He was right.
Pierce shifted in his saddle as he assessed our latest problem. “Maybe they’re trying to tell us something.”
“Just freeze them,” Flynn demanded.
Pierce quietly scoffed. “Do your own dirty work.”
“Flynn.” My voice carried a warning.
A warning he ignored. He shot flames at the crows.
They were mostly unaffected; the fire seemed to slide off them like water off a duck’s back. But twenty or thirty crows took to the air and flew at Flynn, fast and straight as arrows.
He shrieked, covering his head with his arms as the birds yanked at his hair and pecked at his clothes.
This was a man of fire, one who fought fearlessly, unbothered by the odds, the size or number of his opponents, or the fear of losing. And now he cowered before a flock of birds.
I couldn’t help myself; I laughed.
“Help!”
Even Pierce grinned. “What do you want us to do?”
“Save me!”
I bit back another laugh. One laugh could be chalked up to gallows humor; a second was in bad taste.
“Man up, Flynn. They’re just birds.” Grayson didn’tfind this nearly as amusing as I did. Of all of us, Grayson was the most tied to the guards. I doubted he’d find anything funny right now.
“Wrong!” Flynn wildly waved his arms in front of his face. “They’re evil harbingers of gruesome, painful death.”
That, or they heralded pulled hair and a few pecks. It was all about perspective.
The crows attacking Flynn retreated in a cacophony of caws that sounded like laughter, leaving Flynn with hair that looked like a rat’s nest, a few drops of blood on his face, and an impressive amount of bird shit on his cloak.
Grayson rubbed a palm across his chin. “Teal, can you get a read on those birds?”
I closed my eyes, and long seconds passed as I prodded the birds’ energy. It was unlike anything I’d ever encountered—almost supernatural. Which was eerie. They were birds. “They don’t mean any harm—unless we attack first.”
“You can sense that?” Grayson stared at the birds before shifting his gaze to me. “Anything else?”
“They don’t want us to go to Talin.” I sensed that clearly.
Grayson gave a single sharp nod. “Then we’ll take the road less traveled.”
Chapter
Fifty-Five
HAVEN
Who knew one tiny baby could claim my heart so quickly? Clive and Mary had brought Grace to the inn, and we’d said our teary goodbyes. Remy had tried to hide the wetness in his eyes, but I’d seen it.
Despite the hole in my heart, I was certain we’d done the right thing.
Now we were riding toward Talin on a road that would lead us past Takir. My eyes filled at the thought of the village, but I blinked back the tears and tilted my face toward the sun. To our left, the land dropped away into a valley cut by a frozen river. To our right, pine forests formed a near-solid wall. The morning was cold and crisp, and an impossibly blue sky stretched endlessly.
When I’d awakened, I’d found my filthy, torn shield’s uniform replaced by black leather leggings, buttery black leather boots, and a soft blue tunic. Aside from the cloak that Pierce had helped me liberate, they were the nicest clothes I’d ever worn, and I couldn’t help but wonder who’d bought them for me. Probably Zane. He’d been quiet after dinner lastnight, and I’d caught him staring at me with an intensity that felt almost … protective. Possessive, even. There had been something in his eyes—something wild and barely contained.
