*
“This isn’t the path to the Wayfarer’s Keep,” Shea said, staring up at the mountain ridge in front of her. They had stopped halfway up the mountain, just below the tree line. If her memory was correct, this would take them west of the keep by several week’s ride.
Reece took a swig of his water before capping it and putting it back in the saddle bags. Fallon had ordered a horse for him when it became clear his continued walking would only slow them down. Unlike when Shea was his captive, he had ordered a proper horse for the pathfinder, not some stunted growth mule that couldn’t match a horse’s longer strides.
“You’re getting rusty, Shea. I expected you to figure that out several days ago.”
Shea watched him with a calculating expression. It was true that she should have picked up on the divergent path earlier, but grief had made her slower than normal. “That’s the Dragon’s Tail. You would never take a group like this through that ridge to reach the keep, so where are you taking us?” she asked.
Fallon folded his reins over his hand and leaned forward, his hawk-like gaze drilling into Reece. His expression was fierce. “Yes, please, enlighten the group.”
Reece gave Shea a half-smile. “Come now, doesn’t any of this look familiar?”
Shea’s lips pursed as she considered Reece and then their surroundings. Yes, it did, but much of the Highlands was familiar. Like an old friend you had seen over and over again. Only this friend was crotchety and grumpy and would kill you should you take it for granted.
“Birdon Leaf.” It made sense given their relative geographic location, the direction they were traveling and known areas of interest this path would lead to.
Reece’s smile was wry, like a teacher bestowing a student with praise. “Very good.”
“Why would you take us there?” Shea asked.
“Why, to visit the place where this all started.” Reece prodded his horse forward, taking off before Shea could question him further.
Caden rode up on the other side of Fallon and stopped his horse as he stared after Reece. “I thought the whole point of this little trip was to go to this Wayfarer’s Keep and meet with the pathfinders.”
“I guess we’re taking a little side trip first,” Shea said, before kicking her horse into a slow-paced trot to follow Reece.
Fallon followed, though he looked no more thrilled at this turn of events than Shea.
Caden shook his head and spit to the side of his horse before he too started up the large back half of the mountain. “Oh goody.”
*
One week later, Shea crested the last hill before the land flattened, giving rise to the small spit of plateau where Birdon Leaf perched. It would have taken less time had they been on foot, but the jagged ravines and steep hills were not friendly terrain to a horse. As a result, they’d been forced to take the long way around.
Shea reined her horse to a stop on the ridge and looked down on the flattened top that contained the little village. The Trateri were spread out behind her as they made their way up the last small incline.
The land between them and the village was mostly long grass, as the altitude made trees rare. From this distance, the village looked picturesque, like an innocent painting of a simpler world. One untouched by strife and pain.
Shea snorted. That couldn’t be further from the truth, especially given the wasps nestled in the very heart of this little village.
There was the faint clop of hooves behind her as Witt came up on her right side. He, like she, had experienced a rather complicated relationship with this place. It should have been home, but its villagers had betrayed the two of them in one of the worst ways imaginable.
“Home, sweet home,” Witt murmured.
Shea made a sound of derision.
“I wonder what they will say when they see us come riding up with an army behind us,” he mused.
“Probably kick themselves for not ensuring we were dead before they handed us over.”
He grunted. It was half laugh and half acknowledgement. “I would like to see Dane again, though.”
“Yeah,” Shea’s voice was soft. She’d forgotten that he’d been close with the other man, too. The three’s relationship had been short-lived, but for a short time they’d been on their way to becoming friends.
“You think he made it back?” Shea asked.
“I hope not. I hope he found a place far from here to hole up.”
