“Human arrogance. You haven’t changed at all in the years that have passed.” His voice was deep and the words ponderous.
Deciding that the Koa wouldn’t be much use, Gawain stepped back, letting the vines slither off him before turning to the bat, blades appearing in his hands as if by magic.
The creature’s head turned toward him as he gave a disdainful sniff.
“Wait,” Shea said. “It’s not arrogance. These people are warriors and they number many. The ones you see here are just a few. Kill them and they’ll just keep coming, like a plague on your land. They’ll never stop, not until every one of your kind is dead.”
The creature lifted a shoulder, the gesture almost human. “We have survived such odds before.”
Shea hesitated, unsure how to argue with something that was just as convinced of its invincibility in battle as any Trateri she’d ever met.
“You’ve seen what we can do,” she said, gesturing down at the fallen. “Why fight a war that’s not even yours?”
The beast bared his teeth, a strange high-pitched sound issuing from his throat. That struck a chord.
“You must know the person you’re following will only betray you in the end,” Shea reasoned, her voice persuasive as she pressed her advantage. “He won’t be able to help it. It’s what he does.”
“And what will you give us, human?” the creature asked. “Will you let us flock in your caves? Will you give us your mountains?”
He didn’t give her a chance to answer, leaping over them and dropping like a stone, disappearing out of view in seconds.
Noise from behind alerted them to what the creature had already sensed. Gawain stepped back from the Koa as they both took up alert positions, one facing the direction the noise was coming from and the other facing the slowly brightening sky in case one of the bat men decided to come back.
A pathfinder Shea recognized stuck her head into the tunnel cave. “Shea, your warlord has requested your presence.”
Shea blinked in surprise at Eliza. The other woman’s face was respectful and almost pleasant, containing none of the latent hostility or challenging stare of that first night. She acted like she used to when she and Shea had shared missions.
Distrust crowded in almost as quickly as surprise. How did she know this wasn’t a ruse to separate her from Gawain?
Trenton stepped into the cave, one arm coming up to lean against the wall as he peered through the gloom. “Gawain, he wants you too. It sounded urgent.”
Shea stance relaxed infinitesimally. If Trenton believed the pathfinder’s words, it was probably safe.
Despite that, she kept the sword out and ready at her side. She might not believe Eliza was here to try to kill her, but there was no need to trust indiscriminately. As recent events had illustrated, her life was dangerous. Beasts weren’t the only things she had to fear. Those who walked on two legs were to be treated with an even greater amount of caution.
Still, she hesitated. Leaving the Koa unmanned and unguarded felt wrong. “Someone needs to remain on over-watch. We don’t know when those bats will come back.”
Trenton tilted his head. “That’s already taken care of. A couple of pathfinders and your friend Dane showed up shortly after we started using the Koa to help defend it. They’ll stay here. Braden’s also sent some of his warriors to protect the poor darlings.”
He sent a wicked glance at the woman at his side. The woman rolled her eyes but didn’t contradict him.
Good enough for Shea. She slid the sword into its scabbard as Gawain did the same.
“Let’s see what Fallon wants, then,” she said, clapping Trenton on the shoulder and easing past him.
He barely controlled his wince before he followed her.
“What’s the matter? One of the bats get a little too close?” Gawain asked in a sarcastic tone.
Shea hid her grin when her guard sent the clan leader a nasty glare.
“More than a little close,” Eliza said with a sidelong glance. “When we showed up, one of them had him by the arm and was about to drag him over the cliff. Good thing we arrived when we did or else someone would have had to scrape the poor darling off the rocks below.”
Trenton gave her a dour look and Shea choked back a laugh. She could just imagine how much he hadn’t enjoyed being rescued.
“You’re getting a bit slow from your easy assignment,” Gawain said, prodding the other man.
Trenton slid a dark look his way. “You’ve seen the types of situations she gets herself into. Does this seem like a cushy assignment to you?”
