The Wind's Call

by T. A. White

  "There, that should do it," Shea said, sounding out of breath.

  Eva looked back to find Shea slipping a piece of soap, a small bundle of rope and a new flint set into her pack. She started to speak, but the friendlier looking of Shea's guards shook his head slightly.

  "Let her do it," he murmured.

  Eva bit back her instant objection. Accepting help was never something Eva had been good at. Perhaps it was because help had so rarely been offered. It had left her self-reliant to a fault.

  "Cousin, I see even your large belly couldn't keep you away. Where is your overbearing warlord?" a man asked with a wicked smile.

  Shea surprised Eva with a growl and a glare aimed at the man. "Keep talking, and perhaps he'll surprise you."

  "Why is it you resemble the barbarians more and more each day?" he asked, leading his horse near.

  The horse plodded toward them, its head down and its gait slow. As soon as Reece stopped, it tried to stretch toward a piece of grass growing through the rocks.

  "I'll take that as a compliment," Shea said sweetly.

  Eva muffled her laugh, not knowing how the stranger would feel about being laughed at. If he was a pathfinder, the last thing she wanted to do was risk alienating him on the very first day of their journey.

  Eyes of the palest blue flicked her way. They reminded her of ice on a lake in the deepest depths of winter.

  The man had spent his life outdoors, and it showed. He was tan with little lines radiating from his eyes that deepened whenever humor creased his face. He was clean-shaven and looked seconds away from a good laugh, whether with you or at your expense, was the question.

  He was handsome and appeared only a few years older than Eva at most.

  He, like Shea, was tall, but not as tall as most of the Trateri around them. Both still dwarfed Eva's smaller form.

  "Who's this?" he asked.

  "The most important person on this mission. Make sure you come back with her," Shea said in a terse voice.

  Reece didn't let her brusqueness bother him, aiming a charming smile Eva's way. It reached his eyes as it dawned, appreciation gleaming there.

  He tilted his chin at her. "Ah, the little winged horse tamer. I've heard a bit about you."

  Eva flushed.

  Shea covered her ears and shook her head. "I so don't need to hear you flirt right now."

  Reece scoffed. "This isn't me flirting, but I can change that if you'd like."

  "Keep your attention on the mission, pathfinder," Caden said, striding up. "This isn't the time for romance or whatever antics you want to get up to."

  The flush that had been fading came back full force as Caden's eyes swung to Eva. He didn't say anything before striding away as silently and quickly as he'd come.

  Reece let out a small grunt. "You couldn't have saddled us with someone else? Anyone else?"

  Shea shrugged. "He volunteered. More importantly, Fallon trusts him implicitly."

  "Like he never will us," Reece muttered.

  Eva shifted, not sure if she should walk away. This conversation felt like something she shouldn't be a part of.

  Shea's lips twisted. "You have no one to blame but yourself for that. You gave Fallon plenty of reason not to trust you during your first meeting."

  "Are you ever going to let that go?" Reece snapped.

  "No, I don't think I will," Shea responded with a superior smile.

  By this point Eva's eyes had grown big as she watched the bickering. The two acted more like close siblings than cousins.

  "You get used to it," the friendlier of Shea's guards said quietly. "They like to argue with each other for the simple sake of arguing."

  Eva didn't know how to respond to that, so she settled for nodding slowly.

  "Wilhelm, you're supposed to be on my side," Shea protested.

  "I am ever on your side, Shea," he promised with a charming smile.

  Shea's eyes narrowed as if she wasn't quite sure that was true.

  Eva found her gaze unwillingly drawn to Caden.

  Caden finished conferring with several of his Anateri, all of them attired and outfitted for a journey. Eva took that to mean he wasn't the only one of the elite guard joining them.

  When Fallon and Shea had said they were sending people with her, she hadn't thought there would be quite this many.

  "There's Fallon and Darius. I want to talk to them before you set off," Shea said, spotting the hulking form of her warlord across the way. "I put some things I thought might be useful in your pack. Good luck and don't let them push you around."

