The Wind's Call

by T. A. White

  Her smile was stiff as she looked over the small group. "Good luck."

  Jason had a forlorn expression on his face as Eva moved away, her eyes smarting. Saying goodbye was harder than she thought, but it was better this way.

  The fox trailed her. Eva stopped, crouching next to him. “You can’t come with me. Go with them. What I’m about to do will be dangerous.”

  The fire fox made a lost sound that Eva hardened her heart against. There was no point in the fox putting himself in danger when the only reason he was there, was because of Eva.

  "You’re not really going to leave her behind, are you?" Jason's angry voice asked as Eva moved out of hearing range, a part of her begging Caden to stay.

  There was no response from Caden; then there was no time to think of him or anything but what she had to do.

  *

  Caden throttled the urge to strangle the daft woman who had walked away from him. Did she really think he was going to walk away? Leave her here with a small army set to descend at any moment?

  Anger, hot and all-consuming licked his insides. It was good he'd have people to kill soon.

  Self-sacrificing bullshit, that's what that was. He wouldn't stand for it. When this was over, they were going to have a long talk, one where he did all the talking and she'd sit there and listen.

  He forced the fury and the rage back, beating it into submission with long practice. Warriors who didn't control their emotions died quickly.

  Calm again, he forced himself to look at the situation pragmatically.

  Caden had been in dozens of combat situations over the years. He could read the flow of a battle as well as a scout could read trail sign. His instincts were telling him there was no way they could succeed. Retreat was the best option.

  Judging by the stiff back of the woman walking away from him, that advice wouldn't be well-received.

  She'd fight him tooth and nail, resist every step of the way.

  He could force her.

  For half a second he even considered it. She'd hate him for it, but at least she'd be alive.

  Before he'd gotten to know her, her pain and fears, he would have done it and not lost a second of sleep over it. Even if it meant she would no longer be his.

  But he did know her. Intimately. Inside and out. Her mind as well as her body. In a way he hadn't allowed himself to know many.

  If he forced her to leave the Kyren, it would destroy her. Slowly, agonizingly.

  He'd seen the nightmares she faced. He couldn't add to them.

  He knew better than most, there were fates worse than death. Losing your identity, your core self, facing the fact you weren't who you thought you were was one of them.

  A betrayal of that magnitude might destroy her, even if her body survived.

  "Anateri are supposed to protect," Jason hissed at him.

  "Hush," Caden barked. "You don't know what you're talking about."

  The boy's view of him was romanticized if he thought that. The Anateri were killers, pure and simple. Every single one of them. They were the worst of the worst, chained to Fallon's will by unbreakable bonds.

  Only now, a tiny woman with more strength than sense seemed to have her slim hands wrapped around his chain.

  The fire fox looked up at him, dejection in his posture. He didn’t like being left behind any more than Caden did.

  "Come." Caden turned and walked away, leaving behind the softness she pulled from him. There was no room for it with what he was about to do.

  The fox padded after him, the same air of bloodthirstiness present that Caden had glimpsed while they’d fought next to each other before. The fox knew it was time to go hunting.

  Caden’s smile was grim and humorless, the stuff of nightmares. The throwaway, Kent, flinched at the sight of it. Even Jason fell silent, though Caden sensed that wouldn't hold for long.

  And Eva thought she wasn't brave. If only that were true. Leave it to him to find such a contrary woman as the person to warm his cold core.

  There was no way to beat the enemy—but perhaps Caden could stall them.

  "We have work to do," Caden told Jason.

  The boy stared at him open mouthed before relief filled his expression and he trotted after Caden. The throwaway still looked suspicious. He, at least, would have had no problem abandoning Eva.

  Caden wanted to eliminate the threat he could become. Right now, he was on their side but he'd already flipped once. There was nothing to say he wouldn't flip again.

  The only thing preventing Caden from shedding the man’s blood was the knowledge he'd soon need him, no matter his real loyalties.

  "Here is your first lesson in war," Caden told the youth dogging his footsteps. "When you are outnumbered and out-powered, you have to be twice as devious as the enemy."

  It'd been a long time since Caden had to tap into that part of himself. He'd helped make Fallon into the power he was now, primarily relying on tactics the strong would say were the hallmark of the weak. Caden didn't care what someone might say, if it meant he won in the end—and this was one battle he intended to win no matter the cost. A woman with a shy but sly smile was counting on him.

  "We're not going to fight?" Jason asked, his expression confused.

  The throwaway snorted. "Only if you want to die."

  "Not in a way our enemy expects," Caden corrected.

  He crouched down and outlined his plan in the dirt. The fire fox’s gaze was intent and perceptive, his tails curling around his feet.

  “I don’t care what she told you. Stay close to her. Protect her if you can,” Caden told the fox.

  The creature watched Caden with a human-like intelligence, yipping once before padding into the forest. It closed quickly around him.

  “Does that mean he’s going to help?” Jason asked, his expression slightly confused.

  “We’ll see soon enough,” Caden said, his eyes on where the fox had disappeared.

  The creature was a difficult one to read. He seemed to be on Eva’s side and had shown a surprising aptitude for battle strategy when they’d fought before, but he was a mythological, tricky as the day was long.

