Breaker of Rings

Chapter 15

"Did you get any sleep last night?" The words landed in Bex's ears mere seconds before Sasha rode up beside her. The Four Horsewomen were on the final stretch home and it was a section that could easily get monotonous because of the flat terrain, so they made sure to ride in pairs and switch positions often to keep their minds fresh and alert.

Bex decided to play coy, hoping it would help her mind stay sharp. "I had the first watch," she remarked. "I probably got the most solid sleep out of all of us because it wasn't broken."

Sasha snorted, then patted her horse's neck when its gait stuttered a bit. "Sorry. Didn't mean to confuse you." Then she angled close enough to Bex to smack her leg in reproof. "You know what I mean. Yes, you had first watch and Bayley had second, but she was talking with you all through yours, and you were probably still awake during hers." The river they had camped beside was far behind them, but Sasha still looked back out of habit, checking to see that they weren't being followed. "We can't afford to be taken unawares right now, Bex. You know that."

"Did Bayley get this lecture too?" Bex replied, rubbing at her face. "Or has the shunning from yesterday carried over to today?" She turned just enough to meet Sasha's gaze. "Yes, Bayley stayed up during my watch and I kept her company during hers. All of us have done that for each other at some point. Why is it suddenly a crime now?"

"Because The Shield could be following us!" Sasha hissed. For whatever reason, she didn't seem to want Charlotte and Bayley overhearing their disagreement, which Bex found odd. "The earth is rougher here, rockier so close to the sea. Their earth-etcher could create a rift or an upheaval—"

"So could Bayley." Bex had to pause before she said it and she hesitated afterwards as well. She didn't want to think ill of Bayley—of any of her sisters—but it was a valid point. Just because the Horsewomen had always used their magic for good, or at least their estimation of it, didn't mean they lacked the potential to go down another path.

Sasha's eyes went wide. "Bayley would never." She hesitated a split second too long before adding, "You would never. That's not who you—either of you—are."

"Maybe that's not who Seth and Roman are either," Bex replied. "Or at least not who they were. If Roman is doing this to protect his family, like Seth said, the fear of losing a spouse or child can make someone do despicable things."

The water-weaver nodded, but she was clearly unhappy about the logic. "We make each other better," she said softly. "And we make each other strong."

"And we don't have someone like the Skull King threatening people we love." Bex sighed and fell quiet for a while, relaxing into her horse's rhythm and the comfortable presence of Sasha beside her. "Yes, Bayley and I stayed up together," she repeated. "We were talking about what it was like to encounter someone else with our powers. How it's scary and alluring all at once. How you want to ask them questions even though you know the horrors they've committed. Because maybe when you hear about how they became monsters, you'll be better able to avoid it yourself." She kept her gaze on Bayley up ahead; she and Charlotte seemed to be talking amicably and Bex hoped Bayley wasn't overly tired because of their late-night talk. "Because right now, she and I are the only two of us who share those feelings, for better or worse." Glancing over, she saw a hint of contrition in Sasha's eyes and added, "It wasn't meant to exclude you or Charlotte. Bayley just knew I was feeling a bit isolated and wanted me to know she understood."

The last sentiment made Sasha snap to attention. "Isolated? Why would you feel isolated? Charlotte and Bayley and I have been with you this entire time, except when we had to escape from the Skull King, and then it was you and me—"

"You and me and an undercurrent of accusations," Bex corrected, loosening her grip on her reins when her horse started to get nervous. The Horsewomen's horses weren't magical, as far as they knew, but they had become very attuned to the moods of their riders. Gifts from Paige, the horses were both fast and sturdy, as much a part of their group as the women themselves. "And then I found the skull in the fire and there were more accusations. Then Seth came to me in the river—"