Page 90 of Blood of the Sands

The assembled clansmen broke into scattered whispers, and I caught snippets of agreement.

“Something has to be done.”

“Lord Alasdar should have been crowned Champion at the last Trials.”

“Clan Katal will save the desert.”

I saw the truth of Clan Otush’s struggles in the too-thin faces of their women and children and the absence of so many young riders. They struggled to survive in the desert as it was now—a struggle I knew all too intimately. That desperation drove them toward what they saw as a common enemy, and I couldn’t say I blamed them.

A voice in my mind argued that Kelvadan wasn’t the right enemy. How could it be when it was home to Aderyn and Neven, who had become like family before I could even realize it? It couldn’t be the source of this turmoil when the spires were a beacon of hope and peace for so many—when the queen was fair and kind and had offered a lost exile a home and her husband had such a gentle way with horses.

I pictured the tapestry over the locked doors to Alyx’s tomb and held my tongue. I couldn’t be sure of much right now, but I was certain that these people needed our help.

“My companion and I will distract the lava wyrm while the clan escapes,” Erix instructed. The lord obviously chafed at being given orders but could see the wisdom of his words and nodded in agreement. “While we fight the beast, you can ride for Clan Katal where you will be safe among the united clans.”

“We will prepare to move while giving you a place to rest and recover for tonight. Then we can strike out in the morning,” Lord Dhara agreed.

At the decision that we would not be riding out today, Erix and I both dismounted. Clansmen moved forward as if to help us with our packs and horses, but I shook my head. Daiti didn’t take kindly to strangers, and I wouldn’t risk these clansmen earning a hoof-shaped bruise for their kindness.

Erix waved off those who approached him as well. “I prefer to tend to my own horse.”

We were shown to the enclosure where we could leave Daiti and Alza with the rest of the clan’s horses. It seemed almost wrong to have them mingle, our mounts’ shining coats and proud posture a sharp juxtaposition to the patchy coats and worn-out gait of the other horses. It threw into painful relief just how much these people suffered.

“We’ll set up a spare tent for you to use tonight,” explained the man who had shown us around.

With that, we found ourselves at loose ends for the afternoon—an odd sensation after days of hard riding. Not accustomed to sitting idle, I looked around the camp. There certainly wasn’t a lack of work to be done to get the fraying tribe ready to depart the next day.

I turned to Erix, mouth already open to say we should offer to help, when I found him gone. Looking around, I spotted him drifting toward the far side of the horse enclosure. There, a man and woman were fussing over a horse, the mare appearing to be in distress.

I trailed after him curiously.

Erix stopped a few paces away, but his stance was tense, as if he wanted to approach but didn’t know how. I stopped beside him, eyeing his fists clenching and unclenching out of the corner of my eye.

Meanwhile, the mare paced restlessly, tail swishing in irritation. She pulled her upper lip back, kicking her rear legs as the pair tried to calm her.

“What’s going on?” I asked, stepping a little closer. Erix hovered just off my shoulder.

The woman looked up, blinking a few times before recognition dawned.

“Keera, right?”

It was my turn to stare in confusion before I realized where I had seen her before. Then, I recalled her clapping me on the shoulder in congratulations after besting her in the Trials. Still, I didn’t remember her name. “Yes…”

“Badha,” she offered without judgement. “I’m sure you bested too many competitors that day to remember every name.”

“I should still do better to remember anybody as good with a blade as you,” I said.

She offered her hand to me. I took it, and we clasped each other’s forearms.

“What’s going on with this mare?” I asked again.

Badha’s smile faded. “She’s my brother, Koa’s, horse, and it’s about time for her to foal. He swears something doesn’t feel right, but our horse master—the lava wyrm has cost our clan many lives.”

Now that I looked closer, I could see the mare’s rounded belly, teats already straining, showing her delivery was just around the corner. She paced away from us, swinging her head side to side before turning back.

“I can help,” Erix cut in.

I glanced over my shoulder at him, and he stepped forward, reaching a hand out to the mare. She blew a breath at him for a moment, but then nudged forward and let him pat her nose. I remembered that Erix was not just Ginevra’s son, but Kaius’s too.