“How bad was it?” Eamon asked, his voicelow.
Clark suddenly seemed older and more matureas a shadow crossed his face, signaling a deep grief. “Bad. We lostfour scouts and nearly twenty soldiers before we could put enoughdistance between us and them.”
Eamon looked pained at this news, and heshook his head in sympathy, giving Clark’s shoulder a squeeze.
“They won’t say it, but the men are uneasy,”Clark said quietly. “They’re saying these things aren’t natural.That they’re demons from the underworld.”
“They say that whenever they encountersomething new.”
“Maybe. But you didn’t see the way thesethings hunted. It was like they learned from us. They wereintelligent.”
Eamon’s were troubled as they met Shea’s. Thelines bracketing his mouth deepened.
“I hear you had your own problems on thetrail,” Clark said, breaking the silence.
Eamon nodded slowly and this time it was histurn to have his face pulled tight at the thought of friends whohadn’t made it. “We lost five.”
Clark winced.
“I didn’t know you’d been given your ownteam,” Clark said, trying to steer the subject to something lessgrim.
“Haven’t been,” Eamon said. “Our scout masterdied in route. I was next in command.”
“Fate’s a funny bitch, ain’t she?” Clarkcommiserated. “I know it’s not the best way to assume command butcongratulations anyways.”
“Thanks, kid. You too. I know you’ve beenlooking to lose the yellow for a while.”
Clark grinned, letting the seriousness of thepast few minutes drop. “The green looks good on me, doesn’t it?” Hepretended to preen despite not having a spot of green anywhere onhis person. “Much better than that yellow.”
“It does indeed,” Eamon agreed.
“Hey, did you see that book your boy’s got?”Clark asked, jerking his thumb at Shea.
That rat bastard was telling on her!
She slid the book out of sight as she becamethe center of attention. Clark rolled his eyes and reached aroundher as she tried to block him. He pulled the book out of herresisting fingers.
“Get a look at this. I bet there’s even anentry about revenants in here.” He flipped through the worn pages,taking care not to handle them too roughly, while Eamon peered overhis shoulder in curiosity.
“Here it is.” Clark shoved the book, openedto the entry in question, into Eamon’s hands.
Eamon’s eyebrows lowered as his eyes movedfrom side to side. Shea’s fingers itched to snatch it away fromhim. She didn’t like people looking through her things.
She glared at Clark whose lips twitched inanswer.
Eamon flipped the page and read to the end ofthe entry before looking up at Shea. “This is really detailed.”
“I’ve encountered them a time or two in thepast.”
“From the sound of this, more than a time ortwo.”
She lifted a shoulder and found a spot tostare at on his chest, not wanting to answer the questions she knewwere in his eyes.
She could feel the heat of his stare on herbent head as he looked from her to the book in his hands. Sheimagined he knew how unlikely it was for the average Lowlander tohave compiled the information in the book. For starters, mostLowlanders couldn’t read or write. Beyond that, the kinds of thingsnoted in the entries weren’t something a regular person wouldnotice. It was the kind of stuff people only gleaned afterextensive training and experience. Lots of experience. No doubtEamon was asking himself a lot of questions right now. QuestionsShea couldn’t afford for him to ask.
Snapping the book shut, he said, “Come withme.”
Shea’s head shot up to see Eamon movingquickly away from her. Confused and with her mouth slightly open inshock, she glanced at Clark who watched with a bright look ofinterest. He shrugged. “Don’t look at me. You’d best follow. Eamondoesn’t like repeating things.”
