CHAPTER 29
But first a reply for the faithful...

LOL. You're welcome anonymous! I'm glad you, ahem, enjoyed!
It sounds like this chapter faired a little better than the last with all of you. I had to rewrite most of the last chapter and this one to pick up the pace more. I tried to focus the action on the Wild Men, but it just wasn't working. The second time through (have I mentioned I HATE rewrites?) I let Kristalyn and Aiden talk as they wanted too and it changed both chapters drastically. For the better, I do believe. We shall see what you all think after you have read this rather interesting chapter, of course, I think the next few chapters are rather interesting for various reasons. :shrug:
Anyway...
You are correct, Jo. She often asks abotu his family, because she feels like she never gets a fully truthful answer, and she's right! Aiden has constantly held things back from her. Yet she strives to pull out pieces of information out of him. Incidentally, he wonders about that in this chapter!
Thanks, Libby!!! Aiden constantly surprises me. I'm glad we get to see that through Kristalyn's eyes before seing it through Aiden's! Interactions between the two are my favorite thing to write!
LOL. Britt, I love your comment! LOL. I'm anxious to see how Deus gets through that thick noggin of his too! I hope Deus clues me in soon, like before I have to write it!!
Hi Elizabeth! Oh, good! I'm glad you like their interactions. I remember being slightly nervous about Aiden's changing. Still am really, so I'm glad you think it is realistic. You'll see even more in this chapter. Let me know what you think!
Ashley! It was fun, but very hard to write Kris' reunion. All of the Hunter's men are really Em's characters, so it's difficult to make sure I get them right. Thankfully, they did well. Last paragraph? AH!! LOL. Yeah, Aiden does that to me A LOT!
Michelle, you're welcome! I know the action has been lacking lately. Sorry about that. Unfortunately, it's the nature of this story. But, you can't have action all the time or I'd be exhausted as the characters! Actually, I thought the last chapter still lacked action. So, I'm glad you think it picked back up. Hopefully, the many things that happen now, will make it better!
On to the story!!!

The attacks have begun and they are making an impression, on more than just the enemy. He's been watching her, studying her. Aiden knows her heart, he's known it for a long time now and he knows it's going to get them both into trouble. He is trouble, he always will be, it will never change. But is he convincing her or himself? Too much is happening, to fast and he is very aware that soon, they will be split up. Can he keep all his precious secrets safe until then? She is learning more all the time, but does it even matter? Things are moving fast, perhaps too fast. Can Aiden keep up or will the unthinkable finally happen?

CHAPTER 29 ~ NEVER GOOD ENOUGH

AIDEN

It was with some amusement and annoyance that night that I found out Geoffrey and Richard would complete our team of four. The fact the two youngsters were on Kristalyn’s team didn’t surprise me, but I was getting tired of dealing with green warriors. They reminded me to much of the fact that I had no idea where Travon was and that disturbed me even more. They did follow instructions well though.

The Wild Men and Ricald had picked a wide space that had trees scattered everywhere as their camp for the night. The Wild Men had no respect for equipment, as it was laid out everywhere and they had only been stopped for a few hours. Men launched around in noisy packs, drinking and laughing. Horses were standing everywhere, most still with their tack on. Ricald’s men had their own spot picked out and set up much as I remembered it. Here, men worked on swords or shields, some carried food, and others led horses to water. The difference between the two lines was one you could visibly cross.

There were no guards for the Wild Men, but Ricald had guards set up within eye sight of each other around his perimeter. It was his standard procedure and most of the guards were alert, but not all. It didn’t take us too long to find the guard in our section that was almost out of it. In the dark, the guard on either side wouldn’t know he was missing.

It was far too easy for Richard and Geoffrey to get his attention with some rude noises and allow me to sneak up behind him. I didn’t mind killing him, but for tonight at least, that wasn’t our purpose. Kristalyn was convinced it would be better to let him live with the tale for a little at least. I disagreed, but it wasn’t worth arguing over. I didn’t need the kill, so either way it wouldn’t service me. After knocking him out and dragging him away, Richard took his place.

Working with Kristalyn, he and Geoffrey would have enough time to steal most of the weapons in the immediate area, while I snuck further into the camp. I wanted to get to Ricald and show him just what I thought of his assassins, but first I was going to enjoy torturing him.

