He wasn't coming with them, despite her asking him to. He'd said he was too old and weary for such a journey and intended to leave the heroics to the young, such as her and Ollie.
It was disappointing, but she understood. Someone had to take care of the herd here, and Hardwick would be loath to let anyone else touch his babies.
She dropped back onto her heels in disappointment. He was too busy for what she needed. If she wanted to bring Sebastian's problem to Fallon's attention, she'd have to be the one to do it.
Figures. Just after she'd resolved to stay below the warlord's notice, too.
She could let it go and hope the problem resolved itself. Still, there was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that asked, what if it didn’t?
Eva shook her head and strode toward where Caden, Fallon and Darius were discussing routes.
She was a herd mistress. She'd earned the position fair and square, despite opposition from some of the other Trateri herd masters. She needed to start acting like one.
She paused in front of them, waiting to be acknowledged. Only the Anateri who constantly followed Fallon everywhere focused on her, their gazes watchful.
After several seconds, Fallon glanced up.
"We can't leave today."
That got everyone’s attention. The men fell silent as all three fixed their attention on her. Caden's expression was reserved, no outer indication of his thoughts present. Darius seemed surprised but amused. Fallon was the scariest of the three, his dark eyes locked on Eva’s. He put her in mind of a great beast sizing up how easy it would be to gulp her down.
The thought did nothing for the nerves biting in her stomach as she met his stare head on.
"Explain." The word was a cold snap of sound from Fallon.
"There is heat in Sebastian’s leg." To her surprise, her voice was absolutely steady, giving no hint to how much this man terrified her. "If we put too much pressure on it now, it's liable to develop into a fracture."
She didn't have to explain how bad that would be to these men. They'd grown up with horses, riding almost as soon as they could walk. They would understand how dangerous a fracture would be. Often, it was a death sentence since horses spent the majority of their lives on their feet.
"Sebastian says he's willing to risk it," Ajari's slightly amused voice said into the quiet.
Eva looked over her shoulder, finding Ajari and Sebastian standing several feet away. Evidently, they’d followed her.
"I'm not." She met Fallon's gaze with her own stubborn one. "You put me in charge of his wellbeing. With the proper care, the leg will heal. The pathfinder said the terrain we're going over will be rough. The continuous stress will make his wound worse. We'd have to stop for a week or more enroute if it worsens."
Better for it to heal up in the safety of camp than out there with only a few warriors to guard their backs and a lame Kyren who couldn't even run from danger.
Out of the corner of her eye, Eva saw Shea stop and watch the group. The Battle Queen didn't make any move to interfere or draw attention to herself, leaving the situation to Eva and Fallon to handle.
"As much as Sebastian appreciates the consideration, the situation at hand requires some urgency," Ajari said into the tense silence. "Waiting a week won't do."
"I agree," Fallon said, glancing at the Tenrin.
Eva pressed her lips together as failure sank its claws into her. The journey hadn't even started and already she was failing to protect her charge. She was sure, in her place, Shea would have had no trouble making her voice heard and understood.
"Will a wagon satisfy your requirement of keeping him off his leg enough for it to heal?" Fallon asked, surprising her.
Startled, she started to nod before hesitating. His question required careful thought. "I'm not sure."
She'd never heard of a horse being transported by wagon before. It would have to be a very large one to support a creature of Sebastian's height and weight.
"The Kyren weighs less than our horses. He'd have to, for those wings of his to keep him aloft," Hardwick said from behind her. "It might be in the realm of possibility."
That made sense. For the Kyren to fly they would need a much bigger wingspan to lift the full bulk of a horse off the ground. The bones of the Kyren were less dense, more like that of a bird.
"We can't drag a wagon of that size into these mountains," Darius said.
"How long would his leg need to rest?" Shea asked.
