Callum couldn't decide which he mistrusted more: the gryphon and dragon, or his own place in this mess. Yes, an extraordinary mage had trained him. Callum even admitted to himself that he had used magic well on this journey.
This trouble, however, would affect more than just him and a handful of friends. He hadn't practiced enough to take on any real trouble. Deal with dragons? No matter what his teachers had told him, he was not ready for that responsibility. Even watching their young dragon companion sent a chill through him, and it had nothing to do with the falling temperature as they climbed higher. He was, after all, one of the snow-born. He could not imagine his mother leaving to wander the woods for over twenty days until he was born far out in the wilderness. The actions were supposed to have made him braver --
"You are thinking too hard, Callum," Ryson accused. His cousin startled him, since he hadn't been walking with Callum a moment before. "What is bothering you?"
Callum stopped and stared at Ryson. "You have to be insane if nothing is bothering you."
"I have my own worries," Ryson admitted. "I assume you do as well."
"Magic," Callum answered. Ryson nodded. His cousin understood at least the basics of the problem. "I know some magic, but until this journey, I haven't used it for anything but practice. We need someone with experience."
"Do you think one is going to be waiting along the path for us?"
"I could hope so."
"The way things have been going, it might happen. But supposing someone with better qualifications -- and one we are going to trust -- is not going to drop from the sky and save us. The gryphon and dragon have accepted you in this capacity because you are what we need. Should I trust another mage of your ability? Could Kono and I work with anyone else?"
"I don't know what I am doing."
"None of us do."
"That is not reassuring."
"It is not my job to lie to you."
Callum found that one amusing, even if it was more truth than he had wanted to hear. Maybe it called for a truth in return.
"I don't know how to protect Kono," he admitted with a quick glance around to make certain she was not too close. "Too many distractions --"
"Protecting Kono is my job. You need to focus on the dragons."
"Can we trade?"
Ryson gave him a look of disbelief, his humor hardly hidden behind that mask. "You really think protecting Kono is easier? I don't even dare stand near her for too long, or she accuses me of not trusting her."
He was right, of course. She had always hated it when they tried to protect her. "That is why you are teaching her your fighting skills," Callum replied.
Ryson didn't answer. He had turned to look toward the right, where enormous boulders reached to the edge of the trail. One guard moved there and disappeared again.
"Get ready for trouble," Ryson warned. He put a hand on Callum's arm. "Keep hold of her. I will stay with the two of you as best I can."
"Ryson?" Kono said, but moved closer to Callum.
"The guard didn't give the signal. He must be a berserker, or else we have even more humans involved. Be ready for trouble."
"As if we aren't already expecting it," Kono mumbled.
Ryson turned and took three steps away before shouts started among their desert allies. The battle came only moments later as drums pounded and many of the enemy scrambled over the stony terrain.
They should have been prepared for such a problem, Callum thought. He found himself uncommonly calm as he stepped forward and engaged the first enemy. The adrenaline just wasn't there this time.
He kept focused, though. Callum took his place beside Kono while Ryson rushed back to join them. They didn't have time to talk. There were not as many berserkers as he had feared, but they seemed to have better control.
They still wanted Ryson, which made no sense to him. They had wanted his cousin to get to the Queen, and yet here she was, not drawing any extra attention. In fact, when it looked as though she was tired, two of the enemy backed away.
Callum slid over to stand beside her. Nothing changed until Ryson neared. Then the ground trembled violently. Kono took hold of Callum just as Ryson leaped forward and grabbed them both by their arms.
And then they were falling.
Downward.
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