Forest of Ruin (Age of Legends 3)

When they reached the longer grass, they discovered why it was longer--the ground was moist, almost bog-like. Once Moria had gotten as close as she dared, she settled in. Daigo appeared, slinking through the grass. She scratched him behind the ears and said, "I'm fine. Go back to Tyrus," and he chuffed and left.

"I'm fine, too," Gavril called after him.

Daigo snorted as he crept away through the grass. Once he was gone, Moria discovered an advantage to their spot--they were downwind of the encampment, which meant they could likely hear better than Tyrus. When she caught faint voices, she glanced over to ask Gavril if he heard them, and found him watching her with a look she knew well.

"What have I done now?" she whispered.

"Nothing."

"You have something to say."

"This is not the time."

A few more moments, then she sighed. "Say it. I cannot concentrate with you giving me a look that says you wish to speak."

"I can speak anytime I wish."

She growled under her breath and turned away, saying, "You are in a mood."

"I am not in a mood. Perhaps you are."

"Enough, Kitsune. We aren't going to argue about who is in an argumentative mood. If you wish to say something to me, do it so we may get back to listening."

More silence. Just as she caught a voice from the camp, Gavril said, "We still need to speak."

She tried not to growl again. "On what?"

"Me. What I did. The rest of it. I know it will not . . ." He shifted position. "It will change nothing, but Tyrus has heard it all, and I would prefer you heard it from me."

"He would never tell me your story. That is yours."

"But he might allude to it, thinking you already know. I am not saying we need to speak now, Keeper. I'm simply asking that you allow me to finish, when there is time."

"All right."

He paused. Then said, "You agreed too readily. You are trying to silence me."

"Yes, blast it, I'm trying to silence you so I can listen."

She could hear voices now. One raised, telling someone to stop something.

"I realize you are--" he began.

A cry cut him off. A sudden and high-pitched cry, and her first thought was of the shadow stalkers, but it was a far more ordinary sound. The cry of a child. Moria went still, straining to hear, and Gavril did the same.

She caught a man's voice. Telling the child to stop her howling or he'd give her a reason to howl. Then another child--a boy--said that the girl was only frightened and yelling at her didn't help.

"I . . . I know that voice," Moria whispered.

"Niles," Gavril said.

She looked over, surprised that he would actually recognize the voice of a child from Edgewood, let alone know his name.

"He used to come around the barracks," Gavril said. "He said he was looking for chores, but I suspect he was watching our lessons, hoping to learn how to use a sword, which I told him was pointless for his caste."

"But it is Niles." She looked toward the camp, which had gone quiet now. She turned quickly back to Gavril.

"We've not found the shadow stalkers. We've found--"