Page 43 of Power of Five
River’s face snapped to him, the commander’s gray eyes flashing violently. “You think you are the only one, Tye?” he demanded, baring his teeth.
Tye’s blood heated in answering fury. “I’m not the one who is shoving Lera away with every other breath. One or two more pearls of wisdom from you and she’ll think we’re trying to get rid of her.”
“We are on the way to the Citadel to sever her tether,” River answered roughly. “What is she supposed to think?”
Tye’s hands curled around his reins, the white-knuckle grip making the horse dance.
“Stand the hell down, Tye,” River ordered.
The air around Tye heated. River did not take lightly to issuing such orders, and had this been any other topic, Tye would have backed down from his commander. But on this... on this he did not give an inch.
A deep growl rose from River’s chest. “I feel as though a piece of my soul has returned and the cut of that knife will sever it again,” River said, the words hard, before his shoulders fell in a rare display of misery that drained the fire from Tye’s own veins. “But tell me what the hell we have as an alternative? Connecting the five of us together will kill her. And even if we agree to never do that, what do we do then? Drag her defenseless into the Gloom? Leave her behind alone? Run off and become rogues, hunted by the Citadel and banned from the courts?” River shook his head. “I’ll take any bloody option I can, but I have none.”
“Then you are missing something,” Tye said, falling back to watch Lera again. Autumn was right, she had to be. If they could just figure out what the magic intended before one cut of that knife destroyed them all...
Since Tye was already watching Lera’s face, he was the first to notice her eyes widen, her mouth open with a scream that rang out just as he arrived at her side, his magic ready to burn the world. Around him, the other males were likewise reining in horses—even Pyker, who was at least smart enough to keep a polite distance from the rest of the group.
Lera pointed down to the ground directly under them, where a dark shadow the size of a small hut rippled beneath her horse’s dancing feet. Living in the very earth. “The ground. There is something here.”
Tye breathed out slowly, ordering his body to calm as he watched the darkness sprawl along the grass. “There issomething, I’ll give you that, lass. But theherepart is not actually accurate. It’s in the Gloom.”
She swallowed and Tye wondered if he’d look too opportunistic if he offered to share his saddle with her now. As if reading his thoughts, River pushed his horse between Tye and Lera.
“Whatever it is, it won’t come up here,” River said.
“But it can come up somewhere?” asked Lera.
“Yes.” River turned his face toward the mountain range breaking the line of the horizon. The neutral lands were close now, and while Tye would usually consider this a good thing, for once he shared his commander’s concern. River raised his chin. “In the neutral lands, the wards are only as strong as the Citadel and quints can make them. Some parts are known for their thin barriers between the Gloom and Light, but depths and shallows shift as well. There are always breaches—sometimes natural, other times not. It’s what keeps us employed.”
Lera’s face drained of color and Tye had the unreasonable urge to punch River in the nose. Unfortunately, that would be of little help in changing the truth.
“Here.” Riding up to Lera, Coal withdrew one of his blades and held it out to her, hilt first.
Lera stared at the razor-sharp steel, her free hand dropping into her pocket to finger something Tye couldn’t see. “I don’t know how to use that,” she said.
“The pointy end goes into your opponent,” said Coal, his voice rumbling. “Take the weapon, mortal. I have more.”
Tye snorted. “Yes, but do you know how to use the other one?” he called, grinning as the lass’s bonny face turned bright pink while Coal’s nostrils flared in delightful fury. Perhaps Tye might enjoy this ride after all—and he could work out the rest later.
