Eva had missed this. The exhilaration and camaraderie that came from working together to perform stunts that would turn most people's hair gray.
If the Trateri could see her now, she wasn't sure how many would volunteer to form a bond with a Kyren. Then again, the Trateri had never impressed Eva with their sense of self preservation.
Sebastian dodged the sharp jut of rocky outcrops, passing within inches in a dizzying rush. Bushes and trees swayed with their passage.
Eva couldn't help but admire the precision of his flight, knowing a single miscalculation would dash them both against unyielding stone and dirt.
Finally, they swept into a long valley where giant boulders dotted the ground on either side of a vast lake, the sun shimmering off the small waves.
Sebastian's altitude lowered until they were skimming above water so crystalline and pure Eva could see to the bottom.
"Beautiful," she breathed.
It was, too. The sort of beauty that made you pause. Your mind emptying as you simply took in the wonder, quiet and calm replacing whatever had been there before.
It was nothing like the place where Eva had grown up. The land she'd once called home was filled with vast forests and gently rolling hills, as different from the harsh and desolate beauty of the Highlands as night was from day.
Here, rocky mountains competed with the sky for supremacy. The harsh land and unpredictable weather were as likely to kill you as the beasts.
Even after months of living in the Highlands, Eva still didn't entirely understand the level of crazy required to settle here, much less remain in a place so ill-suited to human habitation.
Still, it was a crazy she admired. There was something about a person who threw caution and reason to the wind that inspired you to do the same.
It made Eva want to be a little more like them. Someone who didn't let fear control their actions. Utterly themselves in all situations.
Something Eva still struggled with.
Shadows in the water caught Eva's attention. She leaned over Sebastian's side for a better look.
"What is that?" Eva breathed.
She tried to make sense of what she was seeing, tracing the curved lines and broken patterns of what she soon realized was a skeleton. A massive one. Far bigger than any beast she'd ever seen.
Its ribs alone stretched nearly the width of the lake. The vertebrae of its spine marched along the bottom before disappearing into the silt.
Their shadow rippled over its skull, leaving Eva with the illusion the skeleton beast was going to lunge out of the water and pluck them from the sky at any second.
A beast. One that is long dead, Sebastian teased.
Eva scoffed. Believe it or not, she had figured that part out for herself.
It's probably best that creature no longer roams these lands. Otherwise, you and the rest of your two leggers likely wouldn't have survived until my return.
Eva thumped her fist on Sebastian's shoulder, not appreciating the image his words painted.
Sebastian's nicker held laughter.
"You should have more faith in them. I doubt that beast would have been enough to wipe out the camp. Something tells me Caden and the rest would have enjoyed the challenge." Eva pursed her lips, the visual ringing true. "Might have even made a rug out of its hide."
The Trateri were nothing if not thrifty. They found a use for any resource that fell into their hands. A beast like that could be used for many things. Its fangs and bones turned into weapons, if nothing else.
Sebastian tossed his head. It's more likely that beast had scales or feathers. I doubt it had any fur.
"You know what I meant."
This was the problem with Kyren and mythologicals in general. They were always so reluctant to recognize human abilities. One day it was going to bite them on the ass and Eva hoped she was there to tell them she’d told them so.
Such faith in them.
Eva frowned at the back of Sebastian's head. "I thought you would have learned better by now. Humans are far from weak. You've seen what they can do. Caden, in particular."
Eva would bet on her commander against any beast or mythological. He'd already proven he was as capable and deadly as anything in these lands. What he couldn't accomplish through brute strength was achieved through cunning and strategy.
Even a near mortal wound hadn't stopped him. At least not until he'd accomplished enough to give Eva a fighting chance against their enemies.
Sebastian's grudging acknowledgment whispered across Eva's senses.
Stubborn he might be, with an inclination towards a sense of superiority that sometimes made Eva want to yank all the hair in his mane out, but he was smart enough to recognize when he was wrong.
"We might have lost some to the battle, but I have every faith that Caden and the others would have triumphed eventually," Eva said.
And really, did Sebastian think the Kyren could have taken on that beast without suffering losses? Eva didn't think so.
Either way, it didn't matter. The beast was long dead and incarcerated in its watery grave. No threat to anyone.
Sensing their game was over, Eva made herself comfortable on Sebastian's back. After a short while, she finally asked the question that had been plaguing her since their departure.
"Where are we going?"
That information is useless even if I told you. Without my guidance, I doubt you or anyone else could find it.
Eva snorted. "Underestimating us again. I think Reece or Shea would have something to say about that."
Shea especially seemed to delight in proving others wrong.
You have a point, Sebastian said after a moment of thought.
Eva smirked. Of course, she did.
"Do you know why they called me?"
It's what you were hoping for, isn't it? Well, it looks like you got it. Orion and his council are ready to talk.
"I figured as much from the abrupt summoning. Anything I need to know going in?" Eva asked, shoving aside her uncertainties.
They're not going to be happy you let strangers into the valley.
"They were Trateri who took a wrong turn in the mist. I couldn't exactly turn them away."
I believe you, but I don't think some of the others will. Be prepared, Eva. This won't be easy.
When was it ever?
Sebastian flew for a day and a night, only stopping to take periodic breaks on the journey. Eva wasn't a pathfinder but if she had to guess, his path had been rather circuitous. Full of misdirection and long detours.
Not that Eva minded.
She understood. She really did.
They were venturing into Kyren territory. For a group as paranoid and reclusive as them, it was an honor that they would let her visit.
Sebastian's less than straight forward path flight also had the benefit of throwing off any followers who might wish to track him back to Kyren lands.
After all, their enemies didn't need many Kyren to accomplish their goals. If their actions in the past were anything to judge by, they'd be content with any they could trap. The younger the better.
Sebastian's caution was understandable—though a tad unnecessary.
It would take a mountain goat to scale the vertical cliffs and sharp drops they flew past.
As the day passed, the terrain grew more impassable, making it nearly impossible for anyone who lacked wings to traverse.
Or maybe that's just how it seemed from the air. It was difficult to know without walking it herself.