The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,5

midst of another so soon after the last.

She trailed the three as they headed toward the cook's fire where she'd hoped to find breakfast.

"Eva, girl, over here. I've already got your food," a friendly voice said from her right.

Eva came out of her thoughts to find Ollie with his hand outstretched, a plate with food in it. She took in the offering, moving slowly to take it as he bit his lip trying to hide the smile she knew was there.

"Thank you," she muttered, shuffling over to take a seat next to him and Hardwick, the head herd master.

Hardwick took in the exchange with his usual grumpy expression.

He'd scared the piss out of her the first time she met him. He'd been austere and abrupt, with a glower that could skewer you in place.

His skin was worn from the sun. Fine lines feathered out from the corners of his eyes and his dark hair was shot through with gray. His frown was the stuff of legends. She'd seen many Trateri warriors back down, their bluster forgotten, when he scowled at them in that way he had.

He was quieter than most, blunt and direct when he did speak, but he knew more about horses than anyone else. He was who Eva wanted to be when she grew up. No nonsense and gruff, someone people respected and listened to.

Ollie was his opposite in all ways. Tall, but with a leanness that belied his strength. He had to be to handle those horses who liked to test boundaries. He was easy, where the head herd master was harsh. Friendly, where the other man was taciturn.

His hair was a dark chestnut that reminded her of a bay, and he had a long face that always resembled the horses they tended.

Ollie was the reason Eva had this life. He hadn't just escorted her back to the warband he was with the day he discovered her. He'd advocated on her behalf and convinced them to let her help him care for the horses—many of which were wild and unbroken—stallions and mares they'd captured during a journey to their homeland where the horses roamed free.

Once they'd reached the main body of the Trateri army, he'd convinced Hardwick to give her a place among those caring for the herd. This was something that normally would have gone against the other man's instincts, to let a person, background and character unknown, care for his herd. The Trateri, in some ways, treated their horses better than they did their children. If you were caught neglecting or abusing a mount it would be taken from you and the offender shunned. To be accepted by the head herd master meant a chance at a new life for Eva.

Eva muttered a thank you as she sank onto the stump beside Ollie and Hardwick, digging in with relish. There were eggs and meat in the bowl along with a grain she couldn't quite figure out. Not that it mattered, the concoction was delicious, and more importantly—filling.

Ollie reached up and plucked a piece of grass she’d missed from her hair, holding it up to show her. "Have you been sleeping outside again?"

She slid Ollie a guilty look as she paused in her chewing. There was no sense in denying it. The evidence was scattered all over her clothes and hair.

The groan he made was long-suffering as Hardwick looked on silently. "We gave you the tent for a reason. It's considered an honor to be gifted a tent of our clan."

Yes, she was aware.

The Trateri placed significance on the strangest things—like a tent offered to someone the rest of the Lowlands didn't want. The act signaled an acceptance of her place among them—that she had value and was now considered a part of the clan.

Eva was honored. She really was.

She'd be more grateful if they stopped trying to get her to use it. Sleeping with the horses made her feel safe. At least with them, she had dozens of four-legged guardians who were so attuned to their environment they would recognize a predator's approach long before her human senses did.

There was also the small fact no one had shown her how to set up the tent.

She'd do damn near anything for the two of them. Except sleep in that infernal contraption.

"I had a reason this time." Eva flashed Ollie a guilty smile.

He arched an eyebrow. "You always have a reason."

This was true. Eva might not challenge him or Hardwick directly, but she had her own methods