Date: 2022-01-18 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Romance; Magic; Fantasy Romance; Paranormal; Humor; Adventure; Science Fiction Fantasy; Action; Supernatural
Description: The path to peace is never easy. As the first Caller in living memory, Eva struggles to find her footing as the bridge between her chosen people and the mythological race known as the Kyren. When unexpected arrivals threaten to test the newly formed alliance, Eva and her protector, Caden, fight to hold together the fast-fraying bonds before peace unravels and war once again returns. Should she fail, bloodshed the likes the Broken Lands haven’t seen since the cataclysm will stain the ground red. The mysterious abilities that lie at the heart of Eva’s power will be her salvation or lead to her b

The Storm's Whisper

A Novel of the Broken Lands

T.A. White

Copyright © 2022 by T.A. White

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Contents

1. ONE
2. TWO
3. THREE
4. FOUR
5. FIVE
6. SIX
7. SEVEN
8. EIGHT
9. NINE
10. TEN
11. ELEVEN
12. TWELVE
13. THIRTEEN
14. FOURTEEN
15. FIFTEEN
16. SIXTEEN
17. SEVENTEEN
18. EIGHTEEN
19. NINETEEN
20. TWENTY
21. TWENTY-ONE
22. TWENTY-TWO
23. TWENTY-THREE
24. TWENTY-FOUR
25. TWENTY-FIVE
26. TWENTY-SIX
DISCOVER MORE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CONNECT WITH ME

one

Eva's hands paused as a furtive rustling came from the tall grasses not far from where she stood.

One truth she'd come to understand in the months since joining the Trateri, a group of clans that had recently conquered a good bit of the Broken Lands—the Highlands were never quiet.

There was always something. Some noise or sound to keep you company. Even if you were totally alone, not another human for hundreds of miles, there would never be true silence. You only had to listen to hear the wind ripping down from the mountain tops to play in the valleys and ravines below. There'd be the call of birds or the hum of insects. Small animals rooting for food in the grasses and trees.

Eva had long become used to it. To the point she barely noticed anymore, unless a discordant note was introduced into the harmony.

Like now.

Whatever was out there was determined. If not for the way the sounds abruptly stopped every time she looked in its direction, as if fearing discovery, she'd say it wanted her attention.

But that would be ridiculous.

Except, not really.

For some reason, the thought felt right. True. As if there was a little voice in the back of her mind influencing her perception.

Just like before, the movement abruptly stopped as soon as Eva started paying attention.

Moments ticked by; the sudden silence loud. As if the world held its breath.

The dappled gray mare Eva was in the middle of brushing aimed a disgruntled look at her when she paused once again. Caia reached back, lipping Eva's hands in silent demand.

"Fine, fine, your highness. I won't slack off anymore. My bad," Eva murmured to the mare, still preoccupied by their hidden watcher as she resumed brushing, her strokes slower than before.

Caia shook her head, her mane flying in a wordless rebuke before she leaned further into Eva's hands. Even under the best of circumstances, the mare could be demanding, acting every bit the queen Eva sometimes thought of her as. She was even worse when it came time for grooming. Never satisfied until Eva felt like her hands would fall off her wrists from exhaustion.

Sure enough, as soon as Eva took her attention off their watcher, the rustling resumed. The creature's caution forgotten in the face of its goal.

Eva smirked. That didn't take long.

Then again, patience wasn't exactly the creature's strong suit.

At the renewed sounds, a man poked his head over the horse he'd been tending. Unlike many Trateri, he was fair skinned with dirty blond hair and green eyes, a sign that he had Lowlander somewhere in his ancestry.

The Trateri had a long tradition of co-opting others into their clans. A nice way of saying they kidnapped people they took a liking to. Strange thing was, a lot of those people ended up joining the very clans they had every right to view as their enemy.

That was the Trateri for you, though. They had a way of getting under your skin. Making you see things in a different light. Next thing you knew, you were going out of your way to prove yourself. Fighting for a place among them and accepting tents you had no idea how to erect.

Jason leaned his forearm on the horse's back and quirked an eyebrow at Eva in question.

Eva shook her head and rolled her eyes to the sky. She didn't know either.

A soft huff of amusement escaped him. It wasn't the first time strange things had happened around Eva, nor would it be the last.

At least their watcher didn't pose a threat. At least not to their lives. Their sanity and peace of mind? That was an entirely different story.

Eva checked on her guard for the afternoon. Specially assigned to protect her, he was an Anateri, part of a deadly group of warriors whose main responsibility was the protection of Fallon Hawkvale, Warlord and leader of the Trateri clans, along with his interests.

Somehow, Eva had managed to become one of those interests.

She was a Caller. The first in centuries. A title that had slowly faded from memory for all except a select few.

Her ability allowed her to hear the thoughts and desires of mythologicals, a group of beings with the same intelligence and cunning as a human. Mythologicals had long been considered absent from the Broken Lands. It was only recently they'd been freed from their imprisonment in the Badlands.

With them, they brought the potential for a new status quo—and the need for alliances.

That was where Eva came in. She and her newfound ability were the linchpin expected to hold this whole, chaotic mess together.

Her elevation in status brought rewards—but also risk. She'd become the target for every one of the Hawkvale's enemies both internal and external.

Control her, and you gained the potential for leverage over a powerful group of mythologicals. Kill her, and the chances of an alliance went into the abyss alongside her.

Hence the need for the Anateri.

Drake was the easier going of the two tasked with her protection, happy to keep his distance when the threat level was low.

It was why he'd chosen a position on top of a tall boulder that allowed him a perfect vantage point of the valley. Currently, he was lying on his back, hands clasped behind his head as he studied the clouds.

Feeling her eyes on him, Drake swept an idle glance over the meadow. Nothing changed in his posture, his body remaining relaxed.

It was all the confirmation Eva needed. Whatever was out there wasn't a threat.

Not that she'd really been in doubt. As a prey animal, whose senses were highly tuned to the environment around her, Caia would have alerted Eva to danger far in advance.

Eva peeked at the grasses out of the corner of her eye.

Three orange tails tipped in black slipped into view, waving merrily. Eva paused in her brushing again.

Jason slapped his horse's flank in dismissal. The horse moved away slowly, finding another grazing spot as Jason advanced toward Eva.

"What is he doing?" Jason asked, not taking his eyes from the tails.

Eva shook her head. That was a very good question. One she'd like to know the answer to. Preferably before the owner of the tails did something that would come back to bite her in the ass.

The tails froze, going stock still. Seconds passed, tension building subtly in the air.

Eva drew a sharp breath as the fire fox exploded out of the grass in a graceful leap, drawing a perfect arc in the air as he descended headfirst.

There was a squeak and then a crunch before happy growling reached them.

Jason winced. "He did all this to get our attention just to catch a field mouse?"

"Look at it this way. At least someone else was his victim this time."

That wasn't always the case. Over the past month and a half since they’d settled in this isolated valley, the fire fox had found time to play more than one prank.

To call the creature mischievous was kind.

In truth, he was a terror. His tyranny was similar to that of a toddler, only far more mobile and way more intelligent. Not to mention vindictive.

Threats of bodily harm didn't work. Outsmarting him was a fanciful wish, and the attempt usually resulted in him taking an interest in you.

Most ended up regretting tangling with the fire fox. As both Roscoe and Ghost, two of Eva's friends, could attest. They were still discovering prickle thorns, a plant native to the Highlands known for causing rashes, in their clothing and bedding.

No one knew how the fire fox managed to get the thorns into their belongings. Only that he did.

Since then, the rest of their camp had given the fire fox a wide berth.

"Do you think he arranged his hunt simply so we could admire his prowess?"

A thoughtful look crossed Eva's face. "It's possible."

The crunching in the bushes stopped.

Jason's eyes widened in dismay as he mouthed a curse. One Eva seconded.

Idiot. He should have known better than to draw the fox's attention.

Golden eyes landed on Eva and Jason, studying them with an intelligence and cunning far greater than any animal.

Not much bigger than a cat, the fire fox resembled the fox he took his name from. His face was triangular and in daylight his coat held the same coloring as his vulpine cousins. With one notable exception—the three tails that were once again waving madly above the grass.

"What are you doing over there?" Eva called.

The grass rustled as the fire fox trotted toward Eva, carrying a kill nearly as long as him.

"Is that—?" Jason pointed uncertainly at the fire fox's victim.

"You're not seeing things. It's a wheezer."

Eva recognized it from the beast pamphlet the pathfinder who'd accompanied them to this valley had left before he'd made his return journey to Wayfarer's Keep, the stronghold of the pathfinders and the place where the rest of the Trateri army was camped.

Often mistaken as the largest entry into the rodent family, the wheezer had beady eyes and overly large front teeth. Looking like a mix between a possum and a weasel, its light brown fur allowed it to blend into most environments.

Eva would be tempted to call the creatures cute if not for the fact they were extremely aggressive and territorial. They preferred to stalk their prey and didn't care if it was twice their size. Human, bandisox, or other, the wheezer saw them in the same light. As enemies and food.

Their attack power wasn’t where the real danger lay. Though admittedly, they'd been known to shred a grown man's leg in seconds before waddling off, looking pleased with themselves.

What was truly worrying about them was the fact that a single bite or scratch from their claws would lead to infection and almost always ended in death.

It was a slow, agonizing way to go.

Drake straightened at the sight of the wheezer in the fire fox's jaws, the playful look on his face turning serious.

A cold feeling moved through Eva.

There was no healer in the small party that had accompanied Eva all the way up here. No one to treat them if things went wrong. Not for hundreds of miles. Several weeks of hard journey separated them from any form of help.

Drake hopped down from his boulder, jogging in Eva's direction.

To Eva's surprise, the fire fox turned, trotting toward the far side of the valley where fallen boulders from a long-ago avalanche dotted the landscape. The places where stone met dirt were overgrown with grass, some of which climbed halfway up their sides.

Solitary trees stretched their arms to the sky. In the distance steep hills that transitioned to rugged mountains framed either side of the wide valley floor.

To Eva's rear, Caia and the rest of the small herd of mounts grazed in the pretty meadow.

Beyond them was the small camp they'd set up upon arrival. In the distance, at the opposite end of the valley, were the ruins of a long-ago settlement. The stone walls that made up the houses long fallen into disrepair.

The fire fox slowed and then stopped when he realized Eva and Jason hadn't moved. He aimed an expectant look at Eva over his shoulder.

"Does he want us to follow?"

Eva released a resigned breath. "Probably."

"That's not sinister or anything," Jason complained, trailing Eva as she started after the fire fox. "Follow the mysterious mythological to an equally mysterious destination. What could go wrong?"

Eva smothered her smile, privately agreeing with the sentiment.

Unfortunately, ignoring the fire fox wasn't an option. Even if he wasn't being painfully obvious in his wishes, she'd still follow. If for no other reason than self-preservation. It was easier to anticipate the fire fox's actions when you knew what he was up to.

The fire fox trotted happily through the meadow, bypassing the hulking silhouettes of boulders before heading for a tree standing alone in the midst of the field. A creature peered around it with a shy face.

His massive form huddling behind the small tree as if it would protect him from them should have been a comical sight.

And maybe it would have been if he hadn't gone unnoticed until that exact moment.

Eva squashed her alarm, knowing the fire fox wouldn't have endangered her without reason. She took a moment to study the creature.

His skin was mottled with grays, browns and greens. A moss-like plant covered his back and hands. White flowers similar to daisies sprouted from his head.

From a distance he would resemble a boulder.

Despite his large size, his features were kind. Gentle even. This wasn't a creature who would do harm. Eva got a sense of peace from him. A bottomless well of serenity and warmth.

Eva took a step toward him only to stop as Drake blocked her with his arm. He watched the creature with a frown as he assessed the level of potential threat.

The fire fox trotted up to the creature and stopped. He laid his kill down at the base of the tree and sat before wrapping his tails around his feet.

The fox's gaze was knowing as he watched Eva in silent demand.

"What is that?" Jason breathed.

Eva held a finger to her lips, signaling for quiet.

The fire fox was acting as if they needed to pay tribute to the rock creature. It was Eva's job to find out why.

Jason nodded to show he understood.

Eva pushed Drake's arm out of her way and stepped around him.

"Eva!" Drake hissed.

Eva paused, knowing if Drake felt she was placing herself in danger he was liable to act. And not necessarily in ways she would agree with. She wouldn't put it past him to grab her and make a run for it.

In the Broken Lands where even a rodent could pose a threat to your life, it was easy to view anything strange or unexpected as an enemy.

This was the drawback to having elite warriors shadow your every move. Explanations were needed lest they take matters into their own hands.

"He's a mythological; I can feel it."

She wasn't quite sure how, but the creature gave off the same feeling as the fire fox. Like there was more to them if you took the time to look beneath the surface. A deep well of possibility lurking. It felt different than what she’d get around a beast, though she'd be hard pressed to explain exactly how. Just that it was.

It was a feeling in her bones. A knowing, if you will.

As a Caller, mythologicals were her responsibility—and she took her responsibilities seriously.

Drake held her gaze, his stubborn need to protect warring with his frustration over knowing she was right. Moments passed before he relented.

Drake stepped aside, allowing her to continue unhindered.

"Be careful," Jason whispered.

"Afraid you'll have to deal with Caia on your own?"

Jason snorted. "Damn right I am. That mare is a devil."

As if sensing they were talking about her, Caia butted Jason in the back, making him stumble forward a few steps. He swatted her head away with an irritated look on his face.

"When did you get over here?" Jason whisper yelled.

"She's been following us since we started," Drake said in a low voice, not taking his eyes off the creature.

Eva crept forward, careful to keep each movement slow and non-threatening. In one sense, Drake was absolutely right. This was dangerous. It always was when approaching an unknown mythological. You never knew if they'd be accepting of human presence or seek to destroy.

Human/mythological relations was a relatively new concept and there was a long history of the two not getting along. Some might even say they were natural born enemies.

Still, Eva didn't think the fire fox would put her in a situation that endangered her life.

Eva stopped when she sensed Drake's tension increase to a level that suggested he'd act if she went any closer. She didn't look away from the rock creature, crouching to make herself smaller and seem like less of a threat before aiming a gentle smile in his direction.

He shrunk behind his tree, only his eyes peering out at her, the rest of his face hidden by the trunk, even as his lower body and torso stuck out the other side.

Eva didn't move. Sometimes, with wild creatures, patience went further than anything else. Letting them come to you was always better than forcing an interaction.

Long seconds passed before the fox looked up at the gentle creature.

The two stared at each other, holding a conversation Eva could almost sense. She concentrated but only caught a low-level buzz in the back of her mind. So faint that she almost thought she'd imagined it.

As if coming to a decision, the rock creature reached up and plucked one of the white flowers from the top of his head and held it out to Eva.

"For me?" She pointed at her chest.

A low rumbling came from the mythological's throat. It put her in mind of boulders being pushed across the land, inch by slow inch. The passage of centuries encompassed in that one sound, carrying with them an invisible weight.

As if afraid she wouldn't understand, the mythological tucked his chin in a slow nod.

Eva glanced at the tiny flower, made even smaller by the massive hand wrapped around it. A hand that could easily have palmed Eva's skull and crushed it.

Yet the mythological handled that flower like a precious treasure. Inexplicably gentle as he offered it to Eva.

Conscious of the way Drake tensed as she reached out to take it, Eva gave the mythological a bright smile. "Thank you. I'll cherish it."

Another slow rumble came, like that of titans clashing.

Eva didn't know what he said, not in words at least. It was more of a feeling she got.

People in the Highlands often liked to say that the land had a mind and will of its own. It could embrace your presence, but it also could decide you weren't welcome. There was many a cautionary tale of what happened in such cases. Usually, those involved died in grisly ways.

Until right this moment, Eva, like many Trateri, thought that was merely an excuse those in the Highlands gave for not being willing to leave the safety of their villages.

What she was picking up from the mythological suggested there was some truth in those stories.

It was a thought to examine later—when she wasn't in the presence of an entity, she was beginning to suspect was more than just a mythological.

There was a connection she could feel. As if he was the land in some abstract fashion.

A silly thought—except this was the Highlands and much stranger things had happened.

Eva tilted the flower in her hand, attracted to the strange petals. She was almost mesmerized at the faint shimmer she caught in their depths. As if a pollen made of diamonds had been scattered along its silky surface.

Exquisite.

Eva came back to herself with a jolt. "Where are my manners? You gave me a gift. It's only right I give you one in return."

Eva dug in her pockets, her fingers touching against the smooth woven surface of the decorative pattern she'd been working on for Caia.

It wasn't much. Just a little thing she'd seen on other Trateri saddles. Often tied to the front or side and left to hang free. They were usually gifts from family, friends, or lovers and came in a variety of colors and patterns.

This pattern was a tad more complicated than any she'd tried before. Made from multiple strands, it had an interesting red pattern running down its center while the outside edges were made from white thread.

It didn't look half bad, if Eva was being entirely honest.

Perhaps that was why she didn't dismiss it as a possibility. Though created with Caia in mind, it carried her sincerity. It wasn't too much to say it was a physical expression of the love and respect she had for Caia. Most importantly, it was something she'd created with her own hands, making it the perfect gift.

Either way, Eva wasn't sure how likely it was for her to meet this mythological again. Once this moment passed, chances were it wouldn't come again.

Impressions, good or bad, tended to last much longer than the moments that created them. As the people she'd claimed as her own, she wanted the Trateri to start off on a good foot—especially with an unknown mythological who may or may not have been dangerous.

Making her decision, Eva withdrew the weaving from her pocket and held it out on the flat of her hand.

"For you," she said before she could change her mind.

The mythological plucked the weaving from her hand as his gaze caught hers, the rest of the world falling away.

Emotions that weren't hers, feelings and thoughts that came from a place outside of herself, swept through her. She caught gratitude and surprise. Pleasure and fascination.

Along with those emotions came the press of years. She knew in her bones that the mythological in front of her was old. As old as the valley she stood in, the more fanciful part of her wanted to claim.

For a mind as young as hers it was too much. Too heavy a weight to carry.

Beads of sweat popped up on her forehead as her hand trembled under the onslaught.

As abruptly as it had come, the pressure of the mythological's mind withdrew, the stress abating.

The last thing she caught was an apology and a welcome. Beneath it all was also a promise to live in peace with the humans as long as they respected the land.

Eva came back to herself, blinking in surprise at the solitary tree trunk. The mythological was gone.

Puzzled, she studied the ground, only to find the carcass of the wheezer gone. Not even a spot of blood to mark where it had been.

"What was that?" Eva asked in a soft voice.

She felt off balance. Uncertain whether she'd actually experienced what she thought she had. It felt fantastical. Like a dream, if not for the flower still clutched in her hand.

A crafty look slid across the fire fox's face before it was gone, leaving only innocence behind.

Eva narrowed her eyes, ignoring the clop of hooves from behind her. One thing she knew—the fire fox was almost never innocent.

"Did you accomplish what you wanted?" Eva asked him with a pointed look.

His only response was a foxy smile before he scampered away, his tails bouncing behind him as he disappeared amid the boulders.

Eva didn't have long to ponder what scheme the fox was involved in now as Caia and Jason started for her.

"What was that?" Jason asked, unknowingly echoing her question from before as he stared past the tree to the boulder field beyond.

Eva followed his gaze, her attention fastening on a moss-covered boulder she was sure hadn't been there before her encounter with the mythological.

Her eyes sharpened as the boulder shifted. Not much. Barely a foot, which from this distance was nearly imperceptible. Before, she would have thought she was imagining things. Her mind taking a flight of fancy inspired by the unbelievable tales she'd heard about this place.

"That's why," she whispered to herself.

She'd thought it strange no one had mentioned this being. If there had been even a whisper of his existence, there was no way the Trateri would have taken a chance and settled here.

It was because the mythological was nearly impossible to spot. His camouflage damn near perfect.

"We need to tell the others," Drake said, joining them. His gaze was direct as he focused on Eva. "Should we be worried?"

She shook her head. "I didn't get the sense that he was a danger."

She kept the rest of what she sensed to herself, not wanting to sound crazy.

After a lifetime of pretending to be normal, she wasn't quite used to people knowing about her strange gifts. She struggled to accept that they wouldn't turn on her once they knew the true extent of what she could do.

It was why she held part of herself back—even with those she'd come to call friends.

"Is that what the mythological gave you?" Jason asked as all three of their gazes landed on the flower.

Eva held it in front of her eyes. "It seemed important to him."

"Never seen anyone grow flowers on their head. Let alone pluck one and give it to someone else." Drake's gaze moved from the flower to Eva's face.

"What do you suppose it means?" Jason asked.

Eva rubbed the flower's stem between her fingers, twirling the shaft and watching the petals rotate. "I think it's a symbol of friendship."

That's how it felt to her, anyway. A token exchanged with pure intentions.

Taking advantage of their preoccupation, Caia extended her neck. Her teeth chomped closed on the flower before Eva or anyone else could react.

Caia chewed loudly, smacking her lips as if to say the flower was delicious.

Eva sputtered, her gaze going from the pitifully empty stem in her hands to her too-stupid-to-live horse.

A choked sound escaped Jason as his shoulders trembled suspiciously. "Well, it appears Caia just ate your token of friendship."

Drake leaned toward Jason, staring at the horse like she'd committed an unspeakable act. "You don't think she'll die from this, do you?"

"From a flower?"

"It is the Highlands."

Jason made a little nod as if to concede the point. They all knew the Highlands reputation—though usually it wasn't the flora that was likely to do you in. No, that honor went to the many dangerous beasts lurking around every corner.

"I'm more afraid the mythological will come back. How do you think he'd feel if he knew the horse ate his head flower?" Jason muttered.

Drake touched the sword at his side in reassurance.

Eva threw the now bare stem on the ground, crossing to Caia and grabbing the horse's jaw.

"Spit it out, you daft thing. Spit. It. Out. Right. Now."

Caia tried to tug her face out of Eva's grip, but the human was far more stubborn than the horse expected.

Eva forced Caia's head down, not caring when the horse's eyes rolled, showing the whites around them, or the way her lips peeled back to reveal teeth that were clamped stubbornly together. Eva stuck her finger into the space between Caia’s front teeth and molars, pressing down on the tongue to make the mare open her mouth.

Only to find the flower gone. No evidence of its presence at all.

All that mattered now was the fact that Caia had eaten the unknown flower. A flower that Eva could tell held some type of strange power that could KILL her STUPID horse.

That was to say nothing about the fact that Jason was right. How would the mythological feel if he knew that the flower, something that was quite literally a part of him, was consumed so presumptuously?

None of which Eva could bring herself to care about if her friend, the sister from a different species, was harmed.

"Caia!" Eva shouted, losing patience.

Caia half spun, knocking into Eva and nearly toppling her to the ground. The force of the blow loosened her grip on Caia as the horse pulled her head out of reach.

Caia backed away and stopped, her legs splayed, a look of defiance on her face that Eva recognized. One that meant no amount of bargaining or threatening would force Caia into compliance.

It was the look that said she'd dug in and blood would spill before she gave up.

Caia's tail whipped back and forth behind her, showing her fury as horse and horse mistress engaged in a standoff.

Finally, Eva relented, letting out a huff. "Fine, but don't think I'll shed a tear when you keel over. You're on your own, my dear. Completely and totally."

That was a lie.

Eva had no doubt she'd be utterly and totally devastated if anything were to happen to the daft creature.

Especially something as preventable as eating questionable flora that originated from a powerful creature's head.

As the horse responsible for finding Eva and subsequently leading her to the Trateri, they shared a bond. One totally unique to the two.

Some might even say they shared a fate. An inexplicable thread binding them together that neither wished to sever.

With Caia had come Ollie, a herd master who'd been responsible for the mare. When he'd offered to take her with him, Eva had accepted. In her mind, people who treated a runaway mount as gently as he did Caia couldn't be all bad. No matter what rumor and stories about the Trateri claimed.

Eva believed that encounter had saved her life. Chances were, she'd be long dead if she'd remained in that forest. Alone and vulnerable to those who hunted there.

They'd been inseparable ever since. The horse acting more like an overzealous guard dog than a mount.

Which was why if something ever happened to Caia, Eva was sure the resulting fallout would be catastrophic. She fully expected there to be tears. Rivers of them. Enough to fill a thousand lakes.

Not that her horse seemed to appreciate that, if the bored expression on the idiot equine's face was anything to judge by.

The sound of hoof beats drew her attention from Caia's poor judgment. Drake stiffened for a moment, before relaxing at the sight of the rider and horse thundering across the meadow toward them.

Eva squinted, recognizing the mount long before she did the woman.

While not unique, the pretty bay with her black mane and tail were distinctive enough for Eva to know the rider, even at this distance.

Fiona. Someone Eva considered a friend—though how that happened was still a mystery to her.

Fiona's expression was guarded as her gaze went from the three of them to their surroundings, taking note of the lack of other horses and the fact they were far from where they'd said they would be.

"Anything wrong?" Fiona's hand hovered near the hilt of her blade.

"All is well," Drake replied.

Fiona grunted, not looking entirely convinced as she scanned their surroundings.

Her jaw flexed, making the three parallel scars that ran along it more prominent. Surprisingly, those old battle marks did nothing to detract from her appeal. Rather they enhanced it, promising an interesting experience for any brave enough to tempt the rapids.

Finding nothing, Fiona focused amber colored eyes on Eva, her expression fierce.

"You're needed."

Eva straightened, sending the other woman a questioning look.

The bay tried to sidestep, picking up on her rider's heightened emotions. Fiona soothed her with a pat on her neck.

"Our sentries spotted a large element heading in our direction. Caden wants you present when we meet them."

A hushed silence sunk in after Fiona's words.

"How is that possible?" Jason burst out. "No one was supposed to be up here except us."

Drake stirred, appearing interested. "Trateri?"

Fiona hesitated, shooting a glance at Eva before reluctantly nodding. "It looks that way."

"Then the treaty—" Jason trailed off as he glanced at Eva in dismay.

"Is over," Drake finished, putting into words what they all were thinking.

two

They'd had one rule—don't let outsiders know the location of this valley. A rule, if Fiona's report was correct, they had already broken.

Eva felt almost numb as she trained her eyes on the mountain range surrounding their valley. The first big task entrusted to her, and it looked like she might fail through no fault of her own.

The unfairness of it all was mind bending. Rage inducing even.

Eva released a breath, fighting the urge to curse—or climb on Caia's back and ride somewhere far, far away. A place where alliances and expectations were nothing except an unfortunate memory.

But that would make her a coward—and someone who didn't keep their promises. Eva was neither of those. It would be far easier if she were.

Damn it.

"You think they know already?" Jason followed her gaze to the mountain tops.

Eva nodded. "Oh, they know."

Probably long before any of them. The Kyren, the mythological race they were here to see might have been conspicuously absent since their arrival, but Eva had never deluded herself into thinking they were gone.

They were watching. Observing.

The Trateri scouts responsible for patrolling the area had picked up multiple signs of their presence. Signs Eva had no doubt they'd left behind as a warning.

We're here. We'll see if you break faith.

Why they were refusing to interact with the Trateri or even Eva, she didn't know. They were the ones who'd extended the invitation to her. Practically forced her presence if she wanted to be honest.

She was perfectly happy in her role as a herd mistress. She’d had friends. A mentor. A place she belonged for once in her life.

All of which she gave up to be here, chasing a dream she was increasingly beginning to feel was nothing but a mirage.

Maybe it was best this had happened. It would save her a lot of wasted time and effort.

Even as she thought it, Eva knew she wasn't being entirely honest with herself. There was a hole in the pit of her stomach that said she cared far more than she was willing to acknowledge.

Ah well, what would come, would come, Eva thought as she tipped her head to peer at the sky.

"We should get moving." Fiona guided her horse to face camp. "We won't know the situation until we get there."

Eva's lips quirked. "True enough."

No use crying over something that had already happened. The Kyren would either accept the circumstances or retreat from the Trateri. All Eva could do was take things as they came and hope for the best.

Eva didn't bother with a saddle, mounting bareback in a maneuver that looked effortless but could easily have ended with Eva ending face first on the ground.

It had happened before.

Drake put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. There was a high-pitched neigh from the herd as a chestnut lifted her head and raced in their direction.

As Eva settled on Caia, Jason set one hand on the mare's shoulder. "Don't worry about the herd. I'll take care of them in your absence."

Eva's nod was filled with gratitude. "Thank you."

Jason patted Caia's shoulder, dodging when she tried to take a bite out of him for his presumption. "Don't thank me. You're taking the brat with you. My job just got ten times easier."

Unhappy that she'd missed, Caia bared her teeth in a gesture she'd picked up from hanging with mythologicals too much.

Jason bared his teeth right back before lifting his fist and showing it to the mare.

Caia blew out a huff of air to show her disdain before turning her head away and pretending his threat didn't mean anything to her.

Eva patted her neck while meeting Jason's wry gaze. He shook his head and stuck his hands in his pockets before ambling away.

As soon as Drake was mounted, Fiona touched her heels to the bay's side. "Yah."

The mare lunged forward, her stride quickly lengthening into a gallop.

Eva sent up a small prayer that things weren't as bad as they seemed. It would work out—one way or another.

It took an hour for Eva and the rest to reach the outer perimeter, where sentries patrolled as a precaution.

The Trateri were nothing if not paranoid. A mindset that more often than not worked in their favor.

When your enemy could be anything and everything, from animals to plants to humans or the very land itself, it paid to be on your guard. Particularly when protecting something as important as this valley and all that it represented.

It was why they'd decided to set up multiple perimeters. In the event one was breeched, the sentries could still get a warning to the main camp.

Eva had thought the precautions unnecessary. She'd been overruled.

Good thing too, in light of recent events.

They approached a group of Trateri waiting on the crest of a small hill overlooking the land below. A man in the middle of the pack lifted his head to look at Eva.

A small thrill of awareness slid through her. A knowing every bit as all-encompassing as the one she got anytime she came across a mythological.

Caden was written into her bones. Hers in the same way she was his. Each the other's partner in all things. As essential for her existence as the breath in her lungs.

Even at a distance and with only a fleeting glance, she'd know him.

She'd always know.

It was in the curve of his shoulder. The way he held himself. Aloof and apart. Guarded, as if he expected a fight at any moment.

Understandable since for most of his adult life, he'd been responsible for protecting the life of Fallon Hawkvale, a man with as many enemies as there were beasts in the Highlands. You didn't stand by the side of a man like that without expecting a little bloodshed.

Blue eyes that reminded Eva of the summer sky watched their approach. His gaze a tangible force she was coming to expect from him.

He had a way of focusing on a person that left them almost drowning in his intensity.

Before, that level of focus had scared her. It had always felt like he could see right through her. For someone as insecure of her place among the Trateri as she'd been, it had left her feeling complicated.

Now, she knew it was his way of telling her she was all that mattered. That he'd slay a dragon or fight off a horde of beasts to ensure her protection.

A quiet man, Caden wasn't someone who would ever give her romantic platitudes. He let his actions speak for themselves. Something Eva found she appreciated.

Words could so often be twisted to suit someone's agenda. Their meaning broken beyond repair.

It was a lesson she'd learned the hard way. Between pretty words or action, Eva found she preferred Caden's way of doing things.

Eva sat down a little harder on Caia's back, a signal to stop. The mare snorted and shook her head, standing still a few feet from the Trateri.

"I hear we have visitors." Eva swung a leg over Caia's back and dropped to the ground.

The mare wouldn't go far, and if she did, she would have reason for it.

With one last pat on Caia's shoulder as Fiona and Drake dismounted, Eva focused on those waiting for them.

As if drawn by a magnet, her eyes landed on Caden.

Everything about him spoke to strength. From the harsh plains of his features, the almost brutal lines belied by the softness of his lips, to the wide shoulders and barrel chest.

Caden might have been considered short for a Trateri, but he was still taller than most Lowlanders.

Underestimating him would be a mistake. Eva had seen what he could do. The explosive power of his body. The exactness with which he could take a life.

Caden hummed an agreement as Eva joined him. He nodded over his shoulder at a line of horses winding their way through the land below.

There were many more than Eva was expecting. Far more than a handful, there were at least a hundred or more horses down there. Enough to make up two Trateri war bands.

"This—" Eva started and then stopped.

She couldn't lie to herself. This wasn't a resupply mission. There would be no convincing the Kyren that the Trateri were only taking care of their own.

It didn't make sense.

"Why would Fallon do this?" Eva asked, feeling lost.

This wasn't the type of behavior she had come to expect from the Trateri leader. The Trateri as a whole placed a lot of emphasis on honor. To break your word was to be considered the lowest of the low. She couldn't see him doing something like this without a very good reason.

"Looks like we're about to find out," a man familiar to Eva said from where he was leaning against a boulder not far away.

Roscoe had a playful smirk on his face as he straightened to watch a trio of riders break from the train to make a beeline toward where Eva and the rest waited.

Roscoe and his friend Ghost had a bit of a reputation. Some might even call them notorious.

Promoted as often as they were demoted, they were Fiona's subordinates. They feared nothing and no one. The Trateri in general didn't have high fear responses, but those two took it to extremes.

If there was trouble, you could bet they'd be hip deep in it.

The only person with a chance of convincing them to listen to a modicum of sense was Fiona. And even that was only fifty percent of the time.

They were every bit the walking disaster that the fire fox was. Despite that, Eva found she liked them.

They played by their own rules. Eva could respect that and even admire it in a way. Wasn't she the same? Forging her own path despite the obstacles that might present themselves along the way.

Then again, they'd also never aimed their particular brand of trouble her way. Maybe if they had, she'd feel a little differently.

"Well, damn. They have the pathfinder with them," Ghost said in a quiet voice.

Roscoe's eyes narrowed into thin slits as he made a point of hawking a giant glob of spit on the ground at his feet. "Son of a bitch. He knows better."

Roscoe rubbed the knuckles of his fist.

Ghost sent him a sympathetic look. "Do they itch?"

"They do, but don't worry. I have a way to make it better." Roscoe made a show of cracking his neck before aiming a bloodthirsty smile at the approaching riders. "His face should do nicely to sooth the sting."

"How about we save the violence until after we get an explanation?" Fiona said.

"Fine, fine. Have it your way," Roscoe muttered. "I would've been only a little violent."

Ghost snorted in laughter. "In your dreams."

The two shared a look as identical grins spread over their faces. The playful expressions fell from their faces as the three riders reined to a stop not far away and dismounted.

The lightheartedness was conspicuously absent as Roscoe and Ghost stared at the newcomers, making no effort to conceal the hardness in their gazes or the reserve on their faces.

Caden's arms were folded across his chest, his face arranged in similar cold lines as he studied the three.

There was a reason many Lowlanders saw the Trateri as emotionless killers, and that expression right there was a big part of it.

They had a habit of separating people into two groups. Us—and them.

For those who were considered "us", their actions were similar to that of Ghost and Roscoe. Playful, a little rough but overall coming from a good place. They had a camaraderie that had drawn even someone as damaged as Eva out of her shell. Made her think that a place among them wouldn't be so bad.

Those who fell into the second group weren't so lucky. They were treated to an impartial coldness far chillier than any Highland winter.

It was a look Eva never thought she'd see aimed at their own. It told her how seriously Caden and the rest treated this.

Eva didn't have any time to consider the ramifications of that before the three's arrival. To her surprise, they were all people she recognized, if only from a distance.

What were clan leaders doing out here?

Eva's expression was pensive as she shot a look from them to Caden.

He stilled, the atmosphere around him turning almost scary.

Eva had come to know many of the faces of her lover over the last few weeks. Despite his reputation as cold and unfeeling, she'd discovered he was so much more—from playful, to seductive, to amused.

However, this was one that had been missing since their arrival in the valley.

It was the look he got when he was considering an unexpected obstacle—or someone he thought he might have to kill.

Eva's frown deepened as she peered at the trio, not liking the lengths Caden might be forced to go to keep this alliance.

The pathfinder with them was the first to breech the silence, offering his hand to Caden with a wry smile.

"I'm sure this isn't what you were expecting," Reece said.

Roscoe and Ghost made a derisive sound, not hiding their sneers.

Reece ignored them, aiming eyes that reminded Eva of high mountain glaciers at her and Caden. The blue so faint and unique you could search a lifetime and not find it in nature.

Like his cousin Shea, Reece was a pathfinder, tasked with connecting the isolated villages of the Highlands to the rest of the world. A thankless job even under the best of circumstances.

Reece had always struck her as honorable—irritated with the idiocy of those around him, but mostly possessing a good heart.

It was why it didn't make sense to Eva that he'd shown up here, dragging the clan leaders of Lion and Rain in his wake. He knew what was at stake, the conditions they'd agreed to in order for Eva to have company in this isolated place. He was aware of what would happen if they broke those rules

"You better have a good excuse for why you showed up here dragging a bunch of dead weight," Caden rumbled.

"Come now, Anateri. You'll hurt my feelings. I'll think you don't like me," the biggest of the three said.

A half smile tugged at the man’s lips, an expression Eva suspected was simply a mask that hid the extent of his ruthlessness from outsiders.

The man's distinctive shoulder length hair looked like someone had caught the sun and poured its essence into its strands. Its color proclaimed his identity as Lion Clan's leader.

Van's gaze slid over Eva before returning to Caden, dismissing her like so many others had.

"You'll live," Caden said. "What I'm more interested in knowing is why you're here when I know Fallon has made this place and the Kyren off limits."

Eva looked beyond Van and Reece to the last man. He stood slightly to their rear, his hands loose at his sides as he studied the rest of them.

Noticing Eva's gaze, the man cocked an eyebrow at her but remained silent, content to be overshadowed by Van.

He was different than the stories she'd heard. Rumor had it, Rain Clan's leader, Gawain, was a petty man. Rash to the point of stupidity. A man jealous of the successes of his foster brother Fallon.

Yet Eva couldn't see any evidence of those descriptions in the man standing before her.

This man was quiet. Watchful in the same way Caden was. As if content to let his opponent maneuver themselves into the noose for him.

Caden stared Reece down. "What happened to reporting to the Keep and then coming right back?"

Reece ran a hand through his hair, looking unhappy as he shot a glare at Van. "There were a few complications."

Van's expression was filled with innocence.

"I was on my way back with a small supply train when I came across this idiot and his warband wandering in the mist." Reece jerked a thumb in Van's direction. "Evidently, he thought a pathfinder was optional in the Highlands."

Van shrugged his broad shoulders. "Hey, I followed instructions. As soon as mist was sighted, we tied ourselves to each other so no one would get lost."

Reece's expression was slightly vicious as he twisted to face Van. "That only works if you have someone to navigate your way out of the mist."

A chill moved through Eva at the mention of the force that was the primary reason pathfinders were so important. You could deal with beasts. You might lose a few, but beasts weren't invincible. As long as numbers were on your side, you'd come out the winner.

It was the mist that was the true threat. The thing those who lived here feared almost more than anything else.

Get lost in its depths and you could wander forever, never to escape. If you were one of the lucky ones who eventually found your way out, you could find that years or even decades had passed.

To tempt its embrace was foolhardy, but Eva guessed that was to be expected of the man who led Lion Clan, a clan who didn't know the meaning of fear.

Ghost and Roscoe's expressions warmed slightly as they shot an admiring look in Van's direction.

Fiona raised her eyes to the sky as if questioning how anyone could be so stupid. Eva was inclined to agree with her. As far as she knew, pathfinders were assigned to every war band when they left the confines of Wayfarer's Keep.

"What were you doing out there?" Caden asked.

Van lifted a shoulder. "Chasing an army. Didn't expect to end up anywhere near here."

Van gaze turned distant as he studied the towering mountains surrounding them. Sentinels of rock and snow as brutal and beautiful as everything else in this place.

"I don't even know where here is," Van admitted with a frown.

Reece struggled for patience. "I told you—the mist doesn't always put you back where you started."

"Wait a minute, you said you ran into them when you were in the mist?" Roscoe interjected. "I didn't know that was possible."

"It's rare, but it does happen," Reece admitted. "Usually when you're already in close proximity. And he's right—our point of origin was nowhere close to where we exited."

There was a guarded expression on his face that told Eva there was more to the story. Something in the sequence of events that bothered him.

Understandable. Who could take being in one place and then in a matter of hours being on the opposite side of the region? Even a pathfinder who was used to the impossible would have trouble with something as unexpected as that.

"Where exactly did you come out?" Fiona asked.

Reece took a deep breath as he shot a quick glance at the other two men. "A day's ride from the valley."

"They would have known about your presence as soon as you appeared," Caden guessed.

Reece nodded. "That was my assumption too. I couldn't leave them out there. They would have been a target for the mist. Not to mention they wouldn't have been able to find their way back."

Van sneered at Reece. "Speak for yourself."

Gawain's eyes narrowed slightly on the pathfinder.

Eva ducked her head to hide her smile.

Really, Reece should have expected their reaction. The Trateri were nothing if not proud. Even if Reece's words were absolutely correct, they'd never admit it.

She'd be surprised if Van or Gawain didn't go out of their way to prove him wrong. It was exactly the type of stubbornness she'd come to appreciate in the Trateri. It might take them months to find their way back to Wayfarer’s Keep, but they’d succeed as long as they didn't run afoul of the mist.

"You could have left them out there." Roscoe sent a calculating look toward the clan leaders. "We all have to learn from our mistakes sometime."

Reece's stare was flat. "I know Shea taught you better than that. We have our oaths just like you do yours. Pathfinders don't abandon those we guide."

Ghost's lips tilted in a crooked smile. "Yet as you so often remind us—you're not Shea."

Reece scoffed. "I'm still a pathfinder. Just because I'm not willing to hold the hands of idiots to guide them out of their own stupidity doesn't make me any less of one. I obey the tenets of our calling."

Roscoe and Ghost remained unconvinced, their expressions showing their skepticism. Eva was on their side in this.

Reece's interpretation of what it meant to be a pathfinder was a tad special. Some might even say creative.

His cousin, Shea, led from the front. She charged into danger without another thought to ensure the safety of the rest, always taking on the greatest risks.

Reece was her opposite. He was more likely to send others as bait while he stuck to the shadows, waiting for the best moment to strike. That wasn't to say he'd sacrifice his bait, but the problem with bait was sometimes it got eaten.

Around him, that seemed to happen more often than not.

What's more, those he chose to act as his lures didn't always know what was happening until after the fact. When the dust had long settled and the adrenaline had finally abated.

It made him a dangerous man. One you could never be entirely sure was fully on your side.

Eva's pensive gaze landed on Caden. She knew loyalty. She'd seen what loyal men were capable of. When you were the focus of that level of determination and devoutness, it was like having a shiny, inexhaustible weapon at your side.

But when the weapon was aimed at you—there was nothing more terrifying.

The crux of the matter was that she liked Reece. He was irritable. Grumpy. Sometimes lazy. But always capable. Moreover, he'd saved them a time or two and had proved to be full of valuable information.

A shiver moved down her back at the thought of him turning against them.

"You were lucky he ran across you," Caden said, interrupting Eva's train of thought.

Fiona straightened. "What happened to this army you were chasing?"

"They were swallowed in the same mist we were. It was too bad," Van said, looking irritated. "I was itching for a little exercise."

"The same mist that brought you here?" Fiona asked with an intent expression.

There was a look on Roscoe and Ghost's faces that Eva recognized. It was the one they got before a hunt. Only this time, the things they wanted to hunt were humans.

Anticipation filled the air.

There was only one army the Trateri were interested in right now. The one that had sprung out of nowhere a few weeks back and had already claimed the life of one of their friends.

A woman by the name of Laurell.

Someone Eva had just begun a friendship with before everything fell apart.

Laurell gave her life for Eva. It was a debt she couldn't repay. Every person present, particularly Fiona, was itching for a little retribution.

And Van had just made that possible

"I know that look," Reece drawled, staring at Fiona. "Forget it. If the mist took them, they're long gone. Far from your reach."

"The mist spat this lot out. Could have done the same for the other side," Ghost suggested.

"Our people had a pathfinder," Reece said. "They didn't. The chances of them escaping the mist are so low I'm not going to bother to calculate them."

"But there is still a chance?" Fiona didn't wait for confirmation, aiming an expectant look at Caden.

After a protracted silence, Caden focused on Fiona and the other two. "Go. If there's even a small chance the army followed them here, we can't allow them so close to the Kyren herds."

Satisfaction chased across Fiona's face before it was gone.

"You coming?" she asked the other two.

Roscoe adjusted his sword belt, the look in his eyes savage. "Beasts couldn't keep me away."

Ghost's response was a simple nod.

"A few of my men can go with you to show you where we landed," Van offered.

Reece rolled his eyes to the sky in exasperation. "It's like talking to a wall. Not one of you paid attention to anything I said about the mist."

Eva thought it was more that they simply didn't care. No Trateri made it through life without taking a few risks. Fiona and the rest had probably considered the outcomes and decided they were worth the possible consequences.

"Observation only," Caden warned, ignoring Reece's complaint. "And I want you all back by dawn tomorrow."

Roscoe and Ghost let out a piercing whistle to summon their horses as Fiona paused to study Caden. "Are you coming? I know you want them as bad as I do."

Caden's gaze caught Eva's before he looked away. "I'll catch up if I can. There are matters that need my attention here."

Eva suspected she was the primary reason for that decision, even if he didn't say it. Part of it, she knew, was to reinforce her authority with Gawain and Van.

Fiona and the rest had learned to listen when Eva spoke. These new Trateri didn't have the benefit of that experience. There was no guarantee they wouldn't try to override her authority.

As someone they perceived as an outsider, she was an easy target if they decided to give her a hard time.

There was also the matter of Caden's overprotectiveness. He knew just as well as she did that being Trateri didn't excuse you from the pettier characteristics that came with being human.

New people meant new threats. Until Caden had assured himself that the clan leaders and their people weren't a danger to Eva or their mission, he'd be fairly insufferable.

She could see it now. The hovering. The making of new rules. Any privacy she'd managed as he relaxed his vigilance over the past few weeks would be gone.

Eva exhaled, feeling resigned.

Caden's love came at a price. An intense, driving need to assure the safety of the people within his heart. It was essential to him. Close to an obsession, one stemming from the uncertainty of his own childhood and the role he'd chosen to take on as an adult.

Before Eva, Fallon Hawkvale was the one Caden had placed the entirety of his focus. He'd made a habit of eliminating any threat to his Warlord before it could ever truly grow to a danger.

Eva's arrival had changed things and with them Caden's priorities.

"You sure?" Fiona asked.

"Go. I can see them back to camp," Eva urged.

He needed to do this, and they both knew it.

Caden's jaw flexed as he stared Eva down, torn between two opposing needs.

"Go," Eva said again. "This is important too."

If this rebel army Van was chasing had managed to escape the mist, they needed to know—and prepare.

Sometimes, even if the mess wasn't yours, you still had to clean it up.

three

Fiona slanted a glance at Caden. "She has a point."

"I know," Caden said.

But just because you knew something in your head didn't mean your heart agreed. Caden was a man of duty, his needs coming second to his responsibilities. Even if he wanted to stay, Eva knew he had to go.

It was who he was. She wouldn't change that. It was why she'd fallen in love with him in the first place.

"You going to be okay? I can stay if you need." Fiona quirked an eyebrow at Eva.

Eva aimed a wry smile at her friend.

Staying behind was the last thing Fiona wanted—which was why Eva appreciated the fact she'd offered.

Over the past few months, it was obvious her friend hadn't been exactly herself. Laurell's loss had affected all of them, but especially Fiona.

The desire for vengeance was a vicious mistress, and it had ridden Fiona hard. Her friend had lost weight and there were dark circles under her eyes that Eva knew came from sleepless nights staring at the mountains.

Eva had seen her out there more than once while making her periodic midnight rounds to check on her charges.

Eva saw how Fiona's inaction chafed, chipping away at her until shadows lingered behind her eyes.

Fiona hid her frustration well, but Eva had learned to be observant and the things she was seeing in her friend said she was getting close to her limit.

Sometimes waiting was the hardest thing. It could grate on the soul—especially when you yearned for a resolution.

"I'll be fine," Eva assured them.

She looked up to find Caden's gaze trained on her. He didn't have to say a word. His silence spoke volumes.

"I will," she said again.

It was as much to reassure herself as him. Eva couldn't always hide behind Caden. Sometimes, she had to stand on her own. Even if the pit of her stomach was telling her what a bad idea that was.

"Besides, something tells me we're going to have a visitor soon. If anything can get their attention and compel them to finally open up communication, this will."

When that happened, it wouldn't matter whether Caden had stayed on not.

Caden dropped the mask he imposed between himself and the rest of the world. It was something he did only rarely—and usually when it was only the two of them.

Eva had always known Caden's love wasn't a wildfire. It wouldn't burn hot and brief, scorching all those involved and leaving them forever changed. Instead, it was like the mountains that surrounded them. Steadfast and deep. Quiet, yet always there. A silent support that never wavered.

Behind his mask was acceptance and the acknowledgment that Eva was right.

She reached out and squeezed his hand, knowing he needed the connection as much as she did. "Come back safe."

"I will." Caden looked at Reece. "You're with us."

"But—" Reece waved his hand at the clan leaders and the hundred Trateri waiting a short distance away.

Caden's smile was sharp. "You said it yourself. The mist is still a threat. You wouldn't want us disappearing now, would you?"

Reece's glare was fulminating.

Eva looked down, hiding her smile. She did so love when Caden made other people speechless.

"Eva and Drake can escort the clan leaders," Caden continued. "They'll be safe enough when they reach camp."

Caden refrained from mentioning that even if they were swallowed by mist, the fire fox would come and retrieve them. He'd done it once before.

The secret wasn't widely known, and Eva could see from Caden's expression that he wanted to keep it that way.

It was also the reason they'd felt comfortable with Reece's departure for Wayfarer's Keep and why they hadn't felt it necessary to have a replacement before he left.

Reece's exhale held frustration—and surrender.

Taking that as their cue, Roscoe and Ghost swung onto their horses.

At a look from Caden, Fiona stopped Roscoe, patting his horse on the neck. "Change in plans. I want you to accompany Eva to camp."

Roscoe's mouth dropped open in protest.

Ghost wiggled his fingers at Roscoe as Fiona strode over to her own mount. "Have fun playing with the rest. I'll be sure to save you some killing for later."

Roscoe sputtered as Ghost wheeled his horse, touching the sides lightly with his heels. The horse plunged forward, Fiona's following close behind.

Caden was the last to swing onto his mount, a piebald stallion by the name of Nell who was as sweet as Caia was stubborn.

Caden and Eva shared one last penetrating look, before he touched his heels to Nell's sides.

"Let's go, Nell."

Nell started forward at a walk that quickly turned into a canter.

"That was enlightening," Van said as the rest disappeared over the hill.

Roscoe's expression was still a touch disgruntled at being ordered to remain behind as he glared at the clan leader.

Van ignored him to focus on Eva. "So—you're the throwaway I've heard so much about."

Eva stiffened at the subtle insult. Throwaway was a term the Trateri called those Lowlanders whose villages gave them up as a tithe to the Trateri.

Even if they'd been the ones to suggest the terms, the fact the villages accepted them was a big part of why the Trateri looked down on them. They saw it as cowardly.

They liked to believe the clans would never act in such a lowly fashion.

Eva wasn't so sure about that. It was impossible to know what you'd do until confronted with the reality of your own short comings.

People, in her experience, trended toward prioritizing their own survival. The Trateri were no different—though their very capability meant they were far less likely to find themselves in a situation where survival depended on impugning their honor.

Roscoe frowned, knowing Eva's thoughts on that word and started to speak.

Eva shook her head at him.

Some things she needed to handle on her own.

Perceptions could only be changed by the person in question.

Eva had learned a lot caring for the herd and seeing how stallions and mares established dominance. The Trateri might be human, but many of their behaviors mirrored what Eva saw among animals.

This was a test. A subtle one aimed at establishing who she was and how far she could be pushed.

Allow it to pass unremarked and he'd come at her twice as hard next time, thinking her soft.

"Perhaps you're mistaken, Lion." Eva's expression was remote as she met Van's eyes. "Or maybe you're simply ill informed."

Van's mouth twitched at the intended insult.

That's right. He wasn't the only one who could use words as weapons.

It wasn't her preferred method, but when dealing with animals you sometimes had to communicate on their level. Humans were rather similar in that fashion.

"I threw my own people away. Not the other way around. If anything, that makes me a tagalong." Eva smiled at him, the expression not quite reaching her eyes. "Please be sure to get it right next time."

Gawain's eyebrow lifted in cool amusement. Respect moved through his eyes before it was gone again, leaving behind only watchfulness.

Roscoe slapped his thigh and let out a bark of laughter. "I'd listen to her, Lion. Or not. It'll be more amusing that way."

Van's cheeks creased in a slow smile. "I'll consider myself warned."

Despite his assurance, Eva had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time she'd have to correct a Trateri's perception of her.

"I won't hold my breath." Eva moved toward Caia and swung onto her back. Once settled, she looked down at Gawain and Van. "We should get moving. The Kyren aren't big fans of being kept waiting and we have at least an hour's fast ride ahead of us."

The sooner they arrived, the sooner the headache that was them would be gone.

She could hardly wait.

"There's no need for an escort if you're in a hurry, little tagalong," Van said. "We have scouts in our party. I'm sure we can find our way."

Roscoe scoffed. "Not a chance."

Van sent him a mild look. "Are you afraid we'll try something? If I didn't know better, I'd say you and the Anateri commander view us as enemies."

Roscoe made a tsking sound. "Wouldn't that be nice. Then we could kill you and this whole mess would go away."

Eva fought to keep her agreement off her face.

Van lifted a lip in disdain. "In your dreams, puppy."

One corner of Gawain's mouth twitched as if in full agreement.

Roscoe and Van stared each other down, tension transmitting into the air around them. Eva unconsciously held her breath, her gaze moving between the two in concern.

Drake's gaze turned watchful. Catching Eva's eyes, he tilted his head in an unspoken request for her to put distance between herself and the two warriors.

Eva's face remained blank as she guided Caia away with the pressure of her knees, keeping her movements casual so as not to spark something between the other two.

"I don't like being treated as an enemy by my own side," Van said with a roguish smile that did nothing to hide the threat inherent in his warning.

"Then I guess you should be careful not to act like one," Eva said, losing patience with all the grand standing. "While here, you play by our rules. Understood?"

Van examined her, his thoughts veiled.

Gawain stepped forward. "We've got it. It'll be as you wish."

They'd see about that.

Eva clicked her tongue at Caia, the mare's head bobbing as she started forward. Eva left the others to follow—or not.

At this point she wasn't sure which of those options she preferred.

A short while later, Eva watched from her vantage on Caia's back as the long train of horses and riders wound their way along the path. Slabs of giant stone made their passage nearly untraceable as they worked their way over the uneven footing.

The path was perilous. One of the biggest reasons Eva had chosen it.

Trateri these people might be, but she still didn't fully trust them. And judging by the fact Drake and Roscoe hadn't disagreed with her decision, they didn't either.

Of all the methods to enter the valley, this was the least used—and the most dangerous. It was also easily monitored. Perfect for deterring unannounced future guests.

Gawain neared, drawing his horse to a stop next to her and Drake. "I see now why you insisted on acting as our guide. It would be difficult to find this place."

The sharp jut of mountains veiled the path they'd traveled, making it hard for those unfamiliar with the terrain to back track. Let alone give someone else directions.

Furthermore, most wouldn't think of attempting to find another path given the harsh terrain. They'd assume this was the only way, never realizing that a few miles away there was a much easier passage.

"I see Caden is still as paranoid as ever," Gawain said, staring at the cliffs above them where several sentries and a small force waited in the event of enemies.

There were a lot of ways Eva could take that statement. It would be easy to infer his words as an insult, but she didn't think he meant it that way.

"I've always admired that part of him. He's prepared. No matter what happens. Nothing ever truly surprises him. He always knows what's coming," Gawain mused, his gaze unseeing.

There was an edge of self-reproach in his tone that made Eva think those words were really aimed at himself. Curiosity moved through her at the thought of what could cause that sort of emotion. One that was gone almost as soon as it appeared.

Roscoe stood up in his stirrups a short distance away, distracting them. "I'll be damned. Witt and Buck. What the fuck are you two miscreants doing all the way out here?"

Eva looked over to find two men steering their horses in Roscoe's direction. The first had a roguish charm that reminded her of Roscoe and Ghost. His blond hair and attractive face only added to his draw. He moved with an ease and energy that said he was cut from the same cloth as her friends.

The man beside him was a little older. There were lines at the corner of his eyes and grooves around his mouth. His skin was more weathered than the other man, showing signs of a life spent outside.

"Reece implied you lot couldn't handle being up here on your own, so we came to make sure you didn't get lonely," the younger of the two drawled.

There was a twinkle in his eyes that took the sting out of his words. It was easy to see that he and Roscoe were on good terms.

"How'd you get stuck with this dumbass?" Roscoe tilted his head at the blond man as he turned his attention to the other man.

"Just unlucky, I guess," the older man's voice was a deep bass.

Eva straightened on Caia, interested in the stranger. Someone she suspected wasn't Trateri. His accent was all wrong. More like someone from the Highlands. Similar to Reece's in some ways. Yet everything else about him was Trateri—from his clothes to his gear to the way he held himself.

There was respect in the younger man's face when he spoke to him. Not the tension bordering on dislike that most Trateri had when dealing with throwaways. As far as Eva knew, the Trateri hadn't yet incorporated those from the Highlands into their ranks.

The Trateri were slow to trust outsiders. You had to prove yourself. Sometimes over and over again.

Yet this man seemed to fit with those around him.

Gawain's horse shifted under him as he glanced in the direction Eva was staring.

"Witt. That's his name," Gawain added when Eva looked at him in confusion. "Unlike you, he really is a throwaway. He was in the same set of tributes as Shea. Word is the two came from the same village."

A throwaway. Not exactly like her then since Eva had never considered herself within those ranks even if the Trateri often did. Still, he was similar enough that she would have liked a conversation with him. It was so rare to meet those like them who'd earned their place among the Trateri.

It'd be good to talk to someone with similar experiences. Compare notes and whatnot. Only fellow outsiders turned insiders like them could fully understand everything the other was going through.

Eva didn't have any further time to consider Witt as a shadow blotted out the sun.

Gawain and the Trateri around them hunkered down on their horses, reaching for their weapons as they scanned the sky trying to spot the winged creature above.

Within seconds, hardened warriors who inspired fear all across the Lowlands turned into excitable children.

Van brought his horse to a stop not far away, his head craning back so he could see.

"Kyren," Gawain breathed.

The word was repeated up and down the line. A loud war cry split the air, startling Eva. Once one Trateri had given voice to their excitement several followed.

Even someone as reserved and poised as Gawain failed to entirely suppress his wonder—
the yearning and awe.

It was a reaction she'd come to expect from the Trateri. She didn't know if it was because the Kyren held a resemblance to the description of their god Rava, a being often depicted as a horse running across the sky to summon the rain in a land that saw little of it.

Or if the Trateri recognized the strategic advantage the Kyren could give them on the battlefield.

It could also be a result of the Trateri's reliance on their mounts. One of the reasons they'd taken the Lowlands so easily was because their horses were the best in the Broken Lands. Bred and cared for as if they were the Trateri's own children. Mistreating or stealing one led to a death sentence at worst and exile at best.

It wouldn't be odd if some of that same sentiment transferred to the Kyren who shared a resemblance to their equine cousins.

Eva studied the Trateri around her. Sometimes desire and lust for that which does not belong to you could twist a person inside.

She'd seen it before. It was why she and Caden had chosen to restrict those who traveled with them to only a handful. Those they could trust with not only their lives but the Kyren's secrets.

A perfect plan right up until the mist destroyed all their careful calculations.

Now they had over a hundred people, loyalties unknown, threatening to destroy all their work.

Even those who seemed unaffected on the surface at the Kyren's appearance, like Van, couldn't hide the burning desire in their eyes. A yearning every bit as deep as Gawain's.

Van's head lowered, his gaze catching Eva's for a brief second.

That second was all she needed to see the fervor there. The desire to possess.

"Great timing as usual, Sebastian," Eva muttered under her breath.

For the first time, she regretted sending Caden with Fiona and Ghost. If Van or Gawain decided to move against her, she wasn't sure rest would side with her. Or if they did, whether they could hold the line against the clan leaders and their forces.

Eva clenched her hands on her reins, uncomfortably aware of her powerlessness. It seemed even earning her position as the Caller and gaining Fallon and Shea's approval couldn't change the person she was inside.

There was an unwelcome tightness in Eva's chest at the thought of how she was still at the mercy of other's whims. Men who ultimately had no care or concern for her will or opinions.

Eva inhaled slowly and held her breath for a few seconds before exhaling again.

Calm, Eva girl. No use borrowing trouble until it arrived. What was to come would come. She was not helpless anymore. Men could not control her or decide her fate. Only she had that right. If Gawain and Van became a problem, she would deal with them. Caden's presence or not.

Besides, she wasn't alone.

"I guess we no longer have to wonder whether they know," Drake muttered, interrupting Eva's thoughts.

He and Eva shared a look. The reprieve was over, and the reckoning had come.

Unlike the newcomers, Drake was composed. None of the awe that was present in many of the others on his face. Then again, he was much more familiar with this particular Kyren. He'd seen Sebastian and Eva's squabbles. Been there for some of Sebastian's less proud moments. It had chipped away at any misconceptions he might have once had about the ‘noble’ Kyren.

"No, we don't," Eva agreed.

Not that Eva had ever been in doubt.

"They certainly have an interesting notion of timing," Drake drawled, echoing Eva's words from before.

Eva hummed an agreement.

Weeks of waiting and of course Sebastian chose this exact moment for his entrance. Probably orchestrated for maximum impact.

Sebastian always did like to make a splash.

"I suppose that's my cue. They never did like to be kept waiting," Eva said in a resigned voice.

No matter that they'd been the ones to disappear. Not heard from or seen for weeks. Until now.

It brought all the frustration and anger she'd been ignoring and pretending didn't exist back to the forefront.

Good. Very good.

Just wait for her to give him a piece of her mind. Friends didn't disappear on friends without a word of warning.

Responding to the shift in her rider's posture, Caia started forward.

"Roscoe, you got this?" Eva shouted.

He waved a hand at her. "Go. We're already through the tricky part. I can take care of the rest."

Eva took him at his word, leaning forward on Caia's back. "You ready, my darling?"

The mare's slow walk turned into a canter as they left the slower moving horse train behind. Caia kept to the gentle pace as they descended the small hill that led into the valley.

Eva was careful not to let Caia have her head. If she had, Eva had no doubt Caia would have lunged into a breakneck speed and probably broken her leg by the time she made it halfway down. A fall here could have brutal consequences. The footing was unstable. Easy for Caia or any horse to step wrong.

Caia wasn't pleased with the slower pace after being promised a run, but the mare trusted her partner.

It was why she didn't do more than toss her head as she picked her way down the slope to the valley floor.

There, Caia lunged forward, Eva not stopping her.

There were times you simply had to run, and this was one of them.

Caia broke into a gallop as Eva whooped into the wind. As always when she was on her friends back, Eva felt this sense of freedom. The world speeding past. The mare an anchor beneath her. Something tangible to hold on to.

The pounding of her hooves keeping time with Eva's heartbeat. Almost as if in this moment they were one. Woman melding with horse as they followed Sebastian's path.

The camp quickly grew in the distance. The tents looming large in a short time.

Jason stood up as Eva brought Caia to a canter and then a trot.

"He let you saddle him?" Eva asked, nodding at the Kyren standing a few feet away.

At a glance, it was easy to see why the Trateri were so enthralled with the Kyren.

Take the most regal and proud horse you'd ever seen and magnify that by a hundred. That would give you a creature close to the Kyren.

Lethal looking horns jutted from his brow. They were a reminder that although the Kyren's appearance held many points in common with a prey animal, they were predators every bit as dangerous as a beast. Some might say more so since they held the intelligence of a human.

This Kyren in particular was all that and more. Sebastian's coat was a black so deep it nearly shined. Almost otherworldly looking.

"He didn't give me much choice," Jason said, giving Sebastian an irritated look. "He was quite insistent. He retrieved the saddle himself. Pulled it right out of your tent."

Eva grimaced.

Seeing her expression, Jason grinned. "Yeah, you have a mess to clean up later."

"Story of my life."

Eva had a feeling this wouldn't be the only mess left to her to deal with today.

Sebastian turned his head, fixing a gaze on Eva that saw far more than most humans gave him credit for. They'd see his body that looked similar to a horse's and make certain inferences. Like he was only as intelligent as a horse. That if they broke him, they'd be his master. Never knowing that their assumptions would lead to their death.

Sebastian's eyes pulled at Eva, drawing her in as a voice sounded in her mind.

It's time.

Eva clamped down on the mix of emotions those words spawned and gave Sebastian a resigned nod. "I know."

If you asked her, it was long past time.

But no one had, so here they were.

Eva swung her leg over Caia's back and dropped to the ground, landing with a thud. She reached up to pat Caia's neck, not missing the way the mare's ears were tilted forward or the challenge in her eyes as she glared at Sebastian.

Eva thumped her on the shoulder and pointed at the mare's face. "None of that nonsense."

Caia blew a breath in Eva's face, the sound conveying her emotions as clearly as words would.

There was a strange jealousy between Caia and Sebastian that Eva found absolutely ridiculous. Both seemed to see the other as a rival, using every encounter to get one over on the other.

It would have been hilarious if Eva wasn't responsible for both.

One side of Jason's lips quirked, well used to the two's interaction. He wasn't the only one. Many of the Trateri who'd gathered at Sebastian's arrival nudged each other with a smirk.

Eva nodded to the few she was familiar with before returning her attention to Sebastian.

"Did I put it on right?" Jason asked as she reached up and checked the saddle's fit. "I wasn't sure since it was my first time."

A design of Eva's making, the saddle owed its origins to the light weight, bare bone saddles the Trateri sometimes used to travel long distances quickly.

Padding was minimal. Just enough so Eva's ass didn't ache after an hour but not so much that the Kyren would feel weighed down or restricted.

There was no bridle, nothing to force the Kyren to obey its rider. The Kyren loathed even the smallest hint of control. Something Eva wondered if the Trateri fully understood.

A Kyren would never act as a horse. They would go where they willed; the rider was simply along for the journey.

The biggest difference lay in the two hard flaps that sat toward the front of the saddle. When seated on the Kyren's back, they'd curve over the tops of the rider's thighs, allowing them to wedge their legs against them during aerial maneuvers.

It wasn't a perfect compromise but short of tying a rider to a Kyren's back—which held its own drawbacks—it was the best Eva could come up with.

Eva tucked her fingers between Sebastian's side and the straps, making sure they weren't too tight or too loose. One option was dangerous and could end in her death and the other could result in saddle sores, making an already cranky Sebastian even crankier.

A cranky Kyren was no one's friend.

Jason shot Sebastian a cautious look and leaned closer to Eva. "So that thing Fiona was discussing. Is it true?"

Eva darted a glance at Jason as he lowered his voice, almost whispering before shooting Sebastian a quick look.

Sebastian's head was slightly turned their way, but she knew perfectly well that Kyren, like horses, had binocular vision. This made their peripheral vision excellent, expanding their field of view until they could see nearly two hundred degrees. Much better than a human.

Their only blind spots were directly in front of their nose and right behind their tail.

Sebastian might be giving every appearance of not paying attention to Eva and Jason's conversation, but his ears gave him away as they rotated to pick up her and Jason's voices better.

"It is," Eva confirmed.

There was no point in hiding it. She didn't believe for a minute that Gawain and Van's presence here wasn't a large part of why Sebastian had chosen to return at this particular time and place.

"You and the others should prepare to receive guests," Eva said, finishing her inspection of the saddle.

"Damn." Jason looked in the direction Eva had come from. "Do you know who is leading them?"

"Gawain and Van," Eva answered.

"Lion and Rain?" Jason couldn't hide his shock.

Eva made a sound of agreement as Jason went back to staring into the distance.

"Interesting combo. Of all the people to come, I wouldn't have expected it of them." Jason frowned at the sky and gave a small shrug. "Then again, individually it makes a kind of perfect sense."

Sebastian lifted a wing, nearly hitting Eva and Jason in the face.

They ducked out of the way as Sebastian fixed them with a displeased look.

"Watch it," Jason warned.

The Kyren lifted his head, arrogance in the line of his neck as he stared Jason down.

Jason shook his head and let out an aggravated sound. "I never thought I'd say this but I'm so glad he's your problem and not mine."

Oh, how much could change in a few simple weeks. Not too long ago, Jason had been consumed with trying to think of ways to get in Sebastian's good graces so he could take Eva's place. He'd done everything short of tying himself to the Kyren. Eva suspected the only reason he hadn't was because he knew Sebastian would tear him into pieces.

"If only I could go back in time," Eva responded.

Delaying will only postpone the inevitable. We should not keep the others waiting.

"Yes, yes, I know," Eva snapped. "You don't have to hurry me. I'm perfectly aware of what's at stake."

Jason shot Sebastian a narrow-eyed look as Eva set her foot in the stirrup and swung her body into the saddle.

"Wait, you're leaving now? Right this minute?" Jason pointed at the ground with an aghast expression.

"Yes. You're the one who saddled him. What did you think would happen?

"I didn't think you'd leave as soon as you arrived. What about the guests?" Jason hissed. "More importantly what do I do about their horses? There are going to be so very many. You know I can't handle that alone."

Eva didn't quite hold back her chortle this time. Finally, a silver lining in Sebastian's arrival.

"Eva!" Jason protested.

"You're the one who volunteered to come up here, remember? You've got this. I have faith in you, apprentice herd master."

He would be exhausted afterward, but he'd find a way. Probably.

Jason didn't seem to have her same confidence as he sputtered, looking lost. He fixed a gaze on the tiny figures in the distance that were slowly nearing.

There was panic in his expression. Enough to make Eva feel a twinge of sympathy. Not much. Just a tiny bit, prompting her to throw him a bone.

She leaned down and patted his shoulder. "Find out who has been in charge of their care since they left Wayfarer's Keep. Have them help you."

Jason scoffed. "You know that never works. As soon as they find out I'm a herd master's apprentice, they'll shirk their duty and put it all on my shoulder."

A wide, diabolical grin spread across her face. She did know. And she was so happy she wasn't going to be here for it.

Jason's eyes widened in realization as Eva straightened. He knew that she knew he was screwed.

"Eva," he warned in a low voice.

That was her cue.

"Got to go. The Kyren's request takes priority."

Sebastian's snicker filled her mind. You've got a mean streak in you. I like it.

Eva figured if she was going to deal with Kyren and all sorts of other mythologicals on a regular basis, she'd need it.

Sebastian trotted forward, Jason chasing after them. Thinking it was a game, Caia followed.

"Eva, you can't run from this forever. You'll have to face the human side, eventually."

"Not if I can help it. You deal with the humans; I'll take the mythologicals," Eva shouted over her shoulder as Sebastian transitioned into a gallop, Caia increasing her speed to keep pace.

Jason slowed and scowled at Caia who showed every intention of accompanying Eva and Sebastian. "Caia, you can't go with them. Just stop running. I don't want to have to find you later."

Caia put on a burst of speed, leaving Jason in her wake.

"Caia!" Jason yelled in a plaintive voice.

Eva silently wished Jason luck. With both Caia and their guests. Better him than her, though. If faced with a choice between humans or mythologicals, Eva would take the mythologicals. Every. Single. Time.

four

The transition between gallop and flight was smooth. Almost unnoticeable as the ground dropped away.

Eva clung to Sebastian's neck, laughter breaking free as she took in the scene below her. Caia determinedly chasing after them, Jason trailing in her wake at a much slower pace. Already, their figures were getting smaller, but Eva thought she could make out the scowl on his face. She could almost hear the curses he was using. The good-natured grumbling.

The small herd of horses that belonged to the Trateri still back at camp scattered, sensing the predator that Sebastian was.

Eva felt a little bad at how much harder Jason's job had just gotten.

The tiny figure that was Jason threw up his hands before shaking his fist after Sebastian.

A snicker filled her mind.

"You did that on purpose," Eva said.

Sebastian's agreement was silent. A feeling more than anything.

Through trial and error, Eva had discovered words weren't always needed for her to understand what Sebastian or other mythologicals were feeling. Sometimes thoughts or emotions that she wasn't sure were meant for her to hear slipped through, intruding on her own.

It was a facet of her abilities that had always been there, but since the confrontation with the rebels who'd attempted to enslave Sebastian and his mate, she'd begun noticing it more often.

The connection was clearer and more present. She wasn't sure what it all meant. Whether her abilities had been strengthened when she'd put out a massive call for help or if continued communication with the mythologicals around her had made her more sensitive to the things she would have ignored before.

In either case, it was one of many questions she had for Sebastian and the other Kyren. So far, it was obvious they knew much more about her kind and their abilities than anyone else she'd met.

With that thought in mind, Eva straightened, studying the far side of the valley where Roscoe and his charges were slowly making their way toward the camp. Even from up here, they were still too far away to see. Barely more than blobs of browns and beiges moving across the valley floor.

Sebastian's wings worked, taking them higher, over the ridge as they left the valley behind.

Their trip passed in silence as Eva let herself be lulled by the beauty before her.

The Highlands were always a place of beauty. Every step you took trumped the one before. You could throw a rock and hit a stunning vista.

It was different seeing the land from this angle. A bird's eye view, as it were. It enabled Eva to notice things she hadn't before. Patterns that were difficult to discern when standing at ground level.

The jagged lines of mountain ridges drew her eyes. Deep grooves caused by water eating away at the stone sloped toward the many ravines and valleys they passed over. Some smaller than the valley where she and the Trateri had set up camp. Others just as big, if not bigger.

Monolithic stones jutted into the sky; their bases shadowed by towering pines.

Eva shivered. As much as she enjoyed the crisp feeling of the wind against her cheeks, it was quickly becoming unbearable the higher they climbed.

At this altitude, it didn't matter that early summer had come to the Highlands. Here in the mountains, at an altitude only birds ever reached, summer was nothing more than a fleeting afterthought.

Knowing it would only get worse, Eva dug into one of the small saddle bags. She pulled out a jacket made of leather. It was covered by a small layer of water-resistant oil from a solder beast. The oil made the jacket mildly wind proof, a welcome function at this altitude.

More importantly, it allowed water droplets to bead on the jackets surface and roll right off.

Fur lined the collar and cuffs, helping to add insulation and protect her wrists and neck.

The jacket was a gift from Caden. It had only taken the man one ride on a Kyren's back to understand what was truly necessary to keep a rider comfortable.

Considering he hadn't been on a Kyren since, Eva couldn't help but feel touched at the thought and care he'd put into commissioning the jacket from the Trateri artisans.

In addition to the jacket, he'd also created a set of gloves for her. Thin so as not to hinder her grip on what she had dubbed the ‘oh shit’ strap, a small interlocking rope at the front of her saddle that she could grab when Sebastian executed his more death-defying stunts.

Finally warm again and able to appreciate the view without her teeth threatening to chatter themselves out of her head, Eva settled on Sebastian's back, the journey passing quickly.

Half an hour of silence slid by before Eva could finally bring herself to ask the question that was sitting like a red back between them. Fierce with teeth and claws that could shred if you didn't approach carefully.

"Do you really have nothing to say?"

Eva studied the breathtaking vista. The sharp cliffs and deep ravines that made her wonder at what was hidden there. The mysteries that awaited the brave or the brash.

An echoing silence was Eva's only answer.

A wry smile pulled at her lips. She should have expected this.

The Kyren, and Sebastian in particular, had never been forthcoming. Sebastian had a tendency to cling to his defenses even when it became obvious it was in his best interests to do otherwise.

It was what he'd done when she'd first met him, hiding the hold the rebels had over him. The fact they held his mates along with their unborn children.

