The Wind's Call

by T. A. White

  That's what she had meant by babies. Those things were created from her blood.

  "Even before I ascended to this form, humans treated me poorly because of how I looked," Meredith said. "They called me ghost. Said I was cursed because I was albino. I showed them what a curse truly was."

  As they traveled, Eva caught glimpses of other woodlings frozen in various positions, horror at what had been done to them echoing in their expressions.

  Whatever events had shaped Meredith, they didn't excuse what she had done. She was a monster, more so than any of the mythologicals Eva had known. She chose to be this thing, this stealer of life. For that, Eva had no sympathy for what was coming to her.

  Because something would happen to end Meredith. Eva would make sure of it. There would be no more lost cities, changed at this woman's whim. No more bugs, no more woodlings, no more friends trapped in that unnatural state.

  They came to a wall of brambles, thorns the length of daggers decorating them. They were so tightly interwoven there would be no getting through them unless you wanted to shred your skin to ribbons.

  "I can feel you calling to me, whispering of all sorts of things." Meredith stopped and stared at the bramble wall. With a start, Eva realized she was speaking to her. "It won't work. I'm too strong for you."

  "I don't know what you're talking about," Eva said.

  "Open it," Kelly ordered, interrupting.

  Meredith glared. If Eva had been him, she would have put serious consideration into distancing herself from Meredith. The man didn't move, proving how stupid he really was. As if this entire journey hadn't already proved that.

  All of the throwaways were. All their actions would lead to the destruction of the Highlands. If they really killed Caden, Fallon and the Trateri would be unstoppable.

  Meredith waved her hand. The world breathed a sigh as the bramble briar wall rustled, branches peeling back to create a narrow opening.

  Kelly and Meredith walked through.

  Eva lingered. If she went through that, chances were she would be trapped on the other side until they let her go. There would be no chance to rescue Caden or Jason. She'd be at Meredith's mercy.

  Laurell lingered beside her, the woman’s expression blank, her words silent. The force of her personality had been ripped out, leaving a shell of Eva’s friend behind.

  Eva couldn’t stand to see her like this any longer. She rested her fingers on Laurell’s wrist, smearing the blue paste over where she thought the wound had been. Laurell didn’t move, not even to stop her or help her.

  There was no immediately discernible reaction to the paste, leaving Eva with no idea if it had worked or not. All she could do was hope and pray she wasn’t too late.

  Kent took her elbow, causing her to jump. Had he seen her using the poultice? She had no doubt Meredith would scream for her death if she was caught trying to save Laurell.

  "Steady. Her creations might look pretty, but they're deadly. They're her own built-in warning system and they'll tear you apart before you take two steps,” Kent warned.

  If he’d seen he wasn’t reporting her. Eva swallowed hard and stepped forward.

  "Good girl," was the soft words.

  She stepped through the briar wall and nearly gasped at the sight of three Kyren held in a viney prison, their wings pinned close to their back as thorns cut them.

  It was difficult to swallow her disgust and rage when she caught sight of the briar choke chains fastened around their necks and bound to the ground.

  She knew now who’d put the net and collar of thorns around Sebastian.

  The Kyren's eyes were dull and painfilled. They barely reacted to the presence of new visitors. Their bellies were swollen and distended from advanced pregnancy.

  "Vincent wants you to check them over and see how close they are to birthing their foals," Kelly said with a negligent wave of his hand.

  Eva bit down fiercely on the words she wanted to say. This wasn't the herd. He wasn't a Trateri warrior. If she went off on him now, it could very well be the last thing she did. Not that that would necessarily be a bad way to go, but it would leave the mares at his mercy–something Eva could not bring herself to do.

  Sebastian's actions were beginning to make more sense now.

  Kelly lifted an eyebrow at her, telling her silently to get to work.

  Eva moved slowly across the clearing. The first mare stared at her with slightly feverish eyes as Eva crooned to her.