  Eva murmured a thank you as Shea moved away, striding across the pasture toward Fallon, every inch the queen in that moment. No one would dare get in her way. Not with the regal bearing she displayed.

  "Did Shea look your pack over?" Reece asked.

  Eva came back to herself and nodded.

  "Good, she knows what she's doing. I need to confer with Darius, but if you need help, ask. The terrain for the first few days won't be too brutal but it's not for the faint of heart either," he said before looking around at the rest. "At least we're not going on foot. There'd be no end to their whining then."

  Eva didn't get a chance to ask what he meant as the pathfinder wandered off, shaking his head.

  Eva remained where she was, unsure what she should be doing. Normally, she'd help prepare the horses, check them over to make sure they were fit and healthy for the journey ahead. Not this time. Ollie and Hardwick had already chased her off twice, saying she had other matters needing her attention.

  Only she didn't. Speaker for the Kyren might sound prestigious, but the position didn't come with a lot of guidance. It left her aimless. Something she had never been.

  With a sigh, she headed for her equine-sized pain in the ass. He waited impatiently near the edge of the field, Ajari a watchful presence beside him.

  A bubble had sprung into being around them, one no Trateri seemed intent on breaking.

  "Little mouse, have you come to gawk at the monsters?" Ajari asked.

  "Do you always hide behind sarcasm and intimidation?" Eva couldn't help but ask.

  Ajari's gaze moved from the Trateri around them to her.

  Eva didn't wait for his response, knowing it would probably be more of the same. "But no, I came to check on Sebastian."

  Jason lingered nearby and looked as if he would approach them when Ajari gave him a predatory look. The apprentice balked and glanced away.

  "The human thinks to possess the Kyren," Ajari observed.

  Eva sighed and shook her head. "He can think all he wants but the Warlord would never let that happen."

  Nor would Sebastian, she suspected. Not unless it suited some plan of his.

  "What about you? Would you prevent his enslavement?" Ajari asked with a sly look.

  "And how am I supposed to do that?" Eva asked, bending down and lifting Sebastian's front leg. She squeezed the bone, noting how he let out a grunt. Yea, that's what she'd been afraid of. He’d gotten good at concealing his injury but there was no hiding it now. The past two days had seen some rest for the leg, but it was still injured. "I'm neither a warrior nor do I know how to fight. I'm as much at the mercy of another's whims, perhaps more so."

  "How refreshing, a human without delusions of their capabilities," Ajari teased.

  Eva lifted her head and fixed him with a long look. "I assume you're talking about the Battle Queen when you say that. I thought you respected her."

  "Who's to say I don't?" Ajari challenged, raising one eyebrow. "It's quite fun watching her force the world to change to fit her ideals. She is almost stupidly naive and noble at the same time. She and her warlord are trying to accomplish something many, more powerful people, have tried and failed at in the past."

  Eva finished what she was doing and straightened. She headed with slow steps back to the main body.

  "What? No protest on your queen's behalf?" Ajari called after her.

  Eva raised her hand and waved it. "I'
m a herd mistress. What do I know of politics or what is possible or not? I know how to deliver a foal and take care of my herd. I leave everything else to other more capable hands."

  Ajari didn't say anything to call her back as she walked away. She sensed his and Sebastian's eyes burning into her back as the two trailed behind her.

  She scanned those assembled, trying to catch Hardwick's attention. He moved at a quick clip, too distracted to notice her, as he made sure the secondary mounts were ready to move.

  He wasn't coming with them, despite her asking him to. He'd said he was too old and weary for such a journey and intended to leave the heroics to the young, such as her and Ollie.

  It was disappointing, but she understood. Someone had to take care of the herd here, and Hardwick would be loath to let anyone else touch his babies.

  She dropped back onto her heels in disappointment. He was too busy for what she needed. If she wanted to bring Sebastian's problem to Fallon's attention, she'd have to be the one to do it.

