very slowly, careful not to make a sound. She chanced a quick glance around from her nest beside the wagon, relieved when no furtive shadows greeted her.
"Where is the beast?" someone asked. "Pierce said his spy indicated he'd be near the wagon."
"He's not here," the second person said. "I told you we shouldn't have trusted him."
"Everything else is as he said. Patience," the leader said.
"We can't linger. If we're discovered by them, we'll die."
Eva finally caught sight of movement above as figures slowly made their way down the cliff. She scooted until she was huddled under the wagon, cursing her luck.
Why had she listened to Caden? If she'd slept next to the Trateri, she'd be safe within their ranks.
"Don't worry. Soon enough we'll be the least of their problems."
Where were the sentries? Where were Drake and Jane? They’d shadowed her every waking moment until now. Figured when she needed them most, they were nowhere to be seen.
The interlopers were quiet as they neared the ground below the cliffs, falling silent to avoid discovery.
Eva scooted back, crawling slowly out from under the wagon on the other side and huddling behind the wheel. She needed to summon help.
Half of the attackers were still climbing down the cliff. Plenty of time to make her way to the sleeping Trateri and wake them.
She pushed away from the wagon and froze as dark shadows rose from the water. The creatures’ eyes glowed blue, long strands of ropey hair cascading over their shoulders. Their bodies were naked and caked in muck, the water barely rippling around them.
Fear locked Eva in place as a piercing cold stole through the air. Her breath plumed in front of her as the temperature dropped rapidly.
A deadly lullaby rode the air, stealing Eva's thoughts and rendering her limbs immobile. She struggled to move, to call out, but found herself locked in place, immobile as death crept ever closer.
A scream welled in her throat. Building and building but unable to escape.
Sebastian landed hard beside her. Act, Caller.
The scream ripped loose and the song's spell snapped.
"We're under attack," Eva finally shouted.
The camp burst into a frenzy, Trateri exploding from their bedrolls, weapons already in their hands.
Darius came into view, his face furious as he called. "On me. Archers aim toward the water. Spearmen prepare for battle. On your feet. Today is not our day to die."
The song playing in Eva's mind changed to a grating one, cymbals crashing, metal grinding.
Arrows loosed from their bows, some hit the water. Only a few found their target as the camp descended into battle.
A hand clamped on her shoulder, hauling her upright. The face of a man painted dark to blend with the night, his clothes the same, loomed over her. Even through the paint or mud he'd smeared himself with, the fury on his face was unmistakable.
Faced with the horror of what was coming from the water, Eva had momentarily forgotten the enemy at her back.
"Don't waste time with her. Help us secure the beast," a man snapped, rounding the other side of the wagon.
His companions appeared behind him like ghosts.
Eva glanced around frantically, hoping help was near. No such luck. The Trateri were preoccupied with the creatures in the water which were making their way to dry land.
At some point during the night the water level had fallen, revealing the half-submerged ruins of a city and wisps of fog curling up from the water like ghostly tendrils.
Sebastian reared, pawing the air with his hooves as he screamed a challenge.
The man holding Eva shook her. "Calm him, or we'll kill you both."
She didn't waste words on a refusal, kicking out as she struggled to free her arm. With her other hand, she reached for the dagger she'd found in her bedding last night. Her finders snagged the hilt, pulling it free.
He jerked her back. She buried the dagger in his side.
A growl sounded near her ear. "You're going to regret that."
He drew back his fist. Eva sucked in a breath. This was going to hurt.
Caia appeared behind him, her teeth clamping down on his arm. She shook her head with the force of a terrier, hauling the man off Eva.
The scream that escaped him was high and shrill as he and the horse engaged in a tug of war, the prize being his arm.
Ollie burst on the scene behind her, his arms lifted, some type of club clutched in his hands as a primal scream ripped from his chest. He laid about with the club, knocking