Slipping past a rowdy group of drunk soldiers, I made my way to the cart that was loaded with food. Taking out my knife, I worked at the back wheel until it was almost sawed through. When the cart hit a hole, the wheel would break and cause a rather unpleasant delay. I smiled when I spotted the weapons cart a few feet away. Quickly, I made my way to it and worked two of those wheels as well. Looking inside, I saw a huge cache of swords, knifes, shields, axes, spears, and other weapons. I helped myself to a couple of daggers and a new sword, before sneaking back to where the others waited.

Kristalyn, Geoffrey, and Richard, who had abounded his role as guard, waited next to a pile of weapons of their own. It was a wonder they had taken so many. I shook my head. Soldiers were so careless. But it made them so much fun to mess with too.

“Find anything interesting?” I asked as I joined them.

Geoffrey and Richard shared a look before each holding up a new knife. Kristalyn shook her head, but didn’t comment.

“How did it go?” She asked me instead.

“Let’s hope it is this easy every night,” I replied.

She laughed softly as we headed back to our own camp. “If these guys fight like they camp, we could easily beat them.”

I nodded. “Yeah, except they don’t.”

***

The next morning Kristalyn and I crouched on top of a hill overlooking the camp. On Ricald’s side, things looked to be more normal, except that there were quite a few soldiers looking causally around as if they had forgotten something, but didn’t want to say. A few men were interrogating a stunned guard, who kept shaking his head and looking around confused. The Wild men were not so controlled in their tempers. Fights broke out among a few, who decided if they couldn’t find their stuff, they’d make do with someone else’s. The thought didn’t go over to well with their comrades.

It took them most of the morning to settle things out between them. The sun was high in the sky, when the Prince’s tent was finally taken down and the army moved out. Kristalyn and I watched as they moved underneath of us. I pointed out one of the carts and she nodded when she saw the wheel wobble dangerously. It wouldn’t be long before that wheel came off and there were others spread throughout the movement that were in just as bad of shape.

A loud crash and multiple yelled curses, told that one cart had just had enough. Kristalyn covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed softly. I looked up ahead to see five Wild Men surrounding a broken down cart, each hollering and pointing at the other, and no one doing a thing about the cart itself. Prince Jaquin raced up on top of his horse. The first five were ordered back and a new group came forward to fix the wheel. Meanwhile, the rest of the Wild Men and Ricald’s group moved forward.

I nodded to Kristalyn and the two of us moved quickly down the hill and back towards our own camp.

“What do you think?” Kristalyn asked when we were out of ear shot.

“No one is really spooked. They’ll be easy to slow down though. And that is only the first wheel to go today. They are in for a long day of travel.”

She nodded. “They lost about half the day already.”

“Works to our advantage,” I answered, thinking about the men left behind to fix the wheel.

“What is it?” Kristalyn looked up at me.

“I was just thinking it would spook them real good if we pick of those that are left behind to fix everything that breaks down,” I admitted.

She was silent for a minute and I wondered if she was consulting her god. Finally, she nodded. “I don’t like shooting the defenseless, even if it is war. Still, if we shot one warning shot, we could justify our tactics.”

I shook my head amused. “Justify? Who cares? You do what you have too to get the job done.”

“No,” Kristalyn said calmly. “If I murder them out of cold blood then I’m no better than they are.”

I walked on in silence. That was what I had done. How many had I murdered without giving them a chance? I had lost count after a while and it hadn’t mattered to me anyway, not until that little girl had changed into Zoe at any rate. Was I any better than the Wild Men, then? I glanced at Kristalyn, who walked calmly at my side. Did she see me that way?

I had almost killed her brother. I mocked her god every chance I got. I purposefully tried to get reactions out of her with my words. I had fought in a war without caring what side I was on. Murdering in cold blood was how I had made my living. And I had betrayed each of my siblings, breaking them apart and becoming someone they would despise. Who was I to walk at this woman’s side? I should be everything she hated too. Why did she insist that I fight by her side?

Did she not hate me in her heart too? I looked ay her again, studding her profile as we walked. Her dark blond hair had lighter highlights in it that I could see from the sun. Her bangs framed the front of her face on the side, while the rest hung down her back in a low, flay ponytailed tied at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were a sparkling green that shown even now with some inner thought that had her amused. They were set perfectly against her olive tan skin. When we had first entered Ruma together, the guard had looked at her as if he had never seen something so beautiful. I hadn’t noticed before, but I did now. She was very beautiful and in more ways than one. So, why did she put up with me? What secret did she know about me that I didn’t?

