The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,67

be kind to her. Around the other Trateri he ignored her or gave one-word answers to her questions.

"Truly, I want to know." His expression was earnest and open, leaving Eva hard-pressed to find any hint of deception or derision.

"Yes, then. I talk to him like he's a person. Because he is. Treating him as anything else would be a disservice to him and me." What she didn't say, was she did the same for all of her charges. Mythological and equine alike.

He licked his lips, his attention going back to the Kyren.

Eva pushed past him, restraining her huff as he hurried after her. "Can you speak to him for me? I've tried to feed him and take care of him. He won't let me near."

"Then perhaps you should listen to what he’s saying," Eva said softly, not trying to be mean. "How would you like it if someone constantly pestered you?"

Jason needed to think before he acted, not rely so much on blind emotion. He had the makings of a good herd master, until he inevitably did something stupid and wiped away all the goodwill he’d earned.

"If I do that, he'll let me close?" Jason asked eagerly.

Probably not.

"Ask yourself—why do you feel this pressing need to be near him? Perhaps the answer will tell you why he refuses to let you," Eva said. "Improve yourself. Be a better person. Maybe then the Kyren will see something in you worth being around."

Ajari hadn't indicated as much but Eva had a theory. The Kyren seemed to be attracted to a certain type of person. Shea, the warriors who accompanied her, Eva. All had one thing in common. A noble spirit. Shea, at least, had a soul that shone with a light that had changed a nation.

Eva wasn't sure if she was correct, but it felt right. That would have to be enough.

Jason looked like she had struck him across the face. It was an uncomfortable feeling being the one doing the hurting, even if everything she had said was true.

This time when Eva stepped past him, he let her go and didn't follow.

Alone with her thoughts, she had time to take in their surroundings. Their day's journey hadn't managed to find a way around the lake. As a result, they had been forced to make camp for the night on its bank. Tomorrow they would follow its length again in the hopes they could find a way past.

The water's tide had gone out, leaving part of the banks exposed. Branches and the bones of large beasts stuck out of the muck and the mud like skeletal fingers.

To their right was a large cliff, small traces of shrubs and grass clinging to its side. Eva caught a flicker of white, realizing after a moment of staring it wasn't the only one. A herd of mountain goats stood on impossibly thin ledges so high above that Eva was afraid for them.

They, like the rest of those in this land, lacked the sense not to go places that might kill them.

"Dinner," Fiona said as she stared up at the goats with Eva.

"Only if you can catch them."

Fiona shrugged. "That part's easy. Shoot one through the heart and it'll fall off the cliff."

"Shattering every bone in its body when it makes contact with the ground," Eva pointed out. "Not sure about you, but I prefer my meat without splinters of bone."

Fiona frowned. "So picky. Do they teach all Lowlanders that?"

"Yes, we imbibe the trait with our mother's milk," Eva said, unruffled by the insult. Ollie and Hardwick sent worse jabs her way on a daily basis and got a kick when she responded in kind. It was part of the lifestyle. You gave as good as you got.

Fiona threw her head back on a laugh.

"Commander, we're ready for the hunt," Roscoe said from their side. As usual, Eva found Ghost a few feet away from his friend, impatiently waiting.

Fiona lifted a hand. "I'll be right there."

He snapped a sharp nod before he ambled toward Ghost.

Fiona tilted her head at them. "Can I convince you to come with us?"

Eva shook her head. "No, I have things to do here."

Not to mention she wasn't the best hunter, equally inept with both sword and spear. She could skin a rabbit with the best of them, but she preferred foraging over hunting.

"You sure?" Fiona asked, her expression skeptical.

A shadow passed over them from above, drawing both women's eyes.

"I'm sure," Eva said.

Fiona shook her head as she walked off, waving over