The Wind's Call

by T. A. White

  None of them would lift a finger for the humans caught in its grasp—but they'd help her.

  Eva came to a decision, not letting herself stop to question it. Sometimes you had to pick a course and act, and hope you were brave or foolish enough to survive.

  She reached forward, slipping the headstall of Caia’s bridle forward over her ears. The entire bridle, the reins with it, loosened. Caia opened her mouth letting the bit slip out. Free, they started to veer from the others. Eva used her knees to guide Caia, the horse trusting her direction.

  Noticing the reins he held were now uselessly dangling, Caden glanced back, his eyes meeting Eva's as her resolve firmed.

  "Ya," she said, touching her heels to Caia's side.

  Power surged through Caia as her speed picked up and they circled away from Eva's protectors before racing back the way they'd come. A roar tore from Caden, one Eva ignored as she focused on the wagon and the mist which was only a few horse lengths behind it.

  "Fly, my friend. Fly as if you had wings," Eva whispered in a heartfelt plea.

  Caia answered, bolting forward. For a split-second, it felt like flying was exactly what she did, the ground blurring past as they broke into a dead gallop.

  The sound and fury of the chaos fell away, Eva existing in a single moment as Caia plunged under her, both woman and horse focused on that wagon. So many things could go wrong. She could be wrong. None of that mattered. Only reaching the wagon.

  The mist reared up, its wave cresting before it crashed down over the wagon. Eva's hand brushed the wall slats as she sat back, Caia's rump nearly touching the ground as the horse came to a furious stop.

  Caden, unnoticed until now, had reached her seconds before the mist engulfed them, his face a mask of fury that did nothing to hide the terror in his eyes. His fingers brushed her shoulder as the world fell silent and hushed. Everything from before the mist closed around them was muted, even the sound of the wind.

  Caia blew out a harsh breath as she panted. Eva strained to listen. To hear.

  The world felt insubstantial and faint, as if this was all a dream that she might wake up from if she only tried hard enough. That was a fool's belief. No amount of straining would make this disappear.

  "What were you thinking?" Caden shouted.

  "Shh, do you hear that?" Eva asked, looking around her in amazement.

  The fear that had plagued her disappeared, leaving a kind of peace behind. A babble filled her ears, countless voices murmuring. They sounded almost like running water.

  The rustle of wind through the grass reached her. Next, she caught the faintest whicker of a horse.

  This wasn't normal. She'd heard the stories, listened to the pathfinders. She should have felt cold and disconnected as if the world existed behind a veil.

  Instead, she felt something tugging her deeper.

  Had Caden's warm hand not been on her arm, grounding her, she would have followed the call to the source.

  "I hear nothing. That's exactly the point." His dark eyes were furious. If he hadn't put so much stock on doing his job well, he might have given into his urge to strangle her.

  She frowned at him, the strength of the call fading under the onslaught of his personality.

  "What madness possessed you to do this?"

  "The mythologicals are all here," Eva said.

  "And?"

  "And I think they can navigate it. Reece was never going to make it in time, but I knew I could."

  "You hope they'll come for you," he stated flatly.

  That was exactly what she hoped.

  His sigh held an edge of weariness. "You have a lot of faith in them. More than they deserve."

  Eva couldn't argue. Ajari was an uncertain ally at best. Depending on his mood, he was as likely to turn on them as help. Sebastian was playing at a game she didn't understand, she was sure. He'd been able to talk to her this entire time, yet hadn't. Why? And who knew what the fire fox's motivations were. She certainly didn't.

  She'd chosen to put her faith in them anyway. They'd soon see if that faith was misplaced.

  "Why did you follow me?" she asked instead. She wanted to hit him for being so stupid.

  She'd chosen this, but she'd never intended to bring him with her. A risk that was fine for her was less so, for him.

  "Don't say it was because I'm your job," she bit out. "No job is worth your life, especially not me."

