The Wind's Call

by T. A. White

  A rope was slipped over her head and her family watched with impassive eyes as she was dragged out of the house by the man whose proposal she’d spurned, while the rest of the village cheered.

  Her feet tripped over branches as the villagers clustered around her, shoving her toward the still barren fields. They screamed for her blood, their faces twisted, monstrous, no longer human.

  Suddenly she stood in the middle of a circle of people, her bare feet sinking deep into the frost-bitten dirt. It clutched at her, dragging her down until escape was impossible.

  She faced her family as two men with the heads of revenants tied her arms behind her back. The constant shwick of a stone sharpening the blade that would end her life made her shiver and quail. A whimper escaped her.

  “Why are you doing this? You know me,” she cried.

  “The sacrifice will run,” a deep voice rumbled from the pack. “We will chase and when we catch her, we will water our fields with the blood of the fallen.”

  Tears dripped down Eva’s face as she begged her mother to stop them. She looked frantically at her father. “How can you let them do this to me?”

  “You have too much of your mother’s ancestors in you. This is necessary. Their line cannot be allowed to survive. You’ll call the monsters right to us.”

  Eva moaned and shook her head, rocking back and forth. The monsters were already here, standing in front of her. They wore the clothes of the people she loved and trusted.

  “This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. Not again,” she muttered to herself.

  The people around her stepped back, the circle widening.

  The leader of the pack crouched in front of her, horns curling above his head, a wrinkled snout where his nose used to be. “Don’t you wish you’d married me now?”

  His laughter filled her ears as she stumbled back. The fields weren’t happy being denied her blood. It felt like running through water, her movements exaggerated and slow. The ground gripped her, making her passage difficult.

  Come to us, child. We will protect you, the hags whispered.

  Eva sobbed as she struggled toward the dark interior of the Hags’ Forest and safety.

  Heavy breath fell on her neck, the glint of metal shining, the blade swinging.

  A loud noise nearby had Eva jolting upright, her heart thundering. Her breathing was heavy as she fought to control her panic, the dream mixing with reality. For several confusing seconds, she didn’t know where she was, caught in the terror of trying to escape.

  She inhaled and held the breath, the cool darkness surrounding her. She sat forward and held her head for several seconds.

  The dream wasn’t real. You’re not back there. It didn’t happen that way, Eva told herself, repeating it again and again until she believed it.

  The night her former life had come to an end had been anticlimactic. She’d slipped in through her window, wanting to avoid the fight she knew she’d have with her father over her disappearance into the forest.

  The sharp bite of her mother’s words had stopped her. Eva’s mother rarely argued with her father, so hearing that tone from her had gotten her attention.

  She’d listened silently as they discussed the village’s plans. Her heart had broken when she heard her mother agree to lure her to the fields the next morning.

  Beyond her mother’s token protest, they hadn’t fought for her. They’d let the village decide and that was it. In that moment, any bonds she’d had to them had been severed.

  Eva had waited until her parents finished discussing her impending sacrifice before slipping into the kitchen and gathering what she needed to survive. Then she left. No goodbye. No answers as to how they could let the village do that to their daughter.

  Eva wiped away her residual tears and forced the thoughts out of her mind. That part of her life was over. There was no going back even if she’d wanted to—and she didn’t want to.

  She lifted her head and stilled. She wasn’t alone.

  Caden sat a few feet from her, his back to her. The pack he must’ve dropped on the ground to wake her by his side.

  Eva wrapped her arms around her knees and squeezed them, waiting for the ridicule. The Trateri prized strength. Being tormented on a weekly basis by the terrors and regrets in your mind wasn’t exactly something to be proud of.

  It was one of the reasons she preferred sleeping with the horses. They never acted like there was something wrong with her when she woke, face wet with tears and throat sore from the sounds she made while locked in sleep.

  Eva waited for the inevitable questions, bracing to see the derision in this strong man’s eyes when he finally faced her. Caden was mentally one of the strongest people she knew. Having him see this weakness of hers left her feeling exposed and fragile.

  Caden surprised her. He continued to watch the night while she studied his back.

  He didn’t say anything, didn’t ask questions, didn’t even acknowledge that he knew she was awake. They sat in silence until Eva had calmed and drowsiness lay claim to her.

  He curled onto his side, still facing away from her and rested his head on the pack. Eva followed suit, grateful he hadn’t prodded as so many others would have.

  With his silent company a soothing presence, she let her eyes drift shut. For once, the company of another didn’t seem so bad.

  *

  Caden struggled to control his frustration as he surveyed the straggly band shambling toward them. Four days on the road and it was one setback after another, as if the land itself was cursing their passage.

  Caden wasn't a man given to flighty superstitions, but he was beginning to see why such things abounded in the Highlands.

  "How can you not know if we're going the right way?" Darius’s eyes flashed dangerously. There was little of the ease or humor he normally cloaked himself in.

  "This isn't an exact science," Reece snapped. "I can't snap my fingers and say ah-ha, it’s that way. The Kyren's directions didn't come with a map. I'm doing the best I can, given the information I have."

