Page 37

The spear missed, but the man dodged, fell back, slowed down at least—enough for Revni to haul herself up and keep running, enough for both of them to cut in towards the shore.

This close to the river, it seemed wider and rougher than even before—rapids smashed into the center rocks churning white foam, the waterfall crashing behind them—but Eavus leaped stone to stone, carrying him up its banks. His legs felt like lead, his breastplate twice its weight, but he pushed harder. Eavus wasn’t entirely sure the Caerdeneii would stop at the river, the way the Dinaeii promised, but what other options did they have?

They came within sight of the fallen tree they’d both spotted from the overlook and his heart sank. It only extended a little more than halfway across the river. The other perspective had made it seem a whole bridge.

But again, what else was there?

Revni veered right, but Eavus circled behind, around the massive roots. He ducked the circle of whips and clambered over, using the thicker roots as handholds. The trunk itself was slick but wide, and Eavus thanked the army once again for the grip on his shoes. The whole thing shook as Revni slammed into the trunk on her side. Eavus’ stomach churned, but he kept his balance. It shook again—Revni’s ax biting into the wood, leveraging herself up. Eavus hurried toward the center of the river at a crouching run, one elbow over his ear. Gods, why had he thrown his helmet away, all those days ago? He was completely exposed. Another violent shake of the tree. Eavus’ stomach lurched and he fell to one knee, bracing himself.

Revni. The Caerdeneii had hold of her cloak. Gods, did they ever stop?! The man was on the bank, on his tiptoes, tugging. Revni had gotten halfway up the trunk—elbows—but her feet were dangling and with the Caerdeneii’s next pull she faltered, slipping. Her right hand clutched the wedged ax, but her left fingers were clawing, leaving thin, pale stripes in the wet wood.

Eavus tried to stand, but all the movement kept slamming the trunk. The deafening river churned beneath him. Revni fell another inch and the Caerdeneii got hold of the backbasket. He was taking her down.

Eavus pushed himself up, drew the sword, caught his balance. Revni shifted, scrabbling one shoulder out of the basket and then the other, using the man’s moment of surprise and the sudden lightness to climb an inch higher—but the man caught her cloak again, pulled. She choked, kicked—but Eavus was there by now and caught her forearm, left to left, her strong hand gripping his arm. He hauled her up and twisted, a single rotation like a dance, Revni deposited on the trunk and the sword in his right hand driven forward. Eavus hit resistance—teeth, jaw—and withdrew with a ripping squelch. Everything beneath the man’s wide eyes split red, any gurgle or scream he had lost beneath the pounding river, the thump of his body as Eavus turned his back.

“There’s probably more coming.”

She nodded, caught her breath. He didn’t fault her the loss of the pack, but he regretted it. He had complained about the biscuits because the Dinaeii had made them, but now he wished he’d shoved every single one of the dense little pucks into his mouth when they last stopped.

The top of the trunk had been sheared off from some day’s flood, but without the burden of other belongings, they simply jumped when they reached the end and swam the rest of the distance. Revni made it to the far bank first. Eavus tried not to be annoyed that she was the better swimmer, but she flicked a smile as he got his feet beneath him.

“At least you kept your sword this time.”

“You’re welcome,” he said grumpily, pushing past her to keep climbing. She was right. He’d been thinking the same thing—along with the dull regret that maybe the Dinaeii actually knew what in the nine realms they were doing when they sent us the long way round. He fought past the burning in his legs and lungs to keep up the hill, but at a high spot he paused to wring the water out of his sodden cape and sluice it out of his hair. That his hair had a little length to it made his stomach flip again.

Revni had almost caught up. There didn’t seem to be anyone below them, or on the other side. The river still roared, but there was no sign of their pack or the dead Caerdeneii. Likely swept away.

“We probably have a few more hours before nightfall. We should get as far as we can, just in case.”

Revni nodded, pausing for her own look around. He couldn’t read the expression in her eyes, but the wary way she looked past him sent the hairs rising on his neck, and he turned to see. This side didn’t seem as rocky, but had even more trees, if that was even possible, brambled thickets that would scrape at their knees.

“What is it?”

“I need to pee,” Revni declared.

Eavus wanted to say, Now?? Eavus wanted to say, Absolutely not. But he was too tired and too flabbergasted to do anything but let her find a thicket. He insisted on standing watch, but wished he hadn’t. Her clothes made slapping and sucking noises as she pulled them on and off, and it made his cheeks burn with awkwardness. No wonder Aleteria issued skirts, and thank the gods for it. He distracted himself by using a handful of dead leaves to scrub the remaining blood off the sword.

Revni seemed reluctant when she emerged. She adjusted the ax in her hand, and Eavus wasn’t sure whether he should be nervous about her walking behind him. She ended up walking next to him, making it moot, and Eavus found himself grateful to have her at his side. Another surprise he didn’t know what to do with. Mounds of leaves and pine needles had deposited themselves in nooks, and Revni toed at them as they passed, as if checking for dangers. Perhaps there was snow melt that made the river rise at night, or maybe in unexpected storms it flooded. Regardless, the river’s path seemed to fluctuate, and Eavus wanted to get to secure ground. Revni seemed more concerned with the hill-line above. Her eyes roved over it, but when they reached the top, the landscape opened up on a blissfully flat stretch. Eavus’ relieved sigh was stilled by Revni’s hand on his arm. The gentle move was so unexpected that it caught him completely off guard.

“Not yet,” she admonished quietly. He’d been about to put away his sword. He turned to ask why, maybe what. He could no longer say. Whatever it was had escaped his mind completely.

The people who had emerged to surround them were blue.

FOURTEEN

Revni’s ax was up and her back pressed against Eavus’ before he’d fully raised his sword. Gods, he hoped she knew how to do more than chop firewood with it. Two against…twelve? Thirteen? He hadn’t gotten an accurate count, and he didn’t want to take his eyes off those on his side to do it. Still. The odds weren’t great.

And yes, he hadn’t imagined it. They were blue. Whorls covered their skin like something had been spilled. Revni spoke to them, in that native language she’d used with the Dinaeii—a language she knew better than they did, by the sound of it, which confused him further. They carried oblong shields—most of them only had shields, which was interesting, but there was one big one with a sword—and whatever Revni said gave the attackers the barest pause. Eyes flicked to the big man, who raised his sword an inch higher.

“What’s going on?” Eavus growled.

Revni spoke again, and this time someone answered. Eavus dared a look over his shoulder at her half of the opponents. There was at least one spear and two swords on her side, including the man she was speaking with. They argued, no one letting their weapons dip a fraction despite the cold politeness of their tones. The big man had clearly noticed Eavus watching him. Eavus tensed, waiting for what was next.

“They want our—” She cursed in her own language, unable to think of the word and then, as it came to her, snarled, “Our valuables.”

Eavus straightened, the pinch in his shoulders spreading to a general ache. “They’re thieves.”

They weren’t thieves. Revni and Eavus were on their land. They wanted tribute.