Mist's Edge (The Broken Lands #2) - T.A. White Page 0,24

problem. She just didn’t know what.

“Fallon, the men are eager to keep moving. Being this close to the mist’s edge makes them antsy. I can’t say that I blame them,” Braden said from behind them.

Shea turned. Braden’s gaze was fastened entirely on Fallon, never once straying to Shea.

“We’ll be underway in a few minutes. Prepare them for movement,” Fallon said.

Braden gave a nod of acknowledgement. He turned and walked away without once glancing at Shea.

“Who is he?” Shea asked.

“He’s the general of my forces in the south. I thought it would be good to have him accompany me back to the main camp. He had some interesting insights that I wanted him to share with some of my other top officials.”

If he was in the south, Shea had to wonder if he’d been in charge of one of the city states and the surrounding territory.

“He doesn’t seem to like me,” she observed in a neutral voice.

Fallon didn’t bother trying to convince her otherwise. She knew he’d seen what she had and wouldn’t waste time denying the obvious.

“He doesn’t like change. He’s a good man and a better general. He’ll see your good points soon enough.”

Shea cut a glance to Fallon, letting him know she wasn’t holding out much hope.

He chuckled. “I have faith in you both.”

She snorted and walked away. “Fat lot of good that’s going to do me in the meantime.”

He followed her. “As if you really care what anybody else thinks.”

Shea had to give him that. At the end of the day she didn’t really care what the general thought of her. It would be nice if he was cordial, but it wasn’t a requirement.

Fallon’s men were preparing the horses. There weren’t enough for everyone to ride, since they hadn’t been able to tie all of the horses onto leads before the mist separated them. They’d only saved about a quarter of them.

Shea knew that had to hurt. Being a migratory people, the Trateri tended to form strong bonds with the horses they owned. For them, a horse thief was treated to an even harsher penalty than a murderer. It had taken getting used to when Shea first joined them; her people relied mostly on their own two feet for transport since the Highlands were often too mountainous to take horses in many places.

After some discussion, it was decided that several of the Trateri would take the horses and ride ahead and report in. They’d come back with mounts for the rest of the group.

Shea planned to stay with the group who were walking. She had no desire to rush back to camp. The walk would do her good and give her a way to work through some of her restlessness. She didn’t know how she was going to explain that to Fallon though.

Under normal circumstances she’d just inform him of what she planned to do then do it regardless of his objections. With the general and his men here, none of whom were familiar with her, she didn’t want to start something that might have consequences for herself and Fallon later.

He caught the reins someone tossed him and gestured for her to mount. She sighed. She should have broached this subject with him while they were talking earlier. Now she had to make a stand in front of these people while making it look like she hadn’t challenged his authority.

She stepped up to him, placing one hand on the horse’s neck. “I need to stay here.”

Fallon was quiet as he studied her with an implacable impression, the mask she associated with the warlord falling into place.

“You need, or you want?”

“Both.” Lying wouldn’t help her cause and he knew her well enough by now to understand her tells.

“Explain.” She could tell by the set cant of his mouth that he wasn’t happy with her choice. She was surprised he hadn’t already tried to order her on the horse. He was the warlord, more comfortable with orders than listening.

She petted the mane of the horse trying to find the right words for what she needed.

“I left Eamon and Buck behind so I could find you.” She didn’t look up at him as she made that statement. “They knew there was no other choice if I was going to reach you in time, but I can’t leave without at least trying to find them.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

She shrugged. To tell the truth, she hadn’t gotten that far. She just knew she wasn’t ready to go back to

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