Warrior's Soul (Book 3 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 17

"Slow down," Liam called.

Leyla pulled the reins to slow her horse and looked around the area for the purple petalled flower they were trying to find. "I see no flowers here."

Liam jumped down from his horse, his eyes sparkling with humour, "Are you still mad that I'm helping?"

Leyla stopped her own steed, then dismounted carefully so as not to step on Athiri who was whining for attention. Giving his green ears a scratch, she scanned the area once more. "You refused to tell me where to find the plant. I hardly call that helping."

"If I told you, you'd have gone alone and I couldn't allow that," Liam shrugged.

"Allow?" Leyla's fingers clenched. She was tempted to throw a punch, but reminded herself that she still needed him to find the flower. "Just lead the way."

Liam stared at her for a long moment, then he was shaking his head in mock disbelief, "How in Gaia did I ever think you were a boy? That glare is far too cute to belong to a guy..."

Cute? Leyla took a step towards him, her fists clenched, when Athiri's low growl stopped her short. Having felt her anger, the Hayvan's ears were twitching, its yellow gaze narrowed on Liam. As for Liam, the damned fool didn't look the slightest bit daunted. Was he that sure that she wouldn't let the animal hurt him?

Sighing, she let her shoulders relax. "Are you going to move?"

"Sure," her nemesis smiled before he began to pull his horse along. "We are actually very close. There's a clearing not too far from here and beyond that is an offshoot of the Blue River where we'll find the flower."

Just how did he know the territory so well? Leyla wanted to ask, but she stayed herself. She wouldn't ask him about himself, when that would just invite questions in return. "If we still have a ways to go, why did we dismount?"

Liam shrugged, without looking back: "Athiri was tiring."

Leyla stilled, looking down at the animal. How she had missed it? The cub's movements did indeed indicate that he was worn out from all the running. By Tevvuk's Beard, how could she have been so unaware? Reaching down, she stroked his blue fur and whispered, "Sorry, boy." The yellow eyes looked into hers with trust, making her feel even more guilty. She had to take better care of him.

She looked up to find Liam watching her from a little ways ahead. "It suits you" he said with an odd look on his face. At her blank expression, the smile was back on his face and he laughed: "The hood and the rest of the outfit. They did a good job."

Leyla touched the dark material on her head, thinking of the previous evening when she'd asked Malia if there were any spare clothes. The scent of death was not easy to wash off and she had been worried about disturbing the children who kept drawing close to play with Athiri.

As it turned out, no one had any extra clothing. Resigned to dealing with the stench the next morning, Leyla woke to find these folded clothes beside her. Black trousers, a clean shirt, a leather vest and a hooded cape that easily covered her hair and reached halfway to her waist. The women they rescued in the forest the day before had stayed up all night, sowing the clothing to her size, but loose and long enough to hide her curves. They had even made her a mask that covered the lower part of her face and tied behind her ears; a message that they knew she was trying to hide her identity and would help her do it.

"All the black brings out the pretty colour of your eyes." Liam said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Leyla sent a scathing glance in his direction, "Did you try hard to develop that lousy sense of humour?"

Liam laughed off her angry retort and began walking once more. She was about to follow when suddenly Athiri's ears twitched, his body tensing as his head turned to look ahead.

"Liam!" Leyla called quickly, motioning for him to halt. He pulled at his horses bridle, his body still as he too looked towards the thinning trees. The chirping of birds, the scampering of a squirrel and soft fluttering of leaves...for long moments they heard nothing out of the ordinary. Then suddenly, it came to them. As faint as it was, it was an unmistakable sound: the clashing of steel on steel.

The horses shifted restlessly at Athiri's low growl.

Bloody Diya. Moving quickly, she tied her horse to the nearest tree and was pleased to find Liam had done the same without instruction. He truly was quick on his feet. A good thing for her, considering how often they ended up fighting side by side.

They moved quickly, Athiri close on their heels as they approached the clearing. A scream pierced the air. Then another, followed by the sickening call of the Bone Eaters. She swung her bow forward, and saw Liam's fingers wrap around the hilt of his sword as they broke into a run. The need to save whoever the bastards were attacking was fuelling her now. The sharp smell of blood filled the air as the sounds of battle grew louder. They were almost there.

"Don't get hurt," she called out to Liam.

He gave her a lopsided smile just as they broke out of the cover of the trees and into the chaos.