Eva stepped back, looking up at Jason. "Good luck."
He didn't speak, his face a mask of grief as he nudged Caia to get moving.
The mare bolted forward, disappearing into the rain as the pursuers closed in.
Eva didn't wait to see what happened next, darting for the trail that led upwards.
For this to work the pursuers had to have something to distract them. What better than their prey attempting to escape?
Her feet slid under her as she fell to her hands and knees. Still, she didn't stop as she scrambled up the trail. Higher and higher until she was above the boulder. The charred tree a silent sentinel watching her passage.
The riders slowed, several pointing at her.
To Eva's dismay, a few continued on, chasing after Jason and Caia.
No matter. The majority had remained to pursue her. Those few would turn back when they saw they had no hope of catching Caia.
They would have to, Eva told herself.
She looked up at the steep incline full of boulders. She gritted her teeth and ignored the danger around her.
Gradually, the rain stopped, but it didn't make her journey any easier. The mud and boulders were still slick, causing her to trip and bang her knees more than once.
A dull ache resonated from several places on her body where she'd hit the ground hard.
From behind her, she could hear the humans starting up the incline.
They had the advantage of their horses, but Eva didn't let that dissuade her. Every second she could delay them was a victory.
The top neared and with it a ray of hope.
Those following were having trouble on the slope, allowing Eva to widen the distance. If she could get over the top, she could make use of the difficult terrain much the same way their ambushers had and disappear.
Eva pushed harder, anticipation giving her an extra burst of speed. The added exertion made the breaths saw in and out of her lungs.
Perhaps that was why she didn't notice the low drone at first. Not until she cleared the top and found a wall of cicadas blocked her way.
A sob broke from her throat as the tiny bit of hope she'd clung to burned into ashes.
The mind of another brushed against hers. That's it. The bitter taste of defeat and hopelessness. That's what I hoped for.
The mind sharpened, focusing on those below. Bring her. I want her alive.
Eva didn't fight as a man wearing clothes as wet as hers caught her by the arm.
His grip was rough as he nearly yanked her off her feet. "Look what we have here. A little mouse all for ourselves."
That same stench Eva caught off the swarm was on this man as well. Her gaze traveled over those below, unsurprised to find that same taint on all but one.
"Nothing to say?" he taunted.
Eva watched as the riders who'd gone after Jason and Brisa returned empty handed, joining those who waited at the bottom of the hill.
A small, relieved smile graced her lips.
Understanding dawned in her captor's eyes. "Clever. We'll see how self-sacrificing you are after he breaks your mind."
Eva restrained the impulse to spit in his face. Sometimes you had to play the game to give yourself a better hand later on.
These men thought they had won, but they hadn't.
Eva would find a way out or Caden would come for her. Both paths ended in one place.
With these men dead.
twenty-three
Caden drew his sword out of his latest victim and let the man fall as he lifted his head to observe his surroundings.
The ambush had been quick and vicious. The Trateri had answered in kind, fighting back with a zealousness that had wrecked their enemy.
They'd extracted a steep price from the opposing side, but it hadn't left them unscathed.
They'd lost people. Good warriors. Men and women Caden had known for a long time.
The only solace he had was that the other side lost more.
Van kicked a body out of his way as he stalked into view, covered in the blood of his enemy. So much, it looked like he'd bathed in it.
Caden paused briefly to wonder how exactly he'd gotten into that state before dismissing it as irrelevant.
He cared about results. Not how he got them.
"Every enemy I laid hands on is dead," Van announced.
Good. The more they took care of now meant the less they had to worry about later.
A body crashed onto the ground not far from them.
Van and Caden looked up to find Gawain leaning over the cliff side.
"How did you get up there?" Van asked.
"Skill."
Van's expression darkened as Gawain focused on Caden. "Rain has taken care of those on the ridge. A few escaped but not many."
Caden nodded to show his understanding before heading toward Chirron, where he knelt next to a fallen warrior.
The woman he tended was seriously injured. Blood covered her front and pooled on the ground around her as Chirron moved quickly in his fight to save her life.
He had a battle in front of him and little time to wage it if the cries of the wounded were anything to judge by.
Chirron shouted orders to his disciple as he worked on the woman's chest wound.
Any Trateri who was mobile and not currently occupied administered first aid to those around them.
Blood loss was one of the most pressing concerns. Any time they could buy Chirron would save lives later.
When your wounded outnumbered your healer twenty to one, you sometimes had to get creative. Otherwise, wounds that normally wouldn’t be lethal would claim additional lives.
It was a situation Caden was all too familiar with. They were just lucky they had Chirron and his apprentice with them.
If not, the post battle death toll would be much greater.
As Caden approached, the situation with the woman took a turn for the worse. Chirron's movements grew frantic until finally he stopped. His shoulders sagged as grief took the place of determination.
There was regret in Chirron's face as he set one hand on the woman's forehead, his eyes slipping closed in a silent prayer.
Seeing the situation, Van forgot his argument and drifted in Chirron's direction. He watched the healer carefully as Chirron rolled to his feet, nearly staggering as he did. Exhaustion was written in every line of his body.
Van caught him by the arm, pulling him into his embrace. "How many patients have you treated so far?"
Van held Chirron carefully, as if the man was a treasure he feared breaking.
There was a tenderness in his expression he didn't often show. Worry and frustration was present as well.
The effort it took Chirron to straighten showed as he gathered his will to push away from Van. "Not enough."
"It never is for you." There was disapproval in Van's tone as he let Chirron go. "You'll be useless if you collapse."
Chirron's smile was wry as he patted Van's cheek in a rare display of affection. "I know my limits."
"Somehow I doubt that."
Chirron gave him an unamused stare before turning his attention to Caden. "We've treated most of those we can for the moment."
"How many dead?" Caden asked.
Chirron's answer was interrupted by a horse bearing down on them.
Caden had time to take in Ollie's panicked expression before the herd master pulled his horse to an abrupt stop.
Caden's heart clenched, his gaze moving to the empty spot behind Ollie. There was no Eva. No Caia.