The storms whisper, p.1
The Storm's Whisper, page 1
part #5 of The Broken Lands Series
The Storm's Whisper
A Novel of the Broken Lands
T.A. White
Copyright © 2022 by T.A. White
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Contents
1. ONE
2. TWO
3. THREE
4. FOUR
5. FIVE
6. SIX
7. SEVEN
8. EIGHT
9. NINE
10. TEN
11. ELEVEN
12. TWELVE
13. THIRTEEN
14. FOURTEEN
15. FIFTEEN
16. SIXTEEN
17. SEVENTEEN
18. EIGHTEEN
19. NINETEEN
20. TWENTY
21. TWENTY-ONE
22. TWENTY-TWO
23. TWENTY-THREE
24. TWENTY-FOUR
25. TWENTY-FIVE
26. TWENTY-SIX
DISCOVER MORE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CONNECT WITH ME
one
Eva's hands paused as a furtive rustling came from the tall grasses not far from where she stood.
One truth she'd come to understand in the months since joining the Trateri, a group of clans that had recently conquered a good bit of the Broken Lands—the Highlands were never quiet.
There was always something. Some noise or sound to keep you company. Even if you were totally alone, not another human for hundreds of miles, there would never be true silence. You only had to listen to hear the wind ripping down from the mountain tops to play in the valleys and ravines below. There'd be the call of birds or the hum of insects. Small animals rooting for food in the grasses and trees.
Eva had long become used to it. To the point she barely noticed anymore, unless a discordant note was introduced into the harmony.
Like now.
Whatever was out there was determined. If not for the way the sounds abruptly stopped every time she looked in its direction, as if fearing discovery, she'd say it wanted her attention.
But that would be ridiculous.
Except, not really.
For some reason, the thought felt right. True. As if there was a little voice in the back of her mind influencing her perception.
Just like before, the movement abruptly stopped as soon as Eva started paying attention.
Moments ticked by; the sudden silence loud. As if the world held its breath.
The dappled gray mare Eva was in the middle of brushing aimed a disgruntled look at her when she paused once again. Caia reached back, lipping Eva's hands in silent demand.
"Fine, fine, your highness. I won't slack off anymore. My bad," Eva murmured to the mare, still preoccupied by their hidden watcher as she resumed brushing, her strokes slower than before.
Caia shook her head, her mane flying in a wordless rebuke before she leaned further into Eva's hands. Even under the best of circumstances, the mare could be demanding, acting every bit the queen Eva sometimes thought of her as. She was even worse when it came time for grooming. Never satisfied until Eva felt like her hands would fall off her wrists from exhaustion.
Sure enough, as soon as Eva took her attention off their watcher, the rustling resumed. The creature's caution forgotten in the face of its goal.
Eva smirked. That didn't take long.
Then again, patience wasn't exactly the creature's strong suit.
At the renewed sounds, a man poked his head over the horse he'd been tending. Unlike many Trateri, he was fair skinned with dirty blond hair and green eyes, a sign that he had Lowlander somewhere in his ancestry.
The Trateri had a long tradition of co-opting others into their clans. A nice way of saying they kidnapped people they took a liking to. Strange thing was, a lot of those people ended up joining the very clans they had every right to view as their enemy.
That was the Trateri for you, though. They had a way of getting under your skin. Making you see things in a different light. Next thing you knew, you were going out of your way to prove yourself. Fighting for a place among them and accepting tents you had no idea how to erect.
Jason leaned his forearm on the horse's back and quirked an eyebrow at Eva in question.
Eva shook her head and rolled her eyes to the sky. She didn't know either.
A soft huff of amusement escaped him. It wasn't the first time strange things had happened around Eva, nor would it be the last.
At least their watcher didn't pose a threat. At least not to their lives. Their sanity and peace of mind? That was an entirely different story.
Eva checked on her guard for the afternoon. Specially assigned to protect her, he was an Anateri, part of a deadly group of warriors whose main responsibility was the protection of Fallon Hawkvale, Warlord and leader of the Trateri clans, along with his interests.
Somehow, Eva had managed to become one of those interests.
She was a Caller. The first in centuries. A title that had slowly faded from memory for all except a select few.
Her ability allowed her to hear the thoughts and desires of mythologicals, a group of beings with the same intelligence and cunning as a human. Mythologicals had long been considered absent from the Broken Lands. It was only recently they'd been freed from their imprisonment in the Badlands.
With them, they brought the potential for a new status quo—and the need for alliances.
That was where Eva came in. She and her newfound ability were the linchpin expected to hold this whole, chaotic mess together.
Her elevation in status brought rewards—but also risk. She'd become the target for every one of the Hawkvale's enemies both internal and external.
Control her, and you gained the potential for leverage over a powerful group of mythologicals. Kill her, and the chances of an alliance went into the abyss alongside her.
Hence the need for the Anateri.
Drake was the easier going of the two tasked with her protection, happy to keep his distance when the threat level was low.