  Kent folded his arms, unimpressed. “We’re going to need more than a fox with three tails to survive what’s coming.”

  Caden agreed. They were going to need a lot of luck on their side to stand a chance.

  The one bright spot in all this was how isolated the cenote was. It could only be accessed through the tunnels they'd come through or from above.

  It wouldn't be easy, but they had the advantage of a warning. They could set traps, thin the herd and restrict their movements. With a small force he would be able to hold the two entry points for a short time.

  Unfortunately, three people, two of whom weren’t warriors, wasn't going to be enough. The fire fox might help, but Caden had his doubts.

  There was the small whuffle and stamp of a hoof. Caden looked up to find Caia observing them with a startled expression. Of course, she'd followed her mistress. The horse acted more like a wolf in need of a pack than a herd animal.

  A plan formed.

  "First, I need one of you to ride the demon horse," Caden said.

  *

  Eva didn't watch the others leave, already focused on the Kyren mares. They whickered a friendly greeting as she approached. Eva pushed away more than one questing nose looking for a treat in her pockets.

  "Sebastian, you need to get those who can fly to safety. Send them as far from here as you can," Eva said. "The herd lands would be best."

  In their state, they won't be able to travel the mists to find the herd lands, Sebastian said.

  Eva bit her lip. The herd lands would be best, but she'd settle for anywhere but here for now. "Take them as far as you can then. Fallon's people will help you if you find them."

  Eva sensed his disquiet. He didn't want to leave her or the mare.

  You’ll die if you stay. His voice was faint and whisper-thin, almost making her think she’ imagin
ed it.

  Eva was prepared for the worst, but that didn't mean she'd go down quietly. "Not necessarily. Equine births are fast. I assume yours are similar. If luck is on my side, then I can deliver the foal and we’ll be gone before Vincent’s people ever get this far."

  It was a gamble, but the best plan she had.

  Sebastian nuzzled the mare again, his ears rotating in distress.

  Eva sensed the quick communication between them and also Sebastian's reluctance. She waited. There was nothing more she could do. He had to make this decision for himself.

  I will come back as soon as I can, he promised.

  Eva nodded even though he wasn't really speaking to her.

  With one last look at the mare, Sebastian flared his wings and called to his small herd. They answered.

  He waited as the first took flight and then the second.

  Unlike the Kyren Eva had seen in her dreams, these were not graceful, their heavy pregnancies making their ascent difficult.

  Eva watched with her heart in her throat as the last made it into the air.

  She looked down to find the remaining mare's gaze on her, her eyes clouded with pain but her neck still held at a noble angle.

  If she'd been human, Eva would have named her queen, because that's what she looked like.

  "Well, my friend, it looks like it's just you and me now," Eva said softly.

  *

  The first order of business was to lead the mare as far away from where she'd been imprisoned as possible.

  It sounded easy, but the mare was slow, having to stop every few steps to pant. Her sides heaved and her coat was flecked with sweat.

  Eva kept one hand on her side to let the mare know she wasn't alone.

  They came to a slight rise, the ancient trees closing in all around them. They'd made their slow laborious way to the opposite end of the cenote where the branches were thick and heavily interwoven, blocking the sky from view.

  "Wait here, I'm going to see if I can find a better spot," Eva said.

  The mare's only response was a high, sharp whinny.

  Eva slipped through the vegetation, her senses poised and alert for any signs their enemy had neared.

  She found a small grove, the surrounding trees silent sentinels. Their bark was black and the leaves on their crowns the lightest green Eva had ever seen. The grove was filled with a soft carpet of long grass. It'd be the perfect place for a birth, not easily seen even if you knew what to look for.

  To be discovered here, the enemy would have to search long and hard for them.

  Good enough.

  Eva slipped back to the mare. She pulled aside bushes and branches to allow the mare to slip easily through, before pushing them back into place so no sign of their passage would be visible.

  Finally, the mare stood in the small grove, her head down, her breathing labored.

  She paced, making low grunts of pain as her contractions tightened and loosened.

  Eva kept up a steady commentary of soothing noises, all the while cognizant that every sound the mare made might draw the enemy to them.

  The mare was agitated, her need for escape and her need to deliver the foal almost in direct contrast.

  She whirled on Eva and it was only because of her practices with Caden and her own long history with animals she managed to evade the sharp teeth as they closed inches from where her face was.

  Eva's heart thundered but she didn't show weakness, keeping up the soothing croon.

  The mare pawed at the ground, tearing out the grass and piling it into a small bed. She settled down and Eva knelt beside her, careful to keep one eye on the tricky Kyren as she felt along the mare’s belly.

  Concern made Eva's movements quick and efficient. The birth was taking too long.

  The foal should have come by now.

  Eva moved around the mare, checking to see if she could spot the foal's hooves.

  There was nothing.

  She waited until the Kyren's latest contraction had ended before reaching in and feeling around. The two tiny hooves were easy to find.

  Eva waited as another contraction started, controlling the small sound of pain that wanted to escape. A mare's contractions were strong, necessary given the size of the foal they needed to push from their bodies, but they weren't exactly comfortable to sit through when your arm was stuck inside the birthing canal.

