Page 35 of Blood of the Sands

A crimson slash split the air where the warlord of Clan Ratan sat on his horse, saber raised as he charged at my back. The assembled riders watched in silence as he froze, blood bubbling from his lips and the realization dawning in his eyes that he was already dead.

Crimson splattered the faces of his comrades behind him from the force of my slash, stark against their ashen skin as their leader slid sideways off his horse. He crumpled to the ground, already a corpse, thick blood blackening the sand around him.

I looked to the sky and breathed deeply. My head swam as if after too much laka, drunk on the swift rush of power that came with such decisive use of my magic. The voices in my mind purred in contentment as the desert drank in her sacrifice.

“Move out.” Izumi barked orders as she kneed her mount up next to me. “The horse master will handle his mount. We still have training to do.”

The riders were silent as they arranged themselves on the plain for our mock battles. Izumi gave me a small nod, but her eyes narrowed at me. I just turned away from the crumpled form on the sand, trotting after the other riders.

When I walked into Lord Alasdar’s tent, the dusk air was heavy. I pushed aside the entrance flap, and fragrant smoke met my senses, even as dulled as they were behind the sheet of metal.

Lord Alasdar sat cross legged by the fire, eyes closed and hands clasped in a pose of meditation. The heavy smell of incense in the air stirred memories within me, accompanied by fear and overwhelming relief.

“Your control slips today.” He didn’t open his eyes as he spoke.

I nodded, but he could not see me and required no response anyway.

“You killed today, but it did not bring you peace.”

“The riders question you and resist joining together. Without their combined forces, we will not breach Kelvadan. I will not allow us to fail.”

Lord Alasdar opened his eyes to look at me, almost luminescent in their paleness, despite the dim light. “That is not why your magic fights you, though.”

I did not answer, but again, he required no reply. He could feel the roiling under my skin.

“There have been no more storms or strange beasts these past weeks. All our hunters have returned safely, not drawn astray by the desert to lose their way and die of exposure. But the magic that holds the world together seems to shiver in anticipation, waiting for something.”

The fire crackled in the silence.

“We will give it what it waits for.” The flames reflected in Lord Alasdar’s wide eyes, making them flash a fiery orange for a moment.

The confidence in his gaze calmed me, but not as much as it normally did. We would destroy Kelvadan and restore to the desert what she had lost. Still, the closer we came to our goal, the further I seemed to slip from the peace that so eluded me.

“I can tell it is testing your control. I have felt the surges of power from you all week.” Lord Alasdar’s tone was sympathetic. “You have kept it leashed, but you must grow tired. Let me help you.”

His hand drifted toward the fire where a metal bar already lay growing red hot. I nodded, untying my belt and letting my leather vest and tabards fall open. I shrugged it off along with my tunic before kneeling by Lord Alasdar.

The neat rows of brands ran across my upper shoulders, extending to the lower points of my shoulder blades by this point. Tonight, we would add more.

I clenched my fists on my legs to keep my hands from shaking even as my mouth grew dry. I hated that I had not yet purged the fear that came over me before Lord Alasdar’s lessons. Even so, I forced myself to sit still, screwing my eyes shut behind my mask, glad for the protection from his scrutiny. I would bear the pain, and in return, I would be granted peace from the swirling awareness of the desert constantly murmuring in the back of my mind.

“Bite your tongue. I don’t want to bother the camp,” Lord Alasdar instructed as he pulled the sizzling poker from the flames.

I bowed my head and stayed silent, as I had for many years.

Izumi found me as I moved through my forms the next morning. My eyelids were heavy with exhaustion from a lack of sleep the night before. I preferred to rest on my back, but three new charred lines across my ribs made that impossible.

With her brown hair darkened with sweat and a sunburned flush disguising her freckles, it was clear she had just returned from her morning run. It was a ritual she had followed since I had joined Lord Alasdar, her having been a member of Clan Katal even before he rose to command.

She set her hands on her hips and observed me with sharp eyes as I finished my second form, working hard to suppress a grimace as a twist stretched the skin on my back.

“You visited Lord Alasdar’s tent last night.” Her tone was emotionless, but I felt the hidden question behind her words.

I only nodded in response to her observation.

“Does he have any new plans I should know of?”

And there it was, the subtle tinge of frustration that undercut so many of my interactions with Izumi every time we spoke of Lord Alasdar. She always asked me if he had any new plans, as he never called her into his tent, even though she commanded the riders when I was gone.