by T. A. White
He yipped a response as Eva pushed herself harder.
Around her more stone giants woke to their companion’s cry. Eva dodged and weaved as the ground beneath her exploded and beings heaved themselves from the earth's embrace. She barely dodged a grayish hand when another giant pushed its way free.
She tripped and fell to her knees as the ground ahead buckled. Another giant sat up in front of her, blocking her way. Its strange white eyes stared right through Eva, its expression locked in silent suffering. She scrambled sideways and pushed herself to her feet again, then raced forward only to find the ridgeline crumpling beneath her feet.
Eva screamed, falling over the edge. The fox leapt off her shoulder and was gone. She hit the ground and rolled, unable to stop her descent, tumbling head over heels. Pain sprouted along her arm, her hip sending up a flare seconds later.
The bottom was blessedly free of rocks when she rolled to a stop.
The fox bounded to her side, yipping before nudging her cheek as if to say this was no time for a nap. He looked over his shoulder and yelped before racing away.
Eva glanced at what had sent him fleeing; the stone giants towered over the ridgeline, their blind eyes seemingly locked on her.
"Gods above and below. There was no mention of these creatures in any story I was told," Eva snarled, finding her feet.
She sprinted after the fox. She'd just had to rescue the creature, didn't she? Hadn't she learned by now nothing good ever came from tangling with mythologicals? But no, she had to interfere.
Look where that got her.
She cursed her short legs, wishing they were longer. Pain split her side as her breath sawed in and out.
A boulder the size of her torso crashed down feet from her, spraying dirt and debris. She covered her head, stopping and sending a disbelieving glance at the giants, only to dive to the side as another boulder landed next to the first.
"Of course, they're throwing rocks," Eva muttered. "Why would anything in this cursed land ever be easy?"
Two of the stone giants started down the hill, their gait unwieldy and awkward.
Eva ran for her life.
If she'd known the roots were connected to them in some way, she never would have cut them. Gods above, she never would have stepped foot on the ridge in the first place.
"This is all your fault," Eva told the fox.
He yipped a response as she swerved to avoid being crushed by another boulder.
She chanced a quick look over her shoulder. Despite their slow awkward strides, the giants were gaining on her.
She faced forward again, ignoring the panic that wanted to consume her. Focus on what she could do, that was the key to survival. Right now, she could run—and run she would, until there wasn't breath in her body.
The valley was narrow and long as Eva raced through it, not wanting to chance losing time on the steep slopes and sheer cliffs where the giants would be able to pluck her from the sides and then fling her to her death.
Scenarios ran through her head, each worse than the last.
The ground thundered under her from the force of their footsteps. A scream ripped from her as a sudden force caught her around her waist and lifted her.
She thrashed, intent on fighting until the very last minute.
"Stop, you idiot! You'll kill us both," Caden shouted in her ear.
Eva turned, gasping as he settled her in front of him on his horse. Behind his shoulder the giants loomed large.
"What are you doing here?" Eva shouted, her heart in her throat.
"Saving your ass." Caden flicked the reins and leaned forward, the motion forcing her to bend with him. The fox let out a small complaint from its place against her chest where he'd burrowed into her shirt. He stuck his head out of her collar, causing Caden to curse.
That was all the time they had before he kicked his mount into a gallop.
Eva caught the rhythm easily, letting her body flow with the horse's as they thundered down the valley, gradually putting distance between them and the giants.
The sound of hooves drumming against the dirt, the harsh breathing of Caden behind her, her heart beating double-time were all that filled Eva's ears as they raced away.
.
The valley flew by, Nell taking a small creek in a single leap. It felt like his hooves barely touched ground as he carried them away from danger.
Eva chanced a glance behind her. The giants were falling further and further behind. A few had already given up, shambling back to their ridgetop beds.
She caught the shape of one returning to its slumber, burrowing back into the ridge as if it was a blanket that could be pulled over it.
"Unbelievable," she muttered.
"Welcome to the insanity," Caden said sourly.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nell ran until his sides heaved and a slick lather coated his body. Caden pulled up on the reins, slowing the stallion to a trot and then a walk. Eva glanced behind to see the last of the giants had finally turned back.
"I find it interesting that as soon as I spot you, you're fleeing from trouble," he observed.
Eva was too tired to give him the glare he deserved. He could pick and prod all he wanted, if the end result was him saving her from being squashed like a bug. She was gracious enough to allow him his misconceptions.
"Where's the Kyren?" Caden asked.
Eva stiffened, danger of a different sort making itself known. The words to confess her failure stuck in her throat.
The fox raced up to her shoulder, chattering at Caden and distracting him.
"I see you've attracted another beast."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eva asked, twisting in her seat to see his face.
"Only that you seem to have made a habit of drawing the weird and the odd to you," he said, offering the little creature his hand and letting him smell it.
Eva snorted dismissively. "This is the Highlands. The only sort of creatures here are the weird and the odd."
"Is that so?" Caden said thoughtfully. His expression was contemplative. "Interesting, isn’t it then, that as soon as you flew off those water sprites stopped their attack?"
