"Something else," Ajari said. "I haven't felt this in a very long time."
"What is it?" Reece asked. "It feels broken and jagged, like glass dipped in blood."
"Your senses are better than I gave you credit for," Ajari said. "Perhaps your people haven't lost everything after all." His head turned toward Eva. "And you? What does the Caller sense?"
Until he asked, Eva had attributed the sinking, writhing ball of snakes in her middle to her own fear. With his question she realized the source wasn't her at all, but originated from outside her psyche.
She tried to put the emotion she felt into words, but it was too big.
"Dread," she finally said. "All I feel is dread."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The others traded uneasylooks.
Reece stood and wiped his hands. "We need to get to Slig as soon as possible."
"Why?" Ghost asked. "Pathfinders can deal with the mist. Right?"
The last word was said with a touch of uncertainty.
"We can, but it's always safer to ride it out from the safety of a settlement," Reece explained.
"The mist isn't what he's afraid of. It's what is inside the mist that worries him," Ajari said with a cool look.
Another Trateri unsheathed his sword. "I'm not afraid of beasts. My pigsticker should take care of any who dares test us."
Ajari's lip curled. Had he been human Eva thought he might have been tempted to roll his eyes. "Such arrogant mice. Your splinter will do little beyond amuse most of the things that now hunt these hills."
The man gave him a gap-toothed smile and stepped forward as if to prove his mettle.
Caden stopped him. "Even a splinter can cause rot and death if overlooked."
"Either way, the pathfinder is right. Better to have walls at our back, rather than face whatever is coming out in the open," Darius said. "How much farther?"
Reece shook his head, looking worried. "Not far, over that rise."
