Page 23 of Winds of Destiny

I can’t see Cam.

My heart is racing before my mind realizes that I’m panicking. I know there’s no real reason to be afraid, not when he’s surrounded by Dellians and I can’t find any trace of our attackers the other day, but logic doesn’t calm me. Only one thing will do that—seeing Cam for myself. It’s time to run.

There’s a particular lope I learned as a boy that lets me eat up the distance without making my lungs feel as though they’re about to burst. It’s not stealthy, but I don’t care about stealth right now. I care about getting Camrael back where he belongs, squarely in my sight. He won’t appreciate it—he never has, not even when we aren’t fighting—but his appreciation comes second to ensuring his safety.

I run, breathing steadily, pumping my arms and stretching my legs. My armor is lightweight, and my sword is strapped across my back to keep it from banging against my thigh. I catalog everything I see as I run: grouse in grassy tunnels ducking out of sight as soon as they spot me, dun-colored, short-snouted lizards on the hunt for eggs, and hordes of multicolored mice. There are even a few fruiting bushes, not common this far south, but I don’t want to spare the time. Cam and the Dellians have set a fairly rapid pace—probably Cam’s doing—and it takes a focused effort to recover my lost ground.

By the time I catch up with them, the sun is on the far side of the sky and they’ve stopped the wagons in the bottom of one of the shallower ruts. It’s a bit early for making camp, but glancing back, I see that Zephyth’s spires are stilljustwithin view. This is probably a deliberate choice on Kai’s part, a way to give Cam one last evening with his home. It’s the sort of thoughtful, compassionate move I would expect from Cam’s proxy husband, damn the bastard. I appreciate his thoughtfulness for Cam’s sake, but I’m not about to start liking him.

“Back at last!” Rusen—of course it’s him, twice as loud and obnoxious as any of the other Dellians—calls out as I enter the camp. “You look like you’ve been busy, Lord Turo. Very…” He smirks and wipes theatrically at his brow. “Sweaty. Nice run, then, huh?”

“Vigorous,” I reply, not bothering to make eye contact with him. I only have eyes for Cam, but apart from a brief glance my way as I entered the little circle they’ve set up, he’s ignoring me completely. Still furious, then.

Great.

They’ve done a decent job with the camp, at least. There’s no breaking out the tents yet—several of the Dellians have waxed poetic about how nice it is to be able to sleep under the stars without the cold biting into their bodies—but the bedrolls are down and there’s a fire going. It’s giving off very little smoke, which means that someone knows what he’s doing.

“And did you learn anything while you were running all over the place like a newborn lamb?” Rusen asks, apparently not liking that I’m ignoring him. “Spy any enemies hiding out there? Fight a lion or two?”

Several of the other Dellians chuckle. Kai stays silent, watching me—he’s waiting for a report, I realize.

I address him directly, still ignoring his abrasive second-in-command. “I followed the chariot tracks as far inland as I could. They disappeared into marshland after a few miles, though.”

Kai frowns in thought. “Are you sure they didn’t turn off?”

“Not that I could tell.”

“Is it common for the edge of the marshland to shift?”

It’s a good question. He’s smart, which he’ll need to be to keep up with Cam…who’s still ignoring me. It hurts more than it should. I’m the one who took a step away first. Too bad I didn’t bring my heart with me. “It does happen, but we haven’t had any rains over the past several days. There’s no good reason for the tracks to stop there.”

“Could they have sunk the chariots and gone off in some other direction?”

“It’s possible,” I concede, “although why they’d give up perfectly good equipment like that is beyond me.”

“Easy,” Rusen says. “We whipped them at their own game, and they decided to cut their losses and retreat in a way that’s less easy to track. Or they lost control of their lions—bloodthirsty Antasean beasts. Chariots would be of no use without them.”

“Did you take the time to look at them?” I ask, irritated that I have to deal with Rusen when Kai is right there. “Those were heavy-duty war chariots. A lot of money and effort went into making them. That’s not the sort of thing you simply discard—and they wouldn’t have left them there, anyhow.”

“Why not?” one of the other men asks.

“The water was teeming with vipers.”

That gets a reaction from Cam. “Water vipers so far inland? Are you all right?” he asks, then immediately looks like he regrets it. Obviously I’m all right, but I’m warmed by the fact that he asked.

“Fine, but they’re out of place, and it’s making them aggressive.”

“How can they be out of place?” Rusen asks. “They’rewater vipers—it’s right there in the name. I think you’re making excuses.”

“I thinkyou’rea piece of—”

“I agree with Lord Turo.”

Every eye turns to Kai, even Cam’s. “Those chariots were fine work,” he goes on. “I know that even my prince would think twice about discarding such an effective weapon. We don’t have a good answer for where the Kamorans went, which means we need to keep a sharp lookout as we travel and stay away from the inland sea as best we can. We’ll take watch shifts, three hours apiece, until we’re safely inside the Gate.”

Helooks straight at me. “I should have asked this before, but are you going to be all right returning to Zephyth on your own? Would it be better if we gave you an escort?”

I’m surprised he’s thinking of me at all. “I’ll be fine on my own,” I reply.

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