"Maybe they finally realized the Trateri didn’t make for easy prey," Eva pointed out, not liking what he was insinuating—that she was the cause of the attack. That she drew them to her somehow.
She didn't like her oddities being discussed. She rarely even acknowledged them to herself. For someone like Caden, who held the ear of the most powerful people in the land, to see so much left her feeling uncomfortably exposed.
"Could be," he agreed. "But I doubt it. Their attack seemed focused on you."
"Not me," Eva objected. "The Kyren."
His hum said he was willing to let her win this even as he didn't seem entirely convinced.
"How did you find me?" Eva finally asked.
She really hadn't expected anyone to follow. Or that they even could with the way Sebastian had taken off. The fact that Caden had was unbelievable. The Highlands were vast. For him to stumble over her in her time of need was so impossible that she wasn't entirely sure this wasn't some odd dream.
"You're my charge until I deliver you to the Kyren's meadow. You’re my only priority," Caden said. "I followed you. I lost the Kyren fairly quickly, but I saw the direction he was heading. The rest was luck."
"You abandoned Darius and the rest?" she asked, still unable to believe it. The Trateri stuck to their own. They were fiercely loyal like that. She had a hard time believing Caden would break tradition for her, even if the Kyren had factored into that decision. "Just like that?"
"Yes."
Eva fell silent. That wasn't the answer she expected. Not from someone as loyal to the warlord as Caden.
"I surprised you," Caden said.
Eva shrugged.
"Don't be. Duty takes many forms. Protecting you is simply my burden until it is decided otherwise. It is the most important thing to Fallon, and I will see it to its successful com
pletion," he said.
Eva fought to keep her shoulders from rounding. No one liked to be told they were a duty—even if they knew it was true in their heart.
"You've failed anyway," Eva said, her voice slightly bitter. "The Kyren abandoned me."
Silence rode with them as they continued through the valley.
"We shall see," Caden said finally. "You're alive. Anything can still happen."
"Why does the Hawkvale want this alliance so bad anyway?" Eva asked.
She could guess at some of it, but sending his best to make sure she succeeded? She didn't understand why he would go to such lengths.
"That's something a throwaway doesn't need to know." Caden's words were as effective as a slap to the face.
Eva lifted her chin, pride making her dig in when normally she would have let it go. "Perhaps it's simply that you don't know. Maybe the Hawkvale didn't think you important enough to tell."
She sensed rather than saw his smile. "You've gotten brave during the night. Did your run-in with the stone people give you a backbone?"
Eva let out a small hiss. The fox moved to sit in her lap, peering up at her in curiosity. She patted his back to calm him. The last thing she needed was for him to attack Caden.
"I've always had a backbone. Only unlike you, I don't have the strength or the skills to stand up to everyone. I have to pick my battles," she said.
"Is that what you tell yourself?" he prodded.
"What you see as being spineless, I see as simply conserving my energy."
Caden grunted but didn’t argue further, allowing the time to pass in silence. That suited Eva, letting her run through several scenarios on how to find Sebastian again.
Hours later, Caden reined his horse to a stop in the shadow of a small hill. "We'll stop here for the night."
He dismounted, reaching up for her next. His hands were unexpectedly gentle as he lifted her down. Her body brushed his, sending tingles of warmth rushing through her.
The feeling unsettled her, and she stepped away from him as soon as her feet touched the ground. She didn't like this heightened awareness she got around him every time they were near each other. He didn't like her and that was fine, but she wouldn't settle for her body being a traitor.
"I'll take care of the horse," he told her when she went to unlatch the saddle.
Eva stepped back, almost grateful. The day had been exhausting and she was drooping where she stood. If he wanted to do the work, she wasn't going to argue with him.
He dug through the bags, pulling out a towel and a curry brush before tossing the bag to her. "There's dry meat in there. Hunting will have to wait."
Eva sat and dug through the bag, unearthing the food.
She chewed slowly, the salty, smoky taste of the dried deer filling her mouth and leaving it parched and dry. She rustled through the bag again, relieved when she found a water skin. Withdrawing it, she uncapped it and tilted her head back, taking a healthy swig.
She almost choked as the tart taste of alcohol filled her mouth instead of the water she'd been expecting.
A warm chuckle left Caden when he caught sight of her expression.
"Why do you have whiskey in your saddle bags?" she asked as he rubbed down Nell. The piebald leaned into the strokes, enjoying the attention after a long day.
Caden’s hands were gentle as he cared for the stallion, crooning softly to him as Eva took another, smaller sip from the bladder.
"Our lives are hard. Sometimes whiskey makes it go down a little easier," Caden said, not looking away from tending the stallion. "There's another bladder with water in it, if you’d prefer."
Eva couldn’t argue with his logic. She could certainly use a little of the whiskey’s medicinal effects after the day she’d had.
*
Caden movements were sure and confident as he tended Nell. The piebald had proved himself a more than worthy partner, and after the difficult night and day deserved more than the little Caden could do for him.
