Page 65 of Blood of the Sands

“The desert’s most sacred tradition is spilling blood, and you are too much of a coward to do so even when it would save us a war. Kill the Viper, and Lord Alasdar and the clans who wish to march against Kelvadan will be crippled.”

The queen shifted next to me, and a moment of silence echoed through the stone room. Her lack of response weighed heavy, settling like a blanket over us.

“You will be allowed to return to Clan Tibel, but your lord will be informed of your actions. He will decide your punishment, whether it is to be exile or worse,” she finally said, her voice dangerous and soft.

I suppressed a flinch at the thought of his exile. It was not a fate I wished on any.

At this, the man’s stony façade shattered, and he tipped his head back and laughed. “You think I will be punished for trying to kill the Viper? When he is the one responsible for the death of Lord Einil of Clan Ratan, my lord’s cousin.” The fighter shook his head with a broad smile that did not reach his eyes. “His only disappointment will be that I did not succeed.”

“You will be escorted from the city and beyond the encampment by the guard. If you should try to return, they will use all necessary force to stop you,” Queen Ginevra declared. With that she turned on her heel and strode away in a swirl of green linen.

I stood stunned for a moment, head swirling, before my mind caught up with my body, and I turned after her. I chanced one glance behind me before leaving the room, but the man was back to staring at his lap, sitting just as he had when he entered.

The queen stormed up the stairs, clearly angry but somehow managing to maintain her dignity in the process. It wasn’t until we stopped on a balcony overlooking the city and the encampment beyond that I cleared my throat.

“What did you want me for?”

Queen Ginevra sighed, leaning her forearms on the railing. For the first time, the silvery hairs at her temple made her look weary.

“You saved a man’s life today,” she answered.

I stayed silent, but she didn’t continue, so I thought she might be waiting for a response.

“I would have done it for anybody.” For some reason, I bit back the admission that I had saved his life in the team challenge as well. Then I would have to dissect why I kept going out of my way to save a man who was supposed to be my mortal enemy.

“But it wasn’t just anybody. He is your greatest enemy in the Trials and to Kelvadan.”

I clasped my hands tightly behind my back, waiting to see where she was going with her speech.

Queen Ginevra looked me over carefully “You would have good reason to want him dead, and I must thank you twice over for not letting him be killed.” She took a deep breath as if to plunge headfirst into a pit of sinking sand. “I’ve never told you about my son.”

I blinked, but apparently my expression didn’t convey adequate surprise to convince her of my ignorance.

“You knew?”

“I’d heard you had a child,” I admitted.

“He died—or at least we thought he had—ten years ago. He was… troubled. So intensely powerful that we feared he would suffer from the same madness as Kelvar. Even as a baby he was hard to calm, a whirlwind of emotion in human skin. We tried our best to help suppress his power, but the desert spoke to him so strongly, he lost control often. One night, he snuck out of the city and wandered into the desert. We searched and searched, but never found him. We assumed he faced the same fate as his great-grandfather.

“But I then I heard his voice behind that mask, and it was like seeing a ghost. I’ve prided myself on my diplomacy my whole life, and for the first time, I’ve been disarmed by my opponent.”

“I’m sorry.” It was a horrible thing to say, but it was the only thing there was. After so many years with only myself to talk to, poignant sentiments were beyond me. I could only hope to help through action.

“And I’m sorry to saddle you with this burden, knowing you will likely have to face him in the duels.” For the first time ever, the queen looked tired. A few hairs in her perfectly braided crown slipped out as she scratched her head, and something heavy and uncertain settled in the pit of my stomach.

As the Trials went on, the simple charge of emerging victorious became more fraught. It reminded me of my apparent brush with death in the survival challenge.

I cleared my throat. “When we were stranded in the desert…”

The queen’s gaze sharpened—the heart-aching exhaustion was gone, only to be replaced with the fierce political observation once more. “Somebody tried to kill you?”

“I thought I had an adverse reaction to the drug that was used on us, but the rider of Clan Tibel’s words make me think that I was poisoned,” I admitted. “I fell ill after I drank from a spring.”

“Was anybody nearby that could have poisoned it?”

My heart skipped. “Axlan of Clan Tibel. He pointed me toward the water when we happened on each other.”

The queen summoned a guard.