Page 135 of Mikoto and the Reaver Village
“I won’t give you the chance.” Sinder’s expression softened,and he gently ordered, “Close your eyes and count to three.”
The instant Kyrie’s eyes were closed, he knew Sinder wasaway. Even so, he dutifully spoke to the sudden emptiness at his side. “One …two … three.”
Kyrie’s pursuit began at a stroll. Everything hadhappened in such short order, he needed time to think.
His unintended snooping among the maps had given himsufficient grasp of the terrain. Sinder’s greater familiarity with these treedslopes and rocky outcroppings would definitely give him an advantage, but Kyriewasn’t without resources.Use every tool.That’s what Sinder had said.So Kyrie pondered his kit.
Surprise was a tool.
Maybe he was wrong about the spikenard and sigils giving himan unfair advantage. Sinder’s swift dismissal made Kyrie feel a little lessguilty for failing to mention that Sinder still carried Timur’s crystal. Theone that anchored the healing sigilcraft. He’d swallowed it.
What else did he have to work with?
Surprise was a tool. So was patience. And he wasn’t ready todismiss scent. Not when the winds were so willing to carry them.
Sigilcraft was one area in which Kyrie excelled, and itseemed unlikely that Sinder knew the extent of Kyrie’s skills. Especially sincehe rarely displayed all he could do.
“Kyrie?” murmured Torloo.
He turned to face his friend. A true tracker. The one withexperience in leading the hunt. Kyrie mentally added another item to his list.Teamworkwas a tool.
With a small shake of his head, Kyrie said, “I am merelyorganizing my thoughts.”
Reveille dropped into a crouch and set his hands into aposition that communicated patient expectation. Torloo also took a passiveposition. “Where you go, we will follow.”
“What if you lose sight of me?”
Torloo tipped his head to one side. “That would beinteresting. Do not let us distract you from the trail at your feet. Even if welose your trail, we can pick it up again.”
“Or his,” said Reveille in a calm undertone. “If we cannot findyou, we will focus on your prey.”
Kyrie accepted that with a nod.
He took a moment to confirm the hand signals he’d learnedfrom Annika. And by mutual assent, they put away their words. Because silencewas also a tool.
Taking a deep breath, Kyrie opened himself up to the winds.Wider than he ever had before. The green crystal in his armband tuned itself tohis desire, amplifying it. Breezes quickly gathered. Soft warbles lured theminto contact. Soft words coaxed them into collusion.
With a parting breath that lifted his hair, his invisibleallies whirled away. Almost immediately they flowed back, each bringing littleofferings, each hoping to please him.
They told him of barriers within barriers. They carried thescents of spikenard and sweat. They whispered of warriors and wolves, hiscompetition in the race to find Sinder. And one very clever wind—she was asouth wind, he knew—brought to his attention a faint chorus of crystals.
Tiny, yet true.
Kyrie listened closely, trilled encouragingly. And theiranswer was symphonic.
Slowly opening his eyes, he met Torloo’s puzzled gaze and Reveille’sunchanged attention. And smiled. “I need to run.”
“Which way?” murmured Torloo.
Kyrie thought his friend already knew the answer. He pointedconfidently in the opposite direction, where Sinder’s course through the treeswas setting off whispery chimes.
Torloo offered an approving nod. “How did you know?”
Would they believe him? Few ever did. But he told the truth.“Every tree in this forest has a voice.”
Sinder stood at attention on a rocky outcropping, listeningto the sounds of a waking forest, watching for movement amidst the trees. Thedawn patrol was still conducting careful sweeps on the opposite slope, farenough away to allow Sinder to focus on Kyrie.
Evading wolves had become a fairly routine challenge, butthe prospect of dragon pursuit had him keyed up. He needed to take care, neededto focus.