  "Sebastian is near," Eva said, feeling along the pregnant mare’s body.

  Help? Was the weak voice.

  Eva didn't want to lie, but these mares needed hope.

  "They need water," she told the two men.

  They were thinner than they should be, and she was willing to bet they were dehydrated too.

  Kelly waved his hand toward a small pond. "They have it."

  Eva's lip curled at the sight. Even from here she could tell the water was noxious. It was stagnant with a bad odor coming off it. Drinking it would make the mares sick.

  "They need fresh water or they won't survive the coming births," Eva said calmly. Which would be soon for one of them. The other two weren't far behind, a week or two at most.

  "They would make great additions for my collections," Meredith said, suddenly focusing on the mares.

  Eva stepped in front of them, as if by doing so she could shield them from the woodling.

  "No, we've already told you we have plans for them," Kelly snapped.

  Meredith pointed at the mares. "I want them."

  "For cataclysm's sake," Kelly muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Take the girl if you must. Leave the mares alone."

  "I don't want the girl. She lacks their majesty."

  "Weren't you just saying something about how her presence hurts your head?" Kelly asked in a bored tone. "Well, this is your chance to rectify that."

  Meredith's expression flashed with avarice as her eerie eyes focused on Eva.

  Eva took a step back, knowing her time was almost up. Her skill as a herd mistress didn't outweigh the possibility of losing the unborn Kyren.

  There was the slightest sound and she looked back to find several bugs crawling out of the grass. Some resembled various types of leaves, others looked like flowers nestled into the forest. Their stingers, barely visible beneath their vegetation flashed in an unspoken promise.

  A muffled creaking groan from Laurell warned Eva. She ducked, narrowly avoiding a bug that had used a branch to launch itself at her. Tears rolled down Laurell's face as she remained locked in place.

  Eva stumbled out of the way, retreating as the bugs advanced.

  Figured she’d be terrified of something a fraction of her size. She’d feel worse about it if the Trateri hadn’t felt the same instinctual revulsion.

  She stomped on a bug shaped like a peony before dancing back as another in the shape of an oak leaf lunged. She neared the pool and Kent.

  There was the small sound of metal clattering on the ground, and she chanced a glance behind her as Kent ambled past. The blade Caden had given her beckoned from where it lay next to the stagnant pool.

  Eva dashed over, nearly tripping before she recovered her balance. She swept the blade up, chopping at a bug that strayed too close.

  The edge of the blade caught in the ground and she yanked it out.

  "Stop killing my babies," Meredith screeched.

  Eva ignored her as she kicked another bug, sending it flying into its brethren.

  Dozens more took its place. There would be no end to this. Not unless she ended the woman. Could she kill? Could she take a life?

  Damn right she could, if it would save herself and those mares. Blade lifted above her head, she dashed toward Meredith, a guttural scream filling her.

  "Don't come here," Meredith cried, raising her hands.

  Branches snaked toward Eva. One wrapped around her leg, stopping her charge. She desperately hacked, freeing herself but not before sustaining several cuts from the t
horns.

  "Annoying human pest," Meredith screamed. "I will turn you into kindling."

  Her creations came unstuck, stumbling from the briar hedge, their branches and leaves a whispering cacophony as they rattled toward Eva.

  There was no way she was going to make it. There were too many and knife fighting had never been her strength.

  Laurell's eyes met hers, a hint of her old resolve there. Eva felt her heart lighten. The paste must have done its job. Despite what the woodling thought, Laurell was no longer hers.

  Laurell's silvery leaves rattled as she tore her blade free, metal screeching

  "Yes, kill her," Meredith hissed in anticipation.

  The blade dropped, falling to the ground before Laurell grabbed Meredith, holding her immobile and preventing her from directing her creations.

  Eva tensed to leap at where the two women grappled when a root caught her foot. She tripped, avoiding another woodling’s grasping hands.

