The boy's view of him was romanticized if he thought that. The Anateri were killers, pure and simple. Every single one of them. They were the worst of the worst, chained to Fallon's will by unbreakable bonds.
Only now, a tiny woman with more strength than sense seemed to have her slim hands wrapped around his chain.
The fire fox looked up at him, dejection in his posture. He didn’t like being left behind any more than Caden did.
"Come." Caden turned and walked away, leaving behind the softness she pulled from him. There was no room for it with what he was about to do.
The fox padded after him, the same air of bloodthirstiness present that Caden had glimpsed while they’d fought next to each other before. The fox knew it was time to go hunting.
Caden’s smile was grim and humorless, the stuff of nightmares. The throwaway, Kent, flinched at the sight of it. Even Jason fell silent, though Caden sensed that wouldn't hold for long.
And Eva thought she wasn't brave. If only that were true. Leave it to him to find such a contrary woman as the person to warm his cold core.
There was no way to beat the enemy—but perhaps Caden could stall them.
"We have work to do," Caden told Jason.
The boy stared at him open mouthed before relief filled his expression and he trotted after Caden. The throwaway still looked suspicious. He, at least, would have had no problem abandoning Eva.
Caden wanted to eliminate the threat he could become. Right now, he was on their side but he'd already flipped once. There was nothing to say he wouldn't flip again.
The only thing preventing Caden from shedding the man’s blood was the knowledge he'd soon need him, no matter his real loyalties.
"Here is your first lesson in war," Caden told the youth dogging his footsteps. "When you are outnumbered and out-powered, you have to be twice as devious as the enemy."
It'd been a long time since Caden had to tap into that part of himself. He'd helped make Fallon into the power he was now, primarily relying on tactics the strong would say were the hallmark of the weak. Caden didn't care what someone might say, if it meant he won in the end—and this was one battle he intended to win no matter the cost. A woman with a shy but sly smile was counting on him.
"We're not going to fight?" Jason asked, his expression confused.
The throwaway snorted. "Only if you want to die."
"Not in a way our enemy expects," Caden corrected.
He crouched down and outlined his plan in the dirt. The fire fox’s gaze was intent and perceptive, his tails curling around his feet.
“I don’t care what she told you. Stay close to her. Protect her if you can,” Caden told the fox.
The creature watched Caden with a human-like intelligence, yipping once before padding into the forest. It closed quickly around him.
“Does that mean he’s going to help?” Jason asked, his expression slightly confused.
“We’ll see soon enough,” Caden said, his eyes on where the fox had disappeared.
The creature was a difficult one to read. He seemed to be on Eva’s side and had shown a surprising aptitude for battle strategy when they’d fought before, but he was a mythological, tricky as the day was long.
Kent folded his arms, unimpressed. “We’re going to need more than a fox with three tails to survive what’s coming.”
Caden agreed. They were going to need a lot of luck on their side to stand a chance.
The one bright spot in all this was how isolated the cenote was. It could only be accessed through the tunnels they'd come through or from above.
It wouldn't be easy, but they had the advantage of a warning. They could set traps, thin the herd and restrict their movements. With a small force he would be able to hold the two entry points for a short time.
Unfortunately, three people, two of whom weren’t warriors, wasn't going to be enough. The fire fox might help, but Caden had his doubts.
There was the small whuffle and stamp of a hoof. Caden looked up to find Caia observing them with a startled expression. Of course, she'd followed her mistress. The horse acted more like a wolf in need of a pack than a herd animal.
A plan formed.
