Page 5 of Blood of the Sands

The dark form of my captor kneeled at the feet of another man, this one taller but slimmer—Lord Alasdar I guessed. This man was not masked, but instead contemplated me with lifeless gray eyes. The flatness of his gaze made my shoulders pull forward, as if I could hide myself from him, but I refused to cower. His clothes were lavish, loose pants and fine vest held closed by a wide sash embroidered with a pattern of snakes. A luxurious robe completed the ensemble, almost hiding the long knife shoved in his belt. As my eyes skittered across his face, reluctant to meet that calculating gaze, I noticed gray hairs peeking out from the edges of his hood and lines around his mouth and eyes.

“She looks half-dead already,” he commented dispassionately.

His dismissiveness leant some fire to my blood, and I pulled my lips back in a snarl. Even if I did not have the strength left to run away, I would not die meekly or without protest. To my dismay, he smiled at that, although it didn’t extend to his eyes.

“Although she has enough spirit left it would seem,” he continued, raising both his voice and his arms. “Tonight, we will celebrate our new alliance with Clan Ratan and thank the desert for her gifts! With our increased strength, we will return the Ballan Desert to the ways of old and give her the battle and blood she desires.”

The crowd around the clearing we stood in, which had accumulated during the brief exchange, cheered. My head swam as I tried to make sense of his words, although a grim part of my mind told me it didn’t matter. I would die at their hands whether I understood their cause or not. Perhaps this was their version of a gift—to save me from years of cruel isolation before I inevitably crumbled to dust. The desert would claim my blood, as she had longed to for many seasons.

Chapter Five

The Viper

“Take the sacrifice away, and prepare her,” Lord Alasdar ordered as the clan quieted. A shuffle behind me and the sound of feet dragging through sand indicated the riders’ obedience. I chanced a glance out of the corner of my eyes to see the woman pulled through the crowd, although she clearly tried to move under her own power.

Keera my mind supplied unhelpfully. I don’t know what had possessed me to ask for her name. It would only make it harder to watch her bleed out as Lord Alasdar’s sacrifice. I grit my teeth, the desert in my mind growing louder as she was dragged out of sight.

“Viper, come into my tent, and tell me of your travels,” Lord Alasdar continued, already turning around, clearly expecting me to follow. I stood, turning to check on Alza, who waited patiently, although her head hung in exhaustion. I patted her cheek before waving over a clansman.

“See to it she is cared for. I will check later to see that it was done properly.” I let my voice pitch low, and the man scurried to obey, paling under his deep tan.

I watched him lead her for a moment, Alza’s ears flicking back in displeasure at being cared for by a stranger, but it wasn’t wise to keep Lord Alasdar waiting. I turned away and ducked through the flap of fabric at the opening of the dwelling.

My eyes took a second to adjust to the dimness as Lord Alasdar kept all the flaps of his tent closed, blocking out the bright sun. A lantern on the table served to light the cavernous space. It was filled with a rack of fine weapons on one wall, fine rugs overlapped to create soft flooring, and dotted with lush pillows that served as seating. It was a far cry from my tent at the encampment, filled only with my sleeping mat and a few supplies. I supposed I could have a similar dwelling, but I didn’t see the point—not when I would spend most of my nights out traveling with only Alza for company if I could.

Lord Alasdar had already knelt on a low stool on the far side of a low table and beckoned me to join him. I settled myself onto a cushion across from him, putting myself at a lower height. After all, I was no more than his sword.

“Was Lord Einil easily persuaded to our cause?” he asked as soon as I sat, pouring himself a glass of dark liquid from a cut crystal pitcher. Only a single glass was on the table, and he did not move to find another, not that I would have accepted one.

“He took some forceful persuasion,” I admitted. “He was willing to fight with us, but hesitant to give up command of his riders.”

“And how did you persuade him?”

“I didn’t, but his daughter and heir was much more amenable to our demands.”

Lord Alasdar chuckled, a humorless sound. “They do not call you the Viper for nothing.”

“I am as you made me.” I bowed my head deferentially, even as I grit my teeth at his casual laughter in the face of death. I pushed those thoughts down, afraid Lord Alasdar could sense my hesitance to do what needed to be done to save the desert. After all, I owed him more than my life. I owed him my sanity, his teachings and guidance giving me the only defenses I had against the voices in my mind. He was wise, and I would do what he commanded—kill those whose death he deemed necessary.

The image of me lowering my sword after pressing it to Keera’s throat flashed through my mind, and I pushed it away. The exile would still die.

“And the girl?” Lord Alasdar prompted as if reading my mind. “Was she one of Clan Ratan?”

“No, my lord. An exile who I happened upon during my journey home.”

He huffed. “Exile? More proof that the clans have gone soft. No wonder the desert tries to purge us so. The clans of the Ballan Desert were born warriors and gave traitors the doom they deserved. Now, the traditions of Kelvadan have made us soft, and the desert herself tries to return us to our warrior’s way. The storms and thinning herds are evidence that she is not being fed the blood she deserves.”

“My lord,” was my only answer, having heard this tirade many times.

“There was another sandstorm while you were away. We lost two horses.”

My gut twisted. That was the second one in two weeks, while the last had been nearly a month before. They were growing in frequency. Nearly every day, hunters who rode out didn’t return or only stumbled back into the encampment days later on the brink of death. It hadn’t always been like this, but the desert grew harsher.

“We must unite the clans as quickly as possible. You know better than any what is at stake if we fail to take Kelvadan before the desert sees no more use for us.” Lord Alasdar gave me a hard look over the rim of his glass as he took a sip.

My hands balled into fists on my knees so hard the leather of my gloves creaked around them. I would not let that happen. I carried the blame for my home’s unrest, and setting it right was the only way to atone—and to ward off my impending madness.

“I will ride for the remaining five clans at once,” I declared, but Lord Alasdar shook his head.