  Figures. Just after she'd resolved to stay below the warlord's notice, too.

  She could let it go and hope the problem resolved itself. Still, there was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that asked, what if it didn’t?

  Eva shook her head and strode toward where Caden, Fallon and Darius were discussing routes.

  She was a herd mistress. She'd earned the position fair and square, despite opposition from some of the other Trateri herd masters. She needed to start acting like one.

  She paused in front of them, waiting to be acknowledged. Only the Anateri who constantly followed Fallon everywhere focused on her, their gazes watchful.

  After several seconds, Fallon glanced up.

  "We can't leave today."

  That got everyone’s attention. The men fell silent as all three fixed their attention on her. Caden's expression was reserved, no outer indication of his thoughts present. Darius seemed surprised but amused. Fallon was the scariest of the three, his dark eyes locked on Eva’s. He put her in mind of a great beast sizing up how easy it would be to gulp her down.

  The thought did nothing for the nerves biting in her stomach as she met his stare head on.

  "Explain." The word was a cold snap of sound from Fallon.

  "There is heat in Sebastian’s leg." To her surprise, her voice was absolutely steady, giving no hint to how much this man terrified her. "If we put too much pressure on it now, it's liable to develop into a fracture."

  She didn't have to explain how bad that would be to these men. They'd grown up with horses, riding almost as soon as they could walk. They would understand how dangerous a fracture would be. Often, it was a death sentence since horses spent the majority of their lives on their feet.

  "Sebastian says he's willing to risk it," Ajari's slightly amused voice said into the quiet.

  Eva looked over her shoulder, finding Ajari and Sebastian standing several feet away. Evidently, they’d followed her.

  "I'm not." She met Fallon's gaze with her own stubborn one. "You put me in charge of his wellbeing. With the proper care, the leg will heal. The pathfinder said the terrain we're going over will be rough. The continuous stress will make his wound worse. We'd have to stop for a week or more enroute if it worsens."

  Better for it to heal up in the safety of camp than out there with only a few warriors to guard their backs and a lame Kyren who couldn't even run from danger.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Eva saw Shea stop and watch the group. The Battle Queen didn't make any move to interfere or draw attention to herself, leaving the situation to Eva and Fallon to handle.

  "As much as Sebastian appreciates the consideration, the situation at hand requires some urgency," Ajari said into the tense silence. "Waiting a week won't do."

  "I agree," Fallon said, glancing at the Tenrin.

  Eva pressed her lips together as failure sank its claws into her. The journey hadn't even started and already she was failing to protect her charge. She was sure, in her place, Shea would have had no trouble making her voice heard and understood.

  "Will a wagon satisfy your requirement of keeping him off his leg enough for it to heal?" Fallon asked, surprising her.

  Startled, she started to nod before hesitating. His question required careful thought. "I'm not sure."

  She'd never heard of a horse being transported by wagon before. It would have to be a very large one to support a creature of Sebastian's height and weight.

  "The Kyren weighs less than our horses. He'd have to, for those wings of his to keep him aloft," Hardwick said from behind her. "It might be in the realm of possibility."

  That made sense. For the Kyren to fly they would need a much bigger wingspan to lift the full bulk of a horse off the ground. The bones of the Kyren were less dense, more like that of a bird.

  "We can't drag a wagon of that size into these mountains," Darius said.

  "How long would his leg need to rest?" Shea asked.

  Eva glanced at Hardwick, half expecting him to answer. He remained silent, forcing her to speak when the silence dragged on long enough to become rude. "Four, maybe five days."

  A week would be best, but Eva knew without being told how impossible that request that would be. Sometimes you had to adjust your expectations and take what was possible, versus what you wanted. It was never easy, but Eva had gotten good at adapting.

  "If that's the case, then it should be doable,” Shea said. “The land for the first part of the journey is relatively flat with intermittent roads. At least until the edge of the Idiron Spires."

  Fallon glanced at his general. "Can it be done?"

