It was a reaction she'd come to expect from the Trateri. She didn't know if it was because the Kyren held a resemblance to the description of their god Rava, a being often depicted as a horse running across the sky to summon the rain in a land that saw little of it.
Or if the Trateri recognized the strategic advantage the Kyren could give them on the battlefield.
It could also be a result of the Trateri's reliance on their mounts. One of the reasons they'd taken the Lowlands so easily was because their horses were the best in the Broken Lands. Bred and cared for as if they were the Trateri's own children. Mistreating or stealing one led to a death sentence at worst and exile at best.
It wouldn't be odd if some of that same sentiment transferred to the Kyren who shared a resemblance to their equine cousins.
Eva studied the Trateri around her. Sometimes desire and lust for that which does not belong to you could twist a person inside.
She'd seen it before. It was why she and Caden had chosen to restrict those who traveled with them to only a handful. Those they could trust with not only their lives but the Kyren's secrets.
A perfect plan right up until the mist destroyed all their careful calculations.
Now they had over a hundred people, loyalties unknown, threatening to destroy all their work.
Even those who seemed unaffected on the surface at the Kyren's appearance, like Van, couldn't hide the burning desire in their eyes. A yearning every bit as deep as Gawain's.
Van's head lowered, his gaze catching Eva's for a brief second.
That second was all she needed to see the fervor there. The desire to possess.
"Great timing as usual, Sebastian," Eva muttered under her breath.
For the first time, she regretted sending Caden with Fiona and Ghost. If Van or Gawain decided to move against her, she wasn't sure rest would side with her. Or if they did, whether they could hold the line against the clan leaders and their forces.
Eva clenched her hands on her reins, uncomfortably aware of her powerlessness. It seemed even earning her position as the Caller and gaining Fallon and Shea's approval couldn't change the person she was inside.
There was an unwelcome tightness in Eva's chest at the thought of how she was still at the mercy of other's whims. Men who ultimately had no care or concern for her will or opinions.
Eva inhaled slowly and held her breath for a few seconds before exhaling again.
Calm, Eva girl. No use borrowing trouble until it arrived. What was to come would come. She was not helpless anymore. Men could not control her or decide her fate. Only she had that right. If Gawain and Van became a problem, she would deal with them. Caden's presence or not.
Besides, she wasn't alone.
"I guess we no longer have to wonder whether they know," Drake muttered, interrupting Eva's thoughts.
He and Eva shared a look. The reprieve was over, and the reckoning had come.
Unlike the newcomers, Drake was composed. None of the awe that was present in many of the others on his face. Then again, he was much more familiar with this particular Kyren. He'd seen Sebastian and Eva's squabbles. Been there for some of Sebastian's less proud moments. It had chipped away at any misconceptions he might have once had about the ‘noble’ Kyren.
"No, we don't," Eva agreed.
Not that Eva had ever been in doubt.
"They certainly have an interesting notion of timing," Drake drawled, echoing Eva's words from before.
Eva hummed an agreement.
Weeks of waiting and of course Sebastian chose this exact moment for his entrance. Probably orchestrated for maximum impact.
Sebastian always did like to make a splash.
"I suppose that's my cue. They never did like to be kept waiting," Eva said in a resigned voice.
No matter that they'd been the ones to disappear. Not heard from or seen for weeks. Until now.
It brought all the frustration and anger she'd been ignoring and pretending didn't exist back to the forefront.
