She scowled at Fallon.
“Did you force them to come, or were they volunteers?”
Shea’s quiet was answer enough.
“They chose to be there then. You can’t take their fate on your shoulders. That way lies madness and is an insult to who they were.”
Shea scoffed. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel the same responsibility for your men. I’ve seen you with the battle reports. You feel every death.”
“Of course. That is part of a leader’s responsibility, but I never make the mistake of shouldering the blame for their deaths. They chose to be here. They chose to follow me. I feel their deaths because they laid them down to defend my vision, but I don’t assume the guilt for them. That would desecrate the sacrifices they made.”
Shea looked away. She’d never considered it in that manner before. Always before, the deaths of the thirty men and women who had followed her into the Badlands was a weight dragging her down. A reminder that the last time she commanded people she’d failed them in every way possible.
“I’ve learned that sometimes, despite all your planning and training, things go wrong. Plans fall apart, and people sometimes die. That doesn’t mean we give up. It means we fight harder for what we want, that we take life by the throat and force it to surrender.”
It was an inspirational speech, but Shea wasn’t sure how much inspiration she could draw from it. The end result remained the same. Others died while she still lived.
“This beast call they’re concerned about. Is it possible that you picked one up and didn’t realize it?” Fallon asked.
Shea shook her head. “I don’t remember picking anything up, and I didn’t have a pack when I was discovered.”
“You said you were disoriented and delirious when they found you. It could very well be that one of those that first encountered you took the beast call without you being aware of it.”
“Anything is possible when it comes to the Badlands, but it’s highly doubtful.” She’d known every person on that discovery party for years. Many of them related to her in some way. It just didn’t seem likely.
“Either way, this beast call sounds like it’s the reason for the problems my men have been having in recent months.”
She was afraid of that. It meant she could guess the next words out of his mouth.
“We’re going to answer the pathfinders’ summons,” Fallon said, his mouth a grim line. There was a fierce light in his eyes as if to say he was looking forward to it. “If what they think is true and there is a mastermind setting the beasts on my men, I want to know.”
“It’s not going to be that easy,” Shea tried. The last thing she wanted to do was to send Fallon and his men into the Highlands. She didn’t think that would be good for them or the Highlands.
He gave her a fierce smile. “It never is. That’s what makes it so fun.”
“You’re not going to let me talk you out of this, are you?”
She really wished he would. He had no idea what was in store for him there. Nothing good would come of this. She was almost sure of it.
*
Fallon waited until Shea had set off to check on the friends she had among the Trateri before turning back to the tent containing Reece.
He stopped next to the Anateri guarding the entrance. “Let no one inside. Not even Shea.”
The Anateri shared a glance before giving a nod to show they understood.
Fallon ducked inside, his eyes immediately drawn to the prisoner. Reece had moved from the chair to the cot where he reclined with his hands folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling as if he could see beyond it to the sky above.
Fallon had caught Shea staring at the sky on more than one occasion but had never asked what so fascinated her. Seeing Reece do something similar reinforced the relationship between the two—a relationship Fallon found himself mildly jealous of, a feeling he wasn’t comfortable or familiar with.
“I’ve noticed Shea always looks to the sky in moments of rest or when she needs reassurance. It seems you do something similar. Why is that?” Fallon asked with a casual voice.
Reece didn’t stir from where he lay, simply turning his head slightly to keep Fallon in view. “Does she now? That’s interesting. I hadn’t realized.” He fell quiet again. Fallon waited with all the patience of a hunter, one accustomed to letting his prey set its own trap. “It’s probably a remnant of our training. The sky is an ever-changing canvas, but for those who know where to look, you can find set points that can tell you your location.”
“Like the West and East stars,” Fallon said. His people used the night sky to navigate as well. There was a star in the east and a star in the west that never changed its position in the sky. Using them, you could always be assured of the direction you were traveling.
“Just so.”
