[This post is from Cameron’s point of view.]
Cameron grinned back, swinging from the saddle. “Complications back home, but that doesn’t matter now. I’ve brought trade goods and supplies for you and your people.”
“Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re very glad you made the trip.” Lara took both of his hands in hers and squeezed. “Especially since the look in your eye tells me you bloody well needed a break from whatever’s going on back home.”
Cameron choked on a laugh, squeezing her fingers before turning to start unhitching the pack horse from his mount’s saddle. “Maybe I do—maybe I did.” He leaned against his mount’s flank for a moment before glancing back to Lara. “What have you heard? Anything?”
Lara’s brow arched slightly and she regarded him with a long, measuring look. “Are you asking if we’ve run into other travelers, or are you asking me something else?”
He sighed. “I don’t know what I’m asking,” he admitted. “I don’t know. I just thought maybe—I guess I thought maybe you’d have seen or heard or felt something, maybe something different than we have.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “Is that all? This and that, mostly. There were some travelers that passed through that, like all of us, were unlucky enough to survive the end of the world. They didn’t seem as attuned as the rest of us.” She took his horse’s reins and let him concentrate on untethering the packhorse—and marshalling his thoughts. “I’ve felt other powers, though—close, too close for my comfort, to be honest. I went with some outriders to check on what it could be but we found nothing.”
“Let me guess,” Cameron murmured. “It came from the direction of the lake, didn’t it?”
Lara blinked. “How did you—”
“We’ve seen him,” Cameron said. “He pretended not to threaten us, pretended that he wanted to be our friend, but I don’t think any of us bought it.”
“Who is it?”
“Leviathan,” Cameron said. “His name was Leviathan.”