  Darius's expression screwed up into a thoughtful frown. "It's possible, but we'll need additional resources. My men are warriors. I'll need them mobile and reactive in case of attack."

  Fallon looked away, his eyes distant as he calculated. "Take some of the throwaways."

  Darius grimaced. "That'll go over well."

  "As my queen keeps saying, if we want to incorporate others under our rule, we need to give them a chance to prove themselves," Fallon said with some amusement.

  Neither of the two men at his side looked particularly pleased by that prospect. Caden's eyes never moved from Eva, as if he held her personally responsible for this situation.

  She met his gaze and then glanced away rapidly, unable to help the slight tinge of resentment.

  Darius sighed. "Fine. One chance, but if they betray us or make themselves into too much of an annoyance, they won't have anything to gripe about. I'll leave them for the beasts." His intelligent gaze swung toward Eva. "That goes for you too, herd mistress. Betray us and you'll wish you never came to the Kyren's attention."

  He expected her to quell, to stammer and apologize. He didn't know her very well. She'd faced similar remarks on nearly a daily basis when she first arrived.

  "I have to ask myself why everyone feels the need to threaten me when I'm simply doing what was asked of me in the first place." She cut her eyes to the two mythologicals lingering near them. "No matter your species, it seems you're all alike at your heart."

  Shea muffled her chuckle, her eyes sparkling as she tried for a somber expression and failed.

  "I knew I liked you," Fiona said from behind her.

  Eva glanced back to find the female warrior standing next to Shea, a slightly admiring look on her face.

  "Indeed," Darius murmured. "We'll see how that bit of gumption fairs once we get on the trail."

  Eva met his gaze and raised her chin, not letting him cow her. If he thought the threat of the wild would break her, he was wrong. She'd survived on her own after she left her village. There was nothing out there that scared her more than people.

  "Let's get this done and get moving," Caden said, breaking up the tension. "We're burning precious daylight."

  Darius strode away, his attention already turning to the many things he had to get done before they set out. The general, it seemed, was going with them, along with a hundred of
his best men.

  Fallon moved toward Shea, the look on his face making Eva's chest pull tight. There was a tenderness in his expression when he looked at Shea that made Eva realize just how alone she was. There was no one to look at her like that. No one to share her troubles or shoulder her burdens, even if it was only for a moment or two.

  Caden appeared in front of her, his stern expression making her brace. At the best of times, the Anateri commander was imposing. When he was scowling at you after you'd challenged his warlord, he was doubly so.

  "Let's go." He walked away before Eva could react.

  "Where?" She hurried along behind him.

  "To check over your pack."

  She stopped and scowled at his back, secure in the fact he couldn't see her. She thought about protesting, but instead trailed after him, muttering to herself. "That's already been done."

  CHAPTER SIX

  Eva waited impatiently for Caden to finish his impromptu inspection. Where it hadn’t bothered her for Shea and Ollie to make sure she was adequately prepared for the trip, it galled when the commander did the same.

  Jason stood beside her as Caden sifted through her things. "You're not really trusted despite appearances, are you?"

  Eva didn't outwardly react to the comment, instead keeping her eyes on Caden. His head turned slightly as he caught Jason's words, his shoulders stiffening. Caden straightened and stepped toward Caia's head, running his hand down her neck admiringly.

  If he had been anyone else, she might have struck up a conversation. Someone who could appreciate Caia, was worth talking to. But this was Caden, and it would take more than that small glimpse of appreciation for Eva to brave his cold disdain.

  She waited for Caia to take a chunk out of him for the presumption. The mare, obstinate and difficult as always, shifted to allow Caden better access so he could rub her cheek and nose, even going so far as to nudge him for more when he stepped back.

  Eva's eyes narrowed on the traitor. Contrary horse. She didn't like Ollie, who was nice to Eva, but she had no trouble sidling up to the arrogant commander. A man who sometimes left Eva feeling about as smart and independent as a turnip.