In the past, she'd let him get away with it. Forgiven him for the secrets he kept. Secrets that had cost people their lives.

She'd thought they were on the road to developing a partnership similar to the one she had with Caia. Where neither was dominant over the other.

Now she was thinking that maybe that assumption was a misjudgment on her part. That maybe he never had any intention of accepting a human as his friend.

I don't know what you mean.

Liar. Eva didn't say the word aloud. She didn't have to, the thought was as loud as a shout.

Sebastian flinched, the movement nearly imperceptible. Not just physically but mentally as well.

Served him right. She hoped he felt bad. Hoped he realized how much he'd hurt her.

She let herself linger on the feelings she'd had when she'd first discovered his absence. The abandonment she felt when she realized he wasn't coming back.

The hurt and the anger. And under it all the sadness.

He was her friend—and then he was gone without a word.

I'm sorry, Eva. It was never my intention to hurt you.

Sebastian's sorrow filtered into her mind. The regret he felt at his actions.

Eva held her silence, not quite ready to forgive him. Even if she could sense his sincerity.

I didn't have a choice. There are things happening I can't tell you about.

Eva snorted. "Obviously."

She'd got that from the abrupt manner of his departure.

"Maybe you couldn't have told me why you were going, but you could have let me know you were leaving. I deserved that much."

Sebastian banked, zooming past jagged peaks and catching an updraft. He spread his wings, taking advantage of the wind to settle into a gentle glide.

I realize that now. Sebastian's wry tone made Eva want to smile.

She bit her cheeks to stop herself, not quite ready to give up her mad.

Next time, I promise to tell you. Forgive me?

The apology took the remaining heat out of her anger. "Fine. Under one condition."

Deal.

Eva's eyes widened, her mouth falling open as she felt Sebastian bank.

"Wait! I'm not ready."

Knowing what was coming, Eva fumbled for the oh shit strap. Gravity dropped out from under her as Sebastian folded his wings.

"You little bastard!" Eva screamed.

He’d done that on purpose.

They dove headlong toward the earth as her butt lifted a centimeter off Sebastian's back, only the pressure of her knees against the hard front flaps and her hold on the handle keeping her from tumbling off his back.

Tendrils of blond hair slid out of her braid to whip at Eva's face, stinging her eyes and making her wish she'd worn something over her hair before being insane enough to climb on Sebastian's back.

Fear should have been the prevailing emotion. Fear of falling. Fear of death.

But instead, all Eva felt was excitement.

A wide smile spread across her face as she squeezed her thighs against Sebastian's sides for dear life.

"Alright, let's see what you got," Eva shouted, the wind snatching away her words.

She wasn't worried about Sebastian not hearing, knowing their connection would ensure he registered her feelings.

There was a whoop in her mind and then his wings snapped out. Eva's body jolted forward, her teeth clacking together. The flaps once again served their purpose, keeping her locked tight to Sebastian's back.

Knowing his antics weren't over, Eva quickly adjusted her seat.

Sure enough, seconds later, he banked left around a column of rock before diving quickly through the narrow open space below a stone slab resting on top of two columns. Greenery marched along the rock bridge's top.

Sebastian's wings cast dark shadows over the ground as they swept past.

There was the same sense of wonder and freedom she had whenever she rode Caia. A sense of danger mingled with those feelings, adding a sharp edge that was addictive.

Eva had missed this. The exhilaration and camaraderie that came from working together to perform stunts that would turn most people's hair gray.

If the Trateri could see her now, she wasn't sure how many would volunteer to form a bond with a Kyren. Then again, the Trateri had never impressed Eva with their sense of self preservation.

Sebastian dodged the sharp jut of rocky outcrops, passing within inches in a dizzying rush. Bushes and trees swayed with their passage.

Eva couldn't help but admire the precision of his flight, knowing a single miscalculation would dash them both against unyielding stone and dirt.

Finally, they swept into a long valley where giant boulders dotted the ground on either side of a vast lake, the sun shimmering off the small waves.

Sebastian's altitude lowered until they were skimming above water so crystalline and pure Eva could see to the bottom.

"Beautiful," she breathed.

It was, too. The sort of beauty that made you pause. Your mind emptying as you simply took in the wonder, quiet and calm replacing whatever had been there before.

It was nothing like the place where Eva had grown up. The land she'd once called home was filled with vast forests and gently rolling hills, as different from the harsh and desolate beauty of the Highlands as night was from day.

Here, rocky mountains competed with the sky for supremacy. The harsh land and unpredictable weather were as likely to kill you as the beasts.

Even after months of living in the Highlands, Eva still didn't entirely understand the level of crazy required to settle here, much less remain in a place so ill-suited to human habitation.

Still, it was a crazy she admired. There was something about a person who threw caution and reason to the wind that inspired you to do the same.

It made Eva want to be a little more like them. Someone who didn't let fear control their actions. Utterly themselves in all situations.

Something Eva still struggled with.

Shadows in the water caught Eva's attention. She leaned over Sebastian's side for a better look.

"What is that?" Eva breathed.

She tried to make sense of what she was seeing, tracing the curved lines and broken patterns of what she soon realized was a skeleton. A massive one. Far bigger than any beast she'd ever seen.

Its ribs alone stretched nearly the width of the lake. The vertebrae of its spine marched along the bottom before disappearing into the silt.

Their shadow rippled over its skull, leaving Eva with the illusion the skeleton beast was going to lunge out of the water and pluck them from the sky at any second.

A beast. One that is long dead, Sebastian teased.

Eva scoffed. Believe it or not, she had figured that part out for herself.

It's probably best that creature no longer roams these lands. Otherwise, you and the rest of your two leggers likely wouldn't have survived until my return.

Eva thumped her fist on Sebastian's shoulder, not appreciating the image his words painted.

Sebastian's nicker held laughter.

"You should have more faith in them. I doubt that beast would have been enough to wipe out the camp. Something tells me Caden and the rest would have enjoyed the challenge." Eva pursed her lips, the visual ringing true. "Might have even made a rug out of its hide."

The Trateri were nothing if not thrifty. They found a use for any resource that fell into their hands. A beast like that could be used for many things. Its fangs and bones turned into weapons, if nothing else.

Sebastian tossed his head. It's more likely that beast had scales or feathers. I doubt it had any fur.

"You know what I meant."

This was the problem with Kyren and mythologicals in general. They were always so reluctant to recognize human abilities. One day it was going to bite them on the ass and Eva hoped she was there to tell them she’d told them so.

Such faith in them.

Eva frowned at the back of Sebastian's head. "I thought you would have learned better by now. Humans are far from weak. You've seen what they can do. Caden, in particular."

Eva would bet on her commander against any beast or mythological. He'd already proven he was as capable and deadly as anything in these lands. What he couldn't accomplish through brute strength was achieved through cunning and strategy.

Even a near mortal wound hadn't stopped him. At least not until he'd accomplished enough to give Eva a fighting chance against their enemies.

Sebastian's grudging acknowledgment whispered across Eva's senses.

Stubborn he might be, with an inclination towards a sense of superiority that sometimes made Eva want to yank all the hair in his mane out, but he was smart enough to recognize when he was wrong.

"We might have lost some to the battle, but I have every faith that Caden and the others would have triumphed eventually," Eva said.

And really, did Sebastian think the Kyren could have taken on that beast without suffering losses? Eva didn't think so.

Either way, it didn't matter. The beast was long dead and incarcerated in its watery grave. No threat to anyone.

Sensing their game was over, Eva made herself comfortable on Sebastian's back. After a short while, she finally asked the question that had been plaguing her since their departure.

"Where are we going?"

That information is useless even if I told you. Without my guidance, I doubt you or anyone else could find it.

Eva snorted. "Underestimating us again. I think Reece or Shea would have something to say about that."

Shea especially seemed to delight in proving others wrong.

You have a point, Sebastian said after a moment of thought.

Eva smirked. Of course, she did.

"Do you know why they called me?"

It's what you were hoping for, isn't it? Well, it looks like you got it. Orion and his council are ready to talk.

"I figured as much from the abrupt summoning. Anything I need to know going in?" Eva asked, shoving aside her uncertainties.

They're not going to be happy you let strangers into the valley.

"They were Trateri who took a wrong turn in the mist. I couldn't exactly turn them away."

I believe you, but I don't think some of the others will. Be prepared, Eva. This won't be easy.

When was it ever?

Sebastian flew for a day and a night, only stopping to take periodic breaks on the journey. Eva wasn't a pathfinder but if she had to guess, his path had been rather circuitous. Full of misdirection and long detours.

Not that Eva minded.

She understood. She really did.

They were venturing into Kyren territory. For a group as paranoid and reclusive as them, it was an honor that they would let her visit.

Sebastian's less than straight forward path flight also had the benefit of throwing off any followers who might wish to track him back to Kyren lands.

After all, their enemies didn't need many Kyren to accomplish their goals. If their actions in the past were anything to judge by, they'd be content with any they could trap. The younger the better.

Sebastian's caution was understandable—though a tad unnecessary.

It would take a mountain goat to scale the vertical cliffs and sharp drops they flew past.

As the day passed, the terrain grew more impassable, making it nearly impossible for anyone who lacked wings to traverse.

Or maybe that's just how it seemed from the air. It was difficult to know without walking it herself.

Eva had to give it to them. The Kyren had chosen their territory well. They'd picked an area full of natural defenses. The rugged mountains and deep ravines would make it difficult for all but the most determined to find them.

It would be impossible for Fallon, or anyone else for that matter, to invade with a large army. At least not easily. And definitely not quietly.

Judging by the number of times he'd banked, and a few of the more distant mountains she was using as reference points, she had a feeling they hadn't gone as far as Sebastian wanted to make it seem.

Maybe half a day's flight at best.

Then again, she could be wrong. Navigating from air was much different than from the ground.

Pathfinding wasn't exactly in her skill set either. She knew north from south and east from west. In the Lowlands that would have been more than enough, but the Highlands were different. They had a way of turning a person around, making your sense of direction meaningless.

Eva had a feeling no matter how many times Sebastian flew her along this path, she'd never be able to guide others to the places she'd seen.

Which was exactly what the Kyren were hoping for.

We're getting close, Sebastian said after what felt like an eternity.

Finally.

Eva's ass thanked him. It had been hours since their last rest stop and her lower extremities had long since gone numb. Persistent aches in her hips and the small of her back let her know they'd had about enough of this nonsense.

Sebastian's timing was impeccable since Eva had been planning to ask him for another rest break.

Now that there was an end in sight, she bit back that request and instead worked on making herself comfortable for the remainder of the ride.

Just a little further and then she'd finally be done.

Unable to resist any longer, Eva slid one boot out of a stirrup, straightening and bending her leg a few times before slipping her foot back into the stirrup and repeating the process with the other leg.

Finished, she twisted her upper half left and then right before settling down again.

It didn't quite work out all the kinks but it would do for now.

The sharp walls of a ravine rose around them. Fully extended, Sebastian's wings cleared the space with only inches to spare. The walls of the ravine were covered in moss and greenery, a river trickling under their feet.

They followed its snaking path as Eva stared around her in curiosity.

Hold on, Eva.

Sebastian picked up speed as a bend in the ravine approached. He banked, nearly turning sideways as they raced around the corner.

Eva caught her breath as the ravine jogged in the opposite direction.

Sebastian flapped his wings, following the twisting corridor without hesitation.

A rushing sound filled Eva's ears. "What is that?"

Her question went unanswered as she clung to Sebastian's back, leaning with him every time he had to shift direction.

The ravine widened slightly, and Eva finally caught a glimpse of what was causing that sound.

Ahead, the river plummeted over a sharp drop, a wall of stone blocking their path behind it.

"Sebastian," Eva warned.

If he didn't slow down, they were going to crash.

The spray from the waterfall dampened her clothes, its touch icy cold as they approached the drop.

Suddenly, Eva had a feeling she knew what Sebastian was going to do. She grabbed the oh shit handle and hung on for dear life.

Sebastian folded his wings. They dropped, missing the rocks jutting from the lip of the waterfall by inches.

The sight below was terrifying. The ground lost in a misty haze that veiled everything.

There was nowhere to go. Cliffs to their fore and the waterfall and more rock to their rear.

They were truly trapped and with the mist coming off the waterfall there was no way to know what awaited them below.

"Sebastian!" There was panic in Eva's voice this time.

Sebastian's wings snapped out, and they shot into the fog as Eva fought the urge to close her eyes. Strange as it was, she felt a need to face what was coming with her eyes wide open.

The roar of water was all around her. Nearly deafening. Until it was all she could hear.

A small break in the fog ahead allowed her to see the cliffs looming large.

She sucked in a breath, only noticing the small cave in the side of the cliff once they were already passing into it.

Darkness embraced them. Eva straightened, half afraid a stalactite or other rock outcropping would knock her silly.

When her head remained attached to her body, Eva relaxed slightly, taking the opportunity to loosen her grip on the handle.

Not entirely, just enough to let the blood flow back into her fingers.

Below her, Eva sensed Sebastian's calm. There was none of the tense anxiety or fear of a gruesome death that haunted her thoughts.

It made her realize something she should have before. This wasn't his first time coming this route. He was too familiar. Reacted too quickly to the twists and turns. Preparing for the next before they were through the first. Almost like he'd done this before. Many times.

And here she'd thought it was another one of his flying games.

Scare the silly human. Well, he'd certainly done that.

As they flew, the darkness took on a violet tinge, allowing Eva to see.

"Wow," she said softly as she studied her surroundings.

The strangeness of this place was unexpected.

In the presence of absolute darkness, like what you'd find in a cave, it shouldn't matter how long she stared into the void. Her eyes would never adjust.

Yet here, she was able to see the columns of rock around them, carved by water and time. Small pockets of darkness that told her of other chambers to the cave.

Eva looked down, noting the inky black of the river, violet specks of light glimmering along its surface.

"What in the world?"

Having a thought, Eva looked up and gasped. Along the ceiling, thousands of tiny lights shone. Like stars in the night sky.

Only the color of violet.

There were thin strands of light stretching between each dot. Interconnected in a massive web.

Like what you see?

"You have no idea," Eva said, not taking her eyes from the ethereal sight.

It was like a dream. An amazing, beautiful dream.

"This is—" She shook her head again, her laugh echoed off the walls. "I have no idea what this is."

Look in front of you, Sebastian said softly.

Eva squinted over his head. Sunshine waited, along with the mouth of the cave.

Sebastian soared out of the cavern, over a cliff that dropped into one of the most beautiful places Eva had ever seen.

Kyren frolicked in the sky. Columns of rock towered over the meadows and trees interspersed throughout the gentle rolling hills.

"I thought you weren't taking me to the herd lands," Eva whispered, unable to tear her gaze from what was in front of her.

I didn't. Not exactly. At least not the ones you're thinking of.

Eva's forehead furrowed as she aimed a troubled frown at the back of Sebastian's head before returning her gaze to the view.

He was right. This wasn't the herd lands of her dreams. A place she'd only touched on in passing. One she might have thought a figment of her imagination if not for the conversation she’d had with the herd lord there.

She'd encountered that place again when trapped in the mist. It had laid claim to her soul in a way this place didn't.

Which wasn't to say this place wasn't every bit as beautiful as the place she'd visited in her dreams. It was.

Breathtaking. Magnificent. You could pick any one of hundreds of adjectives and it still wouldn't capture this place adequately.

It was a sight that made Eva's chest tight, inspiring a breathless feeling even as she drew in a lungful of air.

Sebastian's wings propelled them forward as Eva was lost in her distraction, her head constantly turning for fear she'd miss something.

Kyren lifted their heads to watch them pass overhead.

Eva gasped as she caught sight of younglings playing amid the boulders and rock columns, diving between them in the same way Sebastian had taken them through the ravine.

A small Kyren whose coat looked like a dove's wings, light gray with darker spots speckled throughout, lunged from below. She nipped at her playmate's foreleg.

The playmate, a Kyren with a champagne coat, veered to the side as the rest of the Kyren scattered.

Laughter trailed through Eva's mind as the Kyren fled in opposite directions. Some dipping down to find hiding spots at the base of the columns. A few headed down to perch on a boulder that looked like it had been split in half by a giant sword.

Eva leaned over Sebastian's side, hoping to get a better look at the young Kyren.

The speckled gray Kyren looked up, letting out a surprised whicker.

One by one her playmates followed her gaze to the sky. A chorus of voices greeted Sebastian before catching sight of Eva.

What's that creature clinging to Sebastian?

Curious, a few of the Kyren lifted from the ground, following in Eva and Sebastian's wake.

What did you bring us? A Kyren asked Sebastian.

It looks like a human, the voice of a young male answered.

The champagne-colored Kyren flew close. Only two legs. You may be right.

Gasps sounded in Eva's mind as the young Kyren tried to crowd close. Sebastian kicked at one before nipping at the others.

The youths put distance between themselves and Sebastian but didn't leave.

Are you sure it's human? What is one doing here?

"Hello," Eva called, feeling like she should let them know she could hear them. "You're right. I am human and your herd lord summoned me."

Startled surprise whispered in Eva's mind.

Can she hear us? A hushed voice Eva thought belonged to the buckskin male asked.

Impossible, the champagne huffed. Humans can't hear our voices.

Eva grinned at the champagne Kyren. "I thought so too the first time I heard Sebastian. Turns out it's not nearly as impossible as you'd think."

The champagne's wings missed a beat as she wobbled in the air, sinking before she caught herself.

She really heard you, the speckled gray said with surprise.

Eva smiled at the gray. "I can hear you too."

Excited chatter filled Eva's mind as they tried to crowd in on Eva and Sebastian, speaking over each other as they fought to have their questions heard.

Sebastian veered, baring his teeth.

The youths squealed and scattered, momentarily.

Alright, alright, that's enough. We are on an important mission. We don't have time to satisfy your curiosity, Sebastian said.

The gray's snort sounded in Eva's mind. You've gotten self-important since joining the warriors, Sebby.

Sebby?

Don't call me that, Sebastian ordered. Eva—forget you heard that.

Eva's lips curled. "Sure thing, Sebby."

Sebastian let out a huff. Look what you did. Now, she's never going to call me anything else.

"You got that right," Eva muttered under her breath.

It was his name now. Forever and ever.

Shouldn't have tried to chase us off, the champagne taunted.

The rest of the youths darted away, their laughter trailing behind them as an adult Kyren female joined them.

Mate, you always let them get to you. It's why they persist.

You're always on their side, Belle, Sebastian grumbled as his mate joined them.

Belle ignored him as warm brown eyes Eva recognized met hers. Welcome, Caller. It's good to see you again.

"Lady, I am glad you look well." Eva inclined her head in a sign of respect. "How is your foal?"

See for yourself.

The mare looked over her shoulder toward a small Kyren that gambled through the short grasses and colorful flowers. He tossed his head, his gait playful as he galloped a few steps before turning and high stepping in the opposite direction.

A heartfelt smile spread across Eva's face, brightening her eyes. "He's grown so big."

The last time she'd seen the foal was immediately after she'd helped his mother give birth to him and seconds before the fire fox had helped them escape into the mist.

Sebastian and the rest had assured her he was well but seeing it was better than hearing it from others.

Young ones at that age always do. The mare's love and affection overflowed in her tone. I can't ever repay you for what you did for my family. If you need anything while you're here, please let my mate know and I will help you.

"I'll remember that," Eva responded.

The mare nickered before banking and heading back to her foal. Seeing his mother, the foal lifted his head and tail before running toward her.

Sebastian swept over the valley, leaving behind the rock columns and other Kyren. They headed to the wall of cliffs in the distance, the mountain's steep slopes climbing above them.

Instead of heading toward the wide-open expanse at the cliff's base, Sebastian aimed for a long, flat ledge midway up. It was the only place suitable for landing if one bypassed the valley floor.

Sebastian's wings beat as he landed. We're here.

five

The ledge was wider than it looked from the air. Large enough for Eva to comfortably house ten horses—or the entire Trateri camp she'd been living in for the past several weeks.

Eva leaned over Sebastian's side, noting the sharp drop only a few feet away and the ground so very far below.

It was a long way down if the Kyren Sebastian brought her to see decided they no longer wanted a Caller. Chances were, she wouldn't survive a fall like that.

Eva's gaze lifted to examine the terrain they'd flown over, the view different from this perspective.

They were in a deep bowl, the base of the surrounding mountains hidden by the steep cliffs that encircled them. It was a mystery what geologic event had caused the formation of this place. Except for the cavern river Sebastian had flown through, Eva didn't see another way into or out of the bowl unless you went by air.

Was it a natural phenomenon? Man-made? Mythological-made?

As unlikely as it seemed given humanity's current abilities, Eva couldn't entirely dismiss the second. Legends had it that humans once held unimaginable power. The period of time leading into the cataclysm was said to have reshaped the land multiple times, leaving permanent marks courtesy of the arrogance that had destroyed their great civilization.

A deep voice intruded in her mind, bringing Eva back to the present. Hello, Eva. I've been waiting for you.

The other's presence was a burning inferno, a searing existence who, even shielded, carried an intimidating power.

With a sense of inevitability, Eva twisted to find the speaker framed by the mouth of a cave, eyes the color of blood trained on her.

"Orion," Eva acknowledged. "And here I was under the impression that I was the one kept waiting."

Sebastian's opposite, Orion seemed to glow against the backdrop of the cave's mouth, his coat the color of moonlight. As white and pure as the first snowfall. Horns jutted from his head, longer than even Sebastian's.

Everything happens in its own time. A thread of amusement filled Orion's voice.

Eva held in her snort. It wouldn't do to insult the herd lord. Especially when she could feel others around them. Watching—and waiting.

They weren't as powerful as Orion, but powerful enough. Certainly capable of ending Callers who didn't know their own limits.

Until she had a better grasp on the personalities of their audience, it would be wise for Eva to proceed with caution.

"Funny how you chose this particular moment in time for this conversation rather than any of the ones before or after," Eva said, still feeling a little peeved about the way this had all come about.

Orion was silent but Eva thought she caught a hint of laughter in his eyes.

A petite sorrel with a sweet face and intelligent eyes moved out of the cave, brushing past the herd lord. Is this her? The little human who wishes to be a Caller?

At that, one of Eva's eyebrows lifted. As far as she knew, she was already a Caller. No wish about it.

A shadow dropped out of the sky, landing hard on the ledge a few feet away. A blood bay stallion shook his head lightly.

Larger than any Kyren Eva had ever seen, his coat contained a rich red undertone while his legs, mane and tail were a dark black. The tip of one horn was broken and there were scars along his back and haunches that pointed to a violent life.

Something in the way he held himself told Eva he was a warrior. A capable one at that.

He reminded her of Caden. He had that same way of looking at someone. Quiet. Intent. A readiness in his stance that said he could end you at a moment's notice.

Polaris, you'll scare the poor girl. A nicker came from above as a Kyren with a chestnut coat folded his wings to land.

Then she'll show far more wisdom than most humans we've encountered. Polaris's gaze never wavered from Eva's as his words rumbled through her mind.

A light snicker came from the chestnut.

Watch it, Danyon, Sebastian warned.

You've grown bold since you joined the warriors, the chestnut crooned. Are you sure this human is worth challenging one of us?

Tension rolled off Sebastian as he glared at Danyon.

Concerned, Eva set a hand on his shoulder. As much as she appreciated his defense, she didn't want him getting into trouble on her account.

Although Sebastian was powerful, she wasn't sure of his chances against the chestnut. Let alone the blood bay whose aura said he'd probably stomp all over her friend.

Laughter chimed in Eva's mind. Ignore them. Dominance games are a way of life for us. They know not to take it too far.

The mare moved closer, blocking the rest as she stared into Eva's eyes.

So strong, the mare breathed. You have no idea how strong yet.

Strength is only half of the equation, Talia, Polaris rumbled. In the wrong hands, that very strength can become a weapon pointed at our throats.

The look in Polaris's eyes deepened. Though his words were aimed at Eva, she didn't get the sense they were really meant for her. There was a weight to them. A history.

It left Eva with the feeling that he would say the same to any human standing there. This wasn't a personal attack. As long as whoever faced them was human, his reaction would have been the same.

Eva's not like that, Sebastian spat. I'd trust her with my life and the lives of my mate and foal.

Danyon snorted. That's convenient considering you already have.

Sebastian sent him a look. Which proves my point.

Eva couldn't hold back her soft snicker anymore. Five pairs of eyes focused on her.

Sebastian's were questioning while Orion's remained steady and calm from beginning to end. The other three looked at her with varying degrees of confusion and reserve.

Eva bumped Sebastian with her shoulder. "Sorry, it's just a little funny hearing those words out of your mouth considering our beginning."

If a Kyren could blush, Sebastian's face would be bright red. His head turned as he tried to avoid her gaze.

Ironically, this wasn't her first experience hearing a Kyren or mythological question her honor or use her humanness as a sign of defect.

Sebastian had voiced similar reservations during their first meeting and for a long time afterward. It took weeks and many encounters for her to prove she wasn't what he thought.

Now, here he was, defending her against his elders. How times had changed.

Not even going to defend yourself? Danyon challenged.

She sent him a cool look. "Why waste my breath when your minds are already made up?"

Eva had never been the type to beat herself against walls. To continue would only take up more of their time and hers.

Call her pragmatic but she had better things to do.

Number one on that list—returning to camp and Caden.

Pretty sentiment, but somehow your words lack impact when the proof of your treachery is currently intruding into your valley, Polaris said.

Ah, Eva had wondered when they'd get to that. It was, after all, the entire reason they'd called her here.

She shot a quick glance at Orion, seeing nothing but calm patience there. As if he had all the time in the world and the answer didn't really affect him one way or the other. Almost like a parent whose child was brought to account for their misdeeds.

Eva nodded to herself. Okay then. If that's how it was, she was game. She'd had a long time to consider on the journey. Once the panic had gone, a lot of things became clear.

She just wasn't sure if her conclusions matched Kyren expectations.

"You're upset about the appearance of the Trateri." Eva's words were a statement more than a question as she took the time to get her thoughts in order.

She checked their faces, finding resistance in their expressions. They'd already made up their minds before she said a single word.

Not that she'd expected anything else. The Trateri were the same. Give even the appearance of going back on your word and you'd find it ten times as hard to make your voice heard.

In the Kyren's eyes, they'd already betrayed the treaty. No excuse could make up for that.

"Would the Kyren render aid to some of their own even if they were on a secret mission for the Trateri?" Eva asked.

What does that have to do with things? Talia asked, the fascination she'd had for Eva before muted at Polaris's reminder.

We would, Orion's voice was deep as he spoke over Talia.

"Even if you'd promised the Trateri that you'd hold their secrets close?"

Polaris's head turned as he gave Orion a deep look.

At that, Eva's lips curled up the faintest bit. He saw where she was going with this. Good. It would make things easier.

"And yet you're asking them to turn their own people away when in danger?"

Danyon let out a doubtful sound. I'd hardly call that danger.

"Humans depend on each other for survival. The pathfinder judged it too dangerous to abandon them midway and continue on his own," Eva said.

Again, a sound argument, except for the part where the pathfinder's path should never have crossed theirs, Polaris pointed out.

Eva shifted her attention to him and tried to radiate her sincerity and truthfulness.

"I know you have eyes on us and that you're perfectly aware of how the newcomers came to be in this part of the Highlands. Humans aren't like the Kyren. We can't control when the mist appears or where in the Broken Lands it deposits us."

Eva paused to study the effect of her words.

Orion, as always, was hard to judge. His expression giving nothing of his inner thoughts away. With Polaris in the role of antagonist, you'd think he'd be the one Eva was most wary of.

Not so.

More and more, she saw Caden in him. His questions were pointed, not giving her any breathing room. He was their enforcer. The protector of the rest. His only focus was their security and rooting out anything that could endanger the herd.

It was only right he parsed every word of hers, analyzing them for lies.

He wasn't like Sebastian. He didn't have reason to trust her yet. Even if the day came where she could earn his esteem, he would still have to keep his guard up for the possibility she’d change.

It was the hardest part of being a protector. You were doomed to never truly trust another.

No matter how much you might wish otherwise.

In contrast to Polaris's intent regard, Talia only gave an impression of mild interest. Aloof as though the topic was of no concern to her.

If Eva was to bet, Danyon would be the one she needed to be on guard against. He'd been careful to speak gently, teasing the others about scaring her, but there was a pointedness in his words that said he didn't want her here.

"You're right though. We are the ones who brought them here. The pathfinder could have walked right past them when he encountered them in the mist. Pretend he didn't see them. No one would have ever known." Eva lifted a shoulder. "They would have wandered lost. Possibly forever."

Eva's eyes were cold as she smiled at the Kyren.

"Is that the kind of ally you want? People who would abandon their own in favor of self-interest?"

If that was the case, perhaps they should stop this alliance right here. It'd be better for all of them.

Very convincing. Really. I might even believe it if not for the army that followed them out of the mist, Danyon said with the air of someone winning the deciding blow against their opponent.

Eva's eyes narrowed. More and more she wasn't liking the chestnut Kyren. He reminded her too much of humans who'd taken one glance at Eva and decided she was unworthy.

As much as she'd like to treat him the same way she did those short-sighted idiots, she didn't have the luxury. Instead, she was stuck trying to explain herself to those whose minds were already closed.

"What army?" Eva asked.

Technically, she had no proof an army had followed the Trateri out of the mist. Only speculation and a history with worst case scenarios.

The one we spotted not far from your valley, Danyon continued. How would they be here if not for your Trateri leading them?

"It's true Lion Clan was pursuing rebels when they encountered the mist," Eva admitted. "But they weren't part of the group the pathfinder led out. If they're here, it's because they managed to find their way out of the mist themselves."

How do we know you're not working together? That they're not Trateri? Danyon asked. We only have your word for it.

Eva took a deep breath. No, no, Eva. You can't thump him on the nose with your hand like you'd do a misbehaving horse.

It took effort to bite back her retort. Only when she'd found her composure did she meet Orion's gaze.

"You've dealt with the Trateri many times. Do they look like Trateri? Do they wear the same clothes or move in the same way? If that army was lost in the same mist, it would make sense that they were released from it in the same area as the rest."

Danyon snickered. You've already done such a good job arguing your humans can't navigate the mist on their own. Don't ruin it now.

Eva took a deep breath, pushing down her frustration. "You've met their enemy. Talk to the mares I freed. They'll know. Not everyone they recruit is human."

Eva could have said more. She could have spoken about the strange power that brushed against her during the leader's death. Or the fact she suspected that power acted very much like a parasite in need of a host.

Instead, she remained quiet. The Kyren weren't the only ones plagued by trust problems. How could she ensure they wouldn’t take the information she shared and hurt her or the Trateri with it?

Sad to say, but there it was.

Eva shook her head, abruptly tired of it all. The games they played and the carrots they kept dangling in front of her in hopes she'd jump. If they'd wanted an obedient dog, they should have chosen someone else.

"You know what: this is a farce. You don't care about the truth. You just want a reason to back out of the alliance."

Eva, Sebastian said quietly.

No, she was done.

Eva took a step toward Orion. "You asked us here, not the other way around. You approached me. If you were never going to trust us, why do any of this?"

The Kyren were silent.

Typical.

Eva met each of their gazes. "Don't forget. It was a Kyren who came to me for help first. Every step of the way, your kind has led this dance. If anyone should be wary, it's me."

Why watch them for all these weeks? It was so much easier to gain a person's measure through interaction. What could they learn by keeping their distance?

Eva didn't know. She wasn't even sure she cared at this point.

Orion stirred, addressing the others. Give us a moment.

Talia and Danyon didn't argue, trotting to the ledge and dropping over it. Polaris was slower, lingering to give Orion a searching look.

Orion inclined his head at the other. She won't hurt me.

Polaris blew out a snort, his tail flicking to show his dissatisfaction as he followed the other two. The entire time he stared at Eva, letting her know without words that if she harmed the herd lord in any way, she'd answer to him.

Eva folded her arms over her chest, unimpressed. He wasn't the first to threaten her with bodily harm and she doubted he'd be the last.

It seemed to be a trait she brought out in others. Human and mythological alike.

Finally, Sebastian was the only one left.

He looked between Eva and Orion uncertainly.

Go, nephew. I won't hurt your friend.

Sebastian didn't move. Eva?

She nodded in dismissal, appreciating the courage it took to ignore his herd lord in favor of gaining her approval.

"I'll be fine. Besides, if anything happens to me, Caden will come."

He'd told her as much once.

It might not seem like much to a Kyren who had a habit of underestimating her commander, but to Eva it was a vow.

Caden would get revenge. She had no doubt about that. It might end in his death, but he'd make the Kyren pay a hefty price before he went.

There was a certain security in knowing there was someone out there who had her back. Who'd burn the world down in her name.

Not that she'd ever want that, but Eva couldn't pretend her heart didn't flutter a bit.

For someone whose trust in others had been as badly damaged as Eva's, it was a heady feeling knowing someone cared enough to set his own survival aside to avenge her.

But with those pleasant feelings also came a sense of responsibility. A heavy weight that bound her as surely as chains.

Because her actions didn't affect only her.

Sebastian's reluctance was obvious as he looked back at Eva one last time before spreading his wings and dropping over the ledge.

Eva stepped up to the edge, looking down to find Sebastian gliding over the land.

For a moment, she envied him his wings. The ease with which he could take flight. The ability to go anywhere at any time. No worry of beast or mist to hold him back.

It was freedom. Pure and simple.

But perhaps it was a good thing she didn't have wings. Eva suspected it'd be all too easy to run every time things got difficult.

Orion joined her, silence filling the space between them. A hushed quiet far from the crackling hum that had been present with the other Kyren.

Eva looked up at the sky, taking in the thin streams of white cloud so high up she didn't think she could reach them even on Sebastian's back.

"I don't know what you want," Eva finally admitted.

She'd thought she did. She had it all figured out. She'd be their Caller and together they'd work to better the relations between Kyren and human.

Now, she couldn't help but think she'd been a little naive to assume it would be so easy.

We want the same thing as the Trateri. A safe place to call our own. Somewhere we can rear our children and live our lives in peace without worrying those who mean us harm will intrude at any moment.

There was the impression of a smile in Eva's mind.

Of course, if there are the occasional battles, we wouldn't say no to that either.

Eva twisted to face Orion. "Then why does it seem that everything you do is designed to push me away?"

The long wait. The last minute summons. Neither were the actions of someone who wanted this to work.

It was upsetting.

Maybe if it had been the old her, she wouldn't care. The one from before she’d bonded with Sebastian. The one who looked at the Trateri as a means to an end, more attached to their horses than the people themselves.

But she was different now. She cared. Too much.

Not just about the alliance either. The Kyren had promised her purpose and a readymade family. Now, they were threatening to take that away from her.

She didn't know if she was ready to let it go.

"You didn't even allow me to visit the herd lands."

Instead, they’d brought her here. A place just as beautiful, but that didn't take away the sting such an act represented. Distrust. Told you can approach but only this far.

Orion's sigh came. There is still a lot you don't understand about us.

"That won't change unless you talk to me."

A chuckle sounded. You are not wrong.

"I was never certain I could be what you wanted me to be, but I took a chance because I thought it was important. That the Kyren deserved to be heard. Was I wrong?"

She needed to know. Nothing hurt worse than failure—especially when you wanted to succeed almost more than anything.

If she could manage expectations, maybe she could prepare herself, so she wasn't crushed in the end.

Eyes that gleamed like starlight focused on Eva.

Orion's emotions were locked down tighter than Sebastian's, giving her no hint as to what he was thinking. It left Eva’s mind blind to him. Like she'd been deprived of one of her senses.

Until this moment, she hadn't realized how much she'd come to rely on what she sensed from the Kyren and other mythologicals.

You are a Caller. I've never doubted that.

If that was the case, what were his reasons for the rest?

Did you think you would gain acceptance as easily as you did a title?

Eva choked. "I wouldn't exactly call that easy."

She'd almost died after all.

Some steps you must take on your own. We cannot do them for you or provide shortcuts.

Eva's frown held irritation. "Perhaps your advice could be a little more helpful and less obscure."

She'd certainly appreciate it.

There was a burst of amusement from Orion, his emotions whispering into Eva like a summer breeze clearing away some of her frustration and bringing with it the knowledge that he truly did wish for her success.

To become a pathfinder, one must first find their way to Wayfarer's Keep. They pass through unimaginable danger. Brave beast and mist. All for a chance at something most scorn.

Eva concentrated. Why did she feel like there was a deeper meaning to those words?

They take the first step alone, and it's often the hardest.

"You're saying I need to find my way alone."

Orion's gaze was patient, telling her she was on the right track.

"Only I can bring myself to the herd lands."

This time Eva's words held a little more certainly.

Eva sunk into thought. This could explain the distance they'd maintained since her arrival.

It would have been nice to know about this little test at the beginning.

"You realize I have no clue where your herd lands are," Eva pointed out.

You don't give yourself enough credit. You've already been there in spirit. Your body simply needs to follow.

Eva frowned up at the sky. That—was less than helpful.

"If we aren't in the herd lands, where are we?" Eva finally asked, leaving the topic of how to find a place she'd never been—without help and without dying—for later.

Also, our herd lands.

Eva scowled as she gave Orion a look.

Orion's wings spread as he surged upward. The herd lands you seek are sacred. Take a day or two before heading back. Acquaint yourself with my herd then go from there.

"What good advice. Not vague or hard to understand at all."

Not.

Grumbling to herself, Eva studied the sharp drop. Her frown deepened as she walked along the ledge, scrutinizing the cliff below.

Wait a minute. There was no way down. No stairs or rope to slide down. Just un-abating rock.

She was stuck. Well and truly.

"Seriously just going to leave me here, huh?"

Eva's lips tightened as she shook her head. Why didn't this surprise her?

Eva set her hands on her hips and swore as she studied the drop. There was no way around it. She wasn't getting down. Nor was she going up, Eva conceded after she craned her head back to take in the cliff behind her.

"So much for getting acquainted with the Kyren."

Despite the fact she was effectively marooned on this ledge, Eva didn't panic. Sebastian would come in search of her. Probably.

She settled in to wait, leaning her back against the cool rock behind her and sliding into a sitting position as she stared at the Kyren in the distance. Hopefully, Sebastian would remember her before night fall. Otherwise, she'd be camping here. Without gear or food.

Eva shivered at the thought.

The time passed slowly, and it wasn't long before Eva grew tired of sitting on hard stone. Her hours on Sebastian's back didn't help matters, her legs and hips still aching.

Eva used the wall to stand, stretching her back. With nothing better to do, Eva paced to the end of the ledge before turning and making her way to the other end.

She paused, her attention landing on the cave Orion had come out of earlier. The darkness whispered her name, and she took a step toward it before stopping.

Curiosity killed the cat. It wasn't wise to explore without a Kyren present.

Then again, if there were forbidden areas here, Eva was certain they would have told her. Right?

Definitely.

Decision made, Eva entered the cave. She paused at the threshold, letting her eyes adjust. There was a hazy twilight in front of her and the light of day at her back.

On first glance it looked like any other cave. Its floor made of packed dirt, the faintest impression of hooves pointing to the consistent presence of Kyren. Walls and a roof of stone surrounded her.

Only instead of gray, there were flecks of orange and yellow that caught the light, making it seem like a river of fire ran along the walls of the cave.

In the center was a flat raised stone. The sides curving into a table, almost like an altar. Pools of water ran on either side, their bottom clear and still.

The instinct that had led her into the cave became almost deafening as it urged her closer.

Eva drew near, her eyes landing on an ornate ring set in the middle of the altar. It was gold with delicate lines that swooped and turned carved into its side. It begged for Eva's touch.

She reached out, her fingers brushing against the cool metal.

There was a snick as the ring came apart, becoming a sphere of interlocking bands, runes carved on each side.

Eva leaned closer, fascinated by the strange piece of jewelry. Whoever had made this was a master to be able to compress all those bands into one ring.

Unable to resist, she picked it up, cupping it in her hand as she studied the runes. They should have been impossible to decipher in this light, but somehow, she could make out each one. As clear as if she stood under the full sun.

A falling sensation pulled Eva closer, the world spinning.

A warm breeze ruffled her hair, pulling her from the illusion. Eva lifted her head and gasped, finding herself in a familiar meadow.

"The herd lands," she whispered, turning in a circle.

She stood in a field of grass and flowers that reached her knees. The sky was an impossible blue and the mist a far-off wall in the distance.

"How is this possible?"

She looked at the sphere clutched in her hand. Was it because of this?

Something whispered in the back of her mind, asking her to accept it. Eva started to before hesitating. It felt wrong somehow. Like she was doing something she wasn't supposed to. Crossing a line she wasn't ready to cross.

If she took this ring for her own, it would change things on a fundamental level that she wasn't sure she could control.

Yearning filled her. A want so deep it went to the depths of her soul.

Along with those emotions came a sense of vulnerability. A feeling that she was straying too close to the sun and would burn.

Fear was what made her draw back. Fear of failure. Fear that this was coming all too easily.

She needed to think.

There were too many responsibilities on her shoulders for her to be impetuous. As tempting as this ring sphere and all it offered was, she couldn't take it.

Not right now. Too much would change too quickly. She needed time to know this was right. That she could handle everything this represented.

With one last look at her surroundings, Eva collapsed the ring sphere.

When she looked up again, it was to find herself standing in the cave, the cool gray of the stone a marked contrast from the wide-open plain of before.

"I guess now I know what Orion meant by opening my heart," Eva said, setting the ring back onto the stone altar.

Much as her instincts were telling her this ring belonged to her, Eva wasn't the type to take things that weren't hers.

And the ring wasn't. No matter what her feelings or it were saying.

Eva? Sebastian called from outside, distracting her from what she could sense the ring wanted.

Eva patted the cool metal. "Later."

Ignoring the voice saying "don't go" in the back of her mind, Eva headed for the cave's entrance.

Sebastian was waiting for her outside, along with Polaris whose presence acted like a sobering splash of icy water.

Sebastian's gaze lowered to her hands, his eyes dimming when he found them empty. You didn't find anything in there?

Eva paused at the hope she heard in his voice.

Sly Kyren. They were as good at their tricks as a certain Tenrin she knew.

"Maybe."

Eva looked over her shoulder as light glinted off metal. Except she knew perfectly well the ring was located too deep in the cave for the light from the entrance to ever reach it.

"I'm not entirely sure what I found."

Or so she tried to tell herself.

Deep in her heart she knew what the ring sphere was. Hers. It called to her. Told her she could have it and so much more. All she needed to do was take it.

That was what scared her.

Something that powerful was a magnet for trouble.

She wasn't ready. She didn't know if she'd ever be.

Polaris cut Sebastian off when he would have spoken. It's not time yet. It may never be time.

The last sentence was a whisper Eva wasn't sure she was meant to hear

We've come to fetch you, Sebastian told her, changing the subject.

"Both of you?"

An embarrassed look crossed Sebastian's face as Polaris regarded her with a bland stare.

He thought spending time with you would give him a better idea of your character, Sebastian explained.

"Right. Sure, he does."

Maybe what Sebastian said was true and Polaris felt he needed to know her a little better before he cast judgment. Only she didn't think so. More likely, he was there to keep careful watch in case she was the traitor they feared.

Eva put the question of Polaris's motivations out of her mind. "Where are we going first?"

Sebastian's ears tilted forward. I thought you'd like to play with the foals.

Eva ignored Polaris's unhappiness, truly excited about the suggestion. "I love that idea. I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon."

Sebastian presented his side to Eva so she could mount.

Eva swung up easily, casting one last look back at the cave and what waited for her there. Maybe one day, she promised the ring.

What Polaris said earlier felt right. This wasn't the time for her to claim the ring sphere and all it represented.

But if the time ever came, she would be prepared.

six

Caden placed his palm against the ground, confirming what his eyes could not. There was still a residual warmth from the fire that had gone out hours before.

Caden lifted his hand, brushing the dirt off his palm.

He had to give it to Reece. The man had skills. A day and a half and he'd already found signs of human presence other than the Trateri in these mountains.

He lived up to the reputation of a pathfinder.

He'd known exactly where an enemy was likely to camp. Led them straight to it. If Caden wasn't familiar with Shea and her uncanny method of doing things, he'd say the man was working for the other side.

"They can't be far." Fiona squinted at the hills around them.

Caden grunted and stood.

"What do you want to do?" Ghost asked him.

Caden didn't speak for a long minute, considering the terrain before looking over his people.

Fiona had an edge to her. She wasn't the calm, steady leader Caden had come to know. Her hand opened and closed on the hilt of her weapon. Her gaze was distant as if she could already see her enemy and was anticipating their blood.

Ghost was outwardly calm, but Caden caught the hint of crazy in his eyes. The recklessness and lack of fear that so often resulted in his demotion.

If he and Roscoe weren't so damn effective, they would never have lasted in Fallon's army for as long as they had.

They were rabid dogs. As likely to turn on their masters as their enemies. Their code was their own. The only person they'd ever halfway listened to was Fiona.

And that was a concern, with Fiona not at her best.

This drive for revenge was understandable—but worrying.

Maybe if this was the regular army Caden could ignore it.

But they weren't. They were tasked with protecting the person who was Caden's soul. There wasn't room for a lack of focus.

Which was exactly the issue with Fiona's current state of mind.

Caden's gaze landed on Reece. The only one of them who seemed almost bored. He sat on a waist high boulder, his elbow propped on his knee and his chin leaning against his hand.

It was as if what they were discussing had no bearing on Reece.

In that way, the man differed greatly from his cousin. Shea had an opinion on everything. Reece simply didn't care as far as Caden could see.

Feeling Caden's attention on him, Reece lifted his head, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"Did Van have any idea how many were in this army?" Caden asked.

Reece considered. "Large enough that the extra bodies from Lion and Rain will come in handy if they find your valley."

"You're saying I should thank you for picking them up on the way."

Reece's lips curved. "Would I ever be so shameless?"

Not waiting for a response, Reece dropped his bent leg to the ground and stood. He dusted his pants off and stuck his hands in his pockets as he strolled over to join them.

"Convenient, don't you think? How you received reinforcements at the exact moment you needed them. Almost makes you believe in fate."

"What fate?" Ghost muttered. "They both got lost in the same mist. Makes perfect sense the two groups would come out near each other."

That made Reece frown. "I'd really like to know how they managed to make it out of the mist at all. It shouldn't be possible."

Ghost clapped him on the shoulder. "Worried others will challenge the pathfinder's monopoly on navigating the mist?"

Reece shoved Ghost's hand off his shoulder. "You should be too. If the pathfinders lose our hold on that skill, your Warlord does too. All kinds of enemies will pop up once you take the threat of the mist away."

"I hope they do. Things would get interesting then. It's been a little boring as of late."

Reece studied him. "You sound a lot like Lion when you say that."

Ghost's smile was sly. "How did you guess? Lion was my birth clan."

Reece stared at him for a beat. "I thought you were all part of the Western Wind clan."

Fiona looked over at them, tuning back into the conversation. "The three of us are all from separate clans originally. Western Wind is the clan we took after joining Fallon's army. Ghost doesn't really get along with his former clan members."

"Why? Because they think you betrayed them?" Reece asked.

Ghost's smile was peaceful. "They think I'm crazy. They're scared of me. Would you like to see why?"

"I'll pass," Reece said in a dry voice. To Caden, "Is everyone you brought as insane as them?"

"Who better to protect your treasures than the people others fear?"

That wasn't the only reason Caden had allowed the three widely known as the Trateri's menaces to follow them here.

For reasons only known to her, Fiona went out of her way to befriend Eva. Now, the two were close.

Roscoe and Ghost would follow Fiona's lead. They might not be at the point of throwing themselves in front of a dagger to protect Eva, but Caden thought Fiona just might.

It was enough.

It also helped that the three were damn fine warriors.

"What is your assessment on the situation?" Caden asked, returning to their previous conversation.

Reece touched his chest, a look of sly surprise on his face. "You're asking me?"

Caden sent him a cutting look that suggested Reece not try his patience. "You're the pathfinder. Act like one."

Reece's hand dropped as he turned serious. "Not like I can tell you anything you don't already see for yourself."

"Humor me."

One side of Reece's mouth quirked. "I'd say pursuing them with only those you currently have is a fool's errand."

Smart man.

"This isn't a small group. There might be only one campfire but I'm counting at least twenty horses, probably more considering how muddied the signs are. My guess is there will be other campfires scattered throughout the forest."

"They're trying to hide their numbers." It was a statement more than a question.

Reece nodded. "Agreed."

Caden's jaw flexed as he returned his attention to their surroundings. "We'll head back."

Protest formed on Fiona's face. "What?"

Caden gave her a hard look. One that made her flinch, aware of the line she'd just crossed. Fiona wasn't Eva or Shea. She didn't stand outside of the chain of command.

In this company, Caden was the alpha, omega and everything in between. Dominant over everyone and everything else. The only person in charge.

He wasn't at the top of the chain of command. He was the chain of command.

Fiona knew it too.

Her mouth closed on her objection, an apology showing in her expression before it was gone.

It was that apology that made Caden stay his hand. A challenge to his authority couldn't be tolerated out here. Not where every decision meant a difference between life and death.

Fiona was good at what she did, and most of the time Caden could trust her not to be stupid.

In his mind, you didn't waste talent. It was why he didn't react as he might have if it had been someone else.

"Our mission was to observe and report. We've done the first. Time for the second. Once we've warned the rest, we can come back with a larger force and see what else we can find," Caden said.

There was no expression on Fiona's face as she gave him a firm nod. The model of an obedient soldier.

Good. Caden would hate for her to become a problem. Eva would be upset if he was forced to put down her friend.

The rest of Eva's day passed in the blink of an eye. Mostly, she spent time with the foals and a couple of the Kyren youths who seemed to think approaching her and running away was a game, if the laughter in Eva's mind was anything to judge by.

Eva slept surprisingly well that night. Maybe it had to do with being surrounded by Kyren. Although not exactly her friends, they could be considered a greater threat to any beast or human stupid enough to brave the bowl.

Something about knowing she didn't have to worry about being attacked lulled her to sleep. When she woke up the next morning, she felt refreshed. Ready for whatever the Kyren threw at her.

That's how she came to be standing on a small hill, watching the foals frolic not far away, their movements still holding a bit of the awkwardness of babyhood.

Eva smiled as one foal pounced on his companion. The foal crawled halfway onto the other's back before losing his balance and falling backward.

There was a nicker as he toppled, his wings beating uselessly against the air. Unlike an adult Kyren's, the foal's wings mostly contained fuzz. It'd be another few months before their feathers came in and they were ready to fly.

Eva hoped she'd be around to see it.

Cute, aren't they? Belle asked as she ambled toward Eva.

"Enough to make my heart ache."

Ever think of having a few of your own?

"Never really thought about it."

You'd make a good mother.

Eva's smile was a little sad. "I'm not sure about that."

Eva didn't have the best relationship with her family.

Setting aside the fact that her father was fine with their village's decision to sacrifice her in an ancient tradition, Eva's relationship with him had been broken long before that day.

At least she could hate him. He'd failed her at every step.

Her mother was a more complicated matter. Their relationship was full of misunderstandings and a lot of hard feelings that had always gotten in the way of any mother-daughter bond.

Eva wanted her mother's acceptance, while her mother never understood why she couldn't toe the line. Blend rather than stand out.

If she looked into her childhood, Eva didn't have many fond memories. Despite that, it was her mother who’d saved her life. Warning Eva to flee.

I am. You were willing to die for a stranger. I can't imagine how much more protective you'd be toward one of your own.

Eva shook off her dark thoughts. "It doesn't matter right now. The only thing I'm focused on is the Kyren and the Trateri. Thoughts of family will have to wait."

I said that once. I'm glad Sebby convinced me to take a chance. Belle's gaze was fond as she watched her foal dash across the field before pouncing on something they couldn't see. They're troublesome, and the gods know the worry is constant, but damn do they make my heart ache with love.

"I'm sure being adorable helps with that."

Watching an animal that looked vaguely like a striped mongoose challenge one of the foals and win made that conclusion an easy one. The foal had been so startled his hind legs had stopped working and he'd fallen on his side.

The animal had pounced on his head, chattering loudly before disappearing back into its burrow.

"You're going to be busy. I don't know how you do it. We have enough trouble watching over our foals and they don't fly."

Eva shivered at the thought. No wonder they were so protective of their lands. If the foals were anything like human young, their fear of death would be practically nonexistent until they'd matured a little.

Sebby's other mates and I all help care for the young, but we have a while yet before that becomes a problem. For now, I'm simply grateful to watch my foal grow.

Love radiated from Belle's expression.

"Do you ever get jealous of the other mates?" Eva asked.

Surprise came from Belle before a laugh chimed in Eva's mind. I think you misunderstand. Kyren are not monogamous. We only survive because we stick together in family herds. Any who wish can ask a male if he is willing to participate in creating a child. While they are pregnant and rearing that child, the females are considered the male's mate.

A quiet frown settled on Eva's face as she tried to understand.

Once those children are grown, those females can move on to another family—or ask to remain in Sebby's.

"Is it the same for you? Will you leave once your son is an adult," Eva said.

No. Sebby is more than my mate. He is my partner and friend. I would not wish to join any other family herd.

Silence fell between them as Eva watched the foal and the other Kyren.

Those weeks I spent in captivity—every moment I lived in fear, terrified for his future. It feels surreal to know he's safe. That he'll grow up free.

"You'll make sure of it."

Eva was certain of it. Even if something happened to Belle, there were other Kyren who would step into the void.

The foal's future would be bright.

Belle's sidelong glance told Eva she wasn't fooling anyone. Belle knew the thoughts that plagued her. The regrets.

As will you, I'm certain.

Eva's grin was crooked. "That was never a question."

There was amusement on Belle's face as her attention moved to her foal. Winning over the herd will take time.

"Does everybody know what I spoke about with Orion?"

A laugh sounded in her mind. Just those whose mate is friends with strange little humans.

Eva pursed her lips then shrugged. That was fair.

"Where's this advice coming from?"

I know what you're thinking, Belle said. Don't waste your time worrying about motivations. Accept the help that comes your way. It'll save you a lot of time and sleep.

She had a point. Advice was advice. It didn't matter why she was telling Eva as long as it was real.

Eva bowed her head. "My apologies, Lady."

We share some things in common with our wingless cousins. One of which is that we are herd animals. Win over the strong and influential, and you'll be halfway to your goal.

Eva followed her gaze to Polaris where he stood observing them from the top of a rock column.

An urge to laugh until she cried filled Eva. "I see you're making me take the hard way right from the start."

You could look at it that way. Belle headed toward her foal. Or you could see it as a shortcut. Conquer the strong and the rest will fall in line.

"I'd prefer not to have to conquer anyone," Eva complained under her breath.

Belle's chuckle brushed across her mind. Then you've surrounded yourself with the wrong sort of people. The Kyren respect strength. They have that in common with the Trateri, I'd wager.

Eva opened her mouth and then shut it. Belle made a very good point.

A shadow passed over them as a Kyren Eva didn't recognize shot toward Polaris. He circled the rock column before landing at its base.

Polaris dove off the column and glided down to land beside him.

You should see what that's about, Belle advised.

Reluctance filled Eva as she remained where she was. Intruding uninvited on other's affairs had never sat right with her. Being here hadn't changed that.

Belle made a horsey sound of frustration before circling behind Eva. A sharp force propelled Eva forward as the mare knocked her nose in Eva's back.

Go!

"Alright, alright. I'm going, Miss Pushy," Eva griped as she reluctantly headed in Polaris' direction.

Children. They're so stubborn. Always needing a hard nudge to get them going.

The mare cantered toward her foal without giving Eva a chance to respond.

Eva shook her head, grumbling to herself. Why was it that every Kyren she met was arrogant?

At some point while she was distracted, Sebastian had appeared from nowhere, joining Polaris and the other Kyren.

Hearing her approach, they lifted their heads, three sets of eyes focusing on Eva.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

You could say that, Polaris responded.

Eva nodded slowly. Maybe he could tell her the problem instead of just hinting at it, then?

The new Kyren and Polaris traded looks. The silence echoed as Eva waited, glancing between the two.

Sebastian lost patience, his frustration coloring their connection. You're being ridiculous. We're not the only ones this could affect. Theo found the signs not far from the human camp.

"What signs?" Eva's eyebrows lowered, a frown taking up residence on her face. "What is Sebastian talking about?"

If there was a threat to the camp, Eva needed to know about it. The Trateri would need to be warned.

A sigh came from Polaris. Tell her, Theo.

The new Kyren, a bay with a white blaze on his face, stamped his foot. I found something strange in the hills near the human's valley.

"What?" Eva asked when he paused.

Theo gave Polaris a long look. His unease at Eva's presence was obvious. He seemed uncertain and a little standoffish. Like he wasn't sure what to make of her.

Eva fought her impatience, knowing that in his place she'd probably be the same.

Hell, she'd likely be worse. Her record with strangers was awful. There was a reason Hardwick, her mentor, always had to caution her about patience whenever they got new apprentices.

For that reason, Eva gave the newcomer a smile, hoping it would help her seem nonthreatening.

Judging by the way the Kyren stiffened and took a small step back, her efforts backfired.

It would be easier to show you, he said in a reserved tone.

Eva glanced expectantly at Sebastian. They were supposed to head for the camp today, but this seemed worth checking out.

I'll get the saddle. It's in our direction anyway, Sebastian said at her glance.

Polaris snorted. I will be joining you.

Eva frowned at him. Why did she get a feeling his presence was less about investigating this mysterious event and more about keeping an eye on her?

There was nothing like another's suspicion to make you yearn for the simple life.

You told Orion nothing will change as long as we keep to ourselves. He's asked a few of us to return with you and mingle with the humans to make up our own minds about the feasibility of this alliance, Polaris said in response to her stare.

Looked like Belle was right. The way to win the Kyren's esteem was through Polaris.

"I'm sure the Trateri will welcome your presence."

No doubt they’d be overjoyed to have the Kyren join them, even if their motivation was less than honest.

"I'm going to say goodbye to Belle before we set off. Let me know when you're ready."

Sebastian’s wings took him into the sky as his agreement reached her.

Polaris studied her for a beat longer before sending a look at the new Kyren, Theo.

I'll be ready, Theo assured him.

Eva jogged toward Belle. The mare lifted her head from where she was nuzzling her foal.

"It looks like my time here is almost up."

Belle looked beyond Eva to Polaris. My child and I will visit you soon.

Eva blinked at the mare. "Are you sure?"

The bowl, with its natural defenses, was likely the safest place for them both. Eva wouldn't ask Belle to risk herself or the foal for something as simple as a visit.

If I wait, my foal might be an adult before you find your way back. I'd prefer my child know his savior.

Eva felt the sting in those words—along with the love. "Nice to know you have faith in my abilities."

It can't be helped. You strike me as a slow learner.

"It's hard to believe I missed this during the last few weeks," Eva said with a wry chuckle, already used to the Kyrens' sharp way with words.

Sebastian landed, carrying the saddle in his mouth. He dropped it on the ground with an irritated look.

Strings of drool coated the places where his mouth had touched. Handling it was going to be so fun.

How lovely.

Eva started to go then paused as she turned back to Belle. "When you come, there's someone I'd like to introduce you and your foal to."

I look forward to it.

Eva stooped to pick up the saddle, grimacing when her hands touched a damp spot.

"Did you have to slobber all over it?"

You should be grateful I lowered myself to carry it.

Sebastian bumped her with his flank. Eva slammed her fist into his hindquarters to stop him and nearly ended up on her ass for her troubles.

Some of us don't have deformed appendages with which to carry things.

Eva stumbled back but recovered, shoving him away in the next moment.

Difficult Kyren.

Eva lifted her hands. "You mean these. They're called hands, Sebby. And they're very useful."

I don't care what they are. We don't have them.

Eva's dropped her hands as a smug smile spread across her face. "That's okay. Not everyone can be as awesome and lucky as us humans."

Sebastian sent her a deadpan stare that made Eva's lips twitch with amusement. Somehow, she suppressed her urge to smile and gave him an innocent look of her own.

"What?"

Just put the saddle on me.

Eva snickered, losing the battle against her humor. Teasing Sebastian made all the rest worth it.

The human isn't what I expected, Theo said to Polaris.

"Believe it or not, I hear that a lot."

A surprised snort left the Kyren as shock registered on his face. His eyes were wide as he glanced between Polaris and Eva several times as if to ask if that really just happened.

Eva's smile held a hint of slyness.

Yes, it did, and he would be wise to learn from this experience. Not all humans were deaf to Kyren voices. Some of them could even be considered quite special. Next time he wanted to have a secret conversation he should be a little more careful.

Eva slid the saddle onto Sebastian's back. When it was in place, she reached under him, grabbing one end of the girth and bringing it to the other side to buckle. She tightened it, fitting two fingers between it and Sebastian to make sure it wouldn't be uncomfortable. Next, she adjusted the breastplate that fit around his chest and connected it to the front of the saddle.

Only a handful of minutes passed before Eva mounted, settling herself on Sebastian's back and giving the other two an expectant look.

"Are you ready?" she asked when neither moved.

That—Theo trailed off, eyeing the saddle with equal parts curiosity and distaste.

Try to keep up. Polaris galloped away without waiting for a response, his wings extending and carrying him off the ground.

Eva clung to Sebastian's back as he followed.

You should know we're not taking the same route out of here as the one we used to come in, Sebastian warned as they climbed.

"Is that bad?"

Just try not to fall off. This may be a tad disorienting for a human.

The question Eva planned to ask froze on her tongue as they crested the bowl's rim to find a bank of mist stretching as high into the sky as she could see.

"Sebastian?" Unease slid through Eva as they flew straight toward it.

When their path didn't veer, Eva shifted as she realized Sebastian didn't intend to avoid it. They were going straight through.

Eva's heart thumped. Adrenaline flooded her system.

Fear wasn't the right word for the cocktail of emotion thrumming in her veins. It was more jittery and complex than that. Apprehension mixing with anticipation.

The mist wasn't a place humans ventured voluntarily. At least not unless you were a pathfinder and as crazy as Shea and Reece.

Eva was no different. Yet for some reason the mist before her didn't hold terror. Instead, she felt as if a piece of her that had been missing was waiting inside.

Don't be afraid, Eva. I'm with you the entire way. I will never abandon you, Sebastian promised as Polaris and the chestnut were swallowed by the mist.

The bank of mist grew until it eclipsed everything else. If Eva leaned forward and stretched out her arm, she would be able to run her fingers through it.

Eva's inhale was shaky as her nod. "Okay. I believe you."

Damp enveloped them. No turning back now; they were already inside.

seven

Eva was almost fully prone on Sebastian's back, her chest pressed tight against him. Her hands shook as she placed them on either side of his neck. The warmth of his coat offset the damp of the mist.

Others described the mist as a cold and dark place that left you feeling disconnected and alone.

Eva felt none of that. Only peace stemming from a place deep inside herself. As if the mist was a long-lost friend she'd unexpectedly found again.

If she listened hard enough, she could almost catch the low-pitched hum of voices. The wind whistling through the grass and the faint whicker of a horse.

None of which belonged here where the mist existed outside of time and place.

There was a hazy feeling in Eva's head as if she was in a dream. Only the constant beat of Sebastian's wings and his breathing told her this was real.

Eva lifted her head as she straightened from Sebastian's back, taking a long look around her. All she found was endless gray haze that gave the illusion that she and Sebastian existed alone.

Not even a shadow of Polaris and Theo was visible.

She could hear them though. The small sounds they made as they traveled. The mist bounced the sound around, making it impossible to pinpoint where the noises were coming from.

Despite that, Eva was almost certain they were close. Polaris directly to the front and slightly to Sebastian's right. Theo was off Polaris's left flank, almost even with Sebastian.

Human, what do you feel when you're here? Polaris's voice was deep, seeming to echo in the mist.

Eva glanced toward where her instincts told her he was. "I'm not sure I have the words to fully explain."

Eva tilted her face to the sky to take in the unrelenting gray above her. The mist thick and impenetrable. If Eva's legs hadn't been wrapped around Sebastian's sides, she would have sworn she was all alone.

"It's like a call, only not." Eva paused as she struggled for the right words. "It feels like home."

There it was. The truth, as impossible as it sounded.

A part of her couldn't help but think she was imagining things. Humans and mist weren't compatible. Even pathfinders weren't crazy enough to seek the mist out.

She'd asked Reece once what he felt when in the mist. He compared it to being a homing pigeon, some sense always pointing his way out and toward home.

There was nothing about a sense of longing or familiarity. For him, the mist was a well-known foe. Dangerous if one wasn't careful enough.

Her experience was much different. There was no internal compass guiding her way because she didn't need it. The mist wouldn't keep her, because she was part of it.

A crazy thought. One that she hesitated to share with humans.

Is that all?

The disappointment in Polaris's voice compelled Eva to share details she hadn't planned. It was never comfortable, making yourself vulnerable—especially to a creature who saw your kind as enemies.

Only right now it felt necessary.

"It feels like my dream of the herd lands. If I stretch out my hand just a little, I feel like I will be there. The grass against my fingers. The wide-open field that goes on forever. It calls to me."

Eva's voice turned dreamy, her eyes sliding half closed. She reached out her hand, the image in her mind coming closer.

Stop her or she'll be lost, Polaris thundered.

Eva blinked slowly, falling deeper into the connection.

The feel of ground beneath her feet pulled her forward. A soft breeze against her face.

Voices hummed. Their urgency barely reached her. She needed to get to that place. It was vital she didn't delay any longer.

Sharp teeth nipped at her ankle, drawing blood. Eva snapped out of her dreamlike state.

"Ouch, what was that for?"

I warned you against falling off, Sebastian said.

"I was nowhere close to that."

She resented the assertion. Her seat was as steady as it had ever been. Not even a wobble that would hint at a fall.

How was I to know? You weren't answering.

Eva wanted to argue but couldn't. Her recollection of the last few minutes was hazy. Nor could she remember him calling her.

If true, it was troubling and pointed to that place being more dangerous than she'd considered before. If it had such a strong grip on her that nothing else mattered, she would have to be on her guard against it. It would be too easy to fall to a place where she couldn't be retrieved from.

We'll be out of the mist soon. Try not to get into any more trouble, Polaris ordered.

Eva made a face in his direction. This was partially his fault. She never would have opened the connection as wide if he hadn't asked about what she saw.

So really, she wasn't to blame. He was.

We're approaching the boundary now, Theo interrupted.

Eva, don't let go. Sebastian's warning came just in time.

A disorienting sensation spread through Eva's body, quickly growing until she couldn't tell up from down.

She blinked at the world in front of her, struggling to make sense as vertigo stole her balance.

Eva clung to the oh shit strap for dear life, barely able to lift her head. Finally, she lost the battle, her fingers losing their grip as she sunk into unconsciousness.

Eva, wake up. We're out. Sebastian's voice intruded into the strange dream she was having about an opossum kissing Eva's face and telling her she was so glad to meet her.

How much longer is the human going to sleep? Theo complained.

"I'm awake." Eva lifted her head, still groggy as she took in her surroundings.

Golden sunshine had replaced the dreary gray of the mist. A mountain ridge marched in front of her, its steep hills a contrast to the flat ground where Sebastian had landed while she'd been unconscious.

"Where are we?"

And how did they get here?

Eva pushed herself into a seated position, cautious in case the vertigo came back.

After several seconds of remaining upright, nothing happening, Eva relaxed a little.

Eva had never particularly enjoyed showing her weak side. Less so to creatures as powerful as the Kyren.

At least Jason and the rest hadn't seen her making a spectacle of herself. There'd be no pretending after that.

Have a look and see for yourself. Polaris looked down at the odd shape his legs partially obscured.

Snow still clung to the ground in patches, the higher elevation slowing the summer melt. Against its white, Polaris's reddish coat was vivid.

As were the streaks of scarlet smeared across the ground, tainting the pure scene.

There were signs of a struggle, the ground disturbed in places. Something had died here.

Strangely, the blood wasn't isolated to the area around the carcass. Rather, small patches of it could be seen here and there if one looked closely.

Not just on the ground either. The rocks near them were painted with red streaks that meandered in squiggly lines.

Eva dismounted slowly, one hand on Sebastian as she took in her surroundings.

As gruesome as the scene was, it wasn't unheard of to encounter the carcasses of dead beasts. The Highlands were a place where the strong consumed the weak.

However, she doubted the Kyren would have brought her here if it was so simple. They had a purpose behind this visit. She needed to open her eyes and see what that was.

No pressure or anything. Just needed to impress the picky mythologicals with investigative skills she didn't have.

"Anyone else think it's concerning there is snow everywhere except for a five-foot circle around us?" Eva asked, moving around Polaris for a better glimpse at what he was studying.

She stopped abruptly as she got a good look at the shape resting in the middle of the bare circle.

The carcass of a large beast lay face up, the bones of its ribs blossoming outward like a gruesome flower.

"Red back."

Eva knelt next to the beast. Alive, the red back would have towered over her by nearly half the length of another person when it stood upright on its hind legs. Named for the red patch of fur along its back, the beast was rather reclusive. Content to ignore humans as long as they didn't wander into their territory.

From what Eva had read on the beast board, red backs rarely traveled alone. They were almost always part of a pair.

This one notwithstanding.

There were no signs that another red back was anywhere in the area. As much as Polaris and the chestnut might resist Eva's presence, she didn't think they'd risk their own safety or Sebastian's to get rid of her.

It was enough to conclude the other red back wasn't hiding, waiting for a chance to ambush them.

Eva returned her attention to the body. All four paws were missing. Following a hunch, Eva pulled her knife out of her boot, hooking it into the top of the red back's mouth and lifting it slightly.

As expected, the red back's teeth were missing.

"Humans did this."

Animals couldn't have done this. The cuts were too clean. Nor would scavengers have plucked the teeth from the beast's mouth.

Disgusting.

Are you certain? Sebastian asked, ignoring the chestnut.

Eva twisted to look up at him, not moving from her crouch. "Are mythologicals likely to claim a red back's paws and fangs as a trophy to remember their kill by?"

Some might, Sebastian admitted.

None whose territory converges with ours, Polaris corrected.

And most of those wouldn't bother with a simple red back. They're more likely to hunt humans, Theo said.

Sebastian crowded Eva as he lowered his nose toward the body. Why does it look so strange?

"Because something ate it."

And not a typical scavenger either.

A sick feeling filled Eva's stomach as she took in the red back's remains. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with death before. Anyone who spent enough time with animals lost one, eventually.

But this was beyond anything she'd ever seen.

All the meat inside its body had been consumed. The organs too.

All that remained was its flattened skin, still wrapped around its bones. Except for the gaping hole in its torso and the beast’s missing paws, there were no other signs of damage to its coat.

It was like someone had taken a straw and sucked out everything inside, leaving only skin and bone behind.

Eva looked up at Polaris and Sebastian. "Do you have any idea what could have done this?"

Polaris's expression was grim. None.

That pit in Eva's stomach deepened. "I was afraid you'd say that."

She wiped her blade against the snow, doing her best to get any blood from the red back off before sticking it back into her boot.

It would be safest for everyone if we remove the humans from the valley, Theo told Polaris.

"You can't be serious."

Theo's ears flattened against his skull. Look at the red back. Does what was done to it seem right to you?

Eva's gaze landed on the remains. "No."

It was one thing to hunt for food. Another to do so for sport.

Of course, there was a small chance the red back had been killed in defense of their lives, but Eva doubted it. If the perpetrator had been in fear, they wouldn't have stopped for souvenirs.

"You're assuming the Trateri did this, but you don't know for sure."

There aren't a lot of culprits it could be, Theo returned.

Eva darted an uncertain glance at Polaris. "That's not entirely true."

You are grasping at straws. The Trateri camp is only a short distance away. Polaris tilted his chin toward a line of ragged hills. Over that ridge, in fact.

So close.

Eva hadn't expected that after such a short trip. It was confirmation that the Kyren really could use the mist to control their destination.

No wonder it had been so disorienting leaving it. The Kyren likely didn't want her to know the extent of their abilities.

And as interesting as this was, it didn't help her with the current situation.

"That proves nothing." Eva left the question of the Kyren and their control of the mist for another time. "The Trateri don't have wings and that ridge wouldn't be easy to cross. Getting from here to there would be a struggle."

Not impossible, but the Trateri weren't as comfortable in the mountains as they were the Lowlands. Eva couldn't see a hunting party scaling near vertical hills and then risking limb and life to descend the equally steep other side.

They'd seen red backs before. The beast wasn't rare enough to warrant such a trip for a simple trophy. There was much easier game between here and there.

Sensing their resistance, Eva gave them a challenging look. "Of course, if you're that worried, you can always return to camp with me and see for yourself."

Polaris and Theo traded a look.

"Search the camp. That should prove their innocence or guilt. If they did this, you'll find evidence."

And if they did? Polaris challenged.

Eva took a deep breath, knowing the gamble she was taking. "Then they aren't the people I thought."

And Eva would have much bigger problems than the alliance with the Kyren.

Polaris's gaze was contemplative. Very well then. We accept your offer.

Eva's exhale was shaky. She didn't know whether she should feel relieved or terrified. Although none of the people she was familiar with seemed the type to do this, there was no way to truly know. People were complicated and all too often you didn't realize how badly you'd misjudged someone until far too late.

There weren't only her friends to consider. The ones she was truly worried about were those who'd arrived with Lion and Rain. They were unknown entities who weren't yet familiar with all the rules. She had no idea what they were capable of.

That's what scared her.

She was taking a risk assuming they were as honorable as other Trateri she knew. That their clans wouldn't ruin things for the rest.

I hope you know what you're doing, Polaris warned.

Sebastian draped his nose over Eva's shoulder in a silent show of support.

"So do I," Eva said, reaching up and patting Sebastian's velvet soft nose.

She really hoped this didn't blow up in her face.

Polaris snorted and brushed past them.

Are you sure you know what you're doing? Sebastian whispered.

Eva shook her head. "Not a clue."

All she had to go on was her gut feeling, and it said this wasn't done by the Trateri.

Eva stepped back, frowning as something crunched underfoot. She shifted back, lifting her foot to see what she'd stepped on.

What is that? Sebastian asked as Eva bent to get a closer look.

"It's a bug."

A dead one, now that its carapace was crushed. She studied the ground to see if there were more.

Do you think it's important? Sebastian asked when Eva still didn't move.

"Hard to say."

Eva's history with bugs was a little tumultuous. The last time a curious insect had found her, it had tried to turn her friends into living wood sculptures. Since then, she hadn't been able to look at them the same way.

This bug seemed innocuous enough. It's coloring a dull brown so that it blended with the dirt. It was probably why Eva hadn't noticed it before stepping on it.

"Are there insects that live at this elevation?" Eva asked, unable to put it out of her thoughts.

How should I know? Kyren don't eat bugs. They're beneath our notice.

"Short sighted of you." Eva gave him a pointed look. "How did ignoring the bugs work out for you last time?"

Sebastien's head reared back, an affronted look replacing the curiosity from before.

Polaris looked back at them. Are you two done? Daylight is wasting.

Sebastian trotted past Eva. Just for that, I should make you ride Polaris or Theo back. Maybe then you'd appreciate me.

"I appreciate you. I simply don't want your ego to get bigger than your wings can support."

The human has a sharp tongue. She does a good job of keeping you in check, Theo said.

No one asked for your opinion, Theo, Sebastian snapped.

A reluctant smile lifted Eva's lips, the banter distracting her from the viciousness of the red back's death. Sometimes you needed a bit of light heartedness to avoid getting lost in the darkness.

Enough stalling. Polaris took off into the sky.

Theo followed him, grumbling to himself. I can't believe I'm voluntarily agreeing to meet and mingle with humans. What has the world come to?

