Roscoe stroked his chin. "My money is on three hours."
Van scoffed. "Five at least. There are two of them after all."
Gawain shook his head. "You're forgetting they don't have as much meat as the red backs. I doubt they'll last even that long."
Caden nodded. "Good point. We'll have to think of a way to make it last longer. Wouldn't want their end to come too quick."
The prisoners' gazes flitted from one to the other before stopping on Fiona, silent until now.
"You can't let them do this," the second man begged.
Fiona's face was expressionless for a beat before a sudden smile brightened her features. "Smoke. We can use it to prolong their suffering."
The prisoner who'd spoken made a broken, inarticulate sound.
Roscoe leaned toward him. "If you're hoping to appeal to any feminine mercy, you're barking up the wrong tree. Trateri women are just like the men. Ruthless and driven."
Gawain made a sound. "Worse."
Roscoe shook his head at the prisoner. "Not to mention, your leaders are responsible for killing a precious friend of hers. Don't dirty her with your gaze. Otherwise, she'll pluck your eyeballs out."
Roscoe straightened, grabbed the prisoner's shoulders and force marched him in front. Drake did the same to his.
At a signal from Caden, Jane dropped out of the group, remaining behind to guard the tent in his absence.
"This won't work," a prisoner said desperately. "You said yourself the doedea won't go near the smoke."
"That's why you won't be staying in camp," Caden told him. To the rest, "Shall we?"
"About time. I've been waiting for this moment for ages," Van grumbled.
"How is someone as impatient as you a clan leader?" Gawain asked.
Drake’s prisoner broke, throwing himself to the ground, trying to cling to it.
Gawain rolled his eyes and reached down, grabbing the prisoner's elbow, not paying attention to the man's screams of pain as he started dragging him after the rest.
"I guess we know which of them the cicadas will go for first," Fiona observed.
Seeing his fearful gaze, Caden shook his head at the man. "They're attracted to blood. You just made it easier for them to find an entry point."
"Yup. They're going to suck you down like a cool drink of water," Roscoe said cheerfully.
No one commented as Gawain continued to drag the man along, ignoring the moans.
Not long after they started, they encountered Reece stalking into camp, returning from a patrol no one had known he was on.
He lifted a hand in acknowledgment, his gaze lingering on the prisoners. "What's this?"
"I felt it time to take things up a notch." Caden's lifted an eyebrow at the pathfinder. "Got a problem with that?"
Reece frowned and shook his head. "None. Just make sure you put them far enough away that you don't attract the swarm to us."
"Noted," Caden said.
That was the biggest difference between Reece and his cousin. Shea would have argued, her instinct to preserve life greater than her sense at times.
Reece was a little more pragmatic. Caden was willing to bet he had blood on his hands.
He cared, but not the way Shea did.
For that reason, Caden was rather glad he was the pathfinder assigned to this mission. Another would have argued and probably gotten cut down when they proved too much of an irritant.
"Find anything out there?" Caden asked.
Reece shook his head. "There are signs of trackers, but it doesn't look like they've found us yet. I laid a few false trails that will hopefully keep them busy for a while."
Impressive. Even more so because no one ordered him to do it.
Reece had seen a need and filled it. If Caden trusted him a little more, he'd see about recruiting the other man for his own use.
Unfortunately, Reece's loyalty to the pathfinders was set and Caden valued control too much to ever fully trust someone whose allegiances weren't to him or Fallon.
Still, he could appreciate the man's help.
"Hey, pathfinder, you going to join us?" Roscoe called.
Reece studied the prisoners with a speculative look before shrugging. "Sure, why not. I have a few hours to spare. Not like they're going to be a big problem anyway."
He fell into step as they headed out of camp. It wasn't long before Caden signaled for a halt, choosing a spot in the open. There was nothing around for a good distance. It would allow them to see an approaching swarm long before they became a threat.
Even better, they were far enough from camp that the rest could retreat through the pass but not so far that backup couldn't arrive in the event there was an attack of a more two-legged nature.
Caden directed the others to stake the men in the open, leaving enough room in the rope to offer hope that they'd be able to beat back the swarm with their hands but not enough for them to escape.
Hope, after all, was a double-edged blade. It could drive you forward in the bleakest of times.
Yet, when dashed, it carried the ability to destroy. Nothing broke a person faster than to taste the fleeting warmth hope brought only to see it vanish right when you were on the cusp of achieving your goals.
It was a necessary ingredient in any interrogation and Caden wielded it with a master's assurance.
"They don't know what they're in for. Poor bastards," Fiona said, pausing next to Caden.
"Do you wish to show them mercy?" Caden asked.
Fiona huffed before striding away. "I'm going to get some rest before things get busy again. Send someone if they look like they're going to break."
Van's head jerked up. "Wait. Is this it?"
Caden looked at him. "What else were you expecting?"
"Where's the blood? The torture? I thought we were finally going to get to the interesting stuff."
A faint smile touched Caden's face. "I told you before. Fear works better."
Van gave their prisoners an uncertain look. "And you think they fear bugs?"
Gawain finished tying his prisoner off and stood. "The Lowlanders and Highlanders share something in common. A fear of beasts. It's why they hid behind their flimsy walls for so long and let their lands atrophy. There is nothing more terrifying to them."
Caden studied Rain Clan's leader with a watchful gaze. His words showed a perception and intelligence that not too long ago Caden would have argued Gawain didn’t possess.
"Don't tell me your plan is more waiting," Van whined.
Caden let silence be his answer.
The Lion Clan leader groaned, flopping down onto the ground as Caden took a seat, fishing out his unfinished carving as he did so.
"Ah man, I thought we'd finally see some action," Van mumbled.
"Nope. More waiting." Gawain made himself comfortable as Roscoe and Drake trained their gazes on the prisoners.
Reece had already found a spot in the sun, soaking up the warm rays with his eyes closed in bliss.
"Anyone know any good games?" Van asked hopefully.
Eva rested on a boulder, the golden hour painting the world in orange and yellows. It had taken some pretty extreme begging to finally be allowed to leave Chirron's tent. She'd even had to cite mental distress.