She turned and her green eyes caught mine. “What?”

“Nothing,” I answered.

She looked at me suspiciously, but didn’t press the subject. She was learning how to deal with me rather quickly. She still didn’t understand everything though, but I knew more than she wanted me too. I could read her. Despite a few days apart from her, I could still read her whenever I chose, even from far away. That was why I had left her alone. She had been so happy and content among her friends. It was something I hadn’t seen before, and watching her interact with them was amusing for me. I didn’t want to know why, it just was.

She had hinted that she thought things were changing between us. I could tell by the look in her eyes, she cared more for me than she wanted to admit, probably even to herself. But why care for me? That was what I couldn’t understand. She wasn’t a stupid girl, yet she fell for the worst guy possible. I should be her worse enemy. Why did she care?

It was a question I couldn’t answer and I hated unknowns. I wanted to know what made her think I was worthy of any attention. Why she cared, what she thought. Not just about me, but about everything. I had missed her while she had been catching up with her friends.

I almost groaned out loud. What was I thinking? I had warned her away from my heart, but did I need to warn myself? No. I didn’t care about her. Not about her, her brother, her stupid war. I couldn’t even care about my own siblings. My heart was as closed as ever and it would do us both good to remember that. I had sealed it away and I would never release it from its prison. Period.

“Aiden! Are you listening at all?” Her voice broke into my thoughts.

“Huh?” I looked at her confused.

“What were you thinking about? You haven’t heard a word I said.” She looked at me, her eyes dancing with amusement.

“Nothing. What did you want?” I decided to ignore it completely. I shouldn’t have wasted thoughts on the subject at all, whatever it had been.

“Okay. I was saying we should leave one or two teams back to pick up any stragglers and take them out. I think Gurmeet and Plathe could both manage it. What do you think?”

I nodded once. “Fine. You know your men well enough.”

She looked at me strangely for a second. “Right. I’m going to tell everyone to get ready to go and fill in Warrick.” She paused for a moment. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” I growled.

She held up her hands in an open handed okay gesture. “Sure. If you say so.” She headed towards a group of men, but turned around before she reached them. “If you need me to talk or whatever, you know where I am.”

Talk. Right.

***

I watched her constantly. I couldn’t seem to help it. She took natural leadership and her men followed her with a fierce loyalty. She had patience and a firm kindness with Geoffrey and Richard that made them try even harder to please her. In her men’s eyes, she could do no wrong. It was obvious and they protected her, even from me. Warrick, especially, seemed to feel that I was a bad influence on his ‘Lady Kristalyn.’ The problem was: he was right. I could see it in every move that I made. I had no right to be a part of this woman’s world. I didn’t fit and I wasn’t sure I wanted too. But then, I didn’t know what I did want anymore. She had changed so much, how was I suppose too… what was I suppose to do?

I had agreed to fight her war and I would complete that. But what happened then? Our contract would be over. She would go back to her Hunter and her friends, but what of me? Was I ready to take on Duard? Could I defeat him? I had failed so often, in so many ways. How could I be sure I was ready for that?

“Aiden? Are you okay?” Her voice came from behind me. Why did this girl have a knack for interrupting thoughts I shouldn’t be having?

“Fine. How are your friends?” I needed to separate myself from her. It would happen soon enough, I might as well distance myself now.

“Most are still sleeping. You do realize the sun is hardly out, right?” She asked looking at me with green eyes filled with concern.

I refused to allow that to affect me. What had she asked me? I couldn’t remember. “I was thinking of going to check on Ricald’s camp.” I was?

“Oh. That’s not a bad idea. It’s been a few days. They’ve been pretty easy to slow down. I wonder if it has been enough?”

“There’s no way to tell right now. You should send Egan to see how the battle is faring.”

“Good point. I didn’t want to send him earlier. I didn’t think there had been enough time. But he could probably get close enough to get a good idea. He doesn’t necessarily have to check in.”

I shook my head. “When we get them to stop or turn around we can tell your brother. Until then, we just need to get an idea of what we should plan next.”

“I guess its wishful thinking that we might be done sometime soon?” Kristalyn asked softly.