  "It seems you don't quite live up to the prestige of your cousin," Darius said.

  Reece rolled his eyes. "Yes, because Shea is all powerful and unable to fail. Too bad she's filled with your warlord's spawn right now and probably couldn't walk up a mountain let alone a dozen of them. Wake up, she would have had just as many problems as me."

  Maybe so, but she would have done considerably less whining. Caden kept that thought to himself, letting the pathfinder vent his feelings. Pointing out the obvious would only lead to more of the same, only at a slightly higher pitch.

  Caden didn't think he could take much more. Otherwise, he might try to separate the pathfinder's head from his shoulders.

  Reece wasn't the only one in a bad mood. All of the Trateri were. Arguments had been springing up left and right, along with more than a few fights.

  First there had been the landslide that forced them to divert from their expected path early on. Then there was the infernal rain that had soaked the land off and on since the journey had begun. Compound that with a string of horses stepping wrong and several of them winding up with injuries when they slid down the side of a steep hill, and already the trip had disaster written all over it.

  Everyone was tired, cranky, and wet.

  Caden almost hoped for a beast to vent his pent-up energy on.

  Just then, the dark clouds that had been threatening overhead let loose. Rain poured down as thunder rumbled.

  "Why is it wet all of the time?" Darius cursed.

  Caden was tired of it too. The damp and the cold had invaded his bones worse than any winter storm he'd survived while they'd wintered at Wayfarer's Keep.

  "It's the Highlands. When it isn't raining, there's fog or snow or some variation of the two. Sometimes all of them at once. It's cold and miserable, just like those who choose to inhabit it. Aren't you glad your warlord decided to add it to his empire?" Reece asked snidely. His expression sobered. "
If you thought there would be warmth because it's spring, you're mistaken. Summer is a brief flirtation with normal weather. It dies like mayflies, almost before you even know it’s there."

  Darius exhaled, shaking his head as the pathfinder stalked off. "I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Shea."

  "Agreed. At least she keeps her mouth mostly shut while she does her job," Caden said.

  Darius's chuckle was deep. His focus caught on Eva struggling up the hill, the horse that was always by her side trailing behind like a faithful companion and watchdog.

  The gray was quickly becoming a problem. She acted more like a guard than a mount. She was a jealous mistress, unwilling to let anyone near. Jane said the mare had already tried to take a bite out of her.

  She did take a bite out of Drake.

  The mare was impeding their ability to protect Eva, and Caden wouldn't stand for that. The only reason he hadn't tried to separate them yet was because if his warriors couldn't get close, neither could an enemy. Also, he suspected Eva would throttle him.

  At least if she did, she'd be forced to acknowledge him, he thought sourly. Ever since that first night, she'd been steadfastly ignoring him, only answering with monosyllables when she had to.

  The woman was driving him insane.

  If she looked through him like he was nothing one more time, he very much feared he'd resort to doing something drastic.

  Noticing where his attention had gone, Darius asked, "How is our Kyren tamer?"

  "Quiet."

  Darius lifted an eyebrow. "Says the man who rarely speaks."

  "I speak when necessary." It wasn't Caden's job to carry the conversation. He performed better when people forgot he was there, the blade at their back, ready to separate their head from their shoulders if they stepped too far out of line.

  "I've seen the way you watch her. Are your feelings going to be a problem?" Darius asked.

  "I watch her closely because she guards her thoughts and feelings like they're precious gems that might lose value if they’re shared. I need to know what she's thinking to make sure she's not a danger. That's all."

  “To do that, you need to sleep at her side?” Darius prodded.

  Caden wasn’t surprised Darius had noticed where he’d chosen to lay his head since that first night. The other man was extremely observant and especially good at understanding what drove people.

  “She has nightmares. I didn’t want her to wake the rest of camp,” Caden said.

  It wasn’t the entire truth. That first night when he’d heard her whimpers, he’d felt compelled to bring her out of whatever dark torments her mind had created.

  For someone who strove to be seen as capable, he knew she’d be embarrassed if anybody heard. Sleeping near him seemed to keep the worst of the nightmares away. It cost him little to give her that peace.

  “We all have nightmares.”

  Caden looked at him, one side of his mouth tilting up. “Does this mean you want me to hold your hand before you drift off to sleep every night?”

  Darius snorted, but left the matter alone, even as he made it clear he thought there was something more between the two of them.

  Caden didn't care. The general didn't have the authority to remove him from this assignment no matter his reservations. Only Fallon could and it'd likely be months before they crossed paths again.

  "It's rare for you to accept jobs that take you away from his side," Darius prodded. His eyes were knowing. The perils of a childhood friendship whose length had spanned some of the darkest periods in Caden's life.

  "My men can take care of anything that comes up," Caden said evenly.

  He returned his attention to the last of the group as they made their way to the resting point. There would still be hours left until they stopped for the night. Progress was slow and laborious. Another reason people were so irritated.

  "You'll tell me if there's something I need to know," Darius said.

  "Of course."

  Darius's gaze caught on the wagon and he shook his head. "That weakness makes us a target. How much longer will we need to carry its dead weight?"