It was why he'd chosen a position on top of a tall boulder that allowed him a perfect vantage point of the valley. Currently, he was lying on his back, hands clasped behind his head as he studied the clouds.
Feeling her eyes on him, Drake swept an idle glance over the meadow. Nothing changed in his posture, his body remaining relaxed.
It was all the confirmation Eva needed. Whatever was out there wasn't a threat.
Not that she'd really been in doubt. As a prey animal, whose senses were highly tuned to the environment around her, Caia would have alerted Eva to danger far in advance.
Eva peeked at the grasses out of the corner of her eye.
Three orange tails tipped in black slipped into view, waving merrily. Eva paused in her brushing again.
Jason slapped his horse's flank in dismissal. The horse moved away slowly, finding another grazing spot as Jason advanced toward Eva.
"What is he doing?" Jason asked, not taking his eyes from the tails.
Eva shook her head. That was a very good question. One she'd like to know the answer to. Preferably before the owner of the tails did something that would come back to bite her in the ass.
The tails froze, going stock still. Seconds passed, tension building subtly in the air.
Eva drew a sharp breath as the fire fox exploded out of the grass in a graceful leap, drawing a perfect arc in the air as he descended headfirst.
There was a squeak and then a crunch before happy growling reached them.
Jason winced. "He did all this to get our attention just to catch a field mouse?"
"Look at it this way. At least someone else was his victim this time."
That wasn't always the case. Over the past month and a half since they’d settled in this isolated valley, the fire fox had found time to play more than one prank.
To call the creature mischievous was kind.
In truth, he was a terror. His tyranny was similar to that of a toddler, only far more mobile and way more intelligent. Not to mention vindictive.
Threats of bodily harm didn't work. Outsmarting him was a fanciful wish, and the attempt usually resulted in him taking an interest in you.
Most ended up regretting tangling with the fire fox. As both Roscoe and Ghost, two of Eva's friends, could attest. They were still discovering prickle thorns, a plant native to the Highlands known for causing rashes, in their clothing and bedding.
No one knew how the fire fox managed to get the thorns into their belongings. Only that he did.
Since then, the rest of their camp had given the fire fox a wide berth.
"Do you think he arranged his hunt simply so we could admire his prowess?"
A thoughtful look crossed Eva's face. "It's possible."
The crunching in the bushes stopped.
Jason's eyes widened in dismay as he mouthed a curse. One Eva seconded.
Idiot. He should have known better than to draw the fox's attention.
Golden eyes landed on Eva and Jason, studying them with an intelligence and cunning far greater than any animal.
Not much bigger than a cat, the fire fox resembled the fox he took his name from. His face was triangular and in daylight his coat held the same coloring as his vulpine cousins. With one notable exception—the three tails that were once again waving madly above the grass.
"What are you doing over there?" Eva called.
& nbsp; The grass rustled as the fire fox trotted toward Eva, carrying a kill nearly as long as him.
"Is that—?" Jason pointed uncertainly at the fire fox's victim.
"You're not seeing things. It's a wheezer."
Eva recognized it from the beast pamphlet the pathfinder who'd accompanied them to this valley had left before he'd made his return journey to Wayfarer's Keep, the stronghold of the pathfinders and the place where the rest of the Trateri army was camped.
Often mistaken as the largest entry into the rodent family, the wheezer had beady eyes and overly large front teeth. Looking like a mix between a possum and a weasel, its light brown fur allowed it to blend into most environments.
Eva would be tempted to call the creatures cute if not for the fact they were extremely aggressive and territorial. They preferred to stalk their prey and didn't care if it was twice their size. Human, bandisox, or other, the wheezer saw them in the same light. As enemies and food.
Their attack power wasn’t where the real danger lay. Though admittedly, they'd been known to shred a grown man's leg in seconds before waddling off, looking pleased with themselves.
What was truly worrying about them was the fact that a single bite or scratch from their claws would lead to infection and almost always ended in death.
It was a slow, agonizing way to go.
Drake straightened at the sight of the wheezer in the fire fox's jaws, the playful look on his face turning serious.
A cold feeling moved through Eva.
There was no healer in the small party that had accompanied Eva all the way up here. No one to treat them if things went wrong. Not for hundreds of miles. Several weeks of hard journey separated them from any form of help.
Drake hopped down from his boulder, jogging in Eva's direction.
To Eva's surprise, the fire fox turned, trotting toward the far side of the valley where fallen boulders from a long-ago avalanche dotted the landscape. The places where stone met dirt were overgrown with grass, some of which climbed halfway up their sides.
Solitary trees stretched their arms to the sky. In the distance steep hills that transitioned to rugged mountains framed either side of the wide valley floor.
To Eva's rear, Caia and the rest of the small herd of mounts grazed in the pretty meadow.
Beyond them was the small camp they'd set up upon arrival. In the distance, at the opposite end of the valley, were the ruins of a long-ago settlement. The stone walls that made up the houses long fallen into disrepair.
