We had no trouble finding the humans. They were arguing. Loudly.
Golden Mane didn't even bother to circle. He dropped straight into the mass of fifteen humans who were yelling and shoving each other.
Then they were screaming.
"Shut up if you want to survive! I am not in the mood to put up with this noise!"
I slid off Gold, who was giving the humans a glare that could have led to trouble at another time. Golden Mane was a battle warrior, even if he preferred spending time with Adon. I suppose they found trouble enough wandering around the borderlands. It was like that when I traveled with them.
I looked back at the humans. They were not as happy to see me as they should have been. There were problems out here I was only starting to sense, and I wished I could talk to Adon and Gold in private. I knew if I tried, the humans would not take it well. Insane was the word that came to mind.
I feared we would soon have unpleasant company. Most likely, it would be magical because few non-magical creatures of any intelligence stuck around.
Adon slid down beside me. He gave a slight nod to the right, so I knew he was aware of the new problem. I didn't have time to deal with the humans, but I had no choice.
"Sit down," I ordered. "Go to those boulders and sit down, or I swear I will have Golden Mane pick you up and put you there."
Gold stood up, ready to move. The humans hurried to where I pointed, but by then I didn't have enough energy left to lecture them. Adon understood and took over, explaining first that we were fae, getting that out of the way before anything else. Some of the humans sneered, but Gold made a sound of displeasure. No one argued. I considered that a miracle.
While Adon patiently dealt with the humans, I leaned back and did a quick scan of the group. It wasn't hard to find the one I wanted. He tried to hide his magic as he took a couple of steps backward, paused again, one more step -- trying to reach some cover and a chance to escape.
My first thought was to jump up, race over to him, and beat the hell out of him. I gave up that idea when I realized my legs wouldn't hold me.
"Adon," I said softly and nodded in Mesar's direction.
My cousin moved like the wind, leaving a spray of sand in his wake. Being fae, I was used to it. The humans mostly shouted and screamed, but they did not run, even when Adon dragged Mesar back and threw him at Gold's feet.
The lion obligingly put a paw on Mesar's chest. Everyone went silent.
"Why did you try to kill Karo?" Adon demanded.
"I didn't," he protested.
I snarled in return, but there was a problem. He sounded sincere. It is very hard for a fae to lie, especially without using magic. Adon even cast a surprised look in my direction. Gold lifted his paw.
Mesar sat up, but he moved slowly. "I went to look for Karo. There had been an odd touch of magic in the air ever since we stopped at the cache. At first, I thought it was just a part of the site. We were loading up, so I put out a feeler for Karo. I got back chaos. Before I could find him, someone hit me on the back of the head. A couple of others found me and thought I had fallen."
"Karo was hit as well," Adon said as he examined Mesar. "That is what drew me here. Who sent you to this group, and what did they want?"
"I was sent by . . . Someone who mistrusted Karo --"
"Well, that narrows it down," I replied.
Adon frowned at me, but Mesar almost grinned before he continued. The humans were remarkably quiet. If they'd had any magic to communicate, I would have been worried. What about those others? They had gone silent and still. I trusted them far less than I trusted the humans.
I had the distinct feeling that we were running out of time, and I couldn't even guess at our goal.
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