As one of the pathfinders’ eyes, he usually handled missions that required a certain level of discretion. He was a spy, for lack of a better word. He slipped about gathering intelligence and bringing it back for her mother to sift through. Reece was a charmer, easygoing and well-liked by most. It made his job easier.
On occasion, he had to act on orders to protect the pathfinders’ interests. Turned out he was good at that too. He didn’t suffer from the incessant questions and stubborn personality Shea had.
“One of the men your barbarian caught yesterday was supposed to be here today. Your mother asked me to stand in until she could find someone she trusted to perform this duty,” he said, his face serious for once.
Shea didn’t need him to tell her the ramifications of that statement. It was worrying that one of the traitors would have been responsible for shepherding the ducklings. It spoke of a rot that had progressed much deeper than they’d suspected.
She looked back at the glen, her face deep in thought. It showed the amount of control her mother had lost on her people. A few years ago, such a betrayal would have been unthinkable.
As they spoke, Shea kept an eye on the others. She noted with interest that Clark and his friend had walked a perimeter around the stone circle. Clark’s focus was intent on the stones as he moved carefully, making sure not to miss anything. His friend’s attention was equally caught, a frown on her face as if there was a thought there, one she couldn’t quite capture.
White bits of fluff clung to both, wisping away with every movement only to reattach a few seconds later. It created a halo effect on them. Others in the group had varying amounts of the white fluff, but none seemed to have as much as Clark or his friend.
Shea, Reece, Braden and Trenton were all free of the white wisps where they stood near the fountain.
“Now, isn’t that interesting?” Reece said upon seeing what had caught Shea’s attention.
Shea hid her smile, looking down and to the side.
Reece turned to her with a frown, giving her a considering look. “Did you know about this?”
She gave him a casual shrug. “I had my suspicions. Why do you think I encouraged him to spend so much time with the classes?”
Reece didn’t seem upset by the admission, which surprised Shea. She would have thought he’d have some choice words about her underhandedness.
“Know about what?” Braden asked, his gaze moving between the two of them.
Shea jerked her chin at the glen and the students meandering about. “That.”
Braden and Trenton studied the scene, similar frowns on their faces as they struggled to understand.
“Now look at us,” Shea said.
They turned their attention to the four of them. Understanding dawned almost simultaneously.
“I still don’t get it,” Trenton said.
“The white fluff is an indicator,” Shea said. “It helps us see the potential in each recruit.”
Braden’s head swung back to the students. “And Clark has the most clinging to him.”
A grin broadened across Shea’s face and she was unable to contain her delight. “Yup.”
“And that means he can become a pathfinder?” Braden asked, sharp interest taking over.
Reece interrupted her before she could say yes. “Not necessarily,” he said, shooting her a quelling look. “There’s more to pathfinding than being able to traverse the mist.”
Shea inclined her head, giving him the point. “But it does mean they’ll have no choice but to let him study.” She gave Braden a smile full of cunning. “You said you wanted to train your warriors to meet this danger. Clark is the first.”
“You knew this would happen?” Braden asked, his expression grudgingly impressed.
Shea crossed one ankle over the other and leaned back, careful not to fall into the fountain. “I had my hopes.”
“That’s why you ordered him to get close to the students,” Trenton said. “This was part of your plan.”
Shea didn’t answer, letting her expression speak for her. Fallon needed people he could trust in his army that could do what she did. The pathfinders had yet to earn that trust, and part of Shea thought they never would. They were too stubborn and would cling to their role of outsider.
Unfortunately, the Trateri regarded any who had not earned their place among them with a deep suspicion. The easiest answer was to train some of their own people so that the mist no longer dangled as a threat over them. She’d figured Clark was their best shot at that.
