Mist's Edge (The Broken Lands #2) - T.A. White Page 0,26

personal bathing area, a luxury only available in the highest ranks. The rest of the army used one of the communal bathing tents that were set up at each camp.

Two Anateri guarded the entrance, snapping sharp salutes when Fallon reined to a halt in front of them. Fallon dismounted, helping Shea down, as the rest of his men rode into the open space in front of his tent. One of the Anateri took his reins and led the horse away.

Shea followed Fallon toward his tent.

“Send for Darius and Henry,” he ordered the other Anateri.

The general and a few of his men dismounted, handing their reins off to others in their party before heading for Fallon’s tent. Shea had really hoped the general would elect to stay behind with those walking, but she wasn’t that lucky.

“Braden, send several of your men to obtain mounts for the ones we left behind.”

Braden gestured and one of his men nodded and left the tent.

Darius came in at a run. His eyes immediately went to Fallon, relief the emotion most present in them. He had the look of a man with the weight of an entire world on him, totally at odds with the easy-going nature he normally presented. He was a tall man with high cheekbones and a broad nose. His light blue eyes were startling against skin several shades darker than most Lowlanders. He was a close friend to Fallon, and one of his most trusted, having grown up beside him. Fallon often left Darius in charge when he had duties elsewhere.

He was also the man responsible for capturing her all those months ago at the village of Goodwin of Ria. Darius had arrived to collect the tithe the villagers owed—wheat and several of their strongest men. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the villagers had made a deal with the elders from the village Shea served, convincing them to betray their own people and send a select few from Birdon Leaf who could stand as tithe in the villagers’ place. Darius, having recognized her from when she’d saved Fallon, had known how important she would end up being to his warlord.

Fallon and Darius clasped hands, pulling each other into a back-thumping hug.

“We were getting worried,” Darius said, after he’d stepped back. “You’ve been missing for weeks.”

Shea stepped forward. “Have Eamon and his men made it back?”

Darius looked at Shea and nodded. “Yes, they arrived about a week after you left, telling strange stories about a mist capable of whisking people off. We thought they’d gone crazy at first until we lost three patrols under similar circumstances.”

Shea let out a deep breath. That was one weight off her back.

“They’re not stories,” Braden said, his eyes serious as he poured himself a cup of ale from the carafe on the table.

Darius looked over at him. “Braden, I see he finally convinced you to come back. Thought you’d never leave the Outlands again.”

“He can be persuasive when he has a mind for it,” Braden said, with a wry smile aimed in Fallon’s direction.

Fallon raised one eyebrow. “I didn’t have to twist your arm too hard to get you here.”

Braden chuckled. “If I’d known how interesting things were in the Lowlands I would have come much sooner. Who knew there was such danger given its people are so weak?”

Darius clapped him on the shoulder. “Whatever the reason, I’m glad Fallon could lure you from the Outlands. Your leadership will be appreciated given recent events.”

Shea shifted in her seat, wondering if they’d notice if she left. Knowing Eamon and the rest had made it home safely had lifted that sick feeling from her stomach but had also left her exhausted. It had been a long day—one that evidently spanned weeks.

The time jump was a concern. She didn’t think she’d ever lost that much time in the mist before. She would have to think on this. It made her wish that she still had access to the Wayfarer’s Keep, the stronghold of the pathfinder’s guild and where all pathfinders were trained. More specifically, she wished she had access to the library at the Keep. It might have some information that could help her understand what was happening.

She blinked, and her head nodded forward as exhaustion caught up to her. Using her abilities in the mist always took it out of her. This time was no different.

The voices of Fallon and his men were faint as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She didn’t want to show weakness