Curiosity killed the cat. It wasn't wise to explore without a Kyren present.
Then again, if there were forbidden areas here, Eva was certain they would have told her. Right?
Definitely.
Decision made, Eva entered the cave. She paused at the threshold, letting her eyes adjust. There was a hazy twilight in front of her and the light of day at her back.
On first glance it looked like any other cave. Its floor made of packed dirt, the faintest impression of hooves pointing to the consistent presence of Kyren. Walls and a roof of stone surrounded her.
Only instead of gray, there were flecks of orange and yellow that caught the light, making it seem like a river of fire ran along the walls of the cave.
In the center was a flat raised stone. The sides curving into a table, almost like an altar. Pools of water ran on either side, their bottom clear and still.
The instinct that had led her into the cave became almost deafening as it urged her closer.
Eva drew near, her eyes landing on an ornate ring set in the middle of the altar. It was gold with delicate lines that swooped and turned carved into its side. It begged for Eva's touch.
She reached out, her fingers brushing against the cool metal.
There was a snick as the ring came apart, becoming a sphere of interlocking bands, runes carved on each side.
Eva leaned closer, fascinated by the strange piece of jewelry. Whoever had made this was a master to be able to compress all those bands into one ring.
Unable to resist, she picked it up, cupping it in her hand as she studied the runes. They should have been impossible to decipher in this light, but somehow, she could make out each one. As clear as if she stood under the full sun.
A falling sensation pulled Eva closer, the world spinning.
A warm breeze ruffled her hair, pulling her from the illusion. Eva lifted her head and gasped, finding herself in a familiar meadow.
"The herd lands," she whispered, turning in a circle.
She stood in a field of grass and flowers that reached her knees. The sky was an impossible blue and the mist a far-off wall in the distance.
"How is this possible?"
She looked at the sphere clutched in her hand. Was it because of this?
Something whispered in the back of her mind, asking her to accept it. Eva started to before hesitating. It felt wrong somehow. Like she was doing something she wasn't supposed to. Crossing a line she wasn't ready to cross.
If she took this ring for her own, it would change things on a fundamental level that she wasn't sure she could control.
Yearning filled her. A want so deep it went to the depths of her soul.
Along with those emotions came a sense of vulnerability. A feeling that she was straying too close to the sun and would burn.
Fear was what made her draw back. Fear of failure. Fear that this was coming all too easily.
She needed to think.
There were too many responsibilities on her shoulders for her to be impetuous. As tempting as this ring sphere and all it offered was, she couldn't take it.
Not right now. Too much would change too quickly. She needed time to know this was right. That she could handle everything this represented.
With one last look at her surroundings, Eva collapsed the ring sphere.
When she looked up again, it was to find herself standing in the cave, the cool gray of the stone a marked contrast from the wide-open plain of before.
"I guess now I know what Orion meant by opening my heart," Eva said, setting the ring back onto the stone altar.
Much as her instincts were telling her this ring belonged to her, Eva wasn't the type to take things that weren't hers.
And the ring wasn't. No matter what her feelings or it were saying.
Eva? Sebastian called from outside, distracting her from what she could sense the ring wanted.
Eva patted the cool metal. "Later."
Ignoring the voice saying "don't go" in the back of her mind, Eva headed for the cave's entrance.
Sebastian was waiting for her outside, along with Polaris whose presence acted like a sobering splash of icy water.
Sebastian's gaze lowered to her hands, his eyes dimming when he found them empty. You didn't find anything in there?
Eva paused at the hope she heard in his voice.
Sly Kyren. They were as good at their tricks as a certain Tenrin she knew.
"Maybe."
Eva looked over her shoulder as light glinted off metal. Except she knew perfectly well the ring was located too deep in the cave for the light from the entrance to ever reach it.
"I'm not entirely sure what I found."
Or so she tried to tell herself.
Deep in her heart she knew what the ring sphere was. Hers. It called to her. Told her she could have it and so much more. All she needed to do was take it.
That was what scared her.
Something that powerful was a magnet for trouble.
She wasn't ready. She didn't know if she'd ever be.
Polaris cut Sebastian off when he would have spoken. It's not time yet. It may never be time.
The last sentence was a whisper Eva wasn't sure she was meant to hear
We've come to fetch you, Sebastian told her, changing the subject.
"Both of you?"
An embarrassed look crossed Sebastian's face as Polaris regarded her with a bland stare.
He thought spending time with you would give him a better idea of your character, Sebastian explained.
"Right. Sure, he does."
Maybe what Sebastian said was true and Polaris felt he needed to know her a little better before he cast judgment. Only she didn't think so. More likely, he was there to keep careful watch in case she was the traitor they feared.
Eva put the question of Polaris's motivations out of her mind. "Where are we going first?"
Sebastian's ears tilted forward. I thought you'd like to play with the foals.
Eva ignored Polaris's unhappiness, truly excited about the suggestion. "I love that idea. I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon."
Sebastian presented his side to Eva so she could mount.
Eva swung up easily, casting one last look back at the cave and what waited for her there. Maybe one day, she promised the ring.
What Polaris said earlier felt right. This wasn't the time for her to claim the ring sphere and all it represented.
But if the time ever came, she would be prepared.
six
Caden placed his palm against the ground, confirming what his eyes could not. There was still a residual warmth from the fire that had gone out hours before.
Caden lifted his hand, brushing the dirt off his palm.
He had to give it to Reece. The man had skills. A day and a half and he'd already found signs of human presence other than the Trateri in these mountains.
He lived up to the reputation of a pathfinder.
He'd known exactly where an enemy was likely to camp. Led them straight to it. If Caden wasn't familiar with Shea and her uncanny method of doing things, he'd say the man was working for the other side.
"They can't be far." Fiona squinted at the hills around them.
Caden grunted and stood.
"What do you want to do?" Ghost asked him.
Caden didn't speak for a long minute, considering the terrain before looking over his people.
Fiona had an edge to her. She wasn't the calm, steady leader Caden had come to know. Her hand opened and closed on the hilt of her weapon. Her gaze was distant as if she could already see her enemy and was anticipating their blood.