Sebastian fidgeted as Eva set her foot in the stirrup and sprang onto his back. As soon as her butt touched the saddle, he was off, racing after the other two Kyren.

They climbed, arrowing over the ridge and heading for the small camp ensconced in the valley.

Smoke from the campfires rose in small streams next to a village of tents that had tripled in number since her departure. Rain Clan and Lion Clan colors abounded, making it easy to see which tents belonged to each clan.

It was another reminder of how far out on the limb Eva had ventured.

They certainly didn't waste any time making themselves at home, Sebastian observed.

"The Trateri are nomads. Their tents are designed to be put up and broken apart at a moment's notice in the event they encounter danger. They wouldn't have even needed two hours to get settled."

This held particularly true for warbands—which both those two groups were.

If anything, Eva was a little surprised they'd put up their tents at all. Normally, they wouldn't have, preferring to pick up and go in an instant.

It was another sign they planned on an extended stay.

Trateri pointed at the sky, a crowd forming in front of the temporary camp. They looked at Eva and the Kyren like a pack of starving revenants. She could practically see them licking their lips in anticipation.

Polaris and Theo's desire to circle the camp and head for the hills was mirrored by Eva's own.

"Maybe Orion was right. A few more days—or weeks—getting acquainted with the Kyren couldn't hurt matters," Eva said, having a change of heart.

The Trateri had a handle on things. Did they really need her here?

Too late. Polaris won't let you back out after all that you said. Sebastian banked. Besides, Caia spotted us.

Sure enough, the mare broke into a dead gallop, mirroring the trajectory of Sebastian's flight. Jason sprinted behind the mare with a furious expression.

Caia shadowed Sebastian as he descended, the two racing for a brief moment. Neither content to let the other win.

Eva held on, laughing at the jolt as Sebastian's hooves touched land. His wings snapped close to his back as he pounded forward.

For an elusive second, Eva felt like they'd sped up. Caia and Sebastian each reaching deep as they competed to see who was better.

At some unspoken signal, the two slowed, almost in tandem. Their gallop turning into a canter and then finally a trot as they circled back around to the place where Jason waited, glaring.

"Have fun?" Jason asked Caia. His gaze rose to Eva's. "Next time, you take her with you."

The mare snorted, ignoring him. She crowded Sebastian, reaching her nose out to attempt to put it in Eva's lap.

Sebastian moved under Eva as Caia whuffled and snorted.

Eva rubbed her nose, bending forward and dropping a kiss onto it. "I missed you too."

While Caia was distracted, Sebastian dipped his head and nipped at one of Caia's forelegs. Sensing the danger, the mare screamed a challenge and danced out of the way before his teeth could do damage.

Being herbivores, horses had flat teeth. The real danger in a bite from them lay in the strength of their jaws.

Kyren, on the other hand, had the same power in their jaws but also teeth suited to carnivores. Sharp and pointed like that of a predator.

A bite from them was no laughing matter. It could do serious damage, even in play.

"Enough," Eva warned in a low voice.

Kyren and mare ignored her. They threw their weight against each other, jockeying for dominance as they tried to push the other out of the way.

Jason snickered as Eva slapped at them.

"Wait! Not while I'm on your back!"

Eva lifted the leg in danger of being crushed out of the stirrup and draped it over Sebastian's neck. She thumped her fist against Sebastian's shoulder, furious. What did this idiot think he was doing?

The other dumb ass wasn't any better. Eva shoved Caia back as the mare attempted to bump Sebastian again.

"A little help?" Eva shouted.

Jason strolled over to the mare, reaching up to grab her halter and forcing her to give the other two room.

Eva's chest heaved with exertion as adrenaline ramped up her emotions. It felt like she'd fought a battle and barely come out the winner.

These two were going to be the death of her. Seriously. They couldn't have at least waited until she was no longer in harm's way?

Ungrateful brats. See if she supplied either of them with treats for the next few days.

Even now, they weren't content to let things lie. Eva caught Sebastian's sneer as he tried to get a rise out of Caia.

Sure enough, the mare shoved forward, acting like one of those warriors who loved fighting almost more than they did life. Willing to issue a challenge for even the smallest of insults.

Jason's hold brought her up short.

Caia tried to toss her head, only for Jason's grip to tighten. He patted her on the neck making soothing sounds.

Eva took the opposite course, having no intention of soothing either party. In her mind, they were both to blame.

Her glare carried a threat. "Go ahead. Keep testing my patience and see what I do to you."

Mare and Kyren settled down, as if they hadn't just behaved like small children fighting over a toy.

Gradually, Sebastian's stance eased. Caia still looked indignant, but she didn't fight Jason any longer. She looked away from Eva, pretending she didn't see her even as her tail flicking gave away her indignation.

That was fine. Eva could live with Caia's hurt feelings. Better those than a crippled leg.

Deciding to ignore the two troublemakers, Eva looked Jason up and down. Besides the dark circles under his eyes, he seemed no worse for wear.

"Congratulations. You managed to survive. Just like I said you would."

Jason grimaced. “About that—"

"He had a little help," someone finished for him.

A grin was already spreading across Eva's face as she stood in her stirrups, eager to get a glimpse of the person who'd just spoken.

A short distance away, a tall, thin man shooed away the horses crowded around him. It was why, though she'd known there were other people close, she hadn't recognized him. She'd attributed his presence to being one of those assigned to help Jason in her absence.

"Ollie!"

Eva was off Sebastian's back in the blink of an eye and racing toward the other man in the next second, a broad smile already on her face. Ollie let out an oomph as she threw herself into his arms.

He pressed his cheek against hers as one hand lifted to smooth over her tangled braid. "I missed you too, Eva girl."

Eva pushed back, her gaze searching his.

Eyes she had always considered wise met hers. More than anyone else, Ollie's long face had always reminded her of the horses they cared for. Perhaps that was why she'd trusted him even from their first meeting.

Even his hair was a dark chestnut she likened to the coloring of a bay.

"What are you doing here? I thought Hardwick needed you."

It was why she hadn't asked Ollie to accompany her to the valley. Hardwick was already down one of his herd masters with Eva's absence. Depriving him of a second would create a strain on not just him but the herd as well.

Those horses held Eva's heart. She wouldn't put them in danger—even if she'd been devastated to leave him behind.

Sometimes you had to make sacrifices, and this had been one of those times. How could she be so selfish as to ask him to come when others needed him more?

Jason was different. As good as he'd become over the last few weeks under her tutelage, he was still just an apprentice. Replacing him would be easier than replacing Ollie.

"I'm not here long. Only until the pathfinder starts his return trip. I'll head back with his group then."

Disappointment stabbed at Eva, deep where she could pretend she didn't feel it. She shoved the pain away.

The fact he came at all was a gift beyond measure.

Ollie was brother, friend, confidant, all rolled into one. He meant more to Eva than she could express. Excluding Caia, he was the first Trateri she’d encountered. The person who taught her rumors weren't always true, and that humans didn't have to be terrifying—as long as you were around the right ones.

He was the reason she could trust Caden. If not for Ollie, she never would have opened herself to the possibility of love.

She owed him more than she could ever repay.

And she'd missed him.

Eva squeezed his arms. "You're here now and that's all that matters."

Now wasn't the time for sadness or mourning what hadn't happened. Sometimes people were their own worst enemies, tainting the good times by anticipating the bad.

Eva refused to be that person. She planned to enjoy Ollie's presence for as long as he was here.

No disappointment. No sorrow. Just taking each moment as it came.

"I see you've brought him up to snuff." Ollie jerked a thumb at Jason. "Couldn't have been easy."

"Hey!" Jason protested, shooting him an irritated look.

"He's a little slow, but he gets it done in the end," Eva said with fake seriousness.

Ollie snickered as Jason glowered. Eva’s lips quivered with the effort of fighting her smile. She lost the battle as she dissolved into chuckles.

His expression made any remaining sadness flit away.

"You did a good job with him. Hardwick would be proud," Ollie said.

Jason's face glowed at the praise.

"I'd watch out if I were you," Ollie advised him. "Otherwise, Hardwick might decide he can't spare you either."

Alarm spread across Jason's face as his gaze shot to Eva's. She pretended not to see the pleading in his eyes as she ducked her head to hide her smile.

That was family for you. There was no hand holding or soft guidance. Only teasing that ripped open your deepest insecurities for everyone to see. Prodding and poking to find out what you were made of. The more you reacted; the bolder they would get.

Eva had been on the opposite side more than once. It was Jason's turn now.

"I like you both better when the other isn't here," Jason snapped. "Come on, Caia. We don't need to stand here and take this."

Ollie snickered down at his folded arms as Jason's attempts to guide Caia away were thwarted.

Jason threw his hands up. "Fine. Stay here and be insulted. See if I care."

Jason stomped away, heading toward a clump of horses near the boulder field.

"You did a good job with him, Eva," Ollie said.

Eva lifted a shoulder. "He's the one who put in the work."

A lot of it. Much more than was evident at a glance.

Up hours before the sun rose to care for the horses and practice the swordplay that he’d learned from Caden and the other Anateri. Waking up at odd hours when the horses needed him.

He was dedicated and driven. Never complaining and always there when she needed him. Eva couldn't ask for more.

"Guess it's a good thing you gave him a chance, then."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, yes. You were right. Shutting people out meant I was missing out on a lot."

And he'd never let her hear the end of it now that she'd admitted her mistake.

"Eva," Jason interrupted. "You might want to get over here."

eight

Jason's back was to Eva as he tracked something along the ridge.

"What is it?" Eva called, jogging up to him.

Eva forgot her question as a rush of movement along the boulders pulled her attention upward. Pebbles skittered down the slope, and she caught a faint scrabbling, like sharp claws fighting for purchase against rock.

Something was up there. And by the sounds of it, that something was big.

"Again?" Ollie pulled a face as he joined them.

Eva raised her eyebrows at them in silent question.

Ollie gave her an apologetic look. "We don't know what it is. It started after you left. We've tried chasing it, but it's gone as soon as anyone gets close."

"Whatever is out there, they're upsetting the horses." Jason glowered at the empty ridge line and raised his voice. "And when I catch them, I'll be sure to show my appreciation for all the extra work they're causing me."

"We're relatively sure it's not human," Ollie explained.

"You've got that right. It's mythological."

"I knew it," Jason said in satisfaction.

Ollie gave Eva a startled frown. "How can you tell?"

Eva hesitated, debating how much to reveal.

She trusted Ollie. She did. But sharing such a private piece of herself, something she'd spent the majority of her life pretending didn't exist was the equivalent to peeling back her skin to bare her soul.

What would she do if he looked at her like a monster?

This was Ollie they were talking about. A man she respected as much as she did Caden, albeit in an entirely different way.

His good opinion meant everything to her. To see him look at her with the same eyes her father had? That same disgust and fear?

It would destroy her. Devastate her to the point she didn't know if she'd ever be able to find herself again.

Jason aimed a penetrating stare at Eva. He looked as if he'd just realized something that surprised him. He blinked, the moment lost, as he dropped his gaze to the ground.

Eva frowned at him in confusion before focusing on Ollie. "Just call it a hunch."

If by hunch, he took it to mean an absolute certainty in the same way the sky was blue and Caia would never be fully obedient.

Ollie's eyebrows pulled together as he gave her a reproachful look, telling her without words she didn't fool him for a minute but that he was going to let this go.

For now.

Eva nodded at him, letting him see her appreciation. She knew that she couldn't always hide. That one day she'd have to step fully into the light and face the truth.

Just not today.

"Am I right about this?" Eva shot Sebastian a look.

One ear flicked as he gave her a flat stare that told her to quit wasting time.

Eva smiled. That's what she’d thought.

In consideration of their peeping friend, Eva raised her voice. "You might as well come out."

The furtive sounds stopped.

Eva closed her eyes, her senses relaying the pounding heart and quick breathing of the mythological.

"Maybe they left," Ollie suggested.

One side of Eva's lips turned up as she shook her head. The bright light in her mind she associated with a mythological burned unabated, telling her the mythological hadn't gone anywhere.

"You're not fooling anyone. We know you're there," Eva suggested.

Eva scanned the rocks, her gaze sliding right past the mythological at first.

It was no wonder too.

The female had chosen the perfect perch, the darkness of her feathers and skin blending perfectly into the pocket of shadows she'd found. She stood motionless as if carved from stone, her bright eyes the only sign of life as she focused on Eva with an almost predatory fascination.

Jason inhaled.

The mythological flinched, sliding into a crevasse in the rock as silently as she'd appeared. She was a ghost. Nothing to mark her presence except the memory of those eyes.

"Was that—" Jason started.

Eva nodded. "Tenrin."

The first female Eva had seen.

Eva didn't know if it was because the Tenrin was young—probably even younger than Jason—or if all females of their species were on the smaller side.

Either way, Eva suspected the Tenrin would only come up to her chin if they were standing side by side.

The Tenrin's mannerisms had been almost bird-like, her features sharp as she'd cocked her head in curiosity.

She'd kept her wings furled tightly so Eva could only guess at their coloring. If she was like the rest of her kind, they'd be solid black like that of a crow's.

Ollie looked at the two of them. "I thought Ajari went back to his people."

"He did."

"Then what is one of them doing here?" Ollie asked.

That was the question, wasn't it?

"Probably the same thing the Kyren are. Spying on us," Jason answered.

We don't spy. We prefer to think about it as keeping an eye on things, Sebastian said as Eva translated.

Jason gave him a sidelong look. "Call it whatever you want, but it's spying."

Sebastian sniffed, pretending not to hear his words.

"Whatever her reasons, I'm sure she'll reveal them to us when she's ready." Eva moved toward Sebastian, unbuckling the saddle and sliding it off his back.

As curious as the Tenrin's presence was, Eva had no intention of forcing her hand. She'd reach out to them when she was ready. Not a second before.

Ajari, the only other Tenrin Eva had spent any length of time with, had been the same.

Hopefully, this new Tenrin wasn't as troublesome as Ajari. He'd been tricky, even with his allies. Mercurial and always playing a game only he understood.

"Did Caden make it back to camp?" Eva asked, changing the subject.

Sebastian stretched his wings once the saddle was removed, happy at being unencumbered once again. Eva took the curry comb Jason handed her and ran it along Sebastian's sides and back in circular movements to bring the dirt and loose hair to the surface.

"He arrived late last night and left again this morning," Jason answered.

Eva's brushing slowed. "Alone?"

Jason shook his head. "The fire fox went with him. As did Fiona and a couple of others. Word is they found evidence that the army Lion was chasing made it out of the mist. Caden wanted to double our sentries and extend the perimeter."

Finished brushing Sebastian, Eva stepped back.

Good. The Trateri already knew about the army; that made her job a little simpler.

Eva glanced toward the tents where Polaris and Theo had chosen to land. A crowd had already gathered around them. For now, they were keeping their distance, but for how long was anybody's guess.

Jane had taken up a stance halfway between Eva and those gathered, acting with her typical vigilance. Van stared the Anateri down, massive arms folded over his chest. There was a half-smile on his face that should have seemed playful, but all Eva could see was a predator eyeing her like she was his next meal.

"Wait. If Caden's gone, who is keeping the clan leaders in check?" Eva asked.

Jason's grin was wicked. "Ghost."

"Oh damn," Eva said with feeling.

That was quite the volatile choice. Even Roscoe would have been a better option and that was saying something.

Hanging around Fiona had given Eva some insights into the trio.

Ghost preferred to exist in the background, allowing Roscoe to take the lead in most situations.

Perhaps that's why most didn't realize Ghost's particular brand of crazy was on an entirely different level than Roscoe's.

Where Roscoe was forthright in his desire for mischief, Ghost was the unseen hand guiding events where he wanted them to go. Most times his victims didn't even know they were knee deep in shit until it was far too late.

Eva could only hope the clan leaders and their people weren't stupid enough to incite him. Otherwise, the Kyren would gain a whole new grasp on human behavior.

Eva's gaze landed on Ghost with a feeling of doom.

Why her? Why did things like this always happen to her?

"You have fun with that," Ollie said, patting Eva on the shoulder.

"I've never craved my tent and the solitude it represents so bad," Eva whined.

Ollie made a humming sound. "Hardwick will be pleased to hear you're finally using his gift."

Jason guffawed, tears forming at the corners of his eyes from how hard he was laughing.

"What?" Ollie asked.

"Nothing," Eva answered with a glare at her apprentice who still hadn't managed to gain control of himself. "Shut up, Jason."

Ollie's gaze was searching. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

"You're not." Eva sent Jason another glare.

Jason's laugh finally trailed off as he straightened. "You would have had to have been here."

Eva hung her head. Jason had sold her out.

"How did he get you to change your mind again?" Jason teased.

"None of your business," Eva hissed through gritted teeth, fighting the faint blush that tried to rise.

Eva knew exactly what he was talking about. It was a situation she would prefer to never think about again.

She'd thought Caden sweet when he told her he didn't care where they lay their head as long as it was together. Whether that place was the meadow where her herd grazed, a forest filled with beasts, or the top of a mountain cliff.

Of course, that was until they were nearly caught in a rather delicate position by Jason and several others.

Caden's lack of embarrassment had been Eva's first clue. The way he'd pressed kisses to her shoulder to hide his decadent grin was her second.

After that she'd bowed to the inevitable and given in on the issue of the tent.

"You're red," Ollie said with some surprise. "Now I have to hear this story."

"No!" Eva pointed her finger at Jason. "You keep your mouth shut, apprentice."

Jason couldn't suppress his grin any longer. "Whatever you say, Caller."

Damn right it was what she said. Otherwise, Eva would have him digging latrine pits for the next month.

"Remind me why I invited you to be my apprentice."

Jason's expression was smug. "That's cute. You think someone else would take this job and all the craziness that comes with it."

Eva sniffed. "What are you talking about? Others would cut off their left arm to be in your position and you know it."

"And they would have regretted it the second you abandoned them to go off and play with the Kyren on your own."

Eva huffed, knowing he had a point.

"Are you really not going to share?" Ollie complained. "I thought we were friends."

Eva fixed him with a look. He knew better than to try a guilt trip on her. They never worked. She'd grown up with the champion of guilt trips and had become numb to them as a result.

Jason's gaze moved past Eva to the crowd surrounding the Kyren. "By the way, you should know Ghost just arrived on the scene."

Eva cursed and whirled to find the situation exactly as Jason had described. Much like his namesake, Ghost had appeared silently and without warning.

Eva sent Sebastian a speculative glance, wondering what her chances of flying off and abandoning her duties were.

Don't look at me like that. You don't want to know what Polaris and Theo would do to you if you abandoned them right now.

Eva sighed, knowing he was right.

This would be less of a problem if the two Kyren had landed in the same place as Sebastian. But no, they had to land next to all the people.

Worse, she had only herself to blame. She was the one who'd told them they should mingle and get to know the Trateri.

If only she could go back in time and kick her own ass.

Grumbling under her breath, Eva stalked toward the crowd. Sensing her approach, Jane shifted to acknowledge Eva, never fully taking her attention off the rest of the Trateri.

"Caller," Jane said, bowing her head.

Eva's steps paused at the unexpected address. Jane wasn't one to stand on ceremony. Calling her by the title the Kyren had given her was a calculated action.

"Anateri," Eva said, taking a chance and responding in kind.

If they were using titles, might as well go all in.

A brief gleam of approval lit Jane's eyes before it was gone, and her expression became reserved once again.

"Look who finally returned. Have fun with your Kyren?" Van asked.

Eva didn't immediately answer, taking the time to study those assembled. Most were new faces. From the looks of their clothing and insignia on their chests, they belonged to Lion Clan. There were a few from Rain mixed in, but not many.

Eva scanned the crowd, finding Gawain on the periphery, three of his people at his back. Opposite him, standing slightly aback from the rest, Buck and Witt lingered, their gazes holding a detached curiosity as events unfold.

Eva moved on, her gaze finally stopping on a slender man with nut brown skin. He held himself with a dancer's grace, each movement oddly mesmerizing as he studied the Kyren with a probing frown.

Far from being intrusive, his regard struck Eva as assessing. As if the Kyren were a puzzle he was assembling in his mind.

It was hard to decide why the stranger stood out from the rest. Even surrounded as he was by a crowd of warriors, each fiercer looking than the last.

And this, despite him not being a warrior himself.

Maybe it was the way he was dressed. His outfit was simple. A loose tunic that fell to his knees and a pair of comfortable looking fur-lined boots. The garment was tied at his waist and the deep v of the neckline exposed his chest and the pendant he wore.

Even a tagalong like Eva could recognize that emblem. An elderberry plant carved into stone.

A healer. A good one too if the respect the Trateri treated him with was anything to judge by.

Even more importantly, he was special. Not in the same way as Eva, of course. She didn't get the sense he could hear the mythologicals like she could, but there was something there. Something different.

Like she was different.

Eva pushed the strange healer out of her mind as she focused on Van.

What had he asked her? Ah, right. Whether she had fun?

Not quite how she would put it, but sure, why not. She'd had fun playing with the babies, and the flight itself had been beyond anything she could ever dream.

If she lived a hundred years, she would never forget all that she had seen and experienced. It was forever emblazoned in her memory. Something she'd carry to her grave, treasuring it always.

Not that Eva would share any of this with Van. She was a secretive person under normal circumstances. Let alone when the Kyren were in the mix.

As far as she was concerned anything involving the mythologicals was on a need-to-know basis, and the clan leaders didn't need to know.

If they had a problem with that, they were welcome to find some other valley to poke their noses into.

Buck nudged Witt with his elbow. "Lookie there. Does that expression remind you of anyone?"

Witt grunted, not bothering with words as he chewed on a piece of grass.

"Shea." Buck slapped his hand against his thigh. "She gets that exact same expression."

"I see it too." Ghost gestured toward his face. "It's in the eyes. They have a way of looking at you like you're too dumb to live and they're considering whether they should do the world a favor and remove you from existence."

Eva ignored them, knowing if she let herself get drawn into the conversation it would end nowhere good.

Are these the people you insisted we get to know? I fail to see why, Theo said with a look of distaste.

"Give it time. They grow on you." Eva paused to consider. "Some of them anyway."

Those Trateri new to the valley drew back, the air growing hushed and tense as Eva slowly became the focus of attention. Each gaze falling on her like an inescapable weight, dragging her down.

She knew they looked at her like a monster that might someday become a threat.

Sebastian shifted closer to her, sensing the change in atmosphere. Caia tossed her head, blowing out a harsh snort as she hovered protectively over Eva's shoulder.

The mice are still the same. A whiff of someone different and they puff up like angry porcupines. These are the people you advocate for? Theo asked scornfully.

Eva's hands slowly curled into fists as the Kyren's words exposed her biggest fear.

This. This right here was what she didn't want. The acrid stench of suspicion and doubt so thick and cloying she could practically taste it.

The way some of the Trateri watched her was the same way they might look at a mythological—or a beast.

People didn't like different. Eva knew that. It was why her sister used to tell her, "Don't let people see your crazy."

Over and over again until it became a motto.

"You really can hear their thoughts," the healer said, interrupting the stillness that had fallen.

The aloofness that held him apart from the rest faded. There was interest in his gaze. Understanding that helped Eva find her balance again.

"That is why they named me the Caller," Eva said in a tight voice that hopefully didn't betray how much she disliked this topic.

It wasn't like her abilities were a secret, anyway. Caden and the rest had all seen her converse with the Kyren. The news would make the rounds sooner or later.

Still, having someone look at her the way they just had was never easy. It stayed with you, scraping at your insides to leave you bleeding and raw. Memories resurfacing at the worst of times.

Like now. When she couldn't afford the distraction.

A part of her said she should have kept her mouth shut. Pretend that Theo's statement didn't require a response.

She didn't like that part of herself. The cowardly side that knew she wasn't like the Trateri. She wasn't as fearless or as capable with a blade. Death terrified her.

Despite those fears, she refused to let the smallest part of her define who she was. Yes, she wasn't Trateri, but she was still strong. It was a different kind of strength. One that wasn't flashy. It didn't burn within. It was soft, allowing her to adapt and overcome as the situation warranted.

It had taken practice to see the strength she already had. Caden had helped with that. As had Sebastian and Caia and Jason.

Without them she might still be that person who was afraid to be who she was. A Caller. Different.

No more. Only she dictated what parts of herself she found acceptable. No one else.

Interestingly, Buck and Witt weren't among those who looked at Eva as if seeing a stranger. They took the news in stride, their reactions expressing little more than vague interest. As if she'd performed a trick that deserved acknowledgment.

It wasn't only them. Van, Gawain, and the healer were among those numbers who hadn't reacted with fear. A fact Eva took careful note of.

Most of those before her didn't know it, but they'd just failed their first test.

It wasn't a far leap from seeing Eva as something other, something tainted, to seeing the Kyren in the same way. Such a person would never be allowed to climb on a Kyren's back.

There was satisfaction on Ghost's face as he came to the same conclusion as Eva. He grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows. "Less competition for me."

A small chuckle escaped Eva.

As always, Ghost operated to the beat of his own drum. The man's thinking as convoluted as a mythological's.

He assumes we're a prize to be won, Polaris advised.

"Are you telling me you're not?" Eva fixed him with a sympathetic look. "Polaris, we really must speak about the way you see yourself. It's not healthy."

Polaris's head reared back as an affronted look filled his face.

Eva held in her smile as Sebastian's chuckle entered her mind.

He'll learn, Sebastian said.

"How do we know she's not pretending?" a Trateri asked.

"You'll know. Trust me." Ghost leaned toward the chestnut. "You'll make it quite clear. Won't you, buddy?"

Theo's head darted forward, his teeth closing inches from Ghost's face.

Ghost didn't flinch, instead frowning at the Kyren. "No need for that. I'm on your side."

Theo twisted to face Eva. There is something wrong with this human's brain.

Eva sighed. "Yeah. That's never been in debate."

Ghost was unphased as he eyed Theo with a slightly deranged smile. "Protest all you want now. I know that you know we're going to be the best of friends. Eventually. When you give in and realize how awesome I am."

Theo sent Eva a slightly crazed look. Make him go away.

"I don't think that works on ghosts," Eva said.

Ghost nodded as if he heard both sides of the conversation. "We ghosts tend to haunt our victims until they give us what we want. Don't worry. It's not nearly as creepy as it sounds."

There was something infinitely satisfying in watching Ghost give the Kyren a hard time. Even more so with the way Ghost seemed to anticipate their portion of the conversation.

Imbecile. Theo spun on his hind legs and galloped away.

Ghost waved. "I'll find you later. Friend."

Eva heard an angry huff in her mind that made her bite her lips to contain her smile.

"Wait. Where is he going?" a Trateri asked in confusion. "We haven't chosen his rider yet."

Eva stared. Was he really that stupid?

The expectant expression on his and other warriors’ faces said yes, yes, they were.

"I think you're misunderstanding something," Eva said in as polite a voice as she could muster. Admittedly, it only held a passing resemblance to that emotion. "You do not choose a Kyren. They choose you."

"What does a throwaway know?" an angry mutter came from the crowd.

The mood turned tense, the lightness Ghost had managed to create disappearing as if it had never been.

"Quite a lot actually." Eva met each Trateri's eyes. More than one looked away before she did. "The Kyren aren't pets. They aren't your mounts. Touch them without their permission and if they don't bite your hand off, I'll be happy to remove it on their behalf."

Sebastian stamped one hoof, baring sharp teeth as an illustration to reinforce Eva's point.

"Oh, and one more thing," Eva said with a wintry look that would have rivaled the temperatures on the tallest mountain peak. "I'm not a throwaway. I'm a tagalong. Please get your insults correct."

Polaris sent Eva a speculative look before spreading his wings. We will be watching.

Eva rolled her eyes up to the sky. Like she hadn't already assumed that. Every time she took a step outside her tent, she did so with the knowledge there were eyes on her. From the Kyren. Other mythologicals. Even the Trateri.

Polaris would need to work harder than that if he wanted her to feel threatened.

Eventually, the Kyren's actions would come back on them. The humans had already noticed their hyper vigilance. They knew they were being watched.

The Trateri would take insult—if they hadn't already. They'd retaliate. Maybe they'd be forthright in the way they reacted. Maybe they wouldn't.

Either way, it would prove the Kyren's hypothesis. That humans were liars and deceivers simply waiting for their moment to strike.

Polaris followed Theo into the air, circling the camp before disappearing over the horizon.

A husky laugh came from the healer as he sent a sidelong look at Van, his expression teasing. "You'd be wise to warn your people to think before opening their mouths. I know using their brain isn't always easy for a Lion, but sacrifices sometimes need to be made."

Van's expression darkened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The healer ignored the clan leader to give Eva a beautiful smile that held warmth and kindness. His eyes were lined with black, making them even more expressive.

He bowed his head to Eva. "Lady tagalong, thank you for giving me an experience I'll remember to my dying day. I can only hope our presence here doesn't inconvenience you too much."

His words threw Eva off balance. All she could manage as a response was an awkward acknowledgment.

"Chirron?" Van frowned as the healer took his leave. "Hey, Chirron? What did you mean?"

Chirron didn't answer, sliding between the tents and disappearing.

Van's mouth closed as he stared after the man. "What just happened?"

"You got insulted," Ghost said, raising his eyebrows as if to ask if he was really so stupid he didn't realize that.

Van sent him a fulminating look. "I know that. I'm not an idiot."

The clan leader stalked away before Ghost could respond. With his departure, the rest of the Trateri dispersed, filtering back into camp. Gawain and the others who'd been watching from the sidelines followed. Only a few brave souls remained, the direction of their gazes telling Eva they wouldn't leave until Sebastian did.

Ghost made a disgusted sound and gave a full-bodied shiver as he watched Van go. "I don't know how Caden does it. These people are awful. If it was up to me, I'd murder them and be done with it."

That's all she needed. For Ghost to go on a rampage and earn her more enemies.

"What?" Ghost asked at her stare.

"If that's how you feel, I am grateful you found it in yourself to refrain."

Ghost's smile was sharp. "Anything for you, Lady Tagalong. I live to fulfill expectations and make your life easier."

See. This was why people underestimated Ghost. His crazy was well hidden.

"Thanks," Eva said in a dry voice.

"Anytime." Ghost nudged Eva with his shoulder, sending her a roguish look. "You could always repay me by putting in a good word with the chestnut Kyren."

"Is that all?"

"Never thought when I courted someone, they'd have four legs and wings," Ghost mused. "Always thought they'd have a pretty smile and a dirty mind."

Theo was right. His brain is broken.

"I'm with you there," Eva told Sebastian, not taking her gaze off Ghost.

Then again, sometimes crazy was exactly what you needed. The Kyren were a stubborn lot. Nearly as stubborn as the Trateri. If anyone could batter their defenses into rubble, it would be Ghost.

"I'm not sure any word I put in for you will help," Eva told Ghost.

He shrugged, ambling toward camp. "No matter. I've got my ways. I'll wear him down, eventually."

"You do that."

Theo is never going to choose him as a rider, Sebastian said.

Caia chose that second to stick her nose against the back of Eva's neck. The sudden cold, slightly wet, sensation made Eva jump before she reached up to smooth her hand down Caia's soft nose.

"Maybe so," Eva said with a sly grin. "But it'll certainly be fun to watch him try."

It was what she was counting on. Sometimes you had to take your entertainment where you could find it.

An aggravated rumble came from Sebastian. I can't take this anymore. I'm off.

"You'll be back though, right?" The question slipped out before Eva could stop it.

She pressed her lips together, not liking how vulnerable the question made her sound.

Sebastian's expression softened. I'm not going far. I won't abandon you again. Not like last time.

Eva's nod was forced. As much as she wanted to believe him, it was hard. His actions had hurt the nascent bond they'd been forming. It was hard to trust he wouldn't simply disappear for weeks or months.

Still, he was trying. She needed to meet him halfway. It was the only way to regain what they'd lost.

"See you soon." Her smile wasn't as heartfelt as usual, but it was a start.

Sebastian picked up one hoof and then set it down, hesitating. He turned his head, taking in those who remained. Many of them seemed to have derived courage from the fact Eva and Sebastian were alone, Ollie and Jason having drifted back to the herd a while ago. They inched closer, stopping only when Eva or Sebastian looked directly at them.

Before I go, I think a lesson is in order.

"Wait. Don't—" Eva warned.

Her words came too late as Sebastian charged. His wings snapped out, giving him lift as he leapt over the heads of their audience, his hooves nearly clipping their skulls before they ducked.

Shouts came as Sebastian barely missed crashing into a tent before lifting into the sky.

Laughter sounded in Eva's mind.

"Really? That was your plan?"

The Trateri Sebastian nearly decapitated with his hooves picked themselves up off the ground. Since Eva was the only culprit remaining, she became the target of their blame.

"Way to go winning their hearts and changing their minds, Sebastian," Eva growled, stalking toward her tent.

A dozen different methods to teach the Trateri to recognize their limits and he'd chosen the one that left her holding the bag.

If this was what "partners" meant, she would have been better off on her own.

nine

Eva found herself wandering in the dark. Monsters poked their heads out of their hiding spots, their predatory eyes watching her go. A lingering sense that she'd forgotten something important plagued her.

What was it?

It felt crucial, but she couldn't quite remember.

Fog skated across the path in hazy clouds, dispersing as she got close. It thickened in her peripheral vision, turning into soup.

Eva could just make out cliffs on either side, towering high into the sky. The faint shadows of trees loomed at their tops.

Where was she?

Eva didn't know, simply continuing forward as if compelled.

Claws clicked against stone as a fire fox with three tails trotted toward her out of the haze. He sat at her feet with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" Eva asked with a frown.

The fire fox got a crafty expression on his pointed face. A flame flickered to life behind him, fanning into a towering wall that looked like writhing tails.

Eva choked as it became hard to breathe. Like a weight was pressing down on her chest.

The dream shredded as Eva came awake with a jolt. She blinked drowsily up at the shadowy ceiling, the blue-black darkness reminding her of her dream.

Speaking of, she now knew why she'd had so much trouble breathing. Her chest felt heavy because someone was sitting on it.

A cold nose poked Eva's cheek before its owner licked her chin. Eva shoved the fire fox's head away.

"Gross."

Eva propped herself up on her elbow as the fire fox slid onto her lower abdomen. Just as he had in her dream, he gave her a fox-like grin, mischievousness written in his playful expression.

"What are you doing here?" Eva asked, still a little groggy from her abrupt wake up call.

The fire fox's three tails wagged behind him, reminding Eva of the unsettling wall of writhing flames.

She groaned, sitting up and pushing him off her. He hopped onto the blankets beside her and lay down.

Eva paused in the midst of stretching. "Wait. You're supposed to be with Caden. If you're here—"

Excitement darted through her as Eva searched the shadows. She threw the blanket off her, the fire fox jumping out of the way and letting out a yip as if to chide her for being rude.

Eva ignored him, her gaze bypassing and then locking on a section of the tent that was just a bit darker than the rest.

Eva caught the curve of his shoulder first. Then the hilt of one of the many weapons she knew he kept on him at all times.

There was a reason Caden and his subordinates were often called ghosts by the rest of the Trateri. They had a talent for going unnoticed—at least until they made themselves seen.

Caden was their commander. The best of the bunch.

Eva would never have spotted him if he hadn't made a slight shift, the movement drawing her attention like a magnet.

His stillness made her question how long he'd been there, watching her sleep. Would he have stayed there until morning if the fire fox hadn't woken her?

The fire fox hopped off the upraised pallet made from rugs and thick blankets stacked one on top of another that comprised Eva's bed. He trotted toward Caden, barking once before bypassing the entrance in favor of worming under the wall.

Eva waited until the tip of his tails disappeared before returning her attention to Caden. Her gaze caressed the lines of his shape, the yearning she'd buried over the past few days filling her chest.

She'd missed him. The steady comfort of his company. His warmth beside her at night. That way he had of looking at her, like now, as if she was his moon and stars. The reason for his existence.

"Did you have fun?" Eva's voice was low in the dark.

Caden was a man used to action. It couldn't have been easy wasting his time away in the valley. Peace was bound to get boring after a while.

Sometimes she feared she was being selfish asking him to remain with her. That one day he'd look at her and regret all the things he'd given up.

It was something that haunted her. An inner demon that tried to chip away at her anytime she grew careless.

Caden crossed the short distance to stand by her bed, his features cast in shadows. Eva didn't need light to know her lover. She'd recognize him even in the complete darkness that only existed in the bowels of the earth.

He had an aura that was uniquely his. A presence in her mind that couldn't be mistaken for anyone else.

Eva didn't know if what the Kyren had done to save Caden from death had changed him in some way or if her abilities had grown. But for her, he carried the same signature as a mythological.

Caden stayed silent as he brushed his hand across the blankets toward Eva, stopping only when the tips of his fingertips skimmed the skin of her knee.

Eva closed her eyes, corralling the pulse of desire that wanted to overtake her.

Passion wasn't only about the physical. Sometimes it started in the mind, fed and grown by each small action until finally a simple touch or look ignited it.

"I would have preferred to be with you." Caden's voice penetrated the dark and Eva got the sense he was watching her in much the same way a fox would a mouse it wanted to devour.

Her breath was shaky as she licked her lips. She needed to focus. There were things they needed to discuss and that wouldn't happen if she gave into the magnetic pull humming between them.

"Find out anything interesting?" Eva asked.

A sigh came. One that spoke of weariness and frustration.

Eva shifted so Caden could take a seat. His shoulder brushed hers, the warm press of his skin threatening to sidetrack her again.

"I don't know what we found," he said.

Eva waited, knowing it was pointless to rush him. He'd speak when he was ready.

Sensing his fatigue, Eva maneuvered until she was kneeling behind him. She reached up and dug her fingers into his shoulders.

A groan left his lips as his head rolled back. "Don't stop."

"Keep talking and I won't have to."

A husky chuckle left him. "I'm assuming the Kyren already told you we're no longer alone up here."

"They may have said something to that effect."

"And probably a lot more," he finished for her.

"You know them well." Eva moved her hands to another spot, searching out the knots in his back and working them until they relaxed.

Caden made a noncommittal sound. "Judging by the fact they haven't tried to massacre us or chase us out of the valley, I take it they decided to give us a chance."

"A small one," Eva admitted.

A short silence fell as Eva finished up and then leaned against Caden, flattening her chest against the hard lines of his back. She looped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her cheek against his.

He slid one of his hands into hers, dropping a kiss against it before holding both against his heart.

"It must be bad if you're avoiding the topic," Eva guessed.

"The pathfinder thinks we're outnumbered."

Eva drew back slightly, shifting to get a better look at the side of his face. "What about you? What do you think?"

"I agree. They're hiding out there."

"Are they after the Kyren?"

"That'd be my guess. I don't know if the Kyren were always their goal or if they're taking advantage of the situation. I spoke to Van, and he said their direction indicated they were headed this way before the mist."

Eva pressed her chin into Caden's shoulder and frowned into the dark.

Caden's laugh was humorless. "Van and Gawain's arrival might have worked in our favor after all."

It was certainly timely. That was for sure. Convenient for them that reinforcement arrived at the exact same time as this mysterious army. One would almost think someone was guiding events from the shadows.

"Don't tell Ghost that," Eva said lightly. "He's most put out having to deal with them. I'm not sure how he'd react if he knew they actually turned out to be helpful."

"I can imagine. As strange of a decision as it might seem leaving either of those two in charge, they have the experience and reputation to hold their own. Even against clan leaders."

Eva thought that had more to do with the fact the two simply didn't give a fuck about what others thought, or how Gawain and Van could affect them.

"What about Jane and Drake?"

Caden shook his head. "No. Their skill sets lie in different areas. They're blunt instruments. They could kill a clan leader in the right circumstances, but leading is totally different. It requires a different sort of touch. Besides, I want you to be their only priority."

Caden wouldn't compromise on this point. There were only a few people he semi trusted and all of them had been trained by him. He knew the direction of their loyalties, what made them tick.

As long as Eva continued to be an asset for Fallon and didn't hinder his interests, they'd protect her. If it came down to it, they'd give their lives for her in the course of their duties.

Hopefully, that wouldn't be necessary. Jane and Drake were deadly weapons in their own right. It would take a lot to cause them to fall.

Still, bad luck happened. Death came for everyone eventually.

It was why Eva didn't take them for granted. The knowledge that someone might have to give their life for her was a burden she wouldn't be able to set down anytime soon.

There was also the fact the two were very good at being unobtrusive, letting Eva live her life without too much obstruction. People only realized their presence when the two wanted to make a splash, and usually by then blood had been shed and limbs had been severed. Other people's, of course.

"The army isn't even the least of it," Caden said. "Reece found something that disturbed him."

Eva reared back. "Somehow knowing a pathfinder is worried is more concerning than the confirmation that an army is closing in on our valley."

Caden made a masculine rumble of agreement. "My thoughts as well."

Eva paused and frowned, reminded of what the Kyren had shown her that afternoon. "Is this thing he found a body? It's insides missing as if someone had removed everything but the skin and bone?"

Caden stilled. "The Kyren found remnants as well."

"Reece wasn't the only one who was disturbed by that," Eva said in confirmation.

"How far?"

"Just over the ridge. In the valley next to this one."

Caden cursed.

Eva hesitated, not sure how accurate the next part was but knowing it needed to be shared. "That's not all. It looked like humans hunted the red back for sport and then left it to a scavenger who ate it up from the inside out."

"I’m sure they weren’t pleased about that," Caden guessed.

Eva nodded. "Their first instinct was to drive us out of this part of the Highlands. I argued that our people weren't responsible."

The urge to ask if she was right pressed in on her before Eva forced it away. If she wanted to be one of the Trateri, she couldn't always second guess them.

Suspicion was all well and good, but not when it was a constant companion. At that point, she might as well go her own way.

As always, Caden seemed to understand what was going on in her mind without her saying a word.

"None of those who traveled with us would have. They know better," Caden confirmed. "But they're not the ones you're worried about, are they?"

Eva pressed her lips against his shoulder in response.

"I could see Lion Clan hunting a beast for a challenge, but they wouldn't leave the skin behind. They'd take it and as much of the meat as they could harvest. The Trateri don't waste resources, no matter the clan," Caden said. "Rain is even less likely. They pride themselves on their cleverness and using their brains. They'd consider a hunt for trophies beneath them. Something only those with more muscles than wits would do."

The tight knot in Eva's stomach loosened further. "That's good. The Kyren will find nothing to hold us responsible for."

Caden shifted to face Eva, his gaze searching her features in the shadows. He reached up, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"We will figure this out," Caden promised her. "I won't let anything touch you or your Kyren."

The words were a vow.

Caden wasn't a man often given to romantic words or flowery sentiments. His actions spoke louder than words ever could.

It was why Eva had fallen in love with him. How could she not when everything he did or said showed her his heart?

Just look at tonight. His hair still damp from the dip he'd taken to wash up before coming to her. At this time of night, the water would have been icy cold. Not comfortable in the least. Yet, he'd braved it for her.

Such a simple act, but it spoke volumes.

If that didn't show how much he cared, she didn't know what would.

Eva flopped back onto the bed, her arms splayed wide at her sides. "Why can't anything ever be easy?"

Caden's shadow bent over her body, his clothes rustling. His forearms came up to frame Eva's head. "I don't know. Maybe sometimes hard is exactly what we need."

Silence.

A laugh burst out of Eva. "Tell me you did not just say that."

His fingers tangled in her hair. One thumb stroked the rim of ear in a soft caress that made her eyes flutter.

"I love your laugh." He nuzzled her neck, placing a small kiss there. "I'd do just about anything to hear it."

"Is that why you were gone when I got back?" She smiled up at the ceiling. "I was expecting to find you waiting, but you were nowhere to be seen. Maybe if you'd been a little less elusive, we could have put that hardness to use."

Eva couldn't hold in her snicker. In retaliation Caden nipped her collarbone, the quick pain causing her to jump and let out a sound embarrassingly close to a screech.

"Careful, alea na. There are consequences to your actions," he advised her in a husky voice.

Eva slid a foot along his calf and lifted her eyebrows at him. "Maybe I wouldn't mind those consequences."

Taunting a beast was a delicate and dangerous operation, yet all the more rewarding because of it.

And right now, Caden was more like a beast than a man. It was in the intense way he watched her. The almost predatory line of his body where he hovered over hers. His utter stillness, as if a single move on his or her part would break the rigid control he was exerting over himself.

Suddenly the few scraps of clothing separating her body from his felt constricting and tight.

Arousal rose.

For a brief moment, Eva wished she could see his face. Watch as passion overtook him.

It was a powerful thing destroying the control of a man like Caden. A warrior who could end her with a flick of his hand.

It was a little terrifying to be the focus of someone like that. Not to mention thrilling.

Not taking her eyes off his, Eva lifted her hands. Caden didn't move, holding himself effortlessly above her, as she smoothed them down his chest until she met the edge of his shirt.

Caden quivered, his stomach flexing as she explored. The warmth of his skin seeped into her hands. Her fingers touched the band of his pants, drawing a guttural sound out of Caden as she investigated the sensitive skin there.

His fingers curled into claws, clutching the blankets at her shoulders.

Excitement unfurled as Caden's breathing grew harsh.

In reward for his control, Eva leaned up, pressing a kiss against his chin as she dipped one finger below his waist band to tease the skin below.

"You play with fire, alea na," Caden said in a deep voice that rasped against Eva's ears.

Eva didn't fight her shiver, already anticipating the coming storm.

"You speak like that's a bad thing." Eva's fingers brushed against heated, velvet warmth. She gripped Caden, luxuriating as his soft breaths tickled her neck. "It would be better to burn in the blaze with you than remain safely in the cold alone."

Caden's head jerked as his eyes came to hers. Vulnerability peeking through the passion. An emotion she shared.

"You are my heart's breath," he told her, his tone carrying the hushed reverence of a vow.

Warm lips met hers. Unexpectedly soft for such a hard man. They moved over hers, first feather light.

Caden and Eva parted, their breath mingling.

"Fuck it." Caden's next kiss was hard and fast. Searing in its intensity.

He collapsed his lower body against hers, pressing his thick hardness to her center. Eva's pulse thumped as warmth pooled.

Caden's lips left hers to sear a path along her jawline and down the side of her throat. Needy sounds left Eva as she struggled to press herself closer.

A part of her felt like she might burst into flames from frustration if she didn't satisfy the itch inside. The craving burning ever brighter with each touch.

It left Eva feeling restless, a touch violent. The urge to possess and conquer making her uninhibited as Caden hooked a finger into the collar of her sleep shirt, pulling it to the side. His head dipped as he took the muscle there between his teeth, closing down just enough to let her feel their edge but not enough to cause actual pain.

Eva dug her fingernails into the skin of his lower back as punishment.

A husky laugh sounded.

Caden jackknifed into a kneeling position, lifting his shirt up and over his head to bare a chest that even veiled by darkness could only be considered exquisite.

It was full of hard planes and chiseled lines that begged for her touch. Eva stared, too caught up in admiring its beauty to pay attention to the satisfied look on Caden's face.

Unable to resist, she reached out, her touch butterfly soft as she caressed the smooth muscles.

Caden had led a violent life and it showed in the scars that decorated his skin. Each one only adding to the attraction.

They were a road map, telling the story of a man who survived.

Almost by habit, her touch found the newest of his scars. The edges raised and slick, the scar tissue still relatively new.

Sorrow pushed aside some of the desire. He'd come so close to death. If not for the Kyren, he would have slid over the edge. A secret she couldn't share with anyone. Not even him.

Caden's hand came up to flatten hers against him, understanding on his face. "It's over."

Eva didn't respond, her gaze still locked on the spot where she knew the scar was.

He touched her chin. "I'm fine now."

Eva closed her eyes. Yes, he was. And he was going to stay that way.

"You should show me just how fine you are," Eva challenged.

Wickedness replaced Caden's concern.

He yanked Eva's shirt over her head before she could react, toppling her back to the bed. Eva held his face as she pressed her lips against his again, fighting to distract herself from her dark thoughts.

All that mattered was him. This moment and the blaze they created between them.

Caden met her fury with his own, the kiss ripping away the last of her barriers to leave her vulnerable. Her weaknesses exposed.

It would be so easy to devastate her. All it would take was a word. A look.

That was what love did to you. It ripped your chest open, leaving your heart exposed and hoping your partner would take care of it. Not crush it for their selfish needs. That they were the person you thought them to be.

Caden had proved himself worthy a thousand times over.

"It'd be worth fighting a thousand armies to live this moment with you," Caden said, lifting his head to stare down at her with desire and need.

"Careful, my commander. People might start to think you're a man of words rather than action," Eva warned.

Caden lowered his head, his lips trailing along the upper slope of her breast. His mouth closed around her nipple, a sharp zing shooting to Eva's center.

Eva's back arched as her skin flushed with need.

This time it was her control being tested.

And test it Caden did. His touch skated across the sensitive crease where her legs met her hips, making Eva jump and eliciting a number of sounds from her. None of them understandable.

In warning, Caden nipped the underside of Eva's breast. Eva forced herself to remain still, breathing deep as his fingers found her center.

They dabbled there, drawing circles around the spot she wanted him most.

Eva hummed, the fleeting touch only seeming to feed her need. Drawing it tighter as her legs stirred restlessly.

Finally, Caden gave her what she wanted, one finger dipping in before sliding out to swirl around the bud of nerves at the apex of her sex.

Eva hissed. Anticipation only heightened the experience. Every touch. Every sigh and moan building their desire.

Sensation bolted through Eva as Caden lowered his head. As he had with every step of the way, he took his time, nibbling around her clitoris.

Eva felt almost drugged when his mouth closed around her, his tongue lashing at the bundle of nerves there. She almost came off the bed as he speared his finger into her.

Need built, black spots dancing around the edges of her vision as she forgot to breathe. Her body tightened.

She could feel her climax roaring down on her. Glorious devastation that promised to be so sweet.

Before she could crest, Caden pulled back, ignoring her growl. He reached for her and sat back, lifting her over him, his strength on full display.

He aligned their centers. Eva's nails dug into his shoulders, her mouth falling open on a cry as he plunged into her.

From this angle, he felt big. He didn't even have to move. The feeling of fullness almost overwhelming.

Eva's toes curled as his grip tightened on her hips, lifting her so only his tip was inside.

A breathy moan left her, the feeling of emptiness after being stretched by his width ramping up the need even further.

A groan came from his throat as he lowered her back onto him.

Eva squirmed, her climax hovering just out of reach. The promise of it making her wild. She needed more friction. More him.

Anything that freed this brutal desire burning her up from the inside out.

Eva sobbed as she fought him for control.

His tight grip didn't budge, his pace as slow as before as Eva lost her mind. Utterly and completely. Descending to her most base self.

She leaned forward, closing her teeth on the same muscle he had hers. Caden's body jumped, the first sign that his control was teetering.

His strokes picked up.

Finally.

Eva licked the place she'd just bitten and was rewarded as he plunged deep, faster than before.

A cry was ripped from her as the coiled tightness inside exploded. Her inner walls gripped him as she came apart in his arms.

Caden snapped.

In the next moment Eva was flat on the bed, her legs wrapped around him as he lost himself in her, rutting like a beast.

Eva held on, nearly dizzy as her body started to crest again. This time her orgasm was deeper, riding the fine line between pain and pleasure.

Caden came with a low roar, his back damp from his exertions.

He buried his face in her neck as he held himself still inside her. Eva fought to catch her breath, running her hands up and down his back as she stared unseeing at the ceiling.

That was—

Whew.

Her heart was still pounding. Thunderous.

Much louder than a heart should ever be capable of.

Caden's head lifted at the same time she realized that sound wasn't coming from either of them.

Their gazes met as a roar ripped through camp, at first low, almost inaudible, but growing in volume with every second until it turned deafening.

Chills raced up and down Eva's back.

It was a sound that tapped into the most primitive and base instincts a human possessed. Ones that had evolved to ensure their survival. Instincts so old and forgotten that most didn't even know they existed. At least until a beast's roar grabbed them by the throat and forcibly reminded them.

"We're under attack." Caden withdrew from Eva, a blur as he reached for his weapon. He didn't even take the time to dress before he was up and out the door.

Eva scrambled off the bed, taking a scant second to grab her sleep shirt and throw it over her head.

It was the only item of clothes she allowed herself before grabbing her dagger from under her pillow.

It was a gift from Caden, and Eva never went without it. It was always with-in arm's length—even when she was sleeping.

Eva paused to stomp her feet into a pair of boots before darting toward the door. She smacked the tent flap out of her way and stepped into a night that had descended into chaos.

The previously peaceful camp looked like an anthill that had been kicked open. Trateri poured from their tents, already armed. The fires lit earlier, coupled with the half-moon, provided enough light to see by.

Voices shouted instructions as bodies pelted to and fro.

Eva paused to get her bearings, knowing rushing headlong into a danger she wasn't expecting would only cut her life expectancy tragically short.

A bellow from Eva's right sent her heart into her throat.

It sounded close. Much, much too close.

Eva whirled to find a beast standing only a few feet away, nothing between it and her. It was big, dwarfing the humans around it as they waved weapons that looked like small sticks next to its massive size.

The beast reared onto its hind legs, swiping at the human in front of it with paws that were the size of dinner plates.

So that's where the red back's mate went. The Kyren would be so pleased to know.

From a distance, Eva could hear the scream of horses. The shouts from humans and the chuffs the red back made, the sound deep and eerie.

Eva felt divorced from the scene, everything happening in slow motion.

Another horse screamed, this time from somewhere much closer.

Caia, her mind supplied. Probably on her way to find Eva.

The stimuli brought Eva out of her fugue, jolting her from her inaction.

Don't just stand here gaping, idiot. Move. Get to safety then find the herd. Panic later.

Eva calmed and backed away.

The warriors could handle this. She didn't possess the skills to go toe to toe with a red back, particularly one enraged by the loss of its mate. Her responsibilities lay elsewhere. Here, she'd only get in the way.

Eva forced down the worry for Caden that threatened to swamp her. Unlike her, he was a walking weapon. Lethal in his own right.

He'd be fine. He would.

Eva broke into a jog. It killed her to leave him behind, but sometimes duty conflicted with personal wants.

This was one of those times.

A deafening bellow drowned out the sudden screams of pain.

"It’s charging!"

"Move! Get out of the way!"

The ground trembled under Eva. Alarmed, Eva turned to face the red back. It barreled toward her, spittle flying in long strands from its gaping mouth.

Eva's mind froze. Her body too.

For such a big beast, the red back was astonishingly fast, Eva noted absently.

Time slowed as the red back closed in on her. The beast loomed large as her hands clenched on her dagger. She tried to remember the things Caden had shown her about using a knife, but her mind was a blank. The only tidbit of advice she could remember was to aim the pointy end at her enemy.

Following that thought was the knowledge that she'd never outrun the beast. Her only option was to face the red back and hope death wasn't here for her.

At least she'd gotten one last time with Caden.

ten

The ground trembled under the red back's charge.

The world went quiet, its sounds muted and hushed. The Trateri's shouts fading along with the red back's roar.

All that remained was Eva and the red back, looming larger with every second. They were the only two. Alone in a battle to the death.

The red back was all she could see. The female's rage and madness. The pain from her mate's loss. The sharp teeth that promised to savage Eva's flesh.

Humans liked to say animals were incapable of the same emotions as them, but Eva had never believed that.

She'd seen their pain and fear. Their love and joy. She'd watched them mourn when one of their own had fallen.

It was why the red back's grief held her immobile for those few seconds it took the red back to reach Eva.

The red back half lifted, mouth open as one giant paw came up to swipe at Eva's head.

Even knowing it was futile, Eva stepped forward, dagger already thrusting. If she was going down, she'd do it fighting.

Eva had a brief moment of regret. To wish she'd made different choices upon exiting the tent. That she'd headed immediately for the herd instead of taking the time to assess the situation.

Faces flashed in her mind. Caden, who would take her death hard. He'd blame himself even though he shouldn't.

Her friends. Ollie and Jason. Sebastian and Caia.

Last, her sister. Eva wished she'd gotten to see her one last time. To tell her there was more than their little village. That they didn't need to hide their light to make other people comfortable.

Underneath it all was a soul deep desire to live. Unfortunately, life didn't always follow a person's wishes.

The red back's muzzle descended, those long teeth eclipsing Eva's vision.

Arms closed around Eva as a hard force slammed into her side. Caden's tackle carried her out of the red back's reach, those lethal claws missing her by inches.

Eva crashed to the ground, her teeth clicking together. Caden was already up and on his feet, while Eva was still coming to terms with the fact that she was still alive. That all of her insides were exactly where they belonged—inside of her.

Survival instincts kicked in. The pain spreading along the hip and shoulder that had taken the brunt of the fall was thrown to the back of her mind as Eva scrambled up.

Caden grabbed the collar of her shirt, his implacable grip almost lifting her off her feet as he pulled her further from the red back.

Good thing too because in the chaos Eva had lost track of the danger.

She twisted, knowing she needed to locate the red back if she wanted any chance of surviving the next few seconds.

It took only a split second to find her quarry in the wreckage of where her tent had once stood. Only half of it remained upright, the rest shredded beyond all recognition.

The red back shook her big head as if confused about why she was there. She grunted, smacking a piece of cloth out of her face.

She turned in place, her eyes landing on Eva and Caden. She half reared before dropping to the ground again in an explosive movement capable of crushing a full-grown man.

"When I tell you to, run for the archers," Caden ordered in a low voice.

He tapped her right hip and she glanced in the direction he indicated, finding a line of Trateri holding bows.

"What about you?" Eva asked, even though she knew the answer.

His hand squeezed her hip. "Don't worry about me."

"You ask the impossible."

This wasn't a one-way relationship. He wasn't the only one who got to be worried.

If anything, his life was far more dangerous than hers. Filled with violence and bloodshed. A man could only dance on the blade's edge for so long before falling afoul of it.

Eva placed her hand over where his still rested and squeezed, letting him know without words she'd follow his instructions.

It went against the grain to abandon him in the face of a threat. Made her feel small and cowardly in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.

But she'd go. He'd asked it of her. The end.

It helped to know he was right. Without her close, he had options. If she stayed, he'd be preoccupied with her safety. Maybe he'd be alright but maybe his split in focus would cause him to make a mistake.

She didn't think she could live with herself if he died because of her.

Caden didn't need her protection—even if she'd like nothing more than to give it.

"Ready?"

Eva's nod was shaky.

Before either could move, a blood curdling war cry filled the air. Buck raced across the ground, a torch in his hands. He swung it at the red back's eyes.

"Let's go, you mangy beast. Come on! Shea taught me all of your weaknesses."

The red back cowered, trying to protect her face before losing patience. She reared onto her hind legs, extending to her full height as she swatted at the man.

Buck evaded, barely avoiding having half his face turned into bloody ribbons.

He waved the torch at the red back again, enraging her.

"Is that all you got? You're not nearly as scary as Shea made you out to be." The entire time Buck shouted, he wove back and forth, not allowing the red back to catch him.

It was an impressive feat of agility where one misstep would have grave consequences.

Frustrated with Buck's dance, the red back dropped to all four feet and lowered her head in preparation to charge.

"Go!" Caden shoved Eva toward the archers.

She went without hesitation, her head turning to keep Caden in sight as he darted forward to join Buck in harrying the red back.

A scream came from the night. It was the only warning before Sebastian slammed into the beast's back. His hooves and teeth causing an impressive amount of damage in a short time.

Caden and Buck saw their chance and retreated, leaving the mythological to battle it out with the red back as they regrouped.

The red back let out a furious bellow. She twisted to latch onto Sebastian's foreleg. The Kyren wheeled out of reach, his wings giving him lift.

Caia galloped between the tents, a scream announcing her presence as she thundered toward the red back.

"Caia, no!"

The mare ignored Eva to scream another challenge as she galloped full tilt at the beast. She stopped in front of it, the abrupt movement causing her to nearly sit on her haunches.

Eva forgot Caden's orders, starting for Caia as the mare reared, trying to punch the red back in the head with her hooves.

A hand caught Eva's arm.

"You can't go there. You'll only get in the way," Gawain advised.

Eva removed her arm from his grip, barely resisting yanking it out of his hold. As much as she appreciated that he was trying to help, it was a struggle not to snap at him for interfering.

No way could she sit back while Caia risked her life.

"Horses are prey animals. They don't have the same defenses as a red back or humans who can wield weapons," Eva explained with a patience she didn't feel.

Eva had only herself to blame. This was what came of Caia spending time around Sebastian. The Kyren had put thoughts in her head. Now the mare considered herself part Kyren with all the fearless recklessness that entailed.

Gawain aimed a skeptical look toward where the mare was striking out at the red back with her hind legs, Sebastian on the other side nipping at the beast's back quarter.

The red back whirled to face him, forgetting the mare on her other side.

"She certainly doesn't look like prey to me," Gawain said.

Caia's head snaked forward, her flat teeth clamping down on the beast's back leg.

Eva couldn't help but flinch, having been on the receiving end of a bite before.

A pain filled yelp came from the red back.

For a moment, Eva forgot the danger of the red back. Forgot the beast had come here in pursuit of blood.

She couldn't help but remember the reason for the red back's presence. How the red back came to be so far from her territory.

Regret at the beast's pain filled her. Sorrow at the red back's impending death.

There was no way out for the red back. She wouldn't make it out of camp alive. Caden and the rest wouldn't allow it.

Sebastian dove through the air, snapping Eva out of her thoughts.

Kill or be killed was the law of the land. As unfortunate as it was, the red back's fate was sealed the moment she stepped past the camp's borders.

Sebastian's front hooves smashed into the red back's skull. Not hard enough to kill but enough to disorient her. The beast made a low moan of pain that stabbed at Eva's heart.

The beast stumbled, shaking her head to clear it.

Caden appeared out of nowhere. Naked as he was, he should have seemed vulnerable. Incongruous next to the ferocity of the beast. Instead, he resembled one of the ancient warriors from the fables Eva grew up on as he thrust his sword into the red back's side.

A conqueror.

Van moved in from the other side. His chest was bare like Caden's, only unlike Caden, he'd been wearing a loin cloth when the attack happened. Wasting no time on greetings, Van stabbed the red back's other side with his spear.

The red back turned away from him, limping in a circle as she tried to escape.

Sebastian or Caia were there to block her every time she almost succeeded. Caden and Van took turns wounding the beast, chipping away at her strength until finally she sagged to the ground, her energy spent as her life drained away from her.

She made one last mournful cry as if calling to her mate before she finally went still.

Caia wheeled, nickering and tossing her head as if to proclaim victory.

Gawain eyed the horse. "There's a legend among the Trateri of horses who fought on their rider's behalf." He gave Eva a sidelong glance. "Such a horse would be prized by any clan who claimed her."

"Your clans will have to admire her from afar. Caia's picky about who she chooses to let ride her."

If they were lucky, those who tried to ride her without Caia's approval would be thrown. The unlucky would be thrown then dragged as far as Caia could manage before Eva or Jason caught and stopped her.

It had happened before. Numerous times.

Even Hardwick didn't dare ride her without Caia's permission. It was one of the reasons no one had argued when Caia and Eva adopted each other.

Gawain's response was lost as Van withdrew his spear from the red back only to thrust it into the beast again and again.

Eva flinched at the wet sounds, her discomfort rising.

"The beast is dead. There's no reason to stab it again," Eva barked, unable to stop herself from interfering.

It bothered her to see the red back's treatment, even if it was already dead. Poor thing had already suffered enough at human hands. No need to carry that into death as well.

A part of her understood Van's vindictiveness. The red back had attacked them. Not the other way around.

The Trateri held little mercy for humans who made that mistake. Why should a beast be treated any different?

There was a frown on Van's face that quickly smoothed into neutral lines at the sight of Eva. The clan member beside him wasn't as reserved.

"Who in the Broken Lands is this?" The man made a rude gesture at Eva. "When did throwaways decide their opinions mattered?"

Anger rose. She wasn't a throwaway. How many more times would she need to explain that?

Eva breathed deep, holding the inhale before exhaling slowly in a bid to regain control. She just needed a moment to get the anger under control.

Only when she'd found a modicum of calm did she study the man.

Like Van, he was huge. Not quite as large as Lion Clan's leader but bulkier than most, given his broad shoulders and legs the size of tree trunks. He wore a sleeveless tunic that left his tattooed arms bare. Their intricate patterns on full display. His hair was pulled back from his face in a short, bushy tail.

The man frowned at her, unaware that death stalked him in the form of Caden as her warrior sidled close, blade held at his side and a look in his eyes that Eva wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of.

"Well? Not going to answer my question? Are you a mute?" the man asked, still unaware.

Van's face was careful as he moved with Caden, keeping his posture cautious and non-confrontational.

"Quiet, Warin," Van ordered with a strained expression.

Buck's snicker was mocking. "I always knew Lion Clan relied more on brute force rather than brains, but I hadn't honestly thought any of you were this stupid."

The words defused the tension as Caden relaxed.

Warin glowered at Buck. "Keep flapping your gums. See what I do."

"I'm so scared."

"You should be. If it wasn't for Shea, people would have dealt with you a long time ago."

"Careful, Warin," Buck warned, the sarcasm sliding from his face. "There are a lot of people who don't take kindly to others bad mouthing Shea."

Witt moved into view, his expression stony as he made it clear he had Buck's back.

Warin sneered. "You think I'm scared of you and your pet throwaway? Hardly. If I were you, I'd reconsider your loyalties. Your ties to that woman won't protect you out here."

"I think it's you who'd better reconsider your stance. My connections have been pretty good to me so far." Buck leaned forward. "And that's Battle Queen to you, Lion."

The tension from before materialized full force. The seconds ticked by, the possibility of violence increasing with each moment that passed.

"Isn't this funny, Ghost? Warin doesn't even realize the woman he just insulted is the most important person here." Roscoe's voice came from the side.

"It's hilarious." Ghost's smile was a thing of nightmare. "I particularly like that the Kyren who is her best friend is standing behind him."

Warin stiffened, his face slightly panicked as he registered the breathing on the back of his neck.

She had to give it to Sebastian. For such a big, flashy creature who drew notice wherever he went, he was adept at sneaking.

He took that last step that would allow him to bump his chest into Warin's back. A strand of bloody drool escaped Sebastian's mouth to drip onto the other man's shoulder.

Warin flinched but didn't move. He knew in the same way Eva had earlier that fleeing would only hasten his death.

Instead, he remained motionless, hoping if he held still nothing would happen.

Good luck with that. Sebastian might not kill him, but her friend loved taking arrogant Trateri down a peg or two.

Warin had just made himself his next target.

"Shall we make a bet?" Ghost asked in a cheerful tone. "How many bites does it take to bring down a Lion?"

Roscoe and Ghost ambled closer. There were playful smiles on their faces as they watched Warin with an avarice that said they'd found a toy they looked forward to breaking.

Eva almost felt sorry for the man. Maybe if he wasn't so rude and objectionable, she would have.

One thing was clear—he was in for a rough time if prior experience with Roscoe and Ghost was anything to judge by.

Caden gave Van an amused look.

The clan leader scowled but also relaxed, assured that his clan member wouldn't die at Caden's hands. At least not tonight.

"Why bet when we already know the outcome?" Roscoe asked.

"Ah, but we don't know how many bones Sebastian will break in the process."

Roscoe pretended to think it over. "Alright, I bet two ribs and at least one broken limb."

Warin's expression got even more freaked out. "Alright! I get it. I was wrong. Are you done?"

Ghost gave Roscoe a quizzical look. "I don't know, Roscoe. Are we done?"

"Naw. We're having too much fun." Roscoe propped a foot on a small bit of debris and leaned his elbow on his knee. "Besides, the Kyren's Caller is sure to appreciate our defense, don't you think?"

Ghost had a thoughtful look on his face. "I see your point. I've been waiting to ride a Kyren again. Think this means she'll put in a good word for us?"

Ghost gave Eva a playful wink to show his words were a joke. Mostly.

"What did I tell you two about causing more work for me?" Fiona looked tired as she joined the small crowd.

Roscoe and Ghost straightened, losing their playful attitudes as they snapped to attention.

Fiona paused to shake her head in resignation before her sharp gaze swept over the scene. Her eyes paused on the red back before moving to finally land on Warin, Sebastian still hovering over him like a nightmare specter.

Fiona didn't comment on the odd pairing as she looked at Buck, happiness spreading across her face. "Buck, you misbegotten son of a beast, long time, no see." Fiona made a show of examining their surroundings. "Where's the old man? I know he can't trust you up here alone."

Buck thumped his chest, looking proud. "I'm a scout master now. Equal in rank to you. And don't think I won't tell Eamon you called him that."

Fiona snorted. "You do that."

Fiona dismissed him from her attention as her gaze settled on Eva, her fierce amber eyes warming as she found Eva unharmed.

"It's good to see you're no worse for wear," Fiona said.

Eva nodded at her. "Same to you."

It was too. Eva wouldn't admit it, but she'd been worried.

Fiona's grief over Laurell was still there. Hidden for the most part, but Eva could still see the bruises hiding just behind her eyes.

With Fiona and Caden's patrol, Eva had feared her friend would lose herself in that grief and do something foolish.

Seeing her here put to bed those worries. At least for now.

"Yes, yes, it's very nice that you get to see each other, but if we're done with all the welcome homes, could we perhaps call off the winged horse whose teeth are entirely too close to my neck?" Warin asked.

There was a twinkle in Fiona's eyes that had been missing since Laurell's death as she took in the situation.

"Sebastian doesn't listen to the likes of us." Fiona tilted her head at Eva. "The woman you insulted is the person you should be asking."

Warin showed little reaction, but then Eva wouldn't expect anything less. The Trateri were a proud people and from the limited contact she'd had with Lion Clan, their members were more stubborn than most.

Eva wouldn't hold her breath waiting for an apology. In fact, she'd be more surprised if he admitted his mistake.

"My subordinate was rude. I apologize on his behalf," Van said for him.

Warin protested, only to fall silent at Van's sharp look.

"He sometimes acts without thinking," Van continued, not taking his eyes off his fellow clan member.

"It's a habit of Lion's," Buck muttered in a voice loud enough that told Eva he meant to be heard.

Warin glared. "Shut it. I don't need to hear that from someone out of Western Wind Division."

Buck's smile was dangerous. "Oh? You say that like there's something wrong with Western Wind."

Eva stepped forward before Warin could respond. It was late and she was tired. She didn't have the energy or motivation to listen to them trade insults.

Or worse—challenge each other to a fight.

"If you want Sebastian to stop, you could start by referring to him as a Kyren. They're not fond of being called a 'winged horse'. They consider it an insult," Eva said.

Warin pressed his lips together as he eyed her with a nonplussed expression as if to ask if she was really lecturing him at a time like this.

Yes, yes, she was.

Eva couldn't think of a better time or one more suited to making her point.

If Warin wanted a favorable outcome, he could begin by treating Sebastian with the respect a fellow sentient deserved.

Not insulting him would be a good start.

Eva's mama taught her the value of being polite. She might not always use those teachings, but it was a valuable life skill to have in her pocket.

"Fine!" Warin said, giving in. "Kyren. Sebastian. Whatever you want to call him. Just please tell him to stop breathing down my neck."

For someone who wanted a favor, he sure wasn't being polite about it.

"Woman," Warin started when Eva just stared at him.

Caden stepped close, invading the other man's personal space. "You don't talk to her in that tone."

Caden's voice was low, but even from here his threat was unmistakable. It was a quiet assurance that spoke louder than a hundred explicit threats ever could.

Fierce. I approve.

Sebastian would. Though truthfully, Eva did as well.

In the grand scheme of things, Warin's words were inconsequential. A mosquito buzzing around her ear. Annoying but ultimately forgotten in the next second.

They couldn't draw blood. At least not physically.

It was when those words were repeated over and over again. When that sort of thinking spilled into other avenues that they inflicted slow bleeding mental cuts that accumulated into a myriad of wounds that sucked the life out of you.

Caden's actions let others know such things wouldn't be tolerated. Even if Eva let them go for the sake of keeping the peace, he wouldn't.

Nor should she. Allowing a trespass once would tell the Trateri it'd be allowed again. Eva had no intention of living a life where others were allowed to slight her at their own leisure.

She deserved more—and she'd take it.

"Alright, I understand," Warin said, almost flinching under Caden's regard.

Eva had a feeling he would have retreated from Caden if not for Sebastian behind him.

Warin flicked Eva a look as if to ask what she was waiting for.

Eva let the moments slide past. Enjoying his discomfort wasn't nice of her, but then she'd never pretended to be a kind person. Sometimes people got what they deserved.

Finally, Eva took mercy on him. "Sebastian."

The Kyren looked at her.

"It's enough."

Eva glared at his innocent expression when he still didn't move. He knew that look didn't work on her anymore. He understood very well what she was saying.

"He's learned his lesson. You can let him go."

I don't agree.

Of course, he wouldn't. Why make anything easy when it was so much more fun to be difficult?

The fire fox landed on Sebastian's head, appearing out of nowhere. He scolded Sebastian and Warin with several high-pitched yips before flame shot out of him, singeing the ground in either direction.

Gawain jerked next to Eva before controlling his reaction. The onlookers drew back, aiming cautious gazes that didn't quite hide their fear at the fire fox.

Eva grimaced at the charred ground. "Look what you did. You got the fire fox all riled."

It's not my fault the overgrown rodent got all huffy.

The fire fox lifted his upper body and pounced on Sebastian's head, making it bob.

"Don't you dare." Eva pointed at the fire fox in warning as flame flickered at the end of one tail. "I'm not explaining to the Kyren why their proud son came home missing his mane."

The fire fox's angry chattering sounded like back talk to Eva. Once again, she wished she could understand what he was saying.

Nonetheless her warning seemed to have gotten through to him as the flame went out and his tails drooped.

Eva turned her gaze to the culprit who'd started all this. "Let him go. We both know you're not going to do anything to him anyway."

Sebastian got an insulted expression on his face. I might. There's a lot of meat on him and you know arrogant warriors are my favorite. They're the tastiest.

Eva shook the uncomfortable image of Kyren feasting on human body parts from her brain. "You promised. You don't eat humans and I don't avoid your kind for the rest of my life."

Warin blanched. "What did she just say?"

Roscoe grinned. "Oh, yeah. Kyren consider humans a delicacy. You should have seen how quickly they stripped the flesh from bone off those who tried to enslave them."

Warin gulped, his unease reflected in the rest of those from Lion and Rain.

Roscoe and the others from camp had been with Eva on that first trip. As beautiful and majestic as the Kyren seemed, the mythologicals also had a darker side. One that considered everyone else a potential food source in times of famine. Even other Kyren.

There was still some resistance in Sebastian's expression as he gave her a sulky look. Fine. If you insist.

Oh, Eva did. Eva most certainly did.

The step back Sebastian took was small, but relief ran through the rest of those present—including Eva.

The Kyren were nothing if not unpredictable. There was every chance Sebastian would push the confrontation to the edge and take them to a point of no return.

Sebastian's lip curled, showing their relief was premature. Van tensed, as did Gawain.

Sebastian sneezed, a great glob of snot hitting the back of Warin's head and splattering onto his shoulders.

"Oh my," Fiona said, not quite holding in her laugh at the look of shocked disbelief on Warin's face.

Eva choked, caught between her desire to laugh and the knowledge that doing so wouldn't help the situation.

No one reacted, including Warin as he stood frozen in position, cringing as he stared blindly ahead.

Sebastian whickered and trotted away, his tail and wings held high.

A snicker broke the silence. Others followed quickly.

Buck reached out to poke at the globs of snot, withdrawing before actually touching the sticky liquid. "That's embarrassing."

Ghost nodded, looking repulsed.

To Eva's surprise, Warin didn't seem furious as his face worked. There was none of the rage or anger she would have expected. Instead, she saw excitement.

"Am I the only one he's sneezed on?" Warin asked.

"Yes?" The raised inflection in Eva's voice made that more of a question than a statement.

