Oath of the Alpha - Eva Dresden Page 0,59
the warriors lining up around them, “Spoken like any old earth mage.”
“We are constant and never ending, my young friend. What is the flow of water, the breath of air, the burn of fire to that, I ask you?”
“Water wears away the rock,” someone called out from behind them.
“Air does the same,” another shouted.
“Pah, we guide water and take it back in the end. Air merely hones the sturdy rock to the sharpest point.” Tor’en wagged his eyebrows at Aida, his grin bright and wide despite her narrowed gaze.
“And fire?” she asked, not daring to raise her voice above a trembling whisper.
“It destroys everything in its path,” Er’it said as he rode up to the cart on Kal. Words near lifeless, they had an effect on everyone near enough to hear them, a stillness settling over them all as their collective gazes found Er’it and then scattered to any point far from him.
Acting as if he did not notice the reaction, Er’it allowed Kal to tuck his broad nose between the stacks of crates to nudge Aida. Peering up the silvery length of Kal’s face, she caught Er’it watching her as she stroked Kal’s cheeks in greeting. Wondering at the dull gleam in the amber of his eyes, she offered a hesitant smile… and regretted it in the next instant when he tugged Kal’s reins, turning them to the head of the line.
Letting her breath out in a quiet sigh, Aida settled back into her corner. Ignoring the looks and the swell of murmurs following in Er’it’s wake, she tugged a heavy pelt over her upraised legs and watched the trees as they began to move. As afraid and confused as she’d been, Aida wished she were in the dense forest once more. Things were different out there in so many ways. Not the least of which was Aida herself. As if being surrounded by all these people sapped what little will she possessed, she made herself smaller with every slow mile they traveled. Crammed tight against chests, she hid beneath the dark pelt despite the rays of the sun warming the air. It was all she could do not to burrow beneath the stack of furs completely.
Even when hunger gnawed at the empty pit of her stomach, she remained shivering beneath her covering. Cold sweat beading on her brow, damp curls sticking to her cheeks, she peered out at the forest from beneath her heavy cloak of fur. The very air wavered, ripples of energy smearing the bright greens of lush vegetation to the putrid grays and blacks of rot—some trick showing a façade of vigor and health. Lip curling, Aida found herself across the cart, wedged between stacks of crates to view the passing trees that much better. She could feel the decay as slime along her skin, oozing down her back and dripping from her fingers.
“Is it them?” Tor’en asked, words pitched for Aida’s ears alone, though he did not turn his smile from the mountains bordering their other side.
Annoyed at the distraction of his voice, Aida curled tighter against the heavy wooden panels, her white-knuckled grip holding her steady as Lir dragged them over the dips and swells of the packed dirt. The long-abandoned road remained true despite the drifts of weeds and grass sprouting wherever they could take hold. No saplings or bushes grew to overtake the dusty path. That alone caused a shudder to ripple down her spine. There was something so wrong about the picturesque scene that it disturbed her on a level she could not even name.
“Answer me, girl. Is it the raiders again?”
“No! Leave me be.”
“Tell me what you see.”
Her growl petite and throaty, Aida snapped her gaze to Tor’en. Whatever he saw there widened his eyes. Back stiff, he leaned away from Aida’s hunched form. A rough clearing of his throat brought him back, his bony knuckles a pale fawn as he held on tight to the back of the bench.
“Breathe, girl,” Tor’en said, chest rising and falling in a deep breath as an example. Bushy brows coming together over the bridge of an aquiline nose when Aida did not follow him, he leaned forward a scant handspan. “You cannot control your power, and we cannot afford to lose any more on this journey. Tell me what so disturbs you, and I will do my best to help.”
“You do not want to help me,” Aida said, baring her teeth in a snarl. Anger building within her breast, clogging her throat