Next the king motioned to Aleksi and Zolotoy,and handed Aleksi a purse containing two gold pieces.“A well-runrace, Aleksandr,” he said.“And a close one.”
Aleksi glanced at Sahar and Lasair, bothrider and horse aglow with the fine sheen of victory and exertion.“Thank you, King Asad,” he said.“It was a race well run, and oursecond place hard earned.”
The king nodded, his face suffused withpaternal pride.Sahar beamed at them, her smile doing much toassuage Aleksi’s disappointment.
Yago the Wolf drew Tor up in front of theking and held his hand out with a scowl on his face.The kinghanded him the purse of one gold piece with a terse,“Congratulations,” to which Yago answered with a wordless dip ofhis head.
Leaving the princess to enjoy her victory,Aleksi rode Zolotoy back to the stables, where he rubbed thestallion down, with Kiska supervising from her perch atop anoverturned bucket.A chorus of congratulations announced Sahar’sand Lasair’s return to the stables, and Aleksi offered his as theypassed Zolotoy’s stall.
“Congratulations,” he said as she handedLasair over to a chuckling Ratter.He stepped out of Zolotoy’sstall and Kiska jumped down from her bucket and yowled at him.Picking up the kitten, he tucked her into his hold.“Kiska too sayswell done.”
Sahar reached out and scratched the kittenunder the chin.“Tell Kiska thank you for the congratulations, andfor not biting my finger.”
Aleksi chuckled.“We are both of us workingon our manners,” he said.“Truly, you and Lasair ran a good racetoday.You beat every last man.”
She smiled, and suddenly Aleksi did not mindlosing all that much.Besides, he was still two gold pieces richerthan he had been.He reached out and pushed a loose strand of herhair behind her ear.“While I admit I generally do not like gettingbeaten,” he said with a knot in his throat, “somehow I do not mindso much getting beaten by you.”
“Well that much was obvious,” a sneeringvoice said from behind them.
Aleksi turned and faced Yago.“What do youmean by that?”
Yago flicked his gaze from Aleksi to Saharwith a condescending smirk.“You should thank this Steppe bastardfor your, victory,” he said.“He was more interested in stopping mefrom winning than he was in beating you.”
Sahar eyed Aleksi.“Is this true?”
“No,” Aleksi snorted.“You know it is not.”He glared at Yago.“Why would you say such a thing?”
Yago smiled, slowly, smugly.“Why did youswerve your horse in front of mine, blocking me from making mybreak for the finish line?”
Aleksi laughed, short and harsh.“I swervedto avoid a rock, you sniveling worm.You know you had no chance ofovertaking either of us.Admit it and accept your defeat.”
“Like you have?”Yago said.“You are littlemore than a whipped cur after a bitch in heat—”
Aleksi swung without thinking, fast, hard andsure, the smacking, sucking sound of his fist landing square onYago’s cheek giving him some small satisfaction, the sight of himslumping to the ground even more.Kiska and Sahar screeched inunison, and Kiska leapt from his arm as Sahar dropped to her kneesand felt Yago’s neck for his pulse.
“Yago was right,” she hissed.“Your mannersare those of a street cur.”
“You’re defending him?”Aleksi bellowed.“After he insulted you?”
“It was you he insulted.”
Aleksi raked a hand through his hair.Did shenot hear what the worm said?Or was she as deaf as she was blind tothe man’s faults?He glowered at her as she cradled Yago’s head inher lap.
“Don’t stand there admiring your handiwork,”she said.“Help me bring him to.”
“You are the most maddening woman I have everhad the misfortune of meeting,” he grumbled as he stomped intoZolotoy’s stall and grabbed the bucket of water.He stood overthem, debating with himself over whether he should pour the entirebucket over the both of them or hand her a dipping cloth whenRatter started cackling from Lasair’s stall.
“Like father like son,” he said.“They’s bothof ‘em got jaws brittle as dry kindle, they do.”He rubbed the sideof his nose.“Now if I only had a fresh pile o’ manure.”
“Quit your jawing, Ratter,” Sahar commanded.“Help me get him up.”
Before Ratter could even open the stall gate,Aleksi emptied the bucket over her head, grinning as her cursesmingled with the sputtering Yago’s.
Sahar took her seat of honor in the middle ofthe long table as Aleksandr took his seat to her right and Yago toher left.The other riders were able to sit where they chose, withseven of the riders choosing to sit on Yago’s side of the table andthe other ten and two, including Munir, sitting on Aleksandr’s.Sahar eyed her empty seat beside her mother at the royal family’stable with a mixture of pride and regret, for though she was proudof her victor’s seat, she would have much preferred to be amongsther loving family than between two men who could not look at eachother without baring their teeth and fisting their hands.
“So, Prince Yago,” Feroz, the merchant’s sonsaid loudly.“What happened to your face?”
Yago sneered, though whether it wasintentional or a one-sided grimace due to the swollen mass ofbruising that was his left cheek, Sahar could not tell.“I had anargument with a spilled bucket of water,” he said.
