Caden gestured at Jane. "Take their boots. Let's see how long they'll last in discomfort."
Jane nodded and dismounted. "You heard him. Take off your boots."
Fiona and Roscoe leaned forward with nasty smiles.
"Fiona, how long do you think someone could walk through the canyon before they shred the bottoms of their feet," Roscoe asked.
Fiona considered his words. "The ground is pretty rocky. Lots of sharp edges. I'm thinking they won't make it far."
"Blood attracts all kinds of beasts," Roscoe informed them.
The troublemaker paused in the act of removing his boots before slowly finishing. His companion wasn't as sanguine over Roscoe’s words. He shot a wild look at the Trateri surrounding them.
"You can't do that. If you attract beasts, you'll be in danger too," the man said in a desperate voice.
Van patted his sword. "We're armed and quite dangerous. I think we'll be fine."
"You know what else is attracted to blood? Cicadas," Fiona said with relish.
Roscoe sent her a sidelong look. "A few cuts make the perfect avenue for entry. I bet those doedea-ma-thingies just climb right inside and make themselves at home."
"I think you're right, Roscoe. Want to make a bet how long they'll last before the first bug finds them?"
Roscoe pursed his lips in consideration. "I'm thinking a couple hours."
"Ha. You're wrong. It'll be minutes." Van snapped his fingers and pointed.
Fiona glanced at Caden. "Any guesses."
Caden smiled and squeezed Nell's sides to get her moving. "Somewhere in between."
A streak of dark along the tops of the canyon walls caught Caden's eye. His smile deepened.
Looked like the Tenrin were still taking an interest in the Trateri. Or perhaps it was something about the prisoners that had attracted their attention.
It was hard to know which, or if either spelled good or bad for the Trateri.
He'd feel a lot more confident if Shea was here. Her title as the Flock's Burning One could come in handy right about now.
Caden shot a look behind him where the canyon's curve obscured Eva. Then again, there was another with ties to the Flock.
She was perhaps their greatest hope of all. A wild card capable of drawing even the most unlikely of allies.
Caden eyed the ally he suspected was one of the most powerful in Eva's orbit. The fire fox's face held all the wisdom of the ages where he sat, waiting for Caden in the middle of the canyon.
His three tails waved behind him before he stood and trotted further into the canyon without a backward glance.
"Guess that means you think I'm on the right path," Caden said softly, following.
It wasn't long before they were out of the canyon’s narrow confines, the trail widening into a gorge with many off shoots branching.
Their current surroundings meant the brewing storm still posed a danger to their people, but it wasn't as worrisome.
Already, Reece had gone ahead to scout for a place that would protect them from the weather, leaving the rest of the Trateri to follow behind at a slower pace.
Though still surrounded by towering mountains, the gorge they found themselves in was wide with steep embankments on either side that the Trateri and their mounts could scale. It wouldn't be easy, but they could find their way to high ground if necessary.
Forests dotted the tops of many of the higher elevations, veiling their surroundings.
