She turned her head to the right. I squinted into the sunlight and spotted a distant brown cloud of dust that meant riders. My first thought was of danger. We needed to hide. Except if they had followed us, why would Kiki stop here? Kiki didn’t wait for me to make up my mind. She walked in their direction. I hurried to catch up.
When we crested a mound, all worries melted. Two horses headed our way. I recognized Rusalka and Leif in front, but when I focused on the unfamiliar second horse, my apprehension reappeared in a heartbeat. Not Valek, but Devlen and Reema.
A thousand awful scenarios played through my mind about why Valek wasn’t with them. By the time they drew closer, I was all but convinced he’d been captured. Or killed.
Leif shot me a wide grin when he stopped Rusalka next to Kiki. Faint bruises darkened his face. Dirt and blood stained his travel clothes, and he appeared tired.
“I’m so glad to see you.” Leif hopped off the saddle and pulled me into a hug. “When Fisk’s people said you’d passed by over ten days ago, I worried you wouldn’t wait for us.” He released me and peered around. “Wait. We’re far from the shelter. What happened? Where’s Mara?”
“She’s fine. She’s back at camp with the others.” I gestured to Kiki. “We went for a ride, and she must have sensed Rusalka and decided to intercept you.”
“Where’s the camp?”
Unable to hold it in any longer, I asked, “Where’s Valek?”
“He’s fine.” Leif grabbed my arm to steady me. “He stayed behind to wait for Opal.”
“Why?” I glanced at Devlen and Reema. Both looked equally exhausted, although Reema waved and smiled at me.
“Long story. I’ll tell you later. How far is the camp?”
“Another day at least.”
He frowned. “That must have been some ride.”
“We’ve all been so worried about you. And I would stay with you, but Onora will have a fit if I don’t return.” Probably too late. We’d been gone most of the afternoon.
“Onora?”
“Valek didn’t tell you about Cahil?”
“No, but we were together for only a few hours.”
“It’s a long story, as well. At least we’ll have lots to talk about while we wait for Valek and Opal.” And that reminded me. Mara. She needed Leif. “On second thought, maybe you should go on ahead, and I’ll stay with Reema and Devlen.”
Leif stilled. “Why?”
I led him away from young ears and told him about her terrifying experience.
A cold, hard fury blazed in his gaze. “I’ll kill them.”
“She might beat you to it.”
He grabbed my arms. “What are you talking about?”
I explained how she was training to be “dangerous.”
He released his painful grip on my biceps. “Oh, no, she’s not. I’m not allowing her to get involved in any more danger.”
Remembering Mara’s where-you-go-I-go declaration, I asked, “Does that mean you’ll stay away from danger, as well?”
He growled at me. “Of course not.”
“Then good luck with that.”
He huffed with annoyance, then strode back to Rusalka. “Where’s the camp?”
“I’m sure Kiki has told Rusalka the location. Please tell Onora where I am.”
“All right.” Leif mounted and urged his horse into a gallop. They soon disappeared.
“Are we stopping for the night?” Devlen asked.
Kiki grazed nearby. She needed more time to recover. “Yes. You both look like you could use the rest.”
“Leif’s been setting a fast pace.” Devlen dismounted stiffly, then helped Reema down. “Reema, please go find some branches to start a fire.”
She ran her hands through her curls, dislodging a few clumps of dried mud. “You know I’ll find out what happened to Aunt Mara eventually. No need to send me off so the adults can talk.”
“Reema.” His warning tone did nothing to discourage her.
She shrugged but did as he asked.
“She is very perceptive,” Devlen said. “Although in this case, it does not take a genius to guess Mara is the reason for Leif’s dismay.”
I filled him in as I helped him take care of his horse, who was introduced to me as Sunfire.
His reaction to Mara’s rough treatment matched Leif’s. “I shall be happy to assist them both in ensuring those men are punished.”
That evening, Reema told me an elaborate campfire tale. I listened without interrupting. By the end, when she finished with how she’d helped Valek rescue her father and Leif, I’d learned quite a bit about Reema. She would be a force to be reckoned with in the future. The very near future, if she had any say in the matter.
“Why is Valek waiting for Opal?” I asked Devlen.
Lines of worry etched his face, but he tried to keep his tone light as he explained her trip to find Master Magician Zitora. While he talked, Reema snuggled closer to her father.
I remained sitting, despite my heart urging me to jump up and down at the possible good news. Instead, in an effort not to get my hopes up regarding Zitora, I asked, “Was Opal successful?”