Clanless (Nameless #2)(15)

Craw slapped Gryphon on the shoulder, startling him. “I hope you’re ready, little lamb. It’s your turn.”





Two strangers stepped from the shadows. It was just light enough to see the feather necklaces and the paint smeared on their already dark skin. They kept a safe distance from Zo and the others, holding up their hands to show they held no weapons.

“We saw the smoke of your fire,” said a man whose face was cast in shadow.

The young woman at his side stepped forward. Her skin was the same warm tone as her companion’s. Her eyes slanted just enough to make her look exotic. “We’re tired from traveling and hoped you’d have news of the clans.”

Zo jumped in, before Joshua or Eva spoke and gave away their Ram accents. “Who are you?” It was customary for the intruder to make the first introductions.

The two figures took a couple of steps forward to let the lingering light of the fire embers touch their faces. The man was smaller than the Ram and Wolves, but his lean form was still potentially dangerous. His dark eyes swept over the camp and settled on Zo. His head was shaved at the sides, leaving a stripe of black hair down the center. The woman at his side let her hands hang casually from the strap of her pack. Though she was even smaller, and her lips fuller, the resemblance between the two was unmistakable.

“I am Talon and this is my twin sister, Raca. We are traveling home to the Raven after a long journey south.”

Zo wondered if they came from the Allied Camp but didn’t want to reveal too much about her knowledge of Commander Laden and the Allies. Enemies of the cause would kill for that kind of information—especially the Ram.

The Raven girl called Raca hitched up her pack and smiled. “We usually avoid smoking fires, but I made Talon stop when I saw your group. It isn’t every day you find other women outside of the protection of a clan.”

Talon took another step forward. “We mostly just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

Zo looked to Eva, who shook her head from right to left. “No,” she mouthed, while keeping a firm hold on both of her knives. Joshua was more relaxed, looking to Zo for his cue to attack. His confidence in her was terrifying. No matter their talks of assets and liabilities; in that moment it was clear that they all saw her as their leader. A poor decision.

Zo had no other choice but to follow her gut instinct. If these people were Raven then they needed to know about the Ram’s plans to attack their clan. “You are welcome at our fire.”

Talon and Raca relaxed and walked over to their circle.

“Tell me,” said Talon in his slow-paced Raven accent, “how do two young women, a boy, and a child find themselves outside of clan protection only a day’s journey from Ram’s Gate?”

Eva waved her knife in front of Talon’s nose. “This is our fire, Bird. You have no business asking questions.”

At hearing Eva’s harsh Ram words, Talon immediately drew his own blade, with Raca and Joshua following suit.

Zo’s hands shot out to calm the circle. “Enough. Eva, put that away. Joshua.”

One by one, the circle rested their weapons in their laps, though none went so far as to sheath them.

“You’re a Ram,” said Raca to Eva. “I’ve never met a Ram woman before. For some reason, I always imagined they grew beards and had thighs the size of tree trunks. You’re actually kind of pretty.”

“A compliment? Charming.” Eva twisted the knife in her hand.

Joshua snorted, and the dying coals of the fire crackled.

Talon studied Zo. “We don’t mean to be rude, Ram. It’s not every day you see a pair of Ram and a pair of Wolves enjoying the same fire.”

Joshua said, “How did you know that Zo was a—”

“Wolf?” finished Talon. “Well, look at her. Long neck, elegant lines, the feminine curve of her jaw. It’s easy to spot.”

“You can stop staring,” said Joshua in a hard tone at odds with his usual affable nature. “She is not yours to look at.”

“Joshua!” The last thing Zo needed was Joshua picking a fight with this Raven.

“No, he’s right.” Talon rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the deepening blue of the night sky. “I didn’t mean to stare.” He glanced back at her, and one side of his lips curled into a half smile. “You’re very pretty.” He cleared his throat. “And that is why I’m concerned about you all. I doubt you’ll make it to the Wolves alive, if that’s where you’re headed.”

“We aren’t traveling all the way to the Valley of Wolves,” said Zo. “We’re tracking a group of Nameless. They had two day’s head start on us after we all escaped Ram’s Gate.”

Raca and Talon exchanged a long look and, without a word spoken between them, snatched up their packs and stood. “We better be moving,” said Raca with an apologetic smile. “It was nice meeting you all.” She said it like a eulogy. As if there was no way a group of defenseless women could escape the Gate and live to see another day.

“Wait!” said Zo, “There is something you should know. I have news of the Raven.”

She took a deep breath and told them that the Ram had discovered the secret location of the Nest and were marching there now. As she spoke both Raca and Talon sank back to the ground as though the weight of a boulder rested upon their shoulders.