Warin lifted his hands, rubbing the snot further into his hair as a mad laugh broke free. "The first Trateri to have that honor." To Buck. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

Buck looked like he was debating whether Warin was insane. "Not the word I would use."

Ghost frowned and stared at Roscoe. "He does have a point, though. Why haven't we been sneezed on? We've been around him way longer."

Fiona raised her eyes to the sky. "How did I get saddled with morons?"

Ghost slung an arm around her shoulder. "Guess you were just lucky."

Warin paid no attention to them, striding toward a clump of Lion Clan members in the distance.

"I fear I'll never understand people," Eva told Caden as he joined her.

Eva tore her gaze from Warin to focus on Caden. Her cheeks reddened at the realization that he was still naked. During the fight and the confrontation immediately afterward, his state of undress hadn't really registered as she'd had more important things to focus on.

Now, however, she could barely bring herself to look away from all that flesh on display. The chiseled muscles and perfect form.

Caden gave her a wicked smile as he took in her flaming cheeks. "See something you like?"

Eva didn't know it was possible, but her face got hotter as her blush deepened.

Fiona whistled. "Looking good, commander. I see you haven't let yourself go."

"No, I've got to keep the interest of our Caller after all," Caden drawled.

"Go put on clothes," Eva hissed in embarrassment.

Caden's chuckle was low as he winked at her before striding toward the wreckage of her tent and the clothes lying somewhere under it all.

Fiona barked a laugh. "Embarrassed?"

"Aren't you?" Eva asked.

"Naw. This is actually pretty common. Before we were united, clans used to conduct night raids on their rivals pretty often. You fought in what you had on. Sometimes that's nothing." Fiona lifted a shoulder. "Besides, all bodies pretty much have the same parts, if you know what I mean."

Eva ignored her wink.

She'd known the Trateri weren't as modest or body conscious as those in the Lowland village where she'd grown up, but she hadn't realized the extent.

Eva's curiosity got the better of her embarrassment momentarily. "Isn't it hard for men to fight with their personal part flapping about like that?"

Silence reined for a brief moment.

Fiona cackled as Roscoe choked, his shoulders shaking.

Ghost was the only one to respond. He nodded, looking serious. "Indeed. It leaves a man feeling vulnerable to have his jewels and rod out in the open, asking to be trimmed. It's why I always sleep with my pants on."

Fiona and Roscoe stared at Ghost with their mouths open.

"What about when you're fucking?" Roscoe asked.

Fiona slapped him on the arm.

"What?" Roscoe asked. "I'm curious."

Fiona gestured at Eva. "I don't think she wants to know that."

Except Eva kind of did.

Ghost gave them a sly smile. "You don't have to take your pants all the way off to fuck."

Fiona sighed. "That's not something to be proud of. I pity your nightly dalliances."

Caden rejoined them, this time wearing pants as he shrugged into his shirt. "How is the perimeter?"

Van and Gawain moved closer, their faces intent.

A grim expression spread across Fiona's face. "One death, several injured. They tried to stop the red back and when that failed sent up a warning."

"If the army is anywhere close, that warning would have signaled our position," Gawain said.

Caden nodded.

"That's not your only problem," Reece said, stomping over the wreckage of Eva's tent with an irritated expression on his face.

"Look who finally showed up," Van muttered.

Reece gave him a cool look. "You had it handled. My skills were best put to use elsewhere."

"Where's that?" Gawain asked.

Reece lifted the bag he was carrying and grabbed the bottom. Without a word, he dumped its contents at their feet. The severed paws of a red back brought a hush to the group.

Roscoe and Buck squatted next to them to get a better look.

"You want to know the reason why the red back left her territory to travel here. Why she targeted Eva's tent despite many others being more accessible." Reece met each of their gazes, finally stopping on Caden's. "You're looking at it."

eleven

Ghost nudged a paw with his foot. "You're telling me these caused all this?"

Fiona knocked him away from the dismembered remains.

"What?" Ghost complained.

"Don't touch the cursed things. What if you get the red back's scent on you and draw other nasty things?"

"The mate's dead. I hardly think it'll be a problem now."

Buck and the others stared at Ghost like he was an idiot.

"You haven't hung around Shea enough if you think that. Woman has stories that will make your hair gray," Buck muttered.

Witt nodded seriously.

"Pathfinders learn quick that only idiots go around being all touchy feely." Reece gave Ghost a sharp smile. "Sometimes our trainers don't even tell us what to be wary of. They just let us go off and figure it out on our own. Their methods are pretty good at weeding out the undesirables."

"I'm beginning to think pathfinders are far more brutal than the clans could ever hope to be," Roscoe observed.

Van and Gawain's faces remained emotionless, but Eva didn't think she was imagining their agreement.

"Where did you find them?" Caden asked.

Reece met Eva's eyes. "Buried right outside the back of her tent."

Buck cursed, the faces of the rest echoing his sentiments.

Eva felt numb as the implications of Reece's words hit. She'd known change didn't come easy, and that there were some who thought she didn't deserve the position she had—especially with her not being Trateri.

Still, she hadn't thought they would go so far as to scheme a way to hurt—or more likely kill—her.

Fiona and Caden shared a look.

"You know what this means," Fiona said.

Caden inclined his chin. "I do."

Sensing the rising hostility and the reasons behind it, Van held up his hand. "Wait, let's not jump ahead of ourselves."

"The jump has already been made," Roscoe told him. "We have a traitor among us."

Ghost moved closer, his gaze scrutinizing as he stared at the two clan leaders. "And we're pretty sure we know where that person came from."

Van seemed incredulous at the accusation. "Come on. You know Lion Clan wouldn't stoop so low."

Eva found it telling that he didn't include Rain in that statement. Almost like he was trying to infer blame without having to go into specifics.

Gawain's expression darkened as he caught Van's meaning. "Be very careful what you say next, Lion."

"He's right," Roscoe said, flanking Gawain on one side as Ghost did the same on the other. "Your clan has a bit of a reputation."

"How dare you," the woman at Gawain's back said. "Why is it that your sort always points fingers at us first?"

Ghost's expression was mild. "I believe we pointed our fingers at Lion first."

The woman sneered.

"Also, this is the reaction you get when your clan is comprised mainly of exiled members of other clans," Roscoe pointed out.

The woman sucked in a breath to respond when Gawain lifted a hand for silence.

"Enough, Emersyn," he said.

Unhappy, she closed her mouth, but that didn't take the sting out of her glower.

Gawain’s voice was mild as he addressed Roscoe. "And I'm not the only one with a reputation, now am I, Madness."

Roscoe's nostrils flared. He didn't speak, lifting his chin to give the clan leader an expressionless stare.

"How do we know one of yours didn't put that there?" Ghost said.

"If you have proof, show it," Gawain challenged. "Otherwise, you're nothing but a pair of yapping dogs your master hasn't brought to heel yet."

There was a cold light in Gawain's eyes that said he wasn't a stranger to accusations. That it had happened so often he'd developed a calloused exterior.

Something about that prideful look made Eva want to believe him. She could empathize with him. Sometimes even when you wanted to change, the expectations and perceptions of others wouldn't leave you room to.

"He's right." There was no trace of emotion in Caden's calm facade. His voice was flat. Even. As was his stare.

That was what made it so scary.

It didn't take a genius to see how tightly Caden was clinging to his control. As if a single crack would destroy the fragile house he'd built around himself.

Eva feared if the wall he kept erected ever fully toppled the consequences would be devastating—for everyone.

"We have no proof," Caden continued. "Yet."

"It could have been the army you were chasing over the last two days," Van pointed out.

Roscoe made a derisive sound. "You mean the army that hasn't been anywhere close to this valley and probably didn't even know it existed before tonight."

"Just because their main body is in one place doesn't mean the rest of them are. They could have sent scouts out," Van argued.

Gawain nodded. "It's what I'd do."

Van made a face. "Oh good. Rain agrees with me."

"Watch it," Gawain warned.

Van squared off with him. "Or what?"

Gawain started for Lion Clan's leader. Fiona and Buck moved to intercept.

Two objects fell out of the sky, hitting the ground with a heavy thump.

Gawain and Van forgot their argument as they unsheathed their blades, the rest of those present following suit.

Laughter came from above.

"Silly mice, you should really keep your eye on your enemy. Fighting among yourselves only makes you a tempting morsel for the real predators," a voice echoed from the darkness.

"Archers to the sky," Caden ordered.

"No need for that," the voice said again.

Dark shapes dropped from the sky, wings flared to brace themselves. The Tenrin straightened, arrogance in every line of their bodies.

"Great. Who invited the crows?"

"I didn't know we needed an invitation to visit our allies," a sardonic voice said as a lithe Tenrin sauntered into their midst.

Ajari’s approach was nearly silent except for the quiet rattle of beads that clattered against each other with every step he took. He was a wonder to behold with skin the color of deepest night. It carried an opalescent sheen that always reminded Eva of starlight.

It was beautiful—and eye catching.

Like all Tenrin, he had bony protrusions along his forearms that could be used to stab or eviscerate an opponent. He had blunt features and a nose that was a little flatter than a human's. Black hair brushed his shoulders, feathers interspersed throughout.

The only thing missing were his wings; he had none. Only two scars where they should be.

The human who'd called the Tenrin crows looked stubborn at Ajari's rebuke. To Eva's relief he held silent, not adding tinder to the fire his words had already lighted.

"Brother, you moved faster than I expected," Ajari said in a light voice, addressing the biggest of the Tenrin trio.

Since Ajari referred to the Tenrin as brother, it meant the man could only be one person. Covath, the flock's leader, and a major player in the battle for Wayfarer's Keep.

Unlike his brother, Covath's skin was a matte black that allowed him to blend seamlessly with the night. As nocturnal predators, Eva was sure that came in handy.

His large form dwarfed that of his guards and brother, and his features carried a cruel beauty.

His gaze was piercing as he studied the humans in front of him.

Eva could see why he was the flock's leader. The only other man who could match Covath for that same level of authority and intimidation was Fallon.

"I was curious to see what about these mice has attracted you so."

Ajari's expression tightened, the movement slight. If Eva hadn't spent so much time with him, she might have missed it.

Something about his brother being here wasn't within his plans, Eva realized.

There was a sense of discordance between the two that put Eva on edge. Almost like they were fighting, but not with words.

It was more like how her mother sometimes waged war. Guilt and expectation her mother’s weapons of choice.

To her surprise, she found dislike and anger in Covath's gaze when he glanced at her.

Eva bristled. What had she done to deserve that look?

She didn’t expect to be liked by everyone. Her personality could only be called prickly. Nor was she particularly lovable. Some days she was surprised she had as many friends as she did.

What was more, people confounded her. She didn't always understand why they did the things they did.

Still, none of these were reason enough to provoke that level of hostility from Covath. He didn't even know her.

"If you had told me of your interest, I would have been happy to facilitate a meeting." Ajari's smile held an edge Eva recognized. It was the smile Ajari gave those humans he found obnoxious. Half ridicule and half vicious.

Roscoe and Ghost paid rapt attention to the brewing drama.

Caden and Eva shared a look, his questioning, hers baffled. He tilted his head toward the two in a gesture meant to prod her to interfere.

Eva gave him big eyes. Was he crazy? Why would she throw herself voluntarily into that fire?

Caden's grin was wolfish as he bent down to her ear. "I take care of the humans. You the mythologicals, remember?"

Eva mouthed a curse. How had he found out what she said to Jason?

She glared as he straightened. This was a low blow, and he knew it. Unfortunately, his smile said he didn't care.

Making an angry sound in the back of her throat, Eva focused on the Tenrin with a feeling of dread. She really didn't want to get in the middle of a fight between siblings.

All she had for a reference point were the fights she used to have with Elis. Those had been knockdown, drag out battles and had a tendency to savage anyone stupid enough to interfere.

Sadly, Caden was right. She didn't have the luxury of letting them tangle. Not with so many eyes on them. Human—and Kyren.

Searching for inspiration—or a way to escape her fate—Eva's gaze dropped to the motionless objects at their feet.

She blinked. Were those—

No. They couldn't be.

One of the objects moaned.

Damn. She was right. The Tenrin had thrown a pair of bodies at the Trateri’s feet. Live ones.

Eva raised a hand. "Not to interrupt this sibling spat, but could you explain why you tossed those two on the ground like a sack of unwanted clothes?"

That had been polite, right?

Then again, maybe not, considering the way Covath and Ajari locked on her.

Eva kept her expression bland. Not an easy task considering their predatory glares.

Honestly, she felt a little bit like the mouse they referred to humans as. A little wary but faking a bravado that could disappear at any moment.

Another moan came from one of the bundles.

Van frowned, finally figuring out what Eva had already realized. Fury grew on more than one face as they put together the clues.

"You don't recognize them?" Covath asked.

The sly teasing in his tone, so similar to Ajari's, was a warning.

It made Eva pause. She took one more look at the bundles, noting the battered faces as the men glared at their surroundings. What really caught Eva's attention were their clothes.

The shirt and pants were made from a low quality fabric, the cut simple. Nothing like the more complicated construction the Trateri favored. They also weren't wearing warm weather gear, a necessity for the mountains.

If Eva had to guess, she'd say they were Lowlander. Maybe a Highlander from the more southern parts, but Eva doubted it.

"Should I?"

"They're human," Covath pointed out.

Gawain arched an eyebrow at the Tenrin. "Do you recognize every Tenrin?"

"Yes."

Gawain's eyebrows furrowed as if he hadn't anticipated such a response.

"Humans are many and our settlements can be spread out and isolated," Eva explained, stepping into the resulting silence. "We don't know every one of our kind."

Covath's gaze sent a small chill down Eva's back as he stared at her.

It was never easy being the focus of a predator. Even more so when you got the sense the predator would like nothing more than to see what color your insides were.

"Interesting. We picked these two up while they were fleeing from your camp," Covath mused.

"Oh look, your perimeter wasn't as effective as you thought," Emersyn muttered to Roscoe.

Fiona's eyes narrowed as she gave the woman a hard look that said she'd like to address this subject a little more violently but wouldn't while their guests were present.

"Then it seems we have you to thank," Eva said with a closed mouthed smile, careful not to show her teeth.

Ajari and the Kyren had taught her many interesting things about their culture that humans wouldn't typically consider. The first being that when a mythological smiles at you with teeth then you'd better get your weapons ready.

For them the display of teeth was a hostile action. A declaration of intent much like when a dog bared their fangs as a warning to back off.

"I see why my brother is so taken with you," Covath remarked. "For all your humanness, you play our games quite well."

The subject shift was unexpected, leaving Eva at a loss for words.

If she took his words at face value they sounded like praise, but if that was the case, his tone wouldn't be combative.

"I'm beginning to see the resemblance between you two," Eva said, shooting a look at Ajari.

There was no clue in his bland expression on how she should handle this. Whatever Covath's motivations, she'd get no hint at them from his brother.

Very well then.

If they wanted to play games, games they shall play.

"You both choose roundabout methods to achieve your goals when simple requests will win you far better results," Eva finished, not bothering with diplomacy any longer.

It had been a long night, and it wouldn't work anyway. They were too like the Trateri.

Covath's mask cracked, some of his anger spilling out. "Is this how you thank someone kind enough to catch the enemy mice who breached your territory?"

Eva didn't cower or back down, knowing that was what he wanted and that the second she did any authority she'd managed to claw her way would disappear as quickly as smoke.

"I already said thank you. You're the one who keeps dancing around the subject," Eva said, keeping a neutral expression on her face when Covath showed her his teeth. They were fit for a nightmare, pointed and sharp, made for ripping flesh from bone.

Seeing no reaction, Covath's closed his mouth, studying her carefully.

Eva waited expectantly.

"We're here because my brother could no longer hide the fact that the Kyren have chosen a Caller," Covath rumbled.

Eva couldn't quite hide her surprise, her gaze darting to Ajari. She'd been under the impression the Tenrin knew and approved.

After all, Ajari was a big part of the reason she was handed this position.

He'd maneuvered and manipulated events to ensure as much.

Covath smirked as he finally found a chink in Eva's defenses. "My brother has overstepped in his position as liaison to the humans. These prisoners were simply an unexpected boon."

Eva held still as she fought the urge to fidget, knowing she couldn't give away any weakness right now. "What does my position as the Kyren's Caller have to do with the Tenrin?"

Yes, Ajari helped guide the way, but the Kyren were the ones who made the decision. The Tenrin should have no say in matters.

Covath's smile deepened, his eyes still wintry. "Not all Callers have proven themselves worthy of their position. The Tenrin have no intention of watching history repeat itself."

"What does that mean?" Eva asked.

Covath's head lifted as he looked over their heads. Eva twisted to find Polaris standing a short distance away.

"Tell your herd lord I expect an explanation," Covath told him.

The Kyren have never been accountable to the Tenrin. We are your allies when it suits us. Never your followers.

Covath looked dissatisfied with that response. "Your actions affect us all. The crimes of the last Caller have not been forgotten by us."

Nor by the Kyren.

"And yet you've appointed this mouse to that position." The way Covath said mouse sounded like a curse. "She stinks of fear and desperation. She will crumble the first time her people ask her to compromise us."

"I didn't last time," Eva defended. "I could have died. Caden almost did. Does that not prove my commitment?"

Eva ignored Roscoe as he leaned toward Ghost.

"Is anyone else curious about the part of the conversation we can't hear?" Roscoe asked in a low voice.

Ghost and Fiona nodded.

Gawain glanced at them but didn't comment.

Caden shifted so his shoulder brushed Eva's, providing silent support.

"You faced death but what happens when your people ask you to betray the Kyren? They'll say it's necessary. They'll argue that less mythologicals make the world a safer place." Covath's expression was coldly dismissive. "You'll side with them just like the last one did. It's already been written."

"Bullshit," Eva burst out.

Covath paused in the act of turning away. "What was that?"

"I said bullshit," Eva repeated.

She didn't care about diplomacy anymore or keeping the peace.

These people were all the same. Kyren, Tenrin, human. Every last one of them. Always making assumptions about what she was capable of. How far she could go.

"Yeah, humans are capable of betrayal, but so are you."

It was a grim truth. Human intelligence meant human weakness. Moreover, she'd already tasted betrayal from both humans and Kyren.

She knew the pain of that blow.

When Sebastian broke her trust prior to revealing his mate was enslaved, it was understandable, but it still stung. Despite that, they found a way forward and repaired what he'd broken.

It wasn't easy and took concentrated effort on her part. What she didn't do was go into the relationship anticipating a future betrayal. Otherwise, she might as well not have made the attempt in the first place.

"Everyone keeps saying they want an alliance, that they want a different future than what has come before, but none of you do. Not really. None of you are willing to set aside your own egos to move forward. You're so caught up in preventing yourself from being hurt that you're missing a chance to truly stop this cycle."

She wasn't speaking only of the mythologicals, but humans as well. For this to work, all parties needed to make the effort.

The hard part was that all three races fostered independence. Even if some agreed with what they were doing, it could be ruined by the actions of a few.

Some of those around her looked shocked at the outpouring of words.

Pride gleamed in Caden's eyes. Fiona's as well. Ghost and Roscoe grinned, looking impressed with her.

"Bold words, but I know you'd show favor to your companions," Covath pressed.

"Of course, I would. They're my friends," Eva answered without hesitation. Before Covath could rejoice in his victory, Eva continued, "Just like Sebastian and Ajari are my friends. I'd protect them too, simply because I care about them. I keep the promises I make, Flock Leader."

In fire and blood if necessary.

Eva shifted her gaze to Polaris, knowing the Kyren needed to hear this too. "When I accepted the position of Caller for the Kyren, I didn't do it on a whim. I considered all angles and the fact one day my loyalties may conflict with one another. I don't know what the future will bring, but I do know that I will never compromise their secrets or safety."

I know you believe that, Polaris said after a short silence. His eyes were almost kind, even as his voice was implacable.

Eva felt disappointment move through her. She'd taken a chance and hadn't got the reaction she'd hoped for.

That was alright. If they needed her to prove it to them, she would. Over and over again until they believed her sincerity in their bones.

Covath let out a light snort as he faced his two companions. "Prepare to leave."

"What about the prisoners, Flock Leader?" the one on the left asked.

"Leave them." Covath slid Caden, silent for the entirety of the exchange, a glance. "Consider them a welcome gift from your neighbors. Do with them what you will."

"I will take you up on that offer," Caden said, inclining his chin. He flicked his fingers at Jane who'd been guarding them from the shadows. "Find Chirron. I want their wounds healed."

"Interesting tactic," Covath remarked.

"I find it's better to insure a prisoner doesn't die before you get everything you want from them."

"I doubt you'll find much. We've already interrogated them and learned little."

Caden's smile was mysterious as his gaze played over the prisoners. "You never know. Maybe my humanness will allow me to better grasp their fears and pry their secrets from them."

Covath studied Caden with an assessing gaze for several seconds before a bark of laughter rumbled from him. "I like the way you think, human."

The corner of Eva's eye twitched. Of course, Covath would like the bloodthirsty side of Caden. The two were practically bonding over their joint viciousness.

Men. She'd never understand them.

"Come, Ajari." Covath's words contained an order.

Ajari didn't move. "I had thought to remain in the human camp."

"No."

Covath made a sharp gesture and two more Tenrin dropped from the sky, startling the Trateri around them. More than one of those present glared into the darkness, searching for what they couldn't quite see.

Van and Gawain shifted subtly as if preparing for an attack.

The Tenrin ignored them as they stepped forward, carrying a modified swing that they set on the ground. Ajari didn't move immediately, staring at the scraps of fabric and rope as if looking at an enemy.

His distaste and desire not to go was easy to see, leading Eva to touch his wrist in question.

If he wanted it, he had a place here. He only had to ask for her help, and she'd give it. He needed to know that.

As sarcastic and vicious as his words often were, he'd proven a dependable ally. Something Eva was in short supply of right now.

More importantly, she didn't like the abrupt manner with which Covath treated him.

Eva wasn't sure how she'd manage to thwart the Tenrin flock's leader, but she'd figure it out. She always did.

Ajari's expression warmed. "Thank you, little rabbit. I will be fine."

Eva didn't stop Ajari as he glided toward the Tenrin and their swing. He passed Covath, who was regarding Eva with a veiled expression.

She didn't let herself back down as she lifted her chin in challenge. If he had something to say, he should say it.

Covath withdrew his gaze, barking a command in the Tenrin's language. Those around him shot into the air in an impressive feat of strength before they were gone.

Covath was the last to follow.

"Well, this has been an eventful night," Reece said into the resulting silence.

Van gave the pathfinder a reproachful glance that Reece ignored as the pathfinder strolled away as abruptly as he came.

Van shook his head as he addressed Caden. "What are your plans for the prisoners?"

"We break them and learn everything they know."

Drake and Jane moved to flank the men, reaching down and forcing them to their feet before escorting them out of sight.

Caden lifted a hand to the back of Eva's neck, pulling her gently toward him and pressing a kiss against her forehead. "You alright?"

Eva nodded, some of the shakiness at the close call coming back to her. "Somehow."

Caden's grip tightened before he re-exerted control of himself, consciously loosening his hold.

"I know," Eva told him, one hand coming up to rest on his wrist.

It had been a close call. For someone as afraid of losing those he loved as Caden, it would bring his nightmares to the fore.

He was already doing well by not surrounding her with a phalanx of guards.

"I have to take care of this," Caden said in an unhappy voice.

There was a small frown on his face and Eva didn't think she was imagining the rare glimpse of frustration she was seeing.

"You do," she said, knowing some part of him was seeking her agreement.

"I can't—" Caden stopped himself and closed his eyes, grief etched in his face.

Eva lifted her face, pressing her lips against his. "Go. I have to check on the herd, anyway."

"I don't want you staying out there. Not tonight."

Eva paused. He had a point. Much as she would have preferred to sleep under empty skies, it wasn't safe.

The prisoners changed things. If they'd really been the ones to bury the red back paws, it meant they'd gotten far closer than they should have without anyone noticing.

In camp, she was surrounded by other Trateri. Out there, she'd be vulnerable and alone.

"You can borrow my tent," Fiona inserted. "I won't be sleeping in it tonight."

Eva nodded, grateful for the offer. "I'll head there once I've reassured myself the herd is alright."

Eva gave Caden a warning look when he opened his mouth to argue.

"I have to take Caia back anyway."

The mare lifted her head from where she'd been investigating the wreckage of Eva's tent. There was an almost surprised expression on her face, as if she'd hoped no one would notice the hundreds of pounds of horse flesh standing right beside them.

Caden's face wasn't happy. In fact, it was perilously close to grumpy. An emotion not often associated with her stoic commander.

To her surprise, he didn't argue. "Very well."

His nod was short before he stalked after Jane and Drake.

Van lingered, his face holding a surprisingly astute expression. He shot Gawain a glance. "Coming?"

"You couldn't keep me from this." Gawain strode after Caden.

"I'd think after your experience with Caden's brand of interrogation you'd want to stay as far away as possible," Van called.

Gawain's shoulders bunched, but he didn't turn around, ignoring Lion Clan's leader as the other man sauntered in his wake.

Fiona lifted her eyebrows at Roscoe and Ghost. "Choose."

Eva glanced between them. "What are they choosing?"

"They know," Fiona said, not looking away from her men.

"It's your turn. I went last time," Roscoe said.

Ghost folded his arms over his chest and sneered. "No dice. I paid you back by taking your place to watch over the camp."

Understanding dawned and Eva rolled her eyes. "You're talking about who gets to stay behind with me."

The men gazed at Eva with identical looks of stupid before resuming their conversation as if nothing had happened.

"I still say you do it," Roscoe drawled. "I haven't sat in on a good torture session in weeks."

"I'll be fine." Eva waved her hands at Polaris. "There's a Kyren right here."

"No offense." Fiona shot a not-quite apologetic look that was much too frank to be in the realm of true apology at Polaris. "But we don't trust the Kyren any more than they do us. She's important to the Trateri and me personally."

Polaris's ears tilted forward. If he took offense, he was holding those feelings close. Eva couldn't catch even a hint of his emotions.

Ignoring the Kyren, Fiona pinned Eva with a stare. "If you're going out to the herd, you're taking one of them with you. I've already lost one friend. Don't make me lose another."

When Fiona put it like that, how could Eva say no?

She lifted a hand to show she wouldn't interfere.

"We could do it," Buck offered as he and Witt joined them.

Roscoe scoffed. "Thanks, but we've got it."

"What? You don't trust me?" Buck's grin was teasing as he sauntered away, saying over his shoulder. "I'm hurt."

Witt gave Eva a respectful nod before following his companion.

I am leaving as well. Don't forget we are watching you.

"Not much chance of that when you remind me every other minute," Eva muttered as Polaris spread his wings and took flight.

Roscoe and Ghost's argument fell silent as they took in the Kyren's passage.

Roscoe was the first to cave. "Fine, I'll go with her. But you owe me."

Ghost clapped him on the shoulder and hurried away before he could change his mind.

"You two make it seem like I'm a burden or something," Eva remarked.

"It's more that neither of us have gotten to see the commander break someone. It's a good opportunity to learn new skills."

Eva didn't know how to respond, so she turned her attention to Caia.

"Well, my dear, have enough fun for the night?"

Caia snorted, letting Eva take hold of the halter and guide her to the field where Ollie and Jason were probably waiting.

"We need to have a talk about your propensity for attacking creatures much more dangerous than yourself," Eva told the mare.

Wouldn't it be nice if something as simple as that would solve all her problems?

twelve

Caden shadowed the Anateri and their two prisoners, ignoring the clan leaders following him.

Movement in the darkness caught his attention. Caden's lips curved. It seemed Covath wasn't as sanguine about giving up his prisoners as he pretended.

Caden would bet anything he owned that Tenrin surrounded them, ready to report back regarding Caden's actions.

That was alright. Let them watch.

This would be a good lesson for them in what happened to the Trateri's enemies.

Caden didn't plan to hide his brutality nor was he concerned about what his actions might reveal.

He was what he was. A killer.

Their allies would either accept that fact or they wouldn't. Caden couldn't change who he was.

He could try. For Eva, he would. But he knew himself and this world. He could only pretend to be a bunny for so long before his fangs and claws wet themselves in blood.

If he was destined to fail, why go through the trouble?

Besides, the Kyren and Tenrin had their own dark sides. In that way, they were more similar to Caden than Eva. Maybe that was why they were all so drawn to his herd mistress.

She had a light inside of her that made beings like them want to bask in its glow.

Possess it for their own.

It was his job to make sure no one ever got the chance to damage that light.

And he always accomplished his mission.

"Anyone ever tell you, you're a bit scary when you get that look in your eyes." Van smacked his lips in dissatisfaction when Caden continued to ignore him. "I'm surprised to find you so eager to take up this role. I would have thought you’d want to keep this side of yourself from the pretty herd mistress."

Caden could feel Gawain's sharp gaze on him, even as the other man was careful to keep his presence low-key. Fallon's foster brother had grown smarter since he was arrested under suspicion of trying to assassinate the Warlord.

If he wasn't still a threat to Fallon's rule, Caden might even find himself liking the other man.

"Is it because you're bored of playing the noble hero?" Van mused, undeterred by Caden's silence. "I imagine for a man like you it's hard to resist getting your hands dirty."

Van had always been the talkative sort. As adept at verbally poking a person's weak spots and exposing chinks in their defenses as he was at physically pounding others into submission.

He pecked and pecked until he discovered a person's soft underbelly.

It was probably why he had lasted so long as leader to the most volatile of the clans.

He acted simple, even when he was anything but.

Fiona caught up, Ghost a shadow at her side. She sent Caden a fierce look. "Where are they?"

Caden nodded to the tent Drake and Jane had just dragged the prisoners into.

Fiona wiped her palms on her pants, the only sign of her nerves. She licked her lips as she stared at the tent, thoughts moving behind her eyes.

Caden waited.

"I want first crack at them," she said finally.

Her request was to be expected. Caden imagined if it was Darius or Braden who had been killed like Laurell, he would have torn the Broken Lands apart finding those responsible for their deaths.

And that was gentle compared to what he would have done had it been Eva or Fallon.

The world would have burned, and he would be the one holding the match.

"You've got it," Caden said.

Anticipation made a fleeting appearance in Fiona's expression before she schooled her features along more professional lines.

"Do not kill them," Caden warned, wanting to make that clear beyond a shadow of a doubt.

He didn't want her to claim ignorance later if she crossed the line.

Caden had no problem letting her work some of her aggression out, but his leeway only went so far. She knew what would happen if she overstepped. There wouldn't be a second chance.

"I have plans for them," he finished.

Fiona darted a quick glance at Ghost, delaying for only a moment before starting for the tent.

Ghost seemed almost hesitant before following.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Van asked in an idle voice. "She is a decent commander, but this isn't part of her skill set."

"She'll be fine," Caden said, only half paying attention to Van.

"Your herd mistress has changed you. I don't know whether to say you're getting soft or if you're more dangerous than ever. Either way, she's a weakness."

Caden didn't like the tone of Van's voice. There was a hint of darkness there that said the other man was considering how much of an advantage that knowledge gave him.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Caden asked, finally looking at the other man.

One side of Van's mouth tilted up, not intimidated in the slightest. "I don't know. Are we?"

This right here was why so many of Lion Clan had failed to win the mantle of clan leader from Van. He was as tricky in his own way as Fallon.

"What are you really doing here, Lion?" Caden asked.

Van made a show of looking around the camp. "Maybe I want what everyone wants. My very own Kyren mount and the glory they could bring me."

Unlikely.

The only glory Van cared about was the kind he could find standing on a battlefield. The Kyren meant nothing to him.

Seeing he hadn't convinced Caden, Van shrugged. "You could say my instincts led me here. The potential for battle is all around. I can hardly contain my shivers of excitement."

Van’s expression was one of ecstasy as he gave a full body quiver.

This was troubling. Van's penchant for sniffing out dangerous battlefields was well known among the Trateri.

There was a saying in their ranks. "When a Lion appears, blood is sure to follow."

Caden had no doubt that statement would hold true this time as well. Danger was coming for them—and Eva was stuck in the heart of it all.

Caden put aside his concerns, centering himself as he transferred his regard to Gawain, silent and watchful until now. "And you?"

Gawain's attention lingered on Van before he took in Caden. "You could say I'm along for the ride."

Why didn't Caden believe that?

He'd watched Gawain grow up. He'd gone from an innocent boy to one who moved through the ranks by manipulation and using those stronger than himself.

Maybe what had happened after Fallon's injury had been a wake-up call. Could be it had given Gawain an epiphany, but Caden wouldn't waste his breath hoping.

Some chances weren't worth taking. Not when his heart now rested outside of his chest.

Caden didn't have time to dwell further on the pair's motivations as Chirron approached with quiet footsteps.

"Look who it is." Van's teasing smile held an edge as he watched the healer glide toward them. "I didn't think you'd stoop to using your skills for such a purpose as this."

Chirron ignored him, directing his full attention to Caden. "What do you need from me?"

"There are two prisoners in that tent. I need you to keep them alive while we extract information from them," Caden said.

Chirron listened with a serious expression. "I will do my best."

"Doesn't helping him torture the prisoners violate your creed?" Van asked with an arch tone.

Chirron stiffened but didn't otherwise react to the clan leader's words. "Anything else?"

"That's all."

Chirron nodded. "I'll get started then."

Chirron turned toward the tent only to stop at finding Van standing squarely in his way. "Could you step back? You're in my way."

Van remained motionless for long seconds before abruptly grinning as he raised his hands and took an exaggerated step back. "This good enough?"

Chirron didn't look at the clan leader as he moved past.

"One day he's going to poison you, and I hope I'm around to see it," Gawain remarked as they watched the healer enter the tent.

Van's only response was a grunt.

Gawain shook his head, leaving the topic as they settled in to wait. Groans and pain filled shouts issued from the tent.

Eventually, Chirron emerged, wiping his blood-stained hands on a cloth. Seeing Caden, he headed for him as the other two straightened.

Chirron's face was tired as he met Caden's eyes. "I have no idea what was done to put them in the shape they're in. They have massive internal bleeding. I found several broken ribs and one has a broken arm."

Van whistled. "Looks like the Tenrin aren't kind to prisoners."

Chirron made a face that said he agreed. "That would be my conclusion as well."

"Will they hold up to questioning?" Caden asked.

As long as he got the information he wanted, he didn't care about anything else.

Chirron hesitated. "If you go easy on them. Otherwise, I can't vouch for whether they'll last long enough to give you the information you need."

Gawain's snort was sarcastic. "That's unlikely. Caden's methods are well known."

Van pulled his lips into a pouting frown. "What's the matter? Does this bring back bad memories?"

Caden stirred. "I never touched him."

Gawain's smile was wry. "You didn't have to. Your reputation was more than enough."

Van's laugh was an explosion of sound as he slapped Gawain on the shoulder. "I'm beginning to like this version of you. Much more palatable."

"I'm honored," Gawain drawled.

Caden ignored the two, stalking toward the tent and ducking inside.

Fiona looked up from the man she was crouched in front of to give Caden a respectful nod. Both men were bruised and battered, their faces a kaleidoscope of color Caden attributed to the Tenrin.

Jane and Drake stood on opposite sides of the tent, flanking the prisoners.

Ghost shifted, announcing his presence in the corner. "They're playing possum. They don't know that's our favorite game."

Fiona reached out, digging her fingers into an open wound. The man came awake with a scream.

Caden's smile was a terrifying thing. A level of peace and tranquility in it that should have conflicted with what he had planned.

Maybe that was why the man couldn't hide his flinch or the small broken sound he made.

A sound that only made Caden's smile widen.

It was an expression that told the prisoners exactly what sort of person Caden was.

He had no misconceptions about himself, as comfortable at the prospect of torture as he was at sharing a meal with Eva.

Some might claim him a monster for the ease with which he adapted to each situation, but Caden preferred to think of it as being flexible.

"Hello." Caden wasn't bothered by the terror on the other's face. He squatted beside the man. "I really must thank you for delivering yourself into our custody."

A soft laugh came from Ghost's corner, making the other man flinch again.

"We thought we'd have to scour the hills for a chance like this," Caden continued. "Didn't we?"

Fiona nodded. "We did."

The man's breathing accelerated, the promise of pain twisting his mind far more effectively than if Caden had just started in on the torture.

"We won't tell you anything," the man managed to grit out.

Caden lifted an eyebrow, a little impressed the stranger had managed a retort.

"We'll see," Caden said, rising.

He gestured to his Anateri. They nodded, understanding his order without him ever having to say a word. It was one of the benefits of working with those you'd rigorously trained and knew almost as well as you did yourself.

They'd arrange a constant guard for the prisoners, using only those they trusted.

"I won't make this too complicated," Caden informed the two, pausing when he caught the hot glare of the second prisoner.

Until now, the man had been careful to keep his presence low, but he couldn't hide the hatred brewing in his heart.

Caden smiled. Looked like they had a fighter on their hands. That was okay. Everyone had their breaking point. They'd be sure to find his.

"You tell me what you know, and we won't hurt you."

"No, you'll just kill us," the second prisoner spat.

"Yes," Caden agreed, not hiding his intentions.

Better to start this relationship off with a bit of honesty. There was no way either of these men would be set free to endanger Eva.

"But you get to decide if it's slow or quick."

Caden could tell from their behavior that they weren't expecting that response. Good. Keeping them off balance and uncertain was step one.

His message delivered, Caden prepared to leave.

"Wait. You haven't asked us anything," the first prisoner said with a panicked expression.

Caden looked at Fiona in expectation. She stepped forward, capturing their attention as Caden stepped into the night.

"Don't worry. You don't need him. We'll be happy to keep you company."

The faint moan of protest soothed the monster Caden had let loose, sating some of the blood lust still left over from the battle with the red back and the close call Eva had had.

Van's frown was perplexed as his gaze went from Caden to the tent behind him. "Wait. That's it?"

Caden didn't stop. "Were you expecting something else?"

"Where's the blood? The torture?" Van demanded, looking like a child denied his favorite treat.

"A person's fear is a far greater motivator than pain could ever be."

Though admittedly, pain helped to destroy a prisoner's determination, but it was only one side of the equation. The mind was the other. Manipulate it. Break it and your chances of success were greatly increased.

Van made a disapproving sound. "What nonsense is this?"

"The kind that works," Chirron answered for Caden. "Think about it. The prisoners have already been beaten and tortured and still didn't give up the information. Rather than continue and hope they break, Caden is choosing to employ a more effective tactic."

"And letting them get a good night's sleep will do that?" Van demanded.

"I doubt there will be any sleeping," Caden observed.

Fiona would make sure of that.

"I suspect this is only the beginning of what the commander has planned for them," Gawain said quietly.

Smart man. Maybe a little too smart.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Van asked, looking dissatisfied.

"We wait."

"For how long?"

"As long as it takes."

Caia's familiar soft whuffles and snorts pulled Eva from her comfortable sleep. There was a clop of hooves against the ground and the sound of movement before quiet settled in.

Eva started to sink back into her dreams when she frowned. That wasn't right.

She should be in a tent—and Caia with the rest of the herd.

Then why was she hearing Caia now?

As soon as her mind asked the question, she became aware of a light weight stretched along the length of her back. Eva parted the warm cocoon she'd made with her blanket, poking her head out of it just enough to frown blindly at her surroundings.

A wet snout touched her neck as the fire fox made a sleepy sound, as if asking if it was already time to get up.

The blanket fell from Eva's shoulders as she pushed her way fully onto her elbows, taking in the tent still bathed in soft darkness, the morning too new for even a suggestion of light to invade.

Caia's white-gray coat was easy to spot, sticking out like a sore thumb. The mare stuck her face in Eva's, lipping at the curl of blond hair that slipped over Eva's shoulder.

Eva shoved Caia's face away, still half asleep. "What are you doing in here?"

She couldn't find it in herself to be surprised at Caia’s presence or question how the mare managed to fit herself in the tent without bringing it down around them.

"Eva, are you awake?" Jason called from outside.

Eva's voice was scratchy with sleep when she answered. "Yeah."

"There's something you should probably see."

Eva pulled a face. Of course, there was.

"Give me a moment," she said, leaning forward to snag the set of clothes sitting on the stool next to her sleeping pad. She dragged them underneath the blankets and began to dress. Never exposing even an inch of skin to the crisp, bordering on cold, morning air.

It was a handy trick she'd developed since joining the Trateri. Privacy wasn't always assured, especially on the smaller, fast-paced missions. The bonus being she stayed warm the entire time. It made getting up a little easier.

Finally dressed, she lay back, enjoying her last moments under the warm blankets before the start of her day. Too bad she couldn't bring them with her. A little cocoon of warmth wherever she went.

Eva tossed the blankets back and swung her feet to the ground. She located her boots and stuffed her feet in them before standing.

Now came the hard part, extracting Caia from the tent without damaging it.

"I don't think Fiona will appreciate you messing up her things so just back yourself on out without destroying anything precious."

And please don't rip a hole in the walls, Eva added silently.

Caia didn't move, nudging Eva with her nose. With a sigh, Eva patted Caia's nose and cheeks.

"What am I going to do with you, sweet girl?"

Eva dropped a kiss on her nose and pressed her forehead to Caia's.

She was beginning to understand how she'd managed to sleep through a night she'd been convinced would be sleepless. Caia had brought the herd to her. A small slice of it anyway.

"Thank you, my friend." Eva straightened. "Now, let's get you out of here."

Eva pushed on Caia’s chest, guiding her toward the door as she used body language and spatial pressure to back the mare out of the tent. Finally, they ducked below the flap and into the soft morning twilight.

Jason wasn't alone; Drake stood next to him, having replaced Roscoe at some point in the night.

Eva quirked an eyebrow at Drake’s lack of surprise at Caia's presence.

One side of Drake's lips tilted up the tiniest bit. "She was rather insistent. We didn't quite have the heart to shoo her away."

"Uh huh."

Now, why didn't Eva believe him.

The Anateri weren't exactly known for being sentimental. She'd believe he had a crisis of conscience regarding Caia as soon as she believed the sky was purple.

More likely, someone’d had the brilliant idea to send Caia into the tent. She was betting that someone looked a lot like Caden.

For a man known for his mercilessness, he was astonishingly soft when it came to Eva.

Eva came out of her thoughts to find Jason giving the mare the stink eye.

"I was wondering where she went. Ollie and I have been searching all morning."

The mare was unrepentant as she flicked her tail, looking utterly uncowed by his anger.

Jason shook his head. "I give up. You're the only one she listens to."

"I'm aware."

It was a major reason why Caia had never been assigned a Trateri warrior. She'd found a partner in Eva and refused to settle for anyone else. Some might say they were wasting Caia's potential, but Eva appreciated the mare's company too much to care.

Sometimes the heart was more important than the benefits you could squeeze out of a person.

Caia was hers, just as much as Eva was Caia's. They were kindred spirits. Stronger together than apart.

"Is there a reason you woke me up when dawn is still no more than a thought?" Eva asked, squinting at the mountain range where the sky above was beginning to lighten with oranges and pinks. The sun still not high enough for its rays to pierce the valley floor.

It wouldn't be long until it was fully up, Eva judged. Already the camp was beginning to stir as the early risers started their daily tasks.

"You're going to want to see for yourself."

With those cryptic words, Jason set out.

Eva closed her mouth on a yawn and slid a probing glance toward Drake. "Is this your doing?"

Her apprentice didn't use to be so mysterious. Maybe hanging out with the Anateri was having more of an effect than she thought.

Drake gave her a closed mouthed smile that told her nothing.

Grumbling to herself about annoyingly mysterious warriors and their equally annoying habit of making things more difficult than they should be, Eva stomped after Jason.

It didn't take long to leave the camp behind as they strode through the meadow next to it, heading for a copse of trees in the distance. Pockets of early morning fog swirled along the mountain tops, hovering in insubstantial pools along the valley floor in places.

The short walk was enough for the sun to poke over the range, the weak shafts of light it threw out playing peekaboo with the shadows.

The scene was like something out of a half-remembered dream. Insubstantial. Fleeting, as if it would vanish at any second.

It was a reminder that while there were many terrifying things in the Broken Lands, there was beauty too. A magnificence that made you stop and stare, feeling a part of something great if only for a moment.

The clip clop of Caia's hooves and the faint sounds of their passage were the only things to disturb the serene landscape. Drake drifted behind them; a specter Eva wouldn't have realized was there if not for her frequent glances in his direction.

He was a silent but vigilant presence as the distance increased between them and the camp. Their path bypassed the herd, taking them in the opposite direction and over a small mountain stream trickling through the valley.

Eva couldn't help but send Jason a puzzled frown as they traveled further from the horses. Now why would her apprentice have been so far from his charges in the course of finding whatever it was Eva needed to see?

She didn't ask any of the questions buzzing in her brain, instead facing forward and letting Jason continue to lead. The answer would come sooner or later. Getting all bothered by it before she knew the facts was a waste of time and energy.

"We're close," Jason said.

Eva hoped so. Otherwise, she'd have to suspect her apprentice of plotting her grisly demise.

Sure enough, within minutes Eva spotted Caden and Jane examining a bundle of fur located at the foot of the tree line. The firs, spruces, and pine trees keeping watch at their back.

Caden stood, brushing his hands against his pants as he said something to Jane.

She turned on her heel, disappearing into the trees.

As Eva got closer, she could see the lines of exhaustion bracketing Caden's mouth and eyes. The long hours dealing with the prisoners and the aftermath of the red back attack had taken their toll on him.

Eva didn't comment on the signs of fatigue. Sometimes it was better to pretend you didn't see even though everyone present knew. It made things easier, especially when those things couldn't be changed.

Caden was tired. So was Jane. Eva suspected Drake too.

Until this was resolved, none of the Anateri would be catching up on lost sleep.

Knowing there was nothing to do, Eva's attention dropped to the object Caden had been examining.

"This—" Eva trailed off as her puzzled gaze lifted to Caden's. "Is that all that remains of the red back?"

Caden's nod was grim. "Rain's people dragged it out here last night. We discovered what was left of it this morning."

Eva couldn't help feeling a bit unsettled. Like the red back she'd discovered on the other side of the range, only the pelt remained, the fur resembling a deflated sack. Even the eyes were gone. Empty sockets, sightless holes that sent shivers down Eva's back.

"This isn't good," Eva said.

In fact, it was very, very bad. She could write off the oddities of the first carcass. The fact Caden and the patrol had found similar remains was slightly more concerning.

This, on the other hand, had firmly entered the realm of vaguely terrifying.

Whatever was doing this to the beasts was now operating in their territory. If they could suck dry a beast as large as the red back in a few hours, what could they do to a human over the same period?

"Told you, you had to see this," Jason said.

Eva nodded. "You were right."

"It gets worse." Caden beckoned her as he headed into the trees where Jane had disappeared.

Eva watched the trees swallow him. She had a feeling she didn't want to know what awaited her there. It would only cause her a headache and raise more questions.

Left with no choice, Eva signaled Caia to stay put before looking at Jason. "Stay here and watch Caia."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Eva sent a questioning look at Drake.

He inclined his chin. "I'll keep an eye on them."

Eva didn't deceive herself into thinking Drake did it out of the kindness of his heart. If it had been only her and Jason here, he would have followed her into the trees and nothing she could have said would get him to change his mind.

Caden's presence made Drake's vigilance less necessary. It meant secondary tasks, like making sure Eva's nearest and dearest were protected, could be taken into account.

The underbrush crunched under Eva's feet as the cool depths of the forest enveloped her.

She hadn't always been able to call the trees by their names. Where she'd grown up, the only thing that mattered was recognizing those plants which benefited humans from those that posed a danger. Conversations with Reece since then had deepened Eva's knowledge about trees.

These days she knew they fell into two broad categories. The first were known as deciduous. These trees changed color in the fall and were bare during winter. The second were coniferous, known for having needles instead of leaves. This second type never changed their color or lost their foliage.

The Highlands heavily favored the second category. Something about the altitude and cold making them a better fit—or so Reece had explained.

Eva didn't understand all of it, but she'd been happy to learn more about this place.

Before long, Eva picked up the murmur of voices as she slipped through the trees, coming to a stop when she found herself on the edge of a circle of dead trees. Their branches were stripped bare of greenery, and they looked disturbingly like skeletons.

A feeling of death pervaded the surroundings, making Eva pull her jacket around her a little tighter.

The tree at the center of the dead circle captured her attention as she moved closer, noticing Caden and the rest out of the corner of her eye. Roscoe and Ghost stood a short distance away, talking softly to each other. Reece had taken a knee and was observing something on the ground, his focus intent. Fiona and Jane were next to each other, keeping half of their attention on the pathfinder and the rest on the tree.

Eva put them out of her mind as she became absorbed in what she was seeing. The trunk seemed to be moving, the illusion that its bark was crawling toward its crown leaving behind a sense of wrongness.

Eva made a choked sound as she realized that wasn't bark moving but rather insects that bore a strong resemblance to cicadas. Hundreds. No, thousands of them.

She staggered back as she realized the tree wasn't the only thing covered in the cicadas. They were on the ground too and present on many of the surrounding trees.

No wonder the trees were dead. The cicadas had consumed everything important, leaving only husks behind.

Caden caught her arm, steadying her. "I've got you. It's okay."

Eva didn't respond, too caught up in her horror.

"Why did it have to be bugs?" Roscoe asked.

Fiona's expression was severe. Almost brutal as her hand tightened on her sword, looking as if nothing would please her more than to receive an order to exterminate.

Ghost seemed removed from events. Almost apathetic as he reached over to poke the swarm with a tree branch he'd grabbed from somewhere.

Reece's hand shot out to grab the branch and hold it immobile. "How about let's not poke the strange insects before the pathfinder figures out whether they're likely to eat us or not."

Ghost gave him a frown that said he didn't understand the other man's concern.

Reece's expression was long suffering as he set the stick down, careful not to disturb any of the bugs.

"I'm surprised a pathfinder would be scared of a few bugs," Roscoe said.

Reece aimed a flat look at him. "Really? You're going to tell me you're not?"

Point to the pathfinder.

After what happened last time, they all had an instinctive abhorrence to anything that crawled. It was hard not to when you ran into insects that resembled flowers that were capable of turning you into a plant.

These cicadas weren't the same, but none of those present wanted to test their luck.

"That's what I thought," Reece said when Ghost didn't argue. He rose to his feet. "They might be smaller than a beast but their numbers more than make up for it. Ask Shea to tell you about the time she ran afoul of a tricksi swarm. It's quite the tale."

"What are they?" Caden asked.

Reece's pause didn't make Eva feel any more confident. Even less so when he shook his head with a perplexed look. "I'm not sure."

Roscoe raised his eyebrows. "Do my ears deceive me? A pathfinder who doesn't have an answer?"

Reece scowled. "For the last time—I'm not my cousin. I don't share her delusions of grandeur."

Ghost and Roscoe smirked as Fiona looked on with a flat expression.

"Though if I was a betting man, I'd wager these had something to do with what happened to the red back," Reece finished, wiping the levity from their faces.

Eva had a feeling he was right.

"What makes you say that?" Roscoe asked.

"A swarm of never-before-seen bugs less than a hundred meters from a red back carcass that has been consumed down to its bones in not even a full evening? You're telling me that doesn't strike you as strange?" Reece asked.

Roscoe shrugged. "Everything about the Highlands is weird."

Reece shook his head and raised his eyes to the sky. "Why did Shea have to befriend you louts and then stick me with your company?"

Eva didn't know what possessed her to tug on the pathfinder's tail as she gave him a sweet smile. "Consider it punishment for your previous sins."

Reece scowled, looking baffled. "What sins?"

There was a hint of wickedness in Eva's expression as she fixed Reece with a teasing look. "I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you all about them the next time you see her."

Reece's sputter finally cracked Fiona's emotionless façade as a hint of humor peeked out of her friend's face.

"Nice one," Fiona told Eva. "It's about time someone checked his ego."

thirteen

Caden allowed himself a small smile at Reece's expense. The look of shock on the pathfinder's face was priceless. He hadn't expected that. Not from Eva, a woman he probably considered quiet. Maybe even harmless.

That was his mistake.

Quiet didn't mean weak. Sometimes a gentle exterior was nothing more than a cover to hide a priceless treasure you might be fooled into thinking didn't exist.

Caden certainly hadn't. His oversight almost cost him the beauty that was Eva.

It was why people never expected her claws. They forgot that the best hunters were silent before the strike.

Maybe that was why he was so attracted to her.

She was loyal but fierce in her protection of those who'd earned her esteem. Kindness threaded through every action she took. Even when she was giving you a piece of her mind, it was for a reason. Sometimes to keep you from being stupid. Often it was to protect another.

It was how she'd broken through to a heart as jaded as Caden's. He was used to people using others. It was far rarer to find a person who gave all of themselves to the tasks they undertook. Who felt so deeply that they were unable to walk away even when they knew it was safer, both emotionally and physically.

He'd seen the way Eva had struggled to find her footing in an unfamiliar role. Her uncertainty was hard to watch. Caden would have liked nothing more to step in to solve her problems, but doing so would only have done her a disservice in the long run. He'd rather cut his hand off than do anything that would clip her wings and prevent her from blossoming into her full self.

For the longest time, Caden had only had one person he put above his own wellbeing. With Eva, he now had two.

It was why this newest surprise the Highlands had sprung was so concerning. Caden didn't like surprises or uncertainty and these cicadas represented both.

He watched the strange insects march along the tree's trunk in neat, uniform lines that a commanding officer would be jealous of. Even the best trained Trateri warriors wouldn't be capable of such precision.

As he watched, one line reached the end of the trunk and made a tight turn before marching in the opposite direction. Over and over again until their numbers covered every surface, even spilling onto the ground.

"What do you think they're doing?" Roscoe asked.

"Nothing good." Caden's face was grim as he glanced at Eva, knowing she wasn't going to want to hear this next part. "We can't stay in the valley any longer."

The swarm was a danger to everyone and everything here. There were too many unknowns for Caden to feel comfortable being in such close proximity.

They'd consumed an entire red back in a night and then laid waste to half the grove.

Caden didn't want that happening to their mounts. Or worse, their people.

Then there was the problem of the prisoners. If Covath was to be believed, the army the prisoners served already knew their location. It was just a matter of time before they attacked.

With the Trateri as outnumbered as they were, Caden couldn't guarantee their safety. Worst case—they'd lose a significant number of their people.

The Kyren or the Tenrin could overturn that if they were to fight at the Trateri's side, but Caden couldn't rely on that. Not with tensions riding high and the alliance still so new.

Eva's expression was torn, knowing Caden was right but also aware of how the Kyren would react.

"Let me talk to them before we do anything. They might be more receptive if we ask first. I'll find a way to clear it with them. Somehow."

One problem down. Though he didn't envy Eva the conversation she'd have to have with the Kyren.

"Do we destroy the swarm?" Caden asked Reece, knowing the risk involved in such an undertaking.

Right now, the swarm was preoccupied with the trees. Disturbing them could result in them switching focus to the camp or the herd.

Of his choices, Caden would prefer to act. Better to eliminate a potential threat rather than wait for danger to sucker punch them when their guard was down.

Surprisingly, there was an atypical uncertainty in Reece's expression as he studied the swarm. The other man hated not having the right answer to the problem, seeing it as an assault on his pride as a pathfinder.

His hesitation was understandable. He feared making the wrong choice and the consequences that would result from that decision.

It was a fact of life that all leaders had to accept at some point. Something Reece, as a loner who preferred existing outside the hierarchy of power, was only coming to terms with now.

This situation was a test for him. He could defer to Caden's opinion or step up as his cousin would have and use the facts at hand to form a working plan.

If it looked like he was paralyzed with indecision, Caden would step in. Self-doubt would only get other people killed. He didn't plan to risk his people for Reece's ego.

"I say we follow your suggestion to evacuate the valley. Any attempt on the swarm should wait until then."

Good. Caden had the same thoughts.

Roscoe let out a sigh. "Life was so much easier when our enemies were all human."

"Ain't that the truth." Fiona agreed as she and Roscoe shared a commiserating look.

Ghost slapped his neck.

"Ghost," Roscoe said as Ghost's hand remained on his neck, his face slowly turning white.

Fiona pried his hand off his neck. "Were you bitten?"

Ghost remained calm as Fiona revealed the bright red mark on his skin. "I'd like to say no, but I'd be lying."

"Don't joke about this," Fiona snapped.

Anger and fear twisted her expression.

Roscoe's jaw flexed as he cast a considering gaze at the swarm, already fingering the sword at his waist.

Eva's face was agonized, memories of the last friend who was bitten by a mysterious insect rendering her silent.

The lost expression on Eva's face as she met Caden's gaze was a knife in his gut. A reminder that as much as he hated it, there were some things he couldn't protect her from.

"I'd really prefer not turning into a killer plant." There was a faint smile on Ghost's face that didn't hide the terror in his eyes.

"You're not going to turn into a plant," Fiona assured him as Roscoe leaned in for a closer look at the insect's remains.

The crushed legs and transparent wings were all that were left along with a smear of green-brown.

"We need to get out of here," Reece said, his focus on the swarm. "Now."

"I've got him," Fiona told Roscoe, taking Ghost's arm to support him.

Roscoe dropped back a step, guarding their backs.

"I'm not an invalid. I can walk on my own," Ghost protested.

"Shut up, warrior," Fiona barked, hurrying him forward.

"Caden." Eva's weak voice came from beside him.

Caden felt something inside him go still at her tone. The skin on the back of his neck crawled, instinct screaming at him that something was wrong.

On first glance, Eva looked normal. Nothing much was different. Those were her features. A little blank, her personality muted.

Her eyes were unfocused in the same way they sometimes were when she was listening to something the rest of them couldn't hear. It was the same look she got when the Kyren were speaking to her.

"Eva."

The emotion in Caden's voice made Jane step forward, alert to the fact something was wrong.

Fiona glanced back as she and Ghost paused.

Eva didn't answer, her eyes unseeing.

"What's wrong with her?" Reece asked.

Caden didn't get the chance to answer as Eva's limbs started shaking uncontrollably. Her chest heaved as she convulsed.

"Run," Caden roared.

Fiona partially carried, partially supported a weak Ghost, trusting Caden to handle the situation. Roscoe hesitated for a split second before following.

Reece raced after them.

Jane moved closer to Eva and Caden, her expression cautious. "What do we do? Can we move her, or will that hurt her?"

Caden shook his head. "I don't know."

The admission scraped at Caden's insides, leaving them raw and exposed. It was an acid in his throat. Corrosive and poisonous as he hovered at Eva's side, his muscles strung tight with the urge for action.

Violence coiled inside of him.

"We wait," Caden said a second later.

"They won't hurt her, will they? She's supposed to be special, right?" Jane asked.

"Not everyone appreciates special."

Sometimes they hated it. They saw that specialness as a threat and went to great lengths to stamp it out.

It was Caden's fear. One of many keeping him up at night. As long as Eva was the only person with her abilities, she was a target.

Eventually, there might be an enemy Caden couldn't protect her from. Some mythological or beast who decided humans shouldn't have such power and who'd try to eliminate her.

"You can go," Caden said, seeing Jane eye the swarm only a few feet away.

Jane snorted. "You know better."

Caden allowed himself a tiny smile. He did. That was why he offered.

Jane and Caden stilled as the small sounds coming from the swarm stopped. The sudden hush was a bell toll, telling them something was coming. Something bad.

"Shit," Jane whispered.

The swarm went still, all movement ceasing. One by one they arranged themselves so they were facing Eva.

A buzzing started. At first low pitched, growing in volume until the drone drowned out the sound of the wind.

A disturbance started at the base of the tree, rippling in every direction as if someone had thrown a rock into their midst.

"GO!" Caden scooped up Eva, setting off at a dead run, the buzzing a deafening roar that kept growing.

Jane protected his back as they fled through the trees.

Even knowing their actions wouldn't be enough to save them, Caden didn't stop. It wasn't in his nature to give up. The woman in his arms demanded he figure a way for her to survive at least.

She was his. The only thing he'd ever truly considered his own. He wouldn't let her end this way. Even if he had to sacrifice his body to protect hers.

Caden poured more strength into his legs. He'd fight until the very last breath if that was what it took.

The tree line loomed before him, beckoning them with a false promise of safety. Even if they escaped the forest, the swarm would simply follow them.

Caden didn't bother with stealth, crashing through the underbrush as he held tight to the last vestiges of hope in the form of Caia. The mare would run herself ragged to carry Eva to safety.

Reece stepped into view, a lit torch in his hand. The determination on his face inspired a surge of speed.

The pathfinder had the look of a man with a plan. Caden pounded toward the other man, Jane on his heels.

Reece waited until Caden and Jane were mere feet away before lowering the torch to the hastily erected barrier of tinder made of dead sticks and fallen pine needles. It caught with a whoosh.

A distinct sickly-sweet smell rose from the smoke. A sign of the accelerant they'd use to assist the burn.

Smoke bloomed as Caden, carrying Eva, Jane right behind him crossed over the flames.

Only when he was on the other side did he pause long enough to see the dark mass of cicadas shying away. They reversed direction to avoid the path of the smoke.

"I knew it. They're afraid of smoke, just like most insects." Reece's tone was satisfied.

"Not bad," Caden told Reece.

The pathfinder had come through when they needed him the most. Maybe he had something of his cousin in him after all.

Reece shrugged. "I'd be happier if I'd seen it sooner. We could have destroyed the swarm before it woke up."

Caden shook his head. "If you'd been wrong, we could have gotten ourselves killed."

The lost opportunity stung, but Reece's actions had been a method of last resort. A desperate gamble when there was no other choice.

Caden would prefer a pathfinder who was cautious rather than overly confident.

They'd all live longer that way.

With one last glance at the swarm coiling in on itself, Caden strode toward the tree line.

"I'm going to remain behind for a little while. I have a few things to check here," Reece said to Caden's back.

Caden inclined his chin. Reece wasn't one of his people. If he chose to risk his safety to study the swarm, it wasn't Caden's place to stop him.

"Be careful." Caden started for the forest line.

"Wait." Reece's voice brought Caden up short.

He turned to find the pathfinder staring at Eva with a guarded expression.

"You should know I discovered something about her kind while I was at the Keep."

Caden's impatience told Reece he had moments to get to the point.

Reece did.

"Our records indicate Callers were far more powerful than Ajari and the Kyren led us to believe." Reece's expression was flat. "They also come with some major drawbacks. Their greatest strength can also be a weapon used against them."

"What does that mean?" Jane asked.

Reece didn't answer, meeting Caden's stare with eyes that saw far too much.

Caden jerked his chin in a nod. "Understood."

He strode away, holding onto his calm by the thinnest of margins. His woman was vulnerable.

How did he protect her when their enemies could strike at her very mind?

The answer was that he couldn't, and that fact threatened to destroy him.

Caden suppressed the rising surge of emotions, separating himself from them in the same way he'd learned to do during battle.

It left the world with a crystal-clear edge as Caden strode out of the forest. Every needle of pine registering, every sound, every movement. Caden's senses hyper-alert as he put emotion to the side to concentrate on the only thing that was important right this second. Eva.

Caden stepped out of the trees to find Fiona glaring at the forest edges. As if by doing so she could mentally urge them to appear.

Behind her, Roscoe paced back and forth while Ghost leaned tiredly against the ground. Red lines had spread from his neck, snaking their way up his jaw and onto his cheeks.

He wouldn't survive without a healer's intervention.

Seeing them, Jason hurried over, a concerned gaze darting to Eva. "What happened?"

A golden gaze met Caden's as the fire fox trotted toward him.

Somehow Caden wasn't surprised at the mythological's presence. The fire fox always seemed to know when he was needed most.

He leapt into the air, landing gently on Caden's shoulder. He set his front paws on Eva's chest, nudging the woman in Caden's arm.

A heartbroken sound came from the fire fox's throat.

A crack appeared in Caden's barricade. His heart gave a painful thump before he reinforced it again.

Eva didn't only matter to Caden. She was more than just his love. Her fate had the power to decide the future trajectory of the Highlands.

He could only hope he was strong enough to protect her on her journey.

"She will be fine." Caden's words were a promise to the fire fox as much as himself.

The fire fox stared at him for a short span of time, faith and understanding in his golden eyes. His tails wagged once in agreement before he hopped down.

Caden didn't get a chance to move forward before Caia was there, blocking his way with her head.

He shoved past. "Move."

The mare didn't listen, angling to obstruct his path. She glowered at Caden.

"I don't hold the same regard for you that she does," Caden warned. "Interfere and I'll end you and take my chances with her."

Eva probably wouldn't forgive him, but she'd be alive. And safe.

Some things were worth the sacrifice. He'd take her alive and angry any day.

The mare didn't move for another moment. Her ears pinned against her head. Grudgingly, she backed down.

Caden won, and he hadn't even needed to resort to violence. How rare.

Jason's face was frantic as he intruded. "Are you going to explain? Why is Eva not moving?"

Caden handed Eva to Drake so he could mount Nell before reaching for her again. His Anateri was careful as he lifted her for Caden to take.

Fiona stopped beside Jason and patted him on the shoulder with a sympathetic look. "Now isn't the time for questions. Safety first."

Jason's struggle was brief before he snapped his mouth shut.

Caden allowed himself a moment of approval at the boy's growth.

The situation didn't always allow time for explanations. Sometimes you had to follow orders without knowing the how or why.

Warriors who demanded explanations in times of crises got themselves and others killed.

"You may make an Anateri yet, Jason." Caden touched his heels to Nell's side, sending the horse into a dead gallop.

Caden spared one hand and laid it on Eva, allowing the movement of her chest to act as a chain on his darker side.

She'd better survive this. The consequences if she didn't would make the cataclysm pale in comparison.

Camp wasn't far, but it felt like the entirety of the Highlands lay between it and them as Nell thundered through the valley. An eternity passing before the tents appeared in the distance.

For the first time, Caden wished for a Kyren. His fear of heights and his distrust of mythologicals unimportant in the face of Eva's life.

Caden would endure anything if it meant Eva would wake up one second sooner.

Flay his skin. Break his bones. Drop him from the highest point. He didn't care.

Caden had always been a man given to extremes. It was why he'd survived when others had fallen. Why he'd been so afraid to let others matter to him.

There was a monster housed within his skin. One who was obsessive. A vicious beast who wanted nothing more than to claim possession of this woman.

They'd made no formal promises to each other, but that didn't change the reality. He knew that truth in his bones. Eva was his, and he hers.

Eva knew it too, even if she'd never said anything. Never pushed for the ceremonies his people used to tie one life to another's.

He regretted that oversight now.

Caden bared his teeth and leaned forward, urging Nell to go ever faster. He tucked away thoughts of those he'd left behind. Right now, his focus was Eva—and only her.

It didn't make him a good person, but then, he'd never fooled himself about that. Eva was a good person. The people she called friends were mostly good people.

Somehow, good people were always the first to die. Eva needed someone as cold and ruthless as Caden to stand as protection against the rest.

A duty he'd failed.

Never again, he told himself. This would be the last time someone was injured under his watch.

Caden checked Eva's breathing again, feeling something in him unclench at the steady movement of her chest.

That's it, alea na. Keep breathing. We're almost there.

Terror was a new emotion for him. The possibility of death or pain never a part of his world before her. Now, it haunted his every thought. An invisible shadow that infected everything it touched.

Caden wouldn't survive Eva's death. Whatever remained would be dark and monstrous. Something far worse than a mythological could ever be.

Movement in camp brought his thoughts back into focus.

Van stood on the outskirts, frowning at the smoke rising in the distance. He wasn't alone, a group of Trateri surrounding him.

For the clans, smoke meant a lot of things. The presence of people. The possibility of allies—or enemies.

It also suggested the potential for wildfires. Something the clans were constantly on guard against.

"What cockery is this?" Van demanded as Caden reined Nell to a stop.

The horse pranced under Caden, picking up on his rider's tangled emotions. His sides heaved as he caught his breath.

Caia, carrying Jason and Ghost, galloped into camp seconds later.

"Find me Chirron and then get your people to set fires around the perimeter of camp. As many as you can without burning us alive," Caden ordered.

Van looked like he might argue for half a second before he took a closer look at Caden, spotting how on edge he was.

"You heard him. Get moving," Van ordered his people.

While he was doing that, Caden examined Jason and Ghost. "The others?"

"They're on foot," Jason answered.

Van moved toward Caden. "You'd better have a good reason for giving me orders."

Caden grunted, not caring. "Where in the void is Chirron?"

Van's frown was pronounced as he took in Ghost, who looked like he already had one foot in the grave. Beads of sweat were visible on his face.

"A healer won't be of much help for her." Ajari's approach was silent. He reached to touch Eva's cheek as he closed his eyes, ignoring Caden's instinctive tensing.

With Eva unresponsive, it was taking all his self-control not to strike out at the mythological.

"You're jumpy," Ajari acknowledged without opening his eyes.

Caden didn't bother to deny it. Ajari would understand. They were both ruthless when it came to the protection of those they considered theirs.

Kindness. Warmth. Those were emotions meant for others. Never them.

Ajari's mouth curved as if he sensed Caden's thoughts. His smile faded as lines of concentration creased his face.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?"

Ajari's expression was still distant as his eyes opened. Their depths hazy and unfocused.

"She's lost. She must find her way home again if she is to wake." Ajari withdrew his hand as he stepped away, his features sympathetic.

"You'll forgive me if I check that assessment for myself."

Chirron glided out of the crowd, a serene smile on his face that didn't quite match the thread of granite in his tone as he staked his territory.

"I meant no insult," Chirron said at Ajari's hostile stare. "I would simply be failing at my calling if I didn't extend my patient every consideration."

As gentle as the words were, they conveyed the line Chirron was trying to draw. Human lives were in his hands; not Ajari's.

Ajari's mocking smile was faint. "Of course. We wouldn't want to deny our Caller a human's consideration."

If Chirron picked up on the subtle claim Ajari made on Eva, he didn't betray it by so much as a flicker of an eyelash.

Sensing Caden was done with this topic, Chirron met Caden's flat expression with a calm one of his own. "May I?"

Caden's instincts to safeguard a vulnerable Eva warred with the reason and practicality he'd built up over decades of experience.

She needed Chirron. More than she did Caden at the moment.

"I will bring no harm to your lady," Chirron assured Caden.

"I'll hold you to that," Caden told him, meaning every word as he handed Eva over to the other.

It wasn't wise threatening a healer. Particularly this healer.

Most never saw past his calling to the viper resting at his heart.

Caden knew. As did Van and many of the clan leaders.

That capacity for brutality was what allowed Chirron to lead a group that every clan would monopolize if they could.

In some ways Chirron was more twisted than them all. The duality of his personality, healer and warrior, a difficult balancing act.

And this was who Caden was about to entrust Eva's life to.

Chirron didn't react to the threat as the corners of his eyes crinkled. "I'd expect no less. You have nothing to fear from me, Anateri."

Caden sincerely doubted that.

Chirron waved forward his disciple to help, a woman who moved briskly. Everything about her shouted efficiency, from the amber hair pulled into a simple knot at the base of her skull, to the plain clothes she wore. The only decoration on her, the emblem representing her status as Chirron's primary disciple. A purple verging on black emblem was stamped on her chest in a prominent spot. It took the shape of an elderberry plant. The leaves framing the distinctive berries beneath.

All Trateri were taught to recognize the mark from a young age. The symbol was the best way to identify a healer's status.

Ajari's attention turned in the direction Caden had come from, his head lifting as he got a focused look on his face.

A shadow darted into view from above, a Tenrin hovering in the air as he barked several sentences in the Tenrin's language.

Ajari's response was quick and brusque.

"What did he say?" Van's gaze was suspicious as he watched the other Tenrin wing away.

The Tenrin jerked to a stop, facing in the direction of the swarm. There was quiet for the span of several heartbeats.

Caia and Nell danced under their riders, the horses picking up the same thing as the Tenrin.

"Oh no," Jason whispered, already anticipating what was coming.

His dread matched Caden's as a low-pitched drone rose, drowning out the natural sounds of the valley.

"Your call for fire was a wise one," Ajari said.

Jason summoned two Trateri with a jerk of his head.

"Where do you think you're going?" Caden demanded as Jason handed Ghost off to them with instructions to take him to the healer.

"The others are still out there."

Caden's eyebrows rose. "What do you think you can accomplish with a single horse?"

He wouldn't argue that the boy's heart was in the right place, but sometimes that wasn't enough. If Jason charged forth without a plan, he would only end up in the same situation as the rest. There was even a chance his inexperience would drag down others and possibly cost them their lives.

Sometimes good intentions hurt more than the helped.

Jason cast a torn look in the direction of the rest. Frustration warred with the knowledge that Caden was right.

Upon seeing the helpless, grief-stricken expression that followed, Caden relented.

At least the boy had gotten one thing right. The hardest aspect of a warrior to judge was their willingness to put their lives on the line for those they fought next to.

Jason only needed a little guidance and honing to one day be a worthy warrior.

For now, it was Caden's job to make sure he made it to that point.

"Take a few warriors and additional mounts with you," Caden instructed. "Several torches wouldn't hurt either."

If nothing else, they could use the smoke as a screen until they were closer to camp.

"We'll go with you," Buck said, raising a hand.

Witt stood next to him, showing no objections.

Jason's face showed relief as he sent them a grateful nod.

Caden dismounted, holding his reins out to Buck. "Here take Nell and round up a few more mounts."

Buck took the reins from him and leapt into the saddle before reaching down a hand for Witt, lifting the other man up.

Caden started for Chirron and his disciple as they prepared to move Eva. Chirron straightened, stepping into his path.

"Get out of my way." Caden's rumble was quiet.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing you did him. Where do you think you're going?"

"My place is with her."

Chirron's expression was sympathetic but implacable. "We both know it isn't."

It took effort not to grab Chirron by the throat and squeeze. To watch the life drain from his face.

Van's posture was protective as he moved up to Chirron's side. "Listen to him, Caden. He's the best chance your lady has."

Which was the only reason Chirron wasn't already dead. Caden didn't like to be told what to do in the best of times. Less so when Eva was lying so still and defenseless.

"You can do nothing for her here. Go. Do what you do best. That's how you help her right now," Chirron said, his gaze reflecting understanding.

Caden didn't move for long moments. An act Van read as hostile. His stance widened as he lowered his center of gravity, his features hardening.

Caden unclenched his jaw, his hands uncurling from the fists they'd formed. "Very well."

Van's stance eased as Caden turned on his heel.

Gawain met him in a few steps. "Are you sure leaving this place is wise?"

"Not at all," Caden answered.

"The Kyren aren't going to like it," Gawain informed him, shooting a significant look Ajari's way as if to say they wouldn't be the only ones.

Not Caden's problem. For them to live, they had to leave the valley.

fourteen

Eva opened her eyes to an endless expanse of white. It extended like a wall in front of her. To her left and her right, reaching so far into the sky she wasn't sure where it ended.

The haze caressed her arms and face, slithering across the ground like it was almost sentient. Large plumes chased after each other before crashing into an explosion of white.

Humming surrounded her. The sound hypnotizing. An irresistible call that made Eva want to walk into the mist and forget everything that came before.

She didn't know what kept her from doing exactly that. The only thing that she was certain of was that if she took a single step forward everything would change. She would be different.

Instinct prompted Eva to look down as she took in the ground, bare of anything but rock or dirt except where a single flower grew right next to her boot. Tiny and white, delicate looking with petals that shimmered as if diamond dust had been scattered along its surface, it swayed toward her, wrapping little petals around the leather of her boot in a hug as if to say, “don’t go”.

As if sensing her attention, the flower chimed, sending off a discordant note that interrupted the relentless humming. Eva’s mind cleared. Long enough for recognition to jolt through her. She’d seen this flower before. Or one very like it.

It had been a gift from the boulder mythological.

