A Girl and Her Monster (Rune Breaker) by Landon Porter

complicated.”
    Letting go of a deep breath, Kaiel nodded. His hand reached up and tipped the hat down over his eyes again. “Aren't they all? Peace. I don't want your secrets. If one of you wants to help, no one here will turn you away.”
    “Thank you.” Taylin said, sighing her relief.
    “Ru,” She glanced over at him, not letting go of his arm, “If you don't want to help, you don't have to.”
    The shapeshifter huffed and rolled his eyes. She refused to understand. It certainly wasn't that he had explained it inadequately. In fact, he chose not to even reply.
    From that, Taylin drew some conclusions of her own. Namely, that either something had to be done with the link, or Ru's understanding of it. Being linked with someone you clearly didn't like was doing Ru no favors and her attempts to accommodate him only annoyed. Time for a different tactic.
    Running a hand through the savaged red locks on her head, she trudged forward. “Lead on, Kaiel.”
    Kaiel had been watching the entire exchange with an analytical eye, finding it interesting. “I'm sure the clan and the village will be most grateful.” He took the horse by the bridle and wheeled it around toward her. “Here. You can ride back, I've got spells to give me endurance afoot.”
    Before Taylin could refuse, a spike of rueful amusement and keen interest that subverted the white noise of annoyance in the link made her start. Ru barked out a laugh so wicked that it made the halfling who was still covering him with the crossbow re-center his aim.
    “ You are a wizard?” the incredulity dripped from his words.
    Kaiel reverted to the expression of a teacher going over the lesson the tenth time. “No. I already said as much. I'm a chronicler on the path of the loreman. It's a bit like a wizard to those outside, but the source isn't the same and there's a certain style to what we do.”
    “A charlatan in other words.”
    That had Kaiel fuming. “And what is it that you know of wizards? I see you wasting spellwork to float about, but I've yet to see any true capability.”
    Cruelty and blood-lust almost overwhelmed Taylin as they rushed into the link. “Would you like to see?”
    Ru. Stop.
    A heavy, cold feeling clamped down on the link. Ru fell silent before the sentence was done, the anticipatory grin faded into his expert mask of neutrality. “Yes, Miss Taylin.”
    Kaiel glanced between them, trying to figure out what had just transpired.
    Taylin was left with a sick feeling once again rolling in her gut. She hated herself for that, but she could only imagine what would have happened if she hadn't ordered Ru to... It was then that she felt the growing smug satisfaction.
    You did that on purpose!
    He didn't reply, but he didn't try and hide how pleased he was at provoking her to issuing an order either.
    Taylin's jaw tightened and she made sure he felt her anger in the link. She tried and failed to keep it out of her voice. “You can ride, Kaiel. I'm used to long marches. Let's just get moving.”
    It didn't take training from the Bardic College to tell Kaiel that the two had fought without words. And it took even less training not to question it. Hand still on his mount's bridle, he turned the horse fully and started up the slope. Once under way, he motioned to the halfling, who eased the crossbow and stored the quarrel before stalking silently over to join him.
    “Bromun matei-Frocture, I would like to introduce you to Taylin.” He said, knowing full well that Bromun heard the entire exchange. “Taylin, this is Bromun matei-Frocture, beloved hunter of the Clan of the Winter Willow.”
    The little man nodded to her. “May the One Dice favor your path, Taylin” His voice, like his face, were younger than his expressions, but Taylin had never met a halfling before to know if that was normal or not.
    In the culture of slave soldiers, friendly, formal greetings weren't the norm. “To you as well.” She managed.
    As they neared the top of the hill,