Yulen glanced up as the men appeared from between the trees. One by one, they entered the small open clearing and took a seat on the ground in front of him. The battle lord noticed how Mastin, Paxton, and a couple of others remained standing almost in a circle around them, and realized they were keeping guard.
He’d debated whether to hold this meeting inside the bedroom, but like the main hall, it was too open. Too vulnerable. Plus, it would draw unwanted attention to have any number of soldiers congregating inside the battle lord’s private quarters. And even though coming out into the woods beyond the practice fields wasn’t a much better option, he hoped it would be less conspicuous, especially since he had no idea how many were going to show up.
The men came without torches. They were
