He hesitated for only a brief second. "We push forward. The canyon widens a little way down, lessening the danger. I think it's worth the risk."
Caden looked at the rest. "You heard the man; get ready to move."
"I'll continue scouting ahead." Reece clicked his tongue at his horse, steering it down the canyon.
"I thought our scouts tended to be loners, but pathfinders are on a different level," Van said.
"Can't be easy serving a community who doesn't appreciate your skills," Roscoe remarked. "It's bound to twist a man."
They'd all heard the stories of the Battle Queen's original village and how she'd come to be with the Trateri. It was something most of them didn't entirely understand.
A woman with Shea's skills would have been highly sought after among the clans. Same went for her cousin.
To throw someone with those skills away was an act of madness. One the Trateri were happy to take advantage of.
Nell shifted under Caden as the prisoners trudged in his direction, their attention on the ground in front of them. Exhaustion dragged at their shoulders and was present in every step they took.
Caden lifted a hand in acknowledgment to Gawain and Jane, who had taken charge of the prisoners when they broke camp.
The two nodded back.
Caden spent a second observing the two, noting the defeated look on one of their faces.
One corner of his lips tilted up in a cruel smile.
It looked like sleeping out in the open for a night had the effect he'd wanted. They were ripe for the picking. A little push and one or more of them would topple over that edge. Break—just as Caden anticipated.
"Any problems?" Caden asked.
Gawain shook his head. "They've been pretty quiet throughout the morning."
Caden fixed the men with an indifferent stare. "Is that so?"
He thought that had more to do with them conserving what little energy they had. Sleep would have been impossible. Even if the prospect of the storm hadn't terrified them, Caden's people would have ensured they didn't catch a wink.
They'd taken turns throughout the night, creating disturbances. Drake was a master at tapping into a person's worst nightmare and making it real.
Caden didn't even want to know how the man had learned to make so many beast sounds.
It was a real talent.
The troublemaker lifted his head and sneered. "You won't get anything out of us."
Caden didn't speak, simply watching the man with a disinterested expression.
The troublemaker struggled forward, only to be brought up short by the rope Jane held.
"I know what you're doing. It won't work." The man's laugh held a touch of madness. "You're running scared. It won't be long now before our army wipes away your taint from this land."
"So, you know they're following us," Caden said, moving the reins to one hand as he shifted his weight on Nell. "That's good to know."
The troublemaker blinked, panic filling his face. "No."
Caden gestured at Jane. "Take their boots. Let's see how long they'll last in discomfort."
Jane nodded and dismounted. "You heard him. Take off your boots."
Fiona and Roscoe leaned forward with nasty smiles.
"Fiona, how long do you think someone could walk through the canyon before they shred the bottoms of their feet," Roscoe asked.
Fiona considered his words. "The ground is pretty rocky. Lots of sharp edges. I'm thinking they won't make it far."
"Blood attracts all kinds of beasts," Roscoe informed them.
The troublemaker paused in the act of removing his boots before slowly finishing. His companion wasn't as sanguine over Roscoe’s words. He shot a wild look at the Trateri surrounding them.
"You can't do that. If you attract beasts, you'll be in danger too," the man said in a desperate voice.
Van patted his sword. "We're armed and quite dangerous. I think we'll be fine."
"You know what else is attracted to blood? Cicadas," Fiona said with relish.
Roscoe sent her a sidelong look. "A few cuts make the perfect avenue for entry. I bet those doedea-ma-thingies just climb right inside and make themselves at home."
"I think you're right, Roscoe. Want to make a bet how long they'll last before the first bug finds them?"
Roscoe pursed his lips in consideration. "I'm thinking a couple hours."
"Ha. You're wrong. It'll be minutes." Van snapped his fingers and pointed.
Fiona glanced at Caden. "Any guesses."
Caden smiled and squeezed Nell's sides to get her moving. "Somewhere in between."
A streak of dark along the tops of the canyon walls caught Caden's eye. His smile deepened.
Looked like the Tenrin were still taking an interest in the Trateri. Or perhaps it was something about the prisoners that had attracted their attention.
It was hard to know which, or if either spelled good or bad for the Trateri.
He'd feel a lot more confident if Shea was here. Her title as the Flock's Burning One could come in handy right about now.
Caden shot a look behind him where the canyon's curve obscured Eva. Then again, there was another with ties to the Flock.
She was perhaps their greatest hope of all. A wild card capable of drawing even the most unlikely of allies.
Caden eyed the ally he suspected was one of the most powerful in Eva's orbit. The fire fox's face held all the wisdom of the ages where he sat, waiting for Caden in the middle of the canyon.
His three tails waved behind him before he stood and trotted further into the canyon without a backward glance.
"Guess that means you think I'm on the right path," Caden said softly, following.
It wasn't long before they were out of the canyon’s narrow confines, the trail widening into a gorge with many off shoots branching.
Their current surroundings meant the brewing storm still posed a danger to their people, but it wasn't as worrisome.
Already, Reece had gone ahead to scout for a place that would protect them from the weather, leaving the rest of the Trateri to follow behind at a slower pace.
Though still surrounded by towering mountains, the gorge they found themselves in was wide with steep embankments on either side that the Trateri and their mounts could scale. It wouldn't be easy, but they could find their way to high ground if necessary.
Forests dotted the tops of many of the higher elevations, veiling their surroundings.
Van rode up to Caden, reining his horse in to match Nell's pace. He nodded at the prisoners to Caden's right. "Looks like you made the right call. What do you want to bet we've got a winner?"
Caden glanced over to find the two had stopped. Tied together, they had no choice when the one in the back took a seat on the ground and refused to go on.
The troublemaker reached for the man's arm and tried to tug him to his feet. The other man shrugged him off, his expression dead.
His eyes held hopelessness. A stark knowledge that this was the end of the line for him. In this moment, he couldn't take a single step more and it showed.
"Right on time," Caden said, steering Nell in their direction.
Van followed. "I'm a little surprised this worked."