As soon as Eva looked away from the flower, the clarity that she’d gained faded. The flower’s discordant chimes were soon drowned out by the humming. The passage of time grew indistinct and hazy as Eva listened to a voice that wasn’t a voice at all.

"Come," it whispered. "You'll be accepted here. You won't be alone with us. You no longer need them. They'll only hold you back. You have to leave them behind."

Eva nodded, agreeing with that voice. Yearning was a deep spear in her gut, compelling her to take that last step. It reverberated in her mind, consuming her thoughts.

Eva resisted, even as she wavered. The desire to move forward warred against the instinct that forced her to stay put.

Every time desire won the flower would chime its discordant note, the brief clarity enabling her to remain standing where she was just a little bit longer.

Over and over as time kept passing her by.

"What are you going to do?" a young girl asked, appearing beside her to stare into the mist.

Eva found herself unsurprised at the unexpected visitor. Almost like she'd been waiting for her arrival.

Strange, because until right this second, she hadn't been aware she was waiting at all.

Mist tilted her head back, training eyes the color of the sky on Eva. Her gaze was far from the innocent one you'd expect of a child her age, containing a wisdom and world weariness that usually took decades to achieve.

Appearing only six or seven to Eva's untrained eye, she was a pretty child, her hair an untamed halo around her head. She was taller than the first time Eva met her, but then children always seemed to grow as fast as weeds. If you blinked, you'd miss it.

Mist looked down at the flower, a faint smile crossing her face as she crouched to caress its petals. “Your friend is kind. I would have had trouble finding you in time if not for his help.”

“Yes, he is very kind,” Eva agreed, not needing to ask who Mist meant. Somehow, she already knew the flower represented the boulder mythological and his will.

Why her mind had chosen to portray him as a flower instead of a boulder didn’t seem important in her dream.

"Is this real?" Eva asked.

Mist shrugged, a negligent gesture that Eva suspected Mist had picked up from her foster mother, Shea. Eva had seen the Battle Queen use it more than once, usually when she didn't want to waste time explaining what should be obvious.

"What is real? What is not?"

The absurdity of the answer pulled Eva further out of her fugue, the call fading as she was forced to think.

Eva faced Mist more fully. "I didn't expect you here."

"That's because this isn't a place you should have come."

Eva didn't respond to Mist's statement, taking a moment to study her surroundings. The mist next to them was thick and impenetrable, more so than any other Eva had seen.

It was more than just a haze; it was a blanket, concealing everything behind it. Not simply veiling it from view but obscuring it entirely.

Eva reached her hand out, wanting to see if it was as thick as it looked.

"Do not."

Eva paused, taking a look at the girl.

Mist's face was calm, but there was a wariness as she stared into the mist like it was alive and might decide to eat them.

Mist's eyes focused on Eva. "It would be unwise to tempt it."

Eva withdrew her hand, giving the wall a look of newfound respect. If Mist thought it was dangerous, it probably was.

Mist was different. Special. Like Shea—and Eva.

The Trateri referred to people like them as myein. Loosely translated, it meant special.

Different, was what Eva called it.

Their abilities differed, but the one thing they all held in common was the way those skills set them apart from other humans.

Mist's talents were a little more unusual than most. She was what Eva privately called a dreamwalker, able to visit another's dream. She'd done it once before when Eva was in trouble.

The thought spurred Eva into awareness. Something was wrong. Everything about this was off.

"Why are you in my dream?" Eva murmured to herself.

She stared unseeing into the white. It wasn't until right this second that she realized how lost she'd been.

Nearly taken by a nebulous summons she could still feel pounding beneath her skin. Its hum could easily disorient her again if she let herself fall too deeply into its sound, stealing her thoughts as she became an empty shell of herself.

Why, was the question. To disorient her? Confuse her?

It had done both before Mist's arrival. That begged the question of how long Eva had been standing there. And what was happening to her body outside of this place.

Eva's face was grave as she looked down at the girl. "It seems I owe you a thank you."

Mist slipped her small hand into Eva's, the touch banishing the panic that had been bubbling.

Eva gave her a threadbare smile. "Mist in front of the mist. Appropriate."

Mist's adult-like expression eased, the child she really was making an appearance. "I wonder if my parents had any inkling of my future and whose daughter I'd end up being."

"It almost makes one believe in fate," Eva said.

There was a certain poetry about a pathfinder who had a talent for navigating the mysterious and sometimes deadly mist, ending up adopting a girl with the same name.

"Or an unseen hand manipulating the board." Mist raised an eyebrow at Eva's startled glance. "You don't believe that?"

Eva didn't know what she believed. Whether she thought there were higher powers above or below, gods for lack of a better word, with an invested stake in this world. Eva had always been too busy surviving to care about such things.

"Why are you here?" Eva found herself asking.

"You were lost."

Fair enough.

Mist reached up to touch Eva's cheek with a tiny hand, her expression serious. "You must be careful from here on out. Your gifts are a strength, but they are also an avenue from which to attack."

Fear threatened to suck Eva under. She'd always considered her mind sacrosanct. She could feel others pain or joy, hear their thoughts, but she'd always been aware of where the barrier ended.

The cicadas had torn gaping holes in her defenses, leaving her mind raw. Vulnerable in a way it had never been before.

The scariest part was Eva had no clue how to go about patching them or preventing a future incursion.

"You are not alone. The Kyren can help you if you let them," Mist assured her.

"If only it were that simple. The Kyren aren't as amenable to my presence as we assumed. I'm not sure they'd be willing."

They might even celebrate her short life span.

Because it would be short if mythologicals or beasts were able to circumvent her psyche like this.

All it took was her will power failing once for her to be lost.

"You are the Caller. They will remember what that means before the end."

Eva wished she had Mist's certainty. Her confidence. Maybe then she wouldn't feel like she was failing at the thing she was born to do.

"Be careful. He knows you're the one who has the best chance of ruining his plans," Mist advised her.

"Who?"

"The Whisperer."

Eva shook her head, still not understanding.

Emotion moved behind Mist's eyes. She was scared, Eva realized. Fear in every line of her face.

"War has come. We've already seen the first of the enemy's alliances. There will be more. My dreams indicate Shea and Fallon will be among his first targets. He'll use the army formed of those dissatisfied with their rule as a sword to sunder what they've built."

Eva felt the gravity of those words as if they were a blow. Highlanders and Lowlanders would no doubt be the driving force behind that army.

The Broken Lands would be bathed in bloodshed as a result.

The Lowlands had already submitted to their rule, and the Highlands had followed the pathfinders’ example. If either group broke their words, they would be punished.

Eva wasn't sure those in this army understood the full ramifications of their actions. The Trateri's vengeance would be quick and brutal. Many would die.

"You are sad," Mist observed.

"Yes."

War never affected only those who fought in it. There would be many victims. Some even innocent.

"He understands your importance. You've already seen how he'll choose to target you."

"Not just me," Eva said, feeling sorrow at the memory of the red back's death.

"No."

The mist curled in on itself, nearly boiling as something inside caused upheaval.

Eva's chest tightened as a force she couldn't see barreled down on them.

Mist's expression was distant, her eyes unseeing. "The Caller will either unite us or watch us fall. She will be our salvation or our doom. Trust wisely, Caller. Not all who call you have your best interests at hand."

Eva fought the urge to flee, fear making it difficult to breathe as that massive wave stopped.

The top of the wall of mist shredded, pieces of it crashing toward them from above.

Eva's heart was in her throat as Mist suddenly focused on her, the full weight of her gaze bearing down on her. "You no longer have the time to be lost. We need you."

The scene dissolved around the edges. Eva lurched forward, reaching for Mist and failing as the girl's figure was swallowed by the mist.

Her words echoed in the haze. "Be the strength who unites us. See beyond..."

Mist's words faded as Eva lost her grip on the scene. The blackness of true rest claimed her.

Eva drifted. The world snapping into focus in disjointed pieces. The feeling of rocking. A warm embrace holding her tight. Caden's husky voice in her ear as he issued orders. His scent promising safety.

Through it all Eva could distinguish the clop of hooves against stone and dirt. The soft snorts and whickers of horses. The low drone of other voices.

Eva opened her eyes to slits, registering her surroundings from a distance.

Cliffs stretched to the sky on her right, trees and rock formations gracing their tops. Steep mountain slopes jutted above them.

To her left, the ground dropped sharply, transitioning into a deep gorge. A river wound through its bottom.

The day was cloudy and wet, dampness clinging to her skin.

Pebbles skittered down from the cliffs above, amber eyes meeting hers from the trees. The Tenrin girl darted out of view in the next second, disappearing back into the shadows almost as soon as Eva registered her presence.

Eva's eyes drifted shut before she forced them open again.

Caden's arms tightened around her as her head shifted. "Eva?"

With the last of her waning strength, Eva looked up at him, her gaze already losing focus.

"Caden." Eva tried to smile, her face numb as the world retreated from her grasp. "Safe."

Eva's eyes slipped shut, unsure if she'd managed to convey her message. One Caden needed to know.

Lips touched her forehead. "You are. Rest well, my love."

Eva let herself sink back into slumber, barely registering Caden tucking her closer to his chest, his cheek pressed against her head.

"Thank you for coming back to me."

Eva's consciousness dimmed, a drowsy promise on her tongue—always. She'd always come for him.

Eva opened her eyes to find a fabric ceiling above her. It rippled in the wind as Eva lay unmoving, trying to understand the nagging sense of wrongness plaguing her.

There was a gap where her memories should be, she realized. Instead of the forest where she'd been standing, she was now here. In a tent that wasn't her own.

Scenes came back to her in drips and drops. The cicadas and the drone that had knocked her unconscious. Her conversation with Mist.

Eva inhaled, releasing it slowly. That was no dream. If everything Mist told her was true, they were in danger.

More importantly, Eva had lost a lot of time already, wandering in her dreams.

"You're awake," a gentle voice interrupted her thinking.

Chirron's eyes were kind as they met Eva's, the softness in his expression a contrast to the sun at his core. The power was as dense and strong as diamond but with the delicacy and fine control of an artisan.

Strange how the myein kept popping up around her after a lifetime of thinking she was alone.

His power was easier to see now. Maybe because of the cicadas or the time spent wandering in the dream mist.

Eva started to sit up only for Chirron to push her back down.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She resisted his touch, only to find it far stronger than she expected—and herself far weaker.

With little choice, Eva slumped back into the bed. She was more tired than she should be, a headache throbbing at her temples. Whatever the cicadas had done had taken it out of her.

"I need to warn Caden," she argued, trying to push away the covers Chirron was drawing to her chest.

He won their brief struggle.

"The only thing you're going to do is lay there and recuperate your strength," he informed her.

Eva summoned a glare, the expression bouncing off Chirron with zero effect. Understandable since she felt about as ferocious as the mouse Ajari sometimes called her.

"You can't keep me here," Eva argued.

Chirron quirked an eyebrow at her. "You and the Anateri commander share the trait of stubbornness. He tried to tell me how to do my job too. Guess how well that went for him."

Eva's lips pressed together, trying not to feel impressed at the healer's gumption. Not many could give Caden orders and survive. Let alone get him to listen.

Guess they hadn't been kidding when they said Chirron's influence was unlike any other clan leader.

Not directly, of course. He wasn't the type to get into a physical confrontation. He was far more subtle than that.

Healers had always occupied an interesting place in Trateri culture. On one hand, the Trateri respected strength—physical strength most of all. They were a warlike people, and it showed in the esteem they held for their warriors.

However, when you dug deeper, you couldn't help but see how complex their society was, far from the barbarians the Lowlanders painted them as.

Without strong warriors, a clan would inevitably fall and its vulnerable would be prey to the less scrupulous.

But that didn't mean they were the only ones considered worthy of status.

Those who held unique skill sets or were beneficial to the whole also enjoyed positions of power.

Take Eva for example. Except for Caden, she was the highest ranked member in camp. Her will superseding all others. Not because she was considered an exceptional warrior or particularly powerful. Rather it was due to her being able to do something no one else could. Something that was considered important.

Chirron and the rest of his healers were the same. It was why they were allowed to travel anywhere, visit any clan they wished. For that to work, healers had to give up formal claim to their clans when they joined. Someone who must be willing to treat everyone could have no loyalties preventing their duties.

Theoretically at least.

It was also one of the reasons why they were so rare.

In a society where your ties to family and clan were often considered more important than your own life, not many were willing to make the sacrifices necessary to follow the healer's path.

Perhaps that's why Eva found herself a little intimidated by Chirron. A single word from him held the potential to move mountains. What clan wouldn't want him on their side? Someone who held power over life and death. They'd fight among themselves to carry out his wishes.

It was what made him just a little bit scary. If he ever decided to see her as an eye sore, he wouldn't need to attack her directly. No, a whisper would do the job quite nicely, sending ripples throughout the clans. Eva wouldn't stand a chance.

"You needn't be so cautious of me," Chirron said with a deep gaze. "I'll hardly eat you."

"Is that a comment on the types of people I hang around?"

All of whom had a somewhat checkered history of doing exactly that.

Chirron's eyebrow moved upwards. "I wasn't aware the Kyren and Tenrin were people eaters. I'll have to update my records."

That was just great. Here, Eva was trying to be cautious, and she gave the healer a weapon to turn public opinion against the mythologicals if he so wished. The only saving grace was the fact that information wasn't exactly secret. More than one Trateri had seen both species chowing down on their enemies' flesh.

"How do you do it?" Chirron asked with sudden curiosity.

Eva blinked her eyes at him, giving him a dumb look that said she didn't know what he was talking about. "Do what?"

Chirron's look turned chiding. "Are you playing coy with me?"

Eva lifted a shoulder, not believing for a second that he would act any differently in her place. For people like them, it wasn't always wise to be upfront with their abilities. Acceptance wasn't guaranteed. Eva didn't think that changed just because they both were myein. Better to be cautious than dead.

"Most people when confronted with something different than them tend to fear it," Chirron prodded.

Eva let out a huff. "Who said I wasn't afraid of them?"

Only an idiot would forget who the mythologicals were. There was a reason the history between them and humans was contentious. She might have made friends among their ranks but there were many who'd like nothing more than to see her gone. Take either species for granted for a single instant and she'd lose everything.

Eva was walking a tight rope where a single misstep could send her crashing to the ground far below. Funny thing was, it wasn't the first time she'd had to walk it. Learning to fit in with the Trateri had carried many of the same trials. Perhaps that was why she was uniquely qualified for the task at hand. She'd done this before.

"You don't seem it."

And he would know, Eva imagined. As a healer he would have seen all types of fear. The terror that came with the knowledge that death was imminent. The despair of watching one you cared for fight that battle and lose. The dread of surviving but not being whole. All the shades of an emotion the Trateri hated more than any other.

"I've lived my life afraid. The thought of letting it control me or my actions terrifies me more than anything else," Eva confessed.

When you faced what she had, you had two choices. Allow your fear to dictate your course or rise despite it. Eva had chosen the second. She couldn't change the way she'd grown up or the betrayals that had threatened to take her life, but she didn't want to live her life under their shadow either. She refused to be someone who built impenetrable walls no one could breach.

Fear was like any emotion. Too much or too little of it would destroy your potential. It could keep you sharp and prevent complacency. Conversely, it could also become an anchor, binding you in place.

Eva wouldn't let the second happen. Caden and the rest had already proven how much she'd miss if she did. Yes, the mythologicals sometimes terrified her on a primal level, but so did flying.

"Where are we?" Eva asked.

Wherever it was, it wasn't the valley. That much she was sure of. It was in the air and land, a subtle difference that she might not have noticed if not for her run in with the cicadas.

There were also the brief flashes of memory of her on a horse with Caden holding her.

Chirron didn't protest the change in subject, going with her flow. "Caden evacuated the valley almost as soon as you lost conscious."

Damn. She'd really hoped she could talk to the Kyren before they set out. They wouldn’t take this unexpected move well. They'd been very clear in their desires. The Trateri were to remain in the valley.

Given the circumstances, she could only hope the Kyren would understand why Caden had made the decision he did.

There was also the issue of what Mist had revealed. Another subject she'd have to address later. Maybe when she wasn't laid out flat on her back and lacking the strength to stand on her own two feet.

"Interesting foe we've found for ourselves," Chirron said, sliding a look toward a flat board lying next to him. Cicadas were pinned in neat little rows. Some wiggled where they were impaled, sparks of conscious lighting up Eva's senses.

She flinched from the sight, unable to help her feeling of repulsion.

Both at their plight and the possibility of having her mind invaded again. Unlike last time, however, those sparks remained as faint flickers, brushing against Eva's tattered defenses and bouncing off again.

Chirron didn't show any indication he'd noticed her discomfort as he brushed a finger along the cicada shells. Most were dead, Eva saw. As she watched, the movements of the few who remained alive got slower and slower.

"Where did you get those?"

Chirron's lips twisted. "Funny thing about pathfinders—their curiosity to understand often overtakes their good sense. Our resident troublemaker caught a few of these to study."

Eva nodded in understanding. The pathfinders—or rather all the ones Eva knew—were notorious for allowing their pursuit of knowledge to occasionally circumvent their better judgment.

What was more surprising to Eva was the fact Chirron had managed to score a few for his own study. Reece didn't strike her as the sharing type. Only when he'd learnt everything he could would he hand them off to others.

Seeing her skepticism, Chirron smirked. "Don't believe me?"

Eva chose not to speak, knowing anything she said would come off as insulting or obsequious.

Chirron expression eased into a true smile. "The commander didn't give him a choice in the matter. Let's just say that Caden isn't someone you want to irritate right now."

Eva could imagine.

Chirron sent her a significant glance. "You mean a lot to the man. I've never seen that look on his face when he handed you over to me."

Eva didn't speak, fixing Chirron with a blank expression. Matters pertaining to her and Caden were private, and they were going to remain that way no matter how the healer pried.

Chirron's mouth quirked as he read her stubbornness. "For now, get some rest. You need it."

"I don't have time to sleep."

Chirron regarded her with a calm stare. "Out there you may be someone whose opinions matter, but in here, my word is law. You will stay in that bed until I say you can get up."

There was an implacableness in his expression that should have made Eva hesitate.

It didn't.

"Look at me. Do I look injured anywhere? There's no reason I should remain in this bed."

There wasn't a scratch on her. For all intents and purposes Eva was unharmed. Outwardly, anyway. Internally. Mentally—that was another story but one she didn't plan on sharing.

Chirron didn't move, but there was a change to him. It was in the way he stood. A coldness capable of sending chills racing along Eva's back. She trembled involuntarily, feeling very like she'd walked around a boulder to find a beast glaring at her instead of the gentle creature she'd expected.

"Like all my patients, you're welcome to discard my advice. If you can live with the consequences, that is."

Eva watched him carefully. Outwardly, his statement could be read as absolving himself of responsibility, but that was an illusion. Stray from his orders and Eva doubted even Caden could save her.

It was why Eva remained in the bed even when Chirron turned his back on her to cross the short distance to a nearby pallet where a person lay unconscious.

That didn't stop her from craning her head for a better look at his patient as Chirron stooped to take his pulse.

"Is that Ghost?"

Concerned, Eva lifted up for a better look. She blinked, not sure she was seeing correctly.

A golden glow spread out from the spot where Chirron touched Ghost. Thousands of little threads delved beneath his skin. What was most interesting was how his breathing smoothed out and the pale color faded. Not all the way but enough for Eva to tell whatever strange ability Chirron was using was making a difference.

Finished, Chirron withdrew his hand, those golden threads unlatching. They waved gently in the air before disappearing inside Chirron's wrist.

If Eva had had any remaining doubts about Chirron's status as a myein, they were long gone now.

Eva concealed her awe and trepidation before Chirron could glance up at her. Something told her she'd just seen something she shouldn't have. She didn't know if it was because she was like him and predisposed to being able to see what others couldn't or if he was usually a little more circumspect when he used his talents. Either way, she had no interest in revealing her hand.

This wasn't the first time her abilities had offered her glimpses into things she didn't want to know. Most of the time she could pretend to be blind to what she knew would lead her into trouble. But then there were times like these when she stumbled on something unexpected and had to scramble to hide her reaction.

Some fates you simply shouldn't dare.

How many more ways would people seek to use her if they found out she could weed out other myein? How many lives would she ruin if that was the case? Not to mention the danger posed if someone built an army comprised of those like them. People with a little bit extra.

She'd already made herself a tempting enough target as the Kyren Caller. She saw no reason to add to her danger—or bring herself unnecessary attention.

While meeting others as unique as herself was fascinating in its own way, Eva much preferred a quiet life. Solidarity and finding those who shared common ground with her wasn't that important in the grand scheme of things.

She'd take friends like Ghost, Jason, Ollie and the rest any day of the week.

Besides, if his history was anything like hers, he probably wouldn't welcome the knowledge a stranger now knew his secret. Better to be cautious. Just in case.

He couldn't be offended if he didn't know she knew. Then she wouldn't have to deal with any of those annoying consequences. A win for everyone.

Only when she was sure none of her thoughts showed on her face, did Eva send Chirron a worried look. "Will Ghost be alright?"

He was so still, lying under a light blanket. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

This—Eva didn't have words for it. Only that it made her feel awful—and angry. Useless because she hadn't stopped it.

"Wipe that look off your face," Ghost said, not opening his eyes.

"Ghost." Eva threw the covers back, swinging her legs toward the ground.

Chirron pointed at her, a warning on his face. Guiltily, Eva put her legs back on the bed and pulled the cover over them again.

Ghost snickered, the sound tired but holding some of his normal slyness. "I see the dictator has gotten to you."

Chirron slanted a look at the man. "I take it I'm the dictator in this scenario."

Ghost blew a raspberry. "Don't tell me you're unaware of what your patients call you, healer."

"Bold to insult the man responsible for keeping you alive."

Ghost opened his eyes to give Chirron a tired smile. "I'm not going to die from a bug bite. Don't you worry."

Bug bite, Eva's ass. Right now, Ghost looked like he was on death's door with the faintest of touches capable of sending him into the abyss.

Chirron raised his gaze to the tent's ceiling. "I don't know why I ever chose this path. Spare me a warrior's bravado. They're always more likely to be the source of their own destruction than anything they find out there."

"If that's what you think, you've been hanging out with the wrong warriors. I'm going to live forever. Everyone knows it." Ghost exhausted the last of his energy, his eyes slipping closed.

Eva leaned forward, worried he'd fallen unconscious again. "Is there nothing you can do for him?"

"I've already done quite a lot," Chirron said. "You should have seen him before I treated him. He had one foot in death's domain."

Eva wasn't entirely convinced he didn't still have that foot on death's side of the divide.

"All this from a cicada bite?" Eva asked, giving the board a disturbed look.

"We're in the Highlands. The unexpected is the norm," Chirron explained. "The venom from the bite isn't our biggest problem. Rather, it's the thousands of eggs the cicada injected into his blood stream."

At Eva's startled glance, Chirron allowed himself a bitter smile.

"I've given him something that should wash out the majority of the eggs. It should neutralize any problems, but it'll leave him weak in the meantime."

Eva nodded slowly, knowing that as simple as the treatment sounded it was anything but. She doubted anyone but Chirron would have been able to come up with it this quickly. More likely, they would have lost several before stumbling onto a method to deal with the eggs.

"It's lucky we got to him in time. From my research and looking at the two red backs, I suspect that if allowed to hatch the offspring will devour their host from the inside."

If right, it would mean the red backs weren't eaten after death but rather while they were still alive. No wonder she'd sensed madness in the mate. What a horrifying fate.

Chirron studied Ghost with a dispassionate expression. "I suspect it's an extremely awful way to go."

Eva's face was pensive as her gaze settled on Ghost. She didn't think she was up to losing another friend so soon after the last.

"Don't worry," Chirron assured her. "He will be fine."

Eva chose to believe him.

"Why didn't the pathfinder recognize them?" Eva asked, her mind teasing at an answer she couldn't quite grasp.

He really should have. This was the Highlands. His own back yard. Moreover, Reece struck her as being nearly as well informed as Shea. If these cicadas were native to this place, he should have known about them. By rumor if nothing else.

Chirron's head tilted as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd say it's because the cicadas have a long dormancy state. In the Outlands we have a similar species who can sleep for twenty years before reappearing. They are stupid creatures only capable of procreating and consuming everything in their path."

"Like these," Eva said slowly.

As reasonable as the explanation was, something felt off.

According to gossip, the pathfinders had records going back all the way to the cataclysm. No matter how long their dormancy state, the pathfinders should have encountered them at some point.

Unless—they weren't native to this part of the Broken Lands.

At which point, it begged the question of how they got here—and whether someone else had a hand in their arrival.

fifteen

"How much longer do you think it'll be before they break?" Van asked, arms behind his head as he lay in the grass, staring at the sky.

Caden didn't pause in his whittling as he carved tiny grooves into the surface of the wood figurine he held. He blew the wood shavings away before smoothing one finger along the marks he'd made.

The present he'd started carving to keep himself from descending into a very dark place, one where violence and chaos existed side by side, was coming along nicely.

The crafty expression of the fire fox was taking shape, his tails curled over his shoulder as he grinned up at Caden.

Eva would like it, Caden thought. If she woke up, that is.

He shot a look at the healer's tent a short distance away, the reason behind his stark state of mind.

After Eva's brief rise to consciousness, Caden had called a halt, wanting Chirron to take a look at her again.

For that reason, the tent was the first to go up.

What Caden hadn't expected was to be barred from its interior, the healer citing that he didn't need testosterone destroying his hard work.

Waiting was difficult.

Impatience and the need for action thrummed just below Caden's skin, calling out to him. Urging him toward an unwise course of action.

Preferably one that involved the spilling of innards and the death of others.

Caden wasn't particularly sure he cared who might be his victim.

Hence, his whittling.

"What's the matter? Bored?" Gawain taunted.

Van ignored the other man, his head turning so he could glance at the door of the tent, his restlessness only a little less marked than Caden's.

Try as he might, Van couldn't hide how antsy Chirron's absence made him.

It was a feeling echoed in many of the Trateri, Caden had noticed. A pall hung over the camp, sucking the enthusiasm out of the warriors and making them tense and on edge.

It was in their voices when they spoke. A level of strain Caden usually only heard on the cusp of a big battle.

Everyone was aware of how dire their situation was. The fact that the cicada swarm was the reason they'd abandoned their valley base.

Unfortunately for them, Caden wasn't in the right state of mind to mediate any conflicts.

A fact Jane and Drake were aware of, moving to head off most at the pass before they could escalate.

Caden's knife slipped as he was adding detail to the fire fox's eye, causing a long, jagged line that looked like a scar.

Caden exhaled noisily. Fuck it.

Van sat up in excitement as Caden stood. "Oh, oh, I think he's finally going to start."

Gawain straightened. "Caden?"

Caden didn't answer, striding toward where Fiona and Roscoe stood keeping watch over their prisoners.

The men looked awful, bruises dotting their faces. Worse even than when the Tenrin dropped them off.

Their fingers no longer looked the way they should, swollen with some digits pointing in the wrong direction.

Their eyes were feverish. Only one of the prisoners was still showing signs of resistance.

"Get them up," Caden ordered.

Fiona and Roscoe looked anticipatory at his words.

"Looks like you boys are about to enjoy a new level of fun," Roscoe observed, reaching down and hauling one to standing.

His prisoner's feet hobbled and his hands tied behind his back, Roscoe's victim had little choice but to obey.

Van grinned at Caden's back, Gawain an observant shadow.

The last prisoner, the one who still had a little fire in him, laughed at Roscoe, the sound like that of dry leaves caught by the wind.

"Just like you'll get to taste the agony of despair when your friend succumbs to the doedea's bite." A giggle left the man as a macabre grin stretched over lips that were cracked and drying.

Fiona gave him a shove. "What would you know about that?"

The man pantomimed locking his lips. He winced involuntarily as Fiona shoved him again. This time hard enough to send him stumbling to the ground.

The prisoner moaned, curling around his ribs.

"I see what game he's playing," Roscoe crooned, never once losing his smile.

He pushed his prisoner toward Drake, who caught him easily. Roscoe crouched next to the troublemaker, grabbing a handful of hair and lifting his face up.

His smile was cruel. "You're trying to make us kill you because you're afraid one of you will break."

"As if we'd let that happen," Van rumbled.

The corner of Caden's lips stretched up in a humorless twist. "Oh well, it was a good attempt. Better luck next time."

Only Caden didn't plan for a next time. This was the end of the line for these two.

"What are you going to do with us?" the first man asked.

"The Trateri have a rule. We only keep those who are useful to us, which neither of you have proven yourselves to be. Since we had to abandon the valley and are currently being hunted through these mountains by your army, our resources are precious."

Caden allowed himself a moment of enjoyment at their flinches, before the numbness that had overtaken his emotions in the last few days since Eva lost consciousness washed away that little bit of emotion as well.

"In short, you're currently nothing more than parasites leeching off our kind intentions. What do we do with parasites?"

Van's grin was nasty. "We cull them."

Gawain made a sound of approval deep in his throat.

"You called them doedea. I'm guessing you know what they do to a person," Caden continued, undeterred by the growing terror in both of their faces, the troublemaker included.

That's what he thought. They knew, or at least had some idea, what they were up against.

Caden wasn't sure if that was because they had a hand in the cicadas' sudden appearance or had run up against them before.

Instinct indicated the former.

Eva had been right all those months ago after the incident with the Kyren. They'd won the battle but not the war. She hadn't been sure back then whether their opponent was mythological, one of the myien, or something else entirely.

Something new and dark, capable of amplifying talents already present in the human and mythological population.

Whatever the entity was, they'd already demonstrated their ability to persuade others to their cause. Particularly, those unhappy with Fallon's rule.

The normal reaction to going against such a powerful entity should have been fear. A Trateri should be no different.

Even if they hadn't felt fear, there should have been a little trepidation.

This wasn't exactly a foe made of flesh and blood, easily slain. It was something so far out of their realm of expertise that it wasn't even funny.

All Caden had to say to that was bring it on.

He bared his teeth in a savage grin at the coming confrontation. Finally, a worthy challenge.

And here he'd thought he'd have to allow others to take the lead in this hunt. It was kind of the entity to bring himself to Caden's territory.

"I wonder how long it'll take the swarm to consume you," Caden mused, still with that deranged smile. "Any guesses?"

Roscoe stroked his chin. "My money is on three hours."

Van scoffed. "Five at least. There are two of them after all."

Gawain shook his head. "You're forgetting they don't have as much meat as the red backs. I doubt they'll last even that long."

Caden nodded. "Good point. We'll have to think of a way to make it last longer. Wouldn't want their end to come too quick."

The prisoners' gazes flitted from one to the other before stopping on Fiona, silent until now.

"You can't let them do this," the second man begged.

Fiona's face was expressionless for a beat before a sudden smile brightened her features. "Smoke. We can use it to prolong their suffering."

The prisoner who'd spoken made a broken, inarticulate sound.

Roscoe leaned toward him. "If you're hoping to appeal to any feminine mercy, you're barking up the wrong tree. Trateri women are just like the men. Ruthless and driven."

Gawain made a sound. "Worse."

Roscoe shook his head at the prisoner. "Not to mention, your leaders are responsible for killing a precious friend of hers. Don't dirty her with your gaze. Otherwise, she'll pluck your eyeballs out."

Roscoe straightened, grabbed the prisoner's shoulders and force marched him in front. Drake did the same to his.

At a signal from Caden, Jane dropped out of the group, remaining behind to guard the tent in his absence.

"This won't work," a prisoner said desperately. "You said yourself the doedea won't go near the smoke."

"That's why you won't be staying in camp," Caden told him. To the rest, "Shall we?"

"About time. I've been waiting for this moment for ages," Van grumbled.

"How is someone as impatient as you a clan leader?" Gawain asked.

Drake’s prisoner broke, throwing himself to the ground, trying to cling to it.

Gawain rolled his eyes and reached down, grabbing the prisoner's elbow, not paying attention to the man's screams of pain as he started dragging him after the rest.

"I guess we know which of them the cicadas will go for first," Fiona observed.

Seeing his fearful gaze, Caden shook his head at the man. "They're attracted to blood. You just made it easier for them to find an entry point."

"Yup. They're going to suck you down like a cool drink of water," Roscoe said cheerfully.

No one commented as Gawain continued to drag the man along, ignoring the moans.

Not long after they started, they encountered Reece stalking into camp, returning from a patrol no one had known he was on.

He lifted a hand in acknowledgment, his gaze lingering on the prisoners. "What's this?"

"I felt it time to take things up a notch." Caden's lifted an eyebrow at the pathfinder. "Got a problem with that?"

Reece frowned and shook his head. "None. Just make sure you put them far enough away that you don't attract the swarm to us."

"Noted," Caden said.

That was the biggest difference between Reece and his cousin. Shea would have argued, her instinct to preserve life greater than her sense at times.

Reece was a little more pragmatic. Caden was willing to bet he had blood on his hands.

He cared, but not the way Shea did.

For that reason, Caden was rather glad he was the pathfinder assigned to this mission. Another would have argued and probably gotten cut down when they proved too much of an irritant.

"Find anything out there?" Caden asked.

Reece shook his head. "There are signs of trackers, but it doesn't look like they've found us yet. I laid a few false trails that will hopefully keep them busy for a while."

Impressive. Even more so because no one ordered him to do it.

Reece had seen a need and filled it. If Caden trusted him a little more, he'd see about recruiting the other man for his own use.

Unfortunately, Reece's loyalty to the pathfinders was set and Caden valued control too much to ever fully trust someone whose allegiances weren't to him or Fallon.

Still, he could appreciate the man's help.

"Hey, pathfinder, you going to join us?" Roscoe called.

Reece studied the prisoners with a speculative look before shrugging. "Sure, why not. I have a few hours to spare. Not like they're going to be a big problem anyway."

He fell into step as they headed out of camp. It wasn't long before Caden signaled for a halt, choosing a spot in the open. There was nothing around for a good distance. It would allow them to see an approaching swarm long before they became a threat.

Even better, they were far enough from camp that the rest could retreat through the pass but not so far that backup couldn't arrive in the event there was an attack of a more two-legged nature.

Caden directed the others to stake the men in the open, leaving enough room in the rope to offer hope that they'd be able to beat back the swarm with their hands but not enough for them to escape.

Hope, after all, was a double-edged blade. It could drive you forward in the bleakest of times.

Yet, when dashed, it carried the ability to destroy. Nothing broke a person faster than to taste the fleeting warmth hope brought only to see it vanish right when you were on the cusp of achieving your goals.

It was a necessary ingredient in any interrogation and Caden wielded it with a master's assurance.

"They don't know what they're in for. Poor bastards," Fiona said, pausing next to Caden.

"Do you wish to show them mercy?" Caden asked.

Fiona huffed before striding away. "I'm going to get some rest before things get busy again. Send someone if they look like they're going to break."

Van's head jerked up. "Wait. Is this it?"

Caden looked at him. "What else were you expecting?"

"Where's the blood? The torture? I thought we were finally going to get to the interesting stuff."

A faint smile touched Caden's face. "I told you before. Fear works better."

Van gave their prisoners an uncertain look. "And you think they fear bugs?"

Gawain finished tying his prisoner off and stood. "The Lowlanders and Highlanders share something in common. A fear of beasts. It's why they hid behind their flimsy walls for so long and let their lands atrophy. There is nothing more terrifying to them."

Caden studied Rain Clan's leader with a watchful gaze. His words showed a perception and intelligence that not too long ago Caden would have argued Gawain didn’t possess.

"Don't tell me your plan is more waiting," Van whined.

Caden let silence be his answer.

The Lion Clan leader groaned, flopping down onto the ground as Caden took a seat, fishing out his unfinished carving as he did so.

"Ah man, I thought we'd finally see some action," Van mumbled.

"Nope. More waiting." Gawain made himself comfortable as Roscoe and Drake trained their gazes on the prisoners.

Reece had already found a spot in the sun, soaking up the warm rays with his eyes closed in bliss.

"Anyone know any good games?" Van asked hopefully.

Eva rested on a boulder, the golden hour painting the world in orange and yellows. It had taken some pretty extreme begging to finally be allowed to leave Chirron's tent. She'd even had to cite mental distress.

He'd relented, which had led her here, watching Jason stomp back and forth as he muttered to himself. All the while he slapped a leather strip against his leg.

"How long has he been doing that?" Eva asked.

Ollie looked up from the hoof he was examining. "Since I got here a little while ago."

Eva looked over her shoulder to where Jane waited nearby. The Anateri had made it clear that wherever Eva went, she was to follow.

Considering Eva still felt rather discombobulated, she chose not to argue.

"You've got to talk to her. Do you know how long it took me to hunt down three of the horses last night?" Jason didn't wait for an answer. "Hours, Eva. Hours in the dark with those—" he waved his hands around. "Bugs. They could have eaten me. Left me as a Jason flesh sack."

Jason whirled, making rude gestures up at the rock formations overhead.

Eva wondered how he'd react if she informed him the Tenrin he was hoping to insult was on the opposite side of the cliffs.

"He's really worked up. I don't think I've ever seen him this mad before," Ollie observed as he propped a forearm against the horse he was tending.

"And I get to mediate. Lucky, lucky me," Eva muttered.

Ollie patted her shoulder. "Being Hardwick's number two suddenly isn't looking so bad anymore, Lady Caller."

Eva sighed, pushing off the rock she'd been sitting on. Besides some residual weakness, her muscles responded nicely. "You know I wouldn't have left if I hadn't had to."

Ollie winked at her. "I know, but don't expect to get out of the teasing. It's what family does."

Not Eva's family. At least not the one she was born to.

Eva waved up at the spot she knew the Tenrin was hiding. Unsurprisingly, the girl remained out of sight, not even a single feather showing.

"Lady Tenrin, could you stop scaring the horses. My apprentice tends to get a tad cranky when he's without sleep. Please and thank you."

Jason glared at her. "That's it?"

Eva lifted a shoulder. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't get cranky," Jason flared.

"If you say so."

But that wasn't going to change the truth. Jason was a cranky pants when he didn't get enough shuteye. Everyone knew it. Eva. The horses. Everyone.

Before Jason could argue any further, Jane closed in on Eva. Jason went on alert, forgetting his anger.

"Movement in the sky," Jane informed Eva.

The Tenrin finally stirred from her cover, poking her head out enough to watch the approaching blobs of color before withdrawing after one penetrating stare.

Jason reached into his sack and pulled out a stick wrapped on one side with rags. He tossed it at Ollie before retrieving a second one along with flint and stone.

Eva watched with some amazement as they lit their torches with efficient movements.

"We practiced a little," Jason explained, seeing her gaze.

"Maybe more than a little," Ollie corrected.

With the familiarity both had displayed, they must have repeated the action dozens of times to be able to light the torches that quickly.

Warmth spread throughout her chest as Jason gave a jerky shrug.

"It only seemed appropriate to protect ourselves and the herd," he said.

They didn't have time for any more conversation as the blobs in the distance took on shape, revealing the Kyren as their unexpected visitors.

"I've been wondering when they'd show up," Ollie said.

Eva nodded, not entirely surprised that the Kyren were making a move on the very same morning she was allowed out of the tent.

They waited as the Kyren neared, landing a few feet away from them.

"Polaris, Danyon," Eva greeted, noting that Sebastian wasn't with them.

As the Kyren most friendly to humans, she took his absence as a sign that things weren't off to a very good start.

Jason drew close to Eva's back.

Eva gestured toward him and Ollie. "These are my friends—"

There's no need for an introduction to those who aren't important, Danyon interrupted.

Eva's shoulders tensed. Ollie and Jason, picking up on her mood moved closer. Their gazes jumped from her to the Kyren, their faces uncertain.

Eva gave her friends an awkward smile that felt stiff and unwieldy.

You said humans would prove themselves worthy. You were wrong, Danyon continued.

There was a sick feeling in her stomach, made even worse when she realized that two men she admired and respected were being insulted and didn't even know it.

It burned.

She'd expected push back from the Kyren. She'd anticipated having to defend herself and the Trateri over their decision to leave the valley and move closer to the herd lands.

That didn't stop the trembling in her hands as she clenched them into fists. It wasn't fear causing her to shake but rather rage. An anger she couldn't afford to release because doing so would jeopardize everything she'd worked for.

"Eva?" Jason asked uncertainly.

She shook her head at him, hoping he would let it go. He did, but she caught the slight flex in his features that said he'd guessed at what they'd said.

The excitement he couldn't hide faded and his gaze became cold and hard. He watched the Kyren, the way Caden or his Anateri would. As if they were adversaries who might need to be put down.

Ollie's stance firmed, his face no longer open or friendly.

Their reactions bolstered Eva. They reminded her that the alliance was important but not at the expense of their self-respect.

If being in the Kyren's good graces meant losing her voice when those close to her were hurt, she'd rather burn her bridges while she still could.

Eva's chin lifted as she met Danyon's eyes with a hard look. "Are you really this dumb?"

There was fire in Danyon's eyes as he stamped one foot and lowered his head, so his horns were pointed at Eva.

Alarm spread across Jason and Ollie's faces as they tugged at her.

Eva held still, meeting Danyon's challenge with one of her own. "I said the Trateri didn't harm the red backs, and they didn't."

"Eva?" Jason said again, sounding like he thought she was losing her mind.

She wasn't. She knew exactly what she was doing. Probably.

"And if you're going to insult my friends, maybe you shouldn't have come in the first place," she continued.

At their core, the Kyren were predators. They respected strength. Show weakness now, in this moment, and they'd see it as confirmation everything they believed about humans were true.

Brave words from someone who needs us, Danyon sneered.

Eva's eyebrows lifted. "Has there been some mistake? Whoever said we needed you?"

You are on the run. Hunted by your enemy. Without allies you won't survive.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Eva fixed Danyon with a calm expression. "But I'd rather die than compromise my honor. You don't have to like my friends, but you will respect them in my presence."

We didn't come here to argue, Polaris interrupted. Orion wishes to see you.

Eva couldn't say she was surprised. She'd been expecting this call from the moment she awoke.

"As you wish," Eva said, conceding.

Not that she had much choice. As brave as her words had been, she didn't really want to destroy the tentative ties between their two people. If there was room to compromise, she would.

She could only be thankful Polaris had offered her a way out that salvaged both Danyon's pride and hers.

Danyon looked away, an unhappy harrumph echoing in her mind.

Eva took a step and paused.

What is wrong?

"You have no saddle."

Much as she'd like to pretend otherwise, she wasn't entirely comfortable riding a Kyren without it.

We're not going far. I promise not to drop you.

That was reassuring. Not.

Get on a Kyren who had already given her every indication he abhorred her. Yeah. Definitely not Eva's idea of a good time.

Unfortunately, she also knew this was the closest she'd get to an assurance from any of them.

With little choice, Eva started for Polaris only for Jane to stop her.

"Caden won't like this," Jane warned.

That was an understatement. Chances were Caden would lose his mind when he found out where she'd gone—especially so soon after waking up.

A part of her wished she'd chosen to track him down first upon getting permission to walk around rather than Jason. At least then he'd have some visual confirmation about her good health.

Eva patted her hand in understanding. "I know, but this is an offer we can't refuse."

There was reluctance in Jane's face as she let Eva go.

Eva mounted, looking down on her friends as her lips parted. Whatever she'd been about to say was lost as Polaris launched himself into the sky.

Eva held on for dear life as he raced upwards, wind lashing stray pieces of hair into her face.

She huddled on his back, trying to preserve what little warmth she could as the evening air bit through her thin clothes.

Polaris winged his way toward one of the mountain tops, the last of the sun's rays fading and throwing the world into twilight.

Eva chanced a quick glance behind them, catching sight of a shadow, darker than the rest, darting after them.

Jason would be glad his Tenrin watcher had decided something else was more interesting finally.

The female used the natural shadows cast by the topography to flit from cover to cover, only exposing herself rarely.

Eva's lips curved. She didn't bother pointing out the fact they had a tail. If the Kyren didn't realize, that was their problem.

For Eva's part, she found it rather amusing. The powerful Kyren circumvented by a youth Jason's age. It made the sting of their previous rudeness toward him and Ollie fade.

Polaris was as good as his word. Only a short time passed before he set down on the flat top of a nearby mountain peak that was barely wide enough for him and Danyon to land.

Not waiting for permission, Eva slid from Polaris's back to find Orion waiting for her as he watched the setting sun.

Their passenger delivered, Polaris and Danyon ran toward the edge, taking off and leaving her alone with their herd master.

Eva watched them go before turning reluctantly back to Orion. She bolstered her courage. No sense standing here like an idiot waiting for an invitation.

With those thoughts in mind, Eva strode toward Orion, only stopping when she'd reached the edge of the stone ledge.

She paused, letting herself get swept away by the vista. You'd think she'd be used to such views by now. That eventually the awe would fade, and her breath wouldn't be stolen whenever she crossed a sight this spectacular.

Not so. It got her every time.

From here, it felt like she could see the entire world. The campsite Caden had chosen nestled at the foot of steep hills, the meandering path they'd journeyed winding through the peaks and valleys to allow them to reach this temporary outpost.

As she took in the view, the sun finished sinking below the neighboring mountains, silhouetting their peaks in a last dying display that painted the sky with brilliant colors of reds and pinks.

The silence passed untainted as they kept each other company, witnesses as day gave way to night.

It was only when the last of the colors faded from the sky that the spell was broken.

The cold made itself felt as Eva flexed one numb hand after the other, wishing she'd thought to bring gloves when she left the healer's tent.

Eva suppressed the urge to stomp one foot then the other as the first stars showed their faces in the night sky. An hour, maybe two and the velvety blackness would be dusted with millions of them, twinkling merrily. So many they would be impossible to count.

Eva would have enjoyed the view more if she was appropriately attired.

No matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it, Orion mused, echoing Eva's thoughts from earlier.

"It's beautiful," she agreed. "But I don't think you called me here in such a dramatic fashion to talk about the Highland's ability to take a person's breath away."

To Orion's credit he didn't try to drag things out as he lifted his proud head toward the sky.

Your humans left the valley.

"There was a reason for that. Their lives were under threat. Did you really expect the Trateri to stay put under those circumstances?"

The Trateri were originally nomads. They were already predisposed to roam. They were never going to be obedient and stay where they were put forever. Even less so when they were in danger. He must know that.

Silence answered her.

Eva shifted, bringing her cupped hands up to her mouth and blowing on them before sticking them under her arms.

"You and the Trateri are a lot alike. Neither of you are willing to be tamed, even when bending would benefit you."

And make her life infinitely easier.

Eva dismissed the thought, looking up to find Orion's gaze trained on her. She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't give me that look. I should know. I'm the one who has to deal with both of your stubborn asses."

Eva turned her attention back to the night sky.

There has to be consequences for breaking faith.

"Is that what you're calling it?" Eva's smile was humorless. "What should they have done, Orion? Waited to die? If you think they would do that, you don't know them at all."

Sacrifices sometimes must be made for the good of the herd.

Eva scoffed. "That's easy to say when it's not your people doing the sacrificing."

Do you think the Kyren haven't sacrificed? Orion's calm voice echoed in Eva's mind. To gain something, you must give something.

"And if everyone died, there would be no point to any of this," Eva retorted.

She was going to fail. She could already feel it in her bones. The knowledge loomed over her head like an executioner's blade. There was no talking her way out of this.

The Kyren would break relations. Everything that had come before would be pointless. Laurell. The past few months. All of it.

And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

That knowledge hurt as Eva tilted her face to the sky, ignoring the prickling in the bridge of her nose.

"I was wrong earlier. You're not like the Trateri. You're like me."

Too scared of getting hurt to take a chance. How fucking ironic.

At least now Eva understood Ollie's frustration all those months ago. Dealing with someone so closed off was akin to beating your head against a rock wall.

Futile, and in the end the only one who'd end up bloody is yourself.

"I sometimes have nightmares about all the things I would have missed if I remained in my bubble. If the first time I saw Sebastian, I fled because I feared what he'd do once I freed him."

Orion didn't respond.

Eva nodded. His mind was made up. Very well.

She could say all she needed to say. Maybe it wouldn't make a difference today, but maybe one day it would open a door to something unexpected.

“You’re judging them for doing something that is only natural. If it was your lands these cicadas, or whatever they are called, invaded, you and the Kyren would have done the exact same thing even if it meant breaking a promise.”

We would have fought to defend our lands.

Eva’s laugh was more of a scoff. “Not right away. You would have evacuated your young and weak before making any move against the enemy. Tell me you wouldn’t.”

He couldn’t, and he knew it.

The Kyren were a mystery to Eva in many ways, but in this case she knew how they’d react and what steps they would take. She’d said it before—they were a lot like the Trateri.

And like the Trateri, they would act to preserve their future before facing the threat head on. How could they blame the Trateri for doing the exact same thing?

No one ever said the Trateri were permanently abandoning the valley. Caden was more likely to retreat to protect their assets before returning to solve the threat.

Eva, there are things you don’t understand because we haven’t told you. Things that are happening below the surface. Until we have trust between our two peoples there is no way forward.

“You’re afraid,” Eva said in sudden understanding.

There was an undercurrent of the emotion running through every word Orion spoke. Subtle but there. Impossible to mistake once you knew where to look.

There was something in the situation she wasn’t seeing. A reason beyond what was said for their uneasiness.

The Trateri’s actions were just an excuse. A flimsy one at that.

The herd’s opinions on this matter are split. The only thing everyone agrees on is the fact the Trateri and the Kyren are being tested. We don’t know what the future will hold but for now the Kyren plan to watch and see what unfolds before deciding our course, Orion told her, his gaze penetrating.

And in so doing, they left the Trateri to face the danger alone.

Frustration boiled in Eva, making her bolder than she would have been normally. “I let fear control me far longer than I should have, and now you’re doing the same.”

Some days she wasn't sure she'd ever be fully free of its touch. Always expecting the worst of people.

She was doing it now, if she was honest. A part of her afraid that when she went back the Trateri would see her as useless and excise her.

"You judge the Trateri for what they might do rather than what they've actually done. That’s no way to live. By doing this, you’re giving your enemies exactly what they want.”

I'm sorry, Eva. This is the course we've chosen. Human lives have never concerned us. For the Kyren to act in the Trateri’s interests, we need a reason. So far you have given them no proof you can be the person we need you to be.

Eva’s gaze dropped to the ground as emotion strangled her throat. She didn’t understand. What’s more, she feared she would never understand.

If they would stop with all the cryptic words and simply tell her what was needed, she could work herself to the bone to provide it.

“This isn’t fair. You’re placing expectations on me without telling me what they are.”

I know. Orion took a step toward the edge and paused. You should know—I still hold hope you can find your way.

Orion's wings extended as he dropped, gliding through the air. His white coat shown in the night with an almost ethereal glow.

When he was gone, the dam Eva kept on her emotions cracked. Then broke.

Her breath shuddered in her chest. The tears she could no longer fight coursing down her cheeks. Grief and sorrow welled up inside. A loneliness that she'd thought was long gone.

Soon, Polaris or Danyon would come to retrieve her. She had until then to find her composure—and think up how she would break the news to the Trateri.

sixteen

Eva wasn't sure how long she stood thinking, lost in her thoughts before Polaris's arrival. This time he was alone.

A fact Eva was thankful for.

Her defenses lay in tatters on the ground around her. She wasn't up to dealing with Danyon's hostility or any of the baggage he brought with him.

Maybe later when she wasn't feeling so raw.

The whoosh of his wings announced his presence before she saw him. His hooves were loud in the quiet as he landed and picked his way toward her, taking the place where Orion had stood not too long ago.

"You heard, huh?"

There was a marked silence that Eva took as an answer.

Are you ready to head back?

Eva forced down her bitterness, her voice nearly cracking as she asked, "Could I have another moment?"

Just one more second before she had to deal with the fallout.

When she finally left this mountaintop, she would be doing so not as the Caller for the Kyren, liaison between the two peoples, but rather as Eva, the plain, unassuming tagalong.

Former herd mistress and a woman who was no longer certain of what her future contained.

Take your time.

The faint note of understanding in Polaris's voice made her smile.

Funny. All this time, she'd only sensed disapproval from him. Only now, when things were at an end, did he let her see something else.

Eva pushed the negative thoughts out of her mind, determined to imprint this scene into her memory. She needed to burn it into her mind so she wouldn't forget.

Not as a lesson of what happened when she took a chance but rather as a reminder of what wonders she might experience when she allowed herself to try.

True, she'd failed, but there were bright spots in the endeavor.

Who else could say they'd experienced flight? Or helped a Kyren bring new life into this world?

Even her visit to the temporary herd lands was something no human in living memory had ever experienced.

There was solace in those memories and Eva would do well not to forget it.

Eva stirred, feeling more centered. "Tell me one thing—will you keep Sebastian from seeing me?"

The loss of the Kyren was one thing. It hurt, but she would recover. Her relationship with them was still in the beginning stages, the bond never having had a chance to deepen.

And now never would.

Sebastian was different. They'd been through the fire together. Trusted each other. He was her friend. Kyren or not.

Losing him would hurt on a whole different level than losing the Kyren as a whole.

Members of the herd can choose to spend their time where they will.

Eva released the breath she'd been holding. That was something at least.

"Alright. I'm ready."

An intelligent gaze met hers. No, you're not.

Astute of him. But it didn't change what was coming. Eva would prefer to get it over with rather than dwell.

Do you fear the night? Polaris asked out of nowhere.

Eva's forehead wrinkled and shot him a perplexed frown.

Polaris looked back at her with a placid expression.

Eva started to answer and then hesitated, something warning her against flippancy. Her gaze turned distant as she gave the question serious consideration.

Was it the night she feared? Or rather what the night hid?

She didn't know.

"Sometimes," Eva finally settled on.

There was something about the night hours that had always drawn her. The time when the world was quiet and hushed, allowing a person to bask in their solitude as they reflected on their decisions.

The dark provided respite from the harsh light of day, softening a person's edges and giving them time to come to terms with their own inadequacies.

It was beautiful and fierce. And yes, sometimes it was dangerous.

But just because something fearsome may wait around the corner didn't mean she shouldn't enjoy the rest.

Eva sensed Polaris coming to some type of decision.

You came to us too early. Those of us who survived our incarceration in the Badlands haven't allowed the memories to fully fade, and you're a reminder of all that.

There was a pause as Polaris sank into thought.

Fate doesn't always operate on our time schedule, I've come to learn.

No, it did not. It would be far easier if it did.

You might have prevented this outcome had you allowed yourself to be trained, Polaris remonstrated Eva.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Your defenses are pitiful. A swarm as weak as the one you encountered should not have had that effect on you. Had you not lost consciousness, your lover wouldn't have been forced to take the actions he did. You could have sought council with the Kyren and avoided this whole chain of events.

Eva's anger changed to outrage. "Kind of hard to 'seek council' when there are no Kyren in sight."

And that is your first mistake.

"Enlighten me, oh knowledgeable one."

Eva didn't bother hiding her sarcasm. With the alliance finished, she didn't have to play nice anymore. It was the only silver lining in this situation.

How are you communicating with me right now? Is it with your voice?

Realization dawned as Eva's mouth flattened into a grim line.

No, it's with your mind.

As much as she wanted to defend herself, he was right.

I felt that first call of yours. Hundreds of miles between us and I still felt the pull of your need. Distance was never your problem.

Eva made a frustrated sound. "That was different. I panicked because Caden was dying. I have no idea how I put that call out."

Precisely why you should have sought training.

"Because the Kyren have been so welcoming," Eva shot back.

Did the Trateri give you an invitation or did you force your way into their ranks?

Eva paused to consider his words. Except for Ollie's first offer, she'd had to work for every ounce of respect.

Even Hardwick hadn't given his approval right away. It had been weeks before he so much as acknowledged her existence.

Still, she'd persisted. Sometimes shoving her way into situations where the Trateri made it clear they didn't want her.

Polaris saw he'd gotten through to her. I think we aren't the only ones having trouble with trust. You expected us to reject you which changed how you approached us. Am I wrong?

"No," Eva ground out.

Our ancestral herd lands already appeared to you. You're the one who didn't take that last step.

"I couldn't."

Why?

"I don't know."

Until you do, you will never have a place among us.

Eva flinched, feeling slightly shamed. Before, she could tell herself it wasn't her fault. That circumstances out of her hands had forced her into this corner. Polaris's argument twisted things around, leaving the brunt of the responsibility squarely on her shoulders.

The Kyren shared a portion of the blame, but he wasn't wrong when he said she could have done more.

It was so easy to see with the advantage of hindsight.

Polaris let out a frustrated snort. Close your eyes.

"Why?"

Because I'm going to teach you what you should already have known.

Eva didn't move for a long moment, reading Polaris's expression. There was sternness there, but she could also see sincerity. For whatever reason, he was taking pity on her.

Eva allowed her eyes to slip closed.

Good. Concentrate on what you see.

At first, Eva only saw the darkness of her own eyelids.

Gradually, she sunk into a place in her mind she rarely visited. Only chancing on its edges in moments of extreme desperation—like when Caden nearly died.

Pinpricks of light, much like that of stars, twinkled all around her. Their brightness varied. Some so strong they threatened to blind her. Others, faint.

Before Eva could do more than gape at the unexpected scene, she felt a sense of coolness under her feet.

She looked down to find herself standing in the middle of a lake, the water reflecting the brilliance of the starry night.

A petite woman with snarled blond hair stared back at her from a face that was gaunt and tired.

"This—" Eva's voice trailed off.

Tell me what you see.

"Stars. Countless numbers of them. A lake. My reflection."

What else?

Awe threatened to distract Eva before she shook it off, paying closer attention to the dreamscape.

Bright colors drew her notice upward, and she realized what she first thought were stars was something else entirely.

Rather than following the night sky she knew, the pinpricks of light were arranged in different patterns. Some spread out. Others clumped together.

"It's a map," she whispered.

Colorful flares of light danced along the black of night, shimmering and fading as they snaked across the sky in a brilliant display.

"I see waves of light," Eva said.

That is interesting.

Eva's eyes opened. "Why?"

It's a rare gift. One you will understand at a later time, Polaris said without explaining further. For now, you should focus on how to defend your lake and sky from intruders.

"How?"

How else does one protect themselves from invaders? By building walls.

Eva tried. She really did.

Only nothing worked. Frustration grew with each failed attempt.

Frustrated, she glared at her reflection in the lake. Why wasn't this working? After everything else that happened tonight, she couldn't walk away without figuring this out.

As if in response, something inside her relaxed. Ice crystallized beneath her feet, spreading in an ever-widening circle that stopped when it was about ten feet wide.

What did you do?

"I don't know. The lake is now covered in ice."

Your presence in my mind has faded. I can still feel you but not like I did.

Excitement lifted Eva's spirits. "Does that mean I did it?"

I think so.

The uncertainty in Polaris's voice wasn't exactly reassuring but Eva would take it.

It should be enough to protect you for now.

"And the rest?"

That's up to you to figure out.

Of course it was. Why did Eva expect anything else? Nothing ever came easy. This shouldn't be any different.

The feeling of smooth metal in her hand distracted Eva from her thoughts.

Surprised, Eva turned the object over. It had the shape of a sphere with interlocking loops. Eva pressed, not entirely surprised when the sphere collapsed into a ring before fading from sight.

Eva lifted her gaze to find Polaris staring at her with wise eyes. He lowered his mouth to lip at her empty hand.

Like I said, some things you have to do for yourself.

Polaris shoved his nose into Eva's chest in a hard bump and turned to present his side to her. Get on.

"I take it the lesson is over."

Polaris sent her a look that asked what did she think.

"Very well then."

Not like Eva had a lot left in her to give anyway. Exhaustion was beginning to creep into her thoughts, threatening to drag her under.

She suspected when she finally found her bed tonight, she'd be out as soon as she was horizontal.

Eva climbed onto Polaris's back and slumped forward, her mind already turning to what awaited her in the camp below.

The minutes passed in a blur, seeming to fly by during Polaris's quick descent. Before Eva knew it, he had landed, waiting only long enough for her to dismount before he was gone again.

Eva watched him go, knowing she couldn't put this off for much longer. The rest needed to be told the change in circumstances.

Eva turned, almost unsurprised when she found the fire fox sitting a few feet from her.

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

The question wasn't a fair one, and she knew it. Even if he'd known, what could he have done?

As her friend and companion, it wasn't his responsibility to protect her from her own decisions. He also wasn't Trateri. He didn't owe them anything.

After observing her for what felt like an eternity, the fire fox paced forward, picking up speed. Five feet from her, he leapt. Eva caught him with a grunt.

Brown eyes met hers. In the fire fox's gaze, she read reassurance. Faith. Even without a voice he seemed to be telling her this wasn't the end. To hold steady and persevere.

Her mouth quirked as she gave him a squeeze. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."

The fire fox let out a yip, thrashing to lick her face and wipe away the last traces of her tears.

Eva giggled. The invisible weight she'd been carrying on her shoulders eased as she carried him toward camp.

She'd made it to the edge when a faint rustling drew her attention upwards.

Eva shook her head at Jane as the Anateri stirred from the shadows. Jane frowned but remained where she was, leaving Eva to handle the situation as she wished.

Eva redirected her gaze to the roof of the nearby tent, not entirely surprised to find a visitor perching on one of the structural poles that held it upright.

The Tenrin's posture was casual and unconcerned, as if she wasn't effortlessly balancing on something that could collapse under her weight at any minute.

"Hello." Absently, Eva stroked the fire fox's fur as she observed the female Tenrin.

Up close, her youth was even more obvious. Her frame small and her body still developing.

Eva doubted she was even Jason's age.

She was pretty. Her features sharp and her mannerisms even more bird-like than Ajari's. Most importantly she seemed curious—if cautious.

"Are you supposed to be up there?" Eva asked when the other Tenrin still didn't speak.

A part of her wanted to warn the tent's resident about his guest. If for no other reason than so they wouldn't be surprised if the tent unexpectedly collapsed.

The Tenrin leaned back and looked around, as if only just now noticing the awkwardness of her chosen perch.

"Yes?" The Tenrin's tone lifted at the end making the word almost a question. "Tenrin like heights."

"You don't say," Eva said dryly.

The girl gave a bird-like nod. "I do say."

Her response surprised a laugh out of Eva. Something she didn't think she was capable of given her current mood.

"We're similar to birds in that fashion," the girl said, encouraged.

Cute.

That was the impression Eva got from the girl. Not exactly a word she ever thought she'd associate with one of the most dangerous mythologicals.

But there it was. The girl was adorable. Her social skills a little lacking, but she made up for it in her mannerisms.

It was why despite knowing she needed to report, Eva lingered a little longer.

"I take it you've finally grown tired of taunting my apprentice."

The girl dropped from her perch, her wings spreading as she glided to land in front of Eva. Her momentum was a little too fast, forcing her to hop to catch her balance. "He is great fun. He makes the best noises when surprised. Squeak squeak. I wonder what other sounds he's capable of."

Eva's eyebrows lifted toward her hairline as she nodded slowly, already deciding not to share that particular tidbit with Jason when she saw him next.

The last thing she wanted was to have to replace him when he decided a Tenrin's interest was his line in the sand for weird.

"Ajari says you're a Caller." The Tenrin closed her eyes, her expression blissful. "I see why. You're like the sun in my mind. Warm but not as tiring."

At the reminder of all she'd lost this night, Eva's smile faded. The distraction of the Tenrin's presence no longer enough to hold back some of her emotions.

"I'm afraid not for much longer," Eva said, casting a glance in the direction Polaris had disappeared into.

The Tenrin's gaze held far more wisdom than Eva had given her credit for. "Ajari says a Caller either is or isn't. Others aren't to interfere."

"You seem to have a lot of respect for him," Eva observed.

The Tenrin lifted and dropped her shoulders, her wings rustling. "He is our axis."

Eva's gaze sharpened. "What does that mean?"

The female's expression grew thoughtful. "He is our guide. He puts the flock on the right path forward."

"Like a leader."

The female shook her head, looking troubled. "Covath is our leader. Ajari is our guide."

Although not entirely sure, Eva thought his role resembled an adviser of some sort. One whose words and opinions were important enough that even Covath had to listen.

The female touched her chest. "He sees the truth of what is inside."

Ah. A spiritual adviser maybe.

The Trateri had them too, though Eva didn't have much experience with them.

Their religion had room for many differing beliefs. From what little Eva had seen, it was much freer and gentler than the one she'd grown up with in the village.

The female's hand dropped as she cocked her head. Whatever she was about to say was replaced by a scowl.

The Tenrin bristled as Jane approached.

The Anateri shot the Tenrin a quick glance before focusing on Eva. "If you're looking for the commander, he's over there."

Jane pointed outside of camp and to the west, far from where Eva thought she'd find him.

Eva frowned. What was he doing outside the camp's perimeter?

She had no time to spare on her questions as the Tenrin bumped Eva, edging as close as she could to her. The Tenrin's glare was murderous even as she hid behind Eva.

Jane's expression stiffened, not knowing how to react.

Eva wasn't sure either.

The Tenrin made a bird like hiss, the feathers in her hair poofing out to make her seem bigger than she was.

The view was almost comical, especially since the Tenrin was still huddled behind Eva.

Jane drew herself up, looking insulted.

Eva sighed and waved her back. The Anateri's reluctance was obvious as she allowed Eva and the Tenrin to take the lead.

Still, the Tenrin wasn't happy, clinging to Eva's arm as her head twisted to keep Jane in sight.

"Shoo. Shoo, mice, shoo."

"That isn't nice," Eva told her, setting off in the direction Jane had indicated.

"Humans are so scary," the Tenrin muttered, getting closer to Eva every time they passed one of the guards stationed around the perimeter.

Eva mentally willed herself to have patience as the Tenrin hissed at the sight of another human.

The guard, a woman Eva recognized, tightened her grip on her spear and eyed the Tenrin closely. Eva shook her head. Only then did the woman's stance relax.

"I don't know how you can stand to be around them all the time," the female said.

"I'm human."

The girl scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

At the curious look the girl sent her, Eva stopped.

"What's your name?" Eva asked.

The girl's head tilted. "Brisa."

"Alright, Brisa. What did you mean by that? I'm human, aren't I?"

"Maybe on the outside. But here, where it counts." Brisa gestured to Eva's chest. "You're like me."

Eva started walking again, trying not to let Brisa words influence her. She was human. She was.

Even as she thought that she couldn't help but doubt, a part of her unable to deny it. The idea that she wasn't like others wasn't exactly new. She hadn't allowed herself to fully internalize what that meant until this moment.

More interestingly, it begged the question that if Eva felt different to the mythologicals, enough that some might not consider her fully human, would other myein like Chirron and Mist present the same way in their senses?

"How exactly do I feel different?" Eva asked, wanting to understand.

It was more than a desire. It was an imperative. There was still so much about herself and what she could do that remained a mystery.

She'd had her differences shoved in her face so many times that eventually she stopped paying attention to them. Instead, choosing to bury them deep and pretend they didn't exist.

Only, that need to hide herself had led to her feeling stifled. Crippled by her inability to accept.

It seemed wrong some stranger understood this piece of her when she didn't.

Brisa's forehead wrinkled in thought. "I told you, didn't I? You feel like the sun, but more sparkly, and I don't feel the need to take a nap when I'm in your presence."

Eva pondered those words, falling into thought and barely noticing as she left Brisa behind.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Brisa asked, chasing after Eva.

With every couple of steps, Brisa's wings spread, lifting her and carrying her forward in an odd leap and glide.

Brisa stopped as they approached the most western edge of camp and the small crackling fire that was there. Caden sat on one side, preoccupied with something he held in his hands. On the other side, Van lay on his back, his arms crossed behind his head as he stared into the night sky.

Brisa waved at a spot in the darkness, unaware of the startled glances being shot her way. "Hey, Merc. What are you doing up there?"

Van's expression tightened into a troubled mask as the darkness beside him stirred. A low curse left him as he sat upright.

A Tenrin appeared, his face disgruntled as he glared at Eva's companion.

Van was quick to wipe the scowl from his face as he sent a mocking smile toward the Tenrin before waving the way Brisa had. "Merc. It's nice to meet you. Why don't you join us?"

The Tenrin sneered before focusing on Brisa. "You are not supposed to be here."

Brisa puffed out her chest. "The Caller is here. I wanted to meet her."

The Tenrin shook his head reproachfully. "Covath will be displeased."

Brisa looked sulkily down at her feet. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"I will not lie to the flock lord."

Brisa mumbled something to herself, making Eva bite her lip to hide her smile. It wasn't funny. Or at least, it shouldn't have been.

Knowing Covath, he could very well use this as an excuse to accuse Eva of corrupting one of his flock.

Then where would Eva be? Nowhere good; that's where.

Only, Eva couldn't quite bring herself to chase off the youth. There was something about Brisa that reminded her of her little sister. She had the same insatiable curiosity as Elis. The same ability to cause frustration and laughter without even trying.

The reminder of her sister made Eva's levity fade. She couldn't help but wonder how Elis was doing these days. Did she miss her? Was she safe?

"Return," Merc ordered.

"But—"

"Now. You are too young to be here. I will not ask again."

Grumbling to herself, Brisa nodded a goodbye at Eva and the fire fox before her wings carried her into the night sky.

"You'd be wise not to try to influence our young," Merc informed Eva with a serious look.

The fire fox wriggled in Eva's arms, jumping down before she could stop him. He barked reproachfully at the Tenrin before jogging into the dark.

The Tenrin's expression closed down. To Eva's surprise he gave her an almost respectful nod before flying back to his original perch.

"Not even going to pretend you're not spying on us?" Van called.

The Tenrin fluttered his wings, not trying to be circumspect in his presence anymore.

Van shook his head at being ignored. "Arrogant bastard."

"He's in good company then," Eva responded as she headed toward Caden.

Reading the expression on Eva's face, Caden opened his arms. Eva crashed into his embrace.

She felt brittle. Like a single harsh touch would shatter her to pieces. The things she'd been forcing herself not to feel almost too much to bear now.

Caden lowered his head over hers where she'd buried it in his chest. "Whatever comes, we'll face it together."

The sound Eva made was raw, tears trying to squeeze themselves out of her eyes.

"You don't even know what it is that's happened," she whispered.

"Doesn't matter. It's you. That's enough for me."

Eva forced herself to lift her head and meet his gaze. What she found there made her heart flutter. An ocean of love, backed up by strength and determination.

This was a man who would do battle for her. Right or wrong, he'd claim heads on her behalf.

It was why failing hurt so bad. It wasn't just her life in the mix. Sometimes a person could come to mean so much more than your own self-interest. Their happiness eclipsed your own.

That was Caden for her. As intense and possessive as his love could sometimes be, hers was no different.

It was thorny and tangled. And sometimes she was convinced her skin couldn't contain the extent of everything she felt for him.

Caden pressed a kiss to Eva's forehead. "I feel the same, alea na."

Eva's snicker was wet sounding. "I didn't even say anything."

His smile was roguish. "You didn't have to. Your enthrallment spoke for you."

"You certainly have the arrogance down," Eva observed.

Caden tugged on her. "Come sit with me."

Eva let him pull her to a seat beside him, not protesting when he nodded at Jane.

"Summon the others. I have a feeling they'll want to hear what Eva has to say," Caden ordered.

Jane inclined her chin, jogging into the night.

"What are you doing outside the camp?" Eva asked, purposefully avoiding the sensitive subject that was most on her mind.

She only planned to explain herself once.

"We decided to change our methods concerning the prisoners," Caden pointed his knife toward a clearing with a single torch in it.

Eva's face held confusion as she spotted the two prisoners staked out on the ground.

For a moment, she didn't understand and then it clicked. He was using the threat of the swarm to terrify them, hoping one of them would break.

The look she sent him held admiration, as she was reminded once again the twisted paths this man's mind sometimes traveled down.

"Will you really let the swarm take them?" Eva asked.

"They certainly think so."

That hadn't been what she asked.

Eva ignored Van's small snicker as she focused on her lover.

Sensing her gaze, Caden slammed the tip of his knife into the ground. "I haven't decided."

Eva waited.

Finally, he looked at her. "What is your opinion?"

To an outsider, it would sound like he was asking her advice, but Eva knew that wasn't it.

In reality, he was trying to decide how much she could live with. How far he could push before she decided he was a monster.

His question was really asking if she could accept who he was.

The answer was yes. She could.

Caden was who he was. He might try to soften his edges, conceal his darkness and pretend he wasn't a killer, but Eva saw through him.

He wouldn't survive for long if he continued to throttle himself for fear of how she'd see him. Just like she wouldn't if she continued to pretend she was fully human.

Love wasn't about just showing someone one side of yourself. The prettiest of sides.

It was about seeing everything. All the ugly bits. The scars and jagged edges. The pieces that didn't fully conform.

It was about seeing all that and loving the person because of those bits. Not despite them.

If Eva denied him this part of himself, he'd suffocate. Pure and simple.

And that, she wouldn't allow.

"You do what you must," Eva said. "Besides, I thought our deal was you handle the human side while I wrangle the mythologicals. You're not trying to change it are you?"

Caden's smile was small. "No, lady."

Van harrumphed. "You really have no opinion about this?"

Eva shot him a look. "He has his skills; I have mine. Unless he crosses a line, I won't interfere."

"Where exactly is that line for you?" Van asked.

Sensing Caden's gaze on her, Eva left aside the fact this wasn't Van's business and answered. "Children and the truly innocent."

The rest were on their own.

Eva had never been the type to protect those who meant her harm. These lands were a dangerous place. They'd swallow the unwary in an instant. Sometimes you had to be brutal to be kind to the ones you loved.

Caden's thoughts were hidden as he inclined his chin. "Understood."

His word felt like a promise, though Eva hadn't really been worried.

Despite what outsiders thought of the Anateri commander, Eva knew he wasn't a mindless killer. Every action he took, every life he reaped was with one goal in mind—protect what was his.

Van let out a loud exhale. "How boring."

"If you want a fight, you can always go bother Chirron again," Caden said without looking at the Lion Clan leader.

Van relaxed, resting his head on his arms again. "Even I'm not that foolhardy."

Though the other man missed it, Eva caught Caden's amusement at Van's retort. It was a small gesture, barely more than the lifting of the corners of his mouth, but it was there.

Smiling, she let herself relax into Caden's side. Sitting here, Caden's strength soaking into her bones, she thought perhaps this ending to a night whose start had been so shitty wasn't half bad at all.

seventeen

Roscoe's jaw cracked around a yawn as he ambled in Eva and Caden's direction, his face still sleepy.

He didn't come alone, Ghost followed behind him. The man was pale but looked worlds better than the last time she'd seen him.

"Chirron let you out of bed?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

Chirron didn't strike her as someone willing to bend his own rules. He'd still been threatening to tie Ghost down if the warrior tried to set a limb out of his blankets when she'd made her own escape.

That hadn't been too long ago. Things shouldn't have changed to this extent.

"Chirron wasn't consulted." Chirron's knee length tunic flapped around his legs as he strode into view, his glare hot enough to light Ghost on fire.

A glare whose target quickly changed to Eva in the next second.

She stiffened at the burning accusation she saw there.

"I understand he's not the only one who has decided to treat my words as air." Chirron aimed a thin smile at Eva.

She knew that look. That tone. It was the same one her mother had once given her and Elis when they were in trouble.

Just like back then, Eva had to fight to keep from squirming. She'd done nothing wrong.

Despite knowing that, it didn't make her feel any less guilty.

She offered Chirron a stilted smile. "I wasn't left much choice in the matter."

And if she had to do it again, she would.

The healer would just have to accept that there were things out of her control. Tonight's events were one of them.

The look in Chirron's eyes was flinty. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard similar excuses. It's enough to think no one in the clans has a bit of free will."

Eva flinched at the stinging rebuke. One she probably deserved for her weak attempt at shifting blame.

