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

paused momentarily, then lifted back again into the flock. She felt Yulen crouch down and tug on her coat to join him. Obediently, she dropped to one knee, keeping her weapon aimed upward.
                Less than a minute later, the danger had passed. The sun revealed itself once more like a second dawning. The air cleared and became breathable. Many of the men coughed, including her and Yulen.
                “Oh, dear God, what was that?” Paxton gasped.
                “Bats.” The word came from Renken and Atty at the same time. She turned to the man.
                “I've never seen them in such concentration before. Have you?”
                “Once, when I was in Newmex.” He gazed into the trees. “I didn't know they came this far east.”
                “Where do you think they were heading?”
                Yulen spoke up. “Are you sure they were bats? I thought bats were nocturnal.”
                “Some species still are,” Renken acknowledged. “But some, like the vampires, feed almost continuously.” He pointed up. “We were damn lucky we had cover.”
                “Vampires?” Paxton echoed.
                “How big do they get?” Yulen asked Atty.
                She shrugged. “I don't know. I've never seen a vampire before.”
                “I have,” Renken answered. “Some of those wingspans can top twenty feet, easily.”
                “Is it safe to resume?” The battle lord threw out the question. Both Atty and Renken nodded.
                “I don't sense them. I think they've moved on,” she assured him, although something continued to nag her. She glanced at the sun filtering through the tree limbs, wondering why.
                “They've headed off to feed, but that doesn't mean they won't come back this way when they're finished,” Renken added. “Bats aren't supposed to be migratory. At least, that's what I've been told. They may have a den or cave in the vicinity they'll return to once they're done with their hunt.”
                “Which means we need to get our butts out of range. Cole! Let's head back out. Get some distance between us and their pathway.”
                Atty found a hand at her elbow. With Yulen standing on the other side of her horse, she glanced behind her to find Renken offering her assistance. She gave him a quick smile and took her seat, but kept her bow at ready. That nagging feeling wouldn't leave her. Until it did, she'd keep herself armed.
                Yulen pulled up next to her, standing in his stirrups as he rounded up the men. Not far away, Batuset was calling out to his troops, when a scream of anguish came from beyond.
                “The road!” someone yelled.
                Yulen took off with Atty right behind him. They cleared the trees a handful of seconds later, in time to see a figure caught in the maw of a one of the huge winged beasts. The soldier struggled as the bat tried to fly away with him, making the animal bobble up and down as it fought to maintain its grip. The man's screams were fading as the creature hurried to catch up with the rest of the colony.
                Atty acted without thinking, raising her bow and letting the arrow fly. Two more shafts followed within the span of two heartbeats.
                They didn't see the arrows strike the target, but they saw the results. The bat suddenly lurched sideways, tilting to the right until it was almost vertical. It opened its mouth with a piercing squeal, and the man dropped into the forest on the opposite side of the roadway.
                Batuset's men rushed through the trees to try and recover their comrade. Atty remained on guard, listening, watching. Fortune moved up next to her, his leaf-bladed knives in his palms in the event he