She would want to be done quickly to get back to the Hunter and her life as she knew it. I wondered briefly if she remembered it would be goodbye, but I pushed the thought away quickly. What did it matter? She didn’t mean anything to me, just one more person to leave behind.

“A week, maybe more. Once we get them to stop, we’ll need to make sure they turn around and don’t try anything else.”

Kristalyn’s face fell slightly, but she nodded firmly. “Yeah. The last thing we need is them attack an already tired army on the whim that they’ll be able to take out the survivors.”

I nodded. “Our job is to make sure they’re too tired and frustrated to even consider that.”

Kristalyn sighed. “Maybe we should go check our progress. I’ll go with you.”

“No, stay here. We don’t need the whole camp out looking for you.” I didn’t need her any closer to me than she already was.

She looked at me silently for a moment, before responding slowly, “I’m in charge of this mission and I’m going with you. Kurioden will let Warrick know when he rises.”

I hadn’t even noticed the silent cat sitting at her side. She patted him on his head.

“Got that, Kurio?”

The cat meowed his agreement and made his way over to where Warrick was still asleep. The cat couldn’t talk as Magnar could, yet that never seemed to both Kristalyn. The girl acted as if the cat understood every word, but then, so did the panther.

***

Together, we moved through the smaller groves and trees to where Ricald had picked his camping spot. The guard had been doubled since we had started our attack efforts, but so far it had little effect. We were careful to stay out of the viewing of the guards as we snuck closer, but it wasn’t hard. Most of the men, including the supposed guards, stood in groups whispering and pointing around vaguely, as if trying to distinguish someone else to blame for their current state. It became clear why when Ricald stormed through the middle of the camp, clearly on his way to the Wild Men’s side. Men were literally jumping out of his way. No one wanted to be the one who caught his wrath. Quickly, Kristalyn changed directions to follow and I moved along beside her.

“Jaquin!” Ricald yelled as he neared the main tent. “Jaquin!”

The Prince existed his tent, looking regally annoyed, even from a distance. I motioned to Kristalyn and we tucked ourselves behind a bunch of trees to listen in on what promised to be an interesting discussion.

“What is it now, Ricald?”

The dismissive tone made Ricald’s face turn a shade darker. It was most amusing to watch.

“Idiot! How many of your imbecile fighters are working with him?” Ricald demanded.

“Working with who?” He asked crossly.

“The Hunter! Who else!” Ricald spouted.

“I do not care about your Hunter!” Jaquin stated, raising his voice.

“You do! I know you are helping him cause our problems !” Ricald yelled.

“We had nothing to do with your problems! It’s your men who are attacking us!” Prince Jaquin yelled back, just as loudly.

“Bah! My men are soldiers! Yours are hardly even battle worthy!”

“Continue that thought, Ricald, and you will regret it.” Prince Jaquin voice held an unmistakable warning.

“Ricald hasn’t changed much, has he?” The voice came from behind Kristalyn and me.

I whipped around to stare in shock at the figure behind me.

“Travon!” I exclaimed.

Kristalyn looked at both of us startled, but my attention was on the youth standing in front of me. It was hard to believe he was not another apparition, like Zoe had been.

Travon grinned at me. “That was some long month,” he said as he held out his hand.

I gripped his forearm. “Yeah… It’s good to see you.”

He gave me a look that asked if that was really true, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned to focus back on the two men, who walked into Prince Jaquin’s tent, still arguing. “I’ve been following Ricald since I left camp. He really wants to get to the big battle and hates the Wild Men. Your attacks are messing him up.”

“We should go back to the camp, so we can catch up with each other,” Kristalyn’s voice came from my side. I had forgotten she was there in the shock of seeing Travon again.

He nodded and led the way back to our camp. He already knew the way, so how long had he been spying on us? How had I not noticed? And why say something now?

His speech had changed slightly again. He looked to be more grown up too. I spared him a look. He had broadened out, but was still lanky. He’d gotten taller too, a few inches shorter than myself. Ilara would still want to cut his jagged blond and brown hair by force. His eyes weren’t quite as muddy as they use to be, but he’d gotten darker too, which might have something to do with his brown eyes looking clearer. I made my observations while Kristalyn and Travon got to know each other. I could tell from the look on her face she liked the kid. For some reason, that pleased me. It would certainly make things easier.

