”
“Yes.” The man bobbed his head. “Yes. You’ve been most generous considering the damage your compound’s sustained. I for one am very grateful you’re allowing us to remain inside the walls.”
That last bit made Yulen chuckle. “What walls that remain upright,” he halfway joked. “All we need now to make this complete is to have some outside invading force coming at us.”
“You must be a glutton for punishment,” Edge remarked sarcastically.
“That’s exactly what my wife says.” Reaching out, Yulen grasped the man by the shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Not saying anything more, he strode off to find Mastin, who was working in the apartment area of the compound, and get an updated report on the rebuilding effort.
He was almost to where the bell tower once stood when a massive wave of euphoria struck him. Stunned, he paused. It had to have come from Atty. There could be no other explanation for this sudden rush of—
Mattox.
Found.
Alive.
Coming home.
The influx of joy that followed the images stopped him in his tracks. Unable to control himself, Yulen bent over, grabbed his knees, and bowed his head as sobs racked his body. At some point he felt hands on his arms, and a soft voice urged him to sit. He obeyed automatically as a water sac was shoved in his face.
“Drink.”
Unplugging it, he did as he was told.
“Now tell me what’s happened.”
Slowly, he managed to lift his face until he was staring into his half-brother’s eyes. “Atty.”
Iain paled. “What’s happened?”
