Staring out over the snow-covered landscape Edric let the brisk wind blow across his face, numbing the tip of his already frozen nose. He had forgotten what it was like to feel every part of his body. Since their departure from Tanispa his fingers and toes had been stiff and uncoordinated, the cold leaving them tingling and uncomfortable, if the occasion came where he could feel them at all. At the moment it was hard to be concerned about the discomfort. The only pain he cared about was the ache in his chest, knowing Neomi was out there somewhere, chasing after a beast that could easily tear them all to shreds, and he was powerless to save her. If Ewei’s plan was to send her to her death, he’d been successful.
The fabric wrapped around Edric’s midsection to create a bandage for his injuries provided extra warmth, a constant reminder of the misfortune they suffered prior to Neomi taking her leave. It had been his intent to take care of Gadiel and then find Neomi before she could set forth from the village. A pit in his stomach left him worried that Neomi had left intentionally while he was preoccupied. She would have expected him to argue the track the way he’d done before. If there was concern that she might concede, she was the type of woman who would do as she pleased before he had a chance to try and change her mind. By the time he exited the tent, she was gone, taking nearly half of Ewei’s unit with her.
Frustrated by the memory, he clenched his fists. There was nothing he could do. Ewei already commanded the warriors back to Nahedu, the journey seeming longer than before due to their slowed pace. Gadiel wasn’t well enough to walk on his own. A makeshift litter had been fashioned out of whatever materials they could find amongst the rubble, resembling more of a hammock attached to sticks to allow Edric and Sahra to carry him. The sling on Callum’s right arm prevented him from helping, despite his efforts to do so anyway. He didn’t take injury well. Throughout the time since the accident, he continued to behave as if he wasn’t impaired, stopped only by Edric and Gadiel’s constant chiding when he tried to do too much.
Closing his eyes, Edric pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders, lost in thought. It was hard to believe two days had passed since Neomi was with them last. Ewei wasted no time in leaving Isavo, ignoring Callum’s attempts to convince him to remain there at least one more day. Those who suffered injury during the Avaern’s attack weren’t fit for the journey. They needed more time to prepare. But Ewei refused to listen. He insisted he was more qualified to make decisions than Callum; and the mere fact that Ewei was Ovatai made his word carry more weight with the warriors.
“I wish there was something I could do which would ease your incessant pining,” Callum’s voice floated on the breeze, the sound of his footsteps crunching over the surface of the snow from the direction of camp. “You’ve barely spoken since we left the village. If there is something you wish to talk about, I’m willing to listen. It’s the least I can do.”
“There is nothing to say,” Edric frowned. “I wasn’t enough to keep her here. It is a painful truth I am still trying to come to terms with, but I cannot.”
“She was bound by duty to her people. You have been a member of the royal family your entire life. Surely you know what that’s like. I’ve only been in your family for a few decades and even I have experienced the same on more occasions than I am happy with.” Holding his chin high Callum came to stand at Edric’s side. Even through his closed eyes Edric could sense him there, tall and proud, exuding the strength Edric wished he could possess right now. It was easy for Callum. If Aiva had been the one sent after the Avaern, he wouldn’t display the same composure. “Try to quell your fears about her,” he added. “Once we reach Nahedu and determine the validity of the orders, it is possible Chief Okivra will send a unit to find Neomi and bring her home. I have faith in the idea that we will find our suspicions of Ewei to be true and Neomi’s family will no doubt feel a similar desire as you in regards to seeing her safely removed from her ridiculous task.”
Slowly letting his eyes open, Edric cast a glance in Callum’s direction. He wanted to believe his assurances. And in many ways, he did. The concern was whether they could get to Nahedu, verify Ewei’s word to be false, and find Neomi before the Avaern – or some other unknown beast – could get to her first. But there were other factors they hadn’t taken into consideration. Their lack of familiarity with the area forced them to rely solely on Ewei to guide them. If his trust was in question, it seemed reasonable that they should be on their guard. “Do you think Ewei will lead us to Nahedu if he lied about the orders?” The question was logical. Edric was surprised the topic hadn’t been breached sooner.
Pondering the thought, Callum let his eyes scan the camp behind them. His confidence waned briefly. A slight slump could be seen from his shoulders, shaking his head in consternation, not wanting to consider that they were being played for fools, but unable to deny the possibility. “It has crossed my mind,” he sighed. “I have been watching our direction of travel to the best of my ability. When we left Isavo, a path to Nahedu would require us to maintain an eastward aim with a slight southern deviation. Ewei directed us southward from Isavo, shifting to the east, however, when the sun set last night he continued to travel and without the sun, I wasn’t able to keep my bearings. Our path throughout today took us somewhat northward. I tried to pass it off as him being more knowledgeable of the land and cautious of areas more difficult to traverse, but my faith in Ewei falters by the second.”
