"Why are you after the Kyren?" Caden asked harshly.
Mathias whimpered and Caden's lips curved.
"Look at him," Mathias gasped when Caden reached for his hand. "Whoever rules that creature controls the rest of the Broken Lands."
"How many of you are there?" Caden asked. "How many of you are working towards unseating the Hawkvale?"
Mathias shook his head. "I'm not telling you that. You might as well kill me."
"Don't tempt me, boy," Caden threatened, leaning close.
There was a small yip as the fox creature appeared. A picture of dozens of faceless humans, their forms tall and terrifying, inserted itself into her mind.
"We have to go," she said.
"I'm not done. If this is making you queasy walk a hundred yards in any direction," he said impatiently.
"That's not what this is about." Well, not all of it. "There are more men out there, and they're closing in on our position."
Caden straightened. "How do you know that?"
Eva hesitated. Whatever he’d guessed, whatever he thought he knew, she doubted it was even close to the truth. Revealing her secrets could lead to the exact same thing as what had happened with her village. She didn’t want to be driven from the Trateri and have to start all over again.
She steeled herself to speak. Now wasn’t the time for secrets. The only way to get him to believe her was by revealing a little of what she could do. Not everything, but enough so he wouldn’t question her.
"The fox showed me a picture of the men.” Eva’s stomach was tight as she waited for his reaction. Suspicion or fear. She braced for both.
Caden was silent as he watched her with a thoughtful expression. Her hands and lips felt numb. The closeness and camaraderie the campfire chat had instilled in her felt far away. It was a nice dream while it lasted.
"I could think of several ways such an ability would come in handy," Caden said.
Eva blinked and gazed at him in disbelief. That was it? That was all he had to say?
“If you’d told me sooner, I could have factored that into our strategy,” he continued.
“I’ve never gotten pictures or words before. Just feelings,” she said slowly, still stunned he hadn’t declared her a witch or treated her like she was crazy. “It’s a relatively new development and won’t help if we’re dead.”
“I suppose not,” Caden said with a slight grin.
A blade flashed and there was a gurgle of sound as Mathias slumped.
"Did you kill him?" Eva asked on a quavering breath. The magnitude of what she’d just shared now paled at the quick way Caden had ended the other man.
"I couldn't leave him alive to reunite with the rest of his people," Caden explained, striding toward her.
"So, you killed him?" she asked, unable to get past that one point.
"Yes, yes. I'm a murderer. I kill when convenient. Hate me for it if that makes things easier for you. Then move past it because you need to survive what's coming," he said impatiently. "Did the fox say where they're coming from?"
Eva's attention swung toward the fox, but it was Sebastian who answered.The north and east.
"You knew?" she asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"
“I take it you can speak to him now too,” Caden said, seeming unsurprised.
Eva ignored him as Sebastian began to speak again.
The information the human obtained could prove useful.