In Chirron's place, she'd probably be just as furious if one of her charges disregarded her well-meaning instructions.

Granted, Caia had a habit of doing exactly that, and it drove Eva just a little bit crazy every time it happened.

Chirron's gaze swung back to Ghost. "And you—you're going straight back to bed as soon as this is over."

Ghost saw a spot on the ground and lowered himself with visible effort. "Guess that depends on exactly why we were all brought here."

Ghost listed to the side, Roscoe caught and steadied him with unobtrusive movements designed to preserve Ghost's pride.

Caden and Van pretended not to see, giving their attention to Gawain and Fiona as they joined, Jane at their back.

The Anateri gave Caden a nod to say everyone was here.

Fiona spotted Ghost. "You're up." Happiness lit her face as she jogged over, giving the man a one-armed hug.

Fiona's cheeks were still creased in a smile when she looked in Chirron's direction. "I thought you said he'd be down longer."

The healer's lips curled down. "Don't look at me. Apparently, nobody considers my advice worth listening to."

Fiona drew back from Ghost with a frown. "How are you feeling?"

There was a sweetness in Ghost's smile that was rare. Warmth and affection Eva suspected he didn't show to many.

"I feel no different than that month of training we spent in Sparrow company getting our asses handed to us."

Roscoe and Fiona winced in sympathy.

"That bad, huh?" Fiona asked.

He made a pained expression. "I wouldn't recommend it."

Fiona set her hand on his and squeezed. "We're glad you made it through."

Ghost covered her hand with his. "Always, commander. You know me. I'm like a cockroach. Unkillable."

Fiona chuckled as she sat back on her heels. "I see you haven't lost any of your arrogance."

Ghost's smile was a tad wicked.

Roscoe fist bumped Ghost's shoulder. "You got better just in time. It sounds like you'll get your shot at revenge very soon."

Chirron made a disgusted sound. "Does no one listen to me? He's not better. His system was put under extreme stress. He needs rest; not to go swinging his sword at insects."

Eva could tell by the bland look on Ghost's face that Chirron might as well have been speaking to the air. That was how much stock Ghost was putting in the other man's words.

"Give it up, Chirron. You're not going to win this battle," Van informed the healer, sounding like he found the entire exchange all too amusing.

Chirron made an aggravated sound before throwing his hands up. "You're all insane."

Van gave Chirron the lazy smile of a lion. "You could always save yourself the headache and return to your old ways."

Chirron's mouth snapped closed as he pinned the other man with a fulminating glare.

Van's laugh rumbled in his chest.

"I'm assuming you didn't call us here so Chirron could lament the unchangeable," Gawain said with a steady gaze on Eva.

"Why are you looking at me when you ask that?"

One side of his mouth tilted up. "You left with the Kyren this evening. Now you're back at this late hour and we've been called from our rest. The conclusion should be obvious to those of us who are paying attention."

Van's lazy slump disappeared as he focused on Gawain. "Do you have something to say, Rain?"

Gawain slid him a look. "I don't know, Lion. What do you think?"

"Enough." Caden's order cut through the brewing tension with the sharpness of a blade. "Eva, you have something to share?"

Eva took a deep breath, forcing her hands not to shake as she became the center of attention.

"Orion summoned me at sunset." Eva's expression was neutral as she kept her gaze trained on Caden's. "The Kyren have rescinded their invitation and are asking us to leave."

Van cursed and stood in an explosive movement. He lifted a hand, rubbing his face, unable to keep still. Gawain's reaction was a little more controlled as he closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.

Chirron observed, watching their reactions carefully.

Eva took note of all this in an instant before focusing on the people she truly cared about.

Ghost seemed too tired to waste emotion on the news, leaning weakly against Roscoe's shoulder. His friend's face was a grim mask as the reality of the situation sunk in.

Fiona's expression was remote as she stared into the distance, not even looking at Eva.

Lastly, Caden whose face she still couldn't read. His features were arranged in neutral lines. It was the same face she'd once seen at Fallon's back. The one that made him the perfect weapon for a Warlord.

The silence lengthened until Eva couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault. We came up here because we thought I could bridge the gap between our two peoples and I failed," Eva confessed.

Now, others were going to pay the price.

Fiona shook her head. "Don't take that on. This isn't your fault. No one here blames you."

Roscoe lifted his shoulders and dropped them as if he was shaking off his mood. "She's right. Who needs a winged horse anyway? We're badass enough all on our own."

Van frowned. "I don't know. I sort of blame her. Her entire role was to get us mounts."

Eva lifted her eyebrows and sent Fiona and Roscoe a look that said, "you were saying?"

It was quick but Eva caught Fiona's faint smile before she ducked her chin to hide it.

Chirron shook his head at Van. "You really are as dumb as your size suggests."

Van gave him a baffled look to which Chirron rolled his eyes and refused to speak to the other.

"In a way, this frees us up," Gawain observed, seeming more thoughtful than angry.

Caden finally showed a reaction. His smile diabolical as if this was what he'd been waiting for all along. "Agreed. The Kyren have given us a gift. From here on out, we do what we want and don't take anyone else's opinions into account."

There were gruff sounds of agreement. The Trateri around her stamping their feet to show their approval.

Evil grins grew on Ghost and Roscoe's face.

"Guess I'm not going to be resting later, after all," Ghost drawled.

Chirron growled but didn't waste his breath on argument. Even he could see it would be a losing battle.

The expectations of the Kyren were no longer holding them back. They were now free to give all their attention to hunting down their enemies.

Knowing her skills wouldn't be much use for what was coming, Eva left Caden and the rest to their war council.

As always when faced with a situation out of her comfort zone, she headed for those who made her feel most at home. The herd.

Jane was a quiet shadow as she trailed Eva through the camp, which had long since fallen silent. The Trateri had only bothered raising a few tents, most preferring to sleep under the wide-open sky next to small fires.

More than one sleep pallet stirred, heads lifting as Eva passed. Seeing it was only her, they ignored her passage. Some wriggled onto their sides, pulling their blankets higher over their head.

Eva left the last of the camp behind, pausing on its outskirts. For a long moment, she wavered before making her way to the small knoll overlooking where Jason and Ollie had staged the horses.

She plopped down on the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees, letting her mind go quiet.

Her emotions were like a bow drawn too long, and she wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling right this moment.

Eva set her chin on her knee and stared out at the rolling hills of the meadow sprawled before her. To one side, the darker shadows of stone monoliths and mountains protruded into the sky. On the other, trees blended the line between sky and earth.

Dotted throughout the foreground was the herd, well taken care of and already settled into their nightly routine.

They bunched in twos and threes, seeking protection with one another. It was a soothing sight in a night that had been full of ups and downs.

Eva didn't know how long she'd sat before she saw a shadowy figure move out of the camp and toward a set of horses to her side.

Jane touched the pommel of her sword as she moved closer to Eva.

Recognizing the figure, Eva shook her head and stood. "It's Fiona."

Understanding filled Jane's face before she stepped back. Eva dusted any remaining pieces of grass and dirt off her bottom before starting in Fiona's direction.

"Fancy seeing you out here. I thought you would have gotten some sleep for tomorrow," Eva said when she was a few feet from where Fiona looked to be leaning her face into the neck of her horse.

There was a snuffle and furtive movements as if Fiona was wiping her face.

"Eva, what are you doing out here?" Fiona's voice was clogged as if she'd been crying.

Eva hesitated, trying to decide if she should leave Fiona to her solitude so she could grieve without an audience.

"Same thing you are, I suspect," Eva said after a brief internal debate.

Walking away felt wrong. As much as Fiona probably preferred pretending Laurell's death didn't hurt like it did, it wasn't healthy. Nor was it the best thing for Fiona.

As hard as it was, Eva figured she could at least offer Fiona an ear.

She stepped forward, sliding a hand along the neck of Fiona's horse.

"There's something about these creatures. I've never been able to figure it out," Eva said in a wistful voice. "Just being around them makes the weight on my shoulders fall away."

They were a balm for the soul.

She'd noticed it the first time Caia stuck her nose in Eva's palm and every day since.

They weren't a panacea, capable of curing someone of all ills, but she'd seen them shine a light into the parts of a soul even well-meaning friends and family could never reach.

Perhaps that was why Eva retreated to their company every time she encountered an obstacle that she felt she couldn't overcome. Their companionship had never failed her, always showing her the path forward again.

Eva could only hope they did the same for Fiona.

They spent a short while simply grooming Fiona's horse. Each took a side, paying careful attention to the mare's care as they got lost in their thoughts.

The repetitive motions of brushing the horse's coat didn't just help Fiona. Eva felt more like herself before she was halfway through.

The bands of tension in her shoulders were long gone by the time she darted a look in Fiona's direction, not asking any of the questions she could have.

Fiona expected her to, if the tense set of her shoulders was anything to judge by.

Instead, Eva returned to brushing, focused on getting the sweat and grime out of the mare's coat.

With horses, you couldn't always take a hard hand. You had to let them make the first move. Humans weren't that different.

Force only worked so far. It couldn't compel someone to unburden themselves of the knots in their heart. Fiona had to trust Eva wouldn't take what she shared and mishandle it. For that, she needed time. And space.

Eva had just about given up on reaching Fiona tonight when the other woman let out a loud, frustrated exhale.

The mare flicked her tail in reaction.

"I hate feeling like this. It's not me," Fiona confessed. "I've never been this person. People die. It's a fact of life. Warriors die more often than most."

Eva's silence offered an unjudging audience, the darkness aiding in the illusion of solitude.

"Fucking bugs," Fiona gritted out, her voice cracking.

Fiona stopped tending to the mare, her head dropping back as she stared up at the sky.

Eva waited, knowing that wasn't the extent of Fiona's pain.

"I'm so mad at her for dying on me," Fiona whispered.

The ache of loss made Eva's eyes smart. Fiona was one of the women Eva admired most. Strong and fierce with an unexpected kindness Eva knew she didn't show often.

Watching her suffer made Eva feel small and useless. Worse was the helpless feeling of knowing nothing you said could offer comfort.

Maybe if Eva had been better with people that wouldn't be the case. Then again, how could any words be good enough to address such a loss?

It would be like Eva losing Caia or Ollie. Nothing would lighten that devastation.

A touch brushed against Eva's consciousness, bringing with it the sense of a cool, refreshing breeze.

"Come with me. There's someone you should really meet."

Fiona's face showed startlement as Eva turned and walked away. She tossed her brush toward the side and hurried after Eva.

"You know you really should stick close to camp. There's no telling when the forward scouts of that army will find us and you're a tempting target," Fiona said.

"Don't worry. We're not going far." Eva stopped and looked up.

The wings of a Kyren blotted out the stars as a small shape struggled beside her. Belle set down seconds later, her foal's landing a little shakier than hers.

Eva nodded at the two Kyren. "Fiona, meet Belle and her foal."

Fiona seemed confused as she studied the two Kyren. "I thought the Kyren abandoned us."

Jane moved closer to Fiona and Eva, a look of fascination on the normally quiet Anateri woman’s face.

They have, but Orion only speaks for the herd as a whole. Those who choose can still maintain a relationship with humans as long as it doesn't imperil the herd. My foal and I owe you a debt; we will not forget it.

Eva translated Belle's words.

Fiona's head snapped toward Eva. "You mean—"

Eva nodded. "Yes. This is the Kyren and foal Laurell's sacrifice enabled me to save."

Fiona's eyes glistened as her gaze moved back to the foal. Her breath was shaky as she inhaled then slowly exhaled.

Translate for me.

"I will."

Belle paced toward Fiona as Eva started to speak.

"Your friend was there on my darkest day when I had given up all hope that my unborn child would ever taste the sky. Because of her, my child will grow up in freedom, not bound to the yoke of another's will. It is a gift more precious than any other he will ever receive."

Silent tears streamed down Fiona's cheeks.

"For Kyren, names are special. They're carefully chosen to reflect the fate they wish for their children. Belle can think of no better namesake than her child's savior. She's asking to name the foal Lore after Laurell. She hopes Lore will grow to have the kind of honor and courage that Laurell did."

Eva's eyes were watery and her voice thick by the time she finished relaying Belle's request.

Fiona was silent as she took a knee before the foal, staring into his eyes. She nodded once. "I can't think of a better way to remember my friend. Thank you, Laurell would have been honored."

I will tell my child stories of your friend's exploits.

Fiona scratched an itchy part on Lore's neck, making him lean into her touch. "I have a few of those stories to tell myself."

Eva sent Belle a startled look. "Are you sure?"

Fiona glanced over her shoulder. "What did she say?"

Eva's answer was slow in coming. "She says, if you're willing, she will send Lore to you when he comes of age. She wishes you to be his rider and teach him what it means to be a warrior."

Fiona sucked in a shocked breath.

"Can you offer that?" Eva asked, feeling overwhelmed.

He is my foal. I can do as I wish, and your warrior is exactly the type of rider I envisioned for my son. Together, they can make a new future.

Fiona stood, resting one hand on the foal. The baby nickered and tossed his head up and down.

"I would pledge my life for him," Fiona said in a serious voice.

Belle nodded. I'd expect nothing less.

A soft whicker left Belle as she summoned the foal. She nudged him with her nose, half lifting him into the air as his wings flapped awkwardly. Only when he managed to get airborne did Belle follow.

You should know you're not alone; no matter how it appears.

Belle and the smaller figure beside her disappeared around the mountain tops.

"I have a new life goal," Jane said into the silence.

"Oh?" Eva asked, her eyebrows rising.

Determination shone in the normally taciturn Anateri's eyes. "Make a mark strong enough a Kyren will want to be named after me."

Eva's eyebrows rose. "Ah ha. Not sure I'd pick a goal that revolves around my death."

But she could see how an Anateri might.

"You've got the wrong perspective there, Caller." Jane allowed herself a tiny smile that seemed as wise as an old woman's in that moment. "It's all about your life and what you do with it before you go."

Eva hummed as she studied the night. "I suppose it is."

Soft laughter came and they looked toward Fiona to find her bent forward. She gasped in between her guffaws.

"Should we do something about that?" Eva asked.

Jane shook her head. "Let her go. She needs this."

Fiona straightened, cupping her hands as she shouted at the sky. "Laurell! You have a namesake; you will be remembered."

Jane and Eva lifted their voices in solidarity, howling their approval at the night.

Gradually, they quieted as the wind carried their voices away.

Fiona took a deep, cleansing breath. "Thank you, Eva."

"I had nothing to do with it. This was all Belle's idea," Eva said, uncomfortable in the face of Fiona's gratitude.

Fiona shook her head. "You did more than you know."

The quiet this time was short, lingering for only a moment before Fiona clicked her tongue at her horse. "Come, Clyde. These next few days promise to be quite eventful. It's best we rest up before things start in earnest."

"For tomorrow brings glory and the chance to soak our blades in the blood of our enemies," Jane said with the air of someone quoting an oft repeated passage.

"They shall fear me. For I am vengeance come to ground. My arm will not falter; my courage will not fail. Nothing, not even fear of death, will prevent me from my chosen course. I am warrior," Fiona intoned.

"And I will be eternal," Jane finished.

Chills shot down Eva's back. Almost as if she was hearing a prophecy of what was to come.

Fiona nodded at the two of them. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Eva let her go, not speaking as woman and horse made their way back to the center of the herd.

"You did a good thing," Jane remarked.

"Like I said, it wasn't me."

"Maybe you didn't make the suggestion, but if not for you Belle never would have had the idea." Jane's gaze was knowing.

It was a reminder that even if her actions seemed small and pointless today, they built up. Maybe someday in the future those seemingly inconsequential efforts would have an unexpected impact.

"Belle made that decision because you showed her not all humans were monsters. She could see Laurell's sacrifice for what it was and appreciate it. That never would have happened if you hadn't come here." Jane nodded at their surroundings. "You apologized before; you shouldn't have."

Eva's attention snapped to Jane to find the Anateri studying her with an astute gaze.

"Our alliance with the Kyren may be at an end, but because of you we still have ties to them. As long as the door stays cracked, things have a chance to change."

Eva looked at Jane out of the corner of her eye when the other woman fell silent. "I think this is the most I've ever heard you speak."

She was touched, knowing it showed the Anateri cared on some level. She was acting like more than a guard protecting her charge. She was behaving like a friend.

"People talk too much. Usually, they have nothing important that needs saying," Jane responded.

Eva snickered.

Why did that feel like the perfect response from one of Caden's Anateri? Like commander, like subordinate.

"I'm going to assume you plan to sleep out here tonight," Jane said slyly.

Eva's laughter faded and she nodded. "I feel like this is where I need to be. I'm sorry that means you have to be out here too."

Jane dismissed Eva's apologetic words with a shrug. "Not the first time I've slept under the sky. Won't be the last unless tomorrow is my end."

Eva made a small moue. "I'd like to pretend we're not on the run from an army that outnumbers us. Thank you very much."

Jane snorted. "You do that. I'll snag us a couple of blankets. It's going to get chilly tonight."

"It always is," Eva said as the Anateri strode away.

Jane returned in a quick fashion, her arms stuffed with two bedrolls. Eva busied herself picking a spot near the middle of the herd, the camp at their back. To their right were several boulders that would provide shelter from the wind.

Unrolling her bedroll, Eva stepped into it, pulling it over her shoulders as Jane got a small fire started not far away.

Eva watched the flickering flames for several minutes, her eyelids getting heavier and heavier until finally she drifted off to sleep.

Midway through the night, Eva roused to find arms wrapped tightly around her. A heat burning into her back.

Eva wiggled deeper into the embrace, recognizing the scent of Caden.

His arms tightened and there was a slight jerk as he came to wakefulness.

"Sorry," Eva whispered.

He made a masculine sound as he stretched. "Don't be. Any time I wake up to a beautiful woman in my arms is a good day."

Eva turned so her front faced his. "Did you finish what you needed?"

Caden rumbled a sleepy sound Eva took as assent. He inched closer to her to press his forehead against hers, their breath mingling.

"I never got the chance to ask how you are." There was a hesitation in Caden's voice as if the subject scared him.

Eva understood what he really meant as she nuzzled her nose against his in silent support. The swarm still terrified her when she thought about it too long.

"We haven't had the time, have we?" Eva asked.

Caden brushed the hair from her forehead and kissed one eyelid. "I would have asked earlier, but I figured it was a subject you wouldn't want raised with an audience present."

"You're right about that." Eva rubbed her cheek against his chest as she drew absent lines across his abdomen.

"What happened?" he prodded when she didn't speak.

Eva tucked in tighter, burying her face against him.

He pulled her up, touching her chin to lift her face. "Talk to me. I can't protect you if I don't know what I'm up against."

Eva's smile was pained. "I don't think knowing will help you."

He caressed her chin, his gaze searching. "Let me try anyway."

Eva looked away.

Caden's grip tightened as determination filled his face. "Maybe I can't fight this battle for you, but I can be beside you for the duration."

She knew if he could, he'd take her place in a minute, but that's not how life worked.

Sometimes you were handed burdens no one could pick up for you. Crosses you were forced to bear for better or worse.

As much as he might wish otherwise, there was no version of events where he could fix this for her.

That wasn't what this conversation was about.

He was asking to be allowed to share in the worry. To trust he would stand beside her even when things got hard.

It was the promise all couples made to each other. That they'd share in the good times and the bad.

Eva took a deep breath and nodded, relenting. "You're right."

In more ways than he realized. As terrifying as the experience had been, Eva had learned many things that might help Caden and the Trateri in the coming days.

It was her responsibility to prepare them as well as she could.

At her capitulation, Caden's body relaxed.

"I don't know at what point I went down," Eva started. "Just that there was a voice, and it seemed to be calling me."

Caden listened intently, not interrupting.

"I think it lulled me out of myself." Eva looked at Caden, knowing it sounded crazy.

Even she thought it was a weird thing to think, but she didn't have any other explanation for it.

"It operates on a hive mind. What one knows; the rest do too."

Caden nodded. "That fits with what I saw. As soon as one bit Ghost, it was like the rest instantly knew we were there."

"That's not all. I got the sense they were operating off orders. That they're on some type of mission."

Caden's gaze sharpened. "Do you know what they want?"

Eva shook her head. "Only that it felt like they were searching for something."

They lapsed into silence again as Eva sorted through the tangled knots in her memories.

"That's not all. I thought I had a dream. Only I don't think it was a dream at all."

"Oh?"

Eva nodded. "We were standing in front of a wall of fog and Shea and Fallon's adopted daughter, Mist, stopped me from walking into it. I got the feeling if I had, I might not have woken up at all."

Caden body tensed lightly under Eva's before his soothing strokes along her back resumed.

"She told me something."

Eva thought hard, but it was difficult. Like any dream, the encounter faded the longer Eva was awake.

"She said war is coming and that Shea and Fallon might be among his first targets. Then she said I didn't have time to be lost." Eva couldn't help her tiny chuckle at that last part.

She looked up at Caden's to find him staring into the distance.

"Caden?" Eva asked.

He nodded to himself. "That fits."

Eva pushed up to see his face better. "What does?"

Caden's answer wasn't immediate, the wheels turning in his brain as he formed and discarded plans.

She reached up and turned his face toward hers. "What aren't you telling me? How bad is our situation?"

His reaction suggested she'd missed something important.

Caden had played a good game earlier. He'd inspired confidence in the others over what was coming, motivating them for the battle ahead.

Only Eva needed to see behind the facade. She didn't want the pretty half-truths or the illusion of safety.

If this was to be some of their last moments together, she wanted to know.

Eva looked into his face. "How worried should I be?"

Caden didn't immediately answer as he studied her, preoccupied with running his fingers along her shoulder.

"War brings death. It's a universal truth all warriors must acknowledge." Caden leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the spot he'd just touched. "No one can say which fate will be ours until it greets us."

Eva drew back, giving him a hard look. "That's not what I asked."

Caden chuckled and rolled over onto his back, bringing her with him. He made himself comfortable as Eva settled herself, half leaning on his chest.

"I've faced worse odds," he said.

Sarcasm filled Eva's eyes. "Really? Worse than an army that outnumbers us by quite a lot."

Caden shrugged. "Yup."

A disbelieving scoff left Eva.

Caden quirked an eyebrow at her. "I have."

"Name one," she challenged.

"The battle for Wayfarer's Keep."

Eva bit back her response, Caden's smugness making her want to smack the expression right off his face.

Only she couldn't, and she knew it.

He was right. Wayfarer's Keep was a pivotal battle the Trateri almost hadn't won. They'd been well outnumbered by a horde of beasts. The waves almost crushing them beneath their weight.

"You won that because Darius brought reinforcements at the last minute," Eva said.

Caden's shrug was unconcerned. "You never know what will happen in battle."

Eva's eyes narrowed. He was much too confident for someone so controlling.

Caden's arms swept her up, pulling her more fully against him.

"How did Darius know where to be at the exact moment we needed him most?" Caden bit her earlobe.

Eva didn't react as she sorted through his meanings. Understanding dawned slowly. "You're saying Mist warned him."

Caden had a faint smile on his face as he nodded. "The same Mist you've already had contact with."

Caden rolled Eva onto her back, tugging her shirt down so he could kiss the pieces of flesh he bared.

Eva pushed him away. "I only had that dream yesterday. Fallon and any backup he could bring is still week's away."

Caden perched his chin on her breastbone and grinned at her. "Is he now? Are you sure about that?"

Realization dawned. "You—He's here? You planned this?"

Caden pulled up her shirt, baring her stomach. He pressed several kisses along its length. He nipped at her skin, making her gasp as her stomach clenched with need.

"Then the alliance? You expected it to fail?" Eva asked, trying not to get sidetracked.

Caden lifted up, framing her hips with his knees. "No, we hoped you'd succeed, but Fallon taught me to always have a backup plan. As important as the alliance is, it's not our only obstacle. This army and the people filling it seek to strike at the heart of our rule. That can't be allowed to happen."

Caden held still over her, giving her the sense that he was waiting for her reaction.

Eva reached up, cupping him around the neck and drawing him to her. "I find the twisting nature of how your mind works quite attractive."

Caden's smile was slow in coming and the seduction contained within made Eva's toes curl.

eighteen

"What about Jane?" Eva asked as Caden bent toward her.

"I dismissed her for the night," he promised as he helped her take off her shirt.

The crisp air caused Eva's nipples to pebble as she looked around nervously.

"It's just you and me," Caden said.

Eva forgot her shyness. She forgot all the reasons why they shouldn't and only focused on why they should.

The rest of the world didn't matter in this moment.

He was right earlier. No one knew what tomorrow would bring. Maybe Fallon would arrive with reinforcements or perhaps they would fall before he could reach them.

Either way, she'd take what she could get of the present. Burn out the seconds in a blaze of glory as if every one might be her last. Because they very well might be.

Their lips came together in a crash of desire and need as their hands busied themselves exploring each other's bodies.

The moments passed in a haze of passion, fleeting and yet eternal at the same time.

Blink and Eva was fully naked. Another blink and Caden's bare skin touched hers. His fingers found her center, driving her up the precipice. Eva moaned softly, clutching at his shoulders.

Her skin felt too tight to contain everything she was feeling. Every breath, every touch a controlled violence.

She felt too deeply. Wanted him too badly.

She hissed as he plunged home, her legs coming up to squeeze his sides.

She reached between them, finding the small bundle of nerves right above where he was sliding in and out of her.

"Alea na. You are my everything," Caden said through gritted teeth.

There wasn't enough of Eva left to answer him.

He hit a spot deep inside, and she detonated, coming apart in his arms. He followed her with a shout seconds later.

She took his weight as he rested against her, taking in the glistening drops of light spread over the blanket of night far above them.

How about that?

Even at their most dire, there was a light in darkness. Beauty in the solitude.

Caden shifted his weight beside her, his head next to hers as he took in the side of her face.

"No matter what comes. I won't regret this moment," she told him in a fierce voice. "You are worth taking any chance."

He needed to know that.

All her doubts, all her insecurities, they burned to ash in the face of what they had. He was worth every struggle she faced.

He kissed her forehead, whispering into her ear. "I would abandon everything for you."

Eva reared back, knowing what such a promise meant.

Caden's nod was grave. "I know if you'd been alone, you wouldn't be in this predicament. The Kyren would have long accepted you into the herd. You tried to balance the Trateri's needs against their's and you're the one who got burned. When this is over and we're safe again, I'll follow you anywhere if you ask me. Find a safe place far from others where you don't have to worry about your mind being used against you—or hide parts of yourself so others won't ever think of using you."

Eve hadn't realized he knew she did that. Then again, he had always been far more perceptive than others ever realized.

Seeing her expression, he gave her a crooked grin. "I see you. Everything about you. I know you're more similar to the mythologicals than you're willing to admit."

Yet he'd never once mentioned it.

In his place, she didn't think she’d be so patient. She would have pushed long before now, seeing his quiet as him withholding a part of himself.

"It doesn't disgust you?" Eva asked, almost wishing she hadn't.

There were some lies you told yourself that were necessary. She didn't think she'd survive having the veil ripped from her.

"I would love you no matter what. You are Eva, and that is enough."

Eva didn't have words to tell him how much that meant to her. For the first time in a long time, perhaps ever, she felt completely and utterly at home in his arms.

Almost as if he always had been and she was only realizing it in this moment.

"Still, I can't ask you to abandon your life."

She knew what it was to be lost, to have nowhere to call her own. She wouldn't wish that for him.

"You are my life."

Eva shook her head. "Fallon. Your Anateri."

"They will survive without me. I could not survive without you."

Seeing her expression, Caden chuckled and pulled her into his embrace. "A thought for later, alea na. For now, we sleep. Tomorrow will be difficult enough. We'll be fighting for our future."

And in some part, the rest of the Broken Lands.

Eva pushed the heavy topic of conversation out of her mind, knowing he was right. Tomorrow and probably the next few days would be a trial. One she needed to meet at least partially rested.

Caden's breathing deepened before smoothing into sleep. Envying him his ability to fall asleep so easily, Eva closed her eyes and tried to shut off her mind.

The night dragged until finally she fell into the darkness, rousing once when she felt the warmth at her side depart.

"Go to sleep, alea na."

Warm lips touched hers and Eva murmured a drowsy goodbye before turning over and falling asleep again.

The next time Eva awoke it was to the sensation of eyes on her. More than one pair. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with.

She held motionless as she took stock of her surroundings. The parts of her not fully under the blanket were chilly, mostly her nose and cheeks. The fingers of her hands and a part of one arm.

The blanket was slightly damp on top from the early morning dew that hadn't quite penetrated through its thickness.

Eva's hip ached, and the ground under her was hard. Grass tickled her cheek and there was a lump of dirt or rock digging into her ribs. There was also a weight against her legs, pinning them in place.

All in all, there was nothing that spoke of danger.

Reassured, Eva cracked her eyes open, immediately wishing she hadn't bothered.

Manner-less louts. Every one of them.

Eva opened her eyes fully, pushing the blanket away from her face to glare up at the four watching her.

"You sleep for a long time," Brisa informed her, poking her in the face. "I thought humans were day dwellers. Is there something wrong with you? Are you sick?"

Eva slapped Brisa's hand away from her face. "Nothing is wrong with me."

If you didn't count the four annoyances standing over her and watching her sleep.

Caia was a little understandable. She was a horse. Who knew what was going on in her brain?

The other three didn't have that excuse.

Sebastian shoved Brisa away with his head, staring at Eva from a distance of inches.

She squinted up at him. "This couldn't have waited until I was on my feet?"

Sebastian worked his lips, an indication he was thinking deep thoughts. He only did that when he was troubled.

Eva, he started.

Eva knew what he wanted to say, and it wasn't necessary. "Stop looking at me that way. I know it's not your fault."

Still—I'm sorry.

"What will be, will be." And no amount of struggle would change the unchangeable. "Are you sure you should be here?"

Sebastian blew out a sharp breath. I told you I wouldn't abandon you again and I meant it. I'll help in any way I can.

An unselfish person would have told him it wasn't necessary. They would have directed Sebastian back to his herd and family where it was safe. The army after the Trateri had already proven they weren't above enslaving Kyren for their own purposes.

Eva wasn't going to do that. She was going to be selfish. Having Sebastian's help, even if he was only a single Kyren, wasn't anything to sneeze at.

He could scout their trails both in front and behind, warn them if an enemy was laying an ambush.

And those were only the few ways Eva could think of where Sebastian might turn the tide. Caden was likely to come up with even more interesting and creative ways in which he could be of use.

"As for you," Eva said, turning her attention to the fire fox lounging on her legs. "This is becoming a habit."

The fire fox gave her a foxy grin and rolled onto his back, kicking his legs into the air.

Laughter echoed in the back of Eva's mind, so faint she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or if the fire fox was finally ready to speak to her with words.

The fire fox jackknifed onto his front and leapt off Eva's legs. He found a seat, wrapping his three tails around his legs and grinning at Eva.

Brisa watched the fire fox in fascination. "I didn't think anyone could get a fire fox to listen. What they say about Callers is true—you really can work magic."

"I'm not really sure I'd call that listening."

More like the fire fox decided Eva's request suited his purposes. She didn't think anyone could get him to obey unless he wanted to.

Brisa cocked her head in a birdlike movement. "Fire foxes only communicate with those they find worthy. His willingness to listen speaks volumes."

Eva sent the fire fox a doubtful glance. She didn't know if this could be considered communication. Brisa didn't realize but Eva and the fire fox had never really spoken.

Not verbally at least.

Eva had been telling herself that nonverbal cues were as important as physical speech. In some ways more so. It was a lot harder for a person to lie with their body than with their words.

Only now, Eva was wondering if perhaps the reason the fire fox was silent was because he wasn't convinced she was worthy.

A chiding look entered the fire fox's eyes, and he nipped her hand. Eva winced as the pressure of his bite bore down. Although painful, his teeth failed to break skin, denting the web of flesh between her thumb and forefinger but not breaking it.

"You asshole," Eva said after he let go. She examined her hand, touching the marks lightly. She wouldn't be surprised if she had a bruise later.

Brisa made an impressed sound. "I'm jealous of your relationship."

Eva sent Brisa a disbelieving stare. In what way?

Brisa hopped back as Eva sat up, the blankets pooling around her. She pushed them away as she stood, grimacing. Her bones popped after the long night on the ground.

Not too long ago, her body wouldn't have considered this a hardship. So used to sleeping on the ground that it didn't even phase her anymore.

That was before she got spoiled by tents and sleeping pallets.

"The humans are quite active this morning," Brisa observed. "Do you know why?"

Eva paused in the act of stretching and shot a sideways glance at camp. It bustled with activity. Already, most of the tents were packed away.

"I have an idea," Eva said in a distracted voice.

Brisa's head tilted. "I've never seen humans mating. Thank you for the new experience. It was most enlightening."

Eva choked. Scalding hot embarrassment splashed across her cheeks as she froze in place.

She couldn't believe it. It had happened again. This was exactly like the last time Caden convinced her no one was watching.

Only now it was a mythological who was getting an eye full and not the Trateri.

"You saw," Eva said with a flat expression.

Brisa nodded. "Human procreation is quite interesting compared to ours. It's a lot less dangerous, for one."

Eva made a high-pitched noise as her gaze swung toward Sebastian's, pleading for him to take Brisa somewhere very far away from Eva.

The Kyren's tail swished as he avoided her eyes.

"Traitor," she breathed.

"Also, I'm curious—will there be tiny Callers in the future? How long is human gestation?"

Eva was saved from having to answer as a loud gasp came from a few feet away.

Jason was frozen in place, staring at Brisa with horror. "You!"

Ollie's shoulders shook as he ducked his head, pretending not to see.

Brisa waved. "Ah, the squeaker."

Jason's furious gaze landed on Eva. "Make her go away. Please. I don't care how you do it. She is not allowed near the herd."

Jason's expression was slightly wild, making Eva wonder what exactly Brisa had done to inspire that reaction.

Brisa pouted. "Rude. I thought we were having fun."

A loud sound burst from Jason. "In what way was dropping a mouse on my head supposed to be fun."

"I thought you'd catch it."

"And the time you tried to ride Jinx and caused a stampede?"

Eva reacted as if she'd just been nipped in the rear. "Excuse me, what?"

"I did tell you the Tenrin was causing Jason trouble," Ollie said apologetically.

"You didn't say anything about a stampede."

Eva could feel a headache coming on.

Brisa's expression was defensive as she fluttered her wings. "I wanted to see why humans liked riding horses so much."

"You weren't riding Jinx. You were standing on her back, shouting 'forward, human slave,'" Jason yelled. "It took me hours to get the mare to calm down."

"How was I supposed to know they were so afraid of mythologicals?"

"Because they're horses," Jason shouted.

"She seems fine with me." Brisa nodded at Caia. Seconds later, a crafty expression spread across her features as Eva got a sinking feeling. "Maybe she'd be fine with giving me a riding lesson."

"No," Eva, Jason, and Ollie said at the same time.

"Absolutely not," Eva followed up.

The last thing she needed was for Caia to try to stomp Brisa into the ground. Eva didn't imagine Covath or the Tenrin would be particularly happy if that were to happen.

"That's it. We have a lot of things to do this morning and no time to fix the problems you cause. Leave. Now." Jason pointed at her.

Brisa lifted her chin. "I don't have to. Covath ordered me to watch the humans, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Did he now?"

Ajari's amused voice made Brisa's face go blank, her expression that of someone who felt death whispering across the back of their neck.

"Covath will be very interested to hear about the creative way you reinterpreted his orders, little cousin." Ajari dropped down from the top of the rock, landing gracefully before gliding in their direction with a predatory prowl.

Eva's lips quivered at Brisa's panicked face.

Brisa spun to face Ajari, an ingratiating smile ready. "I don't suppose we can keep this between the two of us, my favorite cousin."

"What's in it for me?"

Brisa's eyes flickered as she considered. Her face brightened. "My undying esteem and devotion?"

Jason made a derisive sound and Eva nodded in agreement. Did Brisa really think that would work? On Ajari? A mythological as tricky as the day was long.

Eva shook her head, almost feeling sorry for the girl. Brisa had no idea what price Ajari was about to extract from her.

"Very well," Ajari said with a smile. Before excitement could finish spreading across Brisa's face, he held up a finger. "You will owe me a favor."

Brisa's face fell. "That's not fair. Your favors always end with blood."

"Such is life," Ajari said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "If you're unhappy, you can return to the rookery and this can all be forgotten."

Brisa looked peeved as she gave a disdainful snort and spread her wings to take off.

"Don't go far, little cousin," Ajari advised. "We still have the matter of that favor to discuss."

Brisa shot him a quick glance before changing the angle of her destination from the upper parts of the cliffs to the rest of the herd.

Jason squawked in anger, darting after her. "What did I say about staying away from my horses?"

Ollie gave Ajari and Eva a respectful nod. "I think it's best I keep an eye on those two. Otherwise, there might be bloodshed."

"I hope not. Brisa is Covath's favorite cousin," Ajari said lightly.

Ollie shot Eva a glance that asked if she wanted him to stay, ignoring Ajari's words for the moment.

Eva shook her head. He might as well save himself. Even if she walked away, Ajari would only follow. Ollie sent her a look that wished her good luck before ambling after the other two.

"She's taken an interest in you," Ajari remarked, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm not sure why."

Eva bent and tidied the blankets from last night, rolling them into a neat little cylinder she'd tie to the back of her saddle later.

"I can think of a few reasons." Ajari peeked at Eva out of the side of his eye.

Eva snorted. If he thought she was going to fall over herself to find out what they were, he could think again.

She was done playing the mythologicals' games. He could find someone else willing to humor him.

Eva finished with her bed roll and stood, pinning it under her arm as she started toward camp.

"Not speaking to me?" Ajari asked.

Eva shook her head. "There's nothing to say."

Ajari face was thoughtful as he gave a faint nod. "I'm sure there's something."

Eva threw her bedroll on the ground, fed up. "What do you want from me, Ajari? I'd like to know."

"Want?" Ajari asked, his expression showing a confusion Eva knew was fake.

He wouldn't be here unless he was up to something. The only question was what—and whether Eva would be the one who'd pay the price in the end.

Brisa hadn't been exaggerating earlier when she said favors for Ajari resulted in bloodshed. He'd been the driving force behind Eva's appointment as Caller.

And look how that turned out.

"Don't play stupid," Eva told him. "You know the Kyren have walked away from the alliance."

The confusion dropped from his face as Ajari sent Sebastian a look.

The Kyren blew out a breath before heading in Ollie and Jason's direction. I'll talk to you later, Eva.

"Now, I know you want something," Eva said in a dry voice.

Ajari didn't say anything as he frowned at Caia. The mare chewed on a piece of grass as she stared back with a stubborn look.

"Such a strange horse," Ajari said, curling his lip.

"She's a proud and noble creature and you'd do well to remember that."

Otherwise, she'd have to put her boot in his ass and neither one of them would likely appreciate the consequences of that action.

"If you say so."

"I do."

Ajari frowned at the mare. "Still, there's something to her."

"Ajari!" Eva said in a loud voice. She was quickly losing patience. "Why are you here?"

Ajari hesitated. "The Tenrin haven't had friends among the humans since long before the cataclysm."

Eva frowned, wondering where he was going with this.

Exasperation showed on his face. "No one was more surprised than I, but I consider you a friend. Shea saved me from slavery, but you showed me there's a future."

Eva straightened, not looking away from his face.

They were friends, though it felt odd to acknowledge that fact. She felt concern for him when she thought his will was being drowned by others. She worried about him the same way she would about any of the others.

"It's a strange friendship, isn't it?" Ajari asked with a crooked smile.

Eva hummed an agreement. It was, indeed.

"I didn't think I would like you as much as I do," Ajari confessed.

"You thought you could use me and move on."

Ajari inclined his chin.

Not surprising. The using her part. She'd long known Ajari had an agenda even when she didn't understand what that agenda entailed.

"Be careful with my cousin," Ajari finally said after several seconds. "If anything were to happen to her, you and the Trateri would be blamed. No matter whose fault it was."

He strode away, leaving Eva staring after him in confusion.

"Wait. That's it?" she called.

That's all he had to say?

Ajari shot her a closed mouthed smile over his shoulder. "The young are always the most open minded. Remember that."

He raced for the face of the cliff. He planted one foot on its side, leaping up and catching a hand hold before propelling himself upwards again.

A cliff that would have taken a human several minutes to climb and Ajari did it in a few seconds.

"Son of a bitch," Eva said with feeling. "You told me absolutely nothing."

About why he'd come. What he was hoping to accomplish. Nothing. He might as well not have even been there for all Eva learned.

Shaking her head, she started toward Jason and the others, muttering about arrogant Tenrin and their fondness for being mysterious.

Brisa gave her a sympathetic look. "Didn't tell you anything while making a lot of insinuations, huh?"

"You got it," Eva said.

"Yeah, he does that."

Eva puffed out her cheeks before forcing herself to calm. It wasn't like getting upset would change the situation.

Besides, as annoying as he was, she'd take Ajari's vagueness over the Kyren's silence any day.

Eva decided to put the question of Ajari and his end goal out of her mind for now. From the looks of things, the Trateri were planning to move out soon.

Ollie was already at work, moving from horse to horse and checking their bridles.

Jason waited for Eva, his expression open and anticipatory. Sebastian stood next to him with a bored look on his face.

As Eva and Caia moved toward them, Sebastian snapped open one wing.

Jason ducked to the side, barely avoiding getting his face bashed. He shoved Sebastian's wing away from him. "You have a serious problem."

Sebastian lifted his head. You are the one with a problem. I am perfect. To Eva, Did you have fun with Ajari?

"That's not how I'd describe it."

Jason looked between the two of them. "It's quite irritating only hearing half the conversation."

"If you could hear what they're saying, I'm not sure you'd think that," Eva informed him.

Brisa giggled.

They both looked at her.

The Tenrin sobered. "Was that not supposed to be funny?"

Jason pressed his lips together before sending Eva a pleading look. "Please tell me we're not stuck with her."

"I'd like to."

Jason made a whining sound, hearing the but in her voice.

"But I'd be lying."

He stomped his feet in place. "Come on."

Eva shrugged. "If you don't like it, get her to leave yourself."

Jason eyed Brisa with a hostile expression as he judged the likelihood of that happening. The Tenrin gave him a pretty smile and batted her eyelashes.

Jason groaned, giving up. "Fine, but you'd better not make my life harder."

nineteen

It didn't take long for Eva, Jason, and Ollie to complete their work. Even less time since Ollie had already gotten a head start.

By the time they finished, the camp was already packed up and the Trateri were lounging in varying sized groups around the meadow as they took advantage of the rare down time while awaiting their next orders.

It was one of the things Eva admired about the Trateri. They worked hard but when they got a chance to rest, they took it.

For someone like Eva, who'd heard throughout her childhood that idlers didn't deserve to take the food from hard working adults, it was a welcome change in mindset.

The Trateri didn't invite free loaders. They expected you to do your part, but they also understood that life needed to be lived. It wasn't just about hard work. It also deserved to be enjoyed. The moments cherished.

Eva slowed as she caught sight of Brisa crouched not far from a few Trateri who were focused on something in front of them.

Sebastian looked over Brisa's shoulder with interest, his ears pricked forward.

The four Trateri the mythologicals were watching were ones Eva knew. All except for one. A woman from Rain who was usually responsible for acting as Gawain's guard.

Eva glanced at those a short distance from the group. Sure enough, Gawain stared at the nearby hills with a considering expression on his face, not paying attention to the woman or her three companions.

Roscoe and Warin glared at each other while Ghost yawned sleepily at the side.

Jason joined Eva. "Are they playing Bravado?"

Eva grunted. "Looks that way."

In the middle of the four, a set of cards lay face up. Eva recognized the layout as one Ollie had tried to explain to her but that she never fully grasped.

What she did understand was that it required both strategy and luck to win.

Brisa inched closer to the players as Ghost picked up a card and put it into his hand.

The humans were careful to keep their eyes locked on each other as they pretended not to notice the mythologicals' fascination.

Eva suspected it wouldn't be long until one of them broke. Not with how Sebastian and Brisa were beginning to crowd them.

Jason snickered as Warin shrunk in on himself, huddling around his hand of cards to avoid Sebastian's breath on the back of his neck.

Brisa scooted closer, sticking her head around Roscoe's shoulder for a closer look at the cards he held.

"This is ridiculous," Roscoe burst out.

"Don't," the woman warned.

Roscoe ignored her, facing Brisa. "Do you want to learn to play?"

Brisa studied him, taking his measure before her gaze drifted to the others. Wordlessly, she nodded.

"That's what I thought." Roscoe reached to swipe the untidy stack of cards waiting face up in the middle.

His hand had just touched one when Warin slammed his hand down. Roscoe tugged, but the cards didn't budge.

"What are you doing?" Warin asked through gritted teeth.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"You know the rules. No touching the pile until the game is over." Warin's eyes were narrowed into threatening slits.

"She will learn better by doing," Roscoe informed him, giving another tug.

"You only want to do this because you're losing."

Roscoe let out a guffaw. "Since when is Lion Clan able to see through cards?"

Warin bared his teeth. "I don't need to see through them. I simply need to read your face to know your hand sucks."

Roscoe gave him a kind smile. "If you were any type of player, you'd know there's no such thing as a losing hand. Only shitty players."

Warin's huff held scorn. "You—"

Roscoe tilted his chin. "What? Afraid to admit I'm right?"

Lion started to lunge forward only to be brought up short as Brisa stuck her head between the two. She peered down at the cards from a distance of only inches.

"I see now. This game is a dominance display. I didn't realize humans had those too. Does the winner get to kill the other?"

The woman from Rain made a small sound as her eyes danced with suppressed humor.

Warin gave the woman a pained look. "Really, Emersyn?"

Emersyn shrugged in apology. "It was funny."

Taking advantage of Warin's distraction, Roscoe yanked the cards out from under his hand. He threw his cards on top before reaching over and grabbing Ghost's to add to the rest.

Emersyn didn't try to stop Roscoe as he reached for hers next. Roscoe added them to his growing pile before watching Warin with an anticipatory look.

"You can keep yours if you want, but the rest of us are getting a new hand."

Warin made a disgusted expression as he flung his cards at Roscoe's face. "Fucking Western Wind clan. You're all dishonest, sneaky assholes."

Ghost leaned his chin on his hand, smirking. "You know what they say—if you're not cheating, you're not trying."

Eva arched an eyebrow at them. Why, oh why, did she have to have friends who thought nothing of providing bad examples of human behavior to impressionable Tenrin?

As if the flock needed any other reason to distrust the Trateri. Yet, here Ghost and Roscoe were showing her the most deceitful sides of themselves.

Jason patted Eva's shoulder with a sympathetic look. "I'll leave you to sort this out."

"What? No longer want to protect me?" Eva asked sarcastically.

Jason took one look at the group and shook his head. "Some tasks are impossible."

Drake's nod was serious. "The trick is recognizing which is which."

Eva glared at the two. "Thanks."

Gawain drifted in their direction, attracted by the commotion. He scanned the small group, interest sparking when he caught sight of Sebastian and Brisa.

"Great. Look what you've done," Warin hissed under his breath.

"Problem?" Gawain eyed the scattered cards and the tense expressions on Roscoe and Warin's faces before focusing on Eva.

Put on the spot, Eva blanked. At a loss as to how to respond, she glanced at the others.

Roscoe shook his head in a minute gesture.

Eva met Gawain's gaze with an innocent expression. "No?"

He made a noncommittal sound, not looking like he believed her. He shot a quick glance at his fellow clan member, raising an eyebrow in question.

Emersyn hesitated before shaking her head.

Gawain nodded, letting the silence deepen. His features settled into contemplative lines as he studied their group.

Eva wasn't fooled for a second into thinking he believed her obvious lie, but she also didn't think he'd make an issue of things.

Tempers tended to flare among the Trateri. Particularly on the dawn of battle.

"Very well then. I'm happy to hear that," Gawain said with a faint smile. "We're about to move soon. I suggest you pack up."

"Understood, clan leader," Warin and Roscoe said at the same time.

Brisa watched events unfold with a fascinated expression, her gaze moving between the Trateri before catching on Gawain.

"Will you be joining us on our journey?" Gawain asked her.

Brisa checked Eva's expression before nodding slowly.

"We look forward to having you." With one last glance at those present, Gawain strode away.

"That's my cue," Emersyn said, standing. "I'd say it was fun, but you're all terrible players."

Warin shot Roscoe and Ghost a smile. "Guess since the game ended early, I'll be taking my stones back."

He reached for the brightly colored stones scattered in the middle. Before he could touch the first, Brisa swiped them and cradled them to her chest.

"Pretty, pretty," she crooned.

Her head turned as she caught sight of several others. She scooped those up too.

Warin's glare was heated. "That's mine."

Brisa leaned away from him, hugging the handful of stones to her chest. "I grabbed them first."

"That's called stealing," Warin snapped.

Jason shifted. "This isn't going to end well."

Eva shook her head, agreeing.

Brisa's lack of understanding might have been funny if she was messing with anyone else; Warin didn't strike Eva as the understanding type.

From previous exchanges, she was going to assume he was a little narrow minded and lacking in forethought.

"You lose ownership as soon as you place them in the pot," Roscoe argued, folding his arms.

"Don't you start with me. You know as well as I do if the game ends before a resolution all stones revert to their previous owners. That means those are mine."

Eva didn't care for the way Warin was pointing at Brisa and the stones she guarded.

Ajari's words came back to her, reminding her of what would happen if Brisa got so much as a scratch on her.

Not for the first time, Eva found herself wishing she could send the young Tenrin back to her flock. She didn't need this trouble. Unfortunately, it was hers.

Picking up Eva's tension, Drake ambled closer. He positioned himself in the perfect spot that would allow him to act if the situation escalated.

Roscoe spread his hands. "If you want to tell the Tenrin she has to give up her shiny, new prize, be my guest. Just be prepared for the consequences when her much angrier and far deadlier relatives come a calling."

Warin was still as he and Roscoe engaged in a short standoff. Several heartbeats passed until finally, Warin’s shoulders relaxed, some of the hostility draining from his face as his glance flitted from one of them to the other before finally landing on Brisa.

"You can take your hand off your blade," Warin informed Ghost. "I'm not that stupid."

Ghost moved his hand away from his boot, not even trying to hide his action. "That's up for debate."

"Next time you touch your weapon in my presence, I'll feed it to you," Warin sneered.

Ghost curled a lip. "I doubt it."

Warin's smile left his eyes wintry. "I'd be happy to demonstrate some time."

"As fun as that sounds, let's not," Fiona said, striding toward them. "I suggest you move along, Lion. We're getting under way."

The rest of them were quiet as Warin climbed to his feet.

"Don't worry about him. Lion Clan is mostly bluster," Ghost advised Brisa.

Though the words were meant for her, his gaze was still on Warin in a clear provocation.

The big man's muscles locked as he glowered at Roscoe and Ghost.

"Oh, I wasn't afraid. I would have sliced his throat the moment he came towards me." Brisa's wings flexed as she lifted her forearm, showing the razor-sharp protrusion of bone along the back of it.

Anyone who had fought at Wayfarer's Keep knew how deadly those bones were.

Warin's shoulders bunched as an uncomfortable look filled his face. He no longer looked as confident in his prowess as he had seconds earlier.

Served him right. He really should have known better.

Nothing was ever as it seemed in the Broken Lands. Innocent looking bunnies weren't always harmless. A flower's pollen could melt your insides if inhaled and bugs could burrow into you to lay eggs, leaving your flesh for their offspring.

It was a dangerous place where a moment's inattention could result in your death.

Brisa resembled a youth, but she was as deadly as any of her brethren.

Warin had forgotten that. Almost to his detriment. Eva didn't think he would have enjoyed the price to be paid if cooler heads hadn't prevailed.

"Walk away, Warin," Fiona advised when he didn't move. "It's not worth it."

He exhaled. "You're right about that."

Fiona waited until he was gone before sending an incredulous look at the rest of them. "What the hell was that?"

Roscoe flapped a hand. "Someone who takes the game way too seriously."

"He had a point. Those stones were his. Brisa shouldn't have taken them," Eva said in the interest of fairness.

As much of an ass as Warin had been, he wasn't wrong. Brisa had overstepped, even if she hadn't entirely understood.

Brisa deflated under Eva's regard, gazing down at her colored stones with sadness.

"She's fine. If he hadn't overreacted, Ghost and I would have been happy to compensate him with our own stones," Roscoe said dismissively.

Ghost nodded. "Everyone knows you risk losing your stake when you put them in the middle. Violence should never have entered into it."

Fiona scoffed, rolling her eyes. "When has one of your games not turned violent?"

Roscoe touched his chest in fake insult. "You wound me."

"Good. Maybe next time you won't antagonize one of Lion Clan's best warriors," Fiona shot back.

Brisa's gaze ping ponged between the three humans. "Ajari was right. You learn so much more about humans when you exist in close proximity to them."

"No, no, no," Eva started, seeing the mischievousness on Roscoe and Ghost's faces. "You are not corrupting the baby Tenrin. Absolutely not."

The words "I forbid it" hovered on Eva's tongue. Thankfully, she stopped in time.

Roscoe and Ghost faces were sad as they stared at her.

"How could you say that? We're elite warriors. She'd be lucky to have us as examples," Roscoe said.

"Yeah, as examples of what not to do," Jason muttered.

Ghost flicked a stone at his head. "Silent, wannabe Anateri."

Jason touched the red spot on his forehead with a frown. At Brisa's excited look he pointed. "Do not pick up that habit."

"I'm guessing it's too late," Eva said as Brisa's smile widened until it took on a decidedly wicked slant.

Commotion from the rest of camp provided a much-needed distraction as Caden, followed by Van and Gawain moved into view.

Seeing Eva, Caden sent her a nod before directing his attention to the rest of the Trateri, who were slowly coming to their feet.

Judging by the cautious expressions on their faces and the knowing in their eyes, they had a guess as to what was coming.

Not that Eva expected the situation to remain a secret for long. For one thing, the order to pack up camp would have been a pretty big giveaway.

She was betting there was more than one theory circulating as to why they were moving again.

"By now, you may have guessed at our situation." Caden projected his voice so that the crowd could hear.

"Wasn't hard. Not like any of us tried to hide it," Roscoe muttered under his breath.

Fiona slapped him on the shoulder. When he shot her an insulted frown, she placed a finger across her lips to signal for silence.

Grumbling to himself, Roscoe settled down.

"There is an army out there." Caden gestured at the mountains. "They're looking for us and when they find us, they will try to kill us."

Quiet filled the air as the Trateri traded looks.

Confidence exuded from Caden as a smile spread across his face. "I say let them find us. They will discover why we are called Trateri."

Cheers greeted that proclamation, Roscoe and Ghost letting out loud whoops of approval. Fiona beat her legs with a hand as she released a war cry.

"What about the Kyren?" someone yelled.

"Fuck the Kyren."

Eva didn't see who said that last as she looked around.

Caden held up his hands, gesturing for silence. "This is not the Kyren's fight. It is ours. The Trateri take care of their own problems, do they not?"

"Yes, they do," several voices cried as one.

Caden nodded once in approval. "Your individual leaders have your orders. Follow them and if you see the enemy, show them the depths of your determination."

Caden moved through the crowd as they converged on Gawain and Van.

"You're in charge of those from the original mission," Caden informed Fiona when he reached them.

Fiona grimaced. "It's days like these when I wish I'd remained an ordinary warrior."

"You had your chance," Caden said without an ounce of sympathy.

Fiona gestured at Roscoe and Ghost. "You two—with me."

"Does this mean I won't get to play the game?" Brisa asked, sounding disappointed.

Roscoe paused as he gathered the last of the cards. He handed them to Brisa.

"What's this?" she asked, taking them with a puzzled look.

"You hold on to them for now," Roscoe said, climbing to his feet and reaching a hand down for Ghost.

The muscles in Roscoe's arms bulged as he pulled the other man up to standing.

"When we stop for the break, I'll teach you how to play. You're only borrowing them. Understand?" Roscoe lifted his eyebrows to reinforce his point.

Brisa didn't respond immediately, staring down at the cards with an emotion that was difficult to decipher.

Roscoe rolled his eyes. "Don't make a big deal about it. Those are my backup deck."

"Liar," Ghost said around a cough.

One corner of Eva's lips lifted at the uncomfortable look on Roscoe's face. It wasn't often she got to see the other man off balance.

The Trateri rarely gave away their belongings and for Roscoe to do so was unexpected.

Brisa cradled the cards to her chest. "You honor me."

Roscoe pointed at her. "You're not keeping them. I mean it. Those are mine. You're just holding onto them for me."

Brisa's expression showed she wasn't listening. "I will treasure them always and never let damage touch them. When it comes time, they will be passed to my favored offspring with instructions they be preserved for all time."

Ghost clapped Roscoe on the shoulder. "Yup. You made a mistake there. Those cards are now property of the Tenrin."

Roscoe made a sound of protest, looking like he was debating reclaiming his cards.

"Let's go. You've had your time to play. Now, we work." Fiona snagged Roscoe by his collar and dragged him in her wake.

His head twisted to take one last look at Brisa and the cards.

She waved happily.

Jason rolled his eyes. "At least I'm not the only one she upsets."

Caden stopped beside Eva and frowned after them. "Something I should know?"

Eva looked up at him. "So many things, but in this case you're better off leaving it alone unless you want a few new gray hairs."

Rather than look put off, Caden seemed intrigued. "Oh? Sounds interesting."

He would say that, but then he was never the type to shy away from difficult situations.

Rather than expand, Eva nodded at the Trateri. "That was quite the speech you gave."

Some might even call it impressive.

"I only said what needed saying. The Trateri have always been at their best when they've been stuck between a rock and a hard place. They'll weather this storm as long as they remember that."

Eva didn't think it was so simple.

"You took the issue of the Kyren and made them secondary. After what you said, no one is going to think twice about the fact they're not present in this," Eva said quietly.

The Kyren's abandonment at a pivotal point could have prejudiced the Trateri against all mythologicals.

Eva wouldn't have even been able to blame them for such thinking. It was hard to swallow the Kyren's absence right as they were under threat.

Caden's words helped mitigate the situation, making it clear such thinking was flawed and leaving the door open later should the Kyren ever choose to retract their decision.

Eva couldn't shake the sense he'd done it in part for her.

It would be so easy not to care about the Kyren's reasons or to dismiss the fact the Trateri had broken the rules first.

Caden hadn't done that. He'd gone out of his way to smooth over any issues in favor of a possible future cooperation.

Eva loved him for it. Warmth filled her chest.

"Sometimes you amaze me," Eva told Caden.

One side of his mouth curled in a lazy smile. "It's not much."

Eva lifted a hand, cupping the back of his neck as she pressed her forehead against his. "No, it's everything."

His nose nuzzled hers as they stood in a rare moment of peace, simply holding each other.

It was a respite right before the cusp of battle. A brief span of time when her heart felt synced to his. As if she'd lived an entire life just for this second with him.

Then the moment passed, and the world intruded as the Trateri started mounting their horses.

Eva was the first to draw back, her arms dropping from his shoulders. "Is Fallon aware his faithful shadow is so good at politics?"

Caden held very still. Something in his posture made Eva's senses go alert. A wild possessiveness burned in his eyes.

As if he'd like nothing more than to snatch her back.

Her expression softened as she let love shine in her gaze.

Caden closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he reinforced his mask. When he opened them again, he was in full control. The commander so many admired, and the lover Eva considered her own.

"Who do you think taught me?" Caden asked in a voice that Eva would have considered normal if not for the loss of control she'd just witnessed.

"I'm surprised."

Caden's lips quirked, most of his mask already recovered. "You shouldn't be. Fallon makes use of every tool in his arsenal. Sometimes he can't be everywhere at once. It helps to have someone he trusts who can act in his name."

"And to do that, you have to understand politics," Eva finished for Caden.

He made a small sound of assent.

Eva watched him carefully. "You know you're more than a tool."

Caden smoothed a piece of hair back from her face. "We're all instruments, alea na. It just depends whose hands guide our fate."

Caden picked up one of her hands, examining it before lifting it to his lips to press a gentle kiss on its back in an unspoken promise.

He was telling her that only her hands held his fate now. For a man like him, it was the ultimate act of trust.

"Such a charmer," Eva murmured.

"For you. Always." Caden flicked a look at where Jason and Drake waited a short distance away, offering the two of them the illusion of privacy. "Stay close to her."

Drake and Jason nodded their agreement.

Caden stepped close, pulling Eva into his embrace. "Reece and Buck spotted the enemy's scouts during the night. We're going to try to evade them, but this fight will happen sooner or later. Be prepared."

Eva nodded against his chest, feeling shaky.

No wonder she'd woken to the Trateri breaking up camp. Caden had moved into action as soon as he got word.

"They're still hours from discovering our trail," Caden assured her.

But once they did, the countdown would truly begin.

"What do you need from me?" Eva asked, taking a deep breath.

Now that the moment had arrived, all anxiety and fear had dropped away, leaving only determination.

"We'll be moving quickly this morning."

"I'll let Ollie and Jason know."

While there wasn't much they could do to lessen the load on the mounts, they could keep an eye on overuse injuries and switch out a horse when it became necessary.

Caden brushed his thumb against Eva's cheekbone before placing his lips against hers.

Warm flutters started in her stomach, moving their way up into her chest.

"I'll see you on the trail," he breathed against her.

She pushed her lips against his one last time. "Yes, you will."

Caden lifted his head and glanced in Jason's direction, giving him an approving nod. "Remember what I taught you."

"I will. I won't let you down," Jason promised.

Caden stepped back, sending one last look at Eva before departing. Eva took a shaky breath, wiping her hands against the cloth of her pants.

Why did this feel uncomfortably like a goodbye?

"The commander will be fine," Drake told her.

Eva nodded. "Yes, he will be."

As would they all.

Sebastian and her eyes met in unspoken agreement.

He ruffled his wings before pinning them to his back. I'll keep an eye on him.

The knot in Eva's stomach relaxed slightly. Caden would be on the front lines of whatever was coming. It was a comfort knowing he wouldn't be alone.

Sebastian was a capable warrior in his own right. If he said he'd guard Caden's back, he would.

If Caden could appoint guards for her, she could do the same for him. She couldn't think of anyone better than a mythological.

Speaking of mythologicals.

Eva looked around. The fire fox was nowhere to be seen, having slipped away at some point while she was dealing with Brisa and the rest.

"Who are you looking for?" Jason asked.

"The fire fox. Where did he go?"

He'll be around. Probably when he's most needed.

Eva frowned at Sebastian's. "Do you know something I don't?"

Sebastian's tail whipped behind him as he pulled his gaze from the mountains to meet Eva's. Only the same as you.

Eva supposed she couldn't argue with that. The fire fox had a tendency to come and go as he desired.

If the situation hadn't been what it was, Eva suspected she wouldn't even have noticed.

Only, she had noticed, and she couldn't help but worry about her friend.

If Mist was right and this unseen enemy was collecting myein and mythological, he could run afoul of danger and not realize until it was too late.

There would be nothing she could do to help. She probably wouldn't even know until he failed to return.

He is not helpless. Wherever he's gone, I'm sure he has his reasons, Sebastian said.

He was right. Eva couldn't put the fire fox in a bubble in the name of keeping him safe just because she was worried.

"Alright, let's get going," Eva said.

Jason held up a hand. "Happy to, but first can we discuss who is going to be responsible for her?"

Jason pointed at Brisa. She lowered the cards she was holding in front of her face and cocked her head at them.

"Because I'm saying this now. It's not going to be me," Jason said.

twenty

Caden kept an eye on the dark mass of storm clouds accumulating on the horizon as he guided Nell along the route Reece had chosen. His body rocked as the horse picked his way down an embankment, loose rocks and gravel skating down the slope ahead of them.

They'd long left the valley behind in favor of steeper terrain, only dipping into this canyon to work their way around a particularly nasty set of ranges.

It was the only way forward that didn't entail abandoning their mounts and heading out on foot.

Something the Trateri would never agree to do. You didn't leave your horse behind. Not if you were a warrior.

More importantly, Eva would never agree to going on without them. It wasn't in her nature and Caden had learned a long time ago there were some battles you simply couldn't win.

Eva's need to protect those she loved was one of them.

It left Caden with one choice. The canyon at a time when the weather turned lower ground into a kill zone.

He cursed under his breath as light flashed in the storm clouds.

There was an eerie yellow-orange glow around the edges of the clouds, making the hair on the back of Caden's neck stand on edge.

Already ominous, all the storm needed was a sign proclaiming it a killer.

Because that's what it would be if they were caught in the canyon when it let loose.

There was an unsettling feeling in Caden's gut that said he should turn back now. If he continued, the situation could very well turn worse than the one they were trying to avoid.

The storm had even the pathfinder acting out of sorts. Like a porcupine whose defense had been raised, rattling his spikes in warning. Everything in his posture screamed his unease.

When the pathfinder was tense, you knew things were bad.

Van guided his horse next to Caden, nodding at Reece as the pathfinder headed in their direction. "You'd think he'd never faced rain before."

"I don't think that's the part he's worried about."

No, it was the rush of water that would be funneled into the canyon, wiping away anything in front of it.

"Guess I should have learned to swim," Van remarked, looking around with a dissatisfied frown.

"It probably wouldn't help," Reece informed him as he arrived. "Imagine a wall of water hitting you at speeds faster than your horse can travel. If you get pulled under or caught by an obstacle, it won't matter how well you swim."

Reece reined to a stop, patting his horse on the shoulder before straightening.

"Do you not have floods where you came from?" Reece asked.

"Rain is rare on the plains. Our people would have considered a flood a blessing," Caden said, looking at the sky.

It was easy to see how his ancestors could have seen a storm like this and spun tales of gods.

The cloud formation was awe inspiring. At any other time, Caden would have liked to stop and watch the storm play itself out.

Unfortunately, that time was not now.

Reece leaned his forearm across his saddle and spat to the side of his horse. "I never should have let you talk me into this fool's mission. It would have been better to weather this storm where we last camped."

"Hard to do that when your head isn't attached to your body," Caden told him.

If they'd remained, their options would have been a lot more limited. In a pitched battle, the Trateri were at a disadvantage.

They needed to use the terrain to create an opportunity to turn the tide. Limit the other army's movements in such a way that their greater numbers were rendered unimportant.

Staying mobile allowed them to whittle down their enemy's ranks in rare moments of vulnerability. Staying still meant death.

Only now, moving forward could result in the same.

"I know, but I don't have to like the situation," Reece grumbled.

"Find us a place where we can wait out the storm then complain to me," Caden told him.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Reece said, touching his heels to his horse and riding ahead.

"Only it seems you did," Van complained.

Caden's lips twitched before he suppressed his amusement, knowing Van needed no encouragement.

It was one thing for the clan leader to voice his unhappiness. Another thing if Reece decided to take it as an insult.

Van squeezed his horse's sides in a sign to move forward. "I'm beginning to think all pathfinders are prone to complaining about the things that can't be changed."

Caden made a thoughtful face. They did seem to have that tendency.

"Let's see how you act when you've been in these lands a little longer. Learn all the ways you can die and then tell me I’m being paranoid," Reece called over his shoulder.

Van mocked the other man silently.

Caden ignored him, looking over their back trail. The Trateri were spread out over nearly two miles of terrain, moving as quickly as they safely could.

Gawain and Chirron were not far behind the advance party. Way at the back, almost indistinguishable from the rest if not for the bright gray of Caia's coat and her own blond braid, rode Eva.

Not far from her position were two other figures Caden assumed were Drake and Jason.

The group was farther behind than Caden was comfortable with, moving slowly with a string of backup mounts.

Caden's gaze swung toward their fore trail, empty now that Reece had followed the curve of the canyon out of sight.

The drumbeat of hooves announced Fiona and Roscoe's arrival as they traveled down the line, bypassing riders.

The two lifted their chins in greeting as they arrived next to Caden and Van.

"We taking a break?" Fiona asked, shooting a considering look at the sky.

Written in her expression was how bad an idea she thought that was.

"No, the pathfinder is too afraid of drowning," Van answered for Caden.

"You're fucking hilarious." Reece's voice echoed off the canyon walls; the direction impossible to pin down with all the echoing.

Van bristled, his hand reaching for a weapon as he looked around him in confusion. "Where are you?"

"Can't you guess? A big, capable warrior like you? Or is the healer right and your big head is filled with nothing but violence?" Reece called.

Van squinted at the canyon walls in bewilderment as Fiona and Roscoe traded a smirk.

The clan leader's face darkened as he urged his mount forward. Caden followed, already knowing what to expect.

Sure enough, as soon as they turned the corner the canyon doubled back on itself before abruptly widening.

Reece and his horse stood on top of a stone abutment with a wicked grin on his face. "Surprised?"

Van relaxed into his saddle. "Not particularly. It's a paltry trick. Nothing else."

Reece guided his horse back to the ground. "You're right about that. Canyon's echo. Maybe remember that."

Fiona raised her eyebrows at them. "Did I miss something?"

Van sneered. "Only the pathfinder expressing his worry about our current situation."

"If you'd ever been caught in a flood, you would be too," Reece defended.

"Ah ha," Fiona drawled.

"Any news?" Caden asked.

Roscoe was the first to answer. "Buck spotted a couple of their scouts a few miles back. They've discovered our trail."

"It won't be hard for them to track us from here on out. There's not too many ways people can go out here," Reece said.

"The countdown has begun," Caden said, his gaze toward Caia and her rider.

Fiona, Van, and Roscoe traded looks. Far from the fear you'd expect to see, there was only excitement.

Van exhaled and rolled his shoulders, practically quivering with anticipation.

A thrill stole through Caden. Along with an adrenaline rush that made him feel alive.

It was a feeling he'd almost forgotten after all this time. Then something happened, and he was reminded all over again of how different he was from normal people.

"Storm might change things," Fiona noted with a nod at the dark clouds.

"We'll adjust," Caden responded.

"That we will," Fiona agreed.

Roscoe let out a whoop.

Reece jerked away from the other man and scowled. "Didn't I just demonstrate how this place echoes? For people wanting to move like ghosts across the land, you're not doing a good job of it."

"For a ghost of a Trateri, we're right on the mark," Roscoe said.

Reece flapped a hand at the man before focusing on Caden. "Trail continues for quite a ways. There's no guarantee there is an exit until I travel it's length."

"How long would that take?" Van asked.

Reece gave a negligent shrug. "Hours. Days. Depends on how far it goes."

“What about the Kyren? He could fly over this place and have it mapped out in an hour,” Gawain suggested.

“The only person Sebastian listens to is Eva. Unless we’re comfortable sending her out there with him—” Fiona trailed off.

Caden shook his head. “Not an option.”

For more than one reason.

Eva wasn’t a warrior. Nor was she a scout or a pathfinder. She didn’t have the skills necessary for such a task. If anything happened, she’d be on her own. While she wasn’t defenseless, Caden wasn’t willing to risk it.

“The enemy is probably hoping we do exactly that,” Reece said. “From the air, the Kyren would be easy to spot. They’d be able to guess our location.”

That was Caden’s concern too.

Van made a face. “This entire thing would be easier if we could make use of the tools in our arsenal.”

“Maybe it’s that kind of thinking that led to the current state of events,” Gawain returned.

“Sebastian is only here because of Eva. Asking him to intercede would only confirm the Kyrens’ belief that we’re not worthy,” Caden said.

Besides, if worse came to worst, Caden planned to have Sebastian fly Eva to safety. In Caden’s mind, that was a far more valuable use of his presence than using him as a scout.

“For now, we proceed as usual,” Caden said before focusing on Reece. “I want your opinion on whether we continue on this route or not.”

If he let him, Reece would waffle and waver until the end of time. Just like Shea. The pathfinder wouldn't want the responsibility of what could happen if there was no exit.

Caden didn't blame him, but he still needed a decision. Of them, Reece had the most experience in terrain like this. His guess would have the best chance of success.

He hesitated for only a brief second. "We push forward. The canyon widens a little way down, lessening the danger. I think it's worth the risk."

Caden looked at the rest. "You heard the man; get ready to move."

"I'll continue scouting ahead." Reece clicked his tongue at his horse, steering it down the canyon.

"I thought our scouts tended to be loners, but pathfinders are on a different level," Van said.

"Can't be easy serving a community who doesn't appreciate your skills," Roscoe remarked. "It's bound to twist a man."

They'd all heard the stories of the Battle Queen's original village and how she'd come to be with the Trateri. It was something most of them didn't entirely understand.

A woman with Shea's skills would have been highly sought after among the clans. Same went for her cousin.

To throw someone with those skills away was an act of madness. One the Trateri were happy to take advantage of.

Nell shifted under Caden as the prisoners trudged in his direction, their attention on the ground in front of them. Exhaustion dragged at their shoulders and was present in every step they took.

Caden lifted a hand in acknowledgment to Gawain and Jane, who had taken charge of the prisoners when they broke camp.

The two nodded back.

Caden spent a second observing the two, noting the defeated look on one of their faces.

One corner of his lips tilted up in a cruel smile.

It looked like sleeping out in the open for a night had the effect he'd wanted. They were ripe for the picking. A little push and one or more of them would topple over that edge. Break—just as Caden anticipated.

"Any problems?" Caden asked.

Gawain shook his head. "They've been pretty quiet throughout the morning."

Caden fixed the men with an indifferent stare. "Is that so?"

He thought that had more to do with them conserving what little energy they had. Sleep would have been impossible. Even if the prospect of the storm hadn't terrified them, Caden's people would have ensured they didn't catch a wink.

They'd taken turns throughout the night, creating disturbances. Drake was a master at tapping into a person's worst nightmare and making it real.

Caden didn't even want to know how the man had learned to make so many beast sounds.

It was a real talent.

The troublemaker lifted his head and sneered. "You won't get anything out of us."

Caden didn't speak, simply watching the man with a disinterested expression.

The troublemaker struggled forward, only to be brought up short by the rope Jane held.

"I know what you're doing. It won't work." The man's laugh held a touch of madness. "You're running scared. It won't be long now before our army wipes away your taint from this land."

"So, you know they're following us," Caden said, moving the reins to one hand as he shifted his weight on Nell. "That's good to know."

The troublemaker blinked, panic filling his face. "No."

Caden gestured at Jane. "Take their boots. Let's see how long they'll last in discomfort."

Jane nodded and dismounted. "You heard him. Take off your boots."

Fiona and Roscoe leaned forward with nasty smiles.

"Fiona, how long do you think someone could walk through the canyon before they shred the bottoms of their feet," Roscoe asked.

Fiona considered his words. "The ground is pretty rocky. Lots of sharp edges. I'm thinking they won't make it far."

"Blood attracts all kinds of beasts," Roscoe informed them.

The troublemaker paused in the act of removing his boots before slowly finishing. His companion wasn't as sanguine over Roscoe’s words. He shot a wild look at the Trateri surrounding them.

"You can't do that. If you attract beasts, you'll be in danger too," the man said in a desperate voice.

Van patted his sword. "We're armed and quite dangerous. I think we'll be fine."

"You know what else is attracted to blood? Cicadas," Fiona said with relish.

Roscoe sent her a sidelong look. "A few cuts make the perfect avenue for entry. I bet those doedea-ma-thingies just climb right inside and make themselves at home."

"I think you're right, Roscoe. Want to make a bet how long they'll last before the first bug finds them?"

Roscoe pursed his lips in consideration. "I'm thinking a couple hours."

"Ha. You're wrong. It'll be minutes." Van snapped his fingers and pointed.

Fiona glanced at Caden. "Any guesses."

Caden smiled and squeezed Nell's sides to get her moving. "Somewhere in between."

A streak of dark along the tops of the canyon walls caught Caden's eye. His smile deepened.

Looked like the Tenrin were still taking an interest in the Trateri. Or perhaps it was something about the prisoners that had attracted their attention.

It was hard to know which, or if either spelled good or bad for the Trateri.

