"We're close," Jason said.
Eva hoped so. Otherwise, she'd have to suspect her apprentice of plotting her grisly demise.
Sure enough, within minutes Eva spotted Caden and Jane examining a bundle of fur located at the foot of the tree line. The firs, spruces, and pine trees keeping watch at their back.
Caden stood, brushing his hands against his pants as he said something to Jane.
She turned on her heel, disappearing into the trees.
As Eva got closer, she could see the lines of exhaustion bracketing Caden's mouth and eyes. The long hours dealing with the prisoners and the aftermath of the red back attack had taken their toll on him.
Eva didn't comment on the signs of fatigue. Sometimes it was better to pretend you didn't see even though everyone present knew. It made things easier, especially when those things couldn't be changed.
Caden was tired. So was Jane. Eva suspected Drake too.
Until this was resolved, none of the Anateri would be catching up on lost sleep.
Knowing there was nothing to do, Eva's attention dropped to the object Caden had been examining.
"This—" Eva trailed off as her puzzled gaze lifted to Caden's. "Is that all that remains of the red back?"
Caden's nod was grim. "Rain's people dragged it out here last night. We discovered what was left of it this morning."
Eva couldn't help feeling a bit unsettled. Like the red back she'd discovered on the other side of the range, only the pelt remained, the fur resembling a deflated sack. Even the eyes were gone. Empty sockets, sightless holes that sent shivers down Eva's back.
"This isn't good," Eva said.
In fact, it was very, very bad. She could write off the oddities of the first carcass. The fact Caden and the patrol had found similar remains was slightly more concerning.
This, on the other hand, had firmly entered the realm of vaguely terrifying.
Whatever was doing this to the beasts was now operating in their territory. If they could suck dry a beast as large as the red back in a few hours, what could they do to a human over the same period?
"Told you, you had to see this," Jason said.
Eva nodded. "You were right."
"It gets worse." Caden beckoned her as he headed into the trees where Jane had disappeared.
Eva watched the trees swallow him. She had a feeling she didn't want to know what awaited her there. It would only cause her a headache and raise more questions.
Left with no choice, Eva signaled Caia to stay put before looking at Jason. "Stay here and watch Caia."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
Eva sent a questioning look at Drake.
He inclined his chin. "I'll keep an eye on them."
Eva didn't deceive herself into thinking Drake did it out of the kindness of his heart. If it had been only her and Jason here, he would have followed her into the trees and nothing she could have said would get him to change his mind.
Caden's presence made Drake's vigilance less necessary. It meant secondary tasks, like making sure Eva's nearest and dearest were protected, could be taken into account.
The underbrush crunched under Eva's feet as the cool depths of the forest enveloped her.
She hadn't always been able to call the trees by their names. Where she'd grown up, the only thing that mattered was recognizing those plants which benefited humans from those that posed a danger. Conversations with Reece since then had deepened Eva's knowledge about trees.
These days she knew they fell into two broad categories. The first were known as deciduous. These trees changed color in the fall and were bare during winter. The second were coniferous, known for having needles instead of leaves. This second type never changed their color or lost their foliage.
