Every Battle Lord's Nightmare Read Online Free Page B

things are holding up.”
                “You mean West Crestin.”
                He nodded. “It displays my banner, which means I'm responsible for the compound and its inhabitants.”
                “But I thought you get quarterly reports from them and from Wallis.”
                “I do. But every so often it's wise to do an on-site inspection to make sure nothing is amiss. I don't expect things to run smoothly one hundred percent of the time, but I do expect things to be run my way.”
                She smiled, understanding. A good battle lord didn't sit back and hope the reports he was receiving were the truth, and that everything was going as planned. Once in a while he had to check up on things, to ensure the people he'd left in charge hadn't staged a silent coup.
                Giving her leg a pat, the battle lord turned his horse around and pulled to the side of the road to watch the small battalion pass. He did that frequently, in case one of the men had a question or needed to comment about something. It was one of the many things his father had taught him, and Yulen prided himself with always being accessible and approachable to all his men, as well as to the people of the compound.
                That evening they camped near a stream. It was a site where they usually stopped when journeying north. Having done a little hunting along the route, Paas and Fortune were able to provide enough game to feed everyone supper. When they’d asked if she’d like to take part in the hunt, Atty had passed on going with them.
                Walking over to where she sat on a fallen log near a fire, Yulen parked himself next to her. “So far, so good. The way seems clear. The men say they haven't spotted anything out of the ordinary. What about you? Are you picking up anything I should know about?”
                She shook her head. “No. I get no sense of danger. Nothing. It's calm.”
                “Same here,” Fortune spoke up. He threw a leg over the stump, where he took a seat. “Game seems to be coming back, too.”
                “That's good. It keeps us from having to hit our supplies,” Yulen commented.
                “D'Jacques?”
                Renken strode up, but remained standing outside the circle until Yulen gestured that he could join them. Yulen stared as the ex-mercenary took a spot on the other side of Atty as he waited to hear what the man had to say.
                “Two words,” Renken stated. “Contingency plan.”
                “What about it?”
                “Do we have one?”
                “No, I don't have one.”
                Renken's eyebrows lowered. “What do you mean? Are you intending we go in blind? Are you trusting this summit is on the up-and-up?”
                “I didn't say that,” Yulen corrected him. “I'm saying I don't have anything prepared. Not now. Not until we get closer and I can see more of what's going on.” He glanced at Fortune. “I'm relying on you and Atty to keep me posted if you sense anything suspicious.”
                “Always do,” Fortune replied.
                “So you're wanting to scope out the place before you make any sort of decision?” Renken made a face.
                “You got a better idea?” Yulen challenged him.
                “This is the third extended trip I've made with you.” The man pointed at Atty. “First one was with the Battle Lady to save your butt from the Bloods. The second one was to find Atty after she went missing.”
                “And at either time did we have a contingency plan?”
                “No. But back then, when we were heading into situations where the Bloods were holding you, and down the mountain to the place where we located the