  The smell of smoke and green things burning filled the air. Branches splintered overhead, broken bits raining down as Sebastian crashed through the briar wall with a primal scream, the fire fox riding his back, its muzzle wrinkled in a vicious snarl. Fire licked Sebastian’s hooves and around the fox’s tail.

  Caden leapt through the hole the Kyren had made, his blade falling on Meredith's neck. The woman’s head separated from her shoulders, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop. Green sap dripped from the wound, coating Meredith’s front.

  The other woodlings froze at their master's death, their limbs becoming still once again as they stiffened, returning them to inert plants.

  Eva wiggled free of the branches surrounding her and stumbled toward Laurell.

  There was a gurgle as Kelly dropped to his knees, his face a mask of shock. Kent stood over him, a bloody blade in his hand. His eyes met Eva's. "I guess I chose my side after all."

  That was all she had time to absorb before her arms were around Laurell, supporting the other woman as they sank to the ground.

  "Ki....lll....M..e.."

  The words were barely a whisper, the echo of leaves shivering distorting them. Eva shook her head fiercely, already reaching for more of the packets hidden in her pockets. "It's going to be fine. I have more paste to treat you with right here."

  Laurell's gaze shifted over Eva's shoulder meeting Caden's.

  His face was expressionless before he closed his eyes, the barest whisper of grief touching his features before he nodded.

  "Eva, step back."

  Eva shook her head stubbornly. "We can still save her."

  Caden reached down and drew her back. "We can't. If she hasn't begun to revert with the woodling’s death, it's likely she won't."

  "We can still try."

  "Do...n't...Wa...nt...mon..ster.."

  "Eva, there isn't a choice," Caden said calmly.

  "She's my friend," Eva said in a raw voice, looking up at him.

  "Yes, she is. Now be her friend and let her go." There was understanding in Caden’s gaze. A sympathy Eva wanted no part of.

  She closed her eyes, bending her head in anguish. The fox nudged her hand, a whining sound coming from it. She touched its head, sending it her quiet gratitude.

  “Is there nothing to be done?” she asked the fox.

  Regret touched her mind along with a negative.

  Laurell clawed at the ground, struggling to reach Eva. A bittersweet smile tried to spread on Laurell's face, half-formed and crooked by the woodification of her skin.

  "I...t's...al..right..Sor...ry.."

  Tears were coursing down Eva's face as Jason drew her back. "Look away."

  Eva refused.

  There was gratefulness in Laurell's face as Caden bent down in front of her. "Th...ank...you."

  "Meet your ancestors with pride," Caden whispered.

  His blade pierced her chest and there was a stunned sound from Laurell before her body went limp. Green sap and blood mingled on Caden's blade as he pulled it free.

  "It was a good death," Jason told Eva, his eyes red and watery. "For a warrior, that is their greatest wish."

  When Caden looked up, Eva could see the cost this had taken on him. It wasn't easy killing, even when it was a mercy. Grief lingered there. She reached out, taking his hand in hers.

  His fingers clenched around hers in an unbreakable grip as his eyes met hers in wordless understanding.

  "What do we do now?" Kent asked.

  "Now we get out of here and find Darius so we can clean up the vermin," Caden said.

  "We can't," Eva protested.

  "I really think we can," Jason argued.

  "The Kyren need my help," she said.

  Sebastian had folded his head over one of the mares and was lipping at the bindings frantically.

  "He betrayed us,” Jason pointed out.

  She sent him a quelling look. "That's a fast turnaround from a man who was falling all over himself to attend Sebastian a few days ago."

  Eva glanced at Caden who looked at the Kyren with a set look on his face.

  "Betrayal has a habit of changing your outlook," Jason muttered.

  "I'll cut them loose," Caden told her with a resigned sigh.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  "We can't stay here," Kent said once Caden had finished freeing the Kyren. "It won't take Vincent long to figure out something is wrong. Trust me, you don't want to get caught by the people he’s with."

  "He's right," Caden said.

