Reece shoved Ghost's hand off his shoulder. "You should be too. If the pathfinders lose our hold on that skill, your Warlord does too. All kinds of enemies will pop up once you take the threat of the mist away."
"I hope they do. Things would get interesting then. It's been a little boring as of late."
Reece studied him. "You sound a lot like Lion when you say that."
Ghost's smile was sly. "How did you guess? Lion was my birth clan."
Reece stared at him for a beat. "I thought you were all part of the Western Wind clan."
Fiona looked over at them, tuning back into the conversation. "The three of us are all from separate clans originally. Western Wind is the clan we took after joining Fallon's army. Ghost doesn't really get along with his former clan members."
"Why? Because they think you betrayed them?" Reece asked.
Ghost's smile was peaceful. "They think I'm crazy. They're scared of me. Would you like to see why?"
"I'll pass," Reece said in a dry voice. To Caden, "Is everyone you brought as insane as them?"
"Who better to protect your treasures than the people others fear?"
That wasn't the only reason Caden had allowed the three widely known as the Trateri's menaces to follow them here.
For reasons only known to her, Fiona went out of her way to befriend Eva. Now, the two were close.
Roscoe and Ghost would follow Fiona's lead. They might not be at the point of throwing themselves in front of a dagger to protect Eva, but Caden thought Fiona just might.
It was enough.
It also helped that the three were damn fine warriors.
"What is your assessment on the situation?" Caden asked, returning to their previous conversation.
Reece touched his chest, a look of sly surprise on his face. "You're asking me?"
Caden sent him a cutting look that suggested Reece not try his patience. "You're the pathfinder. Act like one."
Reece's hand dropped as he turned serious. "Not like I can tell you anything you don't already see for yourself."
"Humor me."
One side of Reece's mouth quirked. "I'd say pursuing them with only those you currently have is a fool's errand."
Smart man.
"This isn't a small group. There might be only one campfire but I'm counting at least twenty horses, probably more considering how muddied the signs are. My guess is there will be other campfires scattered throughout the forest."
"They're trying to hide their numbers." It was a statement more than a question.
Reece nodded. "Agreed."
Caden's jaw flexed as he returned his attention to their surroundings. "We'll head back."
Protest formed on Fiona's face. "What?"
Caden gave her a hard look. One that made her flinch, aware of the line she'd just crossed. Fiona wasn't Eva or Shea. She didn't stand outside of the chain of command.
In this company, Caden was the alpha, omega and everything in between. Dominant over everyone and everything else. The only person in charge.
He wasn't at the top of the chain of command. Hewasthe chain of command.
