hierarchy in the Trateri ranks and was often at a loss as to a person’s status. She usually found out once she’d already put her foot in it.
Although Fallon had united the clans, the idea of one structure of power was a new one that was still taking hold. As a result, the Trateri followed a military power structure, but they also needed to follow the power structure in their clan as well. It made things complicated and gave Shea a headache even on the best of days.
She didn’t have the patience for it today.
“I had to leave Eamon and his men behind so I could move quick enough to find you,” Shea explained to Fallon. “I left them by a soul tree. Its roots are heavily anchored to the Broken Lands, so they should be fine as long as they don’t stray from its shelter.”
“What does that mean?” the other man asked.
Fallon’s eyes were considering as he looked at the mist swirling behind him. He was smart enough to know this was not a natural phenomenon, for which Shea was grateful. It meant she’d have little trouble of convincing him of what needed to be done.
“It means that you’re in the mist,” Shea finally told the other man. “Finding your way out is not going to be easy. Most who get lost here are never seen again.”
“Superstition.” The man’s dismissive voice rubbed Shea the wrong way, reminding her of other missions, others whose assumptions and ignorance put people in danger.
Before Shea could make a cutting remark, Fallon stepped in. “Braden, enough. You know as well as I do that something is wrong. We’ve been wandering for days in land that is unfamiliar when it shouldn’t be.”
“Days?” That was worse than Shea had feared. It meant escaping had just become significantly more difficult.
“As best as I could figure.” Fallon’s deep voice was a steadying influence.
“At least three, maybe four. Time is difficult to gauge when you can’t tell whether its day or night,” Braden said.
“How many men do you still have?” Shea asked.
“We started with a hundred and are down to seventy,” Fallon said. “We’re lucky we had stopped for the night when it descended, or we would have lost many more. As it is, I barely gathered the men in time.”
More of them had survived than she had expected. She had anticipated only being able to locate Fallon. The rest were a bonus.
“I think I can get us out of here,” Shea said. “But it’s going to require you to trust me.”
Fallon pushed a lock of hair behind Shea’s ear. “Always.”
She gave him a smile, one that lit up her face. “Do you have rope or some way to stay connected with each other?”
“Yes, it’s how we kept them from getting lost over the past few days. We tried to just walk close to one another that first day, but more than one ended up getting separated from the group. After that, I had them tie themselves to each other with rope so we wouldn’t lose any more men.”
That quick thinking had probably saved them. Shea wasn’t sure she would have been able to locate Fallon if he’d been any deeper. The men with him would have delayed their descent further into the lands the mist shrouded. She was just grateful she’d found them in time.
“How long before your men can be ready to move?” Shea asked.
Fallon turned his head and barked a command. The sound of movement came from around them.
“We’re ready to go now.”
She noticed the rope tied around his waist for the first time. He shifted slightly when it pulled at him as the men arranged themselves.
She couldn’t help the smile that took over her face. She did love efficiency.
“All right then, I’ll take lead.”
“Wait, we’re really trusting her to lead us out of here?” Braden asked. “We stopped so we could get our bearing. How do we know she can find her way out when none of us could?”
The mist began moving again, veiling Braden and Fallon from Shea’s eyes. She reached out and grabbed Fallon’s arm before he could disappear entirely.
“I trust her with my life. If anybody can do this, she can.”
Shea’s hand slid down Fallon’s arm until she gripped his fingers.
The tug in her chest toward home was faint here, almost nonexistent. For a moment she feared she’d lost it—that she had ventured so deep into the mist after Fallon that there was no way out.
Then she caught it.
She stepped forward, Fallon’s