Travon turned back to look at me. “How is Maglynar?”

“His name is Magnar now. He’ll be happy to see you. He’s missed having you around.”

Travon nodded. “I missed him too. It’s been a long time.”

“Sorry about that. Things worked out a lot differently than I expected.”

“Is that why trying to stop Ricald?”

“Partially.”

Travon looked at me for a long moment but said nothing. I could see the question in his eyes, but he would never ask it out loud. He had grown up in more ways than one.

“I didn’t kill the Hunter, Travon. He’s still alive and fighting. In fact,” I nodded towards Kristalyn, “she is his sister.”

He whipped his head around to stare at Kristalyn. She smiled.

“It’s true.”

“Wow. I think I missed a lot,” Travon said quietly.

I laughed then. “Don’t worry, kid. Magnar and I will catch you up. We want to hear your story too.”

“Yeah. It’s a deal.” He grinned at me.

We arrived back in camp and I frowned to see Magnar wasn’t there. Kristalyn’s panther was napping nearby, however, and we walked over to him. The spot was out of hearing of the others, but still in site range. The animals knew how to pick places for their privacy while still keeping taps on us. It had been an amusing habit to watch.

“So, where is he?” Travon asked looking around. “And who is this?”

“This is Kurioden. He’s my partner,” Kristalyn replied, reaching down to pat the panther’s head, who raised his head in acknowledgement.

“Nice to meet you, Kurioden. I’m Travon.” Travon held out his hand and the panther promptly licked it.

Kristalyn smiled. “That was fast. He usually doesn’t take to people so quickly.”

Travon grinned. “Animals like me.”

“It would seem so,” Kristalyn replied in an amused voice.

A piercing shriek filled that air. Those at the camp looked up, but most went right back to work when they saw the griffin land. Magnar folded his wings against his body and shrieked out again, pouncing up and down like an oversized rabbit.

“Magnar!” Travon cried out, in more of the voice I remembered. The boy raced to the griffin’s side.

“Travon!” Magnar screeched as clear as day.

I winched and looked at Kristalyn, who was staring at the pair. She whipped her head around to look at me.

“Did he… it sounded like he….” She tried again.

I didn’t respond, but watched the pair myself. It had always been a matter of time before Kristalyn found out Magnar could talk. If he had waited a few more weeks, she never would have found out at all. Still, trusting her with the information wasn’t that hard surprisingly. It was more natural and the thought should have disturbed me. She seemed to be learning quite a few of my secrets lately. Could I keep the last few, the biggest ones from her? Like my ultimate betrayal? Or the reason for my joining her war? Or would she discover them too, before I could make my escape from her life?

“I’ve missed you so much, Magnar. You took good care of Aiden. I’m glad. You got huge! Look at you! A mighty warrior now! Your name fits again.” Travon spoke quickly.

Magnar made a low half rumble in his chest, which was his laugh. “Big I’ve gotten. Changed Aiden has. Missed you we did.”

Travon released the griffin to take a step back. “Magnar, you can talk! It’s real clear!”

“Learned long ago. Secret Aiden wanted it. Left before tell you I could,” Magnar explained, in his unusual speech pattern.

Kristalyn stared at me. “You purposefully kept this from me.”

There was no question in her voice. I gazed at her steadily. She couldn’t possible be surprised.

“Would you have done anything different if Kurioden could talk?”

“That’s not the point!” She spouted.

I laughed. “Yes, it is.”

“When were you going to tell me?” She asked more calmly.

“When I could trust you,” I answered automatically.

“You still don’t trust me?” She questioned her voice far too soft this time.

That had come out wrong. I couldn’t take it back now though. “I left you find out, didn’t I?”

“Not by choice!”

I gazed at her steadily. “Magnar was bound to talk when he first saw Travon here. I figured you’d find out.”

That wasn’t exactly true. I hadn’t really thought about it. For some odd reason though, I didn’t want Kristalyn to know this.

She looked at me skeptically. “So, you trust me fully now?”

“Do you trust me fully?”

“That’s not an answer,” she said instead.

“Can you answer it?”

Before she could reply, Travon looked up from his catch up with Magnar and asked, “You tried to kill yourself?”

I glanced at Magnar, who looked steadily at the ground. He would be one unhappy griffin later. “It doesn’t matter, Travon.”