“His behavior is rather suspect.” Edric allowed his mind to wander over the details he’d tried so hard to let go of. From the moment they left Isavo, Ewei had been noticeably wary of their path. Conscious of the trail they left behind. Numerous occasions he utilized his energy to manipulate the wind, erasing all traces of their footsteps, claiming his actions to be in fear of the Ythes who might follow them from the village. But the other men followed him willingly. If their intended destination was in fact Nahedu and Ewei deviated from the course, it didn’t make sense for the others to continue without questioning his direction. “How long do we wait before we confront him?”
“We have to have more proof,” Callum frowned. “For the time being, he can argue us to be where we are supposed to be and you and I have no way to prove his word false. A minor shift to the north tells us nothing. Regrettably, we have to wait out another day and monitor our route closely. It would be presumptuous to declare our distrust based solely on a single change. As much as my gut tells me he cannot be trusted, I can’t risk our tenuous friendship with him and his men on pure intuition.”
“So we are to follow him wherever he leads us?”
“Within reason. If I feel continuing in his company will be detrimental to our safety, then I will take it upon myself to try and lead us to Nahedu. My hope is that it won’t be necessary.”
“You think you could navigate this place?”
“Stranger things have happened,” Callum shrugged. “Truthfully, if Ewei leads us astray, we won’t have any other choice. You and I need to get back to our men. Nothing can be done about any of this until we return to Nahedu and speak with Okivra. In retrospect, I realize I should have insisted on speaking with him before we undertook this journey in the first place. He is the one who called for us. His orders are the ones we should be following while we are here, not his children – no offense to Neomi. She has demonstrated a strong grasp of common sense. The extent of Onuric’s participation in Ewei’s plans will determine whether or not he was blessed with the same intelligence.”
Their lack of options was frustrating. Trapped in the middle of nowhere with a unit of men who had no respect for them. No care about their titles or rank. They were outnumbered by the Ovatai. If Ewei chose to lead a revolt against them, they would die, and no one would ever know what happened. “This is nothing like I thought it would be,” he mumbled under his breath. Never would he have expected their supposed allies to become their greatest enemy, next to the massive beast they’d been called there to help protect the Ovatai against. “If we live through th
is, I am going to make sure my mother knows to consider her decision more carefully if the Ovatai ever come to us again. Had she known what they are really like, I suspect she wouldn’t have sent us away so willingly.”
“We can’t condemn them for the acts of a single man, Edric…”
“But it isn’t just one man,” he exhaled. “We have been battling against everyone since we first set foot in this place. Between the Ythes and the incredible pride of the Komoa, we are considered the enemy. Ants brought in by the Chief against the wishes of his people. Even Neomi was against our presence.”
“And she seemed to warm up to you just fine. Give the others more time. We have to prove ourselves worthy of their respect before they bestow it upon us.”
“You have more patience than I do, Callum. I don’t know how you can look at this so objectively when your life is being placed in danger over their inability to trust us.”
“I have had to learn patience over the years. After all… I am married to your sister.” A slow smile spread across Callum’s lips, patting Edric’s arm in a show of good humor. “You’re used to being trusted and respected by those around you simply because of who you are. Other than Chief Okivra, no one here has any reason to consider your family name. You are not their Prince. They have never seen you fight. If you show them that you are capable of keeping up with their men, they will start to appreciate you more. I had a similar issue when I was first sent to Siscal to aid their military against the pirates. No one likes allowing strangers into their homeland.”
“That may be true, but the Siscalians never tried to lure you away to keep you distracted from the war.”
“The Ovatai have significantly more pride than the people of Siscal. They aren’t used to asking for help. I’m willing to tolerate their inflated egos for a short while before I lose my temper. Let’s hope they come around before that happens.”
Chuckling to himself Edric tried to picture Callum losing his temper. He was always so levelheaded. To think of him finally reaching a tipping point and going off on Ewei… “I would love to see that,” he grinned. “If it turns out anything like when you threw Ewei down while in the cave, I would even pay money to witness it.”
Callum tilted his head back, a soft chortle escaping him at the memory. “Oh, how I wish I could do that again. He deserved much worse. He’s lucky I’m a merciful man or I would have torn his arm straight off.”
Grateful for Callum’s company to ease his troubled mind, Edric turned toward the camp, his laughter trailing off at the thought of returning to the others. Ewei was against the idea of tents, claiming they left behind traces of their presence which could lead the Ythes to them. With so few Vor’shai in their company, Callum had gone against Ewei’s wishes and ordered the tents set up.
It took all his willpower to force his legs to move, not only for his lack of enthusiasm in returning to the camp, but for the stiffness which had built in his knees from standing so long in the cold. A hollow voice in the back of his mind argued against the effort. He could just sit down where he was. The snow wouldn’t be so bad. He could curl up and go to sleep and all his aches would disappear…
His feet stumbled over a chunk of ice jutting up from the ground. Embarrassed, he straightened his back, brushing the fabric of his cloak absently. “Do you ever wonder if the Ovatai do things to us intentionally?” he mused. “You have seen the way they manipulate the ice and snow. We would have no way of knowing if they set us up to fall on our faces. It would look like nothing more than mere clumsiness on our part.”