He wasn’t surprised when Eva chose to tip her head back and take another gulp of the whiskey instead of digging for the water. Most Lowlanders in her situation would have been curled up into a ball by now. Not Eva. She was made of sterner stuff.
Hell, many of the warriors he knew wouldn’t have handled her situation with the grace and calm she had.
Even back at Wayfarer’s Keep, when faced with the combined attention of Fallon and his council, she hadn’t faltered. The respect that had grudgingly bloomed then had only deepened over the course of their journey.
Every obstacle she overcame, every time she confronted the Lowlanders or the warriors and came out the winner, added to his esteem.
She’d shown more determination and spirit than most, meeting him head on even when he knew he scared her.
He didn’t know when he’d come to look forward to her stubborn glare when she was angry at him, but it had quickly become the highlight of his day. Enough so, that he found himself prodding at her temper just to see what she’d do next.
For a man like him, who never questioned his assumptions and relied on his gut, it was unsettling to realize how much he’d misjudged her.
Finished brushing Nell down, Caden stepped away from the piebald, slipping the brushes and cloth into his bag before setting the horse loose to wander. Caden knew he wouldn’t go far.
He paused when he caught sight of the way Eva had huddled in on herself, staring at the piebald with a fixed look that spoke of shock.
Looked like her day was finally catching up to her. He was surprised it had taken this long.
He dug through his bags, pulling out a large jacket and slipping it around her shoulders as the fox snuffled around her feet, scratching at the dirt and sniffing before moving on.
"It seems he's adopted you," Caden observed, pulling the jacket snugly around her neck.
"Yay me," Eva said tiredly.
Caden's teeth flashed appreciatively. There she was. She might not be quite herself, the day’s adventures having taken their toll, but she wasn’t defeated either.
He knelt, gathering sticks and tinder for a fire and getting it burning before moving toward Eva. "Let me see your arms and legs."
"Why?"
There was a bite to her words. The polite barrier she kept between herself and others faded and worn from exhaustion.
This experience hadn’t broken her, only left her a little bruised. There was something admirable about a survivor who refused to bow. He’d always had a weakness for those who’d taken the shit life handed them and rose to their feet anyway.
"Because if you have any cuts, we need to tend them so they don't get infected,” he patiently explained. While he was grateful for the brief glimpse of an unfiltered Eva, he couldn’t allow her to put herself in danger—even if that meant inviting her anger.
Her frown was suspicious and held every bit of the doubt he knew she wanted to heap on him. He didn’t begrudge her the sentiment, knowing he’d earned her wariness.
More so, because it would make slipping inside her shields that much more satisfying in the end.
He resisted the urge to smile back, knowing she’d take it as him mocking her. That might force her to dig her heels in harder just to be difficult.
He had years of experience hiding his thoughts from the most perceptive people in the world. If they couldn’t read him, he knew this infuriating, tempting woman stood no chance.
It made it easy to maintain a serious and no-nonsense expression—even when her frown deepened, and she regarded him with a level of suspicion he couldn’t help being flattered over. You would think he was one of those tricky mythologicals from the way she glared.
Reluctantly, she held out an arm, not managing to hide a wince as she caught a glimpse of the scraped skin running the length of her forearm.
He made a soft sound, crooning to her in much the same way she did her horses as he dipped two fingers into the container of green gunk, smearing it on the raw and abraded ski
n. How had he not known she was this injured?
This should have been treated hours ago.
He guessed he shouldn’t be surprised she hadn’t told him earlier. The woman was nothing if not stubborn.
"I saw you take the fall," he said softly, not moving his eyes from her arm. "I thought for sure you'd broken your neck."
Caden had survived many things—experiences that would have destroyed other men. None of them had compared to watching her tumble down that hill and know there wasn’t a damn thing in the world he could do but watch.
The helplessness he’d felt had threatened to send him to a very dark place. Only when she had stood and sprinted away had he felt like he could breathe again.
It was a feeling he never wanted to relive.
"Sorry to disappoint. I couldn't make your life that easy," Eva said in a tired voice, a ghost of a smile gracing her face.
He grunted, folding her arm back beneath the jacket before reaching for the next. Foolish girl. Though no more foolish than him. If he was smart, he’d turn her over to Drake and Jane and have nothing else to do with her. His Anateri were every bit as capable of him.
But he knew as he looked over her other arm, he was going to do nothing of the sort. She was in his blood now. Gods help them all, because he had no intention of forcing her out.
"You’re resilient. I’ll give you that," Caden said, sitting back on his heels when he finished. Perhaps a little too resilient.
A less resilient person might be more motivated to stay out of harm’s way.
The sun hovered above the horizon. The glow of dusk before the clouds started their sunset display made it easy to read the narrow-eyed look she sent him.
"We'll stay here for the night," he said, ignoring that look. "Once night falls, we'll be without the fire. I can't risk its light drawing anything to us."
"I don't suppose you have two bedrolls in that pack?" she asked hopefully.
This time Caden didn’t bother to smother his grin. "I'm afraid not. You're lucky I had as much as I did. I'd just returned from scouting, otherwise I would have had to come after you with nothing."