  She wasn't Fallon. She wasn't the man he'd spent his life in service of. He could have kept going. No one would have thought less of him.

  "You don't have a good view of yourself," he said, realization in his tone.

  Eva glared. She didn't need his pity. "I know what I'm worth, but it's not the cost of your life."

  "I wouldn't be too sure of that," he declared.

  He yanked her toward him. It was move with him, or fall. His arms closed around her, his lips touching hers as they branded her with the force of his soul.

  The danger of the situation fed into the kiss, heightening it. Parts of Eva tingled, attuning themselves to him. Then it was over, and he drew back.

  "You know nothing." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Your life is more important than a hundred others."

  Eva didn't know what to say. The kiss the other night could be attributed to heightened emotions and the danger of the situation. Same here, if not for that first kiss or what he’d just said.

  She tried not to get her hopes up. He could still consider her a duty and was using this to keep her in line.

  The fox landed on the top of the wagon, yipping as its tails writhed around it.

  "Look at that—it seems I'm right after all," Eva said, grateful for the distraction as she drew back. Her eyes flitted to Caden and away before returning like they were drawn.

  He gave her a sidelong look that did nothing to dull the dark, carnal edge in his gaze, one he'd carefully concealed from her until now. Good thing, too. If he'd stared at her like that at the beginning of the journey, she would have climbed on Sebastian's back and let him carry her off much sooner.

  "We're not out of the mist yet."

  "It's progress," she insisted stubbornly.

  Sometimes that's all you could ask for; all you could hold onto as the dark closed around and tried to suck your will from you.

  "Optimist."

  "Pessimist."

  "Then we're a matched pair," he said softly.

  She ignored the statement and the feelings engendered by the kiss, deciding to wait until she could safely take them out and examine them further. She didn't know how she felt about either, but now wasn't the time to delve.

  The fox leapt from the mist, seeming to glide in midair. Eva caught him, her arms full of fur and tails as he licked her chin in happiness. She got a flash of contentment and the warmth of a bonfire before he wiggled free, hopping over to Caden and subjecting the man to the same enthusiastic greeting.

  A head poked out of the back of the wagon. "Allo out there."

  "We're here," Eva called in relief.

  With the mist you never knew what you'd get. She might have grabbed hold of the wagon only to find its occupants gone.

  "Is that Eva?" Ollie shouted from inside.

  "It is."

  "Lass, tell me you didn't dive headfirst into this soup without the aid of a pathfinder," Ollie said.

  Eva winced. He wasn't going to like the answer.

  "That's exactly what she did," Caden returned with a smirk. It seemed he wasn't going to let this go.

  "Wait until I tell Hardwick. He is not going to be pleased to hear this," Olli muttered.

  "We could always keep it to ourselves," Eva offered.

  There was a snort. "Not bloody likely."

  Ah, well, she'd tried, and maybe Ollie's memory would be blunted by the time they met up with the main body. That, or maybe they wouldn't make it out at all. Eva wasn't sure which she'd prefer more, considering the sharp edge of the herd master's tongue.

  "No pathfinder?"
someone asked in a hushed voice. "What were they thinking? How are we going to survive now?"

  "Stop relying on them for everything," Ollie barked. "We're Trateri. We adapt; we evolve. We don't give in."

  Eva glanced at the wagon’s front where the horses shifted impatiently, their ears flicking. They didn't seem too distressed. What was more concerning was the fact there was no one in the driver's seat, as if those sitting there had never been—or had abandoned it as soon as the mist descended.

  "Where did they go?" Eva asked softly.

  Caden's hand slid down to grasp hers, his expression grim when she glanced up at him.

  Their thoughts echoed one another's, both thinking the same thing. The drivers should have been there. Connected to the wagon, they would have traveled with it to wherever the mist took them. It's why the occupants inside it were still present.

  That they weren't meant either they had abandoned the driver's seat—for what asinine purpose, Eva didn't know—or they'd been taken by something in the mist.

  Caden's hand dropped to the sword at his waist.

