Clanless (Nameless #2)(21)

“Do you think Stone is waiting for us with the Nameless?” she asked. “Do you think he was able to escape after we left?”

“I hope so,” said Zo.

If anyone could escape the high walls of the Ram’s Gate, it was Stone. Not only was he the leader of the Nameless rebellion, he was madly in love with Eva. Zo couldn’t imagine him failing to find her again. Not when the couple had risked so much to be together. Crossing clan lines to find a mate was looked down upon by every clan, even the Wolves. It was one of the reasons it was so easy to differentiate between them.

Zo pressed her fingers into one of the Nameless tracks. “We can’t be more than half a day behind them now, if that.”

“You’re dodging my question, Wolf. I asked for your opinion, and I don’t want you to lie to me like you have the boy.”

Both Eva and Zo turned as Joshua stepped into the clearing. His whole body seemed to sag under the weight of what he’d just heard.

“You’re lying to me?” His face was so open, so trusting, Zo had to look away.

“It’s nothing, kid,” she said.

Eva threw the knife she’d been holding into the trunk of a tree. The blade sank deep into the target. “The Wolf keeps secrets from you, Joshua.”

Joshua staggered back a step. “No she doesn’t. She wouldn’t.”

Zo climbed to her feet and black dots invaded her vision. “I’m only trying to protect you, Joshua. You’ve been through so much—”

“No!” This time he shouted and Zo flinched. He stood like one of the rabbits he hunted, ready to flee.

“Tell him.” Eva folded her arms. “Both of you need to hear the words spoken out loud.”

Zo dropped to her knees and held her head. “I … I can’t.”

“Do it, Zo,” said Eva. “You must.”

Tess dropped down next to Zo, her little hands draped around Zo’s shoulders. A weak stream of energy flowed through the little girl. Comfort. Courage. Peace.

“Joshua, don’t be mad!” Tess chastised. “You’re making it worse.”

Zo pulled Tess into a hug. “He has a right to be mad, bug.” She didn’t realize tears had formed in her eyes—the first she’d shed for Gryphon. She wiped them away and took a deep breath.

“Gryphon was taken by his mess unit while trying to lead them away from our hiding place in the tree. He’s … he’s dead, Joshua. I’m so sorry.”

Joshua’s face, his entire body, constricted. He was so rigid he could barely shake his head. “I don’t believe you.” His face turned red to match his hair. “Gryphon wouldn’t leave me. He fought them. He got away.”

Zo clutched her stomach and groaned. “Gabe saw everything. He said Gryphon tried to escape, but Zander and the rest of the mess had spears.”

“No!” Joshua screamed. “Did you see his body?”

“No, but—”

“Then you don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s alive. How do you know he’s not wounded somewhere in the woods, waiting for me to come and help him?” He pointed a damning finger at Zo. “You gave up on him.” His control broke and he burst into a sob. “You left him!”

Zo put a hand to her face, as if slapped. Her careful wall of unfeeling crumbled. Tears streaked her cheeks. “We made a promise to each other. I swore to him that I would go after the Nameless if he would warn the Raven. We were going to meet at the Allied Camp.” She took a few deep breaths to collect her emotion. “I can’t let these people”—she gestured to the Nameless tracks—“die when I could lead them to safety. I left because I’m their only hope and because it was what I promised Gryphon I’d do.” She panted from the exertion of yelling, surprised that her head had stopped spinning.

A twig snapped not far away. Zo scanned the trees in that direction. Though her imagination ran wild with possible evils lurking in the trees, she didn’t see anything.

Eva tugged Tess and Joshua forward, giving Zo a pointed look. “Too loud.” She pushed them ahead of her on the trail and, thoroughly chastened, Zo followed.

The back of Joshua’s neck was bright red as they walked. His shoulders shook and he occasionally rubbed tears from his eyes, but he didn’t make a sound and never turned around. Poor Joshua. So alone in the world.

Crying made Zo tired. Her head pounded harder with every step traveled. She reached back to take her water skin from her pack and saw a flutter of movement in the trees behind her. Forgetting her water skin, Zo looked straight ahead and whispered to Eva. “We’re being followed. Get ready to run.”

Eva didn’t offer any indication that she’d heard other than her hands moving to the knives on her belt.

Before she had time to think up a plan, running footsteps charged them from behind. A man wearing a boiled leather vest caught two of Eva’s knives in his shield before tackling Zo to the ground. He rolled with her secured in his arms until she lay on top of him as a human shield.

He slowly climbed to his feet, bracing Zo’s head in his hands as though he might snap her neck if she tried to run. “You’re supposed to be dead,” said the Ram, his cheek pressed into Zo’s ear.

Adrenaline pumped through Zo. Her fingers curled into claws as she tried to break free of his grasp.