No Battle Lord's Choice. The Battle Lord Saga, #12

The Alta Novis compound is readying for the big D'Jacques birthday celebration, and people from days away are coming in for the occasion, Normal and Mutah alike. Yulen and Atty are stretched thin, especially with Yulen's second, Cole Mastin, being gone for a month to visit his in-laws. Is it too much to hope the celebration goes off without a hitch? Maybe Cole shouldn't have mentioned how quiet it had been lately.
But when Cole doesn't return as promised, Yulen makes the decision to take a few of his most trusted men to go in search of the missing group. What they find along the way is devastating. Paas' entire village has been decimated, and almost every member of the Lanta tribe slaughtered, but there are no signs of the second or his family. Determined to find them, dead or alive, Yulen and Atty keep going.
It seems the Bloods are learning, evolving, and becoming more advanced than what everyone has experienced in the past. But the Bloods aren't the only enemies the D'Jacques have to watch out for. Can they find Cole and the rest before it's too late? Or will Yulen and Atty meet their end along the way?