  Eva watched the fox sprawl in front of Caden along the horse's neck, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted.

  "I don't think there's anything out there for us to worry about," Eva said slowly.

  At least, not anymore, if the fox was anything to judge by. The horses too, were calm and relaxed.

  She glanced back at the driver's seat. No blood that she could see to point to a violent end, but why would they leave voluntarily? There was safety in numbers.

  "Let's check on the rest," Caden said, noticing the same thing.

  Eva nodded. Good idea.

  They worked their way to the back of the wagon. Several Trateri peered at them, a couple lifting onto their elbows to get a better vantage.

  "Everyone alright in here?" Caden asked.

  "If you can consider being stuck in the mist alright," someone said grumpily.

  "Quit your belly aching. You've got all your limbs and it’s not the first time we've been caught in the mist," Laurell said.

  "It's the first time without a pathfinder to guide us,” another pointed out.

  A hush fell over the group, their attention shifting to Caden as if he held all the answers. There was hope in their gazes.

  While they waited for Caden to speak, Ollie reached out, pulling Eva in for an awkward hug. "You should have kept going, you idiot."

  She patted his hand, knowing the words might be rough but the emotion in them was heartfelt.

  "Do you know what happened to the drivers?" Eva asked when they both finally drew back.

  Ollie shook his head. "They weren't answering. Haven't been for a while."

  "It's not important now," Caden interrupted. "We need to focus on finding our way out."

  "If that's even possible," Ollie said seriously.

  "I think it is," Eva said.

  The others stared at her as if they'd never seen her before. Ollie's gaze was trusting. He knew she wasn't the type to give false hope. If she said something could be done, it was because she thought it was possible and would work her ass off to make it happen.

  Eva ignored the rest. His faith was all she needed. Letting someone else's doubt influence you only held you back. Trusting in yourself and your abilities always trumped another’s skepticism.

  "The mythologicals don't seem to have a problem navigating the mist," she said.

  "Do you see any mythologicals here?" the same man from before asked in dismay. "Because I sure don't.”

  Eva plopped the fire fox on the wagon. "He's our way out."

  Disbelief reflected in their faces. They looked from the fox, to her, and back to the fox, their uncertainty palpable. She tried not to let it bother her.

  Charge ahead. It was the only thing she could do at this point.

  "This is the plan we have," Caden said. "Adapt or get left behind."

  "Fair enough. It's better than the nonexistent plan that we had," Laurell said.

  The fox cocked his head and yawned.

  "Can you lead us out of here?" Eva asked

  "Rava protect us, she's talking to an animal," someone muttered.

  There was a brief scuffle and a soft oomph as Laurell sent her elbow into their belly. "Go ahead," she told Eva.

  The fox smirked before yipping at Eva and leaping to her shoulder. She held still as he nuzzled her ear before barking. He jumped down then bounded a few steps away before looking back at her.

  "I'll be damned," the naysayer muttered.

  "Every time I think this place can't get any weirder, it does," Caden murmured quietly.

  "This time you should be grateful for the weirdness; it's about to save our collective asses," Eva told him.

  He studied her. "I'm not sure that's what will save us."

  There was respect in his gaze, a quiet contemplation as he focused on her. Eva flushed and turned away. "I'll lead the horses in front. Can you tie Caia and Nell to the back?"

  He grunted in acknowledgment. "Who is the most able-bodied among you?"

  Laurell raised her hand.

  Ollie scoffed. "Don't even think it. You're barely upright."

  Laurell levered herself to her feet with a wince, paling as pain bit deep. "I'm a warrior. We don't let small things like this stop us."

  Caden steadied her as she stepped down. "Are you going to be able to do this?"

  Laurell’s eyes were flinty and hard with determination. "Watch me."

  "I'm coming too," the naysayer said, the one who had ridiculed the fox. He gritted his teeth as he staggered to the end. "I'm not dying in here. If this is the end, I'll go out on my feet as is proper."