  "Not long. A day. Maybe two."

  Eva went out of her way to avoid him, speaking in short sentences whenever their paths crossed and she had no choice, but that didn't mean he wasn’t listening. He had eyes and ears everywhere. It was how he knew she thought the Kyren's leg had healed enough to chance walking on it for the length of time a day's travel would require.

  "She couldn't have decided this before we pulled it up this steep ass hill?" Darius asked.

  Caden shrugged. He wouldn't have been surprised if the herd mistress had delayed getting rid of the wagon simply to inconvenience them. She might not rebel directly, but she was a master of finding indirect ways to make people feel her unhappiness.

  He should know. He’d been on the receiving end for the last four days.

  The men watched as the throwaways pushed and shoved at the wagon, walking along its sides to make sure its wheels didn't hit anything.

  "When we're done with it, make sure they're part of the group that accompanies it back to the Keep," Darius murmured.

  One of the men looked up just then, making eye contact with the general. It was the group's leader, Vincent, the man who'd been a bastard to Eva that first night.

  Brave man to be an ass to the one person who might care about his fate. Not so brave now, when faced with the general's full attention.

  Vincent looked away, saying something to the man behind him who shot a surprised glance their way before they both went back to work, trying to appear absorbed in what they were doing.

  Sending them back was best for all involved. No one wanted people they couldn't trust at their back out here.

  "Keep me informed if the situation changes." Darius guided his horse around as he rejoined the group.

  "You'll be the second to know after me," Caden called.

  "I wouldn't expect any less of the Warlord's Sword," Darius said, not bothering to hide his smile. "You know, another man might take umbrage with you having that title and think he deserved it more."

  "Good thing they're not in your position." Caden slid the general a look. "Otherwise, they might lose their head."

  "The monster clad in human skin," Darius observed as his horse carried him away. "I feel pity for the poor woman if she actually has caught your attention."

  Caden's lip curled. He was one to talk. Women flocked to him thinking his genial smile and razor-sharp humor made him safe, while never seeing the monster Darius concealed inside.

  All three of them carried scars that had warped them from a young age. Fallon, the Warlord, Darius, his general, and Caden, his sword and the one who protected them all from the more insidious threats. Three sides. Three different ways of dealing with those scars.

  Caden settled in to watch the woman approach, putting Darius and his subtle jabs out of his mind as he settled into his role of protector.

  The person he was protecting might have changed, but the end result was the same. Shielding her safeguarded the people who mattered most. Sometimes you had to step outside yourself and your own self-interests to see the bigger picture.

  Something inside Caden told him Eva was the lynchpin on which the next phase of Fallon's plans rested. He aimed to make sure they came to fruition, no matter the toll or who got hurt in the process.

  *

  "A river. Just what we needed, more water," Jason growled several days later with a disgusted expression.

  "Look on the bright side. At least we can't get any more wet," Fiona said with a grin. The Trateri warrior was annoyingly chipper despite the miserable conditions.

  Eva wasn't sure how bright a side it was as she huddled into her oversized jacket, one of the strange gifts that kept appearing in her pack. Whoever had left it and the others was being quiet about it.

  Ollie denied being responsible for the jacket or the flint set she’d found two days ago, or the berries she’d found
the day before that. He couldn’t tell her who had left them either.

  It was a puzzle that she still hadn’t solved, but she found herself grudgingly grateful for its presence since it was waterproof and helped ward off some of the chill. Not all of it, but enough so she wasn't as miserable as some of those around her.

  "We're lucky," Laurell said, coming up to stand beside Eva who controlled her start. She hadn't heard the warrior approach. "This isn't really a river so much as a small lake. The current doesn't look fast. Otherwise we'd have problems."

  Eva couldn't conceal her shiver. She wasn't the strongest of swimmers. Her village had gotten their water from wells and what they could catch in rain barrels. Most of what she'd learned she'd taught herself in those weeks she'd survived on her own. She could wade with the best of them but the moment the water got above her head it was only her thrashing that kept her afloat.

  A small movement in the water pulled Eva's attention. She leaned closer, edging toward the bank as she crouched down for a better look at the water’s dark depths. It was impossible to see more than the barest glimpses of what resided below.

  Eva thought she caught a glimpse of scales and floating strands of something. Then it was gone.

  Feet appeared beside her and she glanced up to find Reece staring pensively down at the water.

  "This isn’t right. This shouldn’t be this far south," he murmured.

  "What do you mean?" Eva asked.

  He shook himself as if coming out of a long dream. "Nothing. I need to speak with Darius. Stay away from the water until then."

  Her gaze was solemn as she took in his worry. "Of course. I'll make sure the others know."

  His nod showed relief and gratitude before he strode off.

  Maybe it was because she knew his cousin, but when a pathfinder said not to do something, Eva planned to listen. Shea's exploits had already begun to show up in campfire stories.

  The Trateri weren't stupid. They knew if a pathfinder said something was dangerous that meant it was dangerous. That didn't mean they wouldn't eventually do the very thing they were warned against, but it would be a calculated risk, one undertaken with the full knowledge of what the consequences might be.