  The pregnant Kyren milled around. Although they were no longer hobbled by the briar net and choke chain, Eva doubted fleeing would be as simple as their release had been. Two of them might be able to take to the sky, but they wouldn't make it far.

  Sebastian nuzzled the third mare, his large eyes coming to Eva's.

  You've done your part, Caller. I'm sorry to have misled you. His mental voice was warm, the sound of a crackling fire.

  She sensed his regret. He knew he couldn't fight off the coming army. That didn’t change his resolve to try. He might not win, but he'd give his young mates as much time as he could for them to get to safety.

  It wouldn’t be enough, Eva realized as the mare let out a low grunt of pain. Sweat showed in her coat.

  She was in labor.

  "I can't leave them," she said.

  "You can't stay." Caden's expression was implacable. "There's no way I can fight them all."

  The admission seemed pulled from him. She could practically hear the pain as he admitted his limits. At any other time, she would have teased him for it. The imminently capable Anateri unable to conquer a foe? It was practically unheard of.

  Unfortunately, he was right.

  The trees might hide them for a time, but they also made their position impossible to defend. Eventually the enemy would catch up and surround them. There wasn't a thing they could do to stop it.

  It would be so easy to give up. She owed the Kyren nothing.

  "You should go," she told them. She included the fox in her glance.

  There was no way the Kyren would make it without her. Maybe, just maybe she could save the mare and her unborn foal. One thing she did know. She wasn't running. She was done with that.

  If it meant her life, so be it.

  She nodded again. "I'll stay. There are a lot of hiding places for a single person. I’ll be fine."

  "If you're staying, I'm staying," Jason said.

  She shook her head. "No, it'll be easier if it’s just me."

  She didn't need any more deaths on her conscious.

  She met Caden's gaze. His thoughts were veiled, his expression impossible to decipher, even after the night they'd spent together. A night she was suddenly grateful for. If she was to die today, better she had even a brief taste of his affections.

  "Go," she told him softly, unable to hide the brief glimpse of her heart. One that was becoming more and more attached to him the longer she spent near him. He was a thorn that refused to pull free. "The Kyren are what they want. T
hey'll focus on us, giving you time to escape. Bring the others if you can."

  She hesitated. She should leave now, turn her back and walk away before she talked herself out of this.

  She found she couldn't. If this was to be her end, she wanted something to take with her into the darkness.

  She stepped close, her hands trembling as she cupped his neck. He looked down at her, a wild emotion in his eyes that she couldn't quite define.

  With a thumb, she caressed the streak of blood on his jaw, her eyes moving over his features trying to imprint them on her brain. Of all the men she thought she might one day be attracted to, this fierce creature had never entered into her head.

  He was impossible to tame, simply because he liked the way he was. Violent, deadly, little emotion. The ones he had were intense and as likely to consume as they were to feed. But she'd seen glimpses of softness, of caring. He wasn't the monster he pretended to be.

  After a lifetime of finding and caring for lost things, he was the latest, perhaps her greatest work.

  She pressed her lips to his before she could falter.

  They were firm under hers. Hard but unexpectedly warm. They softened as the chain he kept on himself yanked free. He jerked her closer, his fingers tunneling into her hair as he adjusted the angle of her head.

  Joy and happiness bubbled up like little fizzy pops.

  Her breasts tingled where they pressed against his chest. Hard where she was soft, holding her with a gentleness at odds with the fierce warrior persona with which he faced the world.

  Her passion and strength matched his as they came together. Her feet never left the ground, but for a brief moment, connected in this way, she soared.

  When her heart came back to ground, she stepped away.

  His eyes were nearly black with suppressed emotion as he stared at her with a wild hunger and fury.

  She slid one last caress against his jaw, with faint wistfulness. "You have your warlord to look after. You can't be putting your life in danger for the likes of me. Not when there will be no reward."

  His eyes flared, but he didn't say anything.

  She took a step back, breaking their connection and feeling its loss acutely.