  The others were too injured to move, though Eva could tell they wanted to. For the Trateri, who placed stock on their prowess in battle, being injured and reliant on others was a harsh medicine to swallow.

  Ollie scooted toward the end. "I should help you with the horses."

  She tried to push him back. "You should stay here. You're injured."

  "Not so injured I can't sit in the driver's seat," he said, waving her protests away. He lowered himself to the ground, favoring his right side.

  Bandages stretched across his chest and there was one on his upper leg. He didn't look much better than when she had seen him after her return to camp.

  She grabbed his arm and slid under it as he set one hand against the wagon to keep contact. Everyone knew what to do in case of mist. The Trateri had made sure to spread the word after the first encounter and now gave regular classes in it.

  By the time they reached the driver's seat and got Ollie situated, there were brackets of pain stretched around his mouth and eyes.

  "Ollie," Eva said, her face concerned.

  "Do what you have to do. Don't worry about me," he said on a gasp.

  Eva didn't want to leave him, but the best thing for him was to get out of the mist to where a healer could look after him.

  Ollie threaded the reins through his hands as Eva stepped down, jogging to the horses who were hitched to the front of the wagon. She took hold of the small bridle attached to their heads and started forward.

  The fox danced at her feet for the first few steps, his tails waving in happiness before he bounded forward. Eva kept her eyes on those dancing tails as they moved through the foggy landscape.

  Her footsteps echoed oddly, muffled yet loud. She could hear the clink and murmur of voices from the others as they reverberated through the mist, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. If she hadn't had the tangible feel of the leather bridle in her hands, felt the coarse brush of horsehair against her skin, she would have felt disconnected.

  There was an odd peace to walking through the mist, leading the others. Her head felt calm—the concerns of the mortal world far from her. She could see why Ajari, Sebastian and the fox had decided to play for a while in its depths. If she could be guaranteed a way out, she would have been tempted to linger.

  A small warmt
h pulsed in her chest, and her steps slowed. A call filled her, pulling and tugging, whispering of acceptance. Family. Home.

  Her grip loosened on the halter as she started to follow the call. The mist thinned and she caught the barest glimpse of sun-drenched skies, the wide meadow from her dreams, with Kyren either galloping or flying across it.

  It felt so close. All she had to do was reach out and touch it.

  Desire for that place rose. What was the harm?

  Before she could reach for what was hers, small teeth on her ankle ripped her out of the hazy dream. She flinched as the fox stared reproachfully up at her.

  "Thank you," she told him.

  She didn't know what that vision was, but it would have been a mistake to reach for it. Maybe later, when there weren't people counting on her.

  "Well, well, this is an unexpected sight." Ajari's dry voice wrapped around her.

  Eva paused, looking around. The mist swirled and danced, shadows condensing before they broke apart. She couldn't see Ajari. It was like he was a ghost.

  "You're smarter than I gave you credit for," he said.

  Eva's eyes moved right past him at first. Only returning when what she was seeing caught up to her brain. Ajari blended into the monochromatic landscape, moving through the shadows like liquid smoke to suddenly appear out of thin air.

  "You came," she said with relief.

  She hadn't been certain he would.

  "Don't get used to it. I'm not in the practice of rescuing human mice," he said crisply.

  "I'd never presume. That would assume you had a heart in that chest of yours."

  His lips curved in the briefest of smiles before it faded. A thoughtful look crossed his face as his enigmatic gaze drifted toward the area where she'd started to answer the call of the meadow. "Aren't you full of surprises, Eva, daughter of an unexpectedly ancient line."

  Eva was about to ask what he meant and if he’d seen the meadow too, when the mist thinned. Ahead, looming like a mirage, were the city gates.

  Ajari twisted to look at them. "You should hurry. There are things that hunt in here."

  Eva nodded. "Ajari, I know you don't think much of us, but thank you."

  He surveyed her carefully before his shoulders lifted in a casual shrug and he sauntered away.