“It’s possible,” Callum nodded, pausing to make sure Edric was steady on his feet before resuming his casual pace. “If you intend to say that’s what happened just now, however, then I will call your bluff. The Ovatai are asleep…” His voice faded, the direction of his gaze frozen ahead, staring blankly toward camp.
Confused by his unusual silence Edric followed Callum’s eyes, cursing under his breath. The flap of Sahra’s tent was open, a tall, lithe figure emerging from within, long strands of snowy-white hair picked up by the wind to blow about the pale, masculine features of the man’s face. He didn’t want to believe what he was seeing. There was no denying the sharp point of Ewei’s ears, his ice-colored eyes piercing through the darkness to where Callum and Edric stood, a confident, hateful sneer forming on his lips. “What is that bastard doing? He has no business with her,” Edric whispered, moving angrily toward Sahra’s tent. A hard pull at his back brought him to a halt, looking over his shoulder at Callum in disbelief. Why did he stop him? They had to say something to Ewei. He couldn’t be allowed near Sahra. He couldn’t be trusted.
“Calm yourself,” Callum hissed, releasing his hold to step in front of Edric. “If you show anger toward him for being near a Vor’shai woman than you are no better than him in regards to you and Neomi. Do not give him the satisfaction of seeing you upset by his actions.”
“Look at him!” Edric held his hands at his sides, struggling to keep from pointing at Ewei’s arrogant smirk still coming closer to them. “He is going after Sahra simply to get under our skin. Are you going to let him take advantage of her like that? What if he hurts her? Or worse, what if she is not a willing participant in his games?”
“This is Sahra you’re talking about. She is a fine soldier, but no one could ever call her a lady. Now, take a deep breath and compose yourself. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Straightening his posture Callum drew his shoulders back, his stance casual at Ewei’s approach. Edric didn’t understand how he could be so calm. All Edric could think of in that moment was slapping the smug smile from Ewei’s face. “Ewei, we were just talking about you,” Callum greeted with false cheerfulness. “I see you were near the tents. Were you looking for someone in particular?”
Arms folded across his chest, Ewei’s sneer widened. “I wasn’t looking for you, if that is what you imply,” he scoffed. “You boys should be in bed. It is late. I wouldn’t want you to be tired tomorrow.”
“When we take our rest is our business. In the future, if you have something to discuss with one of my soldiers, I recommend you come to me first.”
“You aren’t really my type, Vor’shai. I think you are intelligent enough to know that my business with your – soldier – was not anything of your concern, nor was it anything you need worry about.”
“What my soldiers do while in the line of duty – and with whom – is entirely my concern…”
“What difference does it make to you?” Closing the gap between them Ewei stared down at Callum, making use of the few inches he had over Callum to try and intimidate him. A smile tugged at the corners of Edric’s lips to see Callum stand his ground, showing no sign of faltering under Ewei’s steady glare. “Is it what she is doing or who she is doing it with that has you so worried? Are you afraid you will be considered – inadequate – in comparison?”
Callum stood perfectly poised, letting Ewei’s words linger on the air between them before a soft laugh of amusement could be heard, slowly building in confidence. “Inadequate? Is that what this is about? I don’t know what fears you possess when you consider the thought of one of my men lying with your women, but I will tell you that I am secure enough to know you have nothing of which I need fear in that regard. You overcompensate with vacuous chatter.”
“Your woman would attest otherwise.”
“That,” Callum gestured toward Sahra’s tent, “is not my woman. She is capable of making her own decisions. Her ability to perform the tasks required is where my concern for her personal affairs ends. As long as you don’t interfere with her duties, I couldn’t care less what the two of you do behind closed doors, and don’t ever delude yourself into thinking differently.” Moving past Ewei, Callum waved his hand to beckon Edric forward, ignoring Ewei’s narrowed eyes. “Come along, Your Highness,” he added lightly. “I think now would be a good time to get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Not wanting to give up their advantage in t
he conversation, Edric hurried forward at Callum’s request, shoulders drawn back, hoping his demeanor exhibited the same confidence as his friend’s. It was hard for him not to strike Ewei on his way by. The man was despicable. When Edric was a young boy he’d been brought up with an image of the Ovatai being such a proud and noble race. Now he was learning firsthand that while they possessed pride, they lacked the nobility he expected of them, crushing the final fragments of respect he once held for their people. If the other men were anything like Ewei, he wasn’t sure he wanted to save them from the Avaern. The only person he cared about saving was Neomi. He couldn’t leave her in the hands of these heartless creatures.
Quickening his pace he tried to keep up with Callum, satisfied to see that Ewei had chosen not to follow. He was afraid if their paths crossed again before morning that he might not be able to refrain from striking him. “Callum, do you seriously not mind that Sahra is associating herself with that man?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Edric, of course I mind. That doesn’t mean I have to let him know,” Callum huffed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Ewei was gone. “Her conduct is out of line, but I can’t exactly reprimand her when she is not the only one who has behaved in this manner since undertaking our mission. It would be an abuse of power to punish her while turning the other cheek to your actions in Isavo.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Three: Crown of Ice Page 57