The boy stepped towards me. “It does so. Why would you do that?”

“It was the best course of action at the time.” For all I knew, it still was. I pushed the thought aside, as both Kristalyn and Magnar made loud noises of protest.

Travon laughed. “Guess your out numbered. So, what else did I miss?”

I shrugged. “It took a while to locate the Hunter. I attempted to kill him and ultimately decided to let him live. Ricald sent bounty hunters after me and I joined Aerilya’s side. The battle is being fought even now. We need to stop the Wild Men and Ricald from ever reaching it.”

Travon thought silently for a minute before asking the one question I knew he couldn’t continue to go without asking. “Why did you let him live?”

“That is between me and the Hunter,” I replied swiftly. “Travon, Jaton led the bounty hunters. Did he ever return?”

“Soft of. He snuck back into the camp real late one night. He found Sartan and after the two talked for a while, they both left and never came back. Ricald was real ticked when no one ever came back and then he found Sartan missing too. He’s more mad at you than ever now. You’re right under the Hunter.”

Under the Hunter. Was that where I belonged? Skill wise I was better, but in ever other aspect….

“What else have you noticed?” Kristalyn spoke, but my thoughts refused to be sidetracked.

It was an old argument at this point. The Hunter was my better in every way, except skill. He would not have allowed what I had to happen to my family, nor would he have become what I became. I glanced at Kristalyn, who still discussed the situation with Travon. What would Tancred do if he knew his sister had begun to care for me? She could hide it from everyone else, but I saw it in her eyes. I warned her away, but was it enough? When this was over, I had to leave fast.

“With supplies disappearing all the time, it’s been even easier for me to take what I need,” Travon’s voice finally broke into my thoughts.

“How have you been living since you left the camp?” I asked, coming back into the conversation.

Travon grinned. “You taught me, Aiden. It hasn’t been hard. I’ve hunted mostly and stolen from Ricald for the rest. Supplies came from him too. More than once, I’ve managed to clear out villages before he got there or at least warn them he was on the way.” Travon shrugged. “It hasn’t been much. But at least a few lives were saved.”

“I’d say it’s been quite a lot. You’ve done really well, Travon. The Hunter will be really pleased.” Kristalynh said in a proud voice, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

He blushed and looked at me.

I nodded. “I’m proud of you, Travon. You’ve done very well.”

Travon grinned. Apparently, my approval still meant a lot to the boy.

“What are your plans now?” Kristalyn asked curiously.

Travon glanced at me and shrugged. “The same I guess. I’m not stopping till Ricald does and Aerilya isn’t in any more danger.”

“So, you’re joining us then?” I asked casually.

“Do you want me too?” He asked, in a ‘I don’t care if you do or don’t’ way.

“I’ve been waiting to get this griffin back to you for a while now. Stay and you can take care of him from now on,” I responded.

Magnar gave a screech of indignation and Travon laughed.

“Same as always. I’ll stay.”

“Good. I have some people I think you’d like to meet. And I’d love to hear more about your story,” Kristalyn said, taking the boy’s arm and leading him away.

He shot me a bewildered look, but followed the headstrong girl. Magnar screeched from beside me, happy to have Travon back. Kurioden looked at us both and put his head back down to go to sleep again. Magnar must have thought that was no good, because he began prodding the panther in a playful banter.

I shook my head at the two and watched Kristalyn introduce Geoffrey and Richard to Travon. It looked like our team now had its fifth member.

It was good to see Travon again and he looked like he had done well. He’d not only taken care of himself, but he’d done quite a lot to oppose Ricald on his own. I had left a boy behind me, but Travon was a man now. Had my own brothers grown up so much too? What of Sam? He was the youngest of us all. Had he learned lessons of survival? There was no way for me to know. I could only hope they were okay. There wasn’t anything I could do for any of them if they weren’t.

The thought struck me that Kristalyn would pray to her god to make sure they were fine. She would, but I wouldn’t be so foolish. Even if god did exist, he didn’t care about my family, no matter how he felt about Kristalyn’s.

Her laughter reached my ears and I watched as she gave Richard a side hug. She glanced up and motioned me over. Travon grinned at me. Was I ready to deal with all of them? Magnar suddenly pushed me from behind and I had to move fast to keep my balance. The animals screeched happily. Apparently, I didn’t have a choice.

***