He'd feel a lot more confident if Shea was here. Her title as the Flock's Burning One could come in handy right about now.

Caden shot a look behind him where the canyon's curve obscured Eva. Then again, there was another with ties to the Flock.

She was perhaps their greatest hope of all. A wild card capable of drawing even the most unlikely of allies.

Caden eyed the ally he suspected was one of the most powerful in Eva's orbit. The fire fox's face held all the wisdom of the ages where he sat, waiting for Caden in the middle of the canyon.

His three tails waved behind him before he stood and trotted further into the canyon without a backward glance.

"Guess that means you think I'm on the right path," Caden said softly, following.

It wasn't long before they were out of the canyon’s narrow confines, the trail widening into a gorge with many off shoots branching.

Their current surroundings meant the brewing storm still posed a danger to their people, but it wasn't as worrisome.

Already, Reece had gone ahead to scout for a place that would protect them from the weather, leaving the rest of the Trateri to follow behind at a slower pace.

Though still surrounded by towering mountains, the gorge they found themselves in was wide with steep embankments on either side that the Trateri and their mounts could scale. It wouldn't be easy, but they could find their way to high ground if necessary.

Forests dotted the tops of many of the higher elevations, veiling their surroundings.

Van rode up to Caden, reining his horse in to match Nell's pace. He nodded at the prisoners to Caden's right. "Looks like you made the right call. What do you want to bet we've got a winner?"

Caden glanced over to find the two had stopped. Tied together, they had no choice when the one in the back took a seat on the ground and refused to go on.

The troublemaker reached for the man's arm and tried to tug him to his feet. The other man shrugged him off, his expression dead.

His eyes held hopelessness. A stark knowledge that this was the end of the line for him. In this moment, he couldn't take a single step more and it showed.

"Right on time," Caden said, steering Nell in their direction.

Van followed. "I'm a little surprised this worked."

Next to the prisoners, Gawain watched them come from the back of his horse. "I believe it. The human mind is far weaker than the body in all except rare cases. The commander is quite adept at causing cracks along those points of weaknesses."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Caden said.

Gawain gave him a half bow. "Exactly as it was intended."

Caden made a small sound of surprise at the apparent sincerity in Gawain’s words There was utter calm in Gawain’s gaze, a serenity and tranquility that contained none of the brash arrogance Gawain was once known for.

Caden had never understood where his boundless confidence came from. In his eyes, Gawain had always been an entitled brat without the character to back anything up.

He wasn't the warrior Fallon was, nor was he as intelligent as his father, Henry.

Yet, in this moment, Caden could see the shadow of his father in him. Only thing was—Henry was a two-faced son of a bitch, capable of toasting you to your face and then maneuvering in the shadows to organize your downfall.

To those who he was loyal to, he was a valuable asset. To the rest, he was best dealt with from afar.

The question was whether Gawain held any loyalty to Fallon—and by extension Caden—or if he was just biding his time until he could strike.

Unfortunately, it was an answer Caden wasn't likely to receive right then.

"You can't take him," the troublemaker shouted as Jane cut the prisoner loose.

"Shut up," she snarled at the troublemaker as she caught the prisoner by the arm and dragged him to his feet.

"Don't say anything, Tim. Don't you tell them a word!" The troublemaker tried to go after the prisoner but was brought up short by another Trateri.

Tim didn't react, his expression listless as Jane marched him toward the rest.

Caden swung a leg over Nell's back, dismounting as Van and Gawain did the same next to him. Caden took his time draping Nell's reins over his saddle before stepping away.

Jane shoved Tim to his knees in front of Caden. "Talk."

Tim seemed to come back to himself, awareness filling his features as he licked his lips uncertainly. His eyes darted wildly around as if he was looking for something.

He was awfully alert for someone supposedly at the end of his rope. Caden would have expected the prisoner to barely be hanging on, not expressing interest in his surroundings.

Yet everything from his posture to the way he seemed to be waiting told Caden otherwise.

Jane kneed him in the back, causing the man to fall forward onto his hands. "We won't ask again."

The man levered himself upright with effort. "I will, but I want to talk to the person in charge."

Caden found himself distracted by a Tenrin as he swooped low, finding a perch on the branch of a tree growing precariously from a crack in the cliff.

The same Tenrin from the night before, the one called Merc, met Caden's gaze briefly before focusing on the prisoner.

"Stubborn bastards," Van said in a low voice, noticing where Caden's attention had gone.

Caden made a noncommittal sound as he gave the prisoner his attention again.

Gawain unsheathed his knife and admired it for a second. "Quit wasting our time. You should know by now he's in charge."

The man shook his head. "That's not your leader. I want to talk to the woman."

Jane shot Caden a quick glance that he ignored.

Gawain knelt on one knee in front of Tim. He held up his knife for the other to see, rotating it to catch the light. "You have quite the taste for pain. I would have thought you had enough of Fiona by now."

Tim quivered but didn't back down. "I want the blond. The one who hears the voices of monsters. She's the one I want to talk to. No one else."

Caden's body tightened as his soul went cold.

Son of a bitch.

Van shifted closer. "What do you want with a tagalong. She's unimportant. You gain nothing asking for her."

Tim flicked a look at him. "I don't think so. She's the entire reason you're here. I speak to her and no one else."

Gawain shook his head with a sympathetic look on his face. "You dumb fuck. You have no idea what you just did."

Gawain sighed and stood, slipping his dagger back into its sheath.

"Yeah. Nice knowing you," Van said as the man looked between them in confusion.

Van and Gawain stepped back, putting distance between themselves and Caden.

Seeing the look on Caden's face, Jane released her grip on the prisoner, moving back to give the two of them room.

"What are you doing?" Tim asked, shuffling his knees.

"You never should have gone after her," Jane said with no remorse.

"Hey! He said he'd talk," the troublemaker shouted.

"Too late," Van told him. "There are some people you simply don't touch. Not even to say their name with your filthy mouth."

Throughout it all, Caden never moved. Barely blinking as he watched the man crawling in the dirt like an animal.

He felt nothing for the other. Not sympathy or regret for what was about to happen. Nothing but an endless calm, his emotions submerged under a lake of ice.

Merc landed a few feet away. "What are you doing?"

"Human business," Gawain told him. "I wouldn't get in the way if I were you."

"We didn't give them to you to kill." The Tenrin stabbed his finger at the prisoners. "Their lives belong to us."

Van shrugged. "We can't help it if they're too dumb to live."

Caden inched forward a small step, savoring the way Tim whimpered and tried to retreat. Jane sighed and shook her head before planting a boot on his backside and shoving.

Not expecting it, he sprawled on his stomach only to climb to his hands and knees in the next second.

"If you do this, the Tenrin will not forget or forgive," Merc said in an urgent voice.

"Does that even matter?" Gawain said idly.

The Tenrin’s wings flexed as he frowned at the Rain Clan leader.

Seeing his confusion, Gawain smiled gently. "It doesn't seem to matter how carefully we treat you as allies. From where we stand, you've done nothing to help us."

Van's jaw worked as he nodded. "If that's the case, we don't need to play nice any longer."

"Not to mention if they're not going to talk, they become dead weight," Gawain said. "I say we kill them now and free ourselves of the trouble."

Van's smile was fierce. "I like this idea."

"I thought you might," Gawain said.

The two grinned at the Tenrin.

Through it all, Caden never took his gaze off Tim. He let knowledge of the other man's death fill his face, his expression merciless as he stared the other down.

"Wait, I'll tell you what you want to know," Tim pleaded.

"It's far too late for that."

Caden no longer cared what he had to say. Gawain was right. Tim and the other prisoner’s usefulness was at an end. There was nothing they could share that would be of help.

The Trateri already knew they were being pursued. They knew their enemy sought their deaths.

Everything else was just details.

Keeping the two alive would only cost them. Better to send them on their way to the afterlife.

Because Caden was watching Tim so carefully, he didn't miss the way the other man's eyes dimmed, madness filling them.

"This isn't how it was supposed to go," Tim whispered, glaring at the ground.

Caden frowned as the man rocked back and forth.

Sensing a change in the prisoner, Jane moved closer.

Tim reached up, grabbing handfuls of hair on either side of his temple. "This isn't right."

The behavior caught the attention of Gawain and Van, the two turning serious.

"What is he doing?"

"Not right. Not right," Tim screamed, the other prisoner echoing his cry as the same madness that affected Tim spread to him.

"Does anybody else find this creepy?" Van asked. "This is just unnatural."

Both men had thrown themselves face first onto the ground, madly scrabbling at the dirt until nothing remained of their fingernails but bloody stumps.

Even then they didn't stop.

A disgusted look filled Van's face as he drew back. Gawain moved around them, his head moving as he studied their behavior.

"Have you seen anything like this before?" Gawain asked.

Van sent him an incredulous look. "Are you joking?"

The men's breathing accelerated until they were panting. Just as quickly, their faces flushed red, the veins in their temples popping out.

"How about you? Is this behavior familiar to you?" Gawain asked the Tenrin.

The mythological shook his head, his features uncertain. Almost as spooked by the situation as Van.

"No," Merc said.

Screaming ripped from the prisoners' throats.

Every instinct in Caden screamed danger. "It's a trap. Get away from them."

Tim jackknifed onto his hands and feet, lifting his face for them to see. Blood leaked from his eyes and nose. Out of his ears.

It started as a drip but then came faster and faster. Until it poured from his orifices.

His mouth opened on a second scream that was silenced as a dagger embedded itself in his throat. An abrupt wheeze replaced his cry.

A gurgle left Tim as he choked on his own blood. His face slackened and his body tilted to the side, before toppling to the ground.

Gawain lowered his hand as he gave the other two a careless shrug. "The screaming was bothering me."

"Which meant you had to end it?" Van drawled.

Gawain smiled. "You understand."

At a signal from Caden, Jane drew her sword in a swift movement before burying it in the second prisoner's throat.

"Burn the bodies," Caden ordered. "Do it now."

His request went against Lowland tradition, who often considered the Trateri barbarians for the way they handled their dead, but that was only because they didn't understand their culture.

The Trateri saw fire as a release. If circumstances allowed, they preferred to burn their dead. Since they held a fondness for battle, this wasn't always possible.

In such cases, they would collect a piece of the body, such as hair, to bring back to their camps to burn later. It was also acceptable to offer a person's body up for sky burial, allowing the elements and nature to reclaim them.

These men didn't deserve such kindness. Caden would have been perfectly happy to let their soul's roam the land for eternity, but sometimes you had to take into account other variables.

"What are you thinking?" Gawain asked.

Caden studied the two men as he shook his head. "Something is very wrong."

"And burning them will fix that?"

There was no reproach in Gawain's face, only the expression of someone trying to understand.

It was why Caden didn't rebuke him for questioning his orders.

Now that Gawain had learned to get out of his own way, his opinion could hold some insight into the situation.

Caden shook his head. "I can't explain it. I just have a feeling these men need to be purified by fire."

They'd descended into madness too quickly. One second fine and the next they acted as if something else had control of their bodies.

Those screams had been agonizing. They weren't faked. It was like they were being eaten from the inside.

Caden had to wonder if his threat had actually come true. Had the swarm gotten to them? It wouldn't have taken much from what Chirron had said. One bite to seed their bodies with eggs.

As closely as they'd been watching the prisoners, it was still possible one of the swarm had gotten past them.

If that was the case, they didn't have time to waste. Their bodies needed to be disposed of in such a way that any eggs or newly hatched insects were destroyed.

"I don't know." Caden's confession burned. He didn't like not knowing and the fact he was in uncharted territory made him want to rip heads off bodies.

As he spoke, Jane crossed to her mount where she dug inside her saddle bags and withdrew a small pouch everyone there recognized.

They should, considering they each carried one exactly like it. Fire powder. It was used on their dead to make them burn faster and was almost as sacred as fire itself.

"Do it," Caden ordered when she glanced at him for permission.

Jane nodded once before emptying her pouch over both prisoners. Van made a give me motion to one of his Trateri who was holding a lit torch. One of the precautions they'd taken against the possibility of the swarm.

"Never thought I'd be releasing the souls of my enemies into the afterlife," Van said with a shake of his head.

"Desperate times," Gawain said without sympathy.

Van touched the torch to the second prisoner's body before moving toward the one who'd set this entire chain of events off by insisting he speak to Eva.

The fire powder ignited with a hiss behind Van. Fire spread across the second prisoner's body, a faint purplish glow enveloping him.

Van lowered the torch to the first prisoner's torso. A whoosh filled the air seconds before the prisoner's body sat up.

twenty-one

Van jerked backwards with a muffled shout. He dropped the torch, reaching for his sword and drawing it in a quick movement.

The torch bounced and then lay still as the prisoner slowly crawled onto his hands and knees.

Flames licked the front of his body, melting flesh as he stood. He listed to the side as he fixed milky white eyes on Caden.

He smiled.

There was no pain in his expression, and there was an emptiness behind his eyes. A void that felt like it wanted to suck away all emotion and life.

"Does somebody want to tell me how a dead man is moving?" Van hissed as the sound of hoof beats came from behind them.

Chirron reined to a stop with a horrified expression.

"Chirron, good. Maybe you can explain—" Van pointed at the human torch. "Whatever this is."

"Why is he on fire?" Chirron demanded. "Someone needs to put it out."

"You're entirely missing the point. Why did someone who was dead come back to life? Explain that. How is this even possible?"

In another set of circumstances, Caden might have found Van's unease humorous. The clan leader had always been overly confident, bordering on brash and impetuous. Seeing him brought down a peg should have been satisfying.

Except he wasn't the only person freaking out.

Caden could see fear and alarm on everyone's face.

This was a situation so far out of their control that it was hard to maintain focus in the presence of the impossible.

Jane swallowed hard, an appalled expression on her face even as she held her ground.

Caden lifted a hand signaling her to wait. This was an opportunity to understand this new enemy of theirs.

Gawain circled the burning human as he studied the quickly deteriorating body. His fellow clan member, Emersyn, shadowed him from the other side.

Chirron shook his head, looking like he was struggling to find the right words and failing.

Van glanced at Merc. "How about you? Know anything useful?"

The Tenrin shot him an emotionless look before taking flight and returning to his former perch. He squatted on the branch of the tree, observing the situation carefully.

Van squinted at him. "Fucking birds."

The Tenrin fluttered his wings but ignored the Lion Clan leader, his gaze never leaving the burning man.

Caden ignored the rest, focusing on the former prisoner. "Who are you?"

This wasn't the same man Gawain had killed seconds before. Caden didn't know who or what this was, but he knew he was changed.

Whatever it was felt old and dark. A horrible hunger that stemmed from the beginnings of time was hidden within the creature. Some might call it primordial. So old the mind couldn't even fully comprehend it.

There was a suspicion crouched deep inside Caden. Memories of a conversation he'd once had with Eva and what she'd sensed when she'd faced the Kyren's captors.

She'd suspected there was something bigger guiding their actions, feeding off their discontent and magnifying it until they felt like they had to do something about it.

There'd been fear on Eva's face when she'd spoken.

Caden didn't know if this was the same, but the thought felt right.

Whoever the human had been, there was nothing of him anymore. Something else stood in front of them.

Something that felt no pain—or any emotion that Caden could discern.

The creature stared at them. Amused at their horror.

His gaze shifted to Caden. "Not as stupid as the rest of your kind."

Caden didn't say anything. He simply waited. This creature was arrogant. It would be his downfall. Caden simply had to give him the space to find it.

"Are you the one who destroyed my previous plans?" the creature asked.

There was no emotion on his face as his skin bubbled before flaking away. It blackened as they watched, the creature unbothered by it.

Gawain edged behind him and drew his sword, shooting Caden a look.

Caden didn't react, pretending he didn't see Rain Clan's leader. He focused on the creature, intent on gleaning every bit of information while he still could.

Time was limited. The creature's host wouldn't hold up much longer.

"No, I was wrong. You are not that person." The creature's head turned toward Gawain, abruptly. "You lack the presence of that line. No matter, your lineage is still ancient. It once ruled this world. How far you've fallen to become the loyal dog of another."

Caden let his words pass, feeling none of the anger the creature intended.

The being in front of him wasn't the first to call him Fallon's dog. It was a favorite insult among Fallon's enemies—and even some of his allies.

People didn't understand how Caden could be content with a subservient role. They thought Fallon had forced him onto this path.

They were wrong.

The word they thought was a wedge was Caden's greatest strength. Call him a dog or whatever, he'd never cared what others thought.

He didn't serve in Fallon's shadow because he had no other choice. This was the path he'd chosen.

There'd been other paths. He could have been a general or become a clan leader if he'd truly wanted.

He hadn't.

Caden had always known his strengths and weaknesses. The shadows were where he was happiest. They were a cover and a safety blanket, allowing him to move unobstructed.

The light was for others. People like Fallon and Eva. Both individuals who could change the world.

But only if they lived long enough to do it.

Caden was meant to protect them, killing their enemies and ensuring they lived happy and free from the constant worry that came from being a target.

He'd never wanted anything else for himself. Loyalty was enough.

At least until Eva.

If she needed him to, he'd step out of the shadows he'd existed in for so long. Use the light to burn the world into a version she could live with.

"Do not worry, child. I can guide you to greatness. All you need do is cast off the old," the creature promised.

The snickers started softly. Growing until Van and Gawain's laughter echoed off the cliff side.

The peaceful expression on the creature's face faded.

"You don't understand him at all if you think he can be made to flip that easily," Van rumbled. "There's a reason he's called the most loyal mutt."

Caden watched as thoughts moved across the creature's face. Cunning followed by puzzlement.

"McClure's children have always been greedy. You are no different," he said to Caden.

"Who is McClure?" Van muttered.

"What are you hoping to accomplish here?" Caden asked, not caring about the answer.

"If you're not the one responsible, I simply have to find the one who is."

"What does that mean?" Caden demanded.

"You'll see." The creature's bones began to collapse as the tissue connecting them burned. "Very soon, I think."

The rest of the body folded. His skull landed upright, eyes still on Caden. There was a rictus grin on his face. His lips and nose were gone, his flesh charred black.

Flames continued to eat at him, destroying the last of his body as they watched.

"What in our ancestor's name was that about?" Van asked.

"Mind games and power plays." Gawain nudged the body with his sword.

A piece of bone broke, and part of the body collapsed into ash. Smoke wafted out of what remained, curling in on itself as it rose into the air.

The Trateri watched spellbound as it sent out feelers, searching for something.

"I'm guessing that's not a good thing," Jane said.

The smoke snapped in Caden's direction. Chaos erupted. Shouts sounded as the smoke darted toward him, giving him no chance to dodge.

The smoke surrounded his face, trying to infiltrate his lungs.

Something in him resisted. A speck of light that flared, driving the smoke out again. Caden got a flash of images that made no sense. A cave encased in mist. A ring that was also a sphere. The sound of feathers and wind.

And finally, Eva.

The smoke buzzed, giving off a sense of anger as it retreated. Then it darted toward Caden again, undeterred.

A yip sounded from the hills surrounding them. Fire shot toward Caden. It hit with a whoomph, encasing the smoke.

The two elements dueled. The fire winning as it shredded the remnants of smoke.

The fire fox's tails windmilled around him as he ran over the air, landing on the ground a few feet away. He trotted toward Caden with an expectant look.

"I owe you—again," Caden told him.

Van's eyes were wide as he looked from the fire fox to the spot in the air where the smoke had just been.

"What. The. Fuck?"

"Eva did tell you not to mess with the fire fox," Caden said. "Now you know one of the reasons why."

Van sputtered, looking out of sorts. "One reason? You mean there's more?"

Gawain moved up beside them. "That was interesting. Care to explain why the creature seemed fixated on you?"

"He wasn't after me.” Caden’s jaw clenched. "This was meant to distract us."

And he'd fallen for it.

"Looks like they're finally stopping for a break," Ollie observed as the warriors in front of them slowed.

"About time. We've been riding for hours." Jason shifted in his seat with an uncomfortable expression.

Ollie sent him a look. "Don't tell me your ass is hurting. What are people going to think of a herd master who can't even take this little bit of riding?"

Jason straightened with a scowl, his mouth opening on a sharp retort.

"Enough, you two," Eva cut in, preoccupied with checking the back trail for what felt like the hundredth time.

Fiona and a few others, including Buck and Witt, had disappeared down it quite a while ago. They had yet to come back.

There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of Eva's stomach that had only grown as the morning dragged into the afternoon.

Nothing had happened yet, but there was a tension in the air that made her think it was only a matter of time. A quiet in those around her that had Eva on edge.

"We all had to start somewhere," Eva told Ollie, determined not to let her uneasiness get the best of her. "Or did you forget all the trouble I had the first few times we had a movement on horseback."

Ollie flashed a grin of remembrance. "That was fun. I'll never forget your face after that first day. You looked so upset."

Damn right she had. And that first day had nothing on the second. She'd reached a level of uncomfortable she didn't know was possible.

"Yet, you somehow managed to forget to tell me about muscle balm," Eva reminded him with a glare.

Instead, he'd let her suffer. And suffer she had. That first week with the Trateri had been agonizing.

Ollie looked unrepentant. "I had to see what you were made of."

Eva gave him a sidelong look. More like he'd wanted to play a prank on the newbie.

"Besides, there's a difference between you and him," Ollie said with a sly smile. "You weren't Trateri. He is."

Jason grimaced.

"You're getting soft if this short ride is enough to make you uncomfortable," Ollie told him in a frank tone. "That's what staying in one place will do to you."

"Give it a rest, old man," Jason groused.

Ollie sucked in a breath. "Who are you calling old?"

Jason sent him a victorious look. "Do you even have to ask?"

"I'm only a few years older than Eva," Ollie argued.

Eva held up a hand. "Don't drag me into this."

It was enough that she'd probably have to play mediator for the next few hours. No way did she want to be any more involved.

"Too late," Ollie said.

Eva's response was forestalled as a Trateri rode up to them.

"We'll be stopping for a short while. Might as well get comfortable and stretch your legs while you can."

Jason groaned with relief, already dismounting.

Eva sent the Trateri a grateful nod. "Thanks for letting us know."

She made to dismount when she noticed the Trateri hadn't moved.

The woman cleared her throat. "Your friends are a little way ahead."

Eva frowned, not missing the hesitation before the word friends. There were only two she could think of that would cause that sort of reaction.

Jason paused in the act of stretching as Eva settled back onto Caia. "Where are you going?"

"To see my friends."

"Wait for me," Jason called, grabbing for his horse's reins.

Ollie smirked at him. "Not going to ride after her?"

Jason scowled and hurried after Eva on foot. She shook her head with a grin, putting the two out of her mind.

She didn't have far to ride before she found the reason for the woman's hesitation. Eva slowed Caia, wanting to observe the tableau in front of her before she made her presence known.

Brisa frowned down at a set of cards held in front of her chest. Warin was in front of her, a few Trateri Eva didn't recognize next to him.

Judging by their clothes they were a mix of Lion and Rain.

Sebastian peered over Brisa's shoulder with an intent, focused expression.

In the middle of the group was the pile of the shiny pebbles Brisa had managed to take from Warin this morning.

Eva started to understand why the woman had warned her. She shook her head, not knowing whether she should be impressed Warin found a way to negotiate his pebbles back or worried.

Sebastian studied the cards, absentmindedly working his mouth.

"Are you going to play or not?" Warin grumbled. "You're taking too long."

"We are thinking," Brisa snapped.

She and Sebastian went back to staring at their cards as Jason arrived next to Eva, panting lightly. "What did I miss?"

Eva nodded at the group. "See for yourself."

Jason squinted with a frown. "They're playing cards?"

"That's how it appears," Eva answered.

It seemed Brisa wasn't willing to wait for Roscoe to teach her and had found someone else to learn from.

Eva would feel better about that if she didn't know how the Trateri viewed their games. They considered newcomers fresh meat and were known to muddy the rules in their favor.

Something Eva didn't think either Brisa or Sebastian would appreciate.

Eva's suspicions were confirmed seconds later when Brisa set a card down in the middle and Warin laughed.

"Warlord beats scout," he said. "That means this round goes to me."

Brisa eyed the stones with a frown. "I thought scout beats Warlord when assassin is played the round before."

Warrin shook his head. "Only if soldier isn't played by another player."

"Ah, crap," Jason said. "Those idiots are changing the rules."

Eva glanced at him in startlement. "How can you be sure?"

"Because those aren't the rules," Jason said, raising his voice so those playing could hear.

Brisa and Sebastian lifted their heads to stare in his direction.

Jason's expression soured. "They're playing you."

"Stay out of it," Warin snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"It does if you're cheating," Jason responded.

"It's only considered cheating if you're caught," the woman across from Warin argued.

"Which you just were," Eva said. "Play properly."

"Or what?" she sneered.

Eva fixed her with a calm look. "Or else your opponents might decide to eat you."

The woman and Warin shot uneasy glances at Brisa and Sebastian. As if on cue, the two smiled, showcasing pointed teeth capable of shredding muscle and cracking bone.

"Fine, we won't count this round," Warin conceded.

Brisa smirked, a twinkle in her eye that said she'd known all along that they'd been trying to scam her. "Shall we continue?"

Warin grunted and gestured for her to play another card.

Discard the scout and draw another, Sebastian ordered.

Instead, Brisa placed the scout on the adviser. "The adviser allows the scout to deceive your Warlord. We collect a stone as a result."

Brisa's victorious smirk changed to a yelp as Sebastian's head snaked forward. She sprawled on her side, dodging his teeth as they clicked on the air she'd just occupied.

"Watch it!" Brisa shouted.

Sebastian answered with an outraged scream as he lunged forward again. Brisa planted a foot on his nose, struggling to hold him away from her. Her wings flared as she and Sebastian tangled.

"Should you stop that?" Jason asked.

Eva sent him a look that asked if he was crazy. A human stepping between fighting mythologicals? Yeah, only if she wanted to die an early death.

"Okay, okay!" Brisa shouted. "I won't put words in your mouth again!"

Sebastian stopped trying to bite her as he loomed over her threateningly. Apologize.

"I don't—"

Sebastian lunged forward again, using his greater bulk to force her back several feet.

"Fine. Sheesh, so sensitive." Brisa yelled. "I apologize."

Sebastian withdrew. Good, because next time I won't be so nice.

Brisa sat upright, trying and failing to project a sense of dignity. "You should be thanking me. I was right. If you'd listened, you would have had some more pebbles."

That isn't the point.

"Then what is?"

You were playing on my behalf. It doesn’t matter if you won if in the doing you lie about my wishes. You know how the Kyren feel about our allies misrepresenting our words.

Eva could understand Sebastian’s frustration. The Kyren were hampered by having to rely on third parties to communicate with humans. If those third parties act in a way counter to what they desired, they had little way of making themselves understood.

Sebastian curled his lip. Eva, I’m going to scout ahead. I find my current company lacking. I’ll be back in a little while.

Sebastian reared, his wings spreading as he launched himself into the air.

"And there goes the Kyren," Eva muttered.

It was impressive how easily Brisa was able to drive him off simply by being herself. If Eva didn't know better, she'd say Ajari manipulated the girl into staying with her as a way to sabotage Eva.

Only she didn't think anyone could have predicted this course of events.

Warin tossed the cards down. "Where's he going?"

Brisa ignored the question, focused on scooping up the stones and tucking them into a pouch at her waist.

Warin stared. "Wait. Where are you going?"

Brisa finished securing the stones and fixed Warin with a look. "Haven't you heard? We don't play with liars."

She stalked away, not leaving him a chance to retort.

"Hey! What about winning my stones back? You said I could!" Warin shouted at her back.

Brisa's face brightened as she caught sight of Eva, already having forgotten the humans behind her. She skipped Eva's way, her wings giving her that odd gliding motion. "You're finally here! I've been waiting forever."

"Is that what you call this?"

Brisa's grin was impertinent. "No, that's just a little bit of fun."

"Fun, my ass," Jason muttered. "I told you she was a menace."

Yes, he did. Many times. Unfortunately for him, most of those Eva found in her orbit could be considered the same—including him under the right circumstances. She could no more drive Brisa from their circle for being a pain in the ass than she could Ajari or Sebastian.

At least Brisa didn't reference small rodents when referring to humans. It was a small win, but Eva would take what she could get.

A devilish look entered Brisa's eyes. "You can't blame me for this. What else did I have to occupy myself with when a certain someone decided to chase me away?"

Jason bristled. "You kept harrying the horses. They don't like when big birds swoop at their heads."

Brisa acted insulted. "I'm not a bird. I'm a Tenrin."

Eva's eyebrows twitched. That wasn't what she'd claimed earlier when Eva had tried to get her off the top of a tent.

"I was trying to herd them. Isn't that what you humans call it when you make animals go in a direction they don't want to go?"

Jason growled in the back of his throat, looking seconds from doing Brisa bodily harm.

The Tenrin took no notice of his state as she continued. "Besides, the nice one said he'd teach me the game, but I couldn't find him."

The unexpected words shook Jason out of his rage, making him pause.

"Nice one?" Eva asked.

"The friendly human who gave me my cards."

"Let me get this straight. You're under the impression that Roscoe is nice?" Jason asked, still disbelieving.

"Isn't he?" Brisa looked between Jason and Eva.

Jason’s stare was wide-eyed, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Eva took pity on him. "That's not exactly how we'd describe him."

A little bit wicked, with zero patience for stupidity, and a mile-wide mean streak for those who crossed him. Those descriptions would be a lot closer to reality. Though Eva supposed for someone with as little experience with humans as Brisa, Roscoe's actions would come across as kind.

And truthfully, they were.

Eva and Jason simply had too much experience with him and Ghost to believe it. Roscoe could be nice, but then again, he could be a terror too. Who was to say which side Brisa would get next time she met him?

"Then how would you describe him?" Brisa asked, puzzled.

"Not nice," Jason answered without a moment of thought.

"Complicated," Eva said seconds after him.

Brisa's gaze was assessing, the wisdom Eva had noted before present. This wasn't someone who was stupid or easily manipulated. Like Ajari, she hid much of herself behind a mask.

Something made Eva think she'd be a lot harder to take advantage of than she seemed.

Eva couldn't help but feel a little relief at that. If Brisa could protect herself, it would make Eva's job that much easier.

A shout came from where Ollie was checking on the horses. There was a horsey scream as one of the string reared. The leads snapped. Not just for him but for several of the horses.

They galloped away, dodging the Trateri trying to stop them.

"What happened?" Eva yelled, wheeling Caia to canter toward Ollie.

"I don't know. Something spooked them."

Ollie had his hands full with the two mares he'd caught before they could break away with the rest. They resisted his hold as he made soothing sounds at them.

Eva stood up in her stirrups, observing the situation. Already, the other horses had disappeared around the bend, and catching them was a priority. Ollie had to get the mares settled and back on their leads before also checking over the rest. With the Trateri set to move again, their time was limited.

"You deal with them. I'll go after the others." Eva flicked her reins. "Let's go, Caia."

The mare responded and cantered after the rest.

"Eva, wait. I don't think this is a good idea," Ollie called after her.

It wasn't, but Eva wouldn't leave the horses. Not if there was any other choice. She'd spent time with each one over the last few weeks. They were as precious to her as all the rest.

These mountains were thick with beasts. They wouldn't survive long if left alone.

"I've got her, Ollie," Jason yelled.

The sound of hoof beats racing after her had Eva looking over her shoulder to find Jason bearing down on her with a determined look.

"I'm coming with you so don't bother arguing," Jason informed her.

Lightning flashed, followed by a deafening crack of thunder several seconds later. Eva glanced at the sky, feeling the wind pick up. It tugged at her hair and clothes, pushing against them. Almost like it was urging them back.

No rain though. At least not yet, but it wouldn't be long.

"I didn't try to stop you," Eva called.

Brisa darted past Eva, veering so she didn't collide with her. Her head dropped so she was staring at Eva from under one wing. "You could have at least waited for me."

Jason waved a hand at her, trying to shoo her away. "You're not invited. Go back."

Brisa lifted, gaining height as she trailed them from above.

Jason scowled. "Can't you do something about her."

Eva hid her smile in Caia's mane. The answer was no, but Jason's frustration amused her. Once upon a time, she'd been the focus of that hostility. Look where they'd ended up as a result.

It made her wonder if Jason and Brisa would soon be the best of friends. It was an entertaining thought, but for now she needed to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Drake joined her, his mount running at full speed until he caught up with Eva and Jason. "Caden won't be happy about this."

"There isn't a choice. He will have to understand," Eva said.

The horses, now more than ever, were essential to the Trateri's safety. They could survive losing a few but too many and the group's speed would be compromised.

"We're just going to take a look," Eva said as much for herself as him. "See if we can recover the four quickly."

Drake's face was tight, unhappy about the risk.

"You have until it starts to rain," he said finally.

Eva urged Caia faster. That would have to be enough.

twenty-two

They'd only ridden for a few minutes before Eva found signs of the first horse. The daft beasts had managed to take a turn somewhere and find their way down one of the off shoots of the main gorge

Eva looked up at the sloping hills around them as she slowed Caia, not wanting to spook the bay. Jason didn't wait for direction, sliding from his mount and moving slowly toward the mare.

He crooned in the back of his throat, stopping when the mare lifted her head. He was careful not to look directly at her as he kept his side toward the mare. He swung the lead rope he held, keeping the motions gentle and low as he herded her into a more favorable spot where he could easily catch her.

Caia and Eva held still, letting the mare get comfortable with their scent.

Eva had long mastered this skill, finding a place in her head that was peaceful. Where nothing else mattered but bonding with her charge.

When she fell into this mindset, the world stopped existing. There were no worries or pressure. Just her and the creature in front of her.

When he was close enough, Jason reached out and grabbed the mare’s halter in one smooth movement. The mare's head jerked, before she settled under Jason's touch.

"Impressive," Eva drawled.

Jason smiled at her, still petting the mare's nose. "I learned from the best."

Several of the Trateri who had followed them at Drake's order moved forward, taking the mare from Jason.

"Get her back to Ollie," he said, giving the lead to them.

Trateri and horse moved back toward the main body as Drake and a few others stood guard.

Jason paused as he mounted his horse, tilting his chin at the sky. "What do you make of that?"

Eva looked up, taking in the giant wall of clouds that reached high into the atmosphere. They roiled and frothed as if a great battle was taking place within.

The storm was unlike anything Eva had ever seen. It rolled over the mountains. The parts Eva could see a mix of whites, grays, and near blacks.

Beneath it lay darkness, while its depths briefly lit with flashes of bluish white before fading again.

"You ever seen anything like it?" Drake asked softly.

From the look on his and the other's faces, they seemed uneasy as the storm bore down on them. Almost fearful.

"Not often," Eva said.

The Lowlands were no stranger to storms, but rarely like this.

The storm in front of them looked like one from stories told during the dark of night. The kind that reshaped the world into the broken place it was now.

A storm meant to wipe away all before it. A reminder to humans that for all their arrogance and pride they were nothing more than transient existences, there and gone, in the face of the full force of nature.

"My mother would have called a storm like this a man killer," Eva said softly.

She would have been right. It had the ability to wipe villages off the map, leaving only the land behind.

Then again, Eva's mother would also have thought the storm a result of their own sins, relying on practices rooted in fear and superstition to drive it away.

"Your mother sounds like a lovely woman," Warin drawled as he joined them.

Seeing their looks, he lifted his eyebrows at them.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wasn't expecting you is all," Jason said.

Warin curled his lip. "Losing a string of horses affects us all. I'm not so short sighted that I can't see that."

Jason met his stare with a mocking one of his own. "You sure about that?"

Warin turned his head, ignoring the younger man as he jerked his chin at the sky. "What are our winged former allies doing anyway?"

Dozens of Kyren dipped and wheeled, darting into the storm front and out again. They played on its edge, fighting the winds Eva knew had to be buffeting them.

There was an air of joy in their actions, as if the storm held no fear for them. Rather, they welcomed it, celebrating in the face of danger when others would have run.

"Crazy bastards. What would possess them to tangle with something like that?" Warin asked, sounding baffled.

"The storm calls them," Brisa answered from her perch atop the boulder.

"What do you mean?" Eva asked.

Brisa opened her eyes, their gold piercing as she fixed Eva with a stare. "Can't you feel it, Caller? The summons?"

Almost unknowingly, Eva found her gaze drawn back to the storm.

There was a yearning deep inside that she'd been trying to ignore. A voice that said she didn't belong here on the ground, but rather up there on the back of a Kyren. Diving through clouds and racing lightning.

It was an insane feeling. Round the bend and down the creek level of insane.

Still, the urge whispered in her ear, telling her she belonged in the midst of the chaos.

Brisa's lips curled. "You do."

"Maybe," Eva admitted.

But that didn't change the fact she was down here and not up there.

Brisa shifted to face her. "The Kyren and Tenrin are said to be born of a storm and the tragedy of humans. Once in a while, a storm comes into being that invites us to test ourselves against it."

"Does that mean you plan to fly up there?" Eva asked.

"I want to," Brisa admitted, not quite able to hide the yearning on her face as she looked from the storm to Eva. "But now is not my time."

"How will you know when it is your time?" Eva found herself asking.

There was something in this conversation that tugged at her. A whisper of knowledge that she needed.

It hovered just out of reach. An annoying prickle driving her to possess it, but every time she reached for it, it slipped through her fingers.

"I'll just know. The world will tell me," Brisa answered.

Eva squinted at the clouds, catching wings as dark as night.

Brisa nodded, seeing where her attention had gone. “Sebastian would have felt the call too. I wouldn’t expect him back anytime soon. He won’t be able to resist playing in a storm like this until the worst of the fury is spent.”

Warin cleared his throat. "As interesting as that is, we still have a job to do. Those horses aren't going to corral themselves."

Jason shot him a disgusted look.

Eva nodded. "He's right. We don't have time for this."

Not with the storm threatening to let loose at any moment. Once it did, their job of recovering the rest of the horses would be nearly impossible.

"Don't stray too far from the main body," Drake remind her. "We don't know who could be out here."

"That's why you brought warriors, isn't it?" Eva asked.

Drake bent a no nonsense look on her that made Eva grin.

"I know. We'll be as quick as possible. We wouldn't want to tempt fate," Eva said, shooting one last look at the storm before clicking her tongue at Caia.

To her surprise, the mare refused to budge. Even when Eva flicked the reins and squeezed her sides with her knees, Caia didn't move.

"Caia?" Eva questioned.

This wasn't like her friend. Caia wasn't some ill trained mount liable to spook at the smallest thing. If she was balking, she had a reason. Something Eva's human senses were missing.

Eva stroked Caia's neck. "What is it, my heart?"

The mare's ears swiveled before lying flat against her skull.

Eva's instincts roared.

"Ambush," she screamed.

Brisa launched herself skyward, an arrow piercing her wing before she could catch the wind and take flight. She screamed as she plummeted to the ground.

Eva was off Caia in an instant.

"My wing; I can't move it," Brisa moaned as Eva crouched beside the Tenrin, her gaze swooping over her body.

An arrow was lodged in her right wing, the appendage drooping behind her. Brisa struggled to bend it, a whine of pain leaving her as it collapsed again.

"Don't do that," Eva warned.

"What do I do?" There was a broken note in Brisa's voice. "I can't fly. How do I survive if I can't fly?"

"It's going to be fine," Eva assured her even as screams of pain rose around her.

Somehow, she'd make this right. Just as soon as she figured out how.

Jason pulled his horse to a stop on the other side of Caia, his eyes on the hills to their left where shapes were massing. "Eva, we can't stay here."

"Help me get her on Caia," Eva ordered.

She stood, lifting Brisa up. Jason, to her relief, didn't waste time arguing. He reached to steady Brisa from his spot on his horse as Eva guided her onto Caia's back.

Jason looked behind Eva, his expression freezing into a mask of horror at what he saw there.

Eva’s eyes closed as she braced for pain. Thunder rumbled, drowning out all sound. When it abated, there was no pain. Only a body pressed against hers, trapping her against Caia.

Jason's expression was stricken as he stared over Eva's shoulder, looking like he was about to cry.

Drake's voice rasped in her ear. "Go. Don't look back."

Only Eva did look back, fighting a sense of growing inevitability. A hopelessness that crept into her heart and refused to leave.

The sight of blood spreading in a wide circle from where an arrow had punched through his upper chest was jarring next to the smile that greeted her. One made up of beauty and a pureness that she'd remember for the rest of her days.

"You know you have to," he told her, setting one hand on the injured Tenrin.

Tears rolled down Eva's cheeks as she suppressed a sob.

In desperation and not knowing what else to do, Eva reached out for her mind. Sebastian. Please.

Silence echoed around her, no sign her friend had heard her.

Thunder rumbled overhead, the storm’s call drowning out her own.

If you can hear me, please answer.

Sebastian’s voice remained absent, only the buzz of the storm and its relentless pull growing by the moment.

Eva closed her eyes. They were on their own. No help was coming from that corner.

And she couldn’t stay, Drake was right about that.

If Brisa were to die, Covath would blame the Trateri for her death. There would be no peace. Only violence and hatred.

If she stayed, she risked Brisa and the Trateri would have no choice but to fight to the death. She and Brisa would still fall or be caught in the end.

The only chance any of them had was for Eva to go and take Brisa with her.

It was a difficult decision that went against everything Eva was.

One Drake didn't intend to wait for Eva to make. Despite his injuries, he picked her up and set Eva on Caia's back.

"You take care of her," he told Jason, holding the other's eyes for a long second.

Jason's nod was faint, his eyes screaming the same reluctance to leave that Eva felt.

Drake flashed a crooked smile as Warin and his men rode toward the hills. The figures at the top plunged down the slope toward them, cutting off Eva and Jason's path back to the main body. "Caden was right; you have the makings of an Anateri. Now, go. We'll buy you time. Don't stop until you find safety."

Drake slapped Caia's rump.

The mare lunged forward, her hooves pounding over the ground as her gait flattened out.

Eva's heart was in her throat as she steadied Brisa, taking one last look at Drake standing silhouetted by the hills around him.

Caia carried them around a bend in the trail, leaving Drake and the rest behind.

Eva faced forward, her heart in her throat as they rode away from the ambush and the promise of safety lying on the other side.

"They're following us," Jason called.

Eva looked up, seeing figures running along the ridge to their right. As she watched, a few took their lives in hand as their horses leapt down the rocky slopes.

Foolish idiots. That was a good way to break a horse's leg.

Eva supposed that wasn't important to them. They only cared about catching her and Brisa. Eva tightened her grip on the Tenrin, being careful not to crush Brisa’s wings. It was awkward trying to hold the girl as Eva was forced to juggle Brisa’s wings while also not letting her fall. "This will hurt a little."

The girl was hanging on to consciousness by the thinnest of margins. Eva was afraid of the shock and blood loss but there was no time to stop.

Now that they were cut off, their ambushers between them and safety, their only chance for survival was stalling until Caden and his people could find them again.

Because he would come for her. Eva had no doubt about that.

With that thought in mind, Eva gave Caia her head. "Everything you've got, my heart."

Caia answered Eva with a burst of speed. Jason desperately followed. Eva's heart was in her throat as they rode for all they were worth.

Caia dodged around obstacles, leaping over those she couldn't avoid. Every second felt like an eternity as they thundered over the land until Caia's sides heaved and her breathing grew labored at her effort.

Soon, they found themselves in a canyon much like the one they’d traveled through earlier that day. A rain drop hit Eva's face. Another one followed a second later.

Eva lifted her eyes to the sky as the heavens opened with a furious roar. Rain fell in sheets, the deluge drenching them instantly.

They pressed on until they couldn't anymore.

Eventually, Eva had to slow, afraid continuing would result in a slip and a fall. The last thing she wanted to do was risk Caia breaking a leg, and that's exactly what could happen if they continued at speed.

Jason moved his horse beside Eva. "The storm's getting worse. What should we do?"

Eva shivered, hunching in on herself for warmth as she studied their surroundings. "We can't go back."

It was the only thing she was sure of.

“What about Sebastian?” Jason asked in a low voice.

Eva shook her head. “I’ve been trying to contact him, but no luck. Something about the storm is interfering.”

Or maybe it was just her. Maybe the Kyren were right, and she wasn’t ready for all this. Maybe she really was useless.

A low moan came from Brisa. Somewhere during the ride, the Tenrin had descended into a fugue, the pain rendering her nearly unconscious.

They were cut off. Enemies between them and Caden. Their only hope was to continue forward and hope to buy enough time for Caden to send help.

As a plan, it was lacking. There were so many ways things could go wrong.

To make things worse, Eva had no idea where they were. When they'd left Drake, they'd ridden blind, choosing a path by instinct.

For all she knew, the enemy could be waiting up ahead for them to stumble into their trap. And they were on low ground with the mother of all storms raining down around them.

Visibility was poor. The rain making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of them.

They could stumble on their enemy and not know it until it was too late. The only silver lining was their enemy suffered from the same conditions.

To compound matters, the creek they were traveling next to was filling up rapidly. The rushing sound of water told Eva all she needed to know as the creek spilled over its banks.

It didn't take a pathfinder to realize how much danger they were in.

If the enemy didn't kill them, nature just might.

Eva cursed. What a mess.

"Jason," Eva trailed off before gathering her courage again. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't gone after the horses—"

Drake wouldn't have followed. He wouldn't have taken an arrow for her or remained behind to buy them time.

She didn't know if he and the others were alive or dead.

All because she couldn't abandon her charges.

She wanted to hate herself for causing all this, but she couldn't. Given the same situation, she wasn't sure she would have done anything else.

She was responsible for those horses. No one else.

She just wished others hadn't had to pay the price.

"You had to," Jason said. "There was no scenario where the Trateri would have abandoned those horses. If it wasn't you, it would have been Ollie or me."

It was tempting to take the blame, but the fact of the matter was Jason was right. Someone would have had to go after the horses.

Maybe the enemy wouldn't have struck right then or maybe that was just wishful thinking and they'd always planned to ambush them the moment Eva was vulnerable.

"I'd like to know how they got so close," Jason mused, following Eva as she pushed toward the many boulders waiting along the sides of the canyon. "I thought Reece and Buck were keeping an eye on the situation."

If she could find a cave or a way up to high ground, she thought their chances of drowning if this place flooded would be significantly reduced.

Eva took in the shadowed forms of the boulder, a tree growing out of one. Its roots wrapped around the side in long ropes. Its bare branches proud and lonely looking.

"They probably were," Eva answered. "No one can account for everything."

Especially up here. There were too many places that could be used to conceal a group.

Caves. Uncharted ravines and canyons like the one they now traveled. Valleys that no one had ever traveled.

It would take a lifetime to learn all the hidden nooks and crannies and even then, you were liable to miss a few.

Eva spotted a meandering path leading to the ridge above.

She guided Caia toward it, wanting a better look. If it was what she thought, they could get out of this place. Maybe even give their pursuers the slip.

Jason followed. "You think we can make it up that?"

Eva shook her head. "I'm not sure."

It looked pretty narrow in the dim light and the rain wouldn't help matters. It was likely to be muddy and slippery.

"Do you think we have a choice?" Jason asked.

"Not really."

If they remained in the canyon, they risked running into a dead end. It was too easy for the enemy to funnel them in the direction they wanted, leaving little room for escape.

They could continue down the canyon and hope for another way up, but there was no guarantee.

"Caden always says sometimes you have to take the risk rather than wait for an opportunity," Jason said, sounding resigned.

Eva looked over at him. "He'd be proud of you."

Jason had managed to keep hold of his fear and panic, setting it aside to remain in control. Even under duress he hadn't cracked.

He'd done what needed to be done. Even when that was difficult.

It was exactly the sort of behavior Caden expected from his Anateri. The reminder made the halfhearted smile fall from Eva's face.

She pushed those feelings away and clicked her tongue at Caia. "We'll go first to test the way."

Jason maneuvered his horse in front of her. "I should go. You have enough to worry about."

His eyes dropped to Brisa with a meaningful look.

Eva looked down, wanting to argue. By the time she found the words, Jason had already guided his horse past Eva and around the boulder to the trail behind it.

Eva nudged Caia after him. "Wait."

Jason wasn't listening, the storm drowning Eva's voice out. Or maybe he simply didn't want to waste time arguing.

He stopped at the bottom, staring up the small game trail.

Eva shivered as she waited behind him.

"I think you're right," he called. "It's going to be difficult, but I definitely see a way up."

Good news, finally.

Eva started to answer when a sound caught her attention. She fell silent, straining to hear.

Out of place and nearly indistinguishable in the storm, Eva thought she'd imagined it. Her mind playing tricks on her from the pressure.

For a moment there was nothing. Only rain and thunder. The wind ripping through the canyon and along the treetops.

"Jason," she called, starting to turn.

The world turned white. A deafening crash roared, carrying with it an almost tangible force.

Caia half reared with a scream, while Eva tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Instinct kicked in as she controlled Caia. Somehow Eva managed to maintain her seat and prevent Brisa from falling.

The mare dropped back to her feet as Jason's riderless horse pelted past them.

Adrenaline shot Eva's heart into her throat, her pulse pounding with enough force to make her dizzy.

Her gaze landed on the tree, now cracked down the middle and smoking.

Lightning, her mind supplied.

The shock of the close call wore off, bringing Eva back to herself. She let up on the reins, relieved when Caia didn't try to bolt.

The mare stood still, her head hanging down as her sides heaved.

The smell of burnt ozone was present even over the rain.

Eva made soothing noises as she bent forward to stroke Caia's neck, catching sight of Jason's prone body as she did so.

"Oh no," Eva said.

She shifted Brisa, carefully balancing her on Caia's back as she dismounted.

She looped the reins over Caia's neck and hurried toward Jason. Panic filled her thoughts. Worry Jason had been stricken by the lightning or taken a bad fall made it impossible to focus.

Eva reached Jason and fell to her knees beside him.

He sat up with a groan. "I'm fine."

Eva couldn't let herself be certain of that until she checked him out. She ran her hands over his arms and torso, her gaze searching for any wounds.

Jason caught her hands. "Eva, I promise. I'll live."

Eva gave him an impulsive hug. The emotions she felt, the relief over his safety, the abrupt cessation of fear, spilled over into that hug. Along with the love she felt for him.

Jason was her brother. Maybe not by birth or blood, but he'd come to mean as much to her as her sister.

"You scared me," Eva confessed.

Jason squeezed her, the only sign of how much her actions meant to him.

The moment was soon broken by the sound of movement down the canyon. Jason drew back, panic on his face.

"They're coming," Eva said. "We have to go."

Eva helped Jason stand, supporting him as he took a step and nearly fell. Together they lurched to the side before Eva caught her balance, lowering him to the ground.

"It's my ankle. I don't think I can walk," Jason said as Eva busied herself examining his leg.

He flinched, drawing his foot away as she tried to rotate it.

"It's sprained," Eva said in a flat voice.

Her mind raced. Caia couldn't carry three people. Not for long and not for very fast. Without Jason's horse, their options were limited.

Eva closed her eyes, trying to think. She just needed a moment. A single second to consider her options.

Only life wasn't going to give her that.

Already, she could hear their pursuers, their voices eager as if they sensed they were close. They must have run into Jason's horse.

Eva had seconds to decide.

Stay or go.

Jason pushed her away. "Go. You have to."

Eva didn't move, her head shook slightly.

"Go! I don't want you here." Jason's voice cracked.

Even afraid, he was trying to do the right thing.

It solidified Eva's determination.

She grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet. "Come on."

She whistled for Caia.

"You know we'll never make it if we stay together. Caia won't be able to carry all of us."

"I know," Eva admitted.

Caia stopped in front of her, Brisa still draped over her back.

Jason's face showed confusion. "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm not going. You are," Eva said, her throat tight.

Jason resisted as she tried to help him into the saddle. "No, I'm not leaving you."

A puff of air containing a chuckle left Eva. "Little brother, I could say the same thing."

Raw emotion stared out at Eva from Jason's eyes.

This time when it came, her smile was genuine as she cupped his face. "I do consider you a brother which is why you have to go."

A sob shook Jason's chest as he shook his head.

"Listen to me. They're not after you; they're after me," Eva said, trying to get through to him.

Jason was as stubborn as she was. He would never leave her behind unless she made him. She had one shot to get him to listen. Fail and they would all die.

"If I leave right now, they'll kill you." Eva forced herself to be ruthless as she laid everything out. There wasn't time for anything else.

Their pursuers already knew that one of their group was on foot. If Eva rode away, they'd search for, and likely find, Jason. There weren't enough hiding spots for him to evade a concentrated effort to capture him.

Once that happened, things could go two ways. They could capture and then use him against Eva, or they could kill him.

Eva was betting on the latter. They wouldn't want anyone slowing them down in their chase.

"When they're done, they'll still come after me. They'll hunt me down and chances are they'll succeed," Eva said. "Your sacrifice will be for nothing. They'll kill Brisa and they'll still capture me."

Jason's flinch told Eva all she needed to know. He was listening. She simply had to make him see this was the best option available to them.

"You know what Ajari said. We'll be blamed if anything happens to her. Even if that wasn't the case, I made a promise to look after her—and you. I keep my promises."

Pleading filled Jason's face. "Please don't make me do this."

She reached for Caia's reins. "You don't have a choice and you know it."

"You're asking me to leave you here. You know what Caden would think of that," he warned.

Eva did know, and it tore at her insides. "I have a chance on foot. You don't. This is the best option I can see."

One that gave everyone a chance.

Granted it wasn't much of one, but it was better than nothing.

Eva saw the surrender on his face, the way his shoulders seemed to bow. He knew there was no other way but didn't like it.

That was okay. He didn't have to. All he had to do was get on Caia and see Brisa and himself to safety.

Shouts came from the other side of the canyon.

"You're out of time," Eva barked.

She moved to Caia's head, holding the mare steady as Jason fit his good foot into the stirrup and mounted.

Caia jerked, trying to sidle out from under Jason's weight.

Eva held her still. "Shh, my dear. I need you now more than ever."

The mare settled, her gaze focused on her human as the sound of their pursuers grew.

They'd spotted them.

Eva slid a hand along her nose. "I know you don't want to, but I need you to run."

Caia tried to toss her head as if she understood Eva's words and disagreed.

Eva tightened her grip, forcing the mare to meet her gaze. "Please see them to safety. You're the only one I can count on."

For a long moment, Caia's stubbornness held before Eva saw signs of her relenting.

She wasn't happy about the two on her back, but she also wouldn't throw them off. At least not right now.

Eva stepped back, looking up at Jason. "Good luck."

He didn't speak, his face a mask of grief as he nudged Caia to get moving.

The mare bolted forward, disappearing into the rain as the pursuers closed in.

Eva didn't wait to see what happened next, darting for the trail that led upwards.

For this to work the pursuers had to have something to distract them. What better than their prey attempting to escape?

Her feet slid under her as she fell to her hands and knees. Still, she didn't stop as she scrambled up the trail. Higher and higher until she was above the boulder. The charred tree a silent sentinel watching her passage.

The riders slowed, several pointing at her.

To Eva's dismay, a few continued on, chasing after Jason and Caia.

No matter. The majority had remained to pursue her. Those few would turn back when they saw they had no hope of catching Caia.

They would have to, Eva told herself.

She looked up at the steep incline full of boulders. She gritted her teeth and ignored the danger around her.

Gradually, the rain stopped, but it didn't make her journey any easier. The mud and boulders were still slick, causing her to trip and bang her knees more than once.

A dull ache resonated from several places on her body where she'd hit the ground hard.

From behind her, she could hear the humans starting up the incline.

They had the advantage of their horses, but Eva didn't let that dissuade her. Every second she could delay them was a victory.

The top neared and with it a ray of hope.

Those following were having trouble on the slope, allowing Eva to widen the distance. If she could get over the top, she could make use of the difficult terrain much the same way their ambushers had and disappear.

Eva pushed harder, anticipation giving her an extra burst of speed. The added exertion made the breaths saw in and out of her lungs.

Perhaps that was why she didn't notice the low drone at first. Not until she cleared the top and found a wall of cicadas blocked her way.

A sob broke from her throat as the tiny bit of hope she'd clung to burned into ashes.

The mind of another brushed against hers. That's it. The bitter taste of defeat and hopelessness. That's what I hoped for.

The mind sharpened, focusing on those below. Bring her. I want her alive.

Eva didn't fight as a man wearing clothes as wet as hers caught her by the arm.

His grip was rough as he nearly yanked her off her feet. "Look what we have here. A little mouse all for ourselves."

That same stench Eva caught off the swarm was on this man as well. Her gaze traveled over those below, unsurprised to find that same taint on all but one.

"Nothing to say?" he taunted.

Eva watched as the riders who'd gone after Jason and Brisa returned empty handed, joining those who waited at the bottom of the hill.

A small, relieved smile graced her lips.

Understanding dawned in her captor's eyes. "Clever. We'll see how self-sacrificing you are after he breaks your mind."

Eva restrained the impulse to spit in his face. Sometimes you had to play the game to give yourself a better hand later on.

These men thought they had won, but they hadn't.

Eva would find a way out or Caden would come for her. Both paths ended in one place.

With these men dead.

twenty-three

Caden drew his sword out of his latest victim and let the man fall as he lifted his head to observe his surroundings.

The ambush had been quick and vicious. The Trateri had answered in kind, fighting back with a zealousness that had wrecked their enemy.

They'd extracted a steep price from the opposing side, but it hadn't left them unscathed.

They'd lost people. Good warriors. Men and women Caden had known for a long time.

The only solace he had was that the other side lost more.

Van kicked a body out of his way as he stalked into view, covered in the blood of his enemy. So much, it looked like he'd bathed in it.

Caden paused briefly to wonder how exactly he'd gotten into that state before dismissing it as irrelevant.

He cared about results. Not how he got them.

"Every enemy I laid hands on is dead," Van announced.

Good. The more they took care of now meant the less they had to worry about later.

A body crashed onto the ground not far from them.

Van and Caden looked up to find Gawain leaning over the cliff side.

"How did you get up there?" Van asked.

"Skill."

Van's expression darkened as Gawain focused on Caden. "Rain has taken care of those on the ridge. A few escaped but not many."

Caden nodded to show his understanding before heading toward Chirron, where he knelt next to a fallen warrior.

The woman he tended was seriously injured. Blood covered her front and pooled on the ground around her as Chirron moved quickly in his fight to save her life.

He had a battle in front of him and little time to wage it if the cries of the wounded were anything to judge by.

Chirron shouted orders to his disciple as he worked on the woman's chest wound.

Any Trateri who was mobile and not currently occupied administered first aid to those around them.

Blood loss was one of the most pressing concerns. Any time they could buy Chirron would save lives later.

When your wounded outnumbered your healer twenty to one, you sometimes had to get creative. Otherwise, wounds that normally wouldn’t be lethal would claim additional lives.

It was a situation Caden was all too familiar with. They were just lucky they had Chirron and his apprentice with them.

If not, the post battle death toll would be much greater.

As Caden approached, the situation with the woman took a turn for the worse. Chirron's movements grew frantic until finally he stopped. His shoulders sagged as grief took the place of determination.

There was regret in Chirron's face as he set one hand on the woman's forehead, his eyes slipping closed in a silent prayer.

Seeing the situation, Van forgot his argument and drifted in Chirron's direction. He watched the healer carefully as Chirron rolled to his feet, nearly staggering as he did. Exhaustion was written in every line of his body.

Van caught him by the arm, pulling him into his embrace. "How many patients have you treated so far?"

Van held Chirron carefully, as if the man was a treasure he feared breaking.

There was a tenderness in his expression he didn't often show. Worry and frustration was present as well.

The effort it took Chirron to straighten showed as he gathered his will to push away from Van. "Not enough."

"It never is for you." There was disapproval in Van's tone as he let Chirron go. "You'll be useless if you collapse."

Chirron's smile was wry as he patted Van's cheek in a rare display of affection. "I know my limits."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Chirron gave him an unamused stare before turning his attention to Caden. "We've treated most of those we can for the moment."

"How many dead?" Caden asked.

Chirron's answer was interrupted by a horse bearing down on them.

Caden had time to take in Ollie's panicked expression before the herd master pulled his horse to an abrupt stop.

Caden's heart clenched, his gaze moving to the empty spot behind Ollie. There was no Eva. No Caia.

"Eva's missing," Ollie said.

Caden's world stilled. Everything in him going silent. The cage that kept his darker side in check cracked, threatening to break.

If it did, Caden wasn't sure he could maintain his control. He'd start swinging his blade and wouldn't stop until she was back in his arms.

Eva didn't need the killer right now. She needed the commander. The person willing to do anything it took to get her back safe.

Even if that meant not killing every Lowlander or Highlander he came across.

While Caden wrestled with his control, Gawain slid down the hill behind him, dirt and loose rock accompanying him. Upon reaching the bottom, he headed toward the small group at a fast pace.

"What happened?" he asked, shooting a concerned look Caden's way.

Caden couldn't find it in himself to respond as he counted. He reached five and slowly exhaled again.

Only when he could be sure he wasn't going to give into the screaming abyss inside of him did he focus on what Ollie was saying.

"Several horses got loose right before the attack. She, Jason, and a few others went after them."

Van looked at Caden. "Looks like you were right. This was a distraction."

Caden's hands clenched. The only reaction he allowed himself.

"Can you take me to where she was?" he asked.

Ollie nodded. "I've already sent others ahead."

Smart man, but then Eva wasn’t friends with idiots.

"I want you to come with us," Caden said to Chirron.

If Eva was hurt, she'd need him.

She was alive. There was no other scenario Caden would accept.

"Consider it done," Chirron said with a nod.

Van moved up beside the healer. "You'll ride with me."

Chirron frowned.

Van held up a hand. "You're exhausted and they can't wait. Use the time to gain your strength back."

Chirron's lips pursed as if he'd tasted something bitter. As much as he wanted to argue, he couldn't. He was practically weaving where he stood.

"You'll ride with him." Caden wasn't in the mood for the healer's pride.

They'd already delayed long enough.

He whistled. Nell came running and stopped in front of Caden.

Gawain stepped forward to hold the stallion's head as Caden mounted. "I'll finish up here."

Caden picked up the reins and looked down at the Rain Clan leader. "No survivors."

Gawain's smile was wry. "I hadn't planned on anything else."

Ollie didn't wait for Caden to finish as he wheeled his horse and thundered back the way he'd come. Nell lunged forward, racing after him.

I'm coming, Eva. Just hold on until I get there.

And when he did, he would destroy all those who'd touched her.

Jason's body had grown numb to the cold, unable to feel his hands and feet any longer.

A fact that should have felt important but simply didn't. His physical state matched the icy tundra of his mental one.

All that kept him on Caia's back was his determination to fulfill Eva's wish. One he refused to think of as her last.

Time seemed to have no meaning as he rode. It slipped by unnoticed.

He barely reacted when Brisa yanked herself upright, alarm in her expression as her gaze darted around their surroundings as if expecting an attack at any moment.

"You're awake."

About time.

Not that he particularly cared about Brisa's wellbeing at the moment. Only that she survived. Otherwise, everything that had happened would have been pointless.

Eva's sacrifice. His abandonment.

Guilt barreled down on him like an avalanche, threatening to crush him under its weight. Ruthlessly, he suppressed the emotions.

He ignored the burning in the back of his eyes. The tingling in the bridge of his nose.

Not now. Not until he saved Eva.

With a supreme amount of effort, he found his composure. When he opened his eyes, it was to find a pair of amber ones inches from his own.

Jason controlled his reaction.

"Where is the Caller?"

The words stabbed at his most vulnerable point. He tried to speak, only he couldn't around the tight feeling in his throat. It was like a noose depriving him of oxygen.

Jason almost wished the visual was true. He deserved punishment for what he'd done.

Horror grew on Brisa's face as she read Jason's face. "Where is she?"

His eyelashes fluttered before he steadied himself again. "Gone."

It was the only word Jason could force past the knot in his throat.

"No." Brisa shook her head, wrenching herself out of Jason's arms, half falling, half sliding off Caia's back.

Her damaged wing trailed behind her as she limped away.

Jason drew Caia to a stop. "Get back on the horse."

Brisa crawled up the side of a boulder, putting more distance between herself and Jason.

"Get. Back. On. Caia," he bit out.

If they got caught because she was being stubborn and wasted Eva's effort, he'd kill her himself.

"You do not tell me what to do," she screamed back at him. "How could you just leave her there? She's supposed to be your friend."

A sob built in Brisa's chest as she wrapped her arms around herself, looking so small and frail in that moment.

"You left her," she repeated in a broken voice.

Jason teeth ground together until they felt like they would crack with the amount of pressure he was exerting.

Brisa scrubbed a hand over her face, swiping at the snot and tears there. "Covath was right. Humans can't be trusted."

Jason's control snapped. A roar left him. "Whose fault do you think this is?"

He swung a leg over Caia's back and slid to the ground. His face a mask of fury as he limped toward Brisa, uncaring as she back pedaled.

If she wouldn't come willingly, he'd put her on Caia by force, consequences be damned.

"Do you think it makes me happy that I left her there?" Jason spat. "She is the only person who has ever believed in me. The only person who has ever called me family, and I left her there—for you!"

Brisa sniffled as she watched Jason warily. He couldn't find it in himself to care that he was scaring her.

She was the reason for this. All of it.

"If not for you, she could have made it out of there. It's your fault I had to leave her behind."

Brisa stepped back every time he moved forward, ignoring the stabs of pain in his ankle.

Lost in his rage, he didn't notice the way she sunk in on herself as if to protect herself from him. He didn't see the lost expression that replaced her anger or the way she deflated as if not even her body wanted to hold her up.

All he knew was that there was a bubble in his chest that kept expanding. Relentless as it pushed out all reason in favor of pure, raw emotion.

Until he couldn't think or breathe.

Violence hovered. The need for action when it was far too late for anything to be done.

Brisa curled in on herself, her only working wing coming around to shield her. "I'm sorry."

The apology brought Jason up short. Shock filled him at Brisa's state, the distress written in every line of her body.

He was forced to confront what he'd done. The devastation his words brought. It extinguished the last of his anger, leaving him empty and cold.

Eva would be so disappointed in him right now.

Brisa wasn't the reason all this happened, and Eva would have hated him making her feel like she was. The only people to blame were their enemies—and Jason.

He'd done this. He'd been the one to climb on Caia's back and ride away.

He was a coward.

He thought he'd changed. That the time spent with Eva and Caden had somehow made him into someone new.

Someone honorable and brave.

Yet his first brush with danger and he’d cracked. Worse, he was still shifting blame to others for his own mistakes rather than taking responsibility.

He made himself sick.

"I hate what has happened," Jason said with a forced calm. "But Eva chose to protect you. The best and only thing we can do right now is rendezvous with our warriors and mount a rescue."

Brisa's wing shifted to show a glimpse of her face.

She was listening.

Good.

"It's the only way we're going to help Eva." For Jason that was the only thing that mattered.

An impatient nicker came from Caia as the mare gave them a look that called them both idiots.

"That horse is strange," Brisa said.

Her words surprised a chuckle out of Jason. "You're not the only one who thinks that."

Caia stamped a foot as if demanding they stop wasting time so they could get moving again. It was the sort of oddly intelligent behavior Jason had come to expect in the mare.

He started toward her only to stop as he noticed a Kyren passing over them, flying low to avoid the storm clouds above.

"Kyren," Jason breathed.

"What?" Brisa asked, not understanding.

"There's a Kyren up there."

Which meant there was a Kyren close by. All they needed to do was get the Kyren's attention. Jason's steps stalled, his gaze fervent as he turned to stare at Brisa.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You can speak to them. You can ask them to help us."

Jason mounted and rode over to Brisa, holding his hand down to her.

"They might not listen," Brisa warned.

"We have to try."

Eva deserved nothing less.

Understanding filled Brisa's face as she reached up to take Jason's hand. He lifted her onto Caia behind him.

"Caia, time to catch a Kyren," Jason told the mare.

Caia surged forward with powerful strides, her speed increasing until she was galloping flat out. Jason didn't even try to steer her, knowing any attempt would result with them on the ground.

Eva always said Caia knew her way better than any horse she'd ever ridden. She had an instinct for finding her footing that required trust from her rider.

Jason didn't try to slow the mare from her breakneck speed, his gaze locked on the piece of sky where the Kyren had disappeared.

Somehow, they managed to make it out of the canyon and up a steep embankment filled with boulders.

Caia barely paused as she leapt over obstacles without caring what was on the other side.

Jason's stomach shot to his throat at more than one near miss.

Ahead, the Kyren flitted in and out of view as they pursued him. Sweat covered Caia's withers and sides when they finally rounded a hill to find a quartet of Kyren waiting on the other side.

At their arrival, the Kyren lifted their heads. Time seemed to skip, the moment stretching as their wise eyes found Jason's.

Of the four, Jason recognized two of them. The blood bay with the broken horn that Eva had called Polaris and the chestnut she'd referred to as Danyon, who'd looked at Jason like he was a pile of shit he'd stepped in by mistake.

Caia slowed and then stopped, her breathing labored.

Danyon spread his wings, preparing to take off.

"Wait, please!" Jason called.

The Kyren looked back, his face grumpy as if he couldn't believe the human's audacity. Jason didn't care. What use was pride, given what was at stake?

Brisa leaned around him to get a better look at the Kyren. At the sight of her, they paused. Two of them drifting closer as Danyon snorted unhappily. The two approaching curled their lips at the smell of blood. They poked their noses against Jason and Brisa, searching out the scent.

Brisa let them. She was far braver than Jason, not flinching as the Kyren's sharp teeth strayed dangerously close to vulnerable areas. He'd seen what they could do with those teeth. It wasn't pretty.

Then again, Brisa probably understood the dangers better than him, being part of the sharp teeth crowd herself.

"Can you help us?" Brisa asked as they backed away, satisfied with their investigation.

Brisa got the same focused look on her face as Eva as she listened to a voice only she could hear. Jason had no choice but to sit and wait, feeling like he was about to come out of his skin from nerves. Not for the first time, he wished he could hear the Kyren.

It was only because of his relationship with Eva and all that he knew about her that he was able to hold still and not interrupt.

Her faith wasn't easily earned, but she'd seen something in not only Brisa but the Kyren as well. For Eva's sake, he could swallow his pride and allow someone else control.

Even when it made him uncomfortable.

Jason shot a look at Brisa when the silence dragged on. She'd been quiet for too long. There should have been more talking by now.

That nasty feeling in his gut got stronger as he picked up on the standoffish manner with the which the Kyren watched him. That feeling was compounded as Danyon moved away.

"What's wrong?" Jason whispered.

Brisa shook her head once. "They're not listening."

"Can't you stop them?"

"We're different factions. They're not required to render aid."

Impatience and desperation filled Jason as he sensed his last hope slipping away. Or rather, about to fly off.

This couldn't be happening.

He scrambled off Caia, not quite sure what he was intending to do. Only that something needed to be done.

If Brisa couldn't, he would. Somehow.

Eva once said the Kyren responded best to sincerity. She'd also said you didn't have to be a "good" person to earn their respect. He hadn't fully understood then, but he did now.

Or at least he thought he did.

He lowered himself to his knees. If what they wanted was sincerity, he would bare his soul and pray they'd take pity on him.

"She would give up anything for those she considers hers. She'd sacrifice herself without another thought. Despite the fact humans can be such petty, small-minded creatures—myself included."

The Kyren paused in their departure, Polaris and another turning their heads to observe Jason.

He'd gotten their attention, but that wasn't enough. Jason wet his lips as he considered what he should say. What sequence of words that would show his sincerity and convince them Eva was worth helping?

He knew in his heart he wasn't worthy of the favor he was about to ask. Perhaps he would never be the type of man the Kyren would want to be close to. That was okay. He didn't need to be.

"Eva tried so hard to build a better tomorrow. For you—and us. You owe her."

"This is a human battle. Why must we involve ourselves?" Brisa translated.

"Because you know it won't stop with us. They've already targeted you once. Do you really want people who tried to enslave your children to rule?"

That was what Jason didn't get. The people who'd taken Eva hated mythologicals. In their minds, the only good mythological was dead or enslaved.

"Why not let you fight among yourselves? If the other side survives, they will be easy pickings for the rest of us."

There was a certain logic in that argument. A pragmatism that was hard to argue with.

"How well did that work for you last time?" Jason challenged. "This is a war for who we will become and the future of the Broken Lands. Do you really want it to be decided by the enemy?"

"Your enemy."

Jason struggled against a sense of defeat. The Kyren were much more hard headed than Jason thought. They wouldn't even consider another truth because they were convinced they knew everything they needed to know.

How had Eva managed to deal with them for so long?

There was a hint of fire in his eyes as he lifted his head to meet Polaris's stare. He couldn't be sure who said that last part, but something made him want to believe it was the scar ridden Kyren standing before him.

"They're only our enemy because Eva rescued your young."

It was a half-truth, but Jason didn't care. Eventually, this army would have turned their attention to the Trateri but not before they were stronger. It was Eva's actions that started this.

And that lay at the Kyren's hooves.

Seeing the resistance on the faces of those around him, Jason knew he'd lost. Emotion surged before he suppressed it again. One last ditch attempt. There was no reason not to.

The last of his walls crumbled, leaving his inner self exposed and vulnerable. Everything he felt and thought out there for them to judge and criticize.

"All I want is to save her. Please help me do that."

There it was. His last plea.

A part of Jason was afraid to look up for fear the Kyren would be gone. He mentally prepared himself for what would come when he raised his gaze and found himself alone.

If that was the case, fuck the Kyren. If they wouldn't help, he would get back on Caia and ride until he found someone or something who would.

Fate placed obstacles in people's paths. Impossible walls that seemed insurmountable when standing at their base. Caden and Eva had taught Jason that when that happened, you didn't give up and go home. You bludgeoned those walls until they caved. You beat yourself bloody until nothing but rubble stood between you and what you wanted.

The Kyren wanted to play neutral. Fine. He wasn't giving up. He would fight until his last.

Just as he was preparing to stand, a soft nose nudged his hair. Thinking it was Caia offering comfort, he raised his face to find a petite sorrel Kyren looking down at him with a wise gaze.

"Very well. We will help you," Brisa said.

Jason's ears buzzed as his eyes locked on the sorrel's. Was this a dream?

It felt like one.

Caia ruined the moment by reaching forward and nipping Jason's back, hard. A high-pitched sound escaped him as he tried to knock her loose, the mare holding on for one second longer as if to make sure he knew she only released him because she wanted to.

She withdrew her teeth, her expression saying he deserved it and more.

Jason touched the bite mark. Pain radiated from it.

The sorrel made a thoughtful sound.

"What is it?" Jason asked, forgetting Caia's actions.

"Talia doesn't think that horse is normal either. She says she can sense an ancient bloodline in her. She's smarter than she should be."

"Is that your name? Talia?"

The Kyren's head bobbed up and down.

Jason touched his heart and bowed. "My name is Jason."

The moment was broken as he glimpsed movement out of the corner of his eye. He danced to the side, evading Caia's bite. "Alright, alright. We're going. Don't get your tail in a knot."

Eva twisted her wrists back and forth, gritting her teeth against the pain as the rope scraped at her skin. There was a slick, wet feeling under her bonds where her skin had ripped.

Eva ignored the blood, more interested in the faint give that hadn't been there before.

It'd be a while before she managed to loosen it enough for her to slip out, but it was something. Not that she could go anywhere even if she did get free.

There were far too many men standing between her and the cave's entrance. They'd catch her long before she escaped.

Her only option was to bide her time and hope they dropped their guard.

When they did, she wanted to be ready.

Hushed whispers from the mouth of the cave attracted her attention.

"Where are they? They should have returned by now."

Eva paused in her movements, holding still as one of those talking looked her way.

She glanced down, trying to seem defeated. If they knew she hadn't given up, they would watch her much closer.

