Eva would be so disappointed in him right now.
Brisa wasn't the reason all this happened, and Eva would have hated him making her feel like she was. The only people to blame were their enemies—and Jason.
He'd done this. He'd been the one to climb on Caia's back and ride away.
He was a coward.
He thought he'd changed. That the time spent with Eva and Caden had somehow made him into someone new.
Someone honorable and brave.
Yet his first brush with danger and he’d cracked. Worse, he was still shifting blame to others for his own mistakes rather than taking responsibility.
He made himself sick.
"I hate what has happened," Jason said with a forced calm. "But Eva chose to protect you. The best and only thing we can do right now is rendezvous with our warriors and mount a rescue."
Brisa's wing shifted to show a glimpse of her face.
She was listening.
Good.
"It's the only way we're going to help Eva." For Jason that was the only thing that mattered.
An impatient nicker came from Caia as the mare gave them a look that called them both idiots.
"That horse is strange," Brisa said.
Her words surprised a chuckle out of Jason. "You're not the only one who thinks that."
Caia stamped a foot as if demanding they stop wasting time so they could get moving again. It was the sort of oddly intelligent behavior Jason had come to expect in the mare.
He started toward her only to stop as he noticed a Kyren passing over them, flying low to avoid the storm clouds above.
"Kyren," Jason breathed.
"What?" Brisa asked, not understanding.
"There's a Kyren up there."
Which meant there was a Kyren close by. All they needed to do was get the Kyren's attention. Jason's steps stalled, his gaze fervent as he turned to stare at Brisa.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You can speak to them. You can ask them to help us."
Jason mounted and rode over to Brisa, holding his hand down to her.
"They might not listen," Brisa warned.
"We have to try."
Eva deserved nothing less.
Understanding filled Brisa's face as she reached up to take Jason's hand. He lifted her onto Caia behind him.
"Caia, time to catch a Kyren," Jason told the mare.
Caia surged forward with powerful strides, her speed increasing until she was galloping flat out. Jason didn't even try to steer her, knowing any attempt would result with them on the ground.
Eva always said Caia knew her way better than any horse she'd ever ridden. She had an instinct for finding her footing that required trust from her rider.
Jason didn't try to slow the mare from her breakneck speed, his gaze locked on the piece of sky where the Kyren had disappeared.
Somehow, they managed to make it out of the canyon and up a steep embankment filled with boulders.
Caia barely paused as she leapt over obstacles without caring what was on the other side.
Jason's stomach shot to his throat at more than one near miss.
Ahead, the Kyren flitted in and out of view as they pursued him. Sweat covered Caia's withers and sides when they finally rounded a hill to find a quartet of Kyren waiting on the other side.
At their arrival, the Kyren lifted their heads. Time seemed to skip, the moment stretching as their wise eyes found Jason's.
Of the four, Jason recognized two of them. The blood bay with the broken horn that Eva had called Polaris and the chestnut she'd referred to as Danyon, who'd looked at Jason like he was a pile of shit he'd stepped in by mistake.
Caia slowed and then stopped, her breathing labored.
Danyon spread his wings, preparing to take off.
"Wait, please!" Jason called.
The Kyren looked back, his face grumpy as if he couldn't believe the human's audacity. Jason didn't care. What use was pride, given what was at stake?
Brisa leaned around him to get a better look at the Kyren. At the sight of her, they paused. Two of them drifting closer as Danyon snorted unhappily. The two approaching curled their lips at the smell of blood. They poked their noses against Jason and Brisa, searching out the scent.
Brisa let them. She was far braver than Jason, not flinching as the Kyren's sharp teeth strayed dangerously close to vulnerable areas. He'd seen what they could do with those teeth. It wasn't pretty.
Then again, Brisa probably understood the dangers better than him, being part of the sharp teeth crowd herself.
"Can you help us?" Brisa asked as they backed away, satisfied with their investigation.
Brisa got the same focused look on her face as Eva as she listened to a voice only she could hear. Jason had no choice but to sit and wait, feeling like he was about to come out of his skin from nerves. Not for the first time, he wished he could hear the Kyren.
It was only because of his relationship with Eva and all that he knew about her that he was able to hold still and not interrupt.
Her faith wasn't easily earned, but she'd seen something in not only Brisa but the Kyren as well. For Eva's sake, he could swallow his pride and allow someone else control.
Even when it made him uncomfortable.
Jason shot a look at Brisa when the silence dragged on. She'd been quiet for too long. There should have been more talking by now.
That nasty feeling in his gut got stronger as he picked up on the standoffish manner with the which the Kyren watched him. That feeling was compounded as Danyon moved away.
"What's wrong?" Jason whispered.
Brisa shook her head once. "They're not listening."
"Can't you stop them?"
"We're different factions. They're not required to render aid."
Impatience and desperation filled Jason as he sensed his last hope slipping away. Or rather, about to fly off.
This couldn't be happening.
He scrambled off Caia, not quite sure what he was intending to do. Only that something needed to be done.
If Brisa couldn't, he would. Somehow.
Eva once said the Kyren responded best to sincerity. She'd also said you didn't have to be a "good" person to earn their respect. He hadn't fully understood then, but he did now.
Or at least he thought he did.
He lowered himself to his knees. If what they wanted was sincerity, he would bare his soul and pray they'd take pity on him.
"She would give up anything for those she considers hers. She'd sacrifice herself without another thought. Despite the fact humans can be such petty, small-minded creatures—myself included."
The Kyren paused in their departure, Polaris and another turning their heads to observe Jason.
He'd gotten their attention, but that wasn't enough. Jason wet his lips as he considered what he should say. What sequence of words that would show his sincerity and convince them Eva was worth helping?
He knew in his heart he wasn't worthy of the favor he was about to ask. Perhaps he would never be the type of man the Kyren would want to be close to. That was okay. He didn't need to be.
"Eva tried so hard to build a better tomorrow. For you—and us. You owe her."
"This is a human battle. Why must we involve ourselves?" Brisa translated.
"Because you know it won't stop with us. They've already targeted you once. Do you really want people who tried to enslave your children to rule?"