“I do.”
“Then I swear,” she said solemnly, and thengrinned wickedly.“Remember, I still have my own blade to use at mydiscretion.”
“I well remember your blade, my tigress,” hesaid, cupping his stones and wagging his brows at her, “andyour—discretion.”
“Ahem.”
They both looked to Munir, who lifted hischin toward where the king sat astride Storm Chaser, the flag withhis family’s crest flapping in the chill autumn wind.
“The rules of the race are simple,” the kingcalled out as the crowd went quiet.
“The course is marked by flags and manned bymy guards, who will keep a tally of the riders who pass thecheckpoints and when.They will provide you with aide if you needit, but then you are out of the race.You may ride from first lightto last, but not at night.This is for your horse’s safety, notyours.You will follow these rules on your oath and honor.”Hepaused for emphasis.“Any rider found breaking these rules will bedisqualified from this and any future race.”He glanced out acrossthe line of riders.“Do you so swear to abide by these rules?”
A chorus of male voices, and one lone female,answered.“I so swear.”
The king held his flag high.“On your marks,”he called out.
She tightened her grip on Lasair’s reins.
“Set.”
She shifted higher on her saddle.
“Go.”
The king slashed the flag down and she gaveLasair a quick squeeze of her knees.Though the race would coverone hundred leagues and taking the lead this early would meannothing in the end, she knew how much it signified to thespectators now, especially to those who had wagered on certainriders and their horses, and she was determined not to disappointany and all who had been brave, or mad enough, to wager on her, theonly woman in a field of ten and seven male riders.
Lasair leapt forward and within ten paces shewas in the lead, with Zolotoy and Kedar flanking her on eitherside.The crowd lined the road to the city’s borders, cheering theriders on and yelling out encouragement and instructions to theirfavorites until the road turned onto a path and then open field,where the riders let their mounts slow to an easier pace.For thenext eighty or so leagues the race would be all about keeping asure and steady pace and not getting injured.If a horse and ridermade it that far, the last twenty leagues would require every lastreserve of speed and endurance they had.
Right now, they were coming up on the firstof many river crossings.
Sahar slowed her breathing as her mother hadtaught her to do when confronted by difficult situations, andcalled on her courage, as her father had taught her.GrippingLasair’s reins and a hunk of her mane in both hands, she urged themare into the water, her breathing speeding up to match the rapidbeat of her heart despite her best efforts.
“You plunged right in this time,” Aleksandrsaid loudly, his voice carrying over the yells of men and thesplashing of horses as he maneuvered Zolotoy to Lasair’s downriverside.“Well done.”
She nodded, unable to unlock her clenched jawto answer.She glanced over to her other side as Kedar’s bobbinghead came even to Lasair’s and gave Munir a weak grin.Then sheconcentrated on the far shore, breathing a little easier with eachstroke closer.At last, Lasair’s feet hit the river bottom and shebreathed a heavy sigh of relief as they emerged onto dry ground.Lasair shook the water from her coat and Sahar pried her frozenfingers from the mare’s mane, drug a ragged breath in and let itout in a whoosh.Aleksandr and Munir were both watching herclosely.
“Are you two going to flank me every watercrossing of this race?”she said, welcoming the more familiarwarming flash of anger.
“It depends,” Aleksandr said.
“On what?”
“On how far the last crossing is from thefinish line.”
By unspoken agreement, Aleksi laid hisbedroll out on one side of Sahar’s and Munir laid his out on theother.Aleksi set his short sword between his bedroll and Sahar’sas Munir tucked his under each side of his bedroll.
“Are you certain you want your sword where Ican reach it?”she asked pointedly as she pulled the saddle bagwith her provisions into her cross-legged lap.
Aleksi lowered himself into the sameposition, groaning a little as his hips popped and the tightmuscles of his lower back released.“You should know by now thateverything I do is for a reason,” he told her.
“What is your reason for acting like myguard-dog this race?”
Aleksi glared out over several smallcampfires along the creek’s shore to where Yago, Taweel, and theJackal had set up for the night.“You know why.”
“I know why Munir is,” she said, shooting theking’s man a quick look over her shoulder as he stood and strolledover to a copse of trees.“My father ordered him to.”The goldspecks in her eyes glowed in the fire’s light as she pinned Aleksiwith her gaze.“Why are you?”
Aleksi had never lied to her—well, except forwhen he’d told her they were nothing to each other.He didn’t wantto lie to her now.But he’d sworn to the king that he would notbetray their bargain, and he meant to keep that vow as much for theking’s sake as his own.He knew in his marrow that she would neverforgive him for taking payment from her father to protect her.Though he couldn’t say what they actually were to each other,whether they were friendly strangers, two people physically drawnto each other despite their positions in life, or simplywell-matched competitors, he knew bone-deep that they weren’tnothing to each other.