It wasn't hard to pretend to be cowed. Eva's body shivered from her wet clothes, the cool damp of the cave not helping.

She knew she looked bedraggled. Her hair trailed over her shoulder, half out of her braid.

Her clothes were muddy and ripped from all the falls she'd had. There was also blood staining their front—from Drake and Brisa.

All in all, Eva had seen better days.

"We should end her. She's too dangerous to keep alive and she'll just slow us down." The blond sent a hard look in her direction.

"The Whisperer wants her alive."

Eva assumed he was the leader because of the way the others seemed to defer to him. He had an apathetic look on his face as if he didn't really care one way or the other what happened to Eva as long as it didn't interfere with his plans.

His eyes were dead when he looked at her. "He has plans for her."

Eva couldn't help but shiver at his gaze, his expression making her blood run cold.

Mythologicals might have been thought of as monsters by generations of those living in the Broken Lands but Eva was of the mind this man was something far worse.

"The Whisperer has been waiting for you," he said, speaking directly to Eva.

The mood in the cave changed.

Eva had been stared at by predators before and called some of the deadliest her friends. None of them sent fear whispering across the back of her mind like these people did.

What was scarier was the look of pleasure on their leader's face as he noted her discomfort.

"Who are you talking about?" Eva forced herself to ask as the man crouched in front of her.

Eva's instincts screamed at her to get away from him. There was something she couldn't put her finger on about him. Something awful.

"Don't you remember me? I remember you."

Eva fought not to show any fear. There was a voice in her head that said if she did, things would go very badly for her.

She forced herself not to look away, keeping her eyes trained on his face. There was nothing familiar about him. He was a stranger she would have sworn she only met today.

"Perhaps if I do this." He closed his eyes and when he opened them again something was different.

He no longer read as human. Darkness lurked deep inside, hidden until now. It was a much larger patch than was present in these others. So big that almost nothing of the man's original self remained.

Her breathing sped up as that darkness reached for her.

"Now you remember," he whispered.

"What are you?" she forced through numb lips.

The man rubbed his forefinger and thumb together as he considered her. "Something old and forgotten."

There was a tone to his voice that told Eva she was no longer speaking to the body's owner. Whatever bargain he'd made with the darkness allowed it to use him like a puppet.

Eva's heart sped up as she tried to remain in control.

"I was like you once. A Caller. I was imprisoned many ages before the mythologicals were betrayed and bound to that place." He looked around. "Not much has changed."

Eva's eyes followed him as he stood. "If you're a Caller, why are you doing this?"

The puppet laughed. "Because it's fun—and I like power."

Eva paused.

He arched an amused eyebrow at her. "Were you not expecting such a simple answer? You must have felt it yourself. The potential for more."

Eva pressed her lips together as his stare held hers.

"No matter. You'll learn," he said when she didn't answer.

"You're not going to win." She tried to hold on to that belief.

Even if she died here, there were still the Trateri and Caden. Others would stop him.

One corner of the puppet's lips raised. "Maybe if I didn't have you. It's going to be fun corrupting you until you lead me, of your own free will, to the mythologicals and those humans who are special."

I won't. Eva kept the words locked deep in her heart.

She had to play this smart. He would hurt her when he realized she wasn't going to cooperate. Truthfully, he was probably going to hurt her anyway, but she'd delay it as long as she could.

A man entered the cave. "Neil, there's movement in the hills where we left our tracks. The Trateri are massing."

The puppet drew back. "Right on time."

The puppet's eyes changed as his master faded, leaving Neil's dead gaze behind. He headed for the mouth of the cave, the rest of his followers falling into step behind him.

All but one, the man who'd delivered the message. The stranger sent a probing look Eva's way.

"Today, we excise a piece of the infection from our lands," Neil preached.

There was an avid look on the faces of those watching him. An obsession that made Eva's skin crawl.

She was quiet as she studied them. She opened her senses, thinning the mental wall Polaris had coached her to make, while still keeping it raised.

Darkness pressed in on her, making her want to vomit. The majority of those in front of Eva contained small patches of darkness that spread throughout their bodies. A cancer they didn't realize was eating them from the inside out.

Only a few were free of taint—including the man who'd brought the message.

There was a roar from those present as Neil finished.

"What do we do with the woman?" the blond from before asked.

Neil cast a look Eva's way. "Whatever you want as long as she's alive in the end."

Eva controlled her breathing as the leader took the majority of the men with him, leaving only three behind—the messenger from before among them.

Eva gave a hard wrench of her wrists, feeling her stomach leap as one hand slipped half free. It was aided by the blood now coating her hands.

She didn't have time to rejoice as two of the men prowled in her direction, their chuckles making her skin crawl.

"What do you think we should do to her first?" the darker haired of the two asked.

Eva didn't react as she finished sliding one hand free. She held onto the rope once her hand was out, not wanting to give anything away.

Cautiously, she scooted the boot that contained her hidden dagger closer to her right hand.

She leaned to the side, keeping her eyes on the men as the blond reached for his belt.

"I say we have a little fun."

Eva was almost calm as they moved toward her. It looked like all those forced lessons with Caden were going to come in handy.

She bit her lip, assessing her opponents. Taking down three men would be tough. She'd have to be quick. Take advantage of their surprise and act before they could recover.

There was one good thing about being caught by these people—they weren't Trateri. It meant they likely weren't warriors.

She had a chance. She just had to believe it.

Eva palmed the dagger, sliding it slowly out of her boot as the man stopped in front of her.

Look all you want, she told him silently. It'll be the last thing you see.

A gurgle followed by something large hitting the cave floor distracted the man as he turned.

Eva saw her chance.

She thrust her dagger toward the man’s inner thigh. Caden had told her that area contained an artery that would make her victim bleed out quickly. And if she failed, she would have at least damaged her opponent's mobility, giving her a chance to run.

A scream told her she'd succeeded in at least causing the other man pain. She yanked the dagger out, dodging his backhanded swing in the next second.

She scrambled to her feet, ready to stab him again.

She never got the chance as a hand reached around his throat, drawing a knife across it in a thin, red line.

Surprised eyes met hers as the man clutched at his throat. Blood ran like rivulets beneath his hand as he lowered himself to his knees and then his side.

Eva didn't know what was going on or why the messenger had killed his fellow soldiers.

She clutched the dagger in her hand and readied herself to attack.

The man arched an impressed eyebrow at the body. "The femoral artery. Nice choice. Caden teach you that?"

twenty-four

Distracted as she was by Caden's name—and the fact he knew Caden had been the one to teach her what part of the body to stab to inflict maximum damage—she didn't forget to lash out when the stranger reached for her.

He eased back with his hands held up, palms facing her in a gesture meant to suggest he wasn't a threat.

Hah. Like Eva was dumb enough to believe that after he'd just killed two men without blinking.

"Who are you?"

The man pursed his lips and dropped his hands. "Ever heard of the Horse Clan?"

She had. Rumors anyway. A lot of people claimed the Horse Clan were where Fallon's most talented spies originated from.

None of it was substantiated of course.

If he wasn't affiliated with the Trateri in some way, it was unlikely he would have known about any of that. Eva only knew because of her relationship with Caden.

The man flashed a crooked smile. "Whatever rumors you've heard are probably true."

Eva narrowed her eyes, not sure she believed him. It was all just a little too convenient.

"You're telling me you're a spy."

Not just a spy, but a member of a clan known for its skill in subterfuge and intelligence gathering.

Eva didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The man's lips twisted. "Yeah. My name's Phillip—and I just broke my cover so we might want to get out of here before they realize those men are dead."

Eva didn't move as he headed for the mouth of the cave, taking a look outside.

"I'm not sure entirely why or how but they share some sort of link. They're aware of things happening in other places. It's only a matter of time—if they don't know already."

Eva nodded slowly. Those patches of darkness likely acted as a network of some sort. What one knew, the rest would learn in short order.

"How do I know you are who you say you are?"

Phillip nodded toward the bodies. "They're not a good enough indicator?"

He had a point.

What was more, embedding a spy in the enemy's ranks was exactly the sort of thing Fallon and Caden would do.

"Fine. Do you have a plan?" Eva asked, resigning herself to the inevitable for the moment.

"We run." Phillip ducked out of the cave entrance.

"Great plan. Why didn't I think of that?"

Eva reluctantly followed, stepping out of the cave onto a small ledge with a path leading down to the valley below. Firs and pines dotted the land.

Phillip's walk was close to a run as he picked his way down the rocky path, careful not to twist his ankle.

Eva started after him.

Although the rain had stopped, the rocks were still slippery. Water pooled in depressions, making the task even more difficult.

"Before you were captured, do you know if Caden had sent scouts out?" Phillip called over his shoulder.

Preoccupied with checking the footing, Eva almost missed the question. "Why do you ask?"

Eva couldn't help but be suspicious. Who was to say this wasn't a ruse designed to find out the Trateri's secrets?

Phillip stopped and looked back at her. "Shea Halloran has a tell when she lies. She gets a pissed off look on her face and she's more likely to make eye contact."

Eva frowned at him as she slowed.

"She also hates being corrected though she pretends she doesn't," Phillip continued.

"Why are you telling me this?"

He gave her a look that told her not to play games with him. "We're only going to survive if you trust me."

Eva considered him. That was easy to say; difficult to do.

Every friend she had was someone who'd gone through countless trials with her. Ollie. Jason.

She didn't just wake up one day and think it was a good idea to put her faith in them. No, they'd proven themselves time and again.

Now here was this man asking her for something he hadn't earned.

He might as well have asked for the stars.

The kicker, however, was that he had a point. It would be difficult for them to survive if she questioned every word out of his mouth.

Moreover, everything he'd said about Shea was correct.

Seeing that his words had made her think, Phillip started down again, but not without one last parting shot.

"Also, Caden has a scar right here." He tapped a place on his shoulder, shooting Eva a perceptive smile. "I should know because I'm the one who gave it to him."

Eva stumbled, eyeing the other man with caution.

Damn it. Caden did have a scar exactly where he indicated.

The observations about Shea were one thing. The Battle Queen was a popular figure who drew attention wherever she went.

It would be difficult but not impossible to gather information on her.

Caden was another thing entirely. He existed in the shadows. The best advantage for a man like that was secrets.

The only way Phillip could have known about that scar was if he knew Caden.

It wasn't enough for Eva to fully trust Phillip, but it did make her relax her guard. Just a little.

"A pathfinder and a few Trateri scouts were watching our back trail," Eva volunteered.

"Which scouts?" Phillip asked.

Eva paused when they reached the bottom of the incline as she tried to decide whether sharing such information could endanger the lives of those involved.

"Roscoe and Ghost," Eva admitted.

Phillip looked back at her in surprise. "Fiona with them?"

Eva eyed him. "I don't know."

Phillip's face grew thoughtful. "My guess is she was. She's the only one who can make them listen to reason."

"You know them?" Eva finally asked.

Phillip's mouth twitched. "You could say that."

The answer made Eva believe his words a little bit more. His knowledge of the Trateri was too detailed for a throwaway.

"Those three are crazy. If we can find them, our situation will be a lot better," Phillip said.

"That's a big if."

Trying to locate a small group in these mountains was the equivalent of throwing a dagger and expecting to kill a red back.

Impossible.

"You got a better plan?" Seeing her expression, Phillip smirked. "I didn't think so."

He set out again, moving toward the copse of firs.

Eva lingered. "You know Caden told me the person who gave him that wound was an idiot who failed to listen to instructions."

Phillip's head whipped toward Eva. "He did not."

This time it was Eva's turn to give him a smug smile as she moved past him into the trees.

"It was his fault," Phillip insisted.

"That's not what he says," Eva sang.

Phillip scowled as he took the lead again, jogging through the trees at a pace just shy of a sprint.

They only made it a few feet when a roar shook the branches, coming from the direction of the cave.

Phillip's expression was grim as they both looked back. "Guess we don't have to wonder when they'll realize you're missing."

No, because they already knew.

"I was hoping we'd be a little further away before this happened," Phillip told her.

Eva too, if she was being honest.

"This way," Phillip said as he raced through the trees, Eva following as best she could.

He didn't look back as he headed for higher ground. Probably hoping to find terrain that wouldn't allow the others to ride them down with their horses.

Unfortunately, the enemy had the same thought as they worked to cut them off from the ridgeline and force them deeper into the valley.

Phillip cursed and changed course.

Eva's lungs burned as she sprinted after Phillip, the crash of underbrush behind them spurring her faster.

Their pursuers weren't far.

Phillip and Eva burst through the tree line, coming to a stop.

A large lake with water so crystal clear that they could see the bottom lay before them.

Eva fought to catch her breath as Phillip turned in a circle.

"We'll have to cut across. They'll catch us if we try to go around," he said, coming back to her. "Can you swim?"

Eva chanced a look at the lake. "Yes."

Even if she couldn't, she would have answered the same. Better to chance the water than risk certain capture.

Phillip grabbed her hand, leading Eva into the water. "Hold on to me."

Eva braced herself against the cold as the water closed around her ankles. The day was already chilly from the storm and the lack of sun made it worse.

Add in the mountain lake, fed primarily from snowmelt and Eva could already feel her lips turning blue.

They waded in; Phillip's hand tight around hers as they moved into the shallows. The lake climbed up her legs until she was hip deep.

Eva fixed her eyes on the treeline on the opposite shore. She just needed to make it there.

Finally, the lake grew too deep to wade. They had to swim.

Eva's movements were awkward as she stroked toward the other side. A flash in the water drew her attention down.

Recognition shot through her at the sight of the massive skeleton resting on the lakebed. This was the lake she'd flown over with Sebastian on their way to the herd lands.

Noticing her distraction, Phillip looked back at her. "I see it too. Whatever that creature was, it's long dead."

Eva nodded, choosing not to point out that while the creature was dead whatever had killed it might not be. To say nothing of any descendants it might have had.

The journey passed excruciatingly slowly until finally Eva's feet touched the lakebed again.

They waded forward, the shore only a few dozen feet away when Phillip stopped.

Eva lifted her head to see what had caused the halt and felt a sense of dread swamp her as several horses bearing riders stepped out of the tree line.

"They were herding us the entire time," Phillip snarled.

Neil's horse carried him to the edge of the lake, the waves lapping at his horse’s hooves. There were no threats or recriminations as he stared at them with an enigmatic expression that was somehow terrifying.

Emotion was a defining characteristic of humans. It fueled every action, both good and bad.

Yet Eva saw no sign of anything in the other man. He was a blank canvas the Whisperer used for his own purposes.

"What is that?" Phillip whispered as a dark cloud rose from the trees.

Buzzing pierced Eva's defenses, making her flinch and raise her hands in a futile effort to block out the noise.

It wasn't a sound she was hearing but rather the voices of a thousand minds.

Pain split her temples even as she struggled to raise her barriers the way Polaris had taught her. The onslaught abated just a little.

"It's the swarm," she said, her eyes on the thousands of cicadas.

Bright red fur moving through the trees captured Eva's attention. She forgot about the swarm and the enemies in front of her as the fire fox trotted to the edge of the shoreline not far from the enemy horses.

The fire fox took a seat. There was a playful look on his face as he tilted his head, as if asking what she was waiting for.

Eva didn't know why she was able to understand what he wanted. Only that she did. It was as if the knowledge had always been there. Floating just out of reach, simply waiting for her to acknowledge it.

The fire fox's gaze was patient as he shot a meaningful look at her hand. The action made Eva conscious of the smooth metal clutched in her palm.

Its shape was familiar. The ring sphere from the Kyren's cave. The same ring she thought she felt when on the mountain top.

This moment took on an air of inevitability. As if everything that had been before was building to this time and place. Every step she'd taken. Every decision she'd made.

All so that she could stand in this spot.

Eva opened her palm; the gold seemed to wink at her.

There was a snick as the ring unfurled into a sphere, the metal almost liquid as the runes danced across its surface.

Eva lifted her head, somehow knowing what the fire fox expected.

The spot where he sat was empty, as if he'd never been there.

Still feeling as if the world was moving slowly around her, she glanced at Phillip's face, noting the tension. The calculation as he totaled their odds of escape. The anger as he realized there was none.

He shoved her back and stepped in front of her.

Her attention moved on, flitting to Neil's face and the conviction that lay there. He had won, and he knew it.

Eva inhaled, shutting her eyes and blocking out everything around her. She threw her senses wide.

A lake unlike the one they stood in appeared in front of her, its surface glassy and calm. A patch of darkness loomed over the lake's surface, threatening to engulf her in its depths.

Eva ignored it, concentrating on the light right in front of her. Phillip's presence unfurled; his soul untainted. Not even the smallest of specks of darkness present.

Her eyes opened. She knew what she had to do. A part of her had always known. She'd simply been too afraid of what she might become to accept it.

Feeling as if she was standing outside of herself, Eva threw the spherical ring into the air before her face.

She blinked, the movement seeming to happen at a crawl. Once. Then twice.

A door opened deep in her soul. Out of it boiled mist.

The sphere caught the mist, almost as if it was channeling it from that imaginary place into the real world.

Eva reached for Phillip's hand as her gaze lifted one last time to Neil's.

There was an avid look on his face that made Eva's blood run cold. His lips curved up right as a bank of the mist swept in front of her.

Time stuttered, then stopped as the mist enveloped them.

Phillip's breathing was the only sound in the silence. Slightly fast as he faced a phenomenon the Trateri had learned to respect.

In the distance, there was a disturbance in the mist as it sent ripples spreading outward.

Eva steeled herself as the mist receded, leaving them standing in the bowl Sebastian had brought her to a few days earlier.

Phillip let go of Eva, turning in a circle. "Where are we? What just happened?"

Eva's gaze was calm as she watched him. "This is the Kyren's home."

One of them at least.

Phillip's eyes were wide when he finally looked back at her. "Are you telling me you brought me to the Kyren's herd lands?"

Eva inclined her chin.

A sound had the two of them looking up as Orion walked toward her, his eyes containing a knowledge Eva was only now touching upon.

Caller.

Eva bowed her head. "Herd Lord."

You found your way.

"Yes." But now Eva almost wished she hadn't.

She could feel the Whisperer nearing. His presence growing large in her mind as he followed their path through the mist.

She'd led the creature to the very mythologicals she'd hoped to protect.

Orion's gaze followed hers to the seething mass of mist behind her. Your task isn't done.

"I know."

She needed to destroy the creature. End it so this couldn't happen again. The only problem was that Eva was at a loss on how to make that happen.

Killing the Whisperer's current host was one thing, but what was to say he wouldn't find another and begin again.

There was no shortage of Lowland and Highlanders angry at the Trateri. As long as the creature tapped into their desires, there would be no end. The Trateri would have to fight a constant battle.

Eventually, they would lose.

"I don't know how to stop the darkness," Eva confessed.

Phillip started, looking between Eva and Orion. "Is something coming?"

Yes, you do.

Not getting an answer, Phillip muttered a curse and drew his blade before facing the mist with a ready stance.

Orion's gaze was knowing as it held Eva's.

Slowly, she nodded. The ancestral lands.

Their call was growing deafening as they told her everything would be fine if she could lead the Whisperer there.

"I'll do it," she promised Orion.

Approval shone in his gaze.

Eva started for the mist then stopped. There was one last thing she had to do before she went off to do battle with an ancient entity.

"Protect them for me."

If she didn't come back, she wanted assurances that the people she left behind would be fine.

Orion bowed his head. Consider it done.

Phillip took his attention from the mist, watching the two of them with suspicion. "What are you talking about?"

Eva didn't answer as she walked toward the mist.

Alarmed, Phillip tried to catch her arm. "What are you doing? Answer me."

"Those people made a bargain with the Whisperer. He's now trying to come here. I have to stop him in a place he can't easily leave."

Phillip frowned in confusion. "Why you?"

Eva didn't answer as she looked over her shoulder at Orion's expectant gaze. "Because I'm the Caller, and this is one of my responsibilities."

Phillip watched her silently for a long moment before he scrubbed a hand down his face in frustration. "Why do I always get stuck with the strange ones?"

Eva paused on the mist's border. "But we're the ones who make things interesting."

Before he could answer, a person tried to push out of the mist.

Eva was ready, laying one hand on the creature's arm. The mist swallowed them in the next second.

When it receded, their surroundings had changed to a vast plain, mountains far in the distance. The tall grass reached to her waist under a violet-tinged sky. Butterflies took to the air, dancing on the wind currents.

It was a place Eva had only ever visited in her dreams. The ancestral lands.

Eva let go of the Neil-shaped monster, allowing him to stumble away as she took in this place. Peace settled in her soul as a Kyren joined her.

"Orion?"

The Neil puppet raised his arms to the sky. "Finally. I found my way back."

It's been a long time.

The Neil puppet went still, his face twisting with ugliness as he spat at Orion. "Kyren."

What do you call yourself these days? Orion asked.

"The Whisperer," Eva said, answering for him.

Rather appropriate, I suppose. Our stories suggest you always were good at luring your victims with promises of greatness. They never realized agreeing would give you a permanent hold over them.

The Whisperer snorted. "Do you think I care what you think? I stand in the seat of your power. When I leave, nothing will stand in my way."

Time has faded your memory. This place will not allow any piece of you to leave. When you die here, you die forever, Orion said.

The Whisperer lifted a shoulder, unaffected. "No matter. My copies can carry out my work in my place."

Eva's heart thumped as he voiced the thing she was worried about. How do you kill something that can separate itself and replicate as needed?

Maybe you could if you hadn't had to recall all those pieces to breach the Caller’s mist so you could follow her to our herd lands. Orion seemed very certain as Eva's gaze darted to him.

The Whisper's jaw tightened. "I suppose you're right, and if you could actually step foot in these lands without her permission, I'd be worried."

The Whisperer leaned down, picking up a rock as Orion held motionless. He straightened and chucked it at the Kyren, smiling as the rock passed through Orion's image and landed on the ground behind him.

The Whisperer smiled. "But you're not really here, because no Kyren can step foot in this place without human intervention. Only those the Caller deems worthy. It's penance for your greed when your kind killed your Caller all those years ago."

The Whisperer's gaze moved to Eva as a dark light filled his eyes.

"I'm going to enjoy hurting you—and there's nothing he can do to help you."

He started for her as Eva crouched, sliding her hand toward the dagger in her boot.

"Another wave is coming from the ridge," a Trateri yelled from Caden's left as riders massed on the high ground.

"I guess they got tired of their ambushes," Van said, riding up beside Caden.

Impatience thrummed in Caden at another delay as he wheeled his horse to face the oncoming threat. "Archers—to the ready."

Van helped Chirron slide to the ground. "Stay to the rear where it's safe."

Chirron gave him a look. "I can take care of myself."

Van's eyebrow lifted slightly. "I remember."

The response drew a small smile from the healer. "Take care of yourself."

"Always." Van straightened, his attention turning to those on the ridge as he pulled his blade from the scabbard on his saddle. His horse danced in place as he sent a look toward Caden. "It's been a while since we fought together."

Caden pulled his sword free with a graceful motion. "See if you can keep up."

All those who could still ride assembled in a line next to them. Spearmen to the front. Archers behind.

They awaited Caden's order as they eyed the opposing army as it began its descent. The riders plunged down the ridge toward them in a huge wave, their lines scattered and disorganized.

Those Trateri next to Caden gripped their weapons, their gazes steely and determined. They were better trained but far outnumbered.

"Lion—we feast," Van roared and pointed at the oncoming riders.

A thunderous cry answered him as a line of his warriors shot forward. Van threw his head back with a howl, a mad laugh leaving him.

"See you on the other side," he shouted at Caden as he and his horse charged the enemy.

Caden controlled Nell's instinct to follow. "Archers—nock arrows."

The spearmen lowered their spears toward the enemy as the archers behind them set arrows to strings.

"Archers—draw."

The sound of bows being drawn came and the air seemed to tremble under the Trateri's anticipation.

"Loose!"

A volley of arrows flew over the heads of Van and his men, the sound of their passage quiet yet oddly loud despite the clamor of the battle.

Bodies fell as arrows found their mark.

"Again," Caden shouted as the men and women around him followed their training, resetting. "Loose."

Another volley followed the first. Then there was no more time as Van's charge got too close to the enemy's ranks.

The two forces collided with an audible crunch.

"Second wave of riders," Caden called, the Trateri already preparing for his command. "Follow me."

Nell surged forward, taking the lead as the spear men broke into a sprint, the rest following in their wake.

The moments passed in a chaotic blur as Caden cut his way through enemy ranks.

Blood flew, his arm eventually growing tired. At one point he found himself on the ground, fighting his way forward.

Finally, he spotted Van in the pandemonium, the Lion Clan leader's face a mask of gore.

"They just keep coming," Van told him.

"Then we'll keep cutting them down."

Caden refused to call a retreat. There was no place to go. If they withdrew now, the enemy would hunt them through these hills, killing them off slowly.

They held here. To the last Trateri if need be.

Van nodded, the knowledge that they might not make it out of here on his face as he shifted his grip on his sword. "What a way to go."

Caden's smile was savage as he killed another.

"Look! Up there!"

The cry was repeated, and the tide of the battle shifted as those around them took note of the sky. Caden looked up, finding several shapes growing rapidly as they arrowed toward the ground.

Van paused in a beheading. "I'll be damned. It's the Kyren."

"Jason," Caden murmured, spotting the boy on the back of a sorrel-colored Kyren.

His gaze searched the rest of the Kyren, not finding the woman he loved.

Sebastian landed on an enemy close by, breaking his neck before trampling him under his feet.

"Where's Eva?" Caden shouted.

The Kyren lifted his head and snorted. He bucked his hind legs, hitting a man behind him and caving in his chest.

Caden took in the blood dotting his mouth and hooves from his countless victims. The Kyren must have spent time killing some of the enemy before finding Caden.

Was he ambushed or did he see the enemy and decide to work off some frustration?

"Did you bring them?" Caden asked, pointing as the Kyren engaged with the enemy.

Sebastian shook his head, sending his mane flying.

Caden took another look at the unexpected allies as one Kyren swooped down on an enemy rider, plucking him off his horse and then rising high into the air before dropping the man.

A scream followed the man's sharp plunge before being abruptly cut off.

"I don't care who brought them," Van said, grabbing someone by the head and wrenching. There was a sharp crack before the person fell to the ground, dead. "They're saving our asses."

Caden looked around at the now one-sided battle.

It wasn't just Kyren among the reinforcements. Tenrin had joined their ranks, cackling gleefully as they dealt with the opposing army.

A pocket of calm opened around Caden as he watched the flow of the battle.

A Kyren landed not far from him carrying Jason, and the Tenrin girl who'd somehow managed to stick herself to Eva.

"Caden, they have Eva," Jason yelled.

Everything in Caden went still, the world ground to a halt. Caden's chest felt tight as he fought to draw a ragged breath. His ears buzzed as he tried to reconcile Jason's words.

The scene in front of him wavered. Eva was his compass. She made the air in his lungs worth breathing.

If she was gone, all this ceased to matter. He ceased to matter.

The Tenrin girl leaned over Jason's shoulder. "Do not fret, dangerous human. Sebastian says there's still a chance."

The vise locked around Caden's chest loosened, allowing him to draw breath.

This was the time to be the most Caden he'd ever been. The Warlord's vicious wolf, primed to savage those who touched what belonged to him.

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

"You will have to venture to a place that will change you," the girl warned as Caden started for Sebastian.

As Eva's friend, the Kyren was the most invested in her wellbeing, and with his wings Caden was betting he could fly him wherever they needed to go.

"Wait, don't you want to know the rest?" the Tenrin called at his back.

"It doesn't matter."

The Tenrin grumbled behind him. "Are all humans this impetuous?"

"Just the best ones," Jason answered.

Caden ignored the two as he set a hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "If you bite or drop me, I will have my revenge when this is over."

The Kyren's stare was silent as he glared at Caden.

One side of Caden's mouth hitched up. "Good. I'm glad we understand each other."

That way if there was a problem, Sebastian wouldn't be able to blame Caden later.

"Talia wishes you luck," the girl called as Caden mounted.

Caden didn't respond as he focused on a point between Sebastian's ears, his fear of heights no longer a concern in the face of Eva's situation.

Sebastian didn't wait for Caden to fully settle before launching himself into the air. He swooped over the battlefield, dodging stray arrows from the enemy's side as he gained altitude.

A bank of mist swirled over the mountains, heading straight for them.

Caden flattened himself to Sebastian's back and held on. He squinted as wind and small dots of precipitations lashed his face.

Into the storm once again, Caden thought.

Only this time the fury wasn't a product of humans but rather something much more dangerous.

twenty-five

It was hard not to act like prey when Eva's instincts screamed at her to get away from the man in front of her. One of the first lessons she'd learned from both the herd and mythologicals was not to make yourself seem like an easy target.

Fear was the ultimate killer. It drew attention.

Right now, Eva could sense the pleasure the Whisperer took in her terror. He soaked it in, using it to grow stronger.

With effort, Eva tamped down on her emotions. Her breathing slowed as she forced her pulse to steady.

Maybe she'd die in the next few seconds, but she definitely would if she didn't get a hold of herself.

It was hard—especially when the puppet and his master no longer read as quite human in her senses. They were a hybrid: mythological and man. But that wasn't quite it either.

The darkness inside was too big. Like standing in front of a galaxy, unable to pinpoint the star you needed.

She'd never sensed anything quite like it. Old didn't cover it. This felt like something that had crawled out of the birth of this world.

There was a physical repulsion that made Eva want to run and not stop until she found a safe place to hide.

Darkness forced itself against her barrier, threatening to crack it. Eva's stomach revolted as she bent to dry heave.

When she got control of herself again, she chanced a look up and wished she hadn't.

Darkness had spread to cover the puppet's entire body, blurring his face until all Eva saw was a figure created from shadow. Lights speckled his torso. Radiant and bright. Millions of them. A glowing red stream ran from where his heart should be and down his center.

Humanity had always been attracted to light and what it represented. Warmth and life. Without it there would be nothing.

Yet the shimmers of light inside him radiated a sense of wrongness that made Eva wish she was a little girl, able to hide from the monster at her door by pulling her covers over her head.

"Ahh—you see me. Am I not beautiful?"

Eva heard the voice with both her mind and ears as she stumbled back.

"What are you doing to Neil?"

"He wanted to be special, so I made him special. I make them all special."

"You made him myein." Eva swallowed against the knot in her throat, forcing herself not to back away.

"Is that what they're calling it in this age?"

Your bargains are poison. They always have been.

"Quiet, Kyren. You have no place here." The Whisperer's darkness frothed as Orion lapsed back into silence.

"Why do you want the herd lands?" Eva asked.

There was something in his actions that said he'd been manipulating things, trying to drive the situation to this moment and this place.

But why?

He was powerful on his own. Far more powerful than any creature Eva had encountered.

All he needed to do was feed off those weak enough to give him access and he could live forever.

"I left something here. I wish to retrieve it."

Lie. At least partly.

"I don't believe you."

A rattling laugh came. The Whisperer's outline became more distinct with every second they spent in this place.

He was deriving strength from his surroundings, far more than he had from his victims. They were like drops of water to a parched man's throat, while these lands were a bountiful lake.

The Whisperer lifted a hand to indicate their surroundings. "Look around you. What do you think this place is?"

Eva was reluctant to take her eyes off the Whisperer, knowing the moment she did so he would take advantage.

Still, temptation proved too great. Her gaze darted to take in the meadow, noting odd shimmers in several places. A few taking on vague shapes, letting Eva pick out the presence of horns. Wings.

Do not forget he is a liar, Orion said in a steady voice.

"It's a place of pure power," the Whisperer hissed. "Ask yourself—why did the Kyren not help you? They knew where my army was the entire time. Why did they not destroy them before they killed your precious Trateri?"

The Whisperer stalked closer as Eva edged back. She tried not to listen, beginning to see why he was called the Whisperer. It was hard to resist the logic behind his argument. Many of his questions were those Eva had tried not to ask herself.

"It's not their fight," Eva responded.

"Are you sure about that?"

Though his face was still covered in darkness, Eva got the impression of a smile.

"They are the ones who put me in that hole. Eternity spent locked away in darkness and despair. If not for them, would I have targeted the Trateri?"

Eva stopped, her gaze lifting to Orion's.

His words made a lot of sense. Everything started with the Kyren. If she hadn't gotten involved, would any of the others died?

The Whisperer circled Eva. "I was a Caller once. Like you. Only the Kyren didn't like how powerful I grew."

You tried to become a god. You had to be stopped before you corrupted everything.

The Whisperer sneered. "They cut me off from my source of power and locked me away because they couldn't kill me."

Eva stiffened as she finally made a connection. "This place."

"Indeed. This place. I bet the Kyren held you at a distance, telling you that you had to find this place to earn their respect."

Eva held silent as the Whisperer drew close.

"Do you know why? It's because this place changes you to be more like them."

A patch of darkness extended, caressing Eva's barrier as she flinched. It left behind a cold so deep and all-encompassing that her very soul quaked before it. Behind it, lay a greed for all the things it didn't have. Warmth and everything living.

It shook Eva from the spell the Whisperer was weaving. Made her see him for what he really was.

A leech.

If she allowed him to continue, he'd drain this place and the world beyond of everything that made it good.

Yes, the Kyren had played games with Trateri lives, but Eva trusted that there was a reason. And she was pretty sure she was looking at that reason.

Orion had said it when they first reached this place.

The Whisperer had to withdraw all the copies of himself in order to follow her here. He was vulnerable. Perhaps for the first time since the Kyren banned him from this place so long ago.

All of this had been a trap for the Whisperer. The Trateri and Eva were the bait.

Eva's grip around her hidden dagger threatened to loosen as the magnitude of things hit her. The Kyren were taking a monumental risk. If Eva failed to stop the Whisperer here, he would suck this place dry and spread, unchecked.

And here Eva had thought the Kyren considered her untalented. Instead, they'd placed all their expectations on her shoulders.

No pressure.

Only, she was outclassed and outmatched in every way. Even if the Whisperer had been an ordinary man, Eva would have been hard pressed to kill him.

He might not have been a warrior like Caden, but he was still stronger than Eva.

She should have known the Kyren would be the death of her.

A thread of amusement came to Eva from Orion. You are still thinking like a human. I never said you had to go through this trial alone, Caller.

The feel of the sphere ring coalesced in her hand. Eva squeezed it, a glimpse of Caden riding Sebastian flashing before her eyes. A plan grew.

It was risky. To succeed, she’d have to release her barrier. It would leave her vulnerable. Not just to death but to possession.

She could sense the Whisperer's desire. He wanted her body for his own. In her, he'd have everything he needed. Her power. A body that wouldn't break under his darkness.

Everything that was Eva would cease to be. He would be free to use her as he wished. She would be the new Neil. A puppet without a soul.

Eva closed her eyes, concentrating. It was this, or torture until he broke her enough to breech her barrier. Better to take a chance than go quietly.

Her barrier dropped and the Whisperer's darkness rushed toward her.

Eva reached, stretching for that presence just on the other side of the mist.

A spark flared to life. Another right beside it. Both reaching back for her.

Eva relaxed the iron grip she kept around her core. The part of herself she'd learned to fear when she was young. Strong and powerful, it carried the potential to lead her down the same dark paths the Whisperer had traveled.

Eva's power ripped free. Unfettered as it swept from her center in a great wave, arrowing for that spark like a homing pigeon that had finally found its destination.

That was the thing about paths. You didn't have to walk them to their conclusion. There were always opportunities to turn around and find a new way forward.

Yes, her abilities held the possibility of allowing her to become a monster like the one before her. But she didn't have to be a monster.

The Whisperer hadn't started out evil. He'd become that through countless choices.

Mist boiled out of the sky as Eva's lips curved, the Whisperer poised in front of her, ready to take her mind.

"Hello, lover. I missed you."

The Whisperer paused, his head whipping toward the mist as two figures plunged through it.

Sebastian's neck and forelegs were extended in a graceful dive, his wings propelling him forward. Caden clung to his back, sword drawn.

"That's not possible. How did you let them in here?" the Whisperer screamed.

Eva buried her dagger in his chest. Her grip slipped as it jolted, catching on bone. Pain sliced through her as she cut herself on the blade.

She steeled herself, putting her other hand on the hilt and trying to dig it even an inch deeper.

"You said it yourself. I'm the Caller. I can open the door or close it," Eva growled in his ear. "You should have stayed in your prison."

A piercing shriek made her ears ring as he reached for her. Eva swayed out of reach, abandoning her dagger.

Caden's sword swiped across the Whisperer's neck in the next second. Neil's head flew as the silhouette of the Whisperer wavered, his edges beginning to flake off.

Sebastian speared his horns through the Whisperer's chest before tossing his head and flinging the body to the side.

It flew, its limbs flopping as it hit the ground and rolled in much the same way its head had.

Caden and Sebastian circled what remained of the Whisperer, searching for any signs of life. Sebastian screamed and reared before dropping his front legs onto the corpse. He stomped before wheeling and kicking the body with his hooves.

That river of scarlet light and the stars it fed winked out, the darkness fading until only Neil's body remained.

It was over.

Sebastian spun, lifting his tail and shitting on the body.

"Is that really necessary?" Eva asked.

It felt like it. Yes.

"I will never understand you," Eva said.

You don't need to. You simply need to accept my greatness.

Eva made a derisive sound as Caden and Sebastian rode toward her.

Eva aimed a tired smile at Caden. "I had a feeling you'd come."

"Do you remember that time you said you feared I'd be bored not serving the Warlord?" Caden asked in a carefully controlled voice.

Eva paused. She did remember that conversation. It had happened just after he told her he planned to follow her to the herd lands.

She'd worried her life wouldn't have enough action in it for a warrior of Caden's caliber.

"In the future, I would like that boredom you promised me."

Caden's gaze was that of a man who'd been through hell and back. Who'd faced the demons that haunted his soul and fought them to a standstill.

Eva's expression softened. "I'll see what I can do."

Caden face relaxed somewhat as he looked around. "What is this place?"

Sebastian pranced under Caden as he shook his head to send his mane flying. We're in the ancestral lands. I never thought I'd stand here in real life. I've only seen it in dreams. It's so much more than I ever expected.

Caden's gaze dropped to the back of Sebastian's head as thoughts moved across his face. Eva didn’t comment on his odd expression. There were more pressing matters to address.

"I want an explanation," Eva told Orion.

Oh?

"I think I'm entitled to one, don't you?"

It wasn't that she believed everything the Whisperer had said, but there was enough truth in his words to raise questions.

That was how he caught his victims. By wielding the truth and twisting it just slightly. Enough to cause doubt.

"Was all this just so I could kill your enemy? Being named the Caller? This alliance?"

Had it all been a ruse to draw the Whisperer out of his hiding place?

Eva was tense as she waited for Orion's answer. She didn't know what she expected, but the truth would be nice.

Even if that truth wasn't one she wanted to hear.

No. Orion answered after what felt like an eternity. You were named Caller because that's what you are.

Eva held her breath, not quite sure whether she believed him or not.

She wanted to. More than anything, but there was this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that said he'd been using her this entire time.

All Callers go through trials. This was yours.

Eva lifted her chin. "And did I pass this trial?"

Amusement touched her. Yes.

Eva didn't know if that was enough. People had gotten hurt because of the Kyren. Many of whom she cared about. Others had died.

Orion started to turn and then paused. You've seen the result when the Kyren accept a Caller too easily. The Whisperer wasn't always the way he was now. There are stories of him from before that make it hard to believe what he became. Treat this as a cautionary tale of what happens when you lose yourself.

Part of Eva understood their caution.

What the Whisperer became would be a mental scar she carried with her for the rest of her life. Influencing every future decision for fear she'd follow his path.

Then there was this place.

She could feel the power in it. The changes it could so easily bring.

Already, their short time here was affecting them. Making each one of them a little bit stronger. She could see why it was so necessary to be careful of those you allowed to reach it.

Eva sighed, knowing the issue was more complicated than a few short words could untangle.

"What about the alliance?" she asked.

It will resume. This incident has proven they are not like other humans.

"Do you really think they will trust you after this? Some will argue you abandoned them."

And they'd be right.

Did we?

Eva's expression reflected her confusion.

Perhaps you should talk to your lover. Orion looked at Caden before walking away, his body fading from view.

Eva shook her head. "How did he do that?"

As the Herd Lord, he has a permanent connection to the ancestral lands. Like the rest of the Kyren, he can only visit in body at the Caller’s behest. His spirit, however, can come and go as he pleases.

Eva watched Caden carefully. "What did he mean about the Kyren not abandoning the Trateri?"

Caden looked preoccupied, distracted by their surroundings.

It was only after several seconds that he focused on Eva. "Exactly what he said. We were losing when the Kyren helped turn the tide of battle.”

Eva stared, not sure she'd heard correctly.

The Kyren had seemed pretty determined to break relations. Even if a few had disagreed, Eva wasn't sure it was enough to compel them to help when the Trateri needed them.

Caden's faint smile warmed his eyes. "A lot of it has to do with your apprentice and that Tenrin."

"Jason and Brisa?"

It wasn't that she doubted Jason. If she had to choose, he'd be the one she trusted to show the Kyren what humans were capable of.

He had a unique strength. It went beyond his physical capabilities to the very core of his personality. He was one of the few able to admit his wrongs and change his viewpoints when someone showed him the way.

What's more, courage formed the bedrock of his personality.

The Kyren would appreciate that, if nothing else.

It also helped that the man was as stubborn in his own way as Eva.

"It seems all that the Kyren and the Tenrin needed was a push in the right direction and a sacrifice on their Caller’s part."

Eva winced. "Jason told you."

She'd known Caden would be unhappy when he found out she’d sent Jason and Brisa to safety while she acted as a decoy.

"I heard a little." His dour tone showed how much he disapproved.

In his place, Eva would have felt the same. To know the person who held your heart allowed themselves to be taken by the enemy on purpose?

Yeah. It would take a long time for the sting of that to fade.

"I hope you will not do that again," Caden said, bending a look on her.

Eva attempted a smile. "Me too."

There couldn't be too many more close scrapes with danger before her luck finally ran out. It was best not to tempt fate.

Caden held out a hand to her. "Come. It's time to return."

Eva hesitated, taking one last look at the ancestral lands. A part of her wanted to linger. To stay here where the land and air welcomed her.

Sebastian lipped the hand that still held the ring. You can come back. It's not an either-or. The axis will allow you to come and go whenever you wish.

Eva opened her fist to see the ring lying cold and inert in her hand. "Why was the Whisperer so surprised to see Caden?"

In the heat of the moment, it had barely registered with Eva, but now it was all she could think about.

Sebastian looked uncertain. You should speak with your protector regarding that.

Eva's gaze drifted to Caden, having a feeling she already knew.

When the Kyren had brought Caden back from the brink of death, they'd changed him. She just hadn't known how until right this second. Whatever they'd done, Caden was no longer fully human. Just what he was, Eva didn't know. At least not all of it.

There is an old story in the herd—of those Callers whose companions were more than human. On occasion those companions would take up arms in defense of the herd and their loves.

"This is why you call him protector," Eva said.

Amusement danced in Sebastian's eyes. He does seem to fit the role.

Eva glanced at Caden, catching a glimpse of something that made her pause. There was a focused look on his face, as if he was listening to something.

"You can hear them?" Eva said, sounding sure.

Caden grabbed the hand she had raised to his, pulling her up in front of him. "A little."

Eva craned her head to look up at his face. "For how long?"

Caden's arms closed around Eva as Sebastian raced toward the sky.

"Not long. Their voices weren't clear before I arrived here. Just a buzzing I could almost hear."

The ancestral lands must have boosted his ability. It would be interesting to see if that effect lasted even when they left this place.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Eva asked, trying not to feel hurt.

"The same way you told me I died?"

Eva's mouth closed as guilt spread across her face. She looked away. "How did you know?"

He dropped his chin on her head. "Eva, alea na, death isn't exactly something you miss."

There was an edge of laughter in his voice that made Eva struggle to extract herself from his embrace.

"It would have been nice if you’d told me,” he chided gently, not letting her go. "I thought I was imagining things for a while."

Eva slumped against him. "I couldn't. They swore me to secrecy."

Which she was guessing no longer applied since he'd already figured it out.

Eva turned to face him. "They said they'd kill whoever I told. I wouldn't have kept it from you otherwise."

He framed her face with his hands, dropping a kiss onto her lips. "I understand."

Eva let herself sink into him, the kiss deepening until they were both breathless. When it was over, she hid her face in his neck as she leaned against him.

"How do you feel about this title they gave you?" she asked.

His chest rumbled under her ear. "I think it's quite appropriate since that's exactly what I am. Your protector."

His gaze was gentle as Sebastian aimed for the mist forming in the sky above.

"I will always protect you—and everything you love."

Their journey was short, the mist only lasting a short time before Sebastian broke through it. He flew until he found the valley where the Trateri had fought their battle.

Several warriors moved back and forth as they collected the dead and injured.

A glad cry went up as people caught sight of Eva and Caden on Sebastian's back.

Several people stood and waved. As they flew closer, Eva caught sight of Jason, Brisa trailing behind him slightly, as they raced for where Sebastian planned to land.

She had barely dismounted before both threw themselves into her arms. Eva stumbled, Sebastian's body behind her preventing her from falling.

I can't believe I left for such a short while and you managed to get yourself kidnapped, Sebastian grumbled.

"You're the one who decided to fly off in a huff. You can't complain," Eva said as Jason drew back, attempting to pretend he hadn't just tackled her.

You could have called for me.

Eva’s eyes narrowed at the unfair accusation. “I did. You didn’t answer.”

Sheepishness flooded through their bond. I forgot how much a storm like that can affect its surroundings. They’re rare, and it takes a powerful mind to cut through the noise. I didn’t realize until it was too late. By that time, I’d come across a group of suspicious humans who needed to be eliminated.

Eva could sense the smugness that came from that thought. Sebastian had enjoyed his fight. She didn’t know whether to pity the humans for being so unlucky or be glad he’d managed to eliminate some of the enemy.

I only figured out what had happened when I returned and saw signs of the attack. I never want to go through that again.

Brisa head butted Eva’s shoulder, distracting her from Sebastian. The Tenrin's wing was wrapped in white bandages, the arrow having been removed at some point.

Eva looked at Jason. "I hear you're the big hero. I wish I could have been there to see how you managed that."

It would have been quite the conversation, she was sure.

Jason flushed, his expression quickly turning insulted when Brisa nudged him out of the way.

The Tenrin pointed at her face, looking proud. "I was the one who translated for him. Didn't I do a good job?"

"Claiming credit for someone else's triumphs is below you, cousin," Ajari drawled as he made his way toward them.

To Eva's pleasant surprise, she found more than one Tenrin among those present. Even the Kyren had remained after the battle.

"I didn't expect you here," Eva said.

"I cannot help it if you misjudged the situation." Ajari's smile was playful even as his words were sharp enough to draw blood.

Eva didn't take offense, knowing that despite his harsh words he cared about her and the Trateri. That much was obvious in the way he'd maneuvered Brisa into following them.

"Did we accomplish what you were hoping for?" Eva asked.

There was a twinkle in Ajari's eye as he gave a small nod, running his gaze over the three groups present. "It's a start, but there's still a long way to go."

"Your confidence leaves me breathless," Eva said in a dry voice.

"It should, little rabbit," Ajari said as he turned to go. "Come, Brisa, the flock leader wishes to know why you disobeyed his instructions and involved yourself with the humans."

A look of betrayal settled on Brisa's face. "I thought you weren't telling him about this."

Ajari’s gaze was playful. "That was before you made such a big commotion. Getting yourself injured. Pleading the mouse's case with the Kyren. Convincing some of our more rebellious brethren to join the fight. Did you really think he wouldn't find out?"

"You promised."

"He doesn't get to keep promises that hide things concerning members of my own flock," Covath rumbled from their right.

The flock leader's gaze was locked on his cousin as she stared at the ground

"Say goodbye, cousin. You have things to answer for," Covath said.

Seeing the Tenrin named Merc, Covath gave him a nod. The Tenrin male approached Brisa with a tentative look on his face, holding out his arms.

Brisa hesitated. "Do I have to?"

Covath's expression was calm as he regarded her. "Yes."

Brisa's shoulders sagged as she dragged her feet toward Merc. He picked her up gently before launching them into the air.

To Eva's surprise, Covath didn't immediately follow.

"I heard what you did for my cousin," he said, meeting Eva's eyes. "I know what that could have cost you. You have my gratitude."

In his words, Eva sensed the hint of an apology. Probably the closest the flock leader would ever come to admitting he was wrong about humans.

At least some humans.

"She was my responsibility," Eva told him.

Just as Jason had been.

Covath's face held the same implacability it always had. Finally, he nodded. "I am beginning to see that you take your responsibilities seriously."

"I do."

"I will consider this."

Hope stirred.

For all their differences, Eva still believed they could still find a way forward. One that didn't involve the hate of the past.

"I hope you do that," Eva said.

Covath started to turn, before pausing to look at Caden. "She isn't the only one who impressed us today. Well fought, protector."

Caden sent the flock leader a respectful nod.

"Did I miss something?" Eva asked as Covath shot up, following the same path as Merc and Brisa.

Seeing his brother depart, Ajari disappeared into the crowd.

Caden drew Eva into his chest. "I think the flock leader respects strength."

Ah.

Looking around at the state of some of their enemies' bodies, Eva wasn't sure whether to be impressed or scared about that fact.

Talia pushed through the crowd, catching hold of Jason's shirt and dragging him back a few steps. She looked him over before nudging his chest, not stopping until Jason reached up to pat her nose with a nonplussed look on his face.

"What is going on?" he mouthed at Eva.

She shook her head. He was asking her? She had no idea.

Once Jason scratched the spot she wanted, Talia lifted her head and moved away. The child still requires extensive training if he wishes to be a true rider. Let him know when he reaches the herd lands that I will personally oversee his training.

Eva blinked. And then blinked again.

"Eva?" Jason prodded when she remained silent.

"I don't understand," Eva finally said.

It is simple. I am claiming this child as my rider. The first of the Kyren's riders.

Shock rendered Eva mute as she opened her mouth and closed it again.

Jason frowned at her. "What is she saying?"

Eva snapped back to herself. "She's claiming you as her rider."

There were murmurs around them as the Trateri got excited.

Jason didn't say anything, blinking rapidly as Talia moved toward Polaris and Danyon. "What—I don't—This is—"

Jason still hadn't found his voice as Polaris's gaze settled on Eva.

Orion instructs you to bring your humans home once your wounded can be moved. It will be the safest place for them.

Eva frowned uncertainly. "I thought the location had to stay secret."

Things change, Caller.

Polaris's wings spread as he and the rest of the Kyren departed.

Jason sucked in a deep breath, looking faint. "Eva, did she mean what I think she meant?"

His disbelief made a small smile creep onto Eva's face.

"I think she did."

There was a brief pause as Jason looked at her with wild eyes. She nodded again to reassure him.

Abruptly, he threw back his head and whooped.

Caden drew Eva into his arms. "Someone is happy."

Eva set one hand on his chest. "It looks like you will be losing your newest Anateri recruit. How do you feel about that?"

Caden's face dipped as his lips touched hers. "Like I just gained a permanent assistant."

Fiona and the rest rode back into camp a few hours later while the Trateri were dealing with the aftermath. Spotting Eva and Caden, she guided her horse toward them.

She stopped, glancing around with an impressed look on her face. "It seems like we missed all the fun."

Caden stepped forward, offering his hand in greeting. She clasped his forearm before straightening in her saddle.

"We managed without you," he said.

"Sorry about that. We ran into a few of our own on our way back who needed help. It delayed us." Fiona nodded toward Ghost and Roscoe as they made their way in their direction.

Warin rode behind Ghost. The Trateri's arm was immobilized by a sling and his face had streaks of dried blood across it. Next to them, Roscoe led his horse on foot, a prone body lying face down over the saddle. The arms dangled lifelessly.

"Drake," Jane whispered with an ache of loss.

Eva's heart clenched, sorrow squeezing her throat as Jane made her way toward the fallen Anateri. Jane lifted a hand and set it on his back, her head bowing as her shoulders shook silently.

"My clan would have been proud to call him a member. He fought until the very end." There was none of the arrogance or cockiness in Warin's face from before, only a somberness.

Jane nodded but didn't speak.

"We encountered the expedition you sent to find these two." Fiona tipped her head at Drake and Warin. "They're escorting the rest of the wounded here."

"Good work," Caden told Fiona.

"I wish we could have been sooner," Fiona said, her gaze lingering on Drake. "Maybe then—"

Fiona trailed off, shaking her head in regret.

"Yeah," Caden told her with a sad sigh, his expression understanding.

Fiona nodded before guiding her horse away.

Chirron appeared next to Ghost's horse.

Warin dodged his help. "I'm fine."

"Spare me the bullshit. You can't even sit straight. If Ghost wasn't holding you up, you already would have fallen off," Chirron snapped.

Warin's face screwed up. "I'm fine. Give your attention to those who need it more."

Chirron glared at him with a murderous expression.

"Warin." Van came up behind Chirron. "Let him help you."

Warin resisted only a second longer before he gave in. Chirron wasn't going to let him walk away without a fuss and everyone knew it.

Van and Chirron helped him off the horse as Roscoe stopped next to Jane.

He clasped her shoulder in sympathy. "He had a good death. Sometimes that's all we can ask for."

She nodded, her voice quiet. "I know."

Roscoe moved past, stopping next to Eva. His gaze met hers. "Nothing good ever comes of assuming a responsibility that isn't yours."

He sent a meaningful look at where Fiona had disappeared.

Eva wanted so much to believe him, but she just couldn't. It was her responsibility. He'd taken the arrow meant for her. That lay this squarely on her shoulders.

"He died protecting me."

"He died doing his duty," Roscoe corrected. "He was an Anateri, first and foremost."

Jane looked up, her eyes rimmed with red. "He's right. Drake wouldn't want you to grieve. For him, there is no better ending than this. He went out exactly the way he lived—on his own terms."

"I'd wager he took more than a few of the enemy with him for company before he went too." Roscoe's smile was crooked.

Caden squeezed Eva's shoulder. "He and the rest of our dead will be honored with a pyre at sunset. Tomorrow, we'll head for the herd lands."

"They're finally letting us in?" Roscoe lifted his eyebrows in question. At Eva's nod, he snorted. "About damn time."

With that, he moved off, leaving them to grieve alone.

Eva went into Caden's arms as he pulled her close, whispering into her hair, "He's right. Don't hold on to your guilt too hard."

Eva sniffled. "Easier said than done."

"It always is." Caden released Eva, looking at Jane. "Are you going to be alright?"

The Anateri lifted her head. "Yes. We always knew one of us might fall in the line of our duties."

Caden's nod was sympathetic. This loss would hurt. As did any loss.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay with him until the end," Jane said, her voice sounding tight.

"Of course," Caden said, taking Eva's hand and leading her away.

She let him, casting one last look over her shoulder at Jane and Drake. Try as she might, guilt and regret dragged at her.

It would be a long time before she forgot this—if she ever did.

At sunset the pyres were lit, their warm light lasting long into the night as the Trateri celebrated the lives and deaths of those they'd lost.

It was a loud affair that spoke of both happiness for the time they’d shared and sadness for the dead's departure. The ceremony would continue as long as the funeral pyres burned.

Tomorrow they'd set off for the herd lands, but tonight was about the people they'd lost. A time for remembrance.

Eva moved along the outskirts of the camp, keeping her distance from the fires. She was in a weird place in her mind. Happy she'd survived but still trying to process the guilt of Drake's death.

Movement in the darkness ahead caused Eva to pause as Chirron yanked his arm out of Van's hold. Eva debated whether she should interfere. As irritated as Chirron looked, she wasn't seeing violence.

There was patience on Van's face as he tried to reason with the other.

Eva's decision would be helped if she knew whether the two were friends or enemies. Sometimes it was hard to tell.

"I wouldn't," Gawain said as Eva started forward.

Gawain appeared out of the darkness as a slap sounded in the air.

Eva glanced back to find Van's face turned to the side from the force of the hit. He touched his tongue to the cut in his lip as he slowly glanced back at Chirron, a predatory look on his face.

Rather than upset, his expression was anticipatory. There was a prowl in his steps as he closed in on Chirron.

The healer stumbled backward before recovering his balance, lifting his chin at Lion Clan's leader in challenge.

"Protest all you want, but you're going to rest. I'm not going to watch you kill yourself," Van informed Chirron. "Just for that slap, you're also going to eat. I don't want to hear another word about how I don't have the right."

They both glared.

Then they started for each other at the same time, coming together in an embrace as their lips clung to each other's with a passion that almost made Eva blush.

After several seconds locked together, Van dipped, sweeping Chirron into his arms and striding away.

"Told you," Gawain said.

Eva shook her head, still not quite believing what she'd seen. "I thought they hated each other."

Gawain hummed. "Sometimes I think they do. There are feelings between them, but there's also a fundamental difference in their priorities. It's a barrier neither is willing to compromise on and so they remain stuck. Yearning for the other but not quite willing to set down their shields."

Eva stared at Gawain.

Seeing her look, he smiled. "Their story is an old one. It goes all the way back to their childhood. Chirron was in line to be the next clan leader when he gave it all up to become a healer. Van never forgave him. To him, Chirron threw away something precious to follow a path their clan considers weak."

"Chirron's not weak," Eva defended.

"No. That man is probably deadlier than all of us—your commander included," Gawain admitted.

Eva was quiet as she stared at the spot where they'd just been. "It seems like a waste."

"You're not wrong," Gawain admitted as they began walking again. "Everyone sees it except them."

They lapsed into silence. Gawain's presence unexpectedly peaceful.

"This place is so different from our home." Gawain's gaze lingered on the dark shapes of the mountains framed by a starry sky.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Eva asked.

Gawain drew his attention from the scenery. "I haven't decided yet."

Eva watched him for a moment. "Something tells me you suit this place."

They had a lot in common. Both presented one façade to the eye when there was so much more happening in the places they hid from the world.

She could see why Caden was so cautious of this man. He was the type you'd never see coming. Despite that, Eva didn't think he meant her or them any harm.

The opposite in fact.

It was like he was searching for something. She didn't know. Maybe he didn't either.

"Maybe," Gawain said, moving away from Eva. "Either way, I'm glad I came."

Eva watched as he disappeared into the darkness in much the same way Van had.

"I like him," Eva said as Caden joined her. "And I didn't expect to."

"He's complicated."

Eva shifted to look up at him. "And you don't like complicated."

Caden's warm gaze met hers. "If I didn't like complicated, I would never have fallen for you."

"Me?" Eva shook her head. "I'm not complicated. I'm just Eva."

Caden threw his head back on a laugh before bending down to steal a kiss from her. When he drew back, his eyes were dark with desire. "Whatever you are, you're mine."

Eva looped her arms around his neck as she lifted her face to his. "I wouldn't mind you demonstrating just how much of yours I am."

Caden's expression was one of a man caught on the precipice of desire. Eva giggled as he took her hand leading her into the darkness.

twenty-six

A week later, Eva and a few others reached the bowl.

Sebastian and several of the Kyren had shown up a few days ago to transport Eva and their wounded the rest of the way, saying the path would be too difficult otherwise.

Privately, Eva thought their motivations had more to do with the fact they were simply impatient and tired of waiting for the Trateri to reach the bowl.

Whatever their reasons, Eva was happy to take them up on their offer.

Sebastian and the others had assured her there were passages that would allow the horses to reach the bowl, but even they weren't without their pitfalls. Travel would have been slow, forcing several stops as they negotiated the steep terrain.

Flying was far easier and let the rest of the group set their own pace.

As Sebastian approached the ground, Eva caught sight of a tall man standing in the middle of the field with his arms folded across his chest. His expression was impatient.

"It's about time you came back," Phillip called.

With everything that had happened, Eva had almost forgotten about him—and the fact she'd left him in the Kyren's herd lands.

Phillip watched her dismount. "Next time you decide to abandon me, maybe give a little warning. I had no way to leave this place and the winged monsters were no help."

Phillip glared at the Kyren youths standing nearby.

The angry two-legger made a lot of funny noises when we saved him from the cliff he was stuck on, the gray Kyren from her previous visit told Eva.

She pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. She had a feeling Phillip wasn't so much stuck as trying to escape.

"Oh, and can you do something about that menace? She showed up a day ago. She's nipped me several times and keeps trying to kick me. It's getting tiresome." Phillip nodded to his right.

A grumpy Caia glared at Eva from between two rock columns.

Eva gave a glad cry at the sight of her, sliding off Sebastian and racing for the mare.

She'd been losing hope of ever seeing Caia again.

From what the Kyren had told her, they'd left one of their own to watch over Caia only for the mare to vanish. Even the search parties Caden sent out couldn't find any sign of her.

Eva flung her arms around Caia's neck. "I thought you were gone, you dumb horse."

Caia pressed her chin against Eva’s back, hugging the woman to her chest. Eva's tears wet Caia's coat as she clung to the mare. She'd been so afraid she'd lost Caia forever.

When her tears were exhausted, Eva drew back, scanning the mare to make sure she was okay. Wounds that had scabbed over dotted the mare's sides. Thankfully, they were mostly minor. The kind she would have gotten trying to bully her way through a small opening.

Phillip's face was sour as he watched the mare. "There's something seriously off about that horse. I'm almost certain she understands what I say."

Eva's laugh sounded soggy as she ran her hands along Caia's forelegs, checking for heat that might indicate injury. "I've heard that a lot."

Phillip acknowledged Caden as he slid off Polaris. "Commander."

The two clasped forearms.

"I see you made it safely," Caden said.

Phillip grunted. "The entire affair was far stranger than is my taste. Next time Fallon offers me an assignment, remind me to refuse."

Caden chuckled. "I'll do that."

The two's exchange was interrupted when Jason landed a few feet away on Talia.

"There's a large force heading in this direction," he said, reaching down to pat Talia's shoulder in gratitude.

"Show me," Caden ordered, starting for Polaris.

To Eva's surprise, the Kyren had offered to allow Caden to ride him on the trip to the herd lands. Even more interesting, the Kyren didn't protest as Caden mounted.

Eva hurried toward Sebastian, lifting herself into the saddle as Caden shot her a look.

"I'm going with you," Eva informed him.

She might not be able to fight, but she could carry messages to those who were still vulnerable outside the herd lands.

Caden expression was unhappy, but he didn't argue. Smart man.

Eva leaned forward on Sebastian, her body telling him she was ready to move. "Besides, the Kyren will want me to translate."

With that, she and Sebastian galloped forward, shooting into the sky seconds later as Caden chose those who would be traveling with them.

She and Jason circled as they waited.

A short time later, Caden and those he'd chosen led the way as they flew into the mist. They exited over a mountain range Eva recognized as being close to the battle where they'd fought the Whisperer's army. Only about a day's ride south and east.

Sebastian dipped low as they spotted the force Jason had warned them about. It covered the land, extending far behind them.

Caden let out a whoop from where Polaris flew a few feet away.

Seconds later, Eva saw why as the banners at the front of the army came into focus. It was a hawk on a blue background.

"Fallon," Eva whispered to herself.

Caden signaled as he and Polaris circled, heading for the vanguard of the army. Eva and Sebastian followed, setting down next to them.

Those in the sky circled as Caden rode up to Fallon with a smile. "You're late."

"That's what I get for relying on directions from a child." Fallon reined his horse to a stop. "We've been looking for you for days. These mountains don't give up their secrets easily."

Fallon gave Eva a respectful nod. "Caller."

"Warlord."

Caden and Fallon clasped forearms.

"You managed to find us in the end anyway," Caden said.

Fallon tilted his head at a group waiting not far away. "You can thank them for that."

Buck and Witt nodded a greeting, looking at ease.

"I saw where you fought. Quite the battle you had," Fallon said.

Caden grunted.

Fallon lifted an eyebrow. "Am I to assume you took care of the mess?"

One side of Caden's lips twitched up. "Most of it. There may be a few stragglers hiding in the hills. I trust you can take care of them."

Fallon's lips curved. "I've already sent forces out. Any who managed to survive won't slip through our net."

As the two men talked, Eva scanned the faces of those behind Fallon.

"Shea's out scouting," Fallon said, noticing where her attention had gone. "You'd think having a baby would slow her down a little, but instead it has only made her more stubborn. Pathfinders, I've found, must be allowed to roam as they will. Anything else invites chaos."

Caden sent Eva a look. "We both chose women who can't be contained."

Humor glinted in Fallon's eyes. "Didn't you once tell me all women are the same and that I should find someone a little easier?"

Eva lifted an eyebrow at Caden to see a rare red flush in his cheeks. "Did you now?"

"That was before," he said.

"Good answer."

His wicked smile made her remember the things they'd done a few nights ago. Eva looked away, studying the army that extended for miles.

Worry niggled at her.

The last time an unexpected force showed up it had changed everything. Who was to say the Kyren wouldn't react in the same manner?

As if sensing her thoughts, Polaris's deep voice sounded in her mind. Invite your Warlord back to the herd lands.

Eva's startled gaze landed on the Kyren.

"What is it?" Fallon said with a sharp look in his eye as he noticed Eva's movements.

Eva's expression smoothed out. "The Kyren wish to invite you to their home."

Surprise showed on Fallon's face before it was gone. He sent Caden a sidelong look. "I see relations with the Kyren are better than I expected."

"Some days," Caden admitted as there was a scream from above.

A Kyren that looked as battle worn as Polaris swooped down to settle a few feet away. He fluttered his wings and looked at Fallon in invitation.

Like the rest of the Kyren, except Sebastian, there was no saddle.

"It looks like you're finally going to join the ranks of those who've ridden on a Kyren," Caden teased.

"How lovely," Fallon said in a voice that made it seem like he thought it was anything but.

"Come now, Warlord. You're not scared, are you?"

Eva looked down, trying to hide her laugh at Caden's teasing. The last thing she wanted was for the Warlord to take offense.

Fallon narrowed his eyes at Caden. "You're enjoying this."

"Immensely."

Fallon looked like he was bracing himself as he lifted his leg and dismounted.

"Your army will need to wait here," Eva told him as he headed for the chestnut.

Alarm filled the expressions of those behind him.

Caden sent them a firm nod. "I've got him."

The Anateri settled, not arguing with their commander.

Fallon settled himself on the chestnut before the Kyren launched themselves skyward. It wasn’t long before they were flying over the rim of the bowl.

As they passed into the herd lands, Eva looked back to see Fallon's reaction. She wasn't disappointed. Once the Warlord had gotten over the feel of flying, he experienced the same awe she'd felt on her trip here. He looked around him with amazement, taking in the steep cliffs, the towering columns of rock and the peace of the meadow.

Their group veered, picking a landing spot near the base of the cliff where Phillip had greeted them earlier. To their surprise, the Trateri they'd brought earlier weren't the only ones waiting there.

Shea stood off to the side, looking slightly haggard. Reece was beside her, his stance as relaxed as ever.

The Battle Queen's tiredness fell away as she grinned at Fallon. "You found your way."

There was exasperation in Fallon's eyes as he took in Shea. "And you managed to find this place on your own."

Shea's smile was crooked as she looked around. "It wasn't hard."

Reece blew a raspberry.

Shea elbowed his side. "Some of us have skills."

Reece rolled his eyes. "That's not what you were saying when you were at the bottom of that hill earlier. I believe there were a lot of curses coming from you then. We’re lucky we found that short cut through a cave or I’m pretty sure you would have tried to murder me."

Shea narrowed her eyes on her cousin as she bared her teeth. "You give birth to a child and then run up and down these hills and let me see how well you fare."

Reece was wise enough to keep any response to himself as Shea's attention moved back to the others.

There was an apology in her eyes as she nodded at Eva and Caden. "I'm a little out of shape. Otherwise, we would have been here weeks ago."

Eva knew how rugged the terrain was between here and Wayfarer's Keep. Even if the other two set out hours after Eva and Caden left for the herd lands—which would have been impressive on its own since Shea had given birth only days prior—it would still have been a long journey.

And she considered this out of shape? If that was the case, Eva didn't think anyone could ever be truly considered in shape.

Seeing Eva's expression, Shea's smile was wicked. "The horses helped shorten our journey, and my family has always been rather fast healers."

Reece nodded. "Legend says her mother led an expedition the day after Shea's birth."

"Where is Rowan?" Eva asked.

"She's being watched by her grandparents at our base camp, where we've been keeping watch on the situation for the last few weeks," Shea answered.

Surprise lifted Eva's eyebrows.

Seeing her response, Shea gave her a tired smile. "The Trateri are nomadic. Their children travel with the clan—even when the situation is potentially dangerous."

Shea gave Fallon a wry look as if to say he had refused to part with the little one.

"Besides, my parents will keep Rowan safe in camp. With them protecting her, she has nothing to fear from the Highlands."

One corner of Reece's lips lifted. "Your child will get a decent amount of wanderlust from both sides. You're going to have an even more difficult time than Aunt Lainie did protecting you."

Shea pulled a face. "Don't remind me."

Reece turned serious as he examined the bowl. "This place isn't on any of our maps. They'll need to be updated."

"You can't," Eva said in alarm. "This place cannot be revealed to others."

Shea held up a hand when Reece looked like he was going to argue. "We can make it so only a few have access to those maps." Seeing Orion's approach, she addressed him. "As long as that meets with your approval."

Eva held her breath. It was obvious how little the Kyren trusted humans. Now Shea was asking for the biggest show of faith yet.

You worry too much, Caller. Tell her that is acceptable, Orion said, focusing on Fallon as Eva relayed his message. I'd also like to extend an invitation for a permanent camp to be established here.

Eva paused and looked at Orion, translating his message from what felt like a distance.

Fallon took the offer in stride as he bowed his head. "It would be our honor."

Orion lifted his gaze to where Talia and Jason wheeled and dove, playing with the other Kyren youths. In the past we held ourselves separate from your kind. Perhaps that was a mistake.

Talia and Jason landed a short distance away, the young man's face flushed with excitement.

Fallon's gaze didn't miss the familiarity between Kyren and human, his stare moving to Eva as his lips turned up in the corner. "I'm looking forward to what the future will bring."

Shea moved up beside Eva as she dismounted, and Fallon drifted away with Orion to explore the herd lands.

The pathfinder's stare held the excitement of a little girl as she studied the valley.

Eva supposed that was to be expected for someone who had spent their life searching out new places. To find a place not on any map, where few humans had ever visited, must feel like uncovering precious treasure to a woman like Shea.

"You found your way after all," Shea said, looking over at Eva.

"I guess so."

Shea's grin flashed. "I knew you would."

The pathfinder moved off to join her Warlord as Caden moved toward Eva.

"Happy?" he asked her.

She patted Sebastian's shoulder before stepping into Caden's embrace. "A little."

"Then maybe this will make you a little happier. I spoke with Fallon; I've officially withdrawn as the commander of the Anateri," Caden informed Eva as her gaze landed on him in surprise.

She shook her head. "You can't. Being his Anateri means everything to you."

Caden cupped her neck as he lifted her chin so his eyes met hers. "I can and I did. Part of a warrior's path is recognizing when you need to walk a new one. You are my future."

Eva reached up to cradle his jaw, her gaze searching. "Are you sure about this?"

His eyes answered her. There was no trace of doubt or hesitation. No matter what she said, he'd chosen this course and wouldn't stray.

"No man can serve two masters." Caden's grin was slow and wicked. "Besides, I think being your protector will be more than enough excitement for any man."

A warm glow lit Eva as she studied his face as a realization came over her. He was all hers. Now and in the future.

A breeze ruffled the fire fox's fur as he squinted into the distance. It had been a long time since he'd stood in these lands. The Kyren always were a little selfish when it came to this place. It was why he'd had to go to such lengths to sneak in.

Holding perfectly still, the fire fox stared at a spot not far away.

Waiting.

His patience paid off as a splotch of inky darkness, the light of a single star trapped within, oozed out of the ground.

The fire fox stood in one slow, careful movement. Just a little further. A little more.

There.

The fire fox exploded forward in a powerful pounce, landing on the blob just as the last of it left its hiding spot. He scooped it into his mouth and swallowed.

Hmm. Just as tasty as he remembered.

With this, the Whisperer was truly dead.

The fire fox lay down on his belly, tired from his hunt.

Eva and her protector had done a fine job of trapping the Whisperer and destroying most of his body, leaving only this small bit for the fire fox to take care of.

The Whisperer was an old thing. A relic from a bygone era who had lost its way somewhere amidst the centuries. It was a shame. Once, long ago, that creature had shone with a light as bright as Eva's. Anger and greed had warped it, turning it into a monster.

Eva shared its potential for evil. It was why the fire fox was here. To observe and make sure she wouldn't go down the same path.

The fire fox sat up as his stomach digested his prey.

The time where she was in the most danger of corruption was over now. From here on out, she should be fine. She wasn't like the Whisperer. There were good people on her side who wouldn't let her stray.

The base of the fire fox's spine tingled as a fourth tail materialized. He took a second to admire the tails' glory, spreading them behind him.

They were coming along nicely. In a couple decades, he might have a full set.

The clop of hooves came as something big pushed its way toward him through the long grass. The fire fox looked up to meet Orion's patient stare.

His tails wagged slightly.

I thought I'd find you here, Orion said.

The fire fox waited.

Is it over?

The fire fox let a grin spill over his face as he fanned his tails around him. He preened as he let the Kyren admire them before standing.

There was mischief to find and little time for lying down.

What will you do now? Orion asked as the fire fox trotted away.

Silence answered him as the fire fox faded from the herd lands, already anticipating his next game. There was a spot of trouble brewing that looked interesting.

Eva's need for him was no longer as great, freeing him to explore.

There would come a time for him to return to her side, but until then the Kyren would be there to guide her. After all, a fire fox who didn't get up to mischief was no fire fox at all.

DISCOVER MORE BY T.A. WHITE

The Broken Lands Series

Pathfinder’s Way

Mist’s Edge

Wayfarer’s Keep

The Wind’s Call

The Storm’s Whisper

The Dragon-Ridden Chronicles

Dragon-Ridden

Of Bone and Ruin

Destruction’s Ascent

Secrets Bound by Sand

Where Dragons Collide

Shifting Seas - Novella

The Aileen Travers Series

Shadow’s Messenger

Midnight’s Emissary

Moonlight’s Ambassador

Dawn’s Envoy

Twilight’s Herald

The Firebird Chronicles

Rules of Redemption

Age of Deception

Threshold of Annihilation

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Writing is my first love. Even before I could read or put coherent sentences down on paper, I would beg the older kids to team up with me for the purpose of crafting ghost stories to share with our friends. This first writing partnership came to a tragic end when my coauthor decided to quit a day later and I threw my Cookies at her head. This led to my conclusion that I worked better alone. Today, I stick with solo writing, telling the stories that would otherwise keep me up at night.

Most days (and nights) are spent feeding my tea addiction while defending the computer keyboard from my feline companions, Loki and Odin.

CONNECT WITH ME

Twitter: @tawhiteauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tawhiteauthor/

Website: http://www.tawhiteauthor.com/

Blog: http://dragon-ridden.blogspot.com/

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Table of Contents

- 1. ONE
- 2. TWO
- 3. THREE
- 4. FOUR
- 5. FIVE
- 6. SIX
- 7. SEVEN
- 8. EIGHT
- 9. NINE
- 10. TEN
- 11. ELEVEN
- 12. TWELVE
- 13. THIRTEEN
- 14. FOURTEEN
- 15. FIFTEEN
- 16. SIXTEEN
- 17. SEVENTEEN
- 18. EIGHTEEN
- 19. NINETEEN
- 20. TWENTY
- 21. TWENTY-ONE
- 22. TWENTY-TWO
- 23. TWENTY-THREE
- 24. TWENTY-FOUR
- 25. TWENTY-FIVE
- 26. TWENTY-SIX
- DISCOVER MORE
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- CONNECT WITH ME