The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,152
said abruptly.
The two Kyren that had accompanied him took off, the wind from their wings blowing Eva's hair back.
We will meet again, little Caller, Orion's mind brushed hers. Come, nephew. We have much to discuss away from the humans and their noise.
He and Sebastian launched into the sky as the first sounds of humans moving through the brush reached them.
Eva regarded Ajari even as he studied her. "You're up to something," she finally said.
His lips tilted up in a smile. "And so the mouse becomes a kitten."
He stepped into the grove, joining her as Jason burst out of the trees, a sword held in his hand, his eyes wild. He spotted her, a look of relief eclipsing his face.
"Eva, you're alive.” Jason grabbed her in a hug, wrapping her tight. Eva patted him awkwardly on the back as Darius ducked through the trees, Caden's Anateri and the rest of his warriors at his side. Fiona was a fierce predator as she prowled toward Eva, taking in the bodies at her feet.
Eva gently pushed Jason away and faced the others.
"This is unexpected," Fiona said.
"I'll say," Ghost muttered at her back. "Here we are to rescue the helpless damsel and she's already done the work for us."
Hanna knelt near one of the bodies, examining it carefully as Darius assessed the carnage in the grove. His gaze was considering as he looked around, noting the wounds that no man-made weapon could have inflicted.
Next he stared at Caden at Eva's feet. An expression of grief shrouded his face as he cataloged the blood on Caden's clothes and the tear tracks Eva still hadn't wiped off her face, coming to the normally correct conclusion that his friend had passed.
Drake and Jane looked quietly devastated at the sight of their fallen commander. Despite that, they didn't move from the positions they'd assumed, guarding the rest of them. Duty-bound even when their hearts were breaking.
"He lives," Eva assured them.
Darius looked disbelieving, even as he bent to check for himself. He, like Eva, lifted the cloth from the spot where it looked like someone had dipped Caden in blood.
"Great Esna bless me. He's not even wounded," Darius said in an awed voice.
Eva winced as a flaw in the Kyren's plans to keep their abilities secret suddenly occurred to her. She kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner. Caden was covered in his own blood, but he didn't have any wounds to show for it beyond minor ones, a cut here, a scrape there. It wouldn't take long for someone to jump to the conclusion someone had miraculously healed him. At that point, it wouldn't matter if Eva kept the secret or not.
Thinking fast, she said, "The blood isn't his."
"Is that so?" Darius asked, raising an eyebrow.
She didn't even hesitate before she nodded. "It is."
Darius looked down at his friend, no doubt wondering why he was unconscious in such a critical situation if that was the case.
"Someone hit him over the head," Eva lied.
Darius studied her for a long moment before standing. "Whatever happened, I'm glad to see the two of you survived."
"So am I," Eva said with a heartfelt voice.
His lips twitched before the amusement was gone. "Bring them. We can discuss the rest of this from the safety of the city."
Drake bent to lift his fallen commander, his movements gentle while Eva hovered over Caden.
"I've got him. I won't let any more harm come to him,” Drake said with an understanding look.
Eva nodded, drawing back and standing. She took a deep breath, the knot in her stomach finally unclenching.
It was over. Somehow, they’d survived.
"I'll expect a full explanation of events when we get back," Darius said.
Eva didn't answer as she met his penetrating stare. She'd do the best she could.
Reece moved through the trees, appearing out of them silently. "The woodling’s spawn have all stopped moving, but they need to be burned anyway. This new evolution of their powers concerns me. Those stung should never have transformed that quickly. I want every one of the spawn burned and the bugs hunted down. A single one can't be allowed to escape or we risk losing half the Highlands to them."
The pathfinder was the most serious Eva had ever seen him.
Darius lifted a hand in acknowledgement. "You'll get no argument from us. I'll give you as many of my men as you need to get this done."
Reece's head jerked down in a nod before he glanced at Eva. "I'm glad you survived."