Page 61 of Heart of the Desert

With a wheezing sob of her own, Badha threw herself down atop Izumi, and together they wept. I couldn’t help the few tears that tracked from my own eyes down my chafed and sunburned cheeks as I squeezed my eyes shut.

It was then that I noticed the quiet. Where there had been screams and chaos when I dived in after Izumi, now the air was relatively still, besides the sound of Izumi and Badha weeping in each other’s embrace.

I opened my own eyes and pulled back from Erix’s chest, and although he let me, he still left his arms looped around my waist. I didn’t want to sever our physical connection either, afraid that it would pull apart our new and fragile bond again.

Aderyn seemed to have sensed what I did, looking around. “It’s quiet. The desert has calmed.”

The crunch of boots on baked earth approached.

“It seems you all don’t just exaggerate the perils of the desert to keep away outsiders.”

Standing at the edge of the harrowed circle, with copper hair gleaming in the sun and scarred cheek twisted with a scowl, was General Warrick.

Chapter twenty-one

Erix

Cold steel snaked up my spine at the sight of the General from Doran. I didn’t want to let go of Keera—I was still shaken by the terror that had overtaken me when I made it through the obstacles between us, only to see Keera floundering against the heavy wet sand that threatened to engulf her.

Now though, she pulled out of my grasp and scrambled to her feet. I followed suit, standing at her shoulder with my hand on my sword.

Warrick held up his hands, palms out. “I come in peace,” he insisted.

“You’ve said that before,” Keera grit out.

“And I wasn’t lying then either. I wanted peace with Kelvadan, but you sided with my enemies,” he pointed out. “But this time, I am truly here as an ally. Well, her ally.” He gestured to Izumi, who still knelt on the ground, but seemed to be coming back to herself and her wits.

“The ally of our enemy is our enemy too,” I said. I had not forgotten how Warrick had undermined Keera’s rule at every turn trying to put me on the throne. But he had also supplied the antidote to Calix’s poison that had saved Keera’s life.

“There are many things we might be besides enemies and allies. Neither of us wants Calix to retain control of Kelvadan—not when it could allow him to mount a cavalry that would tip the scales of the war between Doran and Viltov.” Warrick crossed his arms across a broad chest. He wore a plate of metal across his torso, at odds with the light leather and minimal armor worn by most in the desert. It would be too heavy to be practical when traveling long distances on horseback.

“You went behind my back,” Keera observed, her tone flinty.

“I did not,” Warrick insisted. “Once I figured out that clan lords did not bow to the Monarch of Kelvadan, but remained sovereign in their own right, I realized there might be many ways to treat with the people of the desert. And from Kelvadan, my falcon could reach these lords who spoke the language of war—the language I understand best.”

“The lords answer to no one,” Dhara challenged.

“We will when it is for the greater good.” Izumi finally climbed to her feet. She was surprisingly steady for one on the brink of death just a few moments ago. Badha kept a supportive hand on her arm, though.

“They seemed to answer to him before.” Warrick nodded to Erix.

Wary glances were exchanged among the group. There were too many lords and queens all in one place.

Warrick snorted. “Once you decide who is in charge, come find me among my men. Then, we can finalize our plans. I want Calix out of Kelvadan before he uses any newfound resources against Doran.”

With that, he stalked from the small circle. An uneasy silence settled over the seven of us. To a man, we were disheveled and coated in grime.

Izumi sighed. “You are in no more danger from me. But I would prefer if any further discussions waited until I have had a chance to change.”

With that, a fragile peace settled over the encampment in the wake of untold destruction.

Somehow, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with a young man, helping him repair the barriers around a horse enclosure that had been damaged in the earlier chaos. I didn’t know whether it was by the unnatural storm or the sinking sands—although I suspected both had been my fault.

I had summoned the lightning out of desperation to find Keera, and the desert seemed to have reacted violently to my conversation with Kelvar. I had almost hoped he would reappear so I could ask him more questions, but he had been notably absent since I pulled Keera into my arms. The bond I had tried to rip out by the roots grew back like a weed, just as stubborn as Keera herself, for which I was eternally glad and apprehensive.

Over the tentative new bond, I could just sense a whirlwind of emotions from Keera’s end, more muted than her feelings had been when our bond had been forged of months of repeated contact and mixing magic. Now, I could not pick apart each individual reaction, but some came across more clearly than others—betrayal and hurt mixed with relief.

I knew we would talk about what I had done. My limbs were heavy with guilt for the hurt I caused her. I had done what I had to. But right now, there was still so much uncertainty around us, and my actions had hurt others besides her. The only way to free myself of the burden of my guilt was to try and fix what I had set awry.