Page 82 of Spirit Rites
I think they’re being a little overkill, but I nod anyway. “Fine.” I watch Jorren step through, and then Taren and I go through at the same time. It’s just as unnerving as it was the first time I passed through. It takes me a moment to get my bearings. When I do, I don’t move for a moment. Jorren has a sword trained on Rysden, and Taren is standing in front of me with his blade out as well. Rysden’s sword is in his hand, but he hasn’t lifted it yet. Lox is standing next to him with his sword drawn. My guess is that Hector’s probably somewhere nearby with a bow and quite possibly Farrah as well. “Oh, good grief. I can’t handle any more stress. Would you all put your weapons down? None of us here is the enemy.”
Jorren turns his body towards me but doesn’t drop his sword. “I want to know why the king of the Wolf Kingdom wants to talk to you alone.”
“Rysden, will you please tell them that you’re no threat to me?”
His voice is low and intense when he responds...basically his norm. “Iama threat. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead before they could do anything about it.”
I stare at him. “Why are you being so difficult?”
“I told them I wanted to talk to you alone,” he says in return.
“You’re not going to talk to her alone,” Jorren growls at him. “You want to talk to her, you talk to her here, in front of us.That’s your only option; take it or leave it. But we are leaving here in five minutes, so you’d better talk fast.”
Rysden looks at Jorren and Taren and then at me, and his face hardens. “My mate is going to talk to Kinsley, her friend. If either of you even thinks of lifting a weapon or even pointing a weapon in her direction, you’re dead. Got that?”
“Farrah’s coming?” I can’t keep the excitement out of my voice.
“Coming? I’ve been here,” a voice from above us says.
“Why am I not surprised?” I ask with a smile as I look up into the tree, trying to find my friend. She loves the trees. I watch as she swings down with ease and lands in Rysden’s arms. I’m pretty sure she could have stuck the landing without his help, but it’s sweet to watch. He puts her down and takes her hand in his. When they turn to us, he keeps her slightly behind him, as if to shield her body with his. But she’s not having that. She moves around him and runs to me. I swallow hard as she hugs me tightly.
“I’ve missed you so much!” she finally says when she pulls back.
“I know. Me too.”
She takes my hand and pulls a little distance from the group then looks directly into my eyes. “I need to know if anybody is a threat to you.” Her face is still smiling like she’s talking to me about the weather or something exciting, but her voice is serious
“What?”
“Rysden wants me to find out—are they being good to you? Are any of them a threat to you?”
“What? No.”
She studies my face. “Those two guys too?”
I frown. “Jorren and Taren? They're part of Kaldar’s team.”
“And you’re sure they’re safe?”
“Farrah, what is going on?”
She turns to Rysden and must give him some sort of sign, because he nods at her. Taren is watching us, and I don’t miss that his body is tense and ready for whatever is about to happen. Farrah puts her hand on my arm, and I turn back to her. “Kaldar is here,” she says just as softly.
“What? Where?”
Her face softens. “Rysden will tell you what’s going on.”
As we walk over, I make the mistake of meeting Taren’s eyes. He must see something in my eyes, because he lifts his weapon once again. The second he does, Jorren does as well. Farrah pauses, and Rysden lifts his own weapon. “I told you not to lift your weapons at my mate.”
I’ve had enough of it all. “Everybody put your weapons down. Kaldar is here, and I want to know why. And we can’t talk if you all don’t put your weapons down.”
Taren and Jorren don’t lower their weapons. “Kaldar is here?” Taren sounds incredulous.
As if things weren’t already stressful enough, there’s movement behind me and Reika and Evren step through. When they see Jorren and Taren both have their weapons out, they both grab for theirs as well. Reika stays back but keeps her knife trained on Rysden, and I know she’s got a wicked throw. Evren shocks me by standing almost in front of me. Rysden moves in a flash, and then Farrah is behind him. I can hear her complaining about it, but he doesn’t move. My stomach tightens. Somebody’s going to get hurt, and I care about all the people in this group. We’re at a standstill, and I don’t know what to do. Everybody in this group is too stubborn for their own good. I’m out of options. Praying this works, I make my voice as authoritative as possible. “Jorren, Taren, Reika, and Evren, lower your weapons.” I pause. “No, scratch that. Drop them. No, don’t drop them. Put them away. Sheath them!”
“Oh, good grief,” Reika mutters.
“Seriously. I trust Rysden, Lox, and Farrah with my life.”