The fire fox slowed and then stopped when he realized Eva and Jason hadn't moved. He aimed an expectant look at Eva over his shoulder.
"Does he want us to follow?"
Eva released a resigned breath. "Probably."
"That's not sinister or anything," Jason complained, trailing Eva as she started after the fire fox. "Follow the mysterious mythological to an equally mysterious destination. What could go wrong?"
Eva smothered her smile, privately agreeing with the sentiment.
Unfortunately, ignoring the fire fox wasn't an option. Even if he wasn't being painfully obvious in his wishes, she'd still follow. If for no other reason than self-preservation. It was easier to anticipate the fire fox's actions when you knew what he was up to.
The fire fox trotted happily through the meadow, bypassing the hulking silhouettes of boulders before heading for a tree standing alone in the midst of the field. A creature peered around it with a shy face.
His massive form huddling behind the small tree as if it would protect him from them should have been a comical sight.
And maybe it would have been if he hadn't gone unnoticed until that exact moment.
Eva squashed her alarm, knowing the fire fox wouldn't have endangered her without reason. She took a moment to study the creature.
His skin was mottled with grays, browns and greens. A moss-like plant covered his back and hands. White flowers similar to daisies sprouted from his head.
From a distance he would resemble a boulder.
Despite his large size, his features were kind. Gentle even. This wasn't a creature who would do harm. Eva got a sense of peace from him. A bottomless well of serenity and warmth.
Eva took a step toward him only to stop as Drake blocked her with his arm. He watched the creature with a frown as he assessed the level of potential threat.
The fire fox trotted up to the creature and stopped. He laid his kill down at the base of the tree and sat before wrapping his tails around his feet.
The fox's gaze was knowing as he watched Eva in silent demand.
"What is that?" Jason breathed.
Eva held a finger to her lips, signaling for quiet.
The fire fox was acting as if they needed to pay tribute to the rock creature. It was Eva's job to find out why.
Jason nodded to show he understood.
Eva pushed Drake's arm out of her way and stepped around him.
"Eva!" Drake hissed.
Eva paused, knowing if Drake felt she was placing herself in danger he was liable to act. And not necessarily in ways she would agree with. She wouldn't put it past him to grab her and make a run for it.
In the Broken Lands where even a rodent could pose a threat to your life, it was easy to view anything strange or unexpected as an enemy.
This was the drawback to having elite warriors shadow your every move. Explanations were needed lest they take matters into their own hands.
"He's a mythological; I can feel it."
She wasn't quite sure how, but the creature gave off the same feeling as the fire fox. Like there was more to them if you took the time to look beneath the surface. A deep well of possibility lurking. It felt different than what she’d get around a beast, though she'd be hard pressed to explain exactly how. Just that it was.
It was a feeling in her bones. A knowing, if you will.
As a Caller, mythologicals were her responsibility—and she took her responsibilities seriously.
Drake held her gaze, his stubborn need to protect warring with his frustration over knowing she was right. Moments passed before he relented.
Drake stepped aside, allowing her to continue unhindered.
"Be careful," Jason whispered.
"Afraid you'll have to deal with Caia on your own?"
Jason snorted. "Damn right I am. That mare is a devil."
As if sensing they were talking about her, Caia butted Jason in the back, making him stumble forward a few steps. He swatted her head away with an irritated look on his face.
"When did you get over here?" Jason whisper yelled.
"She's been following us since we started," Drake said in a low voice, not taking his eyes off the creature.
Eva crept forward, careful to keep each movement slow and non-threatening. In one sense, Drake was absolutely right. This was dangerous. It always was when approaching an unknown mythological. You never knew if they'd be accepting of human presence or seek to destroy.
Human/mythological relations was a relatively new concept and there was a long history of the two not getting along. Some might even say they were natural born enemies.
Still, Eva didn't think the fire fox would put her in a situation that endangered her life.
Eva stopped when she sensed Drake's tension increase to a level that suggested he'd act if she went any closer. She didn't look away from the rock creature, crouching to make herself smaller and seem like less of a threat before aiming a gentle smile in his direction.
He shrunk behind his tree, only his eyes peering out at her, the rest of his face hidden by the trunk, even as his lower body and torso stuck out the other side.
Eva didn't move. Sometimes, with wild creatures, patience went further than anything else. Letting them come to you was always better than forcing an interaction.
Long seconds passed before the fox looked up at the gentle creature.
The two stared at each other, holding a conversation Eva could almost sense. She concentrated but only caught a low-level buzz in the back of her mind. So faint that she almost thought she'd imagined it.
As if coming to a decision, the rock creature reached up and plucked one of the white flowers from the top of his head and held it out to Eva.
"For me?" She pointed at her chest.
A low rumbling came from the mythological's throat. It put her in mind of boulders being pushed across the land, inch by slow inch. The passage of centuries encompassed in that one sound, carrying with them an invisible weight.
