Eva watched Caden carefully. "What did he mean about the Kyren not abandoning the Trateri?"
Caden looked preoccupied, distracted by their surroundings.
It was only after several seconds that he focused on Eva. "Exactly what he said. We were losing when the Kyren helped turn the tide of battle.”
Eva stared, not sure she'd heard correctly.
The Kyren had seemed pretty determined to break relations. Even if a few had disagreed, Eva wasn't sure it was enough to compel them to help when the Trateri needed them.
Caden's faint smile warmed his eyes. "A lot of it has to do with your apprentice and that Tenrin."
"Jason and Brisa?"
It wasn't that she doubted Jason. If she had to choose, he'd be the one she trusted to show the Kyren what humans were capable of.
He had a unique strength. It went beyond his physical capabilities to the very core of his personality. He was one of the few able to admit his wrongs and change his viewpoints when someone showed him the way.
What's more, courage formed the bedrock of his personality.
The Kyren would appreciate that, if nothing else.
It also helped that the man was as stubborn in his own way as Eva.
"It seems all that the Kyren and the Tenrin needed was a push in the right direction and a sacrifice on their Caller’s part."
Eva winced. "Jason told you."
She'd known Caden would be unhappy when he found out she’d sent Jason and Brisa to safety while she acted as a decoy.
"I heard a little." His dour tone showed how much he disapproved.
In his place, Eva would have felt the same. To know the person who held your heart allowed themselves to be taken by the enemy on purpose?
Yeah. It would take a long time for the sting of that to fade.
"I hope you will not do that again," Caden said, bending a look on her.
Eva attempted a smile. "Me too."
There couldn't be too many more close scrapes with danger before her luck finally ran out. It was best not to tempt fate.
Caden held out a hand to her. "Come. It's time to return."
Eva hesitated, taking one last look at the ancestral lands. A part of her wanted to linger. To stay here where the land and air welcomed her.
Sebastian lipped the hand that still held the ring.You can come back. It's not an either-or. The axis will allow you to come and go whenever you wish.
Eva opened her fist to see the ring lying cold and inert in her hand. "Why was the Whisperer so surprised to see Caden?"
In the heat of the moment, it had barely registered with Eva, but now it was all she could think about.
Sebastian looked uncertain.You should speak with your protector regarding that.
Eva's gaze drifted to Caden, having a feeling she already knew.
When the Kyren had brought Caden back from the brink of death, they'd changed him. She just hadn't known how until right this second. Whatever they'd done, Caden was no longer fully human. Just what he was, Eva didn't know. At least not all of it.
There is an old story in the herd—of those Callers whose companions were more than human. On occasion those companions would take up arms in defense of the herd and their loves.