  Eva ignored the discomfort, worry starting to build. The hooves were properly aligned. There shouldn’t have been any problems. It should be a smooth birth.

  Yet, the mare was in obvious distress that was growing deeper by the moment.

  What was preventing the little foal from sliding free?

  Eva leaned closer, pushing her arm up to her bicep as she carefully investigated, making sure to keep her movements smooth and slow so she didn’t distress the mare further.

  There. Something that didn't belong.

  She felt along it, learning the shape with her hands. It wasn't another hoof. A wing perhaps? One that felt like it was pinned up against the pelvic bone. This was why the foal wasn't sliding free.

  Eva was paralyzed with indecision. It felt like the wing was outstretched when it needed to be tucked tight into the body.

  She could see what she needed to make happen but didn't know how to do it. None of her previous experiences birthing horses would help her with this.

  She was in unchartered territory. On her own, as per usual.

  There wasn't a lot of time either. If she didn't do something, and soon, the mare would die. Alternatively, the people hunting them could find them and then Eva would die. The mare and foal would only wish they were dead.

  Think, Eva, think. You're smart and you've attended dozens of births for several different animals.

  But not birds. Because birds were hatched and not born, or at least no bird around her old village had come into this word as a mammal would. They'd all come from eggs.

  She didn't know how fragile the wings were. If she forced it down, she could snap the delicate bones, splintering them and complicating the birth further.

  Quit dithering and make a decision, Caller, the mare's pain-wracked voice filled her mind, before she snapped her teeth at Eva.

  Help my child or leave.

  "I'm trying to do just that, lady," Eva said, struggling for a patience that had deserted her. She was hot, sweaty and afraid. She didn't need the Kyren bullying her too.

  Though, she supposed certain allowances could be made since the Kyren was probably in a lot of pain.

  Work faster, was the snapped response.

  Eva had to smother the grin that wanted to take over her face.

  I'm so glad you find my plight amusing.

  "It's just, for so long I’ve ached to know my charges thoughts and feelings. And now I do, and you swear worse than any Trateri warrior I know," Eva said, laughter a soft hush in her voice.

  A small thread of weary amusement wound through the Kyren's voice. I suppose for one such as you this is a strange experience.

  "The strangest, but I wouldn't change it for anything."

  Eva was fiercely glad Sebastian had come to her, that he had picked her. Without him, she doubted she'd ever have gotten to see the person Caden hid inside, or met the Kyren or experienced any of the wondrous things on this journey. It had been scary, sometimes so much so it was all she could do not to beg for respite, but it had been exhilarating too.

  "I know what's wrong, lady," Eva said sobering. "The child's wing is out of place. I can put it back into place, but I'm not sure what damage that might do or if it would be permanent."

  The Kyren's fear and panic beat at her, and Eva winced at the throbbing it generated in her head.

  The Kyren pulled it back, like the tide receding, still present but no longer threatening to pull Eva under.

  Do what you must.

  Eva met the Kyren's gaze before the nodding. Resolve firming her chin.

  "After the next contraction," Eva told the Ky
ren. "Don't push until I tell you."

  There was a grunt of agreement as the Kyren stiffened, the powerful clenching inside bruising Eva's arm, but she didn't dare withdraw or else she risked losing her grasp on the wing. She might not find it quick enough next time.

  As soon as she felt the vise-like grip ease, she moved, slowly straightening the wing as far as it would go before forcing it to fold and pin tight to the foal's body. It didn't take long as she worked between contractions.

  Finally, it snapped into place.

  "Push," Eva urged.

  After that, nature took its course, the front legs of the foal sliding free with one push. Minutes later the foal’s head followed.

  Eva cleared his nose as the rest of him slid free.

  Using a scrap of her shirt, she dried him, rubbing his limbs with a vigorous motion.

  The mare had already gained her feet, the afterbirth sliding free by the time Eva was done.

  A warmth like Eva had never known filled her. Peace and love stemming from the small body she held in her hands. It was the closest Eva had ever come to feeling the love a mother felt for a child. In that moment, she would have done anything for the small one she held in her hands.

  Unconditional love poured through a bond as golden as the sun—and as life-giving.

  "You’re beautiful," she told the small male. And worth every ounce of pain that was still to come.

  There was a snuffle as the mare shifted closer. Eva moved slowly and carefully out of the way so the new mother could check on the newborn, conscious that while Kyren resembled their equine cousins they were not equine themselves. At least not entirely. They were predators with a predator's instincts.

  Eva had gotten bitten, kicked and a whole host of other things when delivering foals before. The Kyren would likely make all of that pale in comparison to what she’d do if Eva stepped out of line.

  The mare stretched her nose out, nuzzling the small creature who blinked up at them with wide, innocent eyes. The baby's legs were folded under him, and as she watched he stretched his neck to touch noses with his mother, the two sharing a moment so sweet it made Eva's heart clench.

  A thunderous shout and the sound of collapsing rock resounded through the cenote.

  Eva jerked toward the source of the clamor.