Free Every Battle Lord's Nightmare by Linda Mooney Page A

road and take cover in the trees!”
                Someone grabbed her horse. The animal moved unsteadily as it was jerked forward.
                “Atty! What is it? What's wrong?”
                Yulen knew she wasn't hurt, but he was concerned. On the defensive and protective. A gloved hand squeezed hers.
                “Atty, what do you feel? What do you see?”
                “Shapes. Dark shapes. In the sky.”
                “Dark shapes? Like crows?”
                No. They didn't feel like crows. They felt...
                “Larger. Not crows,” she murmured.
                “Larger than crows?” Paxton echoed. “What the hell?”
                Someone pulled her from the saddle and onto the ground. A figure stood guard next to her, shielding her.
                “Cole, are all the men accounted for? Go check, and tell them the danger is above us,” the battle lord ordered. “Warren, check on the condition of Fortune and Twoson.”
                “But—”
                “Renken will protect Atty, although I'm sure Atty can take care of herself once she snaps out of this trance. Now go do what I said.”
                The redness was getting darker. Turning the world into a blanket of scarlet. The danger was coming closer. Atty blinked hard to clear her vision, but the crimson world only grew more menacing. Blindly, she reached out a hand. “Yulen?”
                A hand grasped hers. “It’s Garet. What do you need? Are you all right?”
                “My bow and quiver. Get them for me.”
                There was a flash of brightness as the ex-mercenary moved out of her line of sight to fetch her weapons from where they were strapped to the saddle. Atty stood and turned to face where the blood red light was emanating. Her hands grasped the long bow and quiver that were thrust into her hands, looping the container of arrows over her neck. Notching a shaft was automatic, done without thought until she realized she was armed and ready.
                “Are they coming from the north?”
                She pointed in the direction she was facing. “They're coming from there, Garet.”
                “That’s north and west. What's coming, Atty? What are they?”
                She swallowed hard. “I don't know, but they're wrong.”
                “Wrong? What do you mean, they're wrong?”
                “It means they're dangerous,” Yulen declared, striding toward her.
                She heard the sound of his sword being drawn from its scabbard. Then he took a stance to her left.
                “How far are they, Atty?” he whispered.
                A screech directly overhead was his answer.
     

Chapter Eleven
    Bats
     
     
                Simultaneously, Atty and Yulen gave the signal for silence. An immense cloud of something darkened the morning sky, almost turning the day into night. They heard the sound of wings flapping. Huge, leathery-sounding wings rapidly beating a staccato tempo in the air like drums. Loud enough to force some of them to cover their ears. Even then, she felt the irregular rhythm all through her body. A thousand creatures with one massive heart struggling to find its cadence. Amid the pounding thunder of those wings came chirps and chitters from the creatures as they passed above the treetops.
                As the world around the troops grayed, a fetid stench overtook them, making several men gag. Atty buried her nose in her parka, but the foul odor permeated everything around them. It had the sharp reek of ammonia, making every breath she drew singe her airway and lungs. Tears streaked her face as her eyes burned.
                Something landed in the trees a few yards away. It