This was the true reason Fallon had sent Darius and these warriors with Eva, not to protect her, but to weed out a problem before it could truly take root.
Oh, Eva had no doubt they were tasked with keeping her alive until they reached the herd lands—Caden's actions were proof of that—but it wasn’t the only reason they had accompanied her. Otherwise, why not just put her on the back of the Kyren and send her on her way.
Machinations, wrapped in machinations. It seemed to be the Trateri way.
Caden shook his head. "Unknown. More than we suspected is my guess."
Darius sighed. "I should have let Braden take this one."
Caden's smile flashed. "We both know you'd never have let that happen."
"Damn my ego to the darkness and abyss."
Even Eva knew Darius didn't truly mean that.
Caden took a look around. "There are less of you than I expected."
"The rest are back at the main campsite, protecting the injured," Darius responded as he guided his horse back the way they'd come.
He didn't dispatch his people to look for survivors. Caden wasn't the type to make stupid mistakes. There would be no survivors. Anyone who had made it in one piece, had most likely beaten a hasty retreat and were long gone.
"Bad?" Caden asked.
Darius grunted, some of his normal good humor fading. Tiredness dragged at the corners of his mouth as his thoughts shifted to those he'd lost and others who hadn't come away from the encounter unscathed.
"We'll survive, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to send for reinforcements, especially if we're going up against what sounds like an army." Darius shook his head. "Unfortunately, it'd likely be a death sentence for anyone I sent back."
Caden grunted in agreement. "Especially since these were likely not the only ones following us. I suspect they have mythologicals in their pocket who can do a much better job of keeping an eye on us than any human."
Disgruntlement filled Darius's expression. "I miss the days when all we had to worry about were human enemies who might stab us in the back."
There were silent nods from those around Eva.
"We'll do what we can with what we have," Caden said.
"As always," Darius responded.
It was the last of their discussion as the pace increased. After that, talk became too difficult as they made their way back to the camp where they'd left Darius's wounded and a small security detachment.
Caden fell back to ride by Eva halfway through the journey.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye as the rest fanned out around them, keeping a lookout for stray beasts or new enemies.
"You kept your promise," Caden observed without looking at her.
Eva pulled a face. "Sorry we weren't there sooner. I tried to convince him, but he said it was too dangerous to travel."
"I'm not surprised. I suspected that would be his response. It worked out in the end. I did what needed doing," he said.
His expression was somber as he stared straight ahead.
"You sent me away so you could attack head on," she guessed.
At that, he looked over at her, his eyes glacial and hard. "You would have been a liability if you'd stayed."
His answer had her teeth clicking together since she couldn’t really argue with that assessment. She wasn't skilled with blade or in the art of sneaking around.
"Did you send me away because I was a liability or because you were worried about what I'd think of you afterward?" she asked, seeing past the hard front he presented.
