Charles had indeed brought Julian along.
He had not delayed along the way, for he did not return to Machu Picchu since he had Julian with him. Instead, halfway there, he sent Dobin, Yellow Bear, The Spotted Deer Gwen, and The Wind Wolf Bankcroft to take the Westwind Knights to Machu Picchu, leaving the four there and calling Taoles back, also having Taoles bring back a batch of war horses.
To be sent on a mission to the Inglima Empire, Taoles, as a lady from Su Mei's Home, was naturally the right choice. Since he had called Taoles back, he certainly needed to leave someone to watch over the home. Charles, not trusting Dobin alone nor the rest, simply left them all behind.
When Taoles met Charles, she didn't complain much. Machu Picchu was not far from Strasbourg, and she often sent people to Strasbourg to buy newspapers. Although the news was a bit delayed, she was not completely uninformed.
