Chaitton looked at his sister. Something passed between them without words. The particular language of siblings who've survived things together. My sister should not have come alone, Chaitton said finally. This is true, but she is here and you are here and none of us returns to camp with 200 horses by standing in the dark arguing about whose fault this is.
So what are you saying? Ezra asked. I am saying three fools together survive better odds than one fool and one furious woman traveling separately. Chaitton's mouth twitched almost a smile gone before it fully arrived. I am saying we go together or we all die separately arguing about it.
Ayanna's jaw tightened. I don't need protecting Chaitton. I did not say protecting. I said together. He held her gaze until something in her posture eased just slightly.
You have never once in your life needed protecting, sister. You have simply needed people smart enough to stay out of your way while you do what needs doing. That finally drew something close to a real smile from her. Small, fast, gone almost before Ezra caught it. But he caught it.
"Fine," she said. together. She turned to Ezra and for the first time since the arrow had split the dark, her voice carried something other than suspicion. "You understand what's ahead of us," she said. "10 armed men, maybe more, holding 200 animals that don't belong to them in country that swallows careless riders whole." "This isn't a story where the stranger rides in and saves everyone alone. If you're here for glory, turn back now.
I'm not here for glory. Then why? He thought about lying. Thought about giving her some smaller, easier answer. Instead, he told her the truth, plain as he could make it.
Because I know what it's like to watch everything you love get taken and have nobody willing to help you get it back. I couldn't stop that man 11 years ago. I can't undo what happened to my family. His voice roughened just slightly before he pulled it steady again. But I can stop him from doing it to somebody else.
That's the whole reason. It's not complicated. Ayanna studied him a long moment. The fire popped between them, throwing light across three faces that an hour ago had been strangers with weapons drawn. All right, Ezra Colton, she said finally, his name spoken careful like she was testing the weight of it.
Together then, but you follow where the ground tells us to go. This is our land, our people, our fight first. You are here because our fight happens to be yours too, not the other way around. Understood. And if you slow us down, Chaitton added, settling by the fire like the matter was closed.