my horse, they didn’t drop the horse on top of me. I rolled, but nothing else.”
“All right. Let’s find a place to sit down for a minute. We’ll move if we hear any of the gryphons.”
Zayden nodded, letting Mat walk him to a fallen log. It wasn’t the best for sitting on, so they sat on the dirt and leaned against it. Kick stayed on his feet, staring in the direction they ran from.
“Do you think they’ll follow us at a distance?” the old male asked after a long silence.
“That would be bad fucking news,” Mat muttered. “But it’s possible. If we give them the location of home…”
“We’ll just keep moving and sleep when we can,” Zayden grumbled. “That’s all we can do.”
Both of the males with him nodded.
“Hey, Kick.”
“Yes?” The old male looked down at Mat, frowning.
“Why do they call you Kick? You promised to tell me if we survived, and here we are.”
Zayden snorted. He didn’t know such a stupid deal had been made, but now he was curious.
“When I was a young warrior, someone startled me when they tried to wake me. I kicked the guy so hard, he lost three teeth and blacked out. When he came to, he told people I kicked like a horse. It evolved from there. It was over three thousand years ago.”
“I was hoping for a better story,” Mat mumbled.
“Yeah, sometimes the mystery makes these things better than they really are,” Kick agreed, chuckling. “But you asked, and a deal was made. Now, we just need to survive.”
They stayed where they were for only a short while longer before getting to their feet and walking again. The night was dark, too many trees blocking the red glow of the moon. They didn’t hear any gryphons or other evidence of the Elvasi, which was a blessing. When dawn came, they all had to admit they couldn’t go any further without getting some sleep. Kick pointed out a cave, and they settled down for a nap.
“It’s going to be a long trip home on foot,” Zayden grumbled.
“Yeah,” Mat agreed. “You two get some sleep first. I’ll stand watch, then wake you, Kick. We need to let Zayden hit a healing sleep.”
“Aye.”
They passed out together, leaving Mat sitting near the entrance, watching the world.
21
Mave
Mave watched the sunset, standing next to Alchan after their training was finished. The sky was a rich medley of colors from oranges and reds to pinks and purples. Clouds drifted across the sky, grabbing the colors.
“Here’s some water,” Rain offered, walking to them as they watched the sun dip behind the mountains. She took the glass from him in silence, nodding her thanks instead. She felt peaceful, even though she had no reason to be.
Another month had rolled by, and there was no word on how the men she loved were doing. Mat and Zayden had not yet returned. Seanev and his entire army were still in the wind, and Bryn’s scouts had yet to find them. She trained every day, both with Emerian and Alchan, and sometimes, she spent the afternoons with Trevan after his own training was done. Bryn and Luykas were both busy, trying to find everything and figure out what the hell Shadra was going to do next.
But for a moment, she felt peaceful.
It’s probably just exhaustion, but I’ll take what I can get.
Mave sipped the cool water, fresh from a stream. Rain backed away, leaving her alone with Alchan again and rejoining the crowd hanging around the clearing where they trained.
It had once again become a bit of a hangout for the Company. Kian was fanning Senri. They had been bored and wanted to watch Alchan and Mave train. Bryn stopped by for a quick snack between meetings. Luykas and Leshaun were reading at the edge of the clearing, in the shade of the trees. Emerian, Trevan, Dave, and now Learen were all hanging out and joking around. The fact Learen found a place with that strange group of friends was promising. He didn’t speak much to anyone, but seeing him near the Company brought the older members joy, especially Luykas and Alchan.
“Today was good training,” Alchan finally commented, breaking her out of her thoughts.
“It was.” Taking another sip of her water, she side-eyed him. “Rain was out here fast enough once it was done.”
“I’m beginning to think he listens through the door, waiting for the moment he can come out,” Alchan said with a chuckle